Chapter 60: The Eve of Decisive Battle (4)
Translated by Vine | Proofread by Lust
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< German Civil War – The Eve of Decisive Battle (4) >
November 14, 1939
Central Germany, 9th Military District, Kassel, Frankfurt – Dietrich Schacht’s Residence
I was back home after a long day at work, but instead of relaxing, I was in the middle of an argument.
“Claudia, are you serious?”
“Yes, I am. Dietrich, are you serious?”
Damn it. A lover’s quarrel before we even got married!
I rubbed my face, feeling exhausted.
“What’s so wrong with hiring a cook and some household staff?”
Initially, in a newlywed-like spirit, I had prepared breakfast and cleaned the house myself. But being the State Secretary of the Ministry of State was exhausting.
Frankly, I was from a wealthy family, and I was now a high-ranking official in the New Government. Did I really have to do these trivial chores myself?
“Just recently, we used your ‘frugal lifestyle as a New Government official, unlike the Nazis,’ for propaganda! Do you want people to say you pretend to be frugal in public but live luxuriously in private?”
“That wasn’t even my idea…”
Ignoring my protests, Claudia crossed her arms and shook her head.
“No means no. As a social democrat who advocates for reforming capitalist corruption and improving social welfare, I cannot condone my fiancé emulating the pampered lifestyle of a British aristocrat.”
“Ugh…”
I honestly envied Winston Churchill’s lavish lifestyle and delicious meals. Damn it, the flesh is weak!
“Ahem, this house isn’t exactly cheap, is it? We already live in a decent house. Why do we have to live frugally?”
“Don’t try to guilt-trip me…”
Claudia averted her gaze as she spoke. The house she had lived in in Berlin wasn’t exactly habitable.
Once you experienced comfort, discomfort became even more apparent. It wasn’t just me whose flesh was weak!
“We’re not talking about extravagant luxury. It’s simply inefficient to waste time and energy on household chores when we’re both so busy.”
“That’s…”
Claudia seemed momentarily swayed by my argument but then shook her head again.
“No, it’s still not right! Hiring an expensive chef just because you’re tired is the definition of luxury.”
“I wouldn’t spend money on that if I could enjoy delicious meals cooked by my fiancée.”
While she was a respectable and lovable fiancée, I didn’t want to be poisoned by her cooking.
I was honestly tired of the simple dishes I could cook! While she had an incredibly tolerant palate and ate whatever was put in front of her, I, with my memories of modern culinary delights, was struggling.
“Ugh, fine, I’ll help with the cleaning.”
“I beg you, miss, please don’t. You’re more helpful by simply staying still.”
Her eloquence as a journalist, her talent for writing speeches and articles, paled in comparison to her talent for creating a mess.
“…”
Claudia pouted silently, but even with my love for her, I had no intention of entrusting her with household chores.
At least she could make a decent cup of coffee.
“Cheapskate.”
“Isn’t that usually said to someone who’s unwilling to spend money?”
Claudia sighed deeply at my playful remark and then spoke.
“Fine. It’s not my place to say anything. But hire them when we move back to Berlin, not now.”
“Berlin…”
It had been just over two months since we moved into this house in Frankfurt. I had already grown accustomed to living here with her.
After the civil war ended, we would return to Berlin. However, I wasn’t sure if the Berlin I remembered would still exist.
“Are you worried?”
“I’m afraid of how much of the Berlin we remember will be left.”
Even with public opinion on our side, I didn’t expect to enter Berlin unopposed. Even at the end of World War II, when Germany was facing inevitable defeat, there were still many loyal Nazis.
In the original timeline, Hitler and the Nazis had fought to the bitter end, and Hitler hadn’t hesitated to order the destruction of Germany’s essential infrastructure when defeat became certain.
While I could console myself with the thought that it would have been destroyed by the Soviet army anyway if World War II had occurred, I had still initiated a civil war, resulting in German bloodshed, to prevent Hitler and the Nazis from taking power.
Claudia looked at me and asked, “Do you regret what you’ve done?”
“No.”
While I felt guilty for those who would become casualties of my actions, I had no regrets.
If I had fled Germany to save myself or collaborated with the Nazis in their madness under the guise of saving Germany from ruin, I would be consumed by guilt and regret.
Claudia reached out and took my hand, intertwining her fingers with mine. The warmth of her soft hand brought me a measure of comfort.
“While Ribbentrop was a Nazi stooge, he hadn’t personally wronged me.”
“Ah…”
While there had been no one else who could do it, I hadn’t wanted her to have blood on her hands. I would always feel guilty about that.
“Don’t apologize. I did it because I believed it was necessary. Not because you told me to, but because I believed that killing him was the only way to defeat them.”
“Are you a mind reader?”
Claudia smiled faintly but then her expression turned slightly bitter.
“I don’t regret what I did, but his son hates me, calling me a whore of the rebellion who murdered his innocent father.”
Joachim von Ribbentrop’s son, Rudolf von Ribbentrop, was only a teenager.
However, he was being portrayed as a tragic patriot who had lost his father to treacherous rebel assassins and joined the Wehrmacht to avenge him, becoming a propaganda tool against us.
Even without him, there were undoubtedly those who had died in the fighting during our coup, and their comrades and families would hate us.
“That’s the way of the world. We may believe we’re doing the right thing, but not everyone will agree, and our actions aren’t always perfect.”
“That’s true.”
The moment I believed I was always right and my actions were perfect, I would be no different from Hitler.
