In the spacious but depressing office in the White House, the dim lights flickered, as if they would go out at any time.

The lights ruthlessly stretched the anxious figure of U.S. President Roosevelt on the thick carpet. Every sway of light and shadow was like the uncalmable waves deep in his heart.

Roosevelt’s brows were furrowed, his eyebrows were almost twisted into a knot, and the wrinkles on his face were like ravines, full of sorrow and fatigue.

With his hands behind his back, he paced back and forth in the room with heavy and hurried steps, and every step seemed to be stepping on his own extremely tense nerves.

The floor was tapped with dull sounds by his footsteps, which mixed with his heavy breathing and became the most depressing note in the silent room.

“Damn this Battle of Sicily!” Roosevelt cursed in a low voice, his voice full of fatigue and anger. The voice seemed to be squeezed out from the deepest part of his chest, carrying endless regret and unwillingness.

The recent war reports from Sicily were like sharp daggers piercing his heart. The news of the German victory kept pouring in like a surging tide, and every word was like a heavy lead ball hitting his heart. Their new weapons and equipment were like demons with bared fangs and claws, ruthlessly devouring the lives of American soldiers.

The powerful force demonstrated by those advanced weapons on the battlefield put American soldiers in great difficulties. Every battle became extremely difficult and the number of casualties continued to rise.

“Mr. President, the latest war report.” The secretary walked in cautiously, his voice trembling, as if he was afraid to disturb the tense atmosphere in the room. In his hand, he tightly grasped a document, which seemed like a bomb that could explode at any time in his slightly trembling hand.

Roosevelt stopped suddenly, his movements were so fast that he seemed to be sprung up by a spring. He snatched the document and quickly scanned the words on it. His face instantly turned livid, like the gloomy sky before a storm. “Another failure! What on earth is our army doing?” He roared, his voice echoing in the empty office, shaking the window glass slightly, and the anger and disappointment contained in his voice seemed to set the whole room on fire.

The situation in Sicily had become a heavy stone in his heart, weighing down his breath. At this time, the Allied forces were carrying out landing operations on the Western Front. The progress was relatively smooth. The soldiers advanced hard on the beach. The fight for every inch of land was full of hardships, but at least they were moving forward steadily.
. But once there is a problem in Sicily, the entire strategic layout will be completely disrupted.

Roosevelt could not imagine what the consequences would be if the Battle of Sicily failed. The German army would likely further consolidate its sphere of influence in Europe, the Allied counterattack plan would suffer a severe blow, countless soldiers’ lives would be sacrificed in vain, and the American people’s confidence in the war would also be greatly undermined.

“How come those damn Germans suddenly have so many advanced weapons?” Roosevelt muttered to himself, and the images of the Germans’ new aircraft, rocket launchers, and individual weapons kept appearing in his mind. He was extremely shocked by the performance of these weapons on the battlefield. The new aircraft whizzing by, the rocket launchers firing powerful firepower, and the powerful individual weapons in the hands of the German soldiers were like an insurmountable gap in front of the US military. Every time he thought of this, his heart was filled with doubts and unwillingness.

He thought of the current weapons research and development of the US military, and felt helpless and unwilling. Although the United States has been mass-producing Meteor jet fighters, the blueprints were obtained from the British Empire at a great cost. Scientists in his own country have completely gone astray in the development of jet aircraft. They have invested a lot of manpower, material resources and time, but have not achieved the desired results.

The scientists were busy in the laboratory all day, with all kinds of complicated instruments and equipment filling the room, but the research and development progress was extremely slow. Countless experimental failures made them confused and in trouble, while the advanced weapons of the German army continued to emerge, which made Roosevelt feel extremely anxious and angry.

“We have tens of thousands of scientists, so why can’t we develop advanced weapons?” Roosevelt slammed his fist on the table, his eyes full of anger and confusion.

He really couldn’t figure out how the German army developed so many advanced weapons in such a short time. Where did their scientists get their inspiration from? Was there some mysterious technical support, or did their scientific research system have unique advantages? These questions were like a tangled mess, entangled in his mind, leaving him with no clue.

“And resources. Where do they get so many resources to produce these weapons? What about oil? Romania’s production capacity alone cannot meet the huge consumption of the front line!” Roosevelt felt more and more terrified. These questions were like a cloud of fog, covering him and making him unable to find a clue. War is a contest of resources. Without sufficient resources, the army is like a body without blood and cannot function normally. The production of German weapons requires a large amount of steel, oil and other resources, and where these resources come from has become a headache for him.

At this moment, the office door was gently pushed open again, and a general in military uniform walked in. His face was a little uneasy and apprehensive, as if he had walked into a battlefield full of danger.

“Mr. President.” The general saluted in a low voice with a hint of frustration that was difficult to conceal.

“General Marshall, what is the situation in Sicily? Tell me the truth!” Roosevelt stared into the general’s eyes with a sharp gaze, as if he could see through the war situation in Sicily from his eyes.

General Marshall lowered his head slightly, hesitated for a moment, and said, “Mr. President, the situation is not optimistic. The German reinforcements have arrived, and their firepower is very strong. Our troops… are under great pressure. The soldiers fought hard on the battlefield, but the German artillery fire was too fierce. There were crises in many places on our defense line, and the casualties of the soldiers were increasing.”

“Bastard!” Roosevelt roared again, “Isn’t our army known as the strongest in the world? How come we can’t even take Sicily? Do you know how much impact this has on our strategic layout?” His voice became a little hoarse because of anger, his hands were clenched into fists, and his knuckles turned white due to the force.

