Chapter 179

March 19, 1941

Berlin, Capital of Germany, Army Headquarters

As the military band played and the honor guard marched on the parade ground, the stars of the event, Field Marshal Wilhelm Ritter von Leeb and Field Marshal Ludwig Beck, watched the ceremony from their car, saluting.

As soon as I was appointed Minister of Defense, a major reorganization took place in the Army.

Field Marshal Wilhelm Ritter von Leeb, who had served as Commander-in-Chief of the Army, and Ludwig Beck, the former Minister of Defense, decided on military discharge.

Despite having avoided being swept up and forced out during Rundstedt's defeat, both ultimately decided to step down from their duties with the inauguration of the Heuss Government.

Both cited health problems due to old age as their reason, but I was curious about their true feelings.

Was it because they acknowledged the limits of their era? For the sake of their successors?

I wondered what thoughts were running through the minds of the two men, who were smiling at the soldiers that had prepared the ceremony for them.

Just then, the Chief of Staff of the Army, Manstein, approached me from the side and whispered.

“Congratulations, Minister.”

“…”

“Now your supporters will truly play the core roles in the military high command.”

I glanced at the General waiting for Leeb and Beck’s car, standing beside Prime Minister Heuss on the dais.

Colonel General Erwin von Witzleben. He will become a Field Marshal after this ceremony, and the new Commander-in-Chief of the Army.

It's not that I want to command the military as I please, but it's true that I feel reassured since he's the general who, among the high-ranking officers, has been the only one to support me and the working-level staff since the Black Orchestra.

Anyway…

“Halder is finished, so isn't it unnecessary for you to try and get on my good side any further?”

When I replied in a low voice, Manstein's face was momentarily filled with pure joy.

My goodness, he can look so genuinely happy.

As if belatedly realizing his expression, Manstein quickly put on a genuinely hurt face, dropped the whispering, and spoke in an exaggeratedly loud voice.

“What are you saying, Minister! As the Army’s Chief of Staff, it is only natural for me to respect and serve the Minister of Defense with all my sincerity!”

Unlike his face, which was full of sincerity, his eyes were carefully scanning the focused gazes of those around us.

This guy…

He's truly detestable, but I let out a small sigh and replied.

“I am always grateful for the Chief of Staff's dedication.”

Ignoring Manstein, who was beaming, I watched as Leeb and Beck got out of their car and came up this way.

Army Group C, which had been under General Witzleben’s command on the Western Front, was disbanded, and we reorganized each unit, along with the army groups that had sustained losses on the Eastern Front, to form a new ‘Panzer Group’.

The Army Group Commander was appointed to Colonel General Ewald von Kleist, who had commanded the Panzer Group during the invasion of France in the original history.

There is no better man to appropriately mediate the conflict between the remaining conservative forces within the military and the followers of armored warfare who have risen rapidly since the new government took power.

Among the remaining senior officers, he has an excellent understanding of armored unit operation and has the experience, so I expect he will be able to perform his assigned role well enough.

Under his command, four armies consisting solely of armored and motorized units were assigned.

The commanders of each army were Heinz Guderian, Erwin Rommel, Walter Model, and Hans-Valentin Hube.

The German Army's best armored warfare experts were deployed to become the tip of the spear aimed at the Eastern Front.

“The government has high expectations this time, so I trust you will show us your ability, Chief of Staff.”

“Is there any doubt, Minister! Please do not worry!”

Until now, the German Army had struggled against the Soviet Army on the Eastern Front.

But that was only because they had to fight while underestimating the enemy's strength, always at a numerical and armored equipment disadvantage.

Until the last battle, most of the armored units deployed to the Eastern Front consisted of Panzer IV (Early Model)s and StuG IIIs, with only a handful of the new model Panzer IVs.

This was because most of the units deployed to the Eastern Front were redeployed from Italy, which was of lesser importance, and most of the new model Panzer IVs had been mobilized for the Defense of London and Operation Winter Storm.

“For the first time, we have formed a Panzer Group properly composed of the latest tanks. They will face an offensive the likes of which they have never seen before!”

Until the last battle, we had poked with a hastily prepared operation in such a situation and won by relying on the enemy's mistakes, but this time will be different.

