I Don’t Need Nazis I Chapter 29:

Ti flew by, and September, the month of the Munich Agreent in the original history, was just around the corner.

The Sudetenland Crisis had now beco a global issue.

Hitler was clamoring day after day about liberating the Germans in the Sudetenland, and Czechoslovakia was openly garrisoning troops in the region, oppressing the local Germans.

As rumors even began to circulate that France was considering a mobilization order, the German military started to fall into a half-panic.

And only when the situation had reached this point did the discussions among the resistance force begin to accelerate.

-

August 25, 1938

An apartnt in Berlin, Northern Germany

“C-Can’t we… sohow try to suppress it as much as possible?”

At Ludwig Beck’s words, which even carried a sense of desperation, the de facto ringleader of this eting, Lieutenant Colonel Hans Oster, shook his head.

“The Abwehr is doing its best to stop them, but the Nazi propaganda is blatant and involves a large-scale deploynt of personnel. We are at an extre disadvantage as we also have to conduct covert operations against them.”

Hitler’s plan was to have the Germans in the Sudetenland rise up, which would be forcibly suppressed by Czechoslovakia, giving him the justification to declare war to protect the Germans.

He intended to swallow the Sudetenland with the blood of Germans.

However, according to the Locarno Treaties, France had an obligation to guarantee Czechoslovakia's independence, and Czechoslovakia, still feeling insecure, had also signed a defense treaty with the Soviet Union, under the condition that France would enter the war first.

With a three-front war on the verge of breaking out, the military, still in the midst of rearmant, was naturally up in arms trying to stop it, and secretly mobilized the Abwehr (the Counter-espionage Bureau, the Wehrmacht’s intelligence organization).

Under the command of its deputy director, Lieutenant Colonel Hans Oster, the Abwehr had been doing its utmost to pacify the Sudeten Germans, urging them to refrain from ard protests so as not to provoke Czechoslovakia, and indeed, that operation had yielded so results.

However, when the Sudeten Germans didn’t respond as much as they had hoped due to the Abwehr's sabotage operation, the Nazi Party openly began to mobilize the SD (the Nazi State Security Main Office, the Nazis’ intelligence organization) to instigate the Germans in the Sudetenland.

While our side had to conceal the Abwehr’s activities, their activities were unrestrained, and above all, their leader, Reinhard Heydrich, was not one to be scrupulous about his thods.

In the end, the Abwehr's operation to prevent riots in the Sudetenland was reaching its limit.

“I’m sorry to have to say this, but it’s as clear as day that a large-scale disturbance will soon occur in the Sudetenland. …The pretext for war that Hitler wants.”

As sighs erupted from all around, Beck brought up the hope they were clinging to.

“What about the British…?”

But contrary to Beck’s hope, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Weizs??cker shook his head.

“They are not very proactive.”

“Those cunning island bastards!”

“What kind of nerve does that madman Hitler have to be starting a war!”

Pandemonium.

There was an outcry from all sides, and everyone was in a state of confusion.

“What should we do now? We can’t even guarantee a victory in a war with Czechoslovakia, let alone Britain and France! That damned fortress line will surely bog down our offensive!”

Halder, the Chief of the General Staff, was in the biggest panic.

Co to think of it, didn't that man draft an operation to advance through Southern Silesia to split Czechia and Slovakia?

Czechoslovakia had predicted that exact plan and constructed a fortress line at the expected point of the offensive. He must be the most desperate, as it was obvious what would happen if the offensive began as planned.

anwhile, Lieutenant Colonel Oster t my eyes, and I gave him a nod.

We were now truly at a crossroads: either make a move or face war.

At least, that’s how it would look to them.

“…You must make a decision.”

At Lieutenant Colonel Hans Oster’s words, the room instantly fell silent.

“If we fail to oust Hitler and the Nazis now, we will fight a new great war as Hitler’s Germany.”

