Chapter 64
Chapter 64
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 64
Chapter Title: Iron and Blood, Golden Freedom (4)
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< German Civil War - Iron and Blood, Golden Freedom (4) >
November 19, 1939
Northern Germany, 10th Military District, Hamburg – Kiel Naval Base
I was just entering the Kiel Naval Base, riding in a car with Emperor Wilhelm III.
My father, Hjalmar Schacht, had once again passed off a military-related event to me, claiming he didn't need to attend.
I couldn't shake the feeling that he was dumping all the events he found uninteresting or bothersome on me, while keeping the economic and domestic affairs he actually wanted to handle for himself...
“Is this the first time you and I have attended an official event together?”
“It is, Your Majesty.”
As we had decided to form a democratic government and proceed as a constitutional monarchy, it was not usually necessary for the emperor to take a frontline role.
However, Kiel Naval Base, a major hub for the German Navy, was the site of the sailors' mutiny that had triggered the collapse of the German Empire. For symbolic reasons, we had decided to visit together with the emperor and hold a ceremony marking the navy's change of allegiance.
Besides, a good number of the conservative figures in the German Navy were quite inclined toward the royalist cause.
Among the navy's high command, there were likely many who still felt a sense of nostalgia for the glory of the Kaiserliche Marine during World War I, which was incomparable to the current Kriegsmarine. It wasn't hard to understand.
“Kiel Naval Base... it’s been a very long time.”
Honestly, I had come with a serious case of stomach cramps, worried about accompanying him, but today, Wilhelm III was uncharacteristically quiet, his expression tinged with a faint wistfulness.
It was the first time I realized he was capable of such an expression.
Though I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, the massive battleships that must have once filled Kiel's harbor were the very symbols of the expansionist policies pursued by Wilhelm II and the German Empire.
While Count Blumenthal, who had performed the incredible feat of assassinating Hitler and securing the surrender of Army Group North, had been confirmed to be alive, the Emperor had been fully prepared to package his eldest son's close friend as a martyr for political gain before the news arrived. Now, he was showing a rare display of emotion.
Amid the music of a military band, our car drove slowly through lines of honor guards and sailors, stopping in front of the waiting naval admirals.
The naval headquarters was originally located in Berlin, but Vice Admiral Canaris, who was both the director of the Abwehr and a naval admiral, had coordinated with Admiral Raeder to dispatch key naval commanders to major naval bases like Kiel and Wilhelmshaven just before the civil war.
Thanks to this, all the real power players of the navy were gathered here.
“It is an honor to host you, Your Majesty, and the Vice-Chancellor.”
The navy's most senior officer, Admiral Erich Raeder, spoke with a subtly different tone when addressing the emperor and me.
It seemed the elderly, conservative admiral was not pleased that a mere Vice-Chancellor, and a young one at that, had come instead of the Chancellor...
“Thank you for the welcome. It’s been a while, Admiral Raeder.”
Wilhelm III and Erich Raeder shook hands naturally, and then it was my turn.
“It is an honor to meet you, Admiral Raeder. I am Dietrich Schacht, the Vice-Chancellor.”
“A pleasure.”
Even after shaking hands with Erich Raeder, there were many more hands to shake.
Rolf Carls, who in the original history had competed with Karl Dönitz for the position of Commander-in-Chief of the Navy.
Günther Lütjens, who had drafted a significant number of German naval operations during World War II, including Operation Sea Lion and Operation Rheinübung.
Wilhelm Marschall, who was a highly competent admiral but was so aggressive that he disobeyed orders to avoid engagement multiple times to sink enemy ships.
And even Alfred Saalwächter, who was in charge during the pursuit of the Bismarck.
Seeing the key figures of the Kriegsmarine from World War II all at once was quite a novel experience.
Finally, I shook hands with a man who, despite being on the younger side among the admirals here, was wrinkled and slightly gaunt, looking like an old man.
