Chapter 63
Chapter 63
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 63
Chapter Title: The German Civil War - Iron, Blood, and Golden Freedom (3)
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November 19, 1939
Kassel, 9th Military District, Central Germany, and Frankfurt, the New Government's Capital
It was the fourth day since the operation, disguised as a departure ceremony, had begun.
The speech we had poured our hearts into seemed to have had a greater effect than initially anticipated. According to the Abwehr's reports, the Wehrmacht had all but lost its will to fight.
It was a relief, as a demoralized Wehrmacht would surrender more easily. While I was prepared to accept sacrifices in this civil war—which I had essentially instigated—it was, of course, better to have as few unnecessary casualties as possible.
I desperately hoped that the individuals for whom I felt a personal burden—Model, Richthofen, Clemens, and Michael—would surrender, but there had been no such news yet.
The offensive planned by Manstein was proceeding very smoothly. At least, according to Manstein, the enemy seemed unaware of our intentions.
Despite it being his first time commanding an armored division, General von Hammerstein-Equord had succeeded in drawing out the enemy's main armored forces with minimal losses, and General Lutz was advancing rapidly past Dresden.
On top of that, with the 4th Army of Army Group North defecting to our side, Berlin was now semi-encircled.
"I wish it would just end like this, but things are going so smoothly it's actually making me worried."
The obsession with ending the civil war quickly and with minimal damage would surface whenever I let my guard down.
No matter how much we swayed public opinion or how smoothly the operation progressed, sacrifices were inevitable even as I sat here comfortably.
The Nazis had few cards left to play. The main problem was the Luftwaffe, but there was a limit to what we could do about them, as they were beyond our control.
I could only hope Richthofen wasn't mad enough to drop incendiary bombs on the heads of defenseless German citizens.
While it was true he was an incendiary bombing fiend and quite morally compromised, he was, at the very least, a patriot with a great attachment to the Luftwaffe.
I was banking on the hope that he wouldn't resort to slaughtering German citizens and dragging his subordinates down as war criminals in a war he was bound to lose.
"Don't say things that make me anxious. Besides, you've become quite the celebrity, Vice-Chancellor."
Claudia smiled faintly at my muttering and handed me a stack of telegrams.
"Ah, thank you, Adjutant."
To think that just back in August I was a mere captain, and now, in such a short time, I was a high-ranking official of the new government, receiving telegrams directly from key figures of other nations.
Come to think of it, it had only been two and a half months since Operation Widerstand began. They had been intense days, like walking on thin ice.
The problem was that my promotion had been so meteoric it was almost bewildering. The departure ceremony speech had drawn a greater reaction than expected not only domestically, but also abroad.
[I had heard about you from Crown Prince Louis Ferdinand, but your speech was far more impressive than I expected. I would like to have the opportunity to meet you, Vice-Chancellor. I hope your nation's struggle to overthrow the dictator and win freedom will bear fruit in the near future.]
This was from FDR, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt of the United States. When I first arrived in this era, I never imagined I would receive something like this from the famous American president.
I knew the scale of America's national power, and as a major exporter of oil—which Germany lacked most—it was best to be on good terms with the United States. It was a relief that the Crown Prince and my speech seemed to have made a good first impression.
The problem was that, with things having turned out this way, I had no idea how the United States would act from now on.
The sleeping giant, America, had begun to awaken as the Arsenal of Democracy while watching Hitler and the Axis powers sweep across Europe, and it had fully joined the Allied forces after the attack on Pearl Harbor.
But now that we had eliminated Hitler, I had no clue how America, with its immense national power, would move forward.
This was a matter to discuss with the Foreign Ministry, but unlike Britain and France, whose moves could be roughly predicted based on their interests in Europe, America was a truly uncertain variable—and too massive a variable to leave to chance.
Take the attack on Pearl Harbor. The Japanese Empire's decision to strike was undoubtedly influenced in no small part by the incredible performance of Hitler and the Axis powers on the European front.
But now, Nazi Germany, the core of the Axis, was on the brink of collapse before the Axis was even formed. The current situation made it impossible to predict even how the Japanese Empire would act.
Of course, I had no intention of letting the Japanese Empire or its colony, Korea, be, whatever they chose to do. Fortunately, my father, Hjalmar Schacht, and Falkenhausen, who was currently in Germany, had connections with high-ranking officials in the Republic of China who were in touch with the Korean independence army.
But what gave me a headache was that, since we had adopted democracy as our ideology, any action we took had to be justifiable to the people.
For now, I held the title of Vice-Chancellor of the Chancellery, a position unsuited for my age, but this was due to Wilhelm III's personal patronage and the special circumstances of an emergency war cabinet.
If we truly wished to build a democratic nation, this was the first position that needed to be abolished once the war was over.
There were just too many things to think about.
[You gave that son of a bitch Hitler a proper thrashing, Vice-Chancellor. You're better than those politicians of the so-called democratic nations.]
Still, amidst my splitting headache, the telegram from Churchill made me chuckle. It was so quintessentially Churchill that I was at a loss for words.
There were telegrams from various other countries as well. I was particularly pleased to receive one from President Kyösti Kallio of Finland, expressing deep gratitude and stating that Finland, too, would wage a resolute resistance.
