Chapter 31
Chapter 31
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 31
Chapter Title: Widerstand (1)
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British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain went through the whole ordeal twice—negotiations collapsing, him returning to Britain, only to come back to Munich to try again.
Damn it. I thought the Munich Agreement was just Chamberlain agonizing before caving. Who knew he'd play this push-and-pull game, going back and forth so many times!
Lieutenant Colonel Oster kept trying to set the plan in motion, but the high command—especially Halder—demanded a halt to the ongoing plan every time Chamberlain returned.
Hitler, determined not just to take the Sudetenland but to devour all of Czechoslovakia, openly presented conditions Chamberlain couldn't possibly accept.
He pressured Chamberlain with demands for an immediate German occupation of Czechoslovakia and the division of its territory among Poland and Hungary. On September 23, Chamberlain, his patience at its limit, declared the talks a failure.
Czechoslovakia immediately declared a general mobilization, giving us one last chance. But while Lieutenant Colonel Oster was urging the high command to make a decision, Mussolini offered to mediate, and our opportunity vanished.
On September 30, the Munich Agreement was signed. In the end, all Britain and France had accomplished was delaying Germany’s occupation of the Sudetenland by ten days, which Germany had been aggressively demanding to take immediately.
The great powers sold out Czechoslovakia to buy a false peace that would not even last a year.
The Czechoslovak army, which had trusted Britain and France, built a line of fortifications, and even declared general mobilization, was forced to surrender the Sudetenland without firing a single shot. Poland, bound by the Locarno Treaties to aid Czechoslovakia, instead joined Hungary in tearing the country apart.
Even France, which should have protected Czechoslovakia, bullied them under the pretext of helping its ally, Poland, enabling Poland to be the first to carve off the Těšín region.
In a sordid display of international politics that could truly be called the Betrayal of the West, Czechoslovakia was tragically abandoned.
In the end, our operation was never executed.
While all of Germany erupted in fervent cheers, hailing Hitler as their hero, I was leading my unit, being welcomed by the Sudeten Germans who praised Hitler and Nazi Germany.
Powerless to do anything, I had to once again face the people chanting ‘Heil Hitler,’ oblivious to what the future held.
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October 15, 1938
Berlin, Northern Germany
[The Heroic Feat of Our Great Führer Reclaims German Land]
[British Prime Minister Declares "Peace for Our Time" in London. A German Victory Without War!]
[German Justice and the Greatness of the Germanic People Prevail!]
All sorts of sensational newspaper headlines littered the streets of Berlin.
Returning to Berlin after the occupation of the Sudetenland, I found the city overflowing with praise for Hitler and joy over the unification of the German people, achieved without war.
The Munich Agreement. I knew from the history books just how ecstatic all of Germany was over Hitler achieving a feat that was hard to comprehend, not only for the people of this era but even for those of a later generation.
“Sieg Heil! Long live the Führer, the liberator of the German people!”
But standing in the midst of that era, witnessing that fanatical, near-religious worship and absolute support, was suffocating.
Every citizen, overcome with joy and emotion, was praising Hitler and cheering for the great Germany the Nazis had built.
“Germany is great! Heil Hitler!”
Truly, can we break such absolute support?
Did I really believe a single individual, just by using his head a little, could stop this nationwide stampede, engineered by the pioneers of the most extreme nationalist madness and propaganda in human history?
What did I believe in, and what have I been running toward all this time?
Was there nothing an individual could do against the tides of a fixed history?
Were my resolve and our life-or-death struggle nothing more than a meaningless thrashing?
Perhaps it was I, not them, who clung to a single rope, not seeing it was rotten because it was the only thing to hold onto.
The great currents of history are far deeper, fiercer…
And more cruel than I ever imagined.
-
An irritating noise kept ringing in my ears.
An annoying knocking at the door.
“Damn it… what is it now….”
As I opened my eyes, a god-awful hangover headache felt like it was squeezing my brain.
“Shit, water….”
Only after finding and gulping down some water did I realize I was in the mansion registered under my father’s name, the one we used for the resistance members.
No one else here now, I see.
A hollow laugh escaped me.
Meanwhile, the incessant knocking continued. I staggered to the door and threw it open.
Claudia, who had been knocking with a rather bored expression, blinked in surprise and then covered her nose.
“Ugh, you reek of alcohol… Just how much did you drink?”
“…Reporter Jung?”
“Yes, it’s me. Wow, that smell. Seriously….”
Damn it, why is this woman here again?
“…Go home. There’s no one here anymore. Our work has failed, and your job is finished.”
Yes, it’s over.
Now that the Munich Agreement has been signed and all of Germany worships Hitler, there’s nothing we can do.
