Volume 4 Chapter 29: Ambush

The entire city of Casablanca was under strict martial law to search for the Gentlemen Alliance, but in the end, they did not achieve much. When the Allied Forces reached the hideout of the German intelligence officers, the Gentlemen Alliance and the Hydra Corps had already left. Even the local German intelligence officers had completely withdrawn.

It was not that the Allied Forces were too incompetent, but rather due to the unique restrictions in Casablanca. Morocco itself was a colony, and the local residents were mostly Arabs who practiced Islam. The city’s residents held little goodwill toward either side of the World War II. In their eyes, both the Allied Forces and the Germans were enemies.

In addition, due to earlier artillery attacks, the local residents became even more uncooperative with the Allied Forces. Several violent confrontations between the military and civilians even occurred in the city, making the city-wide search in Casablanca full of loopholes. Guided and disguised by intelligence officers, Skorzeny and others made a smooth and quick retreat to the city outskirts.

Here, the German intelligence officers would continue to hide until nightfall. Then, they would take the research materials of the Super Soldier Program and Baron von Wurdenbeller, who had turned into a Vampire Bat, and return to Berlin on a U-boat specially dispatched to pick them up. Meanwhile, Skorzeny and Baron Stark would lead the Gentlemen Alliance and the Hydra special forces to intercept that crucial Allied Forces military train.

…

Morocco had a long, narrow territory with over 1,700 kilometers of coastline and complex terrain. The central and northern regions were dominated by the steep Atlas Mountains, while the east and south were covered by the High Plateau and the Pre-Sahara Plateau. Only the northwest coastal area had a narrow, low-lying, and warm plain.

Morocco’s population and key resources were concentrated along the western coast, with Casablanca being the largest city in the country. At that time, Morocco was still a Spanish colony, and Rabat was its de facto political center.

Morocco had a railway that ran closely along the western coast, starting from El Jadida in the south and connecting to the port of Ceuta on the eastern end of the Strait of Gibraltar. At the time, Ceuta was under the control of the Allied Forces. Important figures and cargo on the military train would be transported across the strait to Portugal and then forwarded to England.

Ceuta had a diverse population, including Muslims, Jews, and Hindus. Although geographically part of Africa and once ruled by Muslims, since King John I of Portugal captured Ceuta in the early 15th century, efforts had been made to eliminate Muslim influence and spread Christianity.

Even after Portugal ceded Ceuta to Spain in the 17th century, this religious policy did not change. Therefore, culturally, Ceuta was completely different from the Muslim city of Casablanca and could be considered part of Andalusia. In fact, even the local residents of Ceuta never saw themselves as Moroccans but as part of Spain.

The local residents of Ceuta disliked the oppressive Spanish dictatorship and viewed the Allied Forces as liberators. The relationship between the military and civilians was relatively good. If the military train were allowed to reach Ceuta, the Gentlemen Alliance would not be able to act as freely as they did in Casablanca. If they stayed in the city for half a day, they would likely be caught by the Allied Forces.

As for the sea, the narrow Strait of Gibraltar and the Bay of Biscay were different from the vast Atlantic Ocean. English fleets stationed in the ports of southwestern France were everywhere, leaving no chance for German submarines to launch a surprise attack.

To attack the military train, they had to do it along the way. Skorzeny and Baron Stark chose a location in central Morocco, near the small city of Kenitra, not far from Rabat.

The western coast of Morocco had a narrow and warm plain, which was why cities like Casablanca and Rabat were relatively prosperous. Kenitra was a small fishing port with more complex terrain than ordinary coastal cities. It was backed by mountainous folds and located upstream of the Sebou River. The precarious canyon railway bridge that Skorzeny had previously asked Madame Monica to simulate was just outside Kenitra.

Of course, for the Gentlemen Alliance to attack the military train, the most critical factor was not the terrain but whether they could catch up to it first. It would be incorrect to say that the Allied Forces’ search in Casablanca yielded no results at all. At the very least, it delayed the Gentlemen Alliance’s progress, putting the Germans several hours behind the military train.

In Morocco, where there were no cars or airplanes, it was not easy for the Gentlemen Alliance to catch up with a train that had departed hours earlier. Fortunately, the Hydra Corps solved this problem for them.

“Horses? Lieutenant Colonel, are you planning to use these horses to catch up with the train?” Captain Bock looked at Skorzeny with a strange expression.

During World War II, trains were generally not very fast. The maximum designed speed of an ordinary steam train usually did not exceed 100 kilometers per hour, and it typically operated at speeds of 60 to 80 kilometers per hour. Even the best racehorse could hardly exceed 80 kilometers per hour. In other words, even if a horse could run faster than the train, the difference would be limited. Moreover, at such speeds, a horse could only run for a few kilometers.