Even at Lieutenant Colonel Oster's repeated statent, no one said a word.

The high-ranking figures with anxious eyes just glanced at each other, holding their tongues.

In the silence where people only swallowed their saliva, Lieutenant Colonel Oster waited patiently, and finally, Beck opened his mouth.

“What… do you plan to do?”

“I plan to mobilize forr Stahlhelm troopers to raid the Führer’s Residence and arrest or kill Hitler.

In the anti, you will mobilize our divisions to suppress the SS and declare the establishnt of a new governnt.”

The Stahlhelm was a civilian paramilitary organization run by right-wing conservative forces during the Weimar Republic.

Well, to put it elegantly. It was a political gangster group, largely composed of unemployed soldiers and royalist Junkers who gathered after the military was drastically downsized following defeat in World War I.

After Hitler took power, they were absorbed into the Nazi Sturmabteilung, but their disposition clashed with the Nazis, causing constant friction with the Nazi Party. Eventually, they were lumped in with the SA during the Night of the Long Knives, their key figures purged, and the organization was disbanded.

Though they were hostile to the Nazis, the plan to mobilize troopers from a gangster organization that was a main culprit in making a ss of the Weimar Republic was a bit reluctant for , but beggars can't be choosers.

In fact, it wasn't sothing to be looked down on as just a political gangster group; quite a few high-ranking generals in the German military had once been part of the Stahlhelm.

“How do you intend to mobilize the Stahlhelm?”

“I still have connections.”

The one who stepped forward was Count von Blunthal.

He had also been a key figure in the Stahlhelm, and a great number of his acquaintances were purged during the Night of the Long Knives.

He himself had survived only thanks to G??ring’s protection, due to his acquaintance with Crown Prince Wilhelm's eldest son and Mussolini's daughter, Countess Ciano, but he would have had to watch his comrades being purged, so it was understandable why he was being so proactive.

“Will connections alone be enough? This is a great undertaking. To act rashly…”

“These are n who had to watch their comrades be killed by the Nazis during the Night of the Long Knives.

They are people I have known for a long ti, so it is not rash.”

Halder was about to object but shut his mouth at Count Blunthal’s sharp response.

Even though he’s a re first lieutenant, being a count with direct ties to the imperial family gives him strong influence, huh?

Actually, that alone was indeed insufficient.

Among the long-neglected Stahlhelm survivors, many had fallen on hard tis, turned traitor, and joined the SS, which was in the middle of a massive recruitnt drive.

He was in the process of recruiting by personally verifying which Stahlhelm mbers had not yet betrayed them, and the funds required for that were to be supported by , with my father’s approval.

“Then the problem is the division to be mobilized.

Witzleben, is it possible?”

“It is possible. As it happens, the unit I am in charge of has n who were swayed during the last incident and can share our will.”

Erwin von Witzleben, a General of the Infantry, had been briefly forced into retirent as punishnt for demanding a fact-finding investigation during the Blomberg–Fritsch Affair, but was reappointed as a commander when Hitler made war with Czechoslovakia a foregone conclusion.

“If we get the permission, the preparations can be made for sure.

All that’s left is the decision.”

At Lieutenant Colonel Oster's urging, the high command of the conspiracy swallowed a groan and fell into deep thought.

I couldn’t shake the feeling that this was far from enough, but there’s no such thing as a perfect plan for a coup d'état anyway.

I could only hope that the things I was preparing with the Abwehr would be effective.

The truly important part is that the indecisive high command must make a decision.

The failure of a coup mostly cos from the lack of decisiveness and division among the participants.

Even if they unite and move according to plan, unexpected situations are bound to arise. For a coup force, which is inevitably in a weaker position, a firm unity of opinion is crucial.

In any case, we can only try sothing if these influential figures within Germany make the decision to raise a banner of rebellion against the Nazis and stage a coup.

According to history, Reinhard Heydrich and the SD were so busy with their operations in the Sudetenland that, at this point, they were completely unaware that the Black Orchestra was plotting such a conspiracy.

