Chapter 50
Chapter 50
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 50
Chapter Title: German Civil War - A Three-Day Reign (3)
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September 21, 1939
Kassel, 9th Military District, Central Germany, Frankfurt - New Government Building
The road to the new government building was lined with members of the Free Corps and citizens, cheering enthusiastically.
I think I was beginning to understand why the high and mighty become so debased in their pursuit of power, why they throw such fits even as they fall from grace.
Was the joy and welcome filling the faces of the people thronging the streets truly for the freedom they had won with their own hands, or was it merely the result of the agitation led by me and my people?
Did they truly understand what they were fighting for? Could Germany become a normal nation without having to endure the ultimate catastrophe of the Second World War, a fate the Nazis would have brought upon it?
For the sake of all the sacrifices we have made, and all those we have yet to make, I desperately hope so.
“Long live Free Germany!”
By the time I arrived, the new government building had already been completely retaken.
“Long live the constitutional monarchy!”
Seeing the flag of the German Empire that had hung over the building taken down, replaced by the flag of the Free Corps and the black, red, and gold of the German Republic, stirred an indescribable feeling within me.
But I had far too many pressing issues to indulge in sentimentality, and I quickened my pace.
At every turn, Free Corps members smiled and saluted me, making my face feel tingly in more ways than one.
Damn it, at this rate, I might actually start thinking I’m some kind of great hero.
The leaders of the military junta were still gathered in the conference room.
August von Mackensen, in his splendid hussar uniform, Dr. Goerdeler, and the generals.
I entered the conference room and gave them a slight salute.
“A pleasure, Lieutenant Colonel Schacht. I am August von Mackensen.”
“It’s Major, Your Excellency. I did not accept that offer.”
Mackensen grinned at my words and then posed a question.
“Has His Majesty the Emperor not come?”
“His Majesty stated he has no intention of seeing traitors.”
Mackensen let out a hollow laugh at my answer. To them, it had been an act of loyalty, but one that was ultimately unrequited.
“My esteemed generals, and you, Doctor. I regret to inform you, but everyone present in this room is under arrest for high treason. The formal trial will be postponed until Germany is unified.”
The moment I finished speaking, Free Corps soldiers filed into the room. The generals offered no resistance, but Dr. Goerdeler had a word for me.
“Are you happy, rebuilding a weak Germany in this land?”
“Are you happy to have pushed the hard-won new government to the brink of war and endangered the very Hohenzollern dynasty you sought to establish?”
To the grimacing Dr. Goerdeler, I added one more thing.
“Consider yourself fortunate that His Majesty is a wise man. Had he responded to your short-sighted actions, the last chance for the Imperial House to stand in this land would have vanished.”
“You traitor…!”
“Hahahaha!”
Mackensen cut off Dr. Goerdeler’s furious outburst with a laugh, then smiled at me and spoke.
“Quite the character, aren't you. Say, Schacht. Might I borrow your pistol?”
Mackensen’s tone was as casual as if he were asking for a cup of coffee.
“You endangered Germany and now you wish for an honorable end?”
“If I’m taken alive, the Nazis or the Wehrmacht will twist the situation to their advantage, giving them a pretext to attack the new government.”
Mackensen said this with a faint smile.
“This old man was indebted to the Imperial House, yet I took a plot of land from Hitler and held my tongue. As an honorable Field Marshal of the German Army, I should have prevented a civil war, but instead, in my greed for the glory of being a hero who restored the dynasty, I endangered Germany.”
Goerdeler stared at Mackensen, his face a mask of despair, but the old man continued as if he had let go of everything.
“Everything was the result of this old man’s senility. I cannot let the young ones bear the burden. I should have finished this before you came, but I was greedy and wanted to see your face one last time. My apologies.”
I handed him my pistol. Mackensen took off his hussar cap, set it down, and smiled.
“Don’t become a shabby old man like me. I once walked with my shoulders held high with pride, but in death, I shall be forever ashamed.”
A gunshot rang out.
“Aaaaaaaah!”
While everyone’s eyes were fixed on Mackensen, Dr. Goerdeler shrieked, ran to the window, and threw himself out.
A moment later, a dull thud echoed from below.
And just like that, the Junker military government that had seized Frankfurt in an instant ended in a three-day reign.
-
“Hey, Schacht.”
I went down to the basement to check on those who had been detained by the military government and found myself letting out a sigh of relief and a hollow laugh.
Colonel Tresckow’s arm was in a cast, as if it had been broken in a beating, but he was smoking with his other hand and waved at me.
“You’re really something else.”
As I said that, Claudia ran to me, and I swept her into my arms and kissed her.
“You guys are the ones who are something else.”
I heard Tresckow’s dry remark, but who cared.
The Junkers may have a rigid code of chivalry, but Claudia was no submissive young lady. I had worried she might have resisted and gotten hurt, but thankfully, she seemed perfectly fine.
Then again, my fiancée is certainly not a fool.
In the brief moment the radio station was seized, she had the presence of mind to send a telegram to the *Frankfurter Zeitung* headquarters, telling them to prepare the presses. Her foresight had been a great help.
I learned later that when our call was cut off, Admiral Canaris had hesitated to execute the plan.
I suppose his underlying royalist sympathies were to blame. But thanks to Claudia’s prearranged printing, the newspapers were distributed before the junta could do anything. Seeing that, even the hesitant Canaris was spurred into action.
Considering how closely we had cooperated with the Abwehr, I felt a pang of disappointment, but I suppose I should be grateful that he, an old-school, staunch anti-communist, had tolerated the Social Democrats and sided with me over the royalists.
