Chapter 113
Chapter 113
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 113
Chapter Title: Darkest Hour (6)
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June 27, 1940
Berlin, Northern Germany – Dietrich Schacht’s Residence
It was the morning of the fourth day since the attack on Britain began.
A telegram had arrived announcing Winston Churchill as the new British Prime Minister, and Poland was continuously requesting aid, reporting on the Soviet Union’s preparations for a massive offensive.
But we still had not decided to declare war on either France or the Soviet Union.
We first sought Belgium’s cooperation for military passage to secure a route to attack France, bypassing the Maginot Line. However, Belgium, having suffered massacres and rape at the hands of German forces in the last Great War, reacted with alarm and refused immediately.
No matter what terms we offered, they insisted they could not allow their land to become a battlefield between Germany and France again. Negotiations with a party that had no intention of even coming to the table were impossible.
And then—it happened.
Though the source was unknown, news spread throughout Germany that our government was considering a declaration of war against France and the Soviet Union.
I didn’t know if some fool had leaked what was discussed in our meetings or if it was the work of another nation trying to keep us in check, but the result was a series of anti-war protests across Germany.
Despite our surprise attack on Britain and our alliance with Italy, France had refrained from declaring war or taking any hostile action against us.
The Soviet Union, having failed to push through Poland and Finland, had also not declared war on us yet.
Therefore, for us to intervene, Germany would have to be the one to declare war on them.
But the people could not understand why we should go out of our way to fight for Poland, the very nation that had invaded Germany first.
Moreover, Britain had offered little help while we were being invaded, and in the last war, they had been a clear enemy.
With Britain already being pushed back hard from the start, public opinion was overwhelmingly against joining a disadvantageous war for the sake of an old foe.
The Fourth Reich itself was a government established on the pretext of preventing the Nazi regime from starting a war against the will of the people.
Now, with the German people opposing war, some in the cabinet began to suggest that we should abandon Britain and Poland, who weren't even our allies.
“It’s suffocating.”
As I muttered to myself, a soft body tried to pull away. I held Claudia tighter, burying my head in her shoulder.
“You said it was suffocating.”
“No, I couldn’t have meant you.”
“Don’t be confusing. You almost hurt my feelings.”
“…Sorry.”
In the end, despite the urgency of the situation, our cabinet had failed to reach a conclusion as the weekend approached. Meanwhile, my voice had grown significantly louder, as I was the only one who had considered the possibility of France attacking Britain.
It had grown so serious, so disproportionate, that now everyone was waiting for my judgment.
“It’s a funny thing. I’m barely in my thirties, yet the cabinet is asking for my opinion first on a matter of such importance.”
“You’re the only one who even came close to predicting this, so it’s only natural, isn’t it?”
But that was only thanks to my memories as a modern man. And even then, I had only anticipated it; I wasn't certain.
“…That’s just because I knew the future—a future that’s now meaningless.”
I lacked certainty and, believing it would be useless to tell Britain, had settled for preparing our own countermeasures. But the result was a crisis for Britain and a Second World War that now even included the Empire of Japan.
Should I have tried to warn them, whether they believed me or not?
Or should I have gone back even further, not just trying to isolate France but attempting some form of appeasement?
“The weight of these expectations, so far beyond my abilities, is just too heavy.”
Though I had achieved the Fourth Reich through an arduous process, I had suffered many failures since. A little knowledge of the future didn't give me the ability to manage everything without making mistakes.
There was nothing I had accomplished so far that I could have done alone. The Black Orchestra, the Social Democrats, the officials of the Fourth Reich, and if not for Claudia…
“Dietrich…”
“Still, the decision I make will have a great impact on the cabinet’s judgment.”
My own father was a man of commerce who loathed war, and the cabinet was hesitant to declare war for Britain or Poland against the will of the people.
Peace had seemed within reach if we could just secure Italy’s surrender. The public, weary from civil war and conflict, had no desire to embrace another war.
If we simply avoided a declaration of war now, we might be able to quickly defeat Italy, greet peace, and hold elections. No one wanted to be branded a warmonger by the voters.
I knew, intellectually. If we abandoned Britain now, France would strike us at the most opportune moment or blockade us until we withered. If Poland and Finland fell, the Soviet Union's next target would be Germany.
But if Germany declared war to help Britain and Poland, it would be the Second World War.
The German-Soviet war I had wanted to avoid at all costs, a two-front war on the Western and Eastern Fronts, awaited.
I would be dragging Germany into the very war that had seen tens of millions die so horribly in the original history.
Was it right for the Fourth Reich, which rose to prevent the war and ruin Hitler would have brought, to declare war against the will of the people based solely on strategic judgment?
The thought that deciding for war now might lead Germany to ruin, just as in the original history, was incessant.
If we fight this war, can Germany win? And if we do, just how many people will die? Millions? Tens of millions?
“Understanding the weight of deciding for war, I think I can sympathize with Chamberlain and Halifax.”
