Chapter 82:

February 2, 1940

German-Polish Western Front As the sky had already grown dim and the cold night air settled, Polish soldiers huddled around a warm bonfire, basking in its glow.

“Will those demon-like German bastards surrender to France?”

“Who knows.

Ah, I want to go home…”

The Polish soldiers, having heard the news that France had issued an ultimatum to Germany and that a conference was being held in Munich as a result, were waiting for the outcome.

Clinging to a sliver of hope that the war might end just like this, and they could go home without anyone else dying.

“Ugh, it's so damn cold. Anyway, it's the shameful bastards and generals who start wars, and we're the ones who suffer…”

“Hey, watch your mouth.

Because the offensive had been prepared in such a hurry, the Polish Army had almost no winter gear, and as they launched their attack and faced a stand-off in the field, their morale had dropped considerably.

Even if it wasn't as deadly as the severe cold of Russia, the winter chill was more than enough to torment the soldiers.

Making a bonfire in the field, especially on a wide-open plain, was not much different from asking to become a target.

But the Polish soldiers were somewhat relaxed, thinking there would be no combat at least during the period of France's ultimatum, and they gathered around the bonfires.

Without having to look far, the vast plains were dotted with bonfires lit by Polish soldiers seeking refuge from the cold.

And those became the very targets for the German artillery bombardment.

The Polish soldiers, who were warming their cold bodies with the warmth of the bonfire and the hope that the war might end, flinched as a series of explosions suddenly roared from the distance.

“What was that?”

“Huh?”

Even in the brief moment of their confusion, the explosions continued.

“No way…”

By the time the Polish soldiers finally grasped the situation and shot up from their seats, the terrifying roar of something made of steel flying toward them was rapidly approaching.

“Artillery-”

The brave soldier who was the first to come to his senses, trying to warn his comrades and put out the bonfire, received no reward as he was engulfed in the explosion.

“It's an attack-!”

“Aaargh!”

Whether one screamed at the sight of a comrade's shrapnel-torn fragments or shouted a warning, it made little difference.

The surprise artillery bombardment targeted the Polish soldiers seeking warmth from their bonfires, mercilessly showering them with a rain of steel and turning the defenseless Polish front line into wreckage.

---

“Hahaha, I can’t lose to these brats yet.

Now, let’s go! Gentlemen of the Panzer! Don’t think about land grabbing! Our goal is annihilation, only annihilation! Invaders need no mercy!”

General Oswald Lutz's armored unit set off from the northeast of Hinterpommern to destroy the enemy lines ravaged by artillery, and at almost the same time, the commanders of other armored units in charge of different areas also began to advance.

“Finally, a chance to make a name for myself on the battlefield has come.”

Muttering to himself as he boarded his command vehicle, Erwin Rommel adjusted his cap and grinned.

For him, who was dying to gain fame, it had been an ordeal to just stick by Hitler's side and listen to a deteriorating politician's hysteria.

“Shall I knock those high-and-mighty General Staff officers down a peg.”

Erwin Rommel's armored unit commenced its attack from the southern part of Hinterpommern, aiming for the enemy's flank, the Poznań Army.

At the same time, Heinz Guderian looked at the orderly rows of Panzer IVs in Ostmark with an expression of deep emotion.

“I'll finally see the armored battlefield I've longed for with my own eyes.”

During the last civil war, his unit had been observing the situation, and during the defensive battle, he'd been too busy putting out friendly fires to go on the offensive. Guderian looked at his tank commanders and opened his mouth.

“Many of you must have been my students.”

“Yes, sir!”

Guderian smiled faintly at the tank commanders' response.

“If you just do as you've learned, you won't bring shame upon me. Let's go! Let's crush the enemy and gain honor!”

“Jawohl!”

Guderian personally boarded a Panzer IV and took the lead, and the armored units began to advance behind him.

Of course, if there were heartwarming scenes, there were also those that were not.

Erich von Manstein took a long drag from the cigar in his mouth, then exhaled the smoke at the tank commanders lined up before him.

“Gentlemen, a general who cozied up to the Nazis and got a lucky break with his connections has become more famous than me.”

As the tank commanders and his staff officers broke out in a cold sweat, Manstein smirked.

“More famous than me, the proud Chief of the General Staff of the German Army. Do you think I'm in a good mood or not?”

Everyone just swallowed their dry saliva; there was no answer.

Manstein took another drag of his cigar, exhaled the smoke, then flicked the cigar to the ground with his finger and crushed it with his combat boots.