“Commodore Karl Dönitz. A pleasure to meet you.”
“Vice-Chancellor Dietrich Schacht. A pleasure to meet you, Commodore Dönitz.”
The symbol of the German Navy in World War II, represented by the U-boats, and the man who, after Hitler's death, surrendered to the Allies as the final leader of Nazi Germany.
I had been curious what Dönitz, who was an anomaly among the naval admirals for his support of Nazism when most were like oil and water with the Nazis, thought of the new government.
However, unlike Raeder or the other conservative admirals, Dönitz didn't seem to show any particular displeasure or curiosity toward someone as young as me.
He just shook my hand dryly and immediately looked away. What was he thinking?
While I was pondering, Wilhelm III, having exchanged pleasantries with the admirals, stepped up to the podium.
The battleships that had once filled the harbor, the grand Kaiserliche Marine of the German Empire, were gone without a trace.
Across all naval bases, not just Kiel, you could count the number of proper battleships, including those under construction, on one hand.
But at this moment, none of that seemed to matter to him. The emperor, who had always seemed to have no blood or tears, wore a human expression for the first time.
Wilhelm III, who had fought as Crown Prince in the last war, now stood as the constitutional monarch of Germany in the very place where the end of the German Empire had begun. He opened his mouth and spoke in a low voice.
“...I have finally returned.”
-
After the welcoming ceremony, the naval admirals and we attended a meeting for serious discussions. The ceremony was purely symbolic, a show for the public; the real work began now.
“Your Majesty, the navy's current situation is extremely dire. The battleships Bismarck and Tirpitz have been launched but are now left idle in the harbor, as is the aircraft carrier Graf Zeppelin.”
A launching ceremony is when a ship's basic hull and watertight structure are completed, and it is floated on the water.
Of course, being warships, they would normally require another one to two years of fitting equipment and armaments after launching. But with those expensive battleships and the aircraft carrier left half-finished, the navy must have been burning with anxiety.
At Admiral Raeder's statement, Wilhelm III sat with his arms crossed, listening, before pointing at me and saying:
“Speak to the Vice-Chancellor about that, not me. The age of the Empire has already passed.”
To think Wilhelm III, of all people, would say such a thing. Had the establishment of the constitutional monarchy and the visit to Kiel Naval Base left such a profound impression on him?
Even I was wearing a surprised expression as Admiral Raeder, though with a slightly displeased face, turned to me.
“Vice-Chancellor, as I said, the navy has been virtually neglected since the civil war began. We will, of course, pledge our loyalty to His Majesty's government, but I trust the new government has no intention of continuing to neglect the navy.”
The German Navy's position in World War II was truly that of a white elephant. Trying to build it up was a hopeless endeavor given the opponent's sheer scale, yet it couldn't be completely abandoned either.
“Of course not, Admiral. That is precisely why we have arranged this meeting today.”
The Kriegsmarine admirals did not look particularly hopeful. After all, Nazi Germany itself had a history of drawing up grand plans like Plan Z, only to provide a trickle of funding before trying to start a war in 1939.
“First, I must inform you that, regrettably, Plan Z, which you planned with the Nazi regime, must be scrapped.”
Plan Z was a naval construction plan to rebuild a high seas fleet composed of several battleships, aircraft carriers, and battlecruisers.
Frankly, it was such an incredibly rosy blueprint that it seemed only a country with the economic power of the United States could have made it a reality.
“Ahem....”
The admirals looked uncomfortable, but they didn't show their anger outright. With eyes and ears, they weren't foolish enough to demand the new government push ahead with Plan Z while fighting a two-front war.
That, at least, was a silver lining. The leaders of the German Navy still believed in the outdated relic of big guns on big ships, but we had an excuse.
“As you know, the new government is still engaged in a civil war with the Nazi regime and is fighting a two-front war with Italy, so our budget is not very generous.”