Having experienced the hell of the First World War, the choices those politicians made, clinging to a sliver of hope to avoid a war that would kill countless citizens, were recorded in history as fatal mistakes.
In the original history, Winston Churchill declared a fight to the death against Germany when all of Europe had fallen into its hands and almost the entire British army was trapped at Dunkirk.
Now, even after allowing a landing at Portsmouth, right on London's doorstep, he was calling for a last stand in London and asking for our help.
Only at this moment did I truly, painfully understand what a great leader he was, this man often dismissed as a militarily incompetent and cruel imperialist, for being able to declare his resolve to fight on even in the most desperate of moments.
Claudia gently stroked my forehead with her soft hand and spoke.
“I can’t tell you that your thoughts are right. I can only hope that the choice you find after agonizing over it with others is the right one.”
“Ah, I know that all too well. You are the comrade I trust more than anyone, and the person who is wariest of me.”
It was paradoxical, but the fact that the person I trusted and loved most did not give me her absolute faith was, to me, the greatest salvation of all.
“Shall we go, then, O most troubled man in Germany? If you don’t get ready soon, you’ll be late.”
I felt a slight pang of regret as the soft warmth slipped from my arms, and I pushed myself up.
Ah, time to work.
No matter how much I agonized, no matter if I put off today's work until tomorrow, no shining knight on a white horse was going to appear and solve it for me.
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“It’s been a while. Feels like when I was the spokesperson.”
I said with a smirk as I sat before the microphone for the radio broadcast. Claudia smiled back and handed me a telegram.
“This just came in. It’s from your friend, the British Prime Minister… the friend who only taught you bad things, like extravagant living.”
“Ahem, your body is quite honest, you know. Churchill, to me?”
“…Someone might get the wrong idea hearing you say that. Yes. I was told one came for the government, and another came for you personally.”
I couldn’t believe he’d send me a telegram the very day he became Prime Minister. I was very curious about its contents.
Perhaps because it was from a Prime Minister to a Vice-Chancellor, the telegram was written in extremely formal language.
[To the esteemed Vice-Chancellor of the Fourth Reich of Germany, Dietrich Schacht.
As one who has always striven for amity between our two nations through the Anglo-German Cooperation Organization, I wish you and the German Fourth Reich the fullest measure of liberty and prosperity.
However, I hope you will understand the regrettable position I am in, forced to make the embarrassing appeal that in these dark times, the British Empire requires aid.
I am well aware that due to the attitudes and errors of the previous government, there is skepticism toward the British Empire and anti-war sentiment within your country.
But I have no doubt that the Fourth Reich, which rose up against a fascist dictatorship, and you, who led that tide of freedom, will not turn your backs on the nations fighting to defend liberty against the threats of fascism and communism.
Though these are dark times, I am certain that if the British Empire and Germany stand together, we can overcome this crisis.
If our two nations, bound by a firm belief in freedom and justice, join forces and endure for a thousand years, then future generations will look back and say that this was their finest hour.
We shall defend the British Empire, whatever the cost may be, until the aid of Germany and the free world arrives, until the day of our victory.
We shall never surrender.
With respect and faith, Winston Churchill, Prime Minister of the British Empire.]
A slight smile spread across my lips as I read. Truly, this was Winston Churchill.
To write ‘You know I’ve worked hard to help you guys through the Anglo-German Cooperation Organization, right? I trust that you, who championed freedom so loudly, won’t turn your back on us. We’ll hold on for dear life, so please, please help us!’ so eloquently.
“Just in case, I have to ask. Did reading that make you want to change anything?”
I grinned at Claudia's question.
“No, that old man and I have different styles, don’t we?”
“One minute to broadcast!”
Hearing the station staff’s shout, I smiled and added.
“Besides, I wouldn’t want to give my already overworked aide a homework assignment that has to be done in one minute.”
Claudia chuckled, gave me a thumbs-up, and stepped away.
“Thirty seconds to broadcast.”
This wasn’t a speech in Frankfurt, facing citizens amidst cheers and expectations.
This was me, alone in a radio station, about to inform a people who did not want war that war was necessary. It was less of a speech and more of an appeal.
It was a task I had to do because no one else in the cabinet, with elections looming after the war, wanted to bear this burden, and I was the one with at least some popularity among the people.
This might very well be political suicide.
“Ten seconds to broadcast.”
I started a civil war in Germany to avoid the ruin of the Second World War.
“Five, four, three…”
And now, I had to convince the German people, who had finally learned to shout for peace of their own free will after being swept up in Nazi-incited madness, to leap into the Second World War.
“Two, one.”
The irony.
“Good day, citizens of Germany. This is Dietrich Schacht, Vice-Chancellor of the Chancellery. I regret to greet you in these dark days, as the flames of war spread across Europe.”
In the utterly silent studio, where even the slightest noise was forbidden, only my voice echoed.