“I hate subordinates who hold me back.

I also hate subordinates who outdo me. Do well, so that I don’t come to hate you.”

“Y-Yes, sir!”

While Manstein was putting on his airs, a scolding was heard.

“The offensive start time has passed, aren't you setting out?”

“Oh my, Colonel General Rundstedt! We're just about to leave! Hahaha, I was just giving a light speech to boost my subordinates' morale!”

Rundstedt gave him a look that said, ‘You? Fat chance,’ but Manstein smiled servilely and waved his hands, sending his subordinates off.

The Commander of the National Defense Force Central Army Group, Gerd von Rundstedt, watched the departing tanks and military trucks with a fresh perspective.

Tanks were originally nothing more than a supporting force for infantry units, but now tanks and motorized infantry were leading the vanguard with infantry following behind.

“The battlefield has changed a lot from what I remember. Have I become a has-been too?”

“Haha, if the gun in your hand changes, isn't it natural that the horse you ride will eventually change too?”

Rundstedt looked at Manstein with a displeased expression, then shook his head.

While I was locked up by that Hitler bastard, this human scum became the Chief of the General Staff of the German Army. It's the end of the world.

“Well, it's your operation, so I'm sure it will be effective.”

“As expected, you have a discerning eye, Colonel General! Even the Vice Minister of the Chancellery was impressed when he saw how meticulously I planned this—”

“Ah, that's enough.

You should go follow your unit.”

Rundstedt cut Manstein off and turned his back with a wave of his hand.

---

February 3, 1940

Warsaw, the capital of Poland

“What do you mean? An attack? Right now?”

In the pitch-black dawn, the Inspector General of the Polish Armed Forces, Edward Rydz-Śmigły, was grumbling about the phone call that had disturbed his deep sleep.

[It's a general offensive from the German Army! The enemy has been attacking all across the front line since just before midnight yesterday!]

The words of his staff officer, Stanisław Kopański, coming from the phone, instantly dispelled what was left of Rydz-Śmigły's drowsiness.

“W-What? But they still have France's ultimatum…”

[Didn't that conference break down! We are under attack, Inspector General!]

Rydz-Śmigły broke out in a cold sweat. He had heard the news that the conference had broken down, but that was just yesterday afternoon.

He had intended not to inform the troops beforehand to avoid lowering their morale, since France's ultimatum deadline hadn't passed and the situation could change. But for those mad German bastards to launch a surprise attack like this?

“C-Casualties? Any strongpoints lost?”

[A counterattack from the enemy has begun in Königsberg, but there are no reports of Gdańsk (Danzig) or other major cities having fallen yet.

However, each front is in too much chaos and it's nighttime, so we can't get a proper grasp of the situation.]

“Haven't the enemy battleships attacked Gdańsk or anything?”

[There are no such reports yet.

]

Rydz-Śmigły let out a sigh of relief. The most important strategic objectives for the German Army were Gdańsk and Warsaw.

But if Gdańsk hadn't been directly attacked yet, this could simply be an armed protest for France's benefit or a reconnaissance in force.

At least, that’s what he thought.

“F-First of all. If no major strongpoints have fallen, it might not be a general offensive.

Tell them not to panic and to assess the situation in each unit first.”

[There are reports that the number of artillery the enemy has mobilized is enormous, however…]

“But in the end, nothing has fallen yet, has it! What are we to do if the High Command is panicking! Tell each unit to defend their assigned front line and major strongpoints to the death!”

[…Understood.

]

In the original history, when Nazi Germany invaded, Poland at least had a defense plan, however incomplete. But now, Poland only had an attack plan, and no defense plan whatsoever.

They had naturally assumed they would be on the offensive, and their transition to a defensive stance was delayed as they let their guard down thanks to France's ultimatum.

“I will request France to enter the war again as soon as day breaks.”

[Understood, Inspector General. I will report again as the situation is clarified.

]

The most critical initial response was a massive failure, as the panicked Polish High Command, caught off guard by the night raid, issued an order to hold their existing defensive positions.

By the time they realized that the German Army's goal wasn't the securing of strongpoints but the annihilation of the Polish army itself, stretched out along the long front line, the German armored units had already penetrated deep behind the Polish army's rear.

---

February 4, 1940

Paris, the 'City of Light', capital of France The French High Command, having received the report that the German Army had begun its attack on Poland without waiting for France's ultimatum to expire, was in an uproar and holding a meeting.

