Chapter 23
Chapter 23
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 23
Chapter Title: Interwar Period - Anschluss (4)
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April 10, 1938
Linz, on the banks of the Danube in northern Austria
Mussolini, who had blocked the annexation of Austria in 1934, acquiesced to it after Hitler offered to renounce Germany's claim to South Tyrol—a historically Austrian territory that had been ceded to Italy after World War I.
The toothless League of Nations remained silent. Emboldened, Hitler and the Nazis, having swallowed Austria, began to openly proclaim their intent to reclaim Germany's former territories, setting their sights on the Sudetenland, Danzig, and the Memel Territory.
These territories belonged to the sovereign nations of Czechoslovakia, Poland, and Lithuania, respectively. The international community had yet to react seriously, but they would soon realize that Hitler's claims were becoming a tangible threat.
We remained stationed in Linz even after Hitler declared the reunification with Austria.
For the first few days, our supply lines were so poor that we had to pay local residents for meals, and even our officers' vehicles had to be refueled at civilian Austrian gas stations.
Now, nearly a month later, things were finally starting to normalize.
Back in Spain, I had thought the Condor Legion was undisciplined due to its relatively free atmosphere as a volunteer force. But in hindsight, it was the Korean army I was used to that had been needlessly harsh with its barracks discipline!
In my actual experience leading them, the regular German army was far more of a mess than the Condor Legion, which had always been exposed to the threat of real combat.
To think they were in this state now… I wondered if Hitler had been incredibly bold or just plain thoughtless to have remilitarized the Rhineland two years ago.
Germany had already announced the annexation of Austria on March 13, but to maintain a veneer of formality, a plebiscite was being held today, April 10, nearly a month later.
They called it a plebiscite, but with German soldiers and Nazi party members stationed in every city, it was nothing more than a hollow spectacle.
When I saw the ballot, I couldn't help but let out a bitter laugh.
"Do you agree with the reunification of Austria with the German Reich, enacted on March 13, 1938, and do you vote for the list of our Führer, Adolf Hitler?"
The question itself was blatantly leading, and to make matters worse, the ballot had a large circle for "Yes" in the center and a tiny one for "No" tucked away in a corner.
From my perspective as someone from a 21st-century democracy, it was a textbook example of a rigged vote. Yet, the Austrian citizens were dropping their ballots into the box with bright smiles, as if overjoyed.
Some even gave the Nazi salute to us soldiers guarding the ballot box and chanted, "Heil Hitler."
I wondered if these people voting now could even imagine that they, or their children, would soon be drafted into the German army and dragged into the Second World War.
A bitter smile formed on my lips.
Was it a comedy or a tragedy, to be a mere captain standing in a scene from history, alone with the sensibilities of a different era?
"Captain Schacht."
Hearing my name, I turned and immediately saluted Lieutenant Colonel Tresckow.
"Lieutenant Colonel Tresckow."
"Walk with me for a moment."
"Yes, sir!"
I left my adjutant, Second Lieutenant Bär, in charge and followed him.
-
He hadn't said a word to me since the Anschluss. What could be his purpose in summoning me now?
This felt like a crucial moment. I kept glancing back, worried we might be followed by the Gestapo, but then I realized that my own actions looked more suspicious, so I stopped.
Even in a city holding what was essentially a sham election for Hitler, the atmosphere among the Austrians was cheerful, and no one found it strange to see two German officers walking through the streets.
Tresckow led me in silence for quite a while, leaving the city center behind until we reached a deserted alley.
He stopped me and casually took out a cigarette.
"Care for one?"
"I'm fine, Lieutenant Colonel."
Tresckow took his time, smoking his cigarette slowly without saying a word.
It felt strange, remembering a movie I'd seen in modern Korea where the actor playing him also smoked quite a bit.
"...Dietrich Schacht. Captain. Your father is the former Minister of Economics, Hjalmar Schacht. I hear you grew quite close to Colonel Richthofen of the Luftwaffe during the Spanish Civil War. And you began your General Staff course on the recommendation of Major General Walter Model."
"Yes, that is correct, Lieutenant Colonel."
After my reply, Lieutenant Colonel Tresckow went back to smoking his cigarette in silence. I could feel my gloved hands starting to sweat.
I had approached him knowing he was a key figure in the anti-Nazi faction, having become disillusioned with the party as early as the Night of the Long Knives. But had I been too reckless?
The thought suddenly struck me.
What I knew about him was that during the Blomberg-Fritsch affair, he had tried to resign but was persuaded to remain in the army by General of the Infantry Erwin von Witzleben, joining the anti-Hitler conspiracy instead.
Since Witzleben had been dismissed and was now a civilian, I assumed Tresckow would have already joined the conspiracy. But perhaps my judgment had been too hasty?
He slowly finished his cigarette, threw the butt to the ground, and crushed it with his boot before looking me straight in the eye.
"As you know... we in the Wehrmacht have sworn an oath of loyalty to the Führer."
After saying this, Tresckow tilted his head slightly and let out a short laugh before continuing.
"It is truly regrettable that an officer under my command would harbor doubts about our Führer and our nation—to whom he owes his loyalty—over such a 'trivial' matter as the persecution of the Jews."
I felt a cold sweat run down my spine. Was this a test, or was he serious?
Should I deny it? Or should I defy him?
I could read nothing in the cold eyes of Tresckow, a veteran who had endured the Great War.