I wondered if this was what Churchill felt when he stood alone, crying for a continued fight when all others called for a truce, shouting, “We shall never surrender!”
“I am aware that you, the people, are anxious over the news that the government is considering intervention in the war started by France’s surprise attack on Britain, and in the war in Poland, which is being invaded by the Soviet Union.”
My mouth was bone dry as I opened it to speak.
“The current situation, where you are expressing your free will through anti-war protests, is a matter that I, as a member of the Fourth Reich’s war cabinet striving to form a democratic government, view with a heavy yet proud heart.”
This situation itself was proof that the Germany of today was different from the Germany of the past, which hated when the government told it to hate and went to war when told to go to war.
“As a member of the government responsible for following the will of the people and leading Germany, I wish to speak to you about the current situation.”
The German people now knew how to think for themselves, and they would not simply follow if we told them to shut up and fight.
“The Soviet Union, currently invading Poland and Finland, is proving that they have no intention of hiding the threat they pose. Those communists are not simply invading neighboring countries; they are a threat to the freedom of Germany and all of Europe.”
Clemens would probably foam at the mouth when he heard I was calling for war.
“Currently, 2.5 million Soviet troops are massing on the Polish front, and they are flaunting this fact, timing it precisely with France’s surprise invasion of Britain.”
This was a clear check aimed at Germany. If they had truly finished preparing an offensive with 2.5 million men, they would have massed their forces covertly and crushed Poland.
But instead, they were making a racket without actually starting the offensive. It was as if they weren’t ready but were moving hastily to draw Germany’s attention in coordination with France.
“I and the government of the Fourth Reich judge this to be evidence of cooperation between France and the Soviet Union.”
France, too, had not yet declared war on Germany, but they had already formed an alliance with Italy, which had invaded us, to stand against Britain.
“As you all know, France has been our traditional enemy and was preparing for war with Germany until very recently. Even if we turn our backs on Britain now, France will attempt to deal Germany the most fatal blow at the moment they desire most, just as they did to their ally, Britain.”
If we declared war now, Generals Witzleben and Model would have to fight on the most disadvantaged front. But even so, I did not think they would fall.
“As a member of the government, I dare to say this to you, my fellow citizens. The war between Germany and Italy, the war between France, Japan, and Britain, and the war between Poland, Finland, and the Soviet Union are not separate, local conflicts. This is a great war, one that has broken out again after the last Great War, and it will come to be called the Second World War.”
I had no certainty that we could win this war. Even in victory, it was clear we would pay a heavy price.
“As one who knows the horrors of war, I do not wish to speak of romantic honor or instill in you the conviction that we will win. But I wish to tell you that this is a war that we absolutely cannot, and must not, avoid.”
But to sit still as a typhoon approaches, praying it will pass by sheer luck, will only bring a more terrible ruin. That much I was sure of.
“This is not about Germany shedding blood for the people of other nations. This war is unequivocally a war against the threats of fascism and communism, and it has already begun with the German civil war and Italy’s declaration of war. This is not their war; it is our war.”
The war I had so desperately wanted to avoid had already been raging for a long time.
If that was the case, all that was left was to do our best to reduce the damage and move first to ensure victory.
“Looking back, since its unification, Germany has never once fought with a true conviction of what it was fighting for. The last Great War began in Sarajevo and broke out in an undesired form. The Nazi regime drove the nation to war for a hatred of their own making, and the wars with Italy and Poland happened because we were invaded.”
Was it not ironic that Germany, a military power that made all of Europe tremble, had only ever cried for war because it was ordered to, because the regime said so, or because it had already begun?
“Proud citizens of Germany. Though this is a war we did not start, it is a war we must end. We are now in a situation where we must fight against those who threaten the fate of our fatherland and all the freedoms we have built.”
If I started a war based on my ‘own’ grand strategy, simply because it was necessary, then it would be no different from Hitler’s Germany.
“We must not fight for the ambition of conquering territory. We must fight to protect our freedom and our homes. We must fight so that even one more of our soldiers, who are on the front lines right now, can return home safely.”
Therefore, I desperately wanted the people to know why they had to fight, and to understand.
“For that, I ask every German to join. I hope that Germany will change its destiny with its own will. I hope that we will resolutely reject a fate where we deny the coming war while the nations that could fight alongside us collapse, only to be dragged away by the current of history in the end!”
Even if the Second World War was ultimately unavoidable—
“We are no longer the defeated nation of the last Great War. We are not the remnants of a past that fought for conquest, for national glory and hegemony. I earnestly ask you, the proud citizens of Germany. Go to war, not for others, but to protect your own homes, your families, and your freedom.”
Our war would be different from those started by ambition that left only sighs and ruins.
“Rather than wait until those dictators finally bring the war to us, let us decide our own fate with our own hands! And let it be so that when future generations look back on this moment, they will say that we, that Germany, were the hope that saved the world in this darkest of ages!”