This ant that if we could just activate the plan, there was a possibility.

The crudeness of the plan can be improved, but if they don't make a decision, even the most perfect plan is nothing more than a paper plan.

“What about Brauchitsch?”

When a hesitant Beck asked, Halder answered with a frown.

“He seems difficult.”

Sighs erupted from here and there. Brauchitsch, General Model's ntor, is not cooperating, just as I knew he wouldn't.

The Wehrmacht personnel must have acknowledged him as the Commander-in-chief of the Army, believing he would serve as a check on Hitler, so their bewildernt is understandable.

These people had no way of knowing that he was indebted to Hitler and being dragged along by him.

In the end, as long as they couldn't secure an order from the Commander-in-chief of the Army, they couldn't be certain which side the Wehrmacht generals, aside from those recruited by this group, would take.

No, at this rate, a civil war is a foregone conclusion.

The participants here are dreaming of sohow avoiding a civil war and just rounding up Hitler and the Nazis in one fell swoop, but it’s hard to expect such a convenient outco.

“As long as we cannot issue an order from the Army High Command, we can only move after a British declaration of war.

If Britain declares war, Brauchitsch will realize he has no other choice and will support us.”

A sigh escaped

at Beck's conclusion, reached after much deliberation.

Right, this was how it went.

They don't want a civil war, but they can't get an order from the High Command, so they'll carry out the great undertaking when the regi and the military are shaken by a British declaration of war.

But contrary to their hopes, British Pri Minister Chamberlain would succumb to Hitler’s blackmail and threats and sign the Munich Agreent.

This was the full story of the coup plan that, despite having a detailed plan, was never executed.

“But Your Excellency, Colonel General. Britain will not give us a firm promise of support.”

“Then get it! Isn't that what the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is for! We are providing the troops and have even drawn up a detailed conspiracy plan!”

Beck’s response to Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Weizs??cker’s statent was irritable.

…The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is having a tough ti.

Watching that scene, Lieutenant Colonel Oster gave

a look.

Do I have to step up in the end? If Oster, the main executor, gets on the bad side of the block-headed higher-ups, even things that could work won't… What a sigh.

But there's no room to back down.

As much as they desperately feel the crisis of war right now, the result of the Munich Agreent is sothing no one at this point can imagine.

The praise and support that will be showered on Hitler for achieving such a marvelous result will only increase throughout the early and middle stages of World War II, not decrease.

And the point at which that support turns back into suspicion is after the disastrous defeat at Stalingrad.

By then, nothing can be changed.

“Honorable Colonel General, Your Excellency.

May I say a word?”

“You again.”

Chief of the General Staff Franz Halder sent a look of utter exasperation, so I just gave a slight bow.

An Army captain on the bad side of the Army Chief of General Staff… I don't really want this role either…

Ludwig Beck glanced at my father, Hjalmar Schacht, who was watching this pandemonium with a taciturn glint behind his glasses, then nodded.

“Speak.”

Standing before the cold gazes of the high-ranking people, I truly feel like running away, but…

Could it be any worse than jumping into World War II?

“With all due respect, are we conspiring to beco traitors?”

“What did you say!”

“What kind of outrageous remark is that!”

“Now, now, I’ve had enough of you!”

As expected, the high-ranking people began to furiously pour out their condemnations.

Ah, damn it, if I don't say at least this much, you won't even think of listening properly, so isn't so shock therapy necessary?

It was Lieutenant Colonel Oster who quieted the pandemonium.

He raised his hand to draw their attention, then shot

an intense glare and asked.

“What is the aning of that, Captain.

You had better be prepared if you cannot properly explain yourself.”

He had a powerful charisma that could silence even high-ranking generals.

The past , who had imagined him as just the one who takes the fall, fed up with these hopeless higher-ups, instantly felt apologetic…

Although I've coordinated with Lieutenant Colonel Oster, from here on, it’s all up to my capability. I swallowed my dry saliva and opened my mouth.