I didn't know when the Winter War would break out, but it would be soon. It would be better if it happened after our civil war was over—
"The problem is this one."
The telegrams sent not to me personally, but to the new government from Britain and France were, coincidentally, almost identical.
Whether they had coordinated or not, I couldn't say, but they were filled with flowery phrases wishing us luck in our struggle against the fascists, followed by a hope for the swift establishment of democracy and a resolution to the issue of 'other nations' under German rule after the civil war.
The establishment of democracy was a matter of holding elections after the war, regardless of their concerns. The key parties from the Weimar era—the Centre Party, the Social Democratic Party, and the Free Democratic Party—already seemed to be preparing to re-form for the elections.
The problem was the 'other nations' part.
Internally, quite a few figures wished to maintain the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia, but Czechoslovakia was not land we could keep. The moment we declared our intention to hold onto it, the favorable international opinion our new government currently enjoyed would turn against us in an instant.
However, it would also be problematic to appear as if we were caving to British and French pressure and giving it up for nothing. Therefore, the moment the civil war ends will be the moment the new government—no, the new Germany—is truly put to the test.
Just because we succeeded in ousting Hitler doesn't mean all those steeped in Nazism will vanish overnight, and the eastern regions of Austria still remain Nazi territory.
The Austrian residents there were unsettled and lacked the influence to attack us, and since they were busy fending off Italy, we were leaving them be rather than poking the hornet's nest.
Although Italy had made a fool of itself, it was still a major power. It wasn't that their total strength was so meager; rather, it was a stroke of luck for us that they had thought entering Austria would be so easy that they pushed forward without proper preparation.
"To think we have a mountain of problems even when things are going according to plan. We really have been walking a tightrope."
"What's so surprising? Didn't you know what you were getting into?"
I burst out laughing at Claudia's words and rose from my seat. Today, I had to accompany His Majesty the Emperor, a man I thoroughly disliked.
We were visiting the Kriegsmarine, which had until now maintained a facade of neutrality, to have them formally swear an oath of loyalty to the Emperor.
"Pray that I don't get indigestion, Adjutant."
"Hmm, I'm not sure praying will do much good. Good luck, Vice-Chancellor. Have a safe trip."
Claudia, who had been reading today's newspaper, replied with what sounded like a teasing tone.
"And you told me not to say anything worrying..."
My brow furrowed instinctively. She was ruthless.
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November 19, 1939
Tyrol, Southern Austria, Italian Army Invasion Headquarters for Germany
Mussolini, who had ambitiously declared war on the new German government, was enraged by the news that his 'army of steel' was being soundly defeated not by the new government's Reichswehr, but by the likes of the Austrian border guard. He began to pour all of Italy's military might toward the German front.
A full month and a half after the first battle, the Italian army had finally assembled all the forces necessary for an offensive against Germany and had completed preparations for a full-scale assault.
They had, in effect, gathered every military asset Italy could muster.
"Marshal Italo Balbo, I am very sorry that it has come to this. The Duce desires a decisive result before Hitler's defeat and has regrettably ordered a change in command."
Dismissed before the offensive could even begin, Italo Balbo, his Marshal's insignia looking out of place, let his shoulders slump in front of Marshal Rodolfo Graziani, who had arrived from the homeland.
"To think I'd be disgraced in my old age..."
Graziani said nothing. Marshal Balbo looked at him for a moment, then spoke weakly.
"I wish you luck in the fight. They are not as easy as they seem."
The Austrian border guard, already familiar with the mountains from being stationed along the Alpine border, and the Austrian volunteers who rushed to defend their homes and country, fought fiercely under the command of General Karl Eglseer, repelling the Italian army.
Furthermore, the morale of the Reichswehr dispatched by the new government from the German mainland was incomparably higher than that of the Italian forces, and what little equipment advantage the Italians had was completely nullified by the Alps.
"Do not worry. The Duce has ordered me to take Tyrol by any means necessary, and I shall, of course, do so."
"...I wish you luck."
At Graziani's almost arrogant words, Balbo gave a short reply and left the command center to return to his home country.
Giovanni Messe, the deputy commander of the invasion force, who had been watching the scene with a bitter expression, saluted the new commander, Rodolfo Graziani, who had replaced Italo Balbo.
Graziani gave a cursory return salute and walked to the commander's chair, slumping into it.
"With all due respect, Commander, the situation for our forces on the offensive is dire. The Duce has ordered the capture of Tyrol, but with winter approaching, it would be reckless to continue the offensive. The newly assembled units may be fine, but the condition of the other units is..."
At Messe's words, Graziani grinned.
"Ah, don't you worry about that, Deputy Commander."
"Sir?"
Graziani smiled at Messe, showing his white teeth.
"We will take Tyrol. After all, the Duce never said anything about leaving it intact, did he?"
"W-what do you mean by that, sir..."
Ignoring the flustered Giovanni Messe, Graziani continued with a sinister smirk.
"I hear they don't have a proper air force yet, do they? Let's scramble all our planes and burn everything to the ground. Everything."
As Messe stood speechless, Graziani smiled once more.
"The Duce will have his Tyrol, of course. Though, I can't say how many people will be left there."
The devil of Italy who laid waste to Ethiopia, Rodolfo Graziani, had begun to extend his evil grasp toward Austria.
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