< World War II - Our Fatherland (5) >
May 26, 1940
Northern Germany, Berlin To be honest, Brauchitsch snitching was a huge surprise. If I hadn't already known about the 3rd Army's suspicious movents, I would have found it hard to believe.
I don't know if he truly had a change of heart after so quiet ti in prison, or if he simply snitched because he thought the coup had a high risk of failure.
But while the Black Orchestra that resisted the Nazi regi in the original history died without regret until the very end, the fact that a man who was loyal to the Nazi regi and fought against us had turned was sowhat of a consolation.
It must an that, at the very least, we aren't heading down the wrong path. I feel like expressing my gratitude to General Model and Brauchitsch, but the situation is urgent.
After finishing my pleasant ti with General Model—no, my prison visit—an ergency eting was called for the very next day.
“Well, we failed to see what was right under our noses.”
Abwehr Director Admiral Wilhelm Canaris touched his forehead with his hand.
“That was a close call.”
It was all well and good that we closed the Nazi concentration camps and opened new prisons, but given the nature of those camps, we couldn't use the guards who originally worked there.
Most of them were people who had brutally treated and massacred prisoners, or were fanatical Nazi Party mbers.
The problem was that we essentially had to hire an all-new staff for the prisons, and since we needed so many people, we couldn't possibly use only vetted individuals.
Well, to be honest, I can't overlook the fact that we were careless, filled with the hope of starting a new Germany right after ending a civil war.
“To think there are several SD (Nazi intelligence service) agents among the staff of the prisons holding the Nazi regi's collaborators…”
Deputy Director Oster wiped the sweat running down his broad forehead with a handkerchief.
For the SD, which had lost its ho country, to be carrying out an operation like this, Italy must be investing a considerable budget into it.
That Mussolini, he was the sa during the Spanish Civil War. For a guy who can't even manage his own house, why does he keep giving so much to other countries?
“The plan was for the 3rd Army to advance on Berlin, release those imprisoned, and have them form an interim high command to rally support.”
I was wondering what the 3rd Army was banking on to stage a coup. It's flimsy, but I'll admit it's novel.
A plan to liberate the generals and high-ranking SS who were the military high command of the Nazi regi, make them commanders, and after a surprise suppression of the Fourth Reich's high command, incite all Wehrmacht and SS mbers.
Honestly, even if by so miracle they succeeded in occupying Berlin, I doubt many would respond to such a flimsy plan, but speaking coolly, the Black Orchestra's coup wasn't all that different, so I have no room to talk.
“Then we must assu they've also tried to contact forr high-ranking officials like Wilhelm Keitel, Paul Hausser, and Sepp Dietrich.”
“That's likely.”
In fact, we should assu they've tried to contact almost all the pro-Nazi figures in prison, and there's no telling who responded. Perhaps there are participants in the current National Defense Force besides the 3rd Army.
“What about Brauchitsch? With SD agents in the prison, your eting with him must have been reported.”
“General Model has been visiting Brauchitsch regularly and has a close acquaintance with , so he'll say that General Model brought
along unexpectedly.
But it will still arouse suspicion, so we must act quickly.”
Of course, from Himmler and the SD's perspective, it would be difficult to imdiately suspect that Brauchitsch, who was captured after remaining loyal to the Führer to the end, would snitch.
It's a fact that Brauchitsch is Model's ntor, and that he has looked out for
before.
“So, what's the plan?”
My father, Hjalmar Schacht, who had been listening silently, asked, his eyes gleaming coldly from behind his glasses.
It's honestly chilling whenever he does that.
Everyone's gaze turned to the Minister of Defense, Ludwig Beck, who was standing there with a half-resigned look on his face.
From his perspective, after the unpleasant incident during the military governnt's coup, he likely ostracized those with strong Nazi influence along with the military high command to show his loyalty to the governnt, so I can imagine how he feels now that this ss is about to erupt instead.
“W-We must first suppress it, but…”
Beck couldn't hide his fluster.
He understood the situation, but the problem was not as simple as he thought.
The 3rd Army might be treated as a second-line force now, but it was a field army considered elite under the Nazi regi.
If we act rashly without knowing how many of them have been won over, a civil war could break out. That's why we haven't touched the SD in the prisons yet.
“Can the Army be trusted?”
