I Don’t Need Nazis I Chapter 73:

December 24, 1939

Eastern Germany, 8th Military District Breslau - Upper Silesia The Polish Army's fierce offensive on Upper Silesia had been raging since the 20th.

"Die! You damn Polish bastards!"

"Wiwat Polski!"

On the battlefield, amidst a hail of bullets, Army Group North was taking continuous sacrifices and being pushed back bit by bit.

"Aaaargh, Mooooom!"

The scene of a comrade, with whom he had shared tasteless combat rations just that morning, lying on the ground screaming and clutching the red lumps spilling from his stomach, was enough to drive even a sane man mad.

"Die, dieeeeeee!"

"Gasp, watch out!"

The machine gunner, with bloodshot eyes, half-mad as he blasted away with his MG 34 machine gun, was blown to shrapnel when an artillery shell landed beside him with a deafening roar.

"Ugh, bleeech!"

The soldier who had shouted to get down vomited at the sight of his comrade's pieces, only to be shot and collapse onto his own vomit, unable to move.

"Headquarters, Headquarters! This is 2nd Company! The enemy attack is too fierce, at this rate, we'll all be-"

"Company Commander!"

Captain Klens Fleck was screaming into the radio when he was suddenly pushed down by his adjutant.

"Ugh!"

Klens felt a chill run down his spine as he saw a fighter aircraft strafe the spot where he had been standing just a mont ago.

[2nd Company.

This is Battalion HQ. The situation is the sa on all fronts.

Defend your current position to the death.]

Unfortunately, the radio transmission from headquarters cut off after saying its piece.

"Damn it, hell! Isn't this just telling us all to die?"

Klens yelled at his poor adjutant, but it wasn't as if the adjutant would know the answer.

Behind Klens and his company, a newly arrived tank began to move toward the front.

His subordinates cheered as they saw the tank, rumbling with its characteristic engine sound, sliding forward on its tracks.

"Ooh, it's a Panzer IV!"

While it was just a single dium tank that could hardly exert much influence on the entire front, its presence was a huge morale boost for the infantry fighting a defensive battle from their flimsy trench line.

But unfortunately, as the Panzer IV was turning its turret toward an enemy tank that had spotted it first, it was hit by artillery fire and fell silent.

"Argh, damn it!"

The Polish Army's main tank, the 7TP, was only a light tank, but it had a main gun capable of properly damaging a Panzer IV, and it was pushing hard against the German military, which had already suffered damage from the surprise attack.

"W-Where are the assault guns?"

Klens scread in terror, but most of the low-cost Sturmgeschütz III assault guns and tank destroyers that had allowed them to withstand Poland's initial attack were already smoking lumps of scrap tal after the fierce lee.

Klens cautiously peeked his head out of the trench, saw the Polish army advancing with several more 7TP tanks at the forefront, and quickly ducked back down.

"Oh, my god! We're all dead now!"

"C-Company Commander! Please, calm down!"

"If I die here, I'm going to curse that bastard Dietrich! I hope he becos impotent!"

A guy who's a Vice Minister of the Chancellery should've stuck his friend in a safe spot, what's with the very front line, the very front line!

Fortunately, his curse on his innocent friend would not co to pass.

The Polish forces, who were advancing on Klens's trench line with tanks in the lead, began to run away in a panic, scared out of their wits.

"What the, what's wrong with them?"

The question was answered in an instant.

Bf 109 fighter aircraft flew over the heads of Klens and his troopers, slicing through the air and mincing the Polish forces with their machine guns, while Stukas dived from the sky with ear-splitting roars, turning all the Polish tanks into burning coffins.

"Oh, oooh! It's the Air Force!"

Adolf Galland grinned as he glanced down through his cockpit window at the grunts cheering enthusiastically on the ground.

The Luftwaffe, which had been mostly deployed south to push the Italian Front, was the first to fly in to support Army Group North, who were putting up a difficult resistance against the Polish Army.

Galland, while piloting his fighter, puffed out smoke from the cigar in his mouth and began to chase a slow Polish fighter that was hastily fleeing.

