Chapter 400139Chapter NaN

October 3, 1940

Northern Italy, German-occupied territory – Milan

I attended a banquet at the invitation of General Manstein.

Erich Kordt had declined, saying he had no interest in gatherings with grunts, so I came alone, only to find two familiar faces.

"It's been a while, General Guderian."

"It's been a while for me as well, Vice-Chancellor."

Guderian, who was close to Manstein as they were classmates at the War College, had also lectured me on the doctrine of maneuver warfare there.

Having me attend his lectures was all part of General Model's big picture to raise me as an armored officer before I switched to politics.

"Michael… Major."

My War College classmate and dear friend, Roger Michael, and I exchanged slightly awkward greetings with two pairs of eyes on us, but we shared a warm nod.

I'm glad to see he's safe and well, and that he's been promoted from a company-grade to a field-grade officer.

"Welcome, Vice-Chancellor! It is truly an honor to have you grace us with your presence! I have prepared this with utmost sincerity, so please enjoy yourself! Hahaha!"

"Thank you for the invitation, General."

A splendid banquet was prepared at the dinner table.

They say they strive to provide even the common soldiers with quality, delicious meals while garrisoned in a city, but still, is this okay…

More importantly, is this… Italian cuisine?

"Since we're garrisoned in the city anyway, I hired a local chef! Haha! His skill is so good, I'm sure you will be satisfied, Vice-Chancellor! Please, enjoy!"

"I see. Then, with gratitude…"

I cut a piece of steak, put it in my mouth, and couldn't help but be impressed.

Each time I chewed the steak, cooked to a perfect medium, meat juices flowed out, bathing my tongue and mouth, and the melt-in-your-mouth soft meat texture was simply amazing.

Happily chewing and swallowing the very satisfying flavor, I put the Carbonara Pasta in my mouth, and this time, an incredibly smooth sauce and the flavor of perfectly cooked bacon filled my mouth.

The slightly rich taste was complemented by the wine, melting together in a wonderful harmony and going down smoothly.

Urgh- Ah, I have to admit it.

Honestly, whatever else you can say about the Italians, they're better cooks than the Germans. Damn it, when the war is over and I have some time, I need to do something about Germany's hopeless food culture…

"Haha, you seem satisfied?"

"Yes, it's absolutely wonderful. Honestly, if it were possible, I'd want to hire the chef and take him to Germany."

"Hahahaha! To hear you say that makes preparing this occasion feel so worthwhile!"

"This fellow gets carried away endlessly if you flatter him, so don't praise him too much, Vice-Chancellor."

Manstein was thoroughly delighted, and Guderian threw in a lighthearted joke.

A quick glance showed that Michael, too, was wolfing down his food, amazed by its taste.

It seems Manstein invited him knowing he was my friend, and thankfully, he's enjoying himself.

What an amicable gathering.

The thought that I should perhaps caution them that this was too luxurious a gathering for wartime completely vanished.

I realize this anew, but my body is far too honest.

If I hadn't been born the son of the German economic magnate Hjalmar Schacht, free from major financial worries, I feel like I could have become a snob.

But with Claudia around, would that even be possible?

Only after enjoying our meal for a good while did we begin our conversation in earnest.

"Did the talks go well, Vice-Chancellor?"

"Yes, well, they went reasonably well. What remains depends on Italy's performance."

The negotiations with Alcide De Gasperi proceeded simply.

After all, we held all the cards, and their side had nothing certain yet.

The cession of South Tyrol and the liberation of Ethiopia and Albania were the basic options, to which we added Britain's demand: the handover of the battleship Littorio and half of Italy's auxiliary ships.

Italy has two more Littorio-class ships that have been launched but are far from complete, but we gave up on them, thinking the cost of moving and completing them would be more than they're worth.

It would also be rather ridiculous for us, who are already taking their territory and didn't even participate in the decisive Mediterranean fleet battle, to be begging for an Italian battleship.

I was also offered by Churchill for Britain and Germany to jointly rule their colonies, Libya and Somalia, but honestly, for us who don't have control of the Mediterranean Sea, they would clearly just become white elephants.

I know that oil is discovered in Libya later, but I don't know the specific location, so I don't know if it's in the land Germany would occupy, and before that, I had no desire to leave the Fourth Reich in history as an imperialist nation.