At my father's question, Beck fell silent. He could quickly think of figures in the Army who could be trusted, but it's a different story when the question is whether the entire Army can be trusted.
The justifications the 3rd Army used to persuade others to join the coup are mostly nonsense, but the appeasent policy toward Poland and the land distribution to Jews had already drawn dissatisfaction from the military, where nationalism is strong.
The Chief of the General Staff, Manstein himself, was soone who expressed dissatisfaction with the appeasent policy toward Poland, and there were far too many military figures who opposed distributing land from which Poles had been expelled to Jews.
“Ahem, frankly, quite a few are dissatisfied with the Vice-Chancellor's post-war settlent with Poland…”
What, is the Minister of Defense really going to pass the buck here? From my perspective, this was extrely unfair.
This so-called appeasent policy toward Poland is ultimately them buying our weapons with their money and shedding blood for us.
It's just generous for a defeated nation; how is that appeasent?
If the problem was that we handled the expulsion of Poles moderately, what, should I have condoned a bloodbath?
Besides, since it's realistically impossible to return all the property the Nazi regi plundered from the Jews, I had no idea that providing them with a place to live as a minimal form of compensation would be cause for such dissatisfaction.
If they'd at least consider the Jews as German citizens who suffered unjust damages, they couldn't be dissatisfied with such asures.
They only think 'give it to
instead of those bastards' because they see them as subhuman creatures.
No matter how rigid-minded the Junkers are, this isn't so feudal nation.
The idea that the nation should distribute the land it acquired to them—what era does that kind of thinking even co from…
“Would the military have been satisfied only if we let all the Jews starve to death on the streets, gobbled up Poland whole, beca diplomatically isolated, and ended up encircled on three sides by the Soviet Union, France, and Italy?”
I said, suppressing the urge to scream 'You damn fools who don't even know grand strategy!', and Beck imdiately backed down.
“Ahem.
That's not it, Vice-Chancellor. The situation is frustrating, so I misspoke.”
My father openly clicked his tongue.
“Tsk, did we gather here to have an argunt? A civil war is about to break out just as things were starting to stabilize.
Shouldn't we be coming up with counterasures?”
“My apologies, Chancellor.”
“I'm sorry.”
I couldn't shake the feeling of being unfairly attacked out of nowhere, but as expected, Father was rciless…
If the 3rd Army starts a civil war now, even if they fail quickly, the problem will be serious.
The delivery route for military equipnt to Poland would be cut off imdiately, and since Poland's only port, the Free City of Gdynia, is also in the 3rd Army's territory, even a slightly prolonged civil war would be a death sentence for Poland.
And if Poland falls, we would face the worst-case scenario: sharing a border with a Soviet Union that holds a grudge against Germany, all while having to prepare for a France that could cause trouble at any mont.
Furthermore, now that the 3rd Army has joined hands with the Nazis, the fact that there are many Jews in the region where they plan to rise up is extrely concerning.
If their coup doesn't go as planned and things go south, who knows what kind of crazy acts those Nazi bastards will commit against the Jews who have just settled in their new hos.
“First, the Army is a no-go.
There's a risk of leaks, and if we pull troops from the Siegfried Line or the Italian front, the SD will notice imdiately.”
The Army itself is the most nationalistic branch of the military and a den of Junkers.
It's not just Nazi puppets, but also dissatisfied Junkers who have joined in, so the Army is too risky.
Even if they didn't notice, pulling units from the Siegfried Line, which is already inferior to the French Army, or the Italian front where the Hawk Legion has withdrawn and an offensive is being prepared, would be exactly what France and Italy are hoping for.
“But how will we stop them then? Do you intend to mobilize the Berlin Replacent Army Command?”
Just as Ludwig Beck said, the Berlin Replacent Army Command does exist. Reminds
of Operation Valkyrie from the original history.
But mobilizing the Berlin Replacent Army would be noticed by the SD imdiately, so that's out, too.
“The Berlin Replacent Army would be discovered the mont it's mobilized, so we'll just prepare it as a last resort for the worst-case scenario.
There is a unit we can use in this situation, but it will require so coordination with the Abwehr.”
“Hmm, if we gather all the Abwehr agents in Berlin and the 3rd Army's area, we'll have so manpower, but they aren't combat troops, are they?”
Canaris's question was reasonable, and I answered him right away.
