Chapter 105

May 26, 1940

Northern Germany, Berlin To be honest, Brauchitsch snitching was a huge surprise. If I hadn't already known about the 3rd Army's suspicious movements, I would have found it hard to believe.

I don't know if he truly had a change of heart after some quiet time in prison, or if he simply snitched because he thought the coup had a high risk of failure.

But while the Black Orchestra that resisted the Nazi regime in the original history died without regret until the very end, the fact that a man who was loyal to the Nazi regime and fought against us had turned was somewhat of a consolation.

It must mean that, at the very least, we aren't heading down the wrong path. I feel like expressing my gratitude to General Model and Brauchitsch, but the situation is urgent.

After finishing my pleasant time with General Model—no, my prison visit—an emergency meeting was called for the very next day.

“Well, we failed to see what was right under our noses.”

Abwehr Director Admiral Wilhelm Canaris touched his forehead with his hand.

It was all well and good that we closed the Nazi concentration camps and opened new prisons, but given the nature of those camps, we couldn't use the guards who originally worked there.

Most of them were people who had brutally treated and massacred prisoners, or were fanatical Nazi Party members.

The problem was that we essentially had to hire an all-new staff for the prisons, and since we needed so many people, we couldn't possibly use only vetted individuals.

Well, to be honest, I can't overlook the fact that we were careless, filled with the hope of starting a new Germany right after ending a civil war.

“To think there are several SD (Nazi intelligence service) agents among the staff of the prisons holding the Nazi regime's collaborators…”

Deputy Director Oster wiped the sweat running down his broad forehead with a handkerchief.

For the SD, which had lost its home country, to be carrying out an operation like this, Italy must be investing a considerable budget into it.

That Mussolini, he was the same during the Spanish Civil War. For a guy who can't even manage his own house, why does he keep giving so much to other countries?

“The plan was for the 3rd Army to advance on Berlin, release those imprisoned, and have them form an interim high command to rally support.”

I was wondering what the 3rd Army was banking on to stage a coup. It's flimsy, but I'll admit it's novel.

A plan to liberate the generals and high-ranking SS who were the military high command of the Nazi regime, make them commanders, and after a surprise suppression of the Fourth Reich's high command, incite all Wehrmacht and SS members.

Honestly, even if by some miracle they succeeded in occupying Berlin, I doubt many would respond to such a flimsy plan, but speaking coolly, the Black Orchestra's coup wasn't all that different, so I have no room to talk.

“Then we must assume they've also tried to contact former high-ranking officials like Wilhelm Keitel, Paul Hausser, and Sepp Dietrich.”

“That's likely.”

In fact, we should assume they've tried to contact almost all the pro-Nazi figures in prison, and there's no telling who responded. Perhaps there are participants in the current National Defense Force besides the 3rd Army.

“What about Brauchitsch? With SD agents in the prison, your meeting with him must have been reported.”

“General Model has been visiting Brauchitsch regularly and has a close acquaintance with me, so he'll say that General Model brought me along unexpectedly.

But it will still arouse suspicion, so we must act quickly.”

Of course, from Himmler and the SD's perspective, it would be difficult to immediately suspect that Brauchitsch, who was captured after remaining loyal to the Führer to the end, would snitch.

It's a fact that Brauchitsch is Model's mentor, and that he has looked out for me before.

“So, what's the plan?”

My father, Hjalmar Schacht, who had been listening silently, asked, his eyes gleaming coldly from behind his glasses.

It's honestly chilling whenever he does that.

Everyone's gaze turned to the Minister of Defense, Ludwig Beck, who was standing there with a half-resigned look on his face.

From his perspective, after the unpleasant incident during the military government's coup, he likely ostracized those with strong Nazi influence along with the military high command to show his loyalty to the government, so I can imagine how he feels now that this mess is about to erupt instead.

“W-We must first suppress it, but…”

Beck couldn't hide his fluster.

He understood the situation, but the problem was not as simple as he thought.

The 3rd Army might be treated as a second-line force now, but it was a field army considered elite under the Nazi regime.

If we act rashly without knowing how many of them have been won over, a civil war could break out. That's why we haven't touched the SD in the prisons yet.

“Can the Army be trusted?”

At my father's question, Beck fell silent. He could quickly think of figures in the Army who could be trusted, but it's a different story when the question is whether the entire Army can be trusted.