“Hehe, Captain Bock, don’t underestimate these horses. They have taken special biochemical drugs from the Hydra Corps and can run at 100 kilometers per hour for a full six hours!” Baron Stark walked over from a distance, tapping his cane, accompanied by Red Skull.

“Our intelligence officers have found out that the Allied Forces’ military train is an armored train, which is even slower than an ordinary steam train. We will catch up with them before nightfall!” Skorzeny patted the neck of the horse beside him and cracked a rare joke. “It’s just that our backsides will suffer a bit!”

“Then I have no further questions. Let’s set off early!” Bock said excitedly. “We intercepted the Allied Forces’ Super Soldier Program. If we can also eliminate Albert Einstein, the chief scientist of the Allied Forces’ unconventional warfare forces, then even if we failed to assassinate the three leaders, the Heracles mission will still be a complete success.”

“Even if Germany cannot defeat the whole world, we will surely end this war with dignity!” Skorzeny and the others exchanged glances and saw a glimmer of inspiring hope in each other’s eyes.

By the sixth year of the war, these German elites had long realized that the empire was exhausted. The Third Reich did not lose on the battlefield; it was slowly worn down by the Allied Forces, who gathered human and material resources from all over the world.

Germany could no longer win on the conventional battlefield. To turn the tide and end the war, they could only rely on unconventional warfare forces. At that moment, Skorzeny and the others suddenly realized that the turning point of the war was in their hands. The Gentlemen Alliance had seized the golden key to the door of victory.

“In the name of the Gentlemen Alliance… in the name of Hydra… in the name of Germany…”

“With the honor of soldiers, we will surely win!”

…

The canyon in the early morning was heavy with dew, and the coolness unique to early spring filled the mountain stream.

“Chirp, chirp!” A bright green insect leaped out and landed right in front of a large head. Seemingly frightened by the huge creature’s light gray pupils, the green insect quickly jumped away. With a rustle of leaves, it disappeared deep into the grass.

“Gerthard, how is it? Any movement below?” A head with green grass suddenly emerged from the ground next to Joey. It was Captain Bock, wearing camouflage.

“No, the military train hasn’t arrived here yet!” Joey tilted his head to glance at the railway bridge below and replied calmly.

Joey and Bock were hiding on the right cliff of the canyon railway bridge, overlooking the bridge from above. Skorzeny had chosen this location for the ambush out of necessity.

On the plains, the guards on the train could spot attackers from afar. The Allied Forces’ armored train had powerful firepower, making it difficult for the Gentlemen Alliance to get close. Only in such treacherous terrain would they have a chance to board the train and carry out a series of sabotage and attacks.

“Perhaps… our intelligence is wrong, and they’ve already passed the railway bridge!” Bock frowned slightly, feeling restless.

“That’s impossible. The heavy rain and mudslides not only hindered us but also affected the railway even more. They couldn’t have gotten ahead!” Joey shrugged indifferently. He wasn’t pretending to be calm; according to the news from Little Lian, the Allied Forces’ military train had indeed not arrived here yet.

After setting off yesterday, the Gentlemen Alliance encountered a sudden heavy rainstorm. They faced several mudslides along the way, making it impossible to reach the original ambush site before nightfall.

Skorzeny initially thought they would never catch up with the military train. However, after asking the locals, they discovered that the early spring rainstorm covered a vast area. Not only did it slow down their pursuit, but it also had an even greater impact on the railway. The Allied Forces’ military train was stranded in Rabat due to mudslides and did not reach Kenitra that night.

Seeing that hope was not lost, the Gentlemen Alliance pushed their horses to the limit, resulting in the death of all the horses and exhausting everyone. But they finally reached the ambush site—the canyon railway bridge—in the early morning.

Due to limited time and insufficient explosives, Skorzeny rejected Bock’s plan to blow up the bridge. Instead, they stationed personnel at both ends of the railway bridge, quietly waiting for the enemy military train to arrive.

The shallow stream at the bottom of the canyon was an intermittent river. In the spring, when water was plentiful, it merged into the Sebou River. In the summer, it would dry up, revealing a rocky streambed with scattered stones.

Because the upstream and downstream sections of this intermittent stream had a significant elevation difference and a large waterfall, the river course was unstable and had multiple branches. From Joey’s hiding spot on the canyon cliff, he could clearly see nine different branch channels, resembling a Hydra coiled at the bottom of the canyon.

“Woo…” Just as Bock and Joey were whispering, the faint sound of a train whistle echoed from the distance in the canyon!

“They’re here!” Joey and Bock stopped their discussion, and a gleam of sharp light flashed in their eyes.