Listening, Admiral Raeder asked with a very uncomfortable expression.
“We have eyes, we know that. But are you planning to leave the battleships and aircraft carrier we've worked so hard to build as mere scrap metal?”
“Of course not. We plan to allocate the budget to at least complete the Bismarck, Tirpitz, and Graf Zeppelin.”
The admirals' faces brightened so quickly that I almost laughed. They must have been worried sick that the new government would abandon all large warship construction plans.
Their low expectations made them easier to satisfy, which was a good thing.
“T-To what extent?”
Admiral Raeder, hearing something he hadn't expected, seemed both pleased and skeptical.
“It's not confirmed, but the plan is to allocate the budget to complete the Bismarck within 1940, the Tirpitz by the first half of 1941, and the Graf Zeppelin by the end of 1941.”
“Ooh...”
The naval admirals were quite pleased, but in truth, this was not my original intention.
I knew what a paper tiger a battleship was, and while the aircraft carrier Graf Zeppelin was another matter, I was skeptical about the need for not one, but two Bismarck-class battleships built on an outdated design philosophy.
The people who actively pushed for this plan were Director Canaris and Deputy Director Oster of the Abwehr. They argued that we needed a minimum level of naval deterrence and the navy's loyalty to maintain our imports from the United States—especially oil and trucks—smoothly.
During the Crown Prince's last visit, the US had traded with us through the Netherlands, taking our circumstances into account since it was just the beginning. But to import enough oil to operate the air force and navy, we couldn't rely on borrowing Dutch or other foreign transport ships forever.
The Abwehr, which had played a major role in the coup, was slated to absorb all other intelligence agencies and manage them centrally after the civil war. However, that alone seemed insufficient compensation, so this plan was approved as a political reward for them, as they were nominally part of the navy.
“Thank you. But what about the auxiliary ships...”
“That is something we will have to discuss further after the civil war has ended.”
“Hmm, I see.”
The admirals were satisfied just with the hope of seeing the completion of the Bismarck, Tirpitz, and Graf Zeppelin, which had been indefinitely postponed.
The only person whose expression was not great was Dönitz...
In fact, from a military standpoint, I also thought it was more efficient to produce submarines with the money for battleships, but things get complicated when politics are involved.
Dönitz's famous unrestricted submarine warfare was certainly effective as a military operation, but it was a violation of international law and carried too high a risk of causing a diplomatic disaster.
One need not look far; one of the reasons the United States entered World War I against Germany was the Lusitania incident, where an American passenger ship was sunk by a German submarine.
Nazi Germany's diplomatic strategy was to not engage in diplomacy, so it was one thing for them, but we couldn't do the same. Unrestricted submarine warfare was not an option.
“In any case, thank you. We were worried, not being ignorant of the new government's circumstances, but at least the ships that hold the essence of our navy will not be abandoned. Please convey my thanks to Canaris and the Chancellor as well.”
Well, still, the Bismarck, Tirpitz, and Graf Zeppelin. In the original history, all three were symbols of the German Navy, but the Bismarck was sunk as soon as it saw action, the Tirpitz was only used as a threat, and the Graf Zeppelin was never even completed.
I hope they can avoid such misfortune this time.
“It is true that our circumstances are not easy, but please consider this a sign of the new government's interest in the navy. I will pass on your message to the Chancellor.”
Admiral Raeder, his demeanor a complete 180 from our first meeting, shook my hand with a broad smile.
The budget that made this possible, despite our tight finances, was my father's handiwork. The Mefo bills, amounting to over 20 billion marks, were truly daunting, but the arms manufacturers must have been even more desperate.
Having taken on debt to deliver up to their limits, trusting only the government's guarantee, they were now on the brink of bankruptcy. The weapons they were contracted to deliver to the Nazi Wehrmacht couldn't be delivered due to the civil war, and without delivery, they couldn't receive payment. Germany's renowned arms manufacturers were facing ruin.