“Of course, I don't expect the Abwehr to do the fighting. On the contrary, we must avoid combat if possible and suppress the 3rd Army's high command.
There's a unit perfect for that purpose…”
Honestly, I'm not sure if I, who only partially completed the General Staff course, should be drafting such a plan, but this isn't a situation where I can be picky.
Ludwig Beck, a forr Chief of the General Staff himself, looked a bit hesitant after hearing my plan, but thankfully, he approved.
With the Army unusable, the ans to suppress the 3rd Army's high command while avoiding civil war were just too limited.
Excluding the Army General Staff when we don't know who might be involved feels a bit sketchy, but since my father also approved, it should work out sohow.
---
May 31, 1940
Northeastern Germany, Posen – Posen City Garrison Battalion Headquarters A competent soldier who distinguished himself starting in the Condor Legion, becoming a Captain at a young age, and who fought bravely during the invasion of Poland, receiving the Iron Cross 1st Class.
Furthermore, a man with solid connections, being friends with the Vice-Chancellor, Dietrich Schacht, a politician who was arguably the most famous in the Fourth Reich.
That was the evaluation of Captain Clens Fleck.
Of course, for him—a friendly and sociable man who was an eternal Ar dreaming of being a safe and idle wage thief—it was a completely unwelco evaluation, and—
“Sob, I'm jinxed.
I'm definitely jinxed…”
It was also not an evaluation that suited this pathetic man who was lanting his own situation.
At a drinking party with Roger Michael and Dietrich Schacht after the end of the war with Poland, Clens had vented his resentnt about his situation, crossing the line of death at the very front line despite his friend being the governnt's second-in-command.
After begging and pleading with his friend, even while getting a pathetic look from his other friend Roger Michael, Dietrich finally replied with a very reluctant face that he would at least write a letter of recomndation.
And as a result, as the Polish campaign concluded and the remaining units moved to the Italian front, Clens was assigned to the Posen city garrison battalion and was able to spend his ti idly.
All the Posen city garrison battalion had to do was suppress riots by the Poles and maintain public security while the Jews were settling in, and with the 3rd Army also there, it was quite relaxed.
For Clens, it was a heavenly ti, however brief.
If I'd known it was this easy, I would've pestered that friend of mine sooner! He was having such relaxed thoughts until yesterday—
He had felt that the atmosphere in the 3rd Army was a bit strange lately, but he never imagined it would lead to a situation like this.
“B-Battalion Commander, sir.
You're joking, right?”
Clens asked with a face that refused to believe it, but his battalion commander, whom he had gotten quite close to, replied with a smile on his handso face.
“I'm not joking, Company Commander.
Our battalion will suppress the 3rd Army's high command, who are preparing a coup, at dawn tomorrow. Sorry for telling you only now, since it's a confidential operation.”
Clens felt like he wanted to faint as he asked his direct superior, Major Hans-Jürgen von Blunthal.
“W-W-What is our military force?”
“One battalion, isn't it?”
Clens felt the urge to grab the composed Blunthal by the collar and shake his handso face, but he barely suppressed it and asked.
“Th-Then what about the 3rd Army's force?”
“10 divisions and 2 brigades.”
Clens felt like he was going to grab the back of his neck and pass out.
Just as you'd expect from the guy who stord the Führer's residence in the middle of Berlin, sniped Hitler, and escaped, his guts must be on the outside.
But I refuse to die such a senseless death! Not everyone is willing to risk their life for their country as if it's a given!
In the end, Clens couldn't accept reality and asked a very irreverent question.
“C-Count, sir. Don't you think the Vice-Chancellor is plotting to have us killed?”
I nagged and nagged that friend of mine to get assigned to the safe rear, and now a coup? A coup??
At this point, it was clear that either God was cursing him, or that Dietrich bastard had a deep grudge against him.
To suppress a whole field army with a single battalion, what kind of bullshit is this!
But the Major-and-Count, Blunthal, gave a bitter smile, shook his head, and answered.
“Surely not.
I never said our forces were the only ones being mobilized for the suppression.”
“What? Besides us, what military force is there here other than the 3rd Army?”
Blunthal grinned and pointed a finger at the ceiling.
“Reinforcents will co. From the sky.”
Of course, far from being relieved by his words, Clens had a disrespectful thought: He's not that Dietrich bastard, so why does he love saying things I can't understand—
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