Soon, Kristallnacht will happen, and Germany will descend into a state-sponsored madness, spewing hatred for the Jews. Then will come the annexation of Czechoslovakia, the German-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact, the invasion of Poland, the invasion of France….
…It’s all over.
No, is there any point in going back? Wouldn't it be better to just put a pistol to my head?
“Ha, haha… hahaha….”
While I let out a bitter laugh, Claudia stood there, staring at me without a word.
“Why are you looking at me like that? Do I seem crazy? No, I am crazy. Yes. Reporter, this godforsaken Germany is about to become a living hell. If you want to live, leave for America right now. Soon a war will break out, and you won't even be able to do that.”
“Hmm… Captain Schacht, may I come in first?”
Even though she had done nothing wrong, her nonchalant response infuriated me.
“Get out of this nation of madmen, now!”
The moment I shouted, a sharp *smack* echoed as my head snapped to the side. Oh, for fuck’s sake… I’ve been getting hit a lot lately.
“Oh, sorry. A slap is the best medicine for a madman, isn't it? I thought you’d understand.”
Claudia made this declaration to a stunned me, then pushed past me into the dark house and threw open the curtains.
“Ugh, were you sleeping until now? It’s the middle of the day.”
“Does that matter? It’s all over.”
“What’s all over?”
Her casual retort, a look that would have been charming before, now only grated on my nerves.
God, this is driving me insane.
Could this woman even begin to imagine my plight? Alone in this godforsaken world with knowledge of a future no one else knows, having tried to resist only to fail spectacularly, and now just waiting for damnation.
“The resistance is finished. Hitler’s popularity after his victory at Munich has shaken even the Wehrmacht. That bastard Halder has already said he’s backing out, and the ever-indecisive Beck is so shocked by the public support that his brain has turned to mush.”
Yes, it’s all over. Who in their right mind would have the guts to stand against Hitler in the face of such fervent support?
Oster? He’s a great man, but even he can’t do anything alone.
“This Germany will follow Hitler as if he were a savior, raving like fanatics, and then start a massive war that will ultimately lead to ruin.”
Germany is well and truly finished. Unaware of the destruction the madman Hitler will bring, they have all boarded his ship, which will ultimately sink into the pitch-black sea.
“Germans, driven mad by Nazism, will slaughter millions—Jews, Slavs, everyone—and start a great war!”
There’s not even a year left.
“In the end, this Berlin will be reduced to ashes. The men will be sent out as cannon fodder with whatever weapons are left, and the women will be killed or suffer a fate worse than death.”
Claudia watched me silently for a moment before asking.
“How can you be so sure?”
How can I be so sure?
“Would you even believe me if I told you? I know because that’s what happened in history. Those Nazi lunatics who boast of a Thousand-Year Reich will be defeated in less than ten years, and Germany will be reduced to ashes! Hitler, who learned nothing from the Munich Agreement, will swallow Czechoslovakia next year and invade Poland!”
To hell with God. Let this damn world go to ruin.
“Enraged by Hitler’s antics despite all they gave him at Munich, Britain and France will immediately declare war! We’ll win against Poland and, surprisingly, against France too. Thanks to that, that bastard Hitler will be treated like a living god!”
I wish I could just go insane.
“Unable to grasp his own limits, he’ll invade the Soviet Union, and Germany will collapse. Only then will the resistance wake from their dream and try to save Germany by killing Hitler, but they’ll fail.”
The people of this era who I talked with, laughed with, and worked with…
“They all die. Every single one of them. Oster, Tresckow, Beck, Witzleben, all of them! …Probably you, too. Haha, who knows. The name of a mere reporter wouldn't be left in the history books, so what does it matter.”
Her eyes were wavering. Surprised for the first time, are we?
“What’s wrong, are you speechless listening to the ramblings of a madman? I’m truly sorry, but this is all true. Because I’m from the future! Ah, well, assuming I’m sane. To be honest, I'm not even sure if my memories are real anymore.”
As I chuckled, Claudia suddenly spoke.
“I’m a Social Democrat.”
“…What?”
What kind of nonsense was this out of the blue? But Claudia’s face was serious.
“So, well. To use your circles’ term, yes. A Red. A more moderate one, maybe? I don't know how many people would understand the difference.”
“Wait, hold on. What are you talking about?”
Claudia continued, ignoring me.
“The Social Democrats of the Weimar Republic either hid in underground organizations to escape Hitler’s persecution or went into exile. I’m one of those who stayed here to work with the underground.”
“…So, the spy for the liberal faction, digging for information while working as a reporter in a fascist regime, was actually a double agent for the Social Democrats?”
I was so dumbfounded I couldn't speak.
“That accusation is a bit unfair. Not all socialists are part of a faction that wants to overthrow the government and start a bloody revolution. The Social Democratic Party of Germany was a perfectly legal political party and a cornerstone of the Weimar Republic.”