The justifications the 3rd Army used to persuade others to join the coup are mostly nonsense, but the appeasement policy toward Poland and the land distribution to Jews had already drawn dissatisfaction from the military, where nationalism is strong.

The Chief of the General Staff, Manstein himself, was someone who expressed dissatisfaction with the appeasement policy toward Poland, and there were far too many military figures who opposed distributing land from which Poles had been expelled to Jews.

“Ahem, frankly, quite a few are dissatisfied with the Vice-Chancellor's post-war settlement with Poland…”

What, is the Minister of Defense really going to pass the buck here? From my perspective, this was extremely unfair.

This so-called appeasement policy toward Poland is ultimately them buying our weapons with their money and shedding blood for us.

It's just generous for a defeated nation; how is that appeasement?

If the problem was that we handled the expulsion of Poles moderately, what, should I have condoned a bloodbath?

Besides, since it's realistically impossible to return all the property the Nazi regime plundered from the Jews, I had no idea that providing them with a place to live as a minimal form of compensation would be cause for such dissatisfaction.

If they'd at least consider the Jews as German citizens who suffered unjust damages, they couldn't be dissatisfied with such measures.

They only think 'give it to me instead of those bastards' because they see them as subhuman creatures.

No matter how rigid-minded the Junkers are, this isn't some feudal nation.

The idea that the nation should distribute the land it acquired to them—what era does that kind of thinking even come from…

“Would the military have been satisfied only if we let all the Jews starve to death on the streets, gobbled up Poland whole, became diplomatically isolated, and ended up encircled on three sides by the Soviet Union, France, and Italy?”

I said, suppressing the urge to scream 'You damn fools who don't even know grand strategy!', and Beck immediately backed down.

“Ahem.

That's not it, Vice-Chancellor. The situation is frustrating, so I misspoke.”

My father openly clicked his tongue.

“Tsk, did we gather here to have an argument? A civil war is about to break out just as things were starting to stabilize.

Shouldn't we be coming up with countermeasures?”

“My apologies, Chancellor.”

“I'm sorry.”

I couldn't shake the feeling of being unfairly attacked out of nowhere, but as expected, Father was merciless…

If the 3rd Army starts a civil war now, even if they fail quickly, the problem will be serious.

The delivery route for military equipment to Poland would be cut off immediately, and since Poland's only port, the Free City of Gdynia, is also in the 3rd Army's territory, even a slightly prolonged civil war would be a death sentence for Poland.

And if Poland falls, we would face the worst-case scenario: sharing a border with a Soviet Union that holds a grudge against Germany, all while having to prepare for a France that could cause trouble at any moment.

Furthermore, now that the 3rd Army has joined hands with the Nazis, the fact that there are many Jews in the region where they plan to rise up is extremely concerning.

If their coup doesn't go as planned and things go south, who knows what kind of crazy acts those Nazi bastards will commit against the Jews who have just settled in their new homes.

“First, the Army is a no-go.

There's a risk of leaks, and if we pull troops from the Siegfried Line or the Italian front, the SD will notice immediately.”

The Army itself is the most nationalistic branch of the military and a den of Junkers.

It's not just Nazi puppets, but also dissatisfied Junkers who have joined in, so the Army is too risky.

Even if they didn't notice, pulling units from the Siegfried Line, which is already inferior to the French Army, or the Italian front where the Hawk Legion has withdrawn and an offensive is being prepared, would be exactly what France and Italy are hoping for.

“But how will we stop them then? Do you intend to mobilize the Berlin Replacement Army Command?”

Just as Ludwig Beck said, the Berlin Replacement Army Command does exist. Reminds me of Operation Valkyrie from the original history.

But mobilizing the Berlin Replacement Army would be noticed by the SD immediately, so that's out, too.

“The Berlin Replacement Army would be discovered the moment it's mobilized, so we'll just prepare it as a last resort for the worst-case scenario.

There is a unit we can use in this situation, but it will require some coordination with the Abwehr.”

“Hmm, if we gather all the Abwehr agents in Berlin and the 3rd Army's area, we'll have some manpower, but they aren't combat troops, are they?”

Canaris's question was reasonable, and I answered him right away.

“Of course, I don't expect the Abwehr to do the fighting. On the contrary, we must avoid combat if possible and suppress the 3rd Army's high command.

