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Chapter 68: Setting Sail
🕑 Added 2024-12-07 14:25:37 +0000 UTCAbout a week later, Josh said goodbye to Margaret and, along with Lynden and six bodyguards, boarded a plane for Europe with a group of company employees, including Whitney and Angela.
They did not take a ship, but flew instead.
Of course, it was not a DC-3. The DC-3 was fine, but its range was only a little over 1,000 kilometers, and with the vast Atlantic Ocean, it was just not up to the task.
They were flying a Boeing 314, a large passenger aircraft that was one of the largest of its time, even larger than the famous B-29 bomber. While it was slightly inferior in altitude, that was normal since it was a biplane seaplane.
It was a special model ordered by Pan American Airways before the war, designed specifically for transatlantic flights.
This was also the first aircraft to make transatlantic flights, with a total of 12 produced. It could carry 74 people on short routes and 40 people in sleeping berths on long routes.
However, after the United States entered the war, three of the 12 planes were leased to the British, and the rest were requisitioned by the U.S. military for cargo and personnel transport.
Josh and her team were able to board this plane because they wanted to visit the front lines.
Of course, ships were also available, and traveling by ship was much more comfortable than flying.
In fact, most of the other actors and singers who went on these goodwill missions chose to travel by ship.
But Josh would never choose to travel by ship.
Even though it was 1944 and the Empire was nearing its end, especially with this world being stabbed in the back by the Red Skull, that did not mean that the ghosts of the Atlantic had completely disappeared.
In the original world, over 200 different ships were sunk in 1944 alone.
More importantly, German U-boats wreaked havoc during this period. Regardless of the type of ship, once it was sunk, the U-boat would resurface and use machine guns to pick off any survivors, leaving no one alive.
Josh wasn't willing to take that risk.
Flying, on the other hand, was much safer.
By this time, German fighter planes were no longer a threat over the Atlantic.
In addition, the safety of this seaplane was high. Even if one or two of its four engines failed, it could still fly. It also flew at low altitude and slow speed, making emergency landings easier.
Even in the worst case scenario, if something happened and they had to make an emergency landing or parachute into the Atlantic Ocean, Josh could easily survive with the help of the dimensional trading device.
Since there were only about 20 people in Josh's group, the military didn't want to waste transport capacity, so other officers were also on board.
But the officers weren't of high rank. Most of them were junior officers, with the highest rank being a captain.
When these officers saw Josh and Lynden boarding with such a group of beautiful women, their eyes widened in amazement.
Although these women were not famous, anyone who was signed by a movie company was certainly no slouch.
And when they found out that these women would be visiting the front lines, they became even more excited. Not to mention that Whitney, the famous movie star, was among them.
As soon as the plane took off, a lieutenant eagerly tried to strike up a conversation with the women.
But before he could get close, Vito blocked his way.
"Vito!" Seeing the two about to collide, Josh immediately called out to Vito, signaling him to step back. Then he stood up and addressed the officers: "Gentlemen, I am Josh Kahn, owner of DreamWorks. These are my employees, and we are all here to boost the morale of the heroes on the front lines. Of course, that includes all of you, so I won't keep you from making some romantic memories with the ladies on this trip. I'm sure the ladies won't mind meeting some war heroes. However, there is one condition... and that is no coercion. I trust, gentlemen, that you are not the kind of people to engage in such actions, are you?"
"Of course, Mr. Kahn!" the officers replied in unison.
"Anyone who dares to act inappropriately, we won't let them get away with it!" another officer added.
Hearing that Josh had no objection to their approaching the women, the officers immediately cheered and applauded Josh.
"The trip will take some time, so I've brought some gifts for everyone. Vito, bring the boxes!" Josh raised her hand to temporarily silence the officers' cheers and motioned to Vito.
Vito immediately went to retrieve two boxes stored under the bunk and opened them.
One box contained several bottles of wine, while the other contained cigarettes.
In those days, there were no restrictions on alcohol or smoking on flights, and security checks were very casual. It was easy to bring these items on board.
"This is some grape juice from my winery. It may not be the finest wine, but it's quite good. I hope you like it." Josh raised an eyebrow, picked up a bottle, and tossed it to the first officer who had stepped forward.
The officer caught it eagerly.
When the other officers saw the wine, their excitement grew.
Josh threw bottle after bottle to them, and the officers were incredibly enthusiastic, almost climbing up to hug Josh.
As for the cigarettes, they weren't as interested.
Cigarettes were a military issue and available to any soldier as long as he didn't smoke too much. Alcohol, however, was harder to come by, expensive and scarce.
In addition, alcohol was prohibited in the military.
Still, the military often turned a blind eye to soldiers drinking as long as they didn't cause trouble or drink in front of officers or military police.
That was why Josh called it grape juice, not wine.
It was a bit of a white lie, but sometimes a tacit agreement like that was all that was needed.
Josh's actions were perfectly suited to the tastes of these junior officers.
You see, with cigarettes, wine, and beautiful women, it was so easy to get along with the soldiers.
As for why Josh, a wealthy tycoon, would befriend these junior officers, the reason was simple.
Although their ranks were low, these officers were often the most knowledgeable in the military and were able to mingle with the soldiers.
Moreover, in some cases, these junior officers could be just as influential as higher-ranking generals.
Josh would likely be in Europe for several months.
So getting to know some officers and becoming a familiar face was definitely not a bad thing.
Who knew when Josh would need their help?
"Mr. Kahn, you're different from the other rich people I've met. I'm definitely going to make friends with you!" Aldo, the first officer who had tried to approach the women, now seemed more interested in Josh.
He was accompanied by another, more distinguished officer.
"Richard Winters, 101st Airborne Division!" the officer introduced himself.
At this, Josh’s eyes lit up.