As Galland's Bf 109 closed in from behind, the enemy aircraft tried everything to shake him off, lowering and raising its altitude and banking sharply.

"The pilot's skill doesn't seem half bad…"

But Galland mirrored the poor pilot's every move, stuck to him, and tore his wings apart with machine gun fire.

"The airfra just can't keep up."

The enemy aircraft imdiately lost altitude and began to crash.

If he was lucky, he'd open his parachute and live.

To him, who considered even a life-and-death aerial combat to be sothing like a sport, the survival of an already downed enemy pilot was of no interest.

As Galland took another drag from his cigar, a Polish fighter swooped in behind his aircraft.

"Whoops, there."

Galland made a sound devoid of any sense of crisis despite the dangerous situation and imdiately executed a sharp turn, and the Polish fighter that tried to follow, not knowing it was a lure, had its fuselage hit by another Bf 109 coming from the side and fell to the ground engulfed in flas.

"Phew~"

Recognizing the aircraft of his colleague Werner M??lders, Adolf Galland chuckled, imagining his close friend's smug face as he would boast about it as soon as they got back.

The Luftwaffe fighters were using a formation where they organically supported each other according to the Schwarm tactic devised by Werner M??lders, and his doctrine had already been verified in Spain.

Facing a Luftwaffe experienced from the Condor Legion and the Italian Front, the Polish Air Force, inferior in both aircraft and air force doctrine, was powerless and had to cede air superiority.

Glancing to the side, Galland could see the scene of Stukas and Hs 123s flying around frantically, unilaterally destroying the Polish forces who had lost air superiority.

"General Richthofen would be disappointed he couldn't see this sight in person."

Galland muttered as such, checked his fuel, and began to return to base, passing over the heads of the army soldiers cheering at the sky.

The first Polish offensive, which had pushed Upper Silesia, defended by Army Group North, to the brink of fall by launching a surprise attack, was narrowly thwarted as they lost air superiority to the tily arrival of the Luftwaffe.

-

December 24, 1939

Northern Germany, Berlin It's finally Christmas Eve, but our governnt is having an incredibly busy ti.

When the civil war ended, I thought I'd be able to spend a quiet Christmas with Claudia this year, but reality…

My father had just forgiven a large amount of FO bills and was about to catch his breath when the General Mobilization Order was issued, and now he's busy proposing joint ventures with companies to revive the staggering economy.

It's a relief that, at least, the education and deploynt of female workers, promoted by the Ministry of Labor after the new governnt's establishnt, are starting to show so ager results, making things better than the chaos of Nazi Germany.

Foreign Minister Weizs??cker was trying his best to secure Britain's support, but Halifax was showing only a lukewarm response.

Unlike Finland, which they could support out of goodwill without much consequence, perhaps it's because we don't seem to be in great danger, having thwarted Poland's offensive after the civil war.

Arica's President Roosevelt expressed his personal support, but Congress argued that Arica, which passed the Neutrality Act while even Britain stood by, could not provide aid, so they hadn't been able to give proper support yet.

At least the purchase of 'non-military' goods like fuel and trucks, which Arica was conducting with us, was now officially recognized as being done directly with us, not through the Netherlands.

Since this was a chronic problem for Nazi Germany, it's a great help for us in smoothly maintaining our armored unit operations and supply line managent.

I was taking charge of the military affairs that my father didn't touch.

It was only natural, as among the high-ranking governnt officials, only Minister of Defense Beck and I held military ranks.

"Vice Minister, as requested, the winter clothing is being distributed to the front-line army on schedule, more or less. It's too much for the mobilized Reserve Forces, though."

Hearing Field Marshal Ludwig Beck's words, I let out a sigh of relief.

"I'm glad for at least that."

That damn Hitler couldn't be bothered with non-combat losses even in the midst of the German-Soviet War because he was busy transporting Jewish people and poison gas, but at least we aren't doing sothing that stupid.

Because there's nothing more absurd than able-bodied soldiers getting frostbite in the severe cold and being unable to fight.

Poland's offensive on the Eastern Front was threatening, but we managed to block it sohow because we secured air superiority, and apart from the 7TP, the Polish tanks weren't that threatening against our Panzer IVs or Panzerj??ger Is.

