Chapter 50: Three Days of Glory (3)
Translated by Vine | Proofread by Lust
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< German Civil War – Three Days of Glory (3) >
September 21, 1939
Central Germany, 9th Military District, Kassel, Frankfurt – German New Government Headquarters
The streets leading to the New Government headquarters were filled with cheering Free Corps soldiers and citizens.
I was beginning to understand why those in power so relentlessly pursued it, and why they clung to it so desperately even in their downfall.
As I rode towards the headquarters, I wondered about the joy and welcome on the faces of the people filling the streets. Was it genuine joy at the freedom they had won, or simply a result of my propaganda?
Did they truly understand what they were fighting for? Could Germany become a normal nation without experiencing the devastation of World War II, the catastrophe brought about by the Nazis?
I desperately hoped so, for the sake of all the sacrifices we had made, and those yet to come.
“Long live a free Germany!”
By the time I arrived, the New Government headquarters had already been completely retaken.
“Long live the constitutional monarchy!”
Seeing the Imperial German flag lowered and replaced with the Free Corps banner and the black, red, and gold flag of the German Republic filled me with an indescribable feeling.
However, there were too many pressing issues to dwell on sentiment, and I quickened my pace.
Every Free Corps soldier I passed saluted me with a smile, making me feel strangely self-conscious.
Damn it, I was starting to feel like some kind of hero.
The leaders of the Military Junta were gathered in the conference room.
August von Mackensen in his splendid Hussar uniform, Dr. Goerdeler, and the generals.
I entered the conference room and gave them a brief salute.
“Greetings, Lieutenant Colonel Schacht. I am August von Mackensen.”
“Major, Field Marshal. I haven’t accepted that promotion.”
Mackensen grinned at my words and asked a question.
“His Majesty the Emperor hasn’t arrived?”
“His Majesty has no desire to see traitors.”
Mackensen chuckled dryly at my response. What they considered loyalty had gone unanswered.
“Esteemed generals, and Doctor. I regret to inform you that everyone present is under arrest for treason. The formal trial will be postponed until after the reunification of Germany.”
As soon as I finished speaking, Free Corps soldiers entered the conference room. The generals offered no resistance, but Dr. Goerdeler spoke to me.
“Are you pleased to rebuild a weak Germany in this land?”
“Are you pleased to have jeopardized the newly formed government and the very House of Hohenzollern you sought to restore by pushing us to the brink of war?”
I added another remark to the scowling Dr. Goerdeler.
“Consider yourself fortunate that His Majesty is wise. Had he responded to your shortsighted actions, the last vestiges of the monarchy in this land would have vanished.”
“You insolent…!”
“Hahahaha!”
Mackensen, cutting off Dr. Goerdeler’s outburst with laughter, looked at me with a grin and spoke.
“He’s quite something, isn’t he? Say, Schacht, could you lend me your pistol?”
Mackensen’s tone was as casual as if he were asking for a cup of coffee.
“Do you wish for an honorable end after jeopardizing Germany?”
“If I remain alive and imprisoned, the Nazis or the Wehrmacht will use it to their advantage, twisting the situation to justify an attack on the New Government.”
Mackensen smiled faintly.
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“This old man, indebted to the Imperial Family, remained silent after accepting land from Hitler. As a once-proud Field Marshal of the German Army, I failed to prevent this rebellion and even endangered Germany in my greedy pursuit of the honor of restoring the monarchy.”
Goerdeler looked at Mackensen with a near-desperate expression, but he continued speaking, as if he had relinquished everything.
“This was all caused by the folly of this old man, and I cannot burden the young with this responsibility. I should have ended this before you arrived, but I was selfish, wanting to see your face one last time. I apologize.”
I handed him my pistol. Mackensen took off his Hussar cap and placed it down, then smiled.
“Don’t become like this pathetic old man. I once walked with my shoulders held high, but in death, I will be forever ashamed.”
A gunshot rang out.
“Aaaaagh!”
While everyone’s attention was focused on Mackensen, Dr. Goerdeler screamed, ran to the window, and jumped.
A moment later, a dull thud echoed.
The Junker’s Military Junta, which had briefly seized control of Frankfurt, collapsed in just three days.
–
“Hey, Schacht.”
After going down to the basement to check on those who had been imprisoned by the Military Junta, I let out both a sigh of relief and a chuckle.
Colonel Tresckow, his arm in a cast, presumably broken during his capture, was smoking with his other hand and waved at me.
“You’re unbelievable.”
I said, then embraced and kissed Claudia, who had rushed to my side.
“You two are even more unbelievable.”
Tresckow’s dry remark reached my ears, but I ignored him.
While the Junkers adhered to a rigid code of chivalry, Claudia wasn’t exactly a meek damsel, and I had worried she might have been injured resisting them. Fortunately, she appeared unharmed.
Of course, my fiancée wasn’t foolish either.
During the brief period when the broadcasting station was occupied, she had sent a telegram to the Frankfurter Zeitung headquarters, instructing them to prepare for newspaper printing, providing crucial assistance.
I later learned that General Canaris had hesitated to execute the operation after my call was cut off.
It seemed his monarchist leanings had influenced him, but Claudia’s foresight in requesting the printing preparations ensured that the newspapers were distributed before the Military Junta could react, prompting General Canaris to finally execute the operation.
While part of me felt a little resentful, considering our close cooperation with the Abwehr, I should be grateful that he, a man of the old ways and a staunch anti-communist, had tolerated the social democrats and sided with me over the monarchists.
