Chapter 109
Chapter 109
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 109
Chapter Title: Darkest Hour (2)
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June 18, 1940
Government Chancellery, Berlin, Northern Germany
Just days before the planned invasion of Italy, grim news arrived.
“It appears France is preparing for a large-scale amphibious landing and air raid.”
A heavy silence fell over the conference room at the report from Abwehr Director Wilhelm Canaris.
“What is the estimated scale?”
“We cannot be certain, but we believe it will involve at least a million ground troops and over two thousand aircraft.”
Hearing Canaris’s answer, my head swam. So the madmen in France are finally going to do it.
“And their destination?”
Director Canaris shook his head at my father’s question.
“At present, we cannot specify. They might be aiming for a landing in northwestern Germany, but—”
Canaris hesitated for a moment, glanced at me, and then spoke again.
“The deployment is strange for that. We can understand the army being split between Brest in the northwest and Calais in the northeast due to the logistics of embarking on transport ships, but the air force is similarly divided.”
“In terms of flight range, if Germany were the target, the entire air force should be stationed in the east.”
My father and Ludwig Beck fell into thought, studying the map as Director Canaris pointed out the locations and I added my comment.
“Is there any chance they’re positioned for coastal defense?”
My father asked, but Beck immediately countered.
“Even without the Italian navy, the French navy is stronger than ours. While a minimal coastal defense force might be necessary, deploying a million troops, concentrated around naval ports, seems offensive in nature.”
“It could be a feint, intended to prevent us from discerning their true intentions.”
Director Canaris glanced at me again as he spoke. His point was valid.
They know full well that we have agents planted in France and Italy.
So, it would make sense if the air force stationed in northwestern France consisted of older, obsolete aircraft meant as a decoy. As capable as the Abwehr is, infiltrating an airbase to identify the specific models is another matter entirely.
But looking at the deployment, no matter how you slice it, it seems designed to strike southern England.
“If you consider it a deployment to strike southern England, it’s a textbook arrangement.”
But Ludwig Beck shook his head at my words.
“Even if they strike southern England, the main British fleet is at Scapa Flow in the north. Besides, Britain is their ally. If they intended to go to war with Britain, why would they have withdrawn their army corps from Italy?”
Indeed, from a conventional standpoint, it made little sense.
Is this just an unfounded fear? Or is it because I know about the Pearl Harbor attack from the original history, something they don't, that these thoughts keep surfacing?
“The Vice-Chancellor seems to think France might be targeting Britain, just as you did when discerning Spain’s intentions.”
My father looked back and forth between the map and me before asking casually.
“What is your basis for that judgment?”
“France’s situation and Spain’s attitude.”
“Hmm.”
From the perspective of this era’s diplomatic norms, it was absurd to think an ally like France would launch a surprise attack on Britain. But considering France’s circumstances, was it really so impossible?
“In truth, it was Britain’s presence that allowed us to win the diplomatic battle against France. Britain and France have always been more rivals than friends, and the French people have been building resentment toward the British since the Great War, feeling they alone have been bleeding and suffering.”
If France were to land a devastating surprise blow on Britain, the French public would likely be more ecstatic than shocked.
The argument that they should have broken the alliance and stayed in Italy if that was their plan could be turned on its head; it became the perfect tool to lull Britain into a false sense of security.
“Furthermore, if Spain had agreed to side with France in a war against us in exchange for colonies, it makes no sense for them to sell us tungsten and secure a guarantee of neutrality. In that case, they would have abandoned France entirely and demanded our definite support.”
Therefore, my reasoning was that whatever France had promised Spain was not directly related to Germany.
“On the other hand, if France succeeds in knocking Britain out of the picture, it becomes possible to completely isolate Germany and use Gibraltar as a bargaining chip to bring Spain into the fold.”
“Well, that explains the motive. But the deployment clearly indicates an amphibious landing. Is it even possible to land in Britain against the Royal Navy?”
“A frontal engagement would be hopeless, of course, but…”
Ludwig Beck’s question was perfectly logical and natural. After all, the precedent of launching a surprise attack without a declaration of war to cripple a main fleet had not yet been set.
Who could imagine that a nation that had just withdrawn from Italy due to British intervention, maintaining an alliance despite the friction, would suddenly launch a surprise attack?