After saying that, Claudia’s fine features wrinkled into a slight frown as she added.
“Among the Social Democrats, I belong to the moderate faction that believes an alliance between the liberal camp and us is possible. So let’s call it a partnership, not espionage. Well… I suppose in the eyes of the Nazis or the monarchists, we look pretty similar to those radical communists.”
Right, at least I, a man from the 21st century, could tell the difference between a Social Democrat and a communist. But…
“…So what? Why the sudden confession?”
“You promised. That if you told me your secret, I would tell you mine.”
A secret. Ah, I remember her saying something like that. I just couldn't answer because I knew she wouldn't believe my secret even if I told her.
“…You believe that? My nonsense about being from the future?”
“Hmm—to be honest. Only about half?”
A bitter laugh escaped me.
“I thought you were a staunch realist, Reporter Jung. I didn’t think you were naive enough to immediately believe the ramblings of a drunken paranoid….”
“Willy Brandt. You remember him, don't you? From the Spanish Civil War.”
The name immediately brought something to mind. Back in Spain, when I was less guarded about my future knowledge, I had cornered the future Chancellor of West Germany and rambled on about what was to come.
“With most of the leading figures of the Social Democratic Party from the Weimar era locked up in Dachau, he is our leader now. He asked me to look into a certain person named Dietrich Schacht.”
Claudia smiled faintly as she spoke.
“At first, I wondered why he’d ask such a thing… but after looking into you, I found you quite interesting. A typical idler with a successful father who suddenly changed after his time in Spain. I could have chalked that up to him maturing through the war, but….”
Pausing there, Claudia looked me straight in the eye and added.
“No one could have accurately predicted in April of last year what would happen this year. And the information you leaked, Captain, its sources are completely untraceable.”
Now, there wasn’t a trace of hesitation in her eyes.
“Honestly, I don’t really want to believe it either. But if I believe your ‘nonsense,’ Captain, everything makes sense.”
Claudia started walking briskly toward me.
“Ah, no, that is. I….”
Ignoring my flustered state, she walked right up to me and wrapped me in an embrace.
My mind, muddled by the hangover and the stench of alcohol, felt as if it had been jolted awake by a fragrance that was uniquely hers.
“…It’s been hard, hasn’t it.”
I couldn’t see her expression, so I didn’t know what she was thinking, what she was feeling as she said those words.
“At first, it was just an order. I approached you because building a connection with you couldn’t hurt.”
Her voice was calm and composed,
“After spending some time together… I found it hard to understand. What could the son of a successful man, who wanted for nothing, possibly lack to make him act with such urgency?”
Soothing my despair-ridden heart.
“I am a realist, Captain. But… I can tell the difference between the ravings of a paranoid lunatic and the desperation of a man who has put everything on the line.”
For the first time in I don’t know how long, I felt as if my feet, which had been floating, were finally touching the ground.
But, even so.
“But… I, we failed. With the Munich Agreement signed, Hitler’s support is….”
“Have the resistance forces all been killed, like in that future you know?”
Her question, gentle yet firm, cut through my words.
“…No.”
“Then, has the war already broken out?”
“No.”
Still holding me, Claudia continued her questions in a tone so calm it seemed to soothe my very soul.
“If not that, then… has everything we prepared, everything you prepared, become useless?”
“…No.”
Having said that much, Claudia pulled back slightly, looked up at me with a smiling face, and asked.
“Well then, have you suddenly started to think Hitler is wonderful and that siding with the Nazis is the better option?”
“…Haha… of course not.”
For the first time since the Munich Agreement, I think I truly laughed.
“The members of the Confessing Church we recruited at your request still support us. We, the liberals, and the Social Democrats, have decided to bet on you. Oh, or have you started to hate me for deceiving you?”
“…Not a chance.”
It was neither rash sympathy nor blind faith. Her questions continued, each one filled with her unique brand of consideration.
“I don’t know how bleak the future you know is. I don’t even know if it will truly happen. But I do understand that if we do nothing, something terrible will occur. Captain, are you going to let Germany be destroyed in Hitler’s grasp?”
“…No.”
Her smile deepened. Ah, damn it.
I now understood exactly what it felt like to be captivated by someone.
“Are you going to turn a blind eye while other people… while I… suffer a terrible fate?”
“Hah… no.”
Her blue eyes curved softly, delivering the final blow.
“Then there’s only one thing to do. Right?”
A laugh burst out of me.
Ha, fine. Let’s do this.
I knew it was a long shot from the very beginning, didn't I?
Oster won’t give up. The cards we’ve prepared are still on the table.
Nothing is over yet.
Claudia gave my back a firm pat, straightened my shoulders, and then stepped away with a playful smile.
“Well then, why don’t you go wash up first? I’d rather not remember our first kiss by the smell of alcohol.”