Chapter 39
Chapter 39
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 39
Chapter Title: The German Civil War - The Berlin Race (2)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
September 1, 1939
Wiesbaden, 12th Military District, Western Germany – 1st Army Garrison, Saarland, assigned to Army Group C
03:00
In the dead of night, while everyone slept, sirens wailed across the army garrison as an announcement began.
[An emergency has occurred. The SS has committed treason against Germany. All units, assemble immediately. This is not a drill. I repeat. An emergency has occurred. The SS has committed treason against Germany. All units, assemble immediately. This is not a drill.]
The once-quiet garrison instantly descended into chaos.
Soldiers, roused from their deep sleep, scrambled to throw on their uniforms. Lights flickered on across the garrison, swiftly chasing away the pitch-black darkness.
General Erwin von Witzleben, who had just arrived from Frankfurt, waited in his command post with a grim expression. Before long, the corps commanders of the 1st Army rushed in, breathless.
"What is the meaning of this, Commander! Treason by the SS?"
"They attacked a radio station in Silesia in an attempt to drag Germany into war. Dressed in Polish uniforms to stage an invasion, they attacked civilians and were about to read a declaration of war in Polish."
Hearing his subordinate corps commanders gasp, Witzleben declared resolutely.
"Their actions—inciting war by attacking Germany under the guise of Poland—are a clear act of treason. We must suppress them."
"Wait, isn't the SS an organization under the Führer's party! Are you saying they've staged a palace coup?"
Lieutenant General Walter Kunze, commander of the 24th Corps and known to be pro-Nazi, vehemently protested Witzleben's order.
"Who issued this order, General! I am loyal to the Führer! I cannot obey an order to attack the Führer's party!"
"That is regrettable."
The moment Witzleben finished speaking, officers standing by the door seized him.
"You... you traitors! I am loyal to the Führer! Heil Hitl—mmph!"
As Lieutenant General Kunze was dragged away, a brief silence fell over the command post.
"...Commander. Is it true that the SS bastards tried to start a war by pretending to be the Poles?"
"I swear on God and my country, it is. By morning, all of Germany will know."
Still, doubt and hesitation lingered on the faces of the remaining corps commanders.
"This is an order from Colonel General Beck, who was forced to resign due to the Nazis' machinations. You are my men, so I will be frank. If we let this continue, we would have been drawn into another Great War."
The words "Great War" weighed heavily on everyone's shoulders. For those stationed on the Siegfried Line with forces far inferior to the French, the term carried an immense burden.
"We have risen to prevent that catastrophe, and we will drive out those damned Nazis, using the west as our base."
After a long silence, the corps commanders saluted Witzleben.
"If it's true the SS bastards tried to start a war, we would have been slaughtered by the French."
"Colonel General Beck was not the kind of man to be ousted like that. Give us your orders, Commander."
"...Thank you."
Witzleben secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
The discontent with the Nazis circulating within the military, the personal integrity of generals like Colonel General Beck, and the fear of war had allowed them to get this far. But their loyalty was fragile; if things went wrong, it could shatter at any moment.
They said no coup plan was perfect, but Witzleben was on edge. The preparations made by the high command and that reckless captain had to work.
-
September 1, 1939
A checkpoint across the Weser River, on the border of the 9th Military District, Kassel, and the 11th Military District, Hanover, Central Germany
06:00
Just as dawn was breaking.
"Whoa, whoa, halt! Halt!"
The soldiers on duty at the checkpoint were startled by the sudden swarm of Panzer I and Panzer II tanks and shouted for them to stop, but the tanks simply smashed through the barrier and kept going.
"What the! What's happening?!"
The checkpoint soldiers could only watch in bewilderment, their jaws dropping at the endless procession of tanks and military trucks that followed.
"Hahaha, this is exhilarating. When I was discharged, I never thought a day like this would come again."
General of the Armored Troops Oswald Lutz, commanding from within his tank, watched the scene and laughed heartily. He unwrapped a piece of Scho-Ka-Kola—German chocolate famous for being packed with enough caffeine to keep you awake for hours—tossed it into his mouth, and keyed his radio.
"We're not sleeping until we plant our flag at the destination. Enjoy the Scho-Ka-Kola and stimulants, my Panzer men!"