“Vice Minister. Forgive my rudeness, but is Britain our ally? Or have they given us a diplomatic docunt recognizing us as the legitimate governnt and promising support?”

I was speaking, but I had no idea how much of my words would get through.

My throat was parched, but I had to do it.

“…No.”

Vice Minister Weizs??cker shook his head and imdiately denied it.

“I am well aware that most of the people here are n who experienced the last great war, who have accumulated far more experience and military rit than a re captain like myself.

But why are you trying to depend on Britain?”

If I can't, then I must recall it. The image of Hitler, of the enemy.

He was by no ans more intelligent than these n, but the conviction he possessed was a magic in itself.

“At least for now, they are in no way related to us.

In the last great war, they were an enemy nation that allied with our traditional enemy nation, France, and fought against us. Many of those who fought against the people in this room during the last great war are now in their political world.”

As the gazes of the high-ranking generals who left their mark on history pierced my body, my voice, far from trembling, grew clearer.

“If such people declare war on Germany to stop Hitler, will they stand by with their hands folded while we carry out our great undertaking and oust the Nazis? That's impossible."

Yes, that’s impossible.

"Britain’s being more lenient than France on revising the Treaty of Versailles was by no ans because they were friendly to Germany. It was because we, defeated in the last great war, had beco weaker than France, and they did not want a solo run by France.”

The only thing I have over them is conviction.

“Think of their ally, France.

Do you think those arrogant n who trampled our lifeline of industry, the Ruhr, with their combat boots, will just watch until Germany’s regi is replaced and stabilized?"

If necessary, I will even stimulate their most shaful mories.

"There is only one reason they failed to respond to the Remilitarization of the Rhineland: they misjudged our military strength.

If the French army had invaded then, all of you here know full well what would have beco of Germany.”

All the generals here were on edge during the Remilitarization of the Rhineland and tried to stop Hitler.

The current situation is not much different from then.

“We have now overco that ordeal and reard, and are now threatening Britain and France.

Do you think their politicians, who declared war despite public opposition, could simply leave alone a Germany that has grown strong enough to threaten them despite the harsh Treaty of Versailles?"

Having only one place to cling to is a trap in itself. It turns you into a blind man clinging to a rotten rope without seeing it.

“They will try to erase the threat of Germany forever. More harshly and more decisively than in the last great war.

If they declare war and begin to invade Germany, we will be left with only two choices.”

A strange sensation of goosebumps running down my spine, a delusion as if conviction was turning into heat and warming my body.

“Either carry out the great undertaking, divide Germany, and bear the stigma of a traitor who let it be trampled by Britain and France, or fight for Hitler's Germany until the very end and perish along with the fatherland.”

“A-A re captain dares to say such things…”

Chief of Staff Halder looked around as if seeking agreent, but everyone remained silent.

The sight of those talkative high-ranking people listening to my story, unable to open their mouths, was even strange.

Could it be that they had never once thought of this possibility? No, that's impossible.

The people here are renowned veteran soldiers or politicians of Germany.

They are by no ans incompetent fools.

They just want to look away from the worst-case scenario.

Didn't even Hitler create the Miracle of Dunkirk and lose the war because he couldn't let go of the hope of a peace negotiation with Britain until the very, very end?

World War II is the worst hell on earth, created by the overlapping hopes of just avoiding the worst.

The hope that Hitler and the Nazis would be better than the communists.

The hope that another great war could be avoided if they just gave up the Sudetenland.

The hope that since they had joined hands with the Soviet Union, Britain and France would not be able to enter the war.

The hope that since they had succeeded so far, it would be fine up to Danzig.

How cruel the word hope, which should be the greatest comfort of all, is in this era.

My role is to shatter their hope.

“You can’t look away anymore. If war breaks out, Germany is finished, one way or another.”