Chapter 8: The Spanish Civil War – Encounters and Farewells
Translated by Vine | Proofread by Lust
For the latest updates, visit: ProNovels.com
Join our Discord for release updates: https://discord.gg/Eh2ayfR4FB
Two months had passed since the bombing of Guernica. While participating in the Basque offensive, two unexpected events occurred in quick succession.
The first was the explosion of the Hindenburg, Germany’s prized giant airship, in America.
He vaguely recalled the incident. He just hadn’t remembered the exact date, and it wasn’t a particularly impactful event for Yoon Seong-il, the Korean, so he hadn’t thought about it.
The Hindenburg was the culmination of Germany’s love affair with airships, dating back to World War I. It was a symbol of Germany, actively used by the Nazi regime for publicity during the 1936 Berlin Olympics.
Germany was apparently in an uproar, blaming Jewish conspiracies and whatnot. The members of the Condor Legion also seemed quite shocked by the accident, the burning of Germany’s proud luxury airship and the resulting loss of life.
Once World War II began, such an accident would become insignificant compared to the string of disasters that would follow, but no one knew that yet.
He missed the chance to prevent a disaster he might have been able to avert had he remembered it.
The second event was the death of General Emilio Mola, the commander-in-chief of the northern campaign and the architect of the Basque offensive.
Apparently, his transport plane, overloaded with his extravagant military attire, crashed while crossing a mountain range.
This solidified Franco’s power base, although conspiracy theories arose, they quickly dissipated due to the sheer absurdity of the cause of the crash.
Both events, though completely unexpected, were significant. They served as a wake-up call for him, who had been preoccupied with using his future knowledge after his encounter with Willy Brandt.
While he knew a considerable amount about this era and Germany, that didn’t encompass everything.
Human memory had its limits, especially when he couldn’t conveniently search for information in real-time as he could in the modern era.
He had to be cautious. He was attempting to dismantle one of the most evil and tenacious groups in world history.
—
June 25, 1937
Port of Cádiz, Andalusia, Southern Spain
Despite Mola’s death, the northern offensive continued unabated, culminating in the Nationalist capture of Bilbao, the capital of the Basque region.
The Basque resistance abandoned the city and retreated to Cantabria, just to the west, suffering heavy losses and civilian casualties due to the Condor Legion’s relentless bombing.
The “success” of the Guernica bombing, the destruction of a city, at least satisfied Hitler. With the Condor Legion’s presence and effectiveness now public knowledge, the Nazis began sending additional support without hesitation.
Lieutenant Colonel Richthofen had progressed to a level where he could haltingly converse with Spanish officers, and with the arrival of additional interpreters in this reinforcement wave, his services were no longer required.
The Condor Legion’s ground forces, which had suffered heavy losses in battle, were also receiving reinforcements. He was finally returning to his unit.
This would be his last mission with Richthofen, a decent superior, aside from his penchant for incendiary bombings.
“Lieutenant, this is really the last time, are you sure you don’t want to transfer? I’m not usually one to offer this so readily.”
“I know, Colonel. But I appreciate the offer.”
They were there to greet the reinforcements arriving from Germany. They had to fly to southern Spain on a transport plane as soon as Bilbao fell, but he didn’t care.
This reinforcement wave included the Bf 109 fighter aircraft!
He couldn’t help but grin at the news of the arrival of the Bf 109, the iconic German fighter of World War II, featured in countless films and games. Richthofen gave him a strange look, but for someone who knew about World War II, the appearance of a familiar weapon was deeply moving.
From now until at least the Battle of Britain, air superiority belonged to Germany. The thought of the time they would suffer, losing air superiority to those damned early Soviet fighters, made him shudder.
Seeing him grinning to himself, Richthofen chuckled in amusement, “Are you that happy, Lieutenant? Well, the 88 (Acht-Acht – 8.8cm anti-aircraft gun), which you played a large part in bringing here, is also arriving.”
“Yes, Colonel. With the Bf 109 and the improved 88, we can finally breathe a sigh of relief.”
His greatest achievement during his time with Richthofen was the early improvement of the 8.8 cm FlaK, the versatile anti-aircraft gun used by the German army in World War II.
He had requested the addition of a gun shield, improved turret rotation, and a better carriage to address the original design’s poor mobility and unsuitability for anti-tank warfare. These improvements were originally scheduled for the following year.
Thanks to Göring’s ambitions, the anti-aircraft gun was partially under the Luftwaffe’s jurisdiction. Lieutenant Colonel Richthofen had emphasized the relative ineffectiveness of anti-aircraft guns for airbase defense and highlighted the excellent performance of the 88 in ground combat, which helped his request get approved.
He had to work tirelessly, writing reports like academic papers, to achieve this seemingly small but significant change. He seemed to have earned some points with the army command thanks to it. He had to thank Lieutenant Colonel Richthofen.
“Here they come.”
He straightened up as he saw a group of men disembarking from the transport ship arriving from Germany.
