Chapter 39: Berlin Race (2)
Translated by Vine | Proofread by Lust
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< German Civil War – Berlin Race (2) >
September 1, 1939
Western Germany, 12th Military District Wiesbaden – Army Group C, 1st Army Garrison Saarland
03:00
In the predawn hours, while everyone was asleep, sirens blared through the military garrison, and a broadcast began.
[An emergency has occurred. The SS has committed treason against Germany. All units assemble immediately. This is not a drill. Repeat. An emergency has occurred. The SS has committed treason against Germany. All units assemble immediately. This is not a drill.]
The quiet garrison instantly turned into chaos.
Soldiers, startled from their sleep, scrambled to put on their uniforms, and lights flickered on throughout the garrison, pushing back the pitch-black darkness.
General Erwin von Witzleben, having just arrived from Frankfurt, waited with a grim expression in his command post. Soon, the corps commanders of the 1st Army rushed in.
“What’s going on, Commander! Treason by the SS?”
“They attacked the broadcasting station in Silesia to push Germany into war. They even wore Polish uniforms to disguise it as a Polish invasion, attacked civilians, and planned to read a declaration of war in Polish.”
Hearing his corps commanders gasp, von Witzleben declared firmly,
“Their actions, attacking Germany disguised as Poland and instigating war, are clear acts of treason, and we must suppress them.”
“Wait, isn’t the SS an organization under the Führer’s party! Are you saying they staged a coup?”
Lieutenant General Walter Kuntze, commander of the 24th Corps and identified as a pro-Nazi, vehemently protested von Witzleben’s order.
“Who gave this order, General! I am loyal to the Führer! I cannot obey an order to attack the Führer’s party!”
“That’s regrettable.”
As soon as von Witzleben finished speaking, the officers standing by the door seized Kuntze.
“Y-you traitors! I’m loyal to the Führer! Heil Hitl…Mmmmph!”
As Lieutenant General Kuntze was dragged out, silence fell over the command post.
“…Commander. Is it true that the SS bastards disguised themselves as Poles to start a war?”
“I swear to God and country, it is true. All of Germany will know by morning.”
Doubt and hesitation remained on the faces of the remaining corps commanders.
“These are the orders of Colonel General Beck, who was unjustly dismissed by those Nazi schemers. I’ll be frank with you, my subordinates. If we let this continue, we would have been dragged into another great war.”
The words ‘great war’ weighed heavily on everyone. Those stationed on the Siegfried Line, with far fewer troops than the French Army, felt the weight of those words more than anyone.
“We have risen to prevent that, and using the west as our base, we will drive out those damned Nazis.”
A long silence followed, and then the corps commanders saluted von Witzleben.
“If it’s true that the SS tried to start a war, we would have been sent to our deaths against the French.”
“Colonel General Beck was not someone to be dismissed like that. Please give us our orders, Commander.”
“…Thank you.”
Von Witzleben breathed a sigh of relief in secret.
Thanks to the dissatisfaction with the Nazis within the military, the personal virtues of the generals led by Colonel General Beck, and the anxiety about war, they had managed to make a start. But their trust was fragile, and things could go wrong at any moment.
There was no such thing as a perfect plan for a coup, and von Witzleben was nervous. He hoped the preparations made by the leaders and that reckless captain would be effective.
–
September 1, 1939
Central Germany, Border between 9th Military District Kassel and 11th Military District Hanover, Checkpoint across the Weser River
06:00
Just as dawn was breaking.
“H-halt, halt!”
The soldiers on duty at the checkpoint were startled by the sudden appearance of a swarm of Panzer I and Panzer II tanks and shouted for them to stop. But the tanks simply smashed through the barriers and continued on.
“What the! What’s going on?!”
The checkpoint soldiers could only watch in bewilderment, but even they were stunned by the endless procession of tanks and military trucks.
“Hahaha, this is fun. I never thought I’d see a day like this again after being discharged.”
Panzer General Oswald Lutz, directly commanding from inside a tank, laughed heartily. He tore open a piece of German Scho-Ka-Kola, the chocolate famous for its caffeine content and sleep-depriving effects, popped it into his mouth, and turned on his radio.