“Is there still no report from the front? If we don't attack right now, it will be too late!”

Prime Minister Paul Reynaud asked, unable to hide his anxiety and impatience, but the French Army's Commander-in-Chief, Maurice Gamelin, had a simple answer.

“Not yet, Prime Minister.”

“What? It should only take a single phone call to confirm if an attack is possible, why on earth is it taking more than a day?”

Daladier, unable to watch any longer, spoke out in frustration, to which Maurice Gamelin replied with a solemn face.

“We cannot convey and confirm the most critical of military orders as if we were reporting the results of a horse race. There is a risk of wiretapping.”

While the Prime Minister and Daladier were both speechless, Gamelin added.

“Do not worry too much.

The messenger will return to Paris by tomorrow at the latest.”

While they were waiting for messengers to come and go, leaving the telephone and radio aside, Poland would be getting utterly shattered by Germany.

Paul Reynaud felt a headache coming on and clutched his head.

Did I really intend to wage war trusting people like this? The hero of the last great war has become old and stuffy, left behind by the era.

But France's Grande Armée was still strong. At the very least, he couldn't imagine they would be defeated by a Germany that was already dealing with Poland and Italy.

If the Radical Party didn't turn the current situation around, even by going to war, a situation where a second Hitler takes power in France might erupt.

He wanted to avoid, at all costs, Germany growing into a nation that could overwhelm France and La Rocque's Socialist Party coming into power, even if it meant taking an unreasonable move.

“A report.”

The employee who entered handed a telegram to Reynaud, who was wondering what it could be this time.

“40 German divisions to be deployed to the Siegfried Line (Germany's French border defense line) have arrived in Frankfurt. The commander is Erwin von Witzleben, Chief of Staff is Walther Model…”

Paul Reynaud let out a hollow laugh.

“Vice Minister of the Chancellery Dietrich Schacht has reportedly called foreign correspondents to Frankfurt to give a speech to encourage them…”

The very fact that they were openly publicizing this was a blatant reveal of their intentions.

“Aren't Witzleben and Model the ones who惨crushed the Italian Army that outnumbered them more than two-to-one?”

The unbelievable military gains Witzleben and Model had achieved against the Italian Army were already known throughout the world.

At Daladier's words, his brow suddenly furrowed, and Paul Reynaud clicked his tongue.

“This is a bluff.

It must be a bluff! Where would 40 divisions come from! It's obvious they're just gathering untrained soldiers to stage an armed protest against us!”

But contrary to the Prime Minister's will to fight, Commander-in-Chief Maurice Gamelin himself showed a lukewarm response.

“I have ordered them to prepare for an offensive operation, but due to the lack of time, it will be difficult to launch an attack as effective as you expect.

Rather than engage in an all-out war with them, it would be better to defend from the Maginot Line and then counterattack…”

“If we do that, Poland will collapse!”

In the original history, France had waged a Phony War, twiddling its thumbs while watching Poland collapse, but at least back then they had the excuse of mobilizing their army, and it was a war against Hitler, the great evil of Europe, alongside Britain.

But now, they were about to enter the war as an ally of Poland, which had started a war of aggression without much justification.

To stand by and watch Poland collapse would cause them to be overturned not because of a strategic problem, but a political one.

It was a war with a weak justification that the already cornered Radical Party was trying to start to break through the situation.

Thus, their choices were overly limited.

Daladier let out a deep sigh as he looked at Paul Reynaud, who was clutching his head.

Daladier was still contemplating. Was it really the right thing to do, to go to war with Germany here to protect the Radical Party's regime?

If they did wage war, could they win easily? At a time when the threat of the Soviet Union was becoming tangible with the invasion of Finland, if France entered the war, would the other countries just watch until Germany was brought down?

'None of us here have the right to push our people into another Great War.

'

The words he had heard from Dietrich Schacht in Munich still lingered in his mind.

“Let's wait for the messenger and, since they've invited foreign correspondents, let's take a look at their situation.”

At Gamelin's words, who was relaxed since he didn't care much whether the Radical Party lost power or not, Reynaud and Daladier sighed again.

The young German politician was already a subject of caution in France for the craftiness in media war and control over the public he had shown in the German Civil War.

It said it all when even the French, with their strong anti-German sentiment, were sneeringly calling him ‘The Goebbels of the Fourth Empire.’

But even so, with the French military command showing such a terribly slow response, there was nothing the politicians could do for now.