Still, how many times has Claudia saved me from a crisis? At this point, I’m starting to wonder if she’s my goddess of victory.
“I've kept you waiting too long, Ms. Announcer.”
“You’ll have to be punished for that, Mr. Spokesman?”
“Ah, can I not hope for mercy?”
Her mischievous smile was overwhelmingly lovely, but there were too many eyes on us. What a shame.
I set the giggling Claudia down and turned my gaze, only to meet the eyes of my father, Hjalmar Schacht, who was watching me from behind his glasses with a blank expression.
Whoa, that startled me.
No matter when I see him, he’s just… needlessly impressive. I bowed politely to him.
“Congratulations, former Minister of Finance Schacht.”
He finally twitched an eyebrow as if to say, “What are you talking about?” I seriously wondered which would surprise him more: news of his dismissal as Finance Minister or news of my death—
“It is an order from His Majesty the Emperor. As of today, you are the head of the emergency war cabinet as Minister of the Chancellery.”
My father, whose suit remained impeccably sharp even in captivity, straightened his tie and allowed the corner of his mouth to curl up ever so slightly.
Wow, that’s a little creepy.
“To think I’d live to see the day I benefit from you.”
Hey, anyone hearing that would think I’m a useless son.
Why are you laughing, my dear fiancée? You’re all so mean.
-
September 25, 1939
Southern British Isles, London, the Capital of England
The military coup had ended in just three days, but its consequences were not so easily resolved.
My father, Hjalmar Schacht, proving himself a genius of the century, swiftly convened a war cabinet, took control of the new government, and quelled the chaos.
The man who succeeded my father as Minister of Finance was Konrad Adenauer. As the mayor of Cologne and the future chancellor of West Germany, he possessed administrative skills that were more than proven, making him a sound choice to manage the new government's finances.
Ludwig Beck, the former Imperial Regent, had thoroughly disgraced himself by capitulating to the junta, announcing Wilhelm III’s accession, and broadcasting calls for public support. Despite this, he was appointed Minister of Defense in the war cabinet.
It was a position he had held in the original new government, and since he wasn’t a main conspirator, they couldn’t just cast aside the former head of government and spiritual leader of the army.
In fact, his embarrassing actions made him yield the position of head of government to my father without complaint.
Still, thanks to Wilhelm III's accession and Beck's appointment as Minister of Defense, generals at the front like Witzleben, Hammerstein, Lutz, and Leeb immediately pledged their loyalty to us and began preparing for a Nazi offensive.
It was a great relief that the front-line generals hadn't joined the coup. General Witzleben, in particular, had actively opposed the terrorist attack against me.
If they too had joined in and needed to be purged, the new government’s military command would have been paralyzed and unable to do anything.
Fortunately, despite the coup, the front-line generals had kept their troops in position and maintained the defense lines. The Nazis, who had grandly declared their revenge, saw the situation end before they could even launch a proper offensive.
With the military junta collapsing in three days and the new government becoming even more solid, the Nazis and Hitler must be furious.
The problem wasn't internal to the new government, but rather in the diplomatic situation.
Italy's Mussolini was sending love calls to Britain and France, suggesting they revive the Stresa Front—the triple alliance against Germany—to carve up the country.
Britain and France reacted coldly to Italy, but they maintained their stance that the restoration of the Hohenzollern dynasty was unacceptable.
“Is it still quiet on the Polish front?”
“They issued a statement condemning the Nazis' warmongering, but have made no statement about the new government yet. However, I’m told they are continuing their military buildup along the border.”
Hearing Foreign Minister Weizsäcker’s words, I fell into thought.
Poland. In the original history, they were the most tragic victims of World War II, but that was only because they were caught between two great powers. They were by no means meek lambs.
After the last war, while Germany was weak, Poland had a history of invading all its neighbors and seizing their land. Right now, it was a belligerent military dictatorship.
Originally, Germany would have launched a surprise attack using the Gleiwitz incident as a pretext before Poland was fully prepared. With the Soviet Union joining in, Poland would have collapsed in an instant—
But because I prevented that, Poland was now, at this very moment, deploying troops to the German border.
The Navy had refused to transport Küchler’s 3rd Army in East Prussia, and Kluge’s 4th Army, along with Army Group North commander Bock, was holding the line on the Polish border, providing a minimal defense force.
But would that be enough? Poland, overconfident and boasting they could easily stop Germany right before the war, could attack at any moment.
The Pope’s support for our cause might have made the devoutly Catholic nation flinch, but they were too belligerent to be optimistic based on that alone.
Their current quietness was likely due to them watching the Soviet Union. With no Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact and at odds with Britain and France, how would Stalin act?
“Well then, shall we go? Hmm, it feels strange to be going with you like this, Minister.”
“Hahaha, it reminds me of when we first met when you were a Captain, Vice-Chancellor.”
“Vice-Chancellor” was just a title; Vice-Chancellor of the Chancellery was effectively Deputy Prime Minister. This was due to Wilhelm III's strange insistence.
It was a meteoric rise, but no one in the new government's leadership took issue with it.
They were divided between those who recognized my contributions and those who respected the Emperor who had appointed me.
During the Munich Agreement, I was just a captain being transferred away by Halder. Now, as Vice-Chancellor, I was in London with Foreign Minister Weizsäcker to conduct direct diplomatic negotiations.
The change in my position was so rapid I could barely adjust, but I set off for the conference hall where the British and French representatives awaited.
Right, shall we go meet Mr. ‘Peace for our time’?
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