“We have to do our best and not turn away from the consequences. Still, Claudia…”
Tomorrow was the ceremony. The culmination of everything I had been working towards since arriving in Germany from Spain.
“Yes?”
I looked into her deep blue eyes and smiled.
“Thank you for helping me get this far.”
Even though my actions were meant to prevent the worst possible future, I wasn’t entirely blameless.
However, knowing that someone understood me on this path had been a great comfort.
She smiled and moved closer, whispering, “We’re accomplices.”
Our kiss was both sweet and bitter.
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November 14, 1939
Northern Germany, near Potsdam, southwest of Berlin – Luftwaffe Airfield
“Attention!”
At Major General Wolfram von Richthofen’s command, all Luftwaffe personnel snapped to attention.
“Salute the Reichsmarschall!”
“Heil Hitler!”
Hermann Göring, Commander-in-Chief of the Luftwaffe and Reichsmarschall, beamed as he received the salutes from the Luftwaffe personnel.
“Ah, my dear Luftwaffe personnel. I thank you for your hard work.”
While the Luftwaffe personnel looking up at him didn’t look particularly enthusiastic, Göring didn’t seem to notice.
“The decisive battle against the traitors who have dared to rebel against the rightful leader of the German nation and state is imminent!”
Richthofen sighed quietly. Did his mentor, whom he had always respected, truly understand the current sentiment within the Luftwaffe, or even the entire Wehrmacht?
“As the glorious Reichsmarschall of the Empire, I have no doubt that you, the loyal Luftwaffe personnel dedicated to our Führer and the German state, will be at the forefront, decisively crushing our enemies!”
Richthofen glanced back and met Adolf Galland’s gaze. He gave him a stiff smile and then returned his attention to Göring.
“Not only you, but also the patriotic members of the Waffen-SS, loyal to our Führer and our nation, will crush our enemies! Victory is within our grasp! On the day we triumph and drive out these traitors, you will all be proudly recorded in German history as heroes!”
With the Luftwaffe personnel showing little reaction to his seemingly rousing speech, Göring thumped his chest and boasted.
“Why the long faces? Do you think we will lose? Don’t worry, gentlemen! If even one of those treacherous rebels sets foot in Berlin, you can call me Meier (a very common German surname)!”
The Luftwaffe personnel finally responded with a mix of cheers and jeers. Göring stepped down from the podium and patted his favorite subordinate, Richthofen, on the shoulder.
“The Führer has high expectations for the Luftwaffe. I trust you.”
Richthofen, after a moment of hesitation, instead of reporting on the widespread disobedience regarding the upcoming offensive, forced a smile.
“Thank you, Reichsmarschall.”
After Göring’s departure, Adolf Galland lit a cigar and remarked dryly,
“I suppose we’ll be seeing Reichsmarschall Hermann Meier next time.”
–
November 14, 1939
Northern Germany, Potsdam, southwest of Berlin – Army Group South Headquarters
“Commander, I cannot accept the role of Chief of Staff of Army Group South.”
While they had spoken over the phone a few times, Brauchitsch, seeing how haggard Walther Model had become, rubbed his forehead in frustration.
“Model, you’ve always wanted a position like this, haven’t you?”
Model remained silent.
“Model, do you know how much effort I put in to prevent your arrest? Do you have any idea how difficult it was to convince the Führer, who questioned your loyalty, to appoint you as Chief of Staff?”
“I am grateful for your efforts, Commander. But they are not mere rebels. They are the German people.”
Initially, when they had stopped the enemy’s armored advance on Berlin, many in the Wehrmacht believed they were fighting for their country, upholding their oath of loyalty.
However, after a prolonged standoff and constant exposure to the New Government’s propaganda broadcasts through clandestine listening or loudspeakers set up by the enemy, their conviction had wavered.
“I understand your doubts, Model. But we are soldiers who have sworn loyalty to the Führer and the regime. Help me. This is my last chance, and I have so few people I can trust.”
Walther Model closed his eyes tightly. While he believed the military should remain apolitical, he had always sided with his mentor and senior, Brauchitsch.
He hadn’t interfered when Brauchitsch started openly fawning over the Nazi regime, and he had been the one to remind the hesitant Brauchitsch of his oath of loyalty and urge him to suppress the rebellion when it broke out.
“Why don’t you surrender, sir?”
Brauchitsch scowled at Model’s almost desperate suggestion.
“I’ve already refused their offer to join the coup, and I’ve given the order to suppress it! If I surrender now, my military career is over!”
The question of whether he would turn his guns on his own people to save his career remained unspoken, caught in Model’s throat.
“I didn’t want to say this, but it was you who urged me, when I was hesitant between the Führer and the New Government, to issue the order to suppress them!”
Could he use the excuse that he hadn’t known back then that they weren’t just mere rebels, but a government that truly held the support of the German people, that the Nazi regime had committed such atrocities against its own citizens?
Walther Model was filled with despair. What had he been loyal to? What had he been fighting for?
“Their offensive plans have been compromised! I know you, Model! You can devise a plan to counter their offensive! You know how much I value you. Please, Model, help me, just this once.”
Walther Model gritted his teeth. As a soldier, he had remained apolitical, obeying the regime and upholding his oath of loyalty.
His soldierly conviction, his belief in duty and obedience, couldn’t possibly be wrong. But how had it come to this?
The relentless ticking of the clock continued, oblivious to their internal struggles, finally striking twelve.
November 15, 1939, the day of the New Government’s grand ceremony, had arrived.
< German Civil War – The Eve of Decisive Battle (4) > End
ⓒ Carcassonne
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