This is an era where colonies will have to be let go soon anyway. In any case, you have to hand it to Churchill, who is greedy for colonies even while liberating existing dominions…

In the end, we handed the colonies over to Britain, and in exchange, decided to handle the issue of reparations entirely ourselves.

The Italian side wanted to keep at least Trento, the Italian residential area south of South Tyrol, and I didn't mind that much, but unfortunately, Leopold Figl, who leads Austria's Provisional State Parliament, thought differently.

He argued that it was Austria's former territory anyway, and since they were already giving up Istria, they had to take the entire administrative district for the sake of Austrian national sentiment.

So in the end, to Gasperi, who desperately wanted to keep at least Trento, we spoke as if doing a great favor by letting them keep Istria and Zadar, and took Trento as well.

It's a land that Yugoslavia asked us not to liberate anyway, but I can't help feeling strange, negotiating as a member of the victorious powers.

What remains is reparations, which has been transferred entirely to Germany's authority, to be discussed in the official peace treaty after the regime change.

"It depends on the war criminals they successfully secure and hand over after the regime change in Italy."

We demanded that they secure and hand over Benito Mussolini, Heinrich Himmler, Ante Pavelić, and Rodolfo Graziani, who are in Italy.

Other Italian Fascist party members or Nazi followers would be a bonus, but those men are the core targets.

I told them the amount of reparations demanded from Italy would depend on whether they are handed over, so they will do their best to capture them.

It feels a bit like I'm ordering a manhunt, and while Pavelić, who will be handed over to Yugoslavia, is one thing, the rest must be put on trial as war criminals for the sake of German national sentiment.

Especially Heinrich Himmler.

I must put an end to the loathsome remnants of the Nazis.

"Haha, war criminals, splendid! Ah, it was so satisfying when Rydz-Śmigły was executed! Haha!"

I was a bit dumbfounded by Manstein's reaction, but this was actually the national sentiment of the German people.

Watching the war criminals dragged from Poland receive what was really a show trial felt a bit like a people's trial, which was strange, but in any case, the German public was extremely enthusiastic.

It's largely thanks to that, that selling military equipment to Poland afterwards didn't become a major issue for the public, even if it was within the military, and we planned to treat Italy's war criminals the same way.

One could call it cruel, but in the end, I am a German politician, so it's better to give up on matters that are not harmful to the people.

Their request was for the German Army to halt its advance so that Giovanni Messe's Italian army could advance on the capital, Rome, which is why we're leisurely enjoying a banquet.

I wonder what the expression of the Italian King, Victor Emmanuel III, who is still spouting pathetic proposals, will be when he sees the sight of his own army attacking Rome.

He was also a culprit, so I could have made him a war criminal, but I made a concession for the legitimacy of the new Italian government.

The Italian people must bring him down with their own hands, through a vote.

"The new model Panzer IV is extremely excellent, Vice-Chancellor.

However, its flank armor is still somewhat vulnerable…"

Just like Guderian, his topic was, of course, the tank.

"Further reinforcement of the Panzer IV seems difficult due to engine power issues. Increasing the weight further by replacing the front armor and main gun would cause a sharp drop in reliability. I plan to solve the flank armor problem by deploying as many Panzer IVs as possible."

"Hmm, is that so.

I suppose we'll have to look forward to a new model tank."

"Yes, after all, to change the engine, you have to replace the entire chassis. When the blueprints are ready, I would like to consult with you first, General Guderian."

"I would be grateful if you did."

Guderian smiled, satisfied.

Instead of designing it with only desk administration, if I accept the opinions of Guderian and General Lutz, and somehow guide it to avoid hitting rock bottom in reliability, maintainability, and productivity like the Panther or Tiger, won't we get a better tank than the Nazis in the original history?

"I hope the armistice with Italy is signed soon, Vice-Chancellor! Although I had great success in Italy, aren't France and the Soviet Union the opponents against whom one can truly achieve glory! Haha!"

That's Manstein for you, subtly emphasizing his own feats. Well…

"That will soon be the case. General Rommel and General Model are playing a large role, so I have high expectations for you, General Manstein, and the others as well."

"Haha, hahaha… Those two are also excellent talents."

Your mouth is smiling, but your eyes aren't, Chief of the General Staff.

"The urgent fire on the British mainland has been put out, and in Belgium, General Model is excellently conducting a delaying action as a fire brigade."

"Hmm. General Model's performance is impressive, but the French Army is a weaker force than I thought."

