Chapter 48
Chapter 48
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 48
Chapter Title: A Three-Day Reign (1)
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< German Civil War - A Three-Day Reign (1) >
September 19, 1939
Kassel, Frankfurt, IX Military District, Central Germany – Dietrich Schacht’s Residence
“‘Will Oktoberfest be held?’ Ha ha. The Bavarians are something else.”
I burst out laughing while reading today’s edition of the *Frankfurter Zeitung*.
Oktoberfest. A famous beer festival held in Bavaria from late September to early October, even in modern Germany, but one that had the misfortune of being twisted into a Nazi rally during their reign.
As the birthplace of Nazism, Catholic-heavy Bavaria had a high level of support for the party. But as soon as the new government’s exposé was followed by the Vatican’s endorsement, they did a complete one-eighty and started wondering if they could hold a traditional Oktoberfest.
Incredible, in so many ways.
“That’s just how Bavarians are. Do you think it will happen?”
Claudia, a native of Berlin, didn’t seem particularly interested, but when you think of Germany, you think of beer, and when you think of beer, you think of Oktoberfest, don't you!
If I said that in the north or west, they’d tell me that was strictly a Bavarian notion, but with my Korean sensibilities still intact, it was the first German festival that came to mind.
“It would normally be difficult during a civil war, but at this rate, we might be able to hold it, albeit a little late. The birth of a new Germany, celebrated with a beer festival! How very German. It’s perfect, isn’t it?”
At my words, Claudia chuckled and looked at me, and we both broke into laughter.
“Well, I’ll be heading out first. See you in a bit, Mr. Host.”
“Heh, see you in a bit, Madam Spokesperson.”
I gave her a light kiss and left the house.
The expressions on the faces of people walking the streets of Frankfurt were quite good.
When the new government was first established, the residents had regarded us with apprehension, but they quickly relaxed and returned to their daily lives once they saw we hardly interfered with them, unlike the Nazi regime.
It was so leisurely and peaceful that you could hardly imagine this was Nazi territory just a short while ago, or that we were in the middle of a civil war.
It was a considerable comfort to me, who had worried Germany would turn into a hellscape like Spain when we were first planning the civil war.
Even I hadn't known the collapse of the Nazis, which had seemed nigh impossible, would proceed so smoothly. To think that the Nazi system, which had appeared so unshakeable, was in fact a house of cards.
The unsettling factors were foreign, but thankfully, Britain had no intention of overreaching with a general election on the horizon, and France was being dragged along with them.
As for Italy and Poland, whose military intervention was a concern, they were nations of devout Christians. It was a slight relief that they would be reluctant to ignore the Pope’s support and invade without a proper justification.
We had to end the civil war quickly while they hesitated and secure Germany. Judging by the current situation, that day felt not too far off.
The problem was the monarchists, who were making some unusual moves, and the Crown Prince, who was seeking a third way. As it happened, Colonel Tresckow had invited me over.
I would be able to grasp the current situation from him.
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September 19, 1939
Kassel, Frankfurt, IX Military District, Central Germany – Tresckow’s Lodgings
“Wow, Colonel. You’re going to work yourself to death at this rate.”
Arriving at the Colonel’s house—or rather, his lodgings in Frankfurt—I was startled by the mountain of cigarettes piled in the ashtray. Looking closely, I noticed his hairline was starting to recede a bit…
The actor who played Tresckow in the movie wasn't bald, but what about the historical figure? It wasn't like I had memorized the photographs of every single Wehrmacht officer.
“Hah, you’re getting bolder by the day.”
“Ahem. My apologies, Colonel. I overstepped.”
I quickly apologized and sat in the seat he offered. Tresckow stared at me intently before speaking.
“So, is your work going well?”
“Yes, well. Smoothly enough.”
Tresckow didn't reply to my words. He just took a deep drag from his cigarette and exhaled a plume of smoke.
What on earth was he trying to say that required such a long pause? I had to swallow and wait.
“When I think about it, you’re quite remarkable. At your age, I was still wet behind the ears.”
“Colonel, you fought in the Great War, didn't you? You shouldn't say such things.”
He was born in 1901, ten years my senior. He was a man who had distinguished himself in World War I as a mere teenager, receiving the Iron Cross. An elite who had completed the General Staff course and had no worries about promotion, yet he had risked his life to rise against the Nazis.
Oster of the Abwehr and Tresckow, who had introduced me to the Black Orchestra. The two men who had continuously helped me since the Munich Agreement were the linchpins in the formation of the new government.
Tresckow chuckled at my response, then added another peak to the already towering mountain of cigarettes before speaking.
“There’s a message from the higher-ups.”
Why would they relay it through him instead of summoning me directly? A sense of unease began to creep over me.
“They’ll promote you to Lieutenant Colonel if you wash your hands of this affair and complete your training at the War College.”
