Chapter 108
Chapter 108
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Backchannel Negotiations (1)
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Hitler's purge of the military had a positive effect in terms of civilian control over the German army.
Now, the military could no longer even dream of defying orders from Hitler, the supreme commander.
Hitler wielded the influence and power he had thus gained freely in the war.
He designated fortress cities,
"Under no circumstances are you to lose this city. If retreat is an option, then die there. There is no retreat in the German army."
intervened in operations,
"From this point forward, I forbid any retreat under the guise of flexible defense. This business of casually pulling back the defensive line and ceding territory to the enemy ends now."
and disrupted strategy.
"Do not build defensive lines in the rear ahead of time. It makes the troops look backward. Make sure the troops hold their positions to the end."
These were absurd orders, but since they came from Hitler, the German generals had no choice but to obey.
Many generals were already under investigation for involvement in assassinations or being dragged to the execution grounds.
The generals had no choice but to follow Hitler's orders for the sake of their own and their families' safety.
Only a few could push their own views through to the Führer.
Manstein, who had amassed tremendous achievements on the battlefield,
or Model, who boldly raised his voice even before Hitler,
"Your Excellency. This is not a retreat. It's a tactical redeployment."
or Rommel, who was close to Hitler,
"Your Excellency, who is the commander of the 9th Army? Me, or Your Excellency?"
were the exceptions.
"Führer. You will see that my judgment is correct."
Even with its teeth pulled like this, the German army somehow managed to weather the crisis.
In the Eastern Belarus offensive in November 1943, they lost Smolensk but succeeded in stopping the Soviet forces and largely thwarted the Red Army's attempts to cross the Dnieper River.
The Germans proved to the Soviets that they were still no pushovers to be knocked out in a single assault.
The claws of the German army were still intact.
But that fact offered no comfort to Germany's allies.
The Axis powers had foreseen Berlin's defeat ever since Germany's loss at Stalingrad.
Romania, Hungary, and Finland had formed a joint alliance to break away from the Axis and were feverishly reaching out to the Allies.
"By next spring, the German army's collapse will be evident. We need to wrap up negotiations before then to secure even slightly better terms."
They desperately sought to guarantee their sovereignty through dialogue with the West.
But the West's response was cold.
"You're in a hurry, and you want to take time to talk?"
The allies' attitudes grew frigid toward the West's icy reception, so they turned their approach toward Korea.
They figured a military dictatorship like Korea, for all its communist leanings, would at least be more reasonable than the Reds.
But Korea's response wasn't favorable either.
"We can't proceed until the entire Western bloc has aligned its stance."
Surprisingly, Korea hinted at discussing terms and adjusting conditions further.
Didn't Korea and the West fear the Soviets building up their power?
The Axis allies couldn't help trembling in fear.
If the Soviet army crossed the Dnieper, it would reach the Balkans in an instant.
Yet no one easily suggested cozying up to the Soviets.
The Axis allies could neither advance nor retreat, forced to waste away the time.
It was then that the Soviets made the first move.
"Let's talk."
The Soviet proposal, conveyed through Turkey, was surprisingly reasonable and sensible.
Appropriate war reparations, minor territorial concessions, provision of garrison bases for Soviet troops, and a mutual defense pact.
The countries, who had expected to be swallowed whole by the Reds, rubbed their eyes at the offer.
It was certainly just a "we'll let you live" level of proposal, but more generous than they had vaguely imagined.
Each nation pondered the Soviet offer deeply.
"How can we trust the Reds' promises?"
"Then are we just going to drag out talks with the West forever and get steamrolled by the Soviets without a plan?"
Romania and Bulgaria, which had received the negotiation proposal, along with Finland, erupted in fierce debates.
Of course, Stalin, who had thrown out the proposal, had no intention of honoring it.
Why would a Red keep a promise?
Reds were credit defaulters by nature.
Stalin only kept promises made when the other side had power worthy of respect.
"Comrade Molotov."