General Marshall stood there silently, not daring to say a word. He knew that the president was extremely angry at the moment, and any explanation might be regarded as an excuse. His heart was also full of helplessness and guilt. As one of the commanders of the army, he had an unshirkable responsibility for the war situation in Sicily. Looking at the president’s angry look, he secretly vowed in his heart that he must do everything he can to turn the situation around. “Mr. President, what should we do now?” After a moment of silence, General Marshall asked cautiously, with a hint of expectation in his eyes, hoping that the president could come up with an effective response plan.

Roosevelt took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down. He walked to the window, looked at the dark night sky outside, and pondered for a long time. There was not a single star in the night sky, as if the whole world was swallowed by darkness. His heart was also like the night sky, full of confusion and worry. But as the President of the United States, he knew that he could not retreat and must lead the American people to win the war.

“We can’t just give up like this,” Roosevelt said slowly. Although his voice was low, it was full of determination. “We need to increase investment in weapons research and development. I have decided to invest 2 billion US dollars at one time. Bring all the scientists from the British Empire to New York and have them work with our scientists on research and development. We must speed up the research and development. Only with advanced weapons can we gain an advantage on the battlefield.”

“Yes, Mr. President.” General Marshall nodded quickly, agreeing with the president’s decision. He knew that increasing investment in weapons research and development and joint research and development were the key to turning the tide of the war.

“Also, the intelligence department must be reorganized.” Roosevelt turned around, his eyes revealing a hint of ruthlessness, “What are they doing all day? They can’t get any useful intelligence! We know nothing about the German army’s weapons research and development, resource supply, and other important intelligence! Intelligence is the eyes of war. Without accurate intelligence, we are like blind men rushing around on the battlefield.”

General Marshall frowned slightly and said, “Mr. President, there are indeed some problems with intelligence work. However, the German army is very strict in keeping intelligence confidential, and it is difficult for our intelligence personnel to infiltrate. Their intelligence network is like an airtight net, and our agents will be discovered if they are not careful.”

“I don’t care how strict they are,” Roosevelt interrupted him, his tone firm, “Do everything you can to get me intelligence. We can’t fight blindly like this anymore. We can increase the number of agents, improve their treatment, and let them get intelligence at all costs.”

“Yes, Mr. President, I will convey your order immediately.” General Marshall saluted again and turned to leave.

“Wait a minute,” Roosevelt stopped him, “How much do you know about the combined fleets of Germany, France and Italy?”

General Marshall turned around and said solemnly, “According to intelligence, their combined fleet is very strong, at least stronger than our fleet in the Mediterranean. They have advanced warships and powerful firepower. Our fleet is at a disadvantage in both numbers and equipment.”

Roosevelt frowned even more, and he slowly sat back in his chair, rubbing his temples with both hands. “It seems that this battle is getting harder and harder to fight.” He whispered, his voice full of helplessness and worry. The powerful strength of the combined fleets of Germany, France and Italy made him feel unprecedented pressure. The control of the sea in the Mediterranean is crucial to the outcome of the war. If the control of the sea is lost, the supply lines of the Allied forces will be seriously threatened, and the situation in Sicily will deteriorate further.

At this moment, the secretary hurried in again, holding a telegram in his hand. “Mr. President, an urgent telegram just received.”

Roosevelt took the telegram, read it quickly, and his face turned pale instantly. “How is this possible?” he murmured to himself, his voice full of shock and despair.

“Mr. President, what happened?” General Marshall and the secretary asked at the same time, with anxious looks on their faces.

Roosevelt raised his head, his eyes full of shock and despair: “The defense line of Sicily has been broken by the German army, and our troops are in full retreat. The soldiers can no longer resist the attack of the German army and can only be forced to retreat. The battlefield is in chaos.”

The room suddenly fell into a dead silence. General Marshall and his secretary looked at each other, not knowing what to say. Their hearts were filled with shock and grief. The breakthrough of the Sicily defense line meant that the war situation had reached its most critical moment.

“Convene an emergency military meeting immediately,” Roosevelt stood up, his voice low and firm, “We must re-formulate the battle plan and not let the German conspiracy succeed. No matter what the cost, we must hold the Allied line of defense and turn the tide of the war.”

“Yes, Mr. President,” General Marshall and his secretary responded quickly, turning around and walking out of the office. Their steps were hurried, as if they were racing against time, hoping to find a solution to the problem as soon as possible.

Roosevelt looked at their departing figures with mixed feelings. This war was much more difficult than he had imagined. But he knew that as the President of the United States, he could not retreat and had to lead the American people to win the war. His eyes revealed a firm belief that no matter how many difficulties and challenges there were ahead, he would move forward bravely and never give up.

An emergency military meeting was held in the White House conference room. The generals sat around the conference table in a heavy and depressing atmosphere. Everyone’s face was filled with fatigue and anxiety. The continuous fighting and tense situation over the past few days and nights had put tremendous pressure on their bodies and minds. The lights in the conference room were dim, as if they were also mourning this difficult war.

“Ladies and gentlemen, everyone already knows about the situation in Sicily.” Roosevelt sat at the head of the conference table, looking at everyone present. His eyes revealed firmness and determination, but also a hint of worry. “We are now facing a huge crisis, and we must come up with a response plan as soon as possible. This war is related to the life and death of our country, and we cannot slack off in the slightest.”

A general stood up and said, “Mr. President, I think we should send reinforcements immediately to regain control of Sicily. As long as we invest enough troops, we will be able to defeat the Germans and retake the defense line.” Although his voice was firm, his eyes revealed a hint of hesitation. Obviously, he also knew that sending reinforcements was not an easy task. (End of this chapter)