The Soviet Army probably thinks that if it weren't for Kulik, they would have won, and they are judging the German Army at about that level.

But just as we did not know their strength, they do not know ours.

And this will be the last advantage we can use…

“With that one blow, you must inflict a fatal strike, General.”

Only by seizing that opportunity with the most fatal strike can we reduce sacrifices and end the war quickly.

“Is there any doubt! Just trust me, Minister!”

Although time was short, Manstein, who had launched a half-hearted offensive even after seeing Rundstedt's defeat, had lost face.

He seemed full of motivation to make up for it.

Well, whatever Manstein is like as a person, his ability is certain.

I greeted Leeb and Beck as they got out of the car and approached.

“Thank you for your hard work for Germany all this time. On behalf of the government, I express my gratitude.”

“Thank you.”

At Mr.

Heuss's words, the former Commander-in-Chief of the Army, Wilhelm Ritter von Leeb, replied with a stern face as he accepted the handshake.

“Germany will remember your devotion as the commander of the New Government Army against the Nazis, Field Marshal.”

Wilhelm Ritter von Leeb stared at me for a moment at my words, but then accepted the handshake.

“Thank you.”

A typical Royalist Junker, but a man who walked a different path from Mackensen. I wonder what he thinks of me, but I'll probably never know.

“…Vice…Minister.”

Next in line, the former Minister of Defense and Field Marshal, Ludwig Beck, almost called me Vice-Chancellor out of habit before correcting himself and giving a bittersweet smile.

His relationship with me was very complicated.

Our first meeting was when he argued for seeking Britain's and France's help in the coup d'état against Hitler, while also insisting on getting recognition for our sovereignty over the Sudetenland and Danzig.

I knew from the start that, unlike his glorified portrayal in movies about the Black Orchestra, he had fundamental limits, but the Ludwig Beck I actually met was, by my standards, a truly frustrating person.

Ludwig Beck hesitated while looking at me, then opened his mouth.

“I did many things to you that I'm sorry for.”

During the Royalist coup, though he was half-coerced, he supported the military government and proclaimed the Emperor's accession.

Furthermore, Rundstedt's offensive, which inflicted great damage on the German Army, was something he, as Minister of Defense, had approved.

“Field Marshal.

I am grateful to you, Field Marshal.”

Still, he ultimately accepted the opinions of me and the working-level staff, and as the leader of the Black Orchestra, he launched a successful coup against the Nazis.

He was also the one who, despite the Royalists' opposition to my propaganda war ideas, gave me the position of spokesman and permitted the radio propaganda war.

Even if he couldn't escape the limitations of his era as a Junker, he was at least a person who knew how to listen to his subordinates' opinions, and because he was the leader of the Black Orchestra, we were able to come this far.

“From the time of the New Government until now, it has been an honor to be with you, Field Marshal.”

Ludwig Beck looked at me with a heavy heart, then reached out and patted my shoulder.

Then he lowered his hand and offered me a handshake.

“I'm sorry, and thank you.

…I'll be counting on you for what comes next.”

I smiled naturally at Beck's words and extended my hand to him.

“You should be counting not on me, but on the German government and the Army's juniors.”

Beck smiled back and shook my hand.

It was the clear laugh of an old man, liberated from a heavy burden he had carried for a long time.

Ludwig Beck and I turned our heads to watch the scene of Colonel General Erwin von Witzleben, no, the new Field Marshal, receiving the marshal's baton, the symbol of a Field Marshal.

Watching the scene, Ludwig Beck murmured softly at my side.

“Yes, that’s how it should be.

Because now, the era has changed.”

-

March 20, 1941

Berlin, Capital of Germany, Reichstag

The War Cabinet had, until now, been operating with a temporary, haphazard method on the laws that the Weimar Republic and the Nazis had torn apart.

The situation where the Cabinet's judgment was more important than the law was not positive and was nothing more than a temporary measure.

Thanks to that, there were too many things for the parliament to decide, and since the first rebuilt parliament was full of motivated members, a real forum for all sorts of debates opened up.

“This bill is blatantly advantageous only to the companies!”

“We are at wartime. This is no time to prioritize inefficient things like 'workers' or 'human rights'.”

“Then what makes you any different from the Nazis!”

