The Rise Of A Billionaire 1943-Chapter 152 - 164: The Gestapo’s Secret

What was Germany like in 1945?

On the verge of collapse. On the Eastern Front, millions of Soviet troops were advancing rapidly—not only had they occupied East Prussia and pushed deep into the heart of Germany, but they were also steadily marching toward the very heart of the Third Reich: Berlin.

On the Western Front, the Allies, having repelled the German counterattack, were launching their final assault on the Siegfried Line. After Hitler’s desperate gamble at the Ardennes ended in defeat, the Germans had exhausted their last elite forces on the Western Front. All that remained to defend the Siegfried Line were the old, the weak, and the infirm—clearly no match for the Allied advance.

The fall of the Third Reich was only a matter of time.

Everyone understood this.

Yet even so, until the very end, the machinery of power in the Reich continued to operate by inertia.

Though ordinary Germans found even a loaf of bread to be a luxury in these turbulent days, certain exclusive restaurants still offered fine food and drink—though only a privileged few were entitled to enjoy them.

In a restaurant, "Berlin" sat across from a man he was sizing up. The man was short and stout, wore thick black-rimmed glasses, and had a swastika badge pinned to his suit lapel. At the moment, he was standing there respectfully.

"Commissioner, it was my mistake not to meet you at the station personally. Please forgive me."

Who would have thought that this short, stout man—who looked more like a loan shark than an official—was actually the local head of the Gestapo?

"Please sit, Director Frank. There’s no need for such formality between us."

Frank sat down, but he was still a little nervous. After all, for a commissioner from Berlin to come to Cologne at this time, there had to be a reason.

At a time like this, did Berlin really still have the capacity to worry about what was happening here?

Did something happen here that brought the commissioner?

A thousand thoughts raced through Frank’s mind.

"I’m here on a special assignment. Unless absolutely necessary, there’s no need to involve the local authorities."

So that was it. Frank immediately relaxed and said, "Commissioner, do you need our assistance?"

"Assistance..."

After thinking for a moment, "Berlin" said, "I need a train."

Why had "Berlin" come to Cologne?

For uranium!

"A train?"

"Yes. For this operation, I need a train. Also, it needs to be scheduled for a run to Amsterdam three days from now. Is that possible?"

Of course, that was no problem. For the local Gestapo chief, such things were a piece of cake.

With Frank’s help, the train issue was quickly resolved. That very day, "Berlin" led the commando team that had come with him from Berlin and loaded over 1,100 tons of uranium stored in the industrial district onto the train.

As the uranium was being loaded, "Berlin" was still puzzled. What exactly were these things for?

To make armor-piercing shells?

For people of that era, they had no idea of uranium’s true importance. Even the Third Reich itself was clueless.

Otherwise, how could such precious materials have been left gathering dust in a warehouse?

Soon, the train—disguised as a food transport—pulled out of the station and headed for the Netherlands.

...

In February 1945, the Netherlands was still shrouded in the shadow of hunger. In September of the previous year, the German occupation authorities had issued a ban, cutting off all food supplies within the Netherlands and imposing a complete blockade. Food was rationed, and each Dutch resident was allowed only 200 grams of bread per week.

Two hundred grams per week!

How much food is this?

For example, during the Siege of Leningrad, people in the city had only 125 grams of black bread per day—the kind mixed with sawdust. This meager amount of bread was all that an ordinary Leningrad citizen could have each day.

But here in the Netherlands, it’s 200 grams... to last seven days, averaging less than 30 grams a day!

Famine, cold, despair, and death hung over the Netherlands throughout this winter.

In the past six months, people here had only 200 grams of food per week, not even enough for a single meal. Starving people would eat anything they could find just to survive.

Once again, after eating two tulip bulbs, Ada gulped down cold tap water at the faucet. The water was icy, but it helped stave off hunger. Finally, after filling her stomach with water, Ada looked up and saw her reflection in the mirror—her thin face was now just a pair of large eyes.

"You have to hang in there. The war will be over soon..." 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

Ada encouraged herself once again.

"When that time comes, you’ll have anything you want to eat. Bread, milk, chocolate..."