So these “higher-ups” weren’t the leaders of the new government. This was a scheme by the army, specifically the Junker monarchists.
“Do they really think I’ll accept?”
Hearing my answer, Tresckow let out a deep sigh.
“Look, Schacht. You’re still in your twenties. Lieutenant Colonel at that age is an incredible achievement. If you make it clear that you have no intention of defying the army high command, you’ll be given a significant post after becoming a General Staff officer. Most of the men who dislike you now are old geezers. You have plenty of time.”
Now that I thought about it, he was Henning ‘von’ Tresckow. We had been comrades for so long that I had momentarily forgotten he, too, was a Junker.
“But Germany will never have another chance like this. It may seem like we have a complete advantage right now, but we could be toppled in an instant, too. Are you planning to sideline me and then bring back the Emperor?”
Tresckow fell silent at my words. So I was right.
“Colonel, Germany is walking a tightrope right now. Britain, France, Italy, Poland… They’re watching us because they lack a proper justification, not because they’re free of greed.”
Tresckow, listening silently, took out a cigarette, lit it, and placed it in his mouth.
“If we give them a reason now, the risk of being invaded in the middle of our civil war is far too great. After the last war, Wilhelm II and the Hohenzollern imperial family were made to look like the culprits of the Great War.”
“That was just malicious propaganda from the West.”
Tresckow replied, exhaling smoke, clearly displeased. But I couldn't back down.
“You’re right. It was their vile attempt to shift the blame. Was Germany solely responsible for the last war? Of course not. But because it was their scheme, they aren't free from it either. If we bring back the Emperor and re-establish the Empire right now, they won’t be able to stand by, precisely because of what they themselves have done!”
Tresckow puffed out a long stream of smoke, then crushed the cigarette in his hand into the ashtray.
“I know your words have merit. But just as you threw everything away for this cause, the Junkers you see as old-fashioned have also staked their loyalty and lives for the Empire to stand here.”
Having said that, Tresckow calmly drew a pistol and aimed it at me.
“I can’t let a talent like you die a pointless death, so you’ll follow my lead here. I’m truly sorry it has come to this.”
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September 19, 1939
Frankfurt Radio Station, Kassel, IX Military District, Central Germany
“When the Nazis came for the communists, I remained silent; I was not a communist. Then they locked up the social democrats, and I remained silent; I was not a social democrat.”
At the radio station, a sermon by Martin Niemöller, a famous Protestant pastor in Germany and a close friend of Walter Model, was in full swing, but Claudia sipped her coffee with a bored expression.
After seeing the pastor, her father’s close friend, praise Hitler after her father was murdered, she had become cynical about religion itself and held a dim view of religious figures.
“Then they came for the trade unionists, and I remained silent; I was not a trade unionist. When they came for me, there was no one left to speak for me.”
Dietrich Schacht didn’t seem particularly attached to religion either, yet he had skillfully sought the Pope’s support and requested the recruitment of Protestant leaders.
She glanced at the ring on her finger and smiled softly. He was a peculiar man in many ways, but still—
Her rare moment of quiet contemplation, while the pastor who insisted on giving a sermon instead of an interview rambled on, was shattered by a loud noise.
“What? What’s going on?”
“What is this, during a live broadcast?”
The uninvited guests who interrupted Pastor Niemöller’s broadcast were soldiers of the new government, specifically from the former Wehrmacht.
“The broadcast is over!”
“What is the meaning of this insolence?”
The station manager, Habenstein, tried to protest but was struck in the stomach with a rifle butt and collapsed with a groan.
Only then did the station grasp the situation, and screams erupted as chaos ensued.
“From this moment on, this station is under the control of the German Military Junta!”
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September 19, 1939
New Government Building, Frankfurt, Kassel, IX Military District, Central Germany
“What is the meaning of this!”
Imperial Regent Ludwig Beck shot up from his seat, his body trembling with fury.
The new government building, bustling with busy people, had been defenselessly subdued by the sudden intrusion of the Junkers and their troops.
“We are putting this new government back on the right path, Regent.”
Dr. Goerdeler’s reply to him was utterly brazen.
“To think you’d start a family feud just when things were finally stabilizing, with our victory in sight. You have a fine way of dressing up your madness.”
At Hjalmar Schacht’s cynical remark, uttered without a hint of intimidation despite being restrained by soldiers, Dr. Goerdeler became enraged.
“‘Our’ victory?! Did you think we were unaware of your son's scheme to incite the public and re-establish that trashy republic in this land!”
Dr. Goerdeler was not an aristocrat. But he was a man who had risen through the ranks as a soldier and politician in the German Empire under the Emperor and nobility.
For him, the chaos of the Weimar Republic and the sight of Germany collapsing under hyperinflation had deeply ingrained the perception that the republic itself was a malicious system forced upon them by Britain and France to destroy Germany.
“We did not throw away everything we’ve built and risk our lives to resurrect such a weak Germany!”