He was filled with a mixture of surprise and excitement. It was surreal to see these figures, whom he had only seen in black and white photographs from a distant future, now standing before him in the flesh.
One of them, Adolf Galland, immediately caught his eye with his mustache, reminiscent of Hitler, though he had a gentler appearance.
He was a bit younger than him, a Lieutenant, one rank below, but he would become a Luftwaffe ace and a key figure during World War II. He was also a principled man who firmly refused to participate in war crimes, a rare quality in the Wehrmacht.
Enjoying the translation? Stay updated with the latest chapters at ProNovels.com.
And the man walking at the forefront was…
“Heil Hitler!”
He raised his arm in the Nazi salute along with Richthofen, this time shouting loudly.
Not out of loyalty to Hitler, but as a tribute to a hero who would struggle desperately in the worst possible circumstances to defend his crumbling nation.
“Heil Hitler.”
The man in his 40s with a monocle returned the salute with a casual nod and grinned, “Colonel Walther Model, dispatched from the Berlin General Staff. It’s a pleasure.”
—
It took a considerable amount of time to unload the equipment sent from Germany.
Additional Panzer I tanks, Bf 109 fighter aircraft, He 111, Do 17, and Hs 123 bombers, and even a prototype of the Flak 36, an improved version of the 88 anti-aircraft gun with a gun shield, developed based on his and the Condor Legion’s request.
He knew that the Stuka (Ju 87 dive bomber), famous for its Jericho trumpet during dives, would also be tested in the Spanish Civil War, but it wasn’t here yet. It was an iconic symbol of the German air force in World War II, along with the Bf 109.
Meanwhile, he was sweating profusely while spending time with one of the men he most admired and respected among the German generals of World War II.
“It’s hot. As hot as Afrika. Perhaps it should be called Spanika?”
…What?
The officers, including himself, stared blankly at each other for a moment after Colonel Model’s remark before bursting into laughter. He didn’t understand the joke, but he laughed along.
“Ha, haha, hahaha!”
“I’m glad you all enjoyed it. I put a lot of thought into that one during the voyage.”
He inwardly screamed as he watched the Colonel grin.
So this was the renowned general, the “Lion of Defence,” the “Führer’s Fireman,” the “Miracle Worker,” the “Protector of the Eastern Front,” the last hope of Germany in World War II!
“Laughter is precious on the battlefield. You should all work on your sense of humor.”
He hadn’t realized that the single line in the historical records, “Walther Model enjoyed exchanging jokes with his troops,” meant this until he met the man himself.
In any case, Colonel Walther Model had apparently come as Chief of Staff to General Thoma, commensurate with the size of the reinforced army.
He hadn’t known that Model participated in the Spanish Civil War, and he was surprised to see his name on the reinforcement list.
While he was participating in the Basque offensive as an army advisor, the composition of his company had changed. Although the company was on standby, Clemens had become the company adjutant in his absence and was managing the company as acting commander.
Two new officers had also been assigned to his company: Second Lieutenant Egon Roth, who would take over as the 1st Platoon Leader in place of Clemens, and Second Lieutenant Karl-Heinz Beckermann, who would lead the 3rd Platoon.
Second Lieutenant Julius Habenstein, who had been suffering from depression after the loss of his adjutant, seemed to have been completely broken by the horrors of the Battle of Guadalajara and had applied for discharge while he was away.
He was being ridiculed as a weakling in the Condor Legion. It was a strange feeling, considering he could have chosen the same path.
“Well, it seems the unloading is almost finished. Let’s go. We are the Kondor Legion, let us offer our condolences (Kondolenz) to the enemy!”
“Ha, haha, haha…”
My respected Field Marshal Model… I mean, Colonel… Even for you, this is a bit much…
—
Lieutenant Colonel Richthofen, leading the newly reinforced JG/88 fighter wing under Second Lieutenant Adolf Galland, took off with the newly arrived Bf 109s and other aircraft.
It was a bittersweet but fitting farewell.
He traveled by road with the maintenance crews and other support personnel, along with the army reinforcements.
He had been assigned to the Luftwaffe as soon as he was appointed company commander, so he hadn’t actually performed his duties yet.
Still, as the company commander, he felt a sense of responsibility to build a good relationship with the newly assigned Second Lieutenants Roth and Beckermann.
However, he soon realized that such concerns were unnecessary. Surprisingly so.
He had to endure Colonel Model’s incessant jokes during the entire journey, which naturally led to camaraderie and helped them bond quickly.
He wondered if this was the reason why the 9th Army under Walther Model was known for its strong camaraderie and close bonds…
Surely not…
…Give me back the image of the brilliant general I admired…
—
Upon arriving in Salamanca, a major Nationalist stronghold, he parted ways with Colonel Model and the others and reported to Major Beckers with the two Lieutenants to announce his return and introduce the new officers.
Finally, he could return to his long-awaited company. It had been almost three months.
For the latest updates, visit ProNovels.com. Join our Discord for release updates: https://discord.gg/Eh2ayfR4FB.