Although we lost parts of Upper Silesia and southern East Prussia, the front has fallen into a stalemate, and with the weather turning sharply colder, the Polish army's offensive is montarily faltering.

However, the divisions currently defending the German Holand are only 10 in East Prussia and 9 in Silesia.

The Polish army has been confird to have 45 divisions, so we are at an inferiority of more than double.

We were at least able to try and block them because they focused their offensive on East Prussia and Silesia, where they had their justification, but if they change their plan and start running amok across the wide national border, there's no solution.

"This is the operation plan sent from Army Group South."

General Manstein unfolded the operation plan to break through this situation.

The operation plan's goal was to withdraw Army Group South, currently spread across Northern Italy in Veneto and Südtirol, to shorten the front, leave only 15 divisions there, and send the remaining 25 divisions up to the German Holand.

If this operation succeeds, the Polish army will have 45 divisions, and we will have 44.

Army Group North's 19 divisions are already in tatters, but since we have air superiority and an advantage in armor and artillery power, it's a fight worth having if it's a defensive battle.

"Colonel General Erwin von Witzleben has stepped up as the commander of Army Group South on the Italian direction. This is the plan drawn up by Lieutenant General Walther Model, who is assisting him as Chief of Staff."

Manstein was speaking with a rarely seen serious expression.

Even he, second to none in his lack of tact, must have known that the entire war situation hinged on this operation.

"According to this plan, Army Group South will retreat, using Südtirol as a salient to block enemy counterattacks, and then fall back to Tyrol to establish a defense line."

With flanks secured by the Yugoslavian and Swiss borders, a defense line along the Alps would be optimal for holding the front.

The problem is-

"The Italian army has a total of 42 divisions. Army Group South must defend the Südtirol salient with 15 divisions to provide cover for our forces retreating to the Alps Mountains, and then retreat over the Alps to Tyrol to establish a defense line."

It sounds daunting just hearing about it.

"It was

who requested the withdrawal of 25 divisions, but to be frank, if they pull this off, the n of Army Group South will beco heroes of military history."

Manstein said as he put a cigar in his mouth and lit it.

"So, Model and the staff mbers of Army Group South drew up this plan?"

"Yes, Minister. Frankly, the person who made this is either a greater genius than I or a madman. But if this crazy plan fails, there is no guarantee we can withstand Poland's next offensive."

Answering Ludwig Beck's question, Manstein seed- unusually annoyed.

I feel my throat go dry. Walther Model.

Lion of Defense. The Führer's Fireman.

Now, you'll be the firefighter of the Fourth Empire.

…But, is this really possible?

Even I, who knows the original history and has received basic staff officer training, am at a level of half-belief, half-doubt.

"Our role will be important during the stage of retreating to the Alps."

The one who said that was Air Force Chief of Staff Wolfram von Richthofen.

He, who had followed the troops down to Italy and insisted on flying on the front lines, was here after heeding our pleas to please attend an operations eting like a proper Chief of Staff.

Manstein was silent, smoking his cigar.

Even for him, who loved to stir things up, the words to order the execution of such a plan would not co easily.

"…I'll trust you, Air Group Commander."

When I said that, Richthofen grinned.

"Ah, I've already worked together with that person, Model. Don't you worry. I'll support him with everything I've got."

Beck took out a handkerchief, wiped the sweat from his brow, and sighed.

"Good heavens, I've beco an old has-been. I can't keep up with the ideas of the young folks."

"Well, we have no ti and no other alternative. Seeing as General Witzleben approved it, it must be a plan that at least makes sense."

General Erwin von Witzleben.

The general who, at least, worked with us since the early days of the coup d'état, and the man who provided advocacy for General Model, who chose arrest over surrender.

He should be able to do a good job together with General Model.

In military history, wasn't Walther Model evaluated as the Realizer of Miracles? I can only hope that evaluation continues in this world.

"Hmph, very well. What the hell, tell them to do it."

As Ludwig Beck agreed, Manstein took a deep drag from his cigar, pressed it out in an ashtray, and opened his mouth.

"If they really pull this off, I think I would be jealous…"