“…Perhaps it is just my paranoia.”
Even I wouldn’t have considered such a possibility without my knowledge of the original history’s Pearl Harbor. And unlike Pearl Harbor, Britain had a separate northern naval base at Scapa Flow. The French air force couldn’t reach that far, and France had only one aircraft carrier.
France wasn't foolish enough to think that just dealing with the Channel Fleet would suffice. Besides, even if things unfolded as I predicted, there was nothing we could do about it right now.
If we tried to warn Britain, we would have to reveal our secret talks with Spain, and we weren't their allies. Our relationship didn't extend beyond that of friendly nations with overlapping strategic interests.
And even if we told them we suspected a French surprise attack, would they believe us? We’d be lucky if they didn't dismiss it as a ploy to sow discord.
“It’s not a bad thing to consider the possibility. So, what’s the plan?”
At my father’s question, I met Beck’s eyes.
“We will need a response force ready for any contingency.”
Whether the French were mad enough to attempt a landing in Germany or mad enough to betray their ally with a surprise attack, we needed a force to respond.
“Ultimately, we have no choice but to pull some troops from the Italian invasion force.”
Beck sighed as he spoke, but it was unavoidable. If we hesitated and the French army landed in northwestern Germany—
Or, as only I was thinking, if the French army actually landed in Britain. If we didn't have a response force ready, we would be helpless.
“…Let’s prepare a contingency force. We’ll center it around armored divisions that can move quickly, and we’ll concentrate transport ships and the entire Kriegsmarine in northwestern Germany.”
Moving even the eastern fleet, which was stationed to secure Danzig and defend Königsberg, would mean the German navy, with Luftwaffe support, could mount a sufficient coastal defense.
“Hmm, so whether they attempt to land in Germany, or—”
My father smiled in a somewhat unsettling way and added.
“Do something unexpected, we’ll be in a better position to respond?”
“Yes, Chancellor.”
“Good. Do it.”
Finally, the budget I’d invested in the Kriegsmarine would pay off. Though, to be honest, I wasn’t sure how much.
Will the French really strike Britain? Or are they planning to open a second Gallipoli in Germany?
Whatever the case, I could only hope our response would not be too late.
The problem now was who to pull from the Italian front, where victory seemed all but assured. If left to the army, I could guess who would be chosen. The military’s political games were just as fierce.
If my prediction came true, it wouldn’t be good for him to become too successful, but since he was a highly suitable candidate to command a separate detachment of armored divisions, I wouldn’t stand in his way.
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June 19, 1940
Paris, the ‘City of Light,’ the capital of France
“Welcome, General de Gaulle. And congratulations on your promotion.”
French Prime Minister François de La Rocque greeted de Gaulle with a wide smile, but Charles de Gaulle’s expression was somewhat sour.
“Thank you for the warm welcome, Prime Minister.”
“Haha, please, have a seat. Your great success in Italy was most impressive, General. You really taught those Germans a lesson, didn’t you?”
De Gaulle did not look comfortable, even as he sat in the chair La Rocque offered.
“The location and luck were on our side, Prime Minister. We fought on perfect terrain at the most opportune moment, but it only served to show me their true strength.”
They had fought without German air support, in an environment most favorable to French tanks. The result was a significant victory, repelling the enemy.
Nevertheless, the losses suffered by the French and Italian forces were by no means small.
De Gaulle had felt a sense of crisis from that battle, but the mood among the French high command, as he’d heard from his colleagues and subordinates, was anything but positive.
La Rocque’s expression soured slightly at de Gaulle’s words, but he quickly forced a smile.
“Well, not underestimating the enemy is also a virtue of a general. Do not worry too much, General. The enemy we are about to crush is a far easier opponent. The homeland is protected by the Maginot Line, and reinforcements for Italy will arrive soon.”
De Gaulle’s expression did not improve at La Rocque’s words.
“Prime Minister, we had a partnership.”
Charles de Gaulle had lent his support to La Rocque’s election by advocating for him among his own network and subordinates.
“Ah, of course, General. In our quest to make France great again, how could I fail to recognize a talent such as yourself?”
At La Rocque’s glib, oily response, de Gaulle’s expression hardened subtly.