Among the ardent monarchists, many simply wanted to restore their aristocratic privileges, but there were also those like Dr. Goerdeler who genuinely believed it was patriotism. That was precisely why they could see no other path.
“After all the trouble we went through to establish this new government, you’ve ruined everything. What exactly are you planning to do?”
To Ludwig Beck’s dejected question, Dr. Goerdeler replied as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
“We will declare the revival of the Empire in Germany and establish order. We must bring His Majesty the Emperor from the Netherlands. Immediately!”
“To make such a gamble in the middle of a civil war, with Britain and France watching with their eyes wide open! As Imperial Regent, I cannot agree!”
“You will have to agree.”
Ludwig Beck’s eyes widened at the man who interjected as he entered the room.
“Field Marshal! That you would associate with such a lawless rabble…”
“Lawless rabble? They are patriots.”
The man who entered was August von Mackensen.
Still dressed in his German Empire-era Hussar uniform and a splendid Totenkopf Hussar cap, he was nearly thirty years older than Beck and a hero of the Great War who held the rank of Field Marshal.
Even Ludwig Beck, who served as a spiritual pillar for the active Wehrmacht soldiers, had no choice but to show him deference.
“Think about it, Beck. We are currently in a civil war against the Nazis. If we were to end the war and then try to bring back the Kaiser, that is when they would surely not stand idly by.”
The monarchists were not entirely thoughtless.
“But right now, are we not still of use to them? If they rashly turn against us now, they risk returning Germany to Hitler, which is something they do not want. Therefore, now is the only chance to bring back the Kaiser.”
Ultimately, the limit of their grasp on reality was their failure to consider that, unlike Hitler who had not yet started a war, the Kaiser they sought to restore was effectively treated as a war criminal who had started the Great War.
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September 19, 1939
Kassel, Frankfurt, IX Military District, Central Germany – Tresckow’s Lodgings
I stared at the pistol Tresckow was aiming at me before I spoke.
“Colonel, do you truly believe this is the right path?”
“Schacht, they have their reasons for doing this. Don’t think that your way is the only right way. We are also men who have laid down our lives for Germany. Can you not trust us and leave it in our hands?”
Though he was pointing a gun at me, Tresckow looked more tormented than I did.
“You said something similar once. Just before the Munich Agreement, after Halder had me transferred to a frontline unit.”
Tresckow said nothing. He had told me I wasn't the only one prepared to risk his life, had asked me to trust him, but in the end, he had failed to carry out the plan.
“Colonel, you are the one who has been with me the longest in creating this new government. I dare to ask: is your choice now, their choice, truly the best one?”
“Schacht, I…”
“This new government was not built by them alone! It was achieved by countless people who staked their lives and beliefs to oust the Nazis. If they crush it with force simply because it conflicts with their own beliefs, how are they any different from the Nazis!”
Tresckow let out a hollow laugh and slammed his pistol down on the table with a bang.
“This is wretched. A truly wretched situation. Do you have a plan? I hope you’re not the fool who was caught unprepared even after I warned you.”
“Hmph, I need to use the phone, Colonel.”
In the brief moment of waiting after requesting the operator, I spotted a soldier monitoring us through the window.
“Son of a bitch, did you know about that?”
I asked, quickly ducking down. Tresckow glanced out the window and scowled.
“It seems the higher-ups think I’ve been too influenced by you to be trustworthy.”
As we waited anxiously, the call connected.
[This is Oster, Deputy Director of the Abwehr.]
“Colonel!”
[Schacht! The Junkers have made their move! The radio station and the government building have been seized!]
Dammit, they’re far more audacious and swift than I thought! Perhaps I underestimated the Junkers.
“Hmph, please execute Operation Freiheit.”
[Director, requesting execution of Operation Freiheit.]
As Deputy Director Oster relayed the request to Director Canaris, the line suddenly went dead.
“Dammit!”
And then, a rough knocking began at the door.
“Colonel Tresckow! Take Major Schacht into custody at once! If you refuse, we have orders from above to arrest you both!”
Tresckow heaved a deep sigh, then stood up and picked up his pistol. I instinctively reached for my own, but he strode over and opened a passage leading to the basement.
“Colonel Tresckow! If you do not cooperate, we will break down the door!”
As the soldiers’ shouts echoed from outside, Tresckow gestured to me with his chin.
“What about you, Colonel?”
“If I go too, who’s going to buy you time?”
There was no time to delay. I quickly started down the stairs.
Tresckow’s face showed a hint of hesitation as he watched me descend, but his gaze soon became calm.
“Thank you, Colonel.”
“A man's worth is determined only by whether or not he is prepared to lay down his life for his beliefs.”
Amidst the loud banging on the door, as if it would break at any moment, Tresckow smiled as he closed the passage door.
“I’ve come this far. I’d hate to become a worthless man now.”
< German Civil War - A Three-Day Reign (1) > End