"Yes, Comrade General Secretary."
"Keep working until friends who will join hands with us appear. If possible, arrange for a coup to topple the regime."
Of course, he had no intention of tolerating even that coup regime.
In the Soviets' backyard, only Reds could survive.
"We'll prepare thoroughly."
The Soviets' underhanded movements were soon detected by Britain as well.
'That area's already allotted to the Soviets anyway. Making a fuss there would be a bit much.'
It wasn't out of conscience.
Where in the British Empire was there such a word as conscience?
They simply wanted to avoid provoking the Reds and risking their own share in the west.
Still, just sitting back and watching wasn't in the nature of the British Empire.
Britain leaked the information to Germany through an unknown channel.
"What? The Reds are contacting our allies?"
Germany was stunned by the intel.
If the alliance shook even slightly, it was over.
Ion Antonescu in Romania and Miklós Horthy in Hungary were already showing uneasy attitudes.
Finland and Bulgaria weren't entirely obedient either.
'Greece was the same.'
No, all of them were.
Only Slovakia remained unwaveringly loyal to Germany.
"Those... traitors."
Hitler thought a response was needed.
The problem was manpower.
"Führer. To guarantee the defense of France and the Low Countries, we need at least 80 divisions."
But the current deployment was only 65 divisions.
"We must maintain 18 divisions on the Italian front as well."
The Allies themselves could be handled with 8 divisions, but large-scale security forces were needed to counter the communist Reds.
"We need 20 divisions on the Yugoslav front too."
That damn Duce's shit.
The partisans rampaging there now numbered over 300,000.
"We need 220 divisions just to hold the Eastern Front."
Vast losses in combat meant the actual strength was questionable even at 150 divisions holding the long front.
Another 20-30 divisions were needed here to block the Soviet onslaught.
"We need 10 divisions garrisoned to hold Norway."
Greece and countless other places demanded troops endlessly.
"Enough."
The Führer felt irritation.
How were they supposed to reinforce all those areas?
The Wehrmacht's manpower had reached its limit.
Even essential workers from the armaments industry had been conscripted into uniform, yet they still fell short.
"The Balkans are urgent, so pull some troops from Yugoslavia and France."
They needed to prepare to crush Hungary, Romania, and Bulgaria if necessary.
Finland was unavoidable.
There simply wasn't the capacity to reinforce that far.
"And find places to squeeze out troops somehow. Come up with a way to secure 30 divisions."
"W-We will, sir."
The generals merely nodded vigorously at Hitler's shouting.
Watching those idiots truly made his chest tighten.
He marveled anew at how he had conquered Europe with such fools.
"All of you, dismissed."
The generals sighed in relief and withdrew, leaving only Ribbentrop and Bormann.
"Aren't you leaving?"
Hitler asked Ribbentrop.
"Führer."
"Do you have something to say?"
Ribbentrop hemmed and hawed before finally speaking with difficulty.
"Given the situation, how about considering peace with the Soviets?"
Peace with the Soviets?
Hitler erupted in fury at the words.
It was utter nonsense.
Peace with the West, maybe—but joining hands with the Judeo-Bolsheviks?
Even amid Hitler's fierce anger, Ribbentrop didn't back down easily.
This might be the last chance to save Germany.
Ribbentrop, once a mere wine merchant, still had patriotism.
"Your Excellency, there's no need to get so angry."
Ribbentrop repeatedly insisted that if the Führer permitted, he would pursue major negotiations via Sweden.
Hitler was a bit surprised by Ribbentrop's uncharacteristically firm attitude, one he hadn't seen before.
Since he had always liked confident people, Hitler softened slightly at this unexpected side.
"If the Foreign Minister insists, then try talking. But this is not for you to handle on your own."
"Understood."
Hitler permitted unofficial negotiations.
But the Führer had no doubt that no proper results would come from talks with the Soviets.
The Soviets, who had suffered over ten million casualties, negotiating now?
Hitler clicked his tongue.