Chapter 98
Chapter 98
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 98
Chapter Title: The Gathering Storm (4)
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April 8, 1940
Berlin, Northern Germany, Government Complex
Since the start of the year, we had increased production of munitions like armor-piercing shells and the new Panzer IV model with reinforced armor, leading to a surge in our demand for tungsten.
However, Spain's Caudillo Franco informed us he was revoking the mining rights to the northern mines, which he had granted to Hitler in exchange for the dispatch of the Condor Legion during the Nazi era.
His excuse was that since the original party to the agreement was Nazi Germany, there was no obligation to provide the same concessions to the Fourth Reich.
But he sold us rifles during his civil war and had been supplying tungsten without issue even after it ended. To send this notice now? It was quite a bewildering situation for us.
Fortunately, we had a three-month reserve, but the news was still jarringly abrupt. It led to a rare meeting between the four of us: the Chancellor, myself, and the Minister and Vice-Minister of the Foreign Ministry.
“Hmm, this must be France's doing, wouldn't you say?”
Foreign Minister von Weizsäcker nodded in agreement with my father, Hjalmar.
“It would seem so. Philippe Pétain, who has a special relationship with Franco, has become the Minister of Defense in La Rocque's government. I suspect his influence is at play.”
“Hah, those French bastards are hell-bent on obstructing us at every turn.”
Nazi Germany faced the same problem, and now we can't escape the issue of strategic resource shortages either. How bleak.
“Portugal is also a major producer of tungsten, but with Spain taking this stance, they'll have to watch Franco's every move.”
A sigh escaped me as I listened to Vice Foreign Minister Erich Kordt. To the small nation of Portugal on the Iberian Peninsula, we were distant, while Spain was right next door.
In the end, this left only one solution. I'd been too preoccupied to consider it until now...
“It seems we'll have to re-establish diplomatic relations with the Republic of China.”
China is also a major producer of tungsten. For quite some time, Germany had been sending a military advisory group to China in exchange for it.
Unfortunately, Japan, which Hitler had made an ally through the Anti-Comintern Pact, attacked China, forcing a severance of diplomatic ties.
China's Chiang Kai-shek, already struggling with the Sino-Japanese War, had expressed a desire to reconnect with us shortly after our new government was established. At the time, we didn't have the capacity and had postponed the discussion.
We'd been in no position to send a military advisory group abroad when we could barely keep our own heads above water. But now that the Polish campaign was over, we had some breathing room, and the resource issue made re-establishing ties a necessity.
“Hmm, General von Falkenhausen was the head of that group, wasn't he?”
Alexander von Falkenhausen, the former head of the German military mission to China, had wanted to stay but was forced to return to Germany under threats from Hitler. Now that we've overthrown the Nazi regime, he'll likely be eager to go back.
“Yes, Mr. Chancellor. On a related note, the Siemens employee John Rabe, who was in China, is highly respected there. If he's willing, it would be good to send him along as a civilian cooperation officer.”
John Rabe, who risked his life to protect Chinese civilians during the Nanking Massacre, had tried to inform Hitler about the situation upon his return, only to be harshly suppressed by the Gestapo and placed under surveillance.
Fortunately, when we took power, John Rabe returned to Siemens. Like others persecuted by the Nazis, he held a favorable view of our government.
We'll send an advisory group centered around Falkenhausen and Rabe, and in return for tungsten, we'll provide them with our equipment.
Since the attack on Pearl Harbor hasn't happened, China is still struggling without American aid. This will be a great help to them.
Since the attack on Pearl Harbor hasn't happened, China is still struggling without American aid. This will be a great help to them.
I know China's coastal areas are a mess right now, but we've worked damn hard to improve relations with Britain, so we should be able to trade reliably via the Burma Road in eastern India.
“Japan will be furious. Can't we win them over and use them as an ally against the Soviets?”
Before my father could even finish his thought, I quickly interjected. Siding with Japan? What a disastrous idea.
“They were allies of Hitler and Mussolini. Considering what they've shown in the Sino-Japanese War and the Nanking Massacre, they're a card we must discard if we want to align with Britain and the United States.”