As she said these words to herself, just thinking about the food almost made her mouth water.

"Ada!"

Just then, she heard her mother calling.

"Are you going to school today?"

"Yes, Wendy is still waiting for me."

Wendy was her ballet teacher. Although she was very hungry, Ada still insisted on practicing ballet. For her, ballet was perhaps the only comfort in these difficult days. However, due to malnutrition, she hadn’t danced for a long time, but that didn’t stop her from going to school.

As soon as she entered the classroom, Teacher Wendy gave her a meaningful look.

"Is there something you need, Teacher?"

"Ada, can you come with me to the train station tonight?"

Wendy looked at Ada and said, "We need to go to the train station. I heard there will be a shipment of food arriving today. There might be a chance to buy some food. But I need a child to go with me—you understand what I mean, right?"

Ada quickly nodded.

"I understand. I’ll tell my mother that I’m going with you for a performance."

Ada, who had helped her teacher deliver messages for the resistance many times before, understood what she meant. She needed someone as cover—they were definitely going to steal food for the resistance. Ada, who hadn’t eaten in two days, also needed food.

"Alright, if it’s convenient, let’s go at six in the afternoon."

Wendy smiled at Ada, then said loudly, "Ada, let’s start today’s practice..."

...

"Rat-a-tat..."

The crisp sound of submachine guns echoed in Arnhem train station. The Gestapo commandos, armed with submachine guns, quickly apprehended the group of thieves attempting to steal.

"How could this happen?"

Like the others, Wendy stood there in shock. Just minutes earlier, while the train was being refueled with coal and water, she and the others had taken the opportunity to cut the lock on the boxcar. The moment the lock was cut and the door pulled open, gunfire erupted.

There were Gestapo commandos standing in the boxcar!

In every boxcar!

How could there be Gestapo in the train? Almost instinctively, Wendy and the others reached for their weapons, but it was already too late.

Amid the rapid gunfire, their resistance was quickly crushed.

"Isn’t this supposed to be a food transport train?"

Ada was not caught. During the operation, Wendy had not let Ada get close, instead having her keep watch from a distance. This gave Ada a chance to escape.

But now, where could she run?

The station was crawling with Germans, even their military dogs.

Hiding in a corner, Ada watched in terror as a Gestapo officer walked up to one of the captured people, raised his pistol, and pulled the trigger.

Bang!

Suddenly, a gunshot rang out!

The Gestapo officer had actually executed the captive on the spot. When Ada saw her teacher Wendy fall to a single shot, she was so terrified that she couldn’t help but scream.

"Ah..."

"There’s someone else!"

The Gestapo and German soldiers shouted, and for a moment the station was filled with German voices and barking dogs.

Soon, the Germans spotted her!

"Stop!"

Ada’s instincts drove her to run, but she was so weak from hunger that she had no strength. She was quickly caught by the German soldiers, who grabbed her by the collar and shouted,

"This one must be with the resistance too..."

"Please, sir, I’m not with the resistance, I really am not..."

Ada tried to plead for herself, but the German soldiers ignored her. Soon, she was pushed in front of the Gestapo. She saw the bodies on the ground—her teacher Wendy was among them, along with several resistance fighters.

"Sir, w-we were just so hungry!"

But the Gestapo didn’t give her a chance to explain. One of them changed the magazine in his gun, walked up to her, and just as he raised his weapon—whether from hunger or fear—Ada’s vision went black and she fainted.

As she lost consciousness, someone standing in the distance—Berlin—walked over. He had seen this figure earlier...

The girl lying outside the frame was exceptionally thin and small. The oversized, ill-fitting clothes hung on her like a robe, further accentuating her frailty.

After she fainted, Berlin frowned. This secret operation could not be exposed, but he still stopped his subordinate, who was about to pull the trigger, and walked over. He looked at the girl on the ground—her hair a tangled mess, her ashen cheeks so thin that her cheekbones stood out. Gazing at the girl, Berlin couldn’t help but think of his own daughter, and a wave of emotion welled up in his heart. What a pitiful child.

After a moment’s thought, Berlin spoke.

"She’s just a child... Hmm, take her to the car."