“We’re not sleeping until we plant our flag at our destination. Enjoy the Scho-Ka-Kola and stimulants, my Panzer troops!”
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The German-style armored breakthrough, which fueled its tank crews with stimulants and Scho-Ka-Kola instead of sleep during the invasion of France, was now headed for the German capital, Berlin.
“I wonder how that young whippersnapper, Guderian, will react!”
A short while after Panzer General Oswald Lutz’s armored units broke through.
The checkpoint commander, who had been staring blankly at the sight of dozens of tanks and vehicles unilaterally breaking through the checkpoint, finally came to his senses and shouted,
“This is a coup! Radio immediately! An unidentified armored unit is advancing towards Berlin!”
“Gasp, y-yes, sir!”
–
September 1, 1939
Northern Germany, Berlin, Army High Command
08:00
The Army High Command in Berlin was in chaos. The staff officers, who had rushed to work after being woken up by the news of the attack on the Führer, were overwhelmed by the coup reports coming in from all over.
“What? An armored unit is coming here?”
Commander-in-Chief von Brauchitsch’s face turned pale at the report, but Franz Halder, who was on the phone next to him, was also sweating profusely.
“Please wait, Colonel General Bock. We are currently assessing the situation…”
[Assessing the situation, my ass! Just turn on the radio!]
“Please wait a moment.”
Startled by the roar of Fedor von Bock, commander of Army Group North in the planned invasion of Poland, Halder turned on the radio. A broadcast began.
[The SS, plotting to plunge Germany into war, attacked the Gleiwitz broadcasting station in Silesia. They attacked German civilians dressed in Polish uniforms and meticulously prepared a declaration of war in Polish and prisoners to be disguised as Polish corpses.]
Halder broke out in a cold sweat at the familiar voice coming from the radio – Ludwig Beck’s.
He had claimed failure after the Munich Agreement and said there would be no further action, but he had been plotting something this outrageous!
[With the threat of war with Britain, France, and the Soviet Union imminent, this SS operation is a serious threat to plunge Germany into another great war. Therefore, we, the German ‘New Government’, declare that we will suppress the traitorous SS and restore normalcy to Germany.]
Von Brauchitsch and Halder exchanged glances, sweating. They knew that Ludwig Beck, the monarchists, and the reactionary forces were plotting against the Nazis.
Considering the possibility that their plot might succeed and Germany might be run by the military, they hadn’t reported the conspiracy. At the same time, they hadn’t actively participated, only waiting and seeing, while not letting go of the Nazis’ side.
[I, Ludwig Beck, former Chief of the General Staff and Colonel General of the Reserves, urge you: The Wehrmacht must join the New Government and stand against the reckless SS horde that seeks to destroy Germany.]
And now they had launched a coup without von Brauchitsch and Halder.
They hadn’t directly mentioned the Nazis yet, but with all of western Germany secured and the SS designated as the enemy, this was clearly a civil war!
“C-Colonel General Bock.”
[You heard the broadcast. What are you going to do!]
Halder looked at von Brauchitsch, sweating, but von Brauchitsch couldn’t offer any clear answer.
“I apologize. Please give us some time.”
[Time, what time! What those damned SS bastards did is all over today’s newspapers!]
“What?!”
[The identities of those who attacked the broadcasting station are all over the newspapers!]
“Please wait a moment, Colonel General. The Army High Command is also assessing the situation.”
[These indecisive [email protected]#[email protected][email protected]#%$]
Bock hurled insults over the phone and slammed it down.
“What should we do, Commander-in-Chief!”
“I-I don’t know. The Führer must give the order…”
The Führer had undergone emergency surgery at the hospital and was fighting for his life, and at this very moment, the coup forces’ armored units were advancing on Berlin.
But before they could worry further, the phone rang again. Halder picked it up irritably.
“Chief of the General Staff Halder speaking. What? You’ll join the suppression of the rebels?”
Halder looked bewildered and handed the receiver to von Brauchitsch.
“Commander-in-Chief von Brauchitsch here.”
[Commander-in-Chief! This is Walther von Reichenau, commander of the 10th Army! Please grant permission to march on Berlin immediately and crush these rebels!]
Von Brauchitsch felt a headache coming on. Reichenau, a notorious Nazi within the Wehrmacht, had, as expected, immediately volunteered to engage the coup forces.