My father seemed to ponder my words for a moment, then nodded without much difficulty. That surprised me.
Not that I ever intended to ally with Japan anyway, but after getting their asses handed to them by Zhukov at Khalkhin Gol for foolishly testing the Soviets, they won't be eager for another fight.
Helping the Republic of China will, in turn, help Korea, but that aside, if we intend to conduct proper diplomacy, we must never join hands with the mad Japanese Empire.
France hasn't surrendered and Japan hasn't occupied Indochina yet, so the conditions for Pearl Harbor aren't in place, but who knows what crazy stunt those warmongers will pull next?
We're in no position to proactively intervene in the Pacific front right now anyway. I suppose we can think of this as laying the groundwork for the future.
As I was thinking this, my father glanced at me and asked.
“When did you find the time to study Asia so thoroughly?”
Huh? I flinched, and both Weizsäcker and Erich Kordt were looking at me with curiosity.
Ah, crap. My father might be acquainted with the high-ranking Chinese official H. H. Kung, but few Germans of this era know much about the Far East. For me, it was as natural as breathing, so I spoke too freely.
“When we were active in the resistance, you, Mr. Vice-Chancellor, witnessed Mr. John Rabe being taken away by the Gestapo and requested that I investigate.”
The answer came not from me, flustered as I was, but from Claudia, who was standing a short distance away. My father glanced at her, then nodded.
“Alright, then. Summon Falkenhausen and John Rabe. We'll discuss it with them in person.”
“Yes, sir!”
I gave Claudia a grateful look, and she offered me a slight smile.
I'd decided to have her, my aide, accompany me on non-military matters instead of leaving her waiting endlessly in the office. What a relief that turned out to be.
Come to think of it, it's already been four long years since I fell into the body of Dietrich Schacht. At this point, my life in Germany feels more real, while my life in Korea feels like a dream.
At least my birthday is August 15th, a hard date to forget, so I'm reminded of Korea at least once a year. That's a small mercy.
And now, at a time like this, I might finally have some small, indirect influence on Korea's fate. It was a strange feeling.
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April 18, 1940
Berlin, Northern Germany, Army General Staff Headquarters
It had been a while since I'd last visited the General Staff headquarters. The atmosphere in the conference room was grim, and a heavy silence hung in the air.
It had been a while since I'd last visited the General Staff headquarters. The atmosphere in the conference room was grim, and a heavy silence hung in the air.
France was continuing its military buildup, and the Rasputitsa was over. There was no telling how much longer Poland and Finland could hold out.
With our forces concentrated on a single front, we had launched an all-out offensive against the Italian defensive line, mobilizing sixty divisions with the resolve to crush them in one fell swoop and end the war.
But the ambitious plan prepared by Manstein had ended in a disastrous outcome: the Fourth Reich's first defeat.
Unable to bear the silence any longer, I finally spoke, though I hated to believe the words I was uttering.
“Fifty thousand casualties...”
To suffer more casualties than in the Battle of Berlin, where the Nazis had deliberately instigated a war of attrition through urban warfare... I felt dizzy.
These weren't just infantry casualties, either. We lost 300 of the 1,000 tanks committed to the offensive. Over 100 of them were Panzer IVs, a fact that was a gut punch.
From the German Civil War until now, the forces of the Fourth Reich had known nothing but victory. To think our first defeat would come not at the hands of the Soviets, but the Italians.
It was an unimaginable result.
Damn it all! The German army lost to the Italians? This has to be a nightmare, right? I'd rather it be a dream.
While Minister of Defense Ludwig Beck sighed, Manstein just puffed furiously on his cigar, unable to say a word.
I spoke, feeling utterly dejected.
“First, the French tanks that played a decisive role in this defeat... the Somua S35 and the Char B1, I'm told.”
Those damn French bastards stabbed us in the back like this?
We had to push through the Alps and break through the defensive positions established by Italy, but the terrain severely restricted the advance routes for our tanks.
And those goddamn French tanks were waiting on every one of those routes. With their thick frontal armor, they held their ground and destroyed our tanks one after another as they advanced.