The German-style armored breakthrough—fueling tank crews with stimulants and Scho-Ka-Kola instead of sleep, just as they did during the invasion of France—was now aimed at Germany's capital, Berlin.
"I can't wait to see how that upstart Guderian reacts!"
A short while after General of the Armored Troops Oswald Lutz's armored division broke through.
The checkpoint commander, who had been staring blankly as dozens of tanks and vehicles unilaterally smashed through his post, finally snapped out of it and shouted.
"This is a coup! Get on the radio, now! An unidentified armored division is advancing toward Berlin!"
"Y-yes, sir!"
-
September 1, 1939
Army General Staff Headquarters, Berlin, Northern Germany
8:00
The Army General Staff Headquarters in Berlin was in utter chaos. Staff officers, who had been woken in the dead of night by news of a terrorist attack on the Führer and had rushed to work, were now overwhelmed by coup reports flooding in from all over.
"What? An armored division is heading this way?"
The Commander-in-Chief of the Army, von Brauchitsch, turned pale at the report, while Franz Halder, on the phone beside him, was also breaking out in a cold sweat.
"Please wait, Colonel General von Bock. We're still assessing the situation..."
[Assessing the situation? What damn situation is there to assess! Just turn on the radio!]
"One moment, please."
Wincing at the roar from Fedor von Bock, commander of Army Group North for the invasion of Poland, Halder turned on the radio. A broadcast was playing.
[The SS, in a conspiracy to plunge Germany into war, has attacked the Gleiwitz radio station in Silesia. They dressed in Polish uniforms, attacked German civilians, and meticulously prepared a declaration of war in Polish, as well as prisoners to be disguised as Polish soldiers' corpses.]
Halder broke into a cold sweat as he recognized the familiar voice on the radio: Ludwig Beck.
After failing during the Munich Agreement, he had acted as if there would be no further activity, and now he's pulled something this audacious!
[With the threat of war with Britain, France, and the Soviet Union looming, this plot by the SS is a grave danger that threatens to plunge Germany into another Great War. Therefore, we, the 'New Government' of Germany, declare our intent to suppress the traitorous SS and restore normalcy to Germany.]
Brauchitsch and Halder looked at each other, sweating profusely. They knew that Ludwig Beck, along with monarchists and reactionaries, had been plotting against the Nazis.
They hadn't reported the plot, considering the possibility that it might succeed and Germany would fall under military rule. At the same time, they hadn't actively participated either, choosing to sit on the fence and not let go of their ties to the Nazis.
[In the name of Ludwig Beck, former Chief of the Army General Staff and retired Colonel General, I urge you. Wehrmacht, join the New Government and stand against the villainous SS mob that seeks to destroy Germany.]
And now, they had launched the coup without Brauchitsch and Halder.
Though they hadn't mentioned the Nazis by name, with the entire western region of Germany secured by them and the SS designated as the primary enemy, this was undeniably a civil war!
"C-Colonel General von Bock."
[You heard the broadcast. What are you going to do!]
Halder, sweating, looked to Brauchitsch, but he too had nothing to say.
"I'm sorry. Please give us a moment."
[A moment for what! The atrocities committed by those damn SS bastards are plastered all over today's newspapers!]
"What?!"
[The papers even have the personal details of the men who attacked the radio station!]
"Please wait, Colonel General. The Army General Staff is still assessing the situation."
[You indecisive piece of—]
Von Bock spewed curses over the phone before slamming it down.
"What do we do, Commander-in-Chief!"
"I... I don't know. The Führer must give the order..."
But that Führer was in the hospital, hovering between life and death after emergency surgery, and even now, the coup forces' armored division was advancing on Berlin.
Before they could deliberate further, the phone rang again. Halder irritably picked it up.
"Chief of Staff Halder. What? You want to join the suppression of the rebels?"
Halder looked flustered, then handed the receiver to Brauchitsch.
"Commander-in-Chief Brauchitsch."
[Commander-in-Chief! This is Walter von Reichenau, commander of the 10th Army! I request permission to advance on Berlin immediately and crush those rebels!]
Brauchitsch felt a headache coming on. Reichenau, a notorious Nazi within the Wehrmacht, was, as expected, eager to engage the coup forces.