“Wait a moment. The Army High Command is still assessing the situation. We can’t make a decision blindly without knowing what’s going on.”
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Thanks to Hitler’s reckless push for war, resentment against the Nazis within the Wehrmacht was considerable. The precarious balance maintained by Hitler’s personal support and charisma had now reached a point where nothing could be guaranteed, with this incident occurring and Hitler’s life hanging in the balance.
If he rashly approved the suppression operation here and Hitler died without regaining consciousness, the entire Wehrmacht would be shaken. If the new government then won the civil war, he would be utterly finished. This hesitation plagued von Brauchitsch.
Just then, he heard the sound of the receiver being passed over, and a very familiar, calm voice, that of a cherished junior officer, reached him.
[Commander-in-Chief.]
“Model, please wait a moment. Berlin is currently in chaos due to the attack on the Führer…”
[Every second is precious right now. In a national crisis, there is no time to hesitate and consider which side is stronger.]
Even though he valued his junior, von Brauchitsch felt irritated by his rigid words.
“You’re saying that because you don’t know the situation here! If it’s true that the SS plotted to start a war, there’s no justification for the Wehrmacht to intervene in a war between the new government and the SS…”
[Commander-in-Chief!]
Von Brauchitsch flinched at Model’s shout and closed his mouth.
[We are the military. The military must serve whatever government holds power. Regardless of what kind of government it is, because the government is the pillar that supports the nation!]
“I know that much!”
[Commander-in-Chief, remember General von Seeckt’s legacy.]
Model was unyielding, and finally, von Brauchitsch clutched his head and replied,
“A-alright. I’ll issue the orders to Army Group South.”
Colonel General Gerd von Rundstedt, commander of Army Group South, reacted lukewarmly to the orders issued by the Berlin High Command.
However, Walther von Reichenau’s 10th Army had completed its preparations for departure even before the orders arrived and began its advance to defend Berlin as soon as the orders came through.
–
September 1, 1939
Central Germany, 4th Military District Dresden (Saxony), Buchenwald Concentration Camp near Weimar
09:00
“Los, Los, Los!”
With sirens wailing and gunshots ringing out from all directions since early morning, the Free Corps under my command was attacking Buchenwald concentration camp.
“Traitorous SS bastards! Surrender! Surrender or be shot!”
“Captain Schacht! Main gate secured!”
Running around and giving commands like this reminded me of the Spanish Civil War.
There’s no turning back if we lose, and the only difference is that this isn’t someone else’s civil war, but my own country’s.
“Send a messenger to 3rd Platoon! Main gate secured, block the back gate as well!”
“Yes, sir!”
The SS guards, who were not frontline troops and only knew how to bully prisoners, were being overwhelmed by the surprise attack since dawn.
I hoped things were going as smoothly at Dachau, where Lieutenant Colonel Tresckow was in charge.
“P-please spare me! I surrender!”
“Disarm those who surrender and gather them in one place! Secure the prisoner list and records first!”
This place was as important as Dachau, where social democrats and political prisoners who opposed the regime were held.
“Ugh, blech!”
Seeing my troops vomiting at the horrific sights around us, I walked quickly and gave instructions.
“Take pictures of all of this. One actual photograph is more effective than a hundred words about the Nazis’ atrocities.”
“Urgh, understood.”
I had deliberately brought a few volunteers from among the Frankfurter Zeitung reporters with me.
This Buchenwald was the most horrific of the Nazi concentration camps, second only to the extermination camps.
“Captain! 3rd Platoon reports the capture of Camp Commandant Karl-Otto Koch and his wife!”
“…Good.”
It was fortunate that he hadn’t escaped. He and his wife, Ilse Koch, were among the most vicious and insane murderers even within the Nazi regime.
“Check the prisoner list! Prepare to release everyone except violent criminals and transport them to Frankfurt! Reporters, take your pictures here and then go to the commandant’s house. There’ll be plenty to photograph there.”
The Nazis probably didn’t know it yet, but there would be excellent material here, as good as anything in the extermination camps, to expose their evil deeds.
That’s why I came here. It was a trump card to turn public opinion.
< German Civil War – Berlin Race (2) > End
ⓒ Carcassonne
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