The new Panzer IVs with reinforced armor were just entering production and had barely been deployed to the front lines. Our existing tanks, which prioritized mobility over armor, were powerless in that situation and were blown to bits.
“The commander was Charles de Gaulle, and the chief of staff, Jean de Lattre de Tassigny.”
In the original history, Charles de Gaulle was someone who struck fear into the German army during the invasion of France, and according to Abwehr reports, Tassigny is considered one of the most promising officers in the French army.
French Prime Minister La Rocque had openly dispatched several armored divisions, yet he was insisting they weren't participating in the war, but were volunteers like the Condor Legion, calling them the 'Falcon Legion.'
At this point, their intention to screw us over was so blatant I was at a loss for words.
Furthermore, the Italian M11/39 tanks, which we'd ridiculed for having a machine gun in the turret and the main cannon in the hull, had been replaced with models that had the cannon properly mounted in the turret, turning them into a foe we could no longer completely ignore.
If we'd had air support, things might have gone better, but the weather was terrible, and we felt we couldn't delay the offensive any longer. We pushed ahead and paid a heavy price.
Manstein took another drag from his cigar before speaking heavily.
“My apologies, Mr. Vice-Chancellor, Field Marshal. I must admit I severely underestimated them.”
Attacking a prepared enemy defense across the Alps without the support of our superior air force—an operation that common sense dictated would be costly—we still expected an easy victory simply because the opponent was the Italian army.
Of course, we didn't lose to the Italians alone, but it's a fact that we let our guard down and paid a steep price.
“Not at all. You've led many successful operations until now; something like this was bound to happen. The government also approved this operation, so let's all be more cautious in our planning going forward.”
“Not at all. You've led many successful operations until now; something like this was bound to happen. The government also approved this operation, so let's all be more cautious in our planning going forward.”
My words of comfort seemed to soften Manstein's stiff expression somewhat, but the situation was too grim for him to offer any empty flattery.
The approach from the Austrian border into Italy is narrow to begin with, and the terrain is the god-awful Alps.
We can't just blindly pour massive forces into a place like that, not when it's fortified and defended by French tanks whose armor and firepower are in no way inferior to our own. It was an impossible defensive line.
This is just as bad as charging head-on into the Maginot Line. What were we thinking?
Of course, the government and I approved this operation, but even without underestimating the Italians, the reality was that the terrain itself severely limited our strategic options.
Manstein let out a quiet sigh.
“Mr. Vice-Chancellor, I deeply regret to say this, but I don't believe resuming the offensive under the current circumstances will yield any gains. For now, may we have permission to regroup our forces while we await the deployment of the new Panzer IVs?”
A bitter taste filled my mouth. To be bogged down like this when we have no idea what those French bastards will do next.
I looked at Minister of Defense Beck, and he nodded without a word.
“Of course, Chief of the General Staff. We can't keep feeding our valuable soldiers into a meat grinder.”
Manstein expressed his gratitude, but even as I replied, I felt a deep unease.
The fortification of the Siegfried Line on the French border has progressed sufficiently, and the men in charge are none other than Generals von Witzleben and Model. I doubt we need to worry about a breakthrough there.
But as long as the Maginot Line exists, we can't push through that way even if we go to war with France.
And we can't just trample over neutral Belgium to execute a sickle-cut operation like in the original history. In the end, Italy was the soft target, and that failed.
“Hmm. With the Reds also a concern, this is a serious problem.”
As Beck said, the Soviet Union is the real problem.
The whole reason we pushed for this reckless offensive and failed was because we were in a hurry.
In the east, Finland and Poland are still holding out against the Soviets, but to be frank, all they're doing is holding on.
The Soviet Union overwhelms them in both scale and industrial power, so the longer this goes on, the more disadvantaged they will become.
If that front begins to collapse, we'll ultimately have no choice but to provide more substantial aid in some form...
If this situation drags on, nothing good will come of it for us.
We could be facing the ultimate nightmare of a two-front war against France and the Soviet Union, yet our options are so limited.
What do I do? How can I land another blow on those damn French?