“What? Did you just finish your sentence?”

As the heat started to get excessive, my father, Hjalmar, who was serving as the Speaker of the Reichstag, banged his gavel to restrain them.

“Enough, enough.”

When the members temporarily fell silent, my father glanced at the clock and spoke again.

“Time is up.

Now, we will take a 30-minute recess and then resume.”

After a long and arduous debate and argument, as Speaker Hjalmar declared a recess, the members of the parliament sighed and rose from their seats.

Democracy is good.

At least it's better than a dictatorship, which is bound to become corrupt.

Even I couldn't shake the feeling of regret when it was time to truly let go of my authority as Vice-Chancellor.

But still, being in a position to deal with the pandemonium of passing laws in parliament is exhausting.

We have to overhaul all the legal systems the Nazis made a mess of and amend the constitution, so the work never seems to end…

Still, the atmosphere of the first parliament is relatively good, so if there's a silver lining, it's that I don't have to watch a wrestling match in the Reichstag.

The problem was that because of what I did at the end of the election, there were quite a few members of the CDU and SPD who looked at me with unkind eyes.

In fact, the first matter to be passed unanimously was a ban on any kind of canvassing or election activities for three days before a vote.

It seems they were quite flabbergasted, here and there.

As far as I know, even in 21st-century modern Germany, the election culture is quite gentlemanly compared to Korea's, so I felt a pang of guilt, wondering if I had somehow poisoned the history of German elections.

Thinking positively, perhaps it was precisely because of such a naive election law that Hitler was able to rise, so we can use this opportunity to revise the election law more thoroughly.

This probably isn't some kind of excuse I'm making to soothe my own conscience.

…Probably.

I glanced down at the SPD leader, Kurt Schumacher, sitting in his wheelchair, sighing with a tired face, then smiling as he accepted a glass of water from Claudia.

The aftereffects of the Nazis' harsh torture still lingered on his body, but it's amazing to see him work so hard, displaying such an indomitable spirit.

If it weren't for our ideological differences, I think it wouldn't have been so bad to follow him.

Just then, the Prime Minister, Mr.

Heuss, spoke to me.

“Minister Schacht, you'll have to leave your seat now, won't you?”

Charles de Gaulle's French Army would soon arrive in Stettin.

Given the size of their military force, troops from the Western Front were deployed to prepare for any unforeseen incidents.

There is no romantic trust between the German and French armies, so we have to prepare for any unexpected situations, and since there are a lot of supplies to hand over to them—especially winter clothing—I have to go as the Minister of Defense.

Besides, the northern part of the Baltic Sea was slowly thawing.

The fierce Soviet offensive was temporarily halted due to the Rasputitsa, but Stalin's intention to finish off Finland before the French army arrived would not have changed.

The offensive would soon resume, and we were considering the possibility that the Soviet Baltic Fleet would be dispatched to block the French landing in Finland.

If that happened, a clash between the Reichsmarine and the Soviet Baltic Fleet could occur.

Thanks to that, I had to leave my seat while the parliament was in session.

“Yes.

We've decided on the most important part anyway.”

The direct reason why the Emperor had demanded an election after the end of the war with France, the treatment of Wilhelm II, was decided.

The parliament decided to inform the former Emperor that he would be permitted to return home on the condition that he does not act against the succession of Wilhelm III to the throne and the parliamentary democracy.

In other words, if Wilhelm II does not agree to these conditions, he cannot set foot on German land until the day he dies.

A difficult decision for Wilhelm III to make, as a son and as it is directly linked to the authority of the Imperial family.

But for the parliament, it is a necessary decision to clarify the order of the constitutional monarchy and democracy.

I wonder what decision the Mustache Kaiser, Wilhelm II, who insisted on regaining the throne even when he was not far from death, will make.

“I see.

Heh heh, well then, off you go.”

“Understood, Prime Minis…ah.”

Mr. Heuss smiled warmly.

A down-to-earth Prime Minister who, even after becoming Prime Minister, still preferred to be called Mr. Heuss rather than Prime Minister Heuss.

This is the man who will lead the new Germany, and the man I will assist.

I smiled and added.

“I will be on my way, Mr. Heuss.”

Now then, shall I go meet the hero of the French Army?