"Colonel Richthofen, who spoke so highly of you, is the cousin of the 'Red Baron,' a national hero of the Great War. Major General Model is known as a man of integrity who stays out of politics. It seems they were both mistaken in their judgment of you."
My throat went dry. If I messed this up and Tresckow reported me to the SS, it would all be over.
But if I made a hasty excuse and this turned out to be a test, I would be branded as untrustworthy. Earning the suspicion of a key anti-Nazi figure would make any future cooperation impossible.
"Tell me, Captain Schacht. Have you broken your oath of loyalty to the Wehrmacht and dared to question the Führer and his regime?"
It was the moment of decision. What should I say?
How could I answer in a way that would earn his trust and not get me reported?
No, thinking longer wasn't going to give me the answer!
"I am loyal to Germany, Lieutenant Colonel."
"...Then, regarding the regime's ideology..."
"Persecuting the Jews does not serve Germany."
I cut him off. Lieutenant Colonel Tresckow raised an eyebrow and then resumed his absurd line of questioning.
"As you know, during the last war, the Jews'..."
"Do you truly believe the Nazi propaganda that we lost the Great War because of Jewish slander?"
He couldn't possibly believe that. Not an officer who had witnessed the hell of the First World War and felt firsthand how Germany was pushed to its limits!
"Did you call it a 'trivial' matter? Yes, that's right! It is a trivial matter! The Jewish problem may be trivial in the grand scheme of the German nation! But what about that nation! Do you think all the people rotting in concentration camps, waiting to die, are Jews?"
Tresckow fell silent at my words, but I continued, speaking like a man possessed.
"The parliament, politicians, the SA, and now the military—all those who trusted Hitler and the Nazis and helped them build this regime are being cast aside and eliminated at their whim as soon as their usefulness expires. Göring and the SS are openly coveting the Wehrmacht's position. If we let this continue, the whole of Germany will become Hitler's puppet, dancing to his tune!"
My heart was pounding as if it would burst, and the words seemed to spill out of their own accord.
"Austria is just the beginning! Next will be Czechoslovakia, and then Poland! Do you think Britain and France will stand by forever? A war is coming, Lieutenant Colonel. We don't have time to waste on these petty mind games!"
There is no time. There really isn't.
The shadow of the Second World War is looming, and I still haven't even made contact with the anti-Hitler conspiracy.
"You're... insane. If I were to report this to the SS, you would be..."
"Are you afraid of dying for opposing the regime? Fine, let them kill me! Do you think the world will stand by and watch as Germany, having already lost one great war, threatens them again? I would rather die than do nothing and watch my country march toward a far more horrific war and its own destruction!"
I still wake up at night to the phantom ringing of artillery in my ears.
I wrote down the name of every soldier who died under my command in Spain, terrified I might forget them, terrified I might become numb to their deaths.
How could I let another Great War happen—a war where that hellish battlefield, all that blood, would be reduced to mere statistics, a numbers game!
"You spoke of an oath of loyalty? If loyalty means cheering and following the Führer no matter what madness he commits, then I want no part of such loyalty. Are you prepared to betray your country, but not your Führer?"
I gasped for breath, as if I had just run a full sprint.
Tresckow stood still for a moment, then quietly took out another cigarette and lit it.
He smoked in silence, waiting for me to catch my breath before he spoke.
"My apologies, Captain Schacht. I was testing you."
A wave of relief washed over me, and my legs nearly gave out.
Damn it. I really had been prepared to die...
Ah... I don't think I can go through that a second time.
"...My apologies, Lieutenant Colonel. I suppose you could have me arrested for insubordination, and I'd have to go quietly."
"I'll consider it after our work is done."
Lieutenant Colonel Tresckow chuckled as he smoked, and a hollow laugh escaped my lips as well.
"That was all well and good, but you are reckless. What made you trust me enough to lash out like that when we barely know each other?"
*Because I knew that in the future, you would be remembered as someone who resisted Hitler for even longer than the heroic Colonel Stauffenberg.*
...is what I couldn't say.
"...Because it's rare to find someone who, when everyone else is drunk on glory, can see the unfolding tragedy."
"What were you, a philosophy major?"
"No, Lieutenant Colonel."
To be honest, I was a little embarrassed, not even sure what I'd just spouted. Fortunately, Lieutenant Colonel Tresckow didn't seem to be dwelling on it.
"...Does former Minister Schacht share your views?"
"Not yet, but I will make it so, Lieutenant Colonel."
Tresckow nodded, seemingly satisfied with my answer.
"...Good, Captain Schacht. Someone from our side will be in contact with you soon."
"Understood, Lieutenant Colonel."
I nodded without much thought, but Lieutenant Colonel Tresckow's eyes glinted with a peculiar light.
"You don't seem surprised to hear it's an organization, and not just me alone."
"...Well, more than a few military figures have been caught up in these recent events, Lieutenant Colonel."
Tresckow seemed a bit suspicious of the explanation I'd hastily concocted, but he let it slide.
To think I'd almost aroused his suspicion again over something so unexpected. I'll be participating in a full-blown coup plot from now on; I need to keep my wits about me.
My knowledge as a modern person is an invaluable asset, but it is also a poison that can lead me into a trap. I must remember that.
"...Well, this has been sudden, and I admit I still have my doubts, but I will trust my instincts. Not as your superior officer, but as a comrade, I look forward to working with you."
"The pleasure is all mine, Lieutenant Colonel."
It had been a precarious tightrope walk, but—
the gamble I had staked my life on had paid off.