"Wait a moment. The Army General Staff is still assessing the situation. We can't make a rash decision without knowing the full picture."
Thanks to Hitler's reckless push for war, resentment against the Nazis was rampant within the Wehrmacht.
What had been precariously held together by Hitler's personal support and charisma had now reached a point where, with this incident and Hitler's life hanging in the balance, nothing could be guaranteed.
If he rashly approved a suppression operation now and Hitler failed to recover and died, the entire Wehrmacht would be thrown into turmoil.
And if the New Government then won the civil war, he would be utterly finished. That was what made Brauchitsch hesitate.
Just then, Brauchitsch heard the phone being passed on the other end, followed by the calm, familiar voice of a junior officer he cherished.
[Commander-in-Chief.]
"Model, please wait. Berlin is in chaos due to the attack on the Führer..."
[Every second counts. This is a national crisis. There is no time to hesitate, weighing which side has the upper hand.]
Despite his fondness for the junior officer, Brauchitsch felt a surge of irritation at his rigid words.
"You don't understand the situation here! If it's true that the SS bastards were plotting to start a war, then the Wehrmacht has no justification to interfere in a war between the New Government and the SS..."
[Commander-in-Chief!]
Brauchitsch, about to offer a lame excuse, flinched at Model's sharp tone and shut his mouth.
[We are the army. The army must serve whichever government is in power. No matter which government it is, because the government is the pillar that supports the state!]
"I know that much!"
[Commander-in-Chief, remember the will of General von Seeckt.]
Model was unyielding, and in the end, Brauchitsch clutched his head and replied.
"Ah, alright. I'll issue the order to Army Group South."
In the end, Colonel General Gerd von Rundstedt, commander of Army Group South, reacted tepidly to the order issued from the Berlin General Staff.
However, Walter von Reichenau's 10th Army had already completed its preparations to march before the order even arrived. The moment it did, they began their advance to defend Berlin.
-
September 1, 1939
Buchenwald concentration camp, near Weimar, Dresden (Saxony), 4th Military District, Central Germany
09:00
"Los, los, los!"
With sirens blaring and gunshots ringing out since morning, the Freikorps I led was attacking the Buchenwald concentration camp.
"You traitorous SS bastards! Surrender! Anyone who doesn't surrender will be shot!"
"Captain Schacht! We've taken the main gate!"
Running around commanding like this reminds me of the Spanish Civil War.
The only difference is that defeat means there's no going back, and this isn't someone else's civil war—it's my own country's.
"Send a runner to the 3rd Platoon! The main gate is secured. Tell them to block the rear gate too!"
"Yes, sir!"
The SS guards, who were not front-line troops and only knew how to lord it over prisoners, were being helplessly overwhelmed by the surprise attack that began at dawn.
I hope things at Dachau, under Lieutenant Colonel von Tresckow, are going as smoothly as they are here.
"P-please, spare me! I surrender!"
"Disarm those who surrender and herd them to one side! Secure the prisoner lists and ledgers first!"
This place is just as important as Dachau, which holds social democrats and political prisoners who opposed the regime.
"Ugh, bleeegh!"
Watching my men vomit at the horrific sights scattered everywhere, I quickened my pace and gave an order.
"Take pictures of all of this. A single photograph is more effective than a hundred words when it comes to the Nazis' atrocities."
"Ugh, understood."
I deliberately brought a few volunteer reporters from the *Frankfurter Zeitung* with me.
Buchenwald is one of the most atrocious camps under Nazi rule, second only to the extermination camps.
"Captain! The 3rd Platoon reports they've arrested the camp commandant, Karl-Otto Koch, and his wife!"
"...Excellent."
It's fortunate he didn't escape. He and his wife, Ilse Koch, are two of the most vicious, insane murderers in the entire Nazi regime.
"Check the prisoner list! Prepare to release everyone except the violent criminals and withdraw to Frankfurt! As for the reporters, take all the pictures you need here, then head to the commandant's house. There will be plenty to photograph there."
Even the Nazis themselves probably don't realize it yet, but there will be perfect material there to expose their atrocities, rivaling even the extermination camps.
That's why I came here myself—to secure it. It's my trump card for turning public opinion.