Still, how many times had Claudia saved us from crisis? She was practically my goddess of victory.
“I apologize for the long wait, broadcaster.”
“I think you deserve some punishment, spokesperson.”
“Ah, can’t I hope for some mercy?”
She was excessively lovely with her playful smile, but we had an audience. What a shame.
I put Claudia down and turned to see my father, Hjalmar Schacht, staring at me impassively from behind his glasses.
He startled me.
As always, he was needlessly imposing. I bowed respectfully.
“Congratulations, former Finance Minister Schacht.”
He raised an eyebrow as if asking what I was talking about. I wondered which news would surprise him more: his dismissal as Finance Minister or my supposed death. But…
“By order of His Majesty the Emperor, you are now the Minister of State and head of the emergency wartime cabinet.”
My father adjusted his tie, which had remained perfectly in place despite his imprisonment, and the corners of his mouth twitched upwards ever so slightly.
That was a little creepy.
“I never thought I’d see the day I’d benefit from you.”
Hey, anyone would think I was a useless son.
Why are you laughing, my fiancée? Everyone’s being mean to me.
–
September 25, 1939
Southern British Isles, London, Capital of the United Kingdom
Although the Military Junta’s coup ended in just three days, its consequences were far-reaching.
As expected of a genius of the century, my father, Hjalmar Schacht, as Minister of the Chancellery, swiftly assembled the wartime cabinet, took control of the New Government, and restored order.
The person who succeeded my father as Finance Minister was Konrad Adenauer. Given his proven administrative abilities as the Mayor of Cologne, and later as the Chancellor of West Germany, he was a suitable choice to manage the New Government’s finances.
Ludwig Beck, the former Imperial Regent, had added some unfortunate chapters to his history by succumbing to the Military Junta, announcing Wilhelm III’s ascension, and appealing for public support on the radio. However, he was appointed Minister of Defence in the wartime cabinet.
He had held the same position in the original New Government, and since he wasn’t one of the coup leaders, we couldn’t simply dismiss the former head of the New Government and spiritual leader of the army.
In fact, his minor fall from grace allowed him to gracefully concede the leadership of the New Government to my father.
Thanks to Wilhelm III’s ascension and Beck’s appointment as Defence Minister, frontline generals such as von Witzleben, von Hammerstein-Equord, Lutz, and von Leeb immediately pledged their loyalty to us and prepared for the Nazi offensive.
It was truly fortunate that the frontline generals hadn’t participated in the Military Junta’s coup. I was especially grateful to General von Witzleben for actively opposing the plot to assassinate me.
If they had joined the coup, the New Government’s military would have been paralyzed.
Fortunately, the frontline generals maintained their defensive lines without redeploying troops, even during the Military Junta’s coup. This prevented the Nazis from launching a proper offensive before the coup collapsed, despite their ambitious declarations of revenge.
With the Military Junta collapsing in three days and the New Government further consolidated, Hitler and the Nazis must have been furious.
The problem wasn’t the internal affairs of the New Government, but the diplomatic situation.
Mussolini of Italy was actively courting Britain and France, proposing a revival of the Stresa Front, the anti-German alliance between Britain, France, and Italy, to carve up Germany.
Britain and France responded coldly to Italy’s advances, but maintained their stance against the restoration of the House of Hohenzollern.
“Is Poland still quiet?”
“They have issued statements condemning the Nazis’ warmongering, but they haven’t released any statements regarding the New Government. However, they continue to deploy troops along the border.”
I pondered over Foreign Minister Weizsäcker’s words.
Poland. In the original history, they were the most tragic victims of World War II, but that was simply because they were caught between two great powers. They were by no means innocent lambs.
Poland had a history of invading and annexing territory from its neighbors while Germany was weakened after the Great War, and they were currently a belligerent military dictatorship.
Originally, Germany would have launched a surprise attack on Poland using the Gleiwitz incident as a pretext before Poland could complete its preparations, and with the Soviet Union’s involvement, Poland would have quickly collapsed. But…
Because I had prevented that, they were now deploying troops along the German border.
The navy refused to transport Kühler’s Third Army in East Prussia, and Günther von Kluge’s Fourth Army was stationed along the Polish border with Army Group North commander Fedor von Bock, providing a minimal defensive force.
But would that be enough? Given Poland’s overconfidence in its ability to defend against Germany, an invasion could happen at any moment.
Their devout Catholicism and the Pope’s support might have given them pause, but they were too belligerent to be optimistic about that alone.
It was likely that they were remaining quiet because of the Soviet Union. How would Stalin react, without the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact and with strained relations with Britain and France?
“Well then, shall we go? It feels strange to be going with you like this, Minister.”
“Hahaha, it reminds me of when we first met, when you were a captain, Vice Minister.”
Vice Minister of the Chancellery was effectively the same as Vice Chancellor, despite Wilhelm III’s strange insistence on the title.
It was a meteoric rise, but no one in the New Government leadership questioned it.
Opinions were divided between those who acknowledged my contributions and those who respected the Emperor’s appointment.
During the Munich Agreement, I was a mere captain, transferred by Halder. Now, I was in Britain as Vice Minister of the Chancellery, conducting diplomatic negotiations with Foreign Minister Weizsäcker.
The change in my position was so rapid that I could hardly believe it, but I set off for the conference room where the British and French representatives awaited.
Now, let’s go meet Mr. “Peace in our time.”
< German Civil War – Three Days of Glory (3) > End
ⓒ Carcassonne
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