There's a unit perfect for that purpose…”

Honestly, I'm not sure if I, who only partially completed the General Staff course, should be drafting such a plan, but this isn't a situation where I can be picky.

Ludwig Beck, a former Chief of the General Staff himself, looked a bit hesitant after hearing my plan, but thankfully, he approved.

With the Army unusable, the means to suppress the 3rd Army's high command while avoiding civil war were just too limited.

Excluding the Army General Staff when we don't know who might be involved feels a bit sketchy, but since my father also approved, it should work out somehow.

---

May 31, 1940

Northeastern Germany, Posen – Posen City Garrison Battalion Headquarters A competent soldier who distinguished himself starting in the Condor Legion, becoming a Captain at a young age, and who fought bravely during the invasion of Poland, receiving the Iron Cross 1st Class.

Furthermore, a man with solid connections, being friends with the Vice-Chancellor, Dietrich Schacht, a politician who was arguably the most famous in the Fourth Reich.

That was the evaluation of Captain Clemens Fleck.

Of course, for him—a friendly and sociable man who was an eternal AMer dreaming of being a safe and idle wage thief—it was a completely unwelcome evaluation, and—

“Sob, I'm jinxed.

I'm definitely jinxed…”

It was also not an evaluation that suited this pathetic man who was lamenting his own situation.

At a drinking party with Roger Michael and Dietrich Schacht after the end of the war with Poland, Clemens had vented his resentment about his situation, crossing the line of death at the very front line despite his friend being the government's second-in-command.

After begging and pleading with his friend, even while getting a pathetic look from his other friend Roger Michael, Dietrich finally replied with a very reluctant face that he would at least write a letter of recommendation.

And as a result, as the Polish campaign concluded and the remaining units moved to the Italian front, Clemens was assigned to the Posen city garrison battalion and was able to spend his time idly.

All the Posen city garrison battalion had to do was suppress riots by the Poles and maintain public security while the Jews were settling in, and with the 3rd Army also there, it was quite relaxed.

For Clemens, it was a heavenly time, however brief.

If I'd known it was this easy, I would've pestered that friend of mine sooner! He was having such relaxed thoughts until yesterday—

He had felt that the atmosphere in the 3rd Army was a bit strange lately, but he never imagined it would lead to a situation like this.

“B-Battalion Commander, sir.

You're joking, right?”

Clemens asked with a face that refused to believe it, but his battalion commander, whom he had gotten quite close to, replied with a smile on his handsome face.

“I'm not joking, Company Commander.

Our battalion will suppress the 3rd Army's high command, who are preparing a coup, at dawn tomorrow. Sorry for telling you only now, since it's a confidential operation.”

Clemens felt like he wanted to faint as he asked his direct superior, Major Hans-Jürgen von Blumenthal.

“W-W-What is our military force?”

“One battalion, isn't it?”

Clemens felt the urge to grab the composed Blumenthal by the collar and shake his handsome face, but he barely suppressed it and asked.

“Th-Then what about the 3rd Army's force?”

“10 divisions and 2 brigades.”

Clemens felt like he was going to grab the back of his neck and pass out.

Just as you'd expect from the guy who stormed the Führer's residence in the middle of Berlin, sniped Hitler, and escaped, his guts must be on the outside.

But I refuse to die such a senseless death! Not everyone is willing to risk their life for their country as if it's a given!

In the end, Clemens couldn't accept reality and asked a very irreverent question.

“C-Count, sir. Don't you think the Vice-Chancellor is plotting to have us killed?”

I nagged and nagged that friend of mine to get assigned to the safe rear, and now a coup? A coup??

At this point, it was clear that either God was cursing him, or that Dietrich bastard had a deep grudge against him.

To suppress a whole field army with a single battalion, what kind of bullshit is this!

But the Major-and-Count, Blumenthal, gave a bitter smile, shook his head, and answered.

“Surely not.

I never said our forces were the only ones being mobilized for the suppression.”

“What? Besides us, what military force is there here other than the 3rd Army?”

Blumenthal grinned and pointed a finger at the ceiling.

“Reinforcements will come. From the sky.”

Of course, far from being relieved by his words, Clemens had a disrespectful thought: He's not that Dietrich bastard, so why does he love saying things I can't understand—