He spoke such words, yet La Rocque had only ousted Gamelin, a supporter of democracy, and installed Maxime Weygand, a man de Gaulle despised, in his place.
Weygand’s influence in the army might have been necessary to secure military support, but seeing how the army had been run since and considering his own position, it was hard to believe La Rocque truly had de Gaulle’s interests at heart.
Moreover, La Rocque’s promise to install radios in the armored divisions had gone up in smoke thanks to his foreign policy. Instead of voicing his complaints about that, de Gaulle raised another issue.
“…I heard you arrested the former prime ministers of the Radical Party, Paul Reynaud and Édouard Daladier.”
La Rocque’s face tightened for a moment before he broke into a smile.
“Ah, they were publicly denouncing the current military buildup and inciting domestic chaos in this time of national emergency. It was an unavoidable measure.”
But they had not responded in such a way when La Rocque had done the same. While de Gaulle had been away in Italy, much had changed in France.
“But Prime Minister, though their methods may have differed, they too were patriots of France.”
The smile began to fade from La Rocque’s face, but de Gaulle was not one to mince words.
“I wanted a great France, not a dictator who oppresses Frenchmen. I wanted us not to yield to Germany, not to gamble the nation’s fate on stabbing an old ally in the back.”
La Rocque’s smile vanished completely as his gaze clashed with de Gaulle’s.
Finally, La Rocque was the first to speak, holding up his hands.
“There seems to be a misunderstanding, General. The Socialist Party and I came to power with the clear support of the people. As you know, I too wished only to contain Germany. But the previous administration’s failures were too great, and with Britain betraying our alliance to back Germany, we were left with no other choice.”
De Gaulle had only been briefed on La Rocque’s war plan upon his return from Italy, and he held grave concerns about the adventurous and ruthless operation.
“Even so, is this the only way, Prime Minister? This is an act of betrayal against a long-standing friend, a gamble with the lives of proud Frenchmen as the stake—”
“It was those filthy Brits who betrayed us first! Blood is required for a great France!”
La Rocque shouted, cutting de Gaulle off, but de Gaulle did not back down.
“How are you any different from that Mussolini or Hitler right now?”
La Rocque scoffed and replied.
“Unlike those corrupt dictators, I work solely for a great France.”
De Gaulle’s face was a hard mask as he spoke.
“It seems I have misjudged you.”
“Oh, General de Gaulle. I trust that you will one day understand my true intentions. Or will you try to stop me? The people and the military are all praising me and the Socialist government. A patriot like you couldn’t possibly commit such a treasonous act on the eve of a war that will decide our nation’s fate.”
De Gaulle finally fell silent, and La Rocque, feeling a strange sense of pleasure, added.
“You may go, General. Say goodbye to your beloved wife. Time is short if you are to arrive on schedule for the operation.”
De Gaulle glared at La Rocque for mentioning his wife, but instead of provoking him further, he turned his back.
“Don’t take it so hard, General. You have what it takes to be a hero of France, and I am the one who has given you the stage to become one!”
Although he had appointed Weygand, a man de Gaulle despised, as Commander-in-Chief of the Army and had not directly supported de Gaulle’s faction, La Rocque had not lied about making use of him.
He had appointed de Gaulle to lead the coming offensive—an invasion of their former ally, Britain, which was certain to result in countless casualties.
De Gaulle did not stop at the words shouted by his one-time ally at his back, and simply walked out.
Of course, it mattered little to La Rocque.
De Gaulle was an important figure to him, but in the end, he was just another piece on the board he had designed.
A piece need only fulfill its role.
With cold eyes, La Rocque looked down at the operational map, a flurry of lines drawn toward the British Isles and troop numbers.
Those damn European allies had been of little help, but the preparations for the operation were perfect, and the enemy had yet to show any sign of a response.
There could be no more perfect surprise attack. If this operation succeeded, the insubordinate de Gaulle and that fence-sitter Franco would surely change their tunes.
And an Asian nation that had never known defeat would join them as an ally.
If all went according to plan, he would remain in history as a great leader who surpassed even Napoleon.
No, he would make it so.
La Rocque watched the dark clouds in the twilight sky drift north and smiled with satisfaction.