Of course, General Model is a great commander, but honestly, with an army of 2 million, it's the side that gets delayed by a force of 100,000 that's strange…

"Well, we have air superiority and it's still the early stages of the offensive, so that might be part of it. It will likely get difficult in the long run."

Belgium is such a weak force, and we lack the military force to rescue them, so no matter how well General Model fights, he'll eventually be pushed back.

I wish the main force could be freed up to send support before then.

"Thanks to Admiral Dönitz's performance, France will soon hit its limit on fuel. If we just hold out, victory is assured."

If we can tie down the French Army in Belgian territory and hold out until their fuel is depleted, it might be possible to win against France without damage to our homeland.

"Haha, isn't that a result of your diplomatic efforts, Vice-Chancellor!"

Here comes the flattery again. He's so damn consistent, Manstein…

I shook my head and said.

"I am worried about the Soviet Union."

After an investigation by the Abwehr, the NKVD's involvement in the large-scale anti-war protests in Germany was discovered.

The NKVD I know of is not this sloppy. Could there have been confusion following Beria's purge?

Now, the public opinion in Germany avoiding war with the Soviet Union has almost disappeared.

War sentiment has soared not to save Poland, but as a punishment against the Soviet Union and Communism.

We decided to declare war on the Soviet Union and liberate Warsaw as soon as General Rundstedt's unit arrives in East Prussia.

"Aren't they the ones who wasted a long time on Poland, which we shattered, and the small country of Finland? Haha! Do not worry! General Rundstedt will surely crush them!"

The problem is exactly this.

We are already fighting France.

Fighting the Soviet Union means a two-front war.

Nevertheless, the rising support for war against the Soviet Union within Germany stems from their faith in the strength of the German National Defense Forces, which are performing outstandingly in Britain, Belgium, and Italy, and their underestimation of the Soviet Army's power.

It's a mindset of, 'We're strong anyway, so shouldn't we, the powerful ones, teach those Commies a lesson?' This is sickeningly similar to Nazi Germany at the time they started the German-Soviet War.

"Chief of the General Staff, the Soviet Union has enormous potential. They are by no means an opponent to be underestimated."

"Haha, your prudence is something to be emulated, Vice-Chancellor! I shall do so, yes sir!"

Even though Manstein said that, it didn't seem like he seriously thought so.

This is something you can't understand without experiencing it yourself, and I know that me just talking about it won't do anything.

But if I were to openly interfere in all tactics, that in itself would be turning into another Hitler.

"…I will trust that General Rundstedt's advance party will fulfill its role."

I have no choice but to trust the tactical ability of the German Army, but honestly, I can't hide my anxiety.

"Haha, do not worry! Oh, right! Major Clemens Fleck has also been assigned to General Rundstedt's unit and will participate in this operation!"

Michael and I both choked on our wine at the same time.

Manstein showed the talent of maintaining a broad smile even as his eyes changed to say, 'You unrefined things,' but this was no time to care about that.

Heh-, what?

"Pardon?"

"An up-and-coming Army prospect who experienced actual combat in the Condor Legion, participated on the Polish Front, and even suppressed the last Nazi remnants' coup d'état, wasting his time in a garrison? Unacceptable! Yes sir!"

Michael and I looked at each other, but there was nothing we could say.

"Major Michael here is also a very promising talent, so I believe Major Fleck will be as well.

Haha, do not worry, Vice-Chancellor! I will take responsibility and arrange positions for both of them to achieve merits and be promoted quickly!"

No, what am I supposed to say to this? That the guy has no interest in achieving merits, so please move him to the rear?

A high-quality talent full of actual combat experience, as Manstein said?

"Uh, no, you don't have to go that far…"

"Of coourse, don't worry, I'm not doing this just because he's your friend, Vice-Chancellor! This is purely me, as the Chief of the General Staff, giving a promising Army prospect an opportunity to achieve merit! Haha! Major Michael performed outstandingly as General Guderian's staff officer in the last offensive! Isn't that right?"

"Uh, well, he did. I think this fellow will become a good General Staff Officer."

Guderian, though slightly reluctant, spoke well of Michael.

"Thank you, General."

Looking at Michael, who expressed his thanks with a glance, he seemed to have half given up.

Looking at Manstein, whose eyes were shining as if to say 'I'm on your side,' without a doubt believing I would be pleased, I couldn't bring myself to call it unnecessary interference.

…I'm sorry, my friends.

Of all places, the Soviet front.

Survive, Clemens.