That's when my father made a deal with them. The new government would gradually repay the Mefo bills, which they had no guarantee of ever receiving, and would also purchase the equipment intended for the Nazis to provide liquidity. In exchange, he asked them to reduce the total amount of the Mefo bills.
From the arms manufacturers' perspective, it must have been incredibly unfair to have to reduce the value of bonds the German government had promised to honor. But avoiding immediate bankruptcy due to lack of funds was more important than a large sum they might never receive.
When he added the condition of overlooking their collaboration with the Nazis, the arms manufacturers reluctantly accepted with long faces. We had also begun seizing the assets of companies that had actively collaborated with the Nazi regime.
Considering that my father was the one who devised the Mefo bills in the first place, it was a truly ruthless act befitting a capitalist. But his skill was on a level I couldn't dare to match, so I had nothing to say.
As a result, the total value of the Mefo bills was reduced by about 40% to around 12 billion marks. This was still an astronomical figure, but by securing the companies' agreement to installment payments, we had gained a little breathing room.
As I watched the delighted admirals, the emperor quietly approached and spoke.
“In the end, it seems money is king, regardless of loyalty to the crown.”
“We live in such times, Your Majesty.”
-
After the meeting ended and the emperor and the Vice-Chancellor had left.
Karl Dönitz stood blankly on a balcony, buffeted by the sea breeze, gazing out at the ocean.
“Everyone else is so cheerful. Are you going to stand here moping by yourself?”
Dönitz gave a bitter smile at the voice behind him. Günther Lütjens, a man with a gruff personality but a decent friendship with him, came to stand by his side.
“What’s wrong? Is it because you couldn’t bring up the submarine fleet?”
“It just feels a bit... empty.”
Before greeting the new government's Vice-Chancellor, Admiral Raeder had sternly warned Dönitz not to draw the attention of the high-ranking official.
Thanks to that, Dönitz hadn't even spoken to the Vice-Chancellor and had to keep his mouth shut throughout the meeting.
The young Vice-Chancellor himself didn't seem to pay much attention to Dönitz, but within the navy, there were concerns that Dönitz's tacit pro-Nazi stance might cause trouble for them all.
“At first, I thought that to spread my wings in the navy, where my ideas differed from the high command's, it would be best to get on the good side of the Führer and the Nazi Party.”
“Well, that makes sense.”
In the German Navy, which revered the surface fleet and the big-gun doctrine, Dönitz, who passionately advocated for a submarine fleet, was indeed an outsider. Lütjens spoke as if it were no big deal.
But Dönitz was experiencing a deep sense of frustration.
“But in the process, I came to believe it with all my heart. That the Führer and the Nazis were the leaders who would make Germany strong again.”
Dönitz, who had become quite influenced by Nazism, genuinely respected Hitler and believed that Jews and Bolsheviks were the root causes weakening Germany.
“I believed there was no one who could lead this Germany better than Hitler. But it turns out I was wrong.”
Barely two and a half months since the coup.
The dictator's regime, which had once seemed so powerful, was collapsing in an instant, revealing a sordid underbelly that even a Nazi sympathizer like Dönitz could not defend.
“Do you regret it?”
“...It's just empty.”
With those words, Dönitz fell silent, his eyes fixed on the sea.
Lütjens watched him for a moment before speaking.
“We saw the Emperor's empire and the Kaiserliche Marine fall.”
As he spoke, Lütjens looked at the unfinished aircraft carrier, Graf Zeppelin, floating aimlessly in the sea after only its launching ceremony.
“It felt like the end of the world back then, but looking back, we're still living just fine.”
Hearing Lütjens' words, Dönitz slowly closed his eyes.
He still found it hard to imagine a Germany without Hitler, but he would have to live in one all the same.
“Yes, I suppose so....”
< German Civil War - Iron and Blood, Golden Freedom (4) > End
© Karkason
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