Chapter 92:

March 4, 1940

Capital of the Soviet Union, Moscow Stalin, the General Secretary of the Soviet Union and known as the Man of Steel, twitched his mustache and furrowed his brow.

“Still no response from Germany?”

“That is correct, General Secretary Comrade.”

Hearing Molotov's reply, Stalin's expression showed his displeasure.

“Do not be so hasty.

They are running an inefficient democratic government, so their decision-making will take time.”

Stalin let out a hollow laugh.

“What kind of democracy is it when they haven't even had an election? It's a Wartime National Unity Cabinet. Have you ever seen those bastards mess things up by being slow with their decision-making?”

Indeed, their decision-making could never be considered slow.

The German Civil War, the invasion of Italy, the Wilhelm III enthronement incident, the Invasion of Poland, the threat from France—they dealt with every issue quickly, narrowly avoiding crisis.

And yet, with the peace negotiation with Poland broken down and a dispute between the German Military and the Soviet Army possible within Polish territory, they are silent in response to our request for a conference?

“The person in charge of this negotiation is the Vice Minister of the Chancellery, correct?”

“Yes, General Secretary Comrade.”

Wasn't he the one who had the suspect in the assassination of Nazi Germany's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ribbentrop, on a radio broadcast and then made her his aide? And he got married recently.

It wasn't strange for the new government that rebelled against the Nazis to assassinate a high-ranking Nazi official, so I didn't think much of it at the time.

But according to what the NKVD later found out, Ribbentrop was murdered not long after he voiced the opinion in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to join hands with the Soviet Union and carve up Poland.

The idea to tear Poland apart with the Fourth Reich, which could be called an enemy nation due to the Finland support issue, was inspired by that…

“…This is unpleasant.”

Hearing Stalin's solitary mumble, Molotov broke out in a cold sweat, but the culprit who had just instilled the fear of a purge in his close aide without a second thought was lost in his own.

Thinking rationally, it felt like puzzle pieces were missing one by one, but the existence of that young Vice Minister kept getting on Stalin's nerves.

And that speech targeting not only France but also the Soviet Union, which is invading Finland.

Truly an arrogant bastard, isn't he?

Stalin shook his head. Still, there was no need for him, the leader of the great Soviet Union, to be bothered by a green young punk who wasn't even a leader of a nation.

They could really be deliberating, so it's not too late to judge after seeing how Germany acts first.

“How are the preparations for the Invasion of Poland?”

Receiving Stalin's question, the Chief of the General Staff of the Red Army, Boris Shaposhnikov, answered with a tense face.

“It has not yet been two weeks since you ordered the preparation for the Invasion of Poland, General Secretary Comrade. It will still take time to finish the deployment of the 100 divisions you demanded, and it could be further delayed if the Rasputitsa overlaps in the middle.”

When the Rasputitsa arrived, turning Russia's frozen ground into mud with the coming of spring, it would significantly disrupt the unit's movement and supplies, and it was obvious the Soviet invasion of Poland would be further delayed.

Stalin had intended to break the non-aggression with Poland whenever the opportunity arose, but just as he committed an additional 90 divisions to finish off Finland for good, Germany seized the momentum of victory at a terrifying speed.

He belatedly scrambled to order the formation of the Finland invasion force and the Border Guard in the direction of Poland to prepare an offensive, but the Soviet Army's preparations were disastrous, its officer corps already scant from the Great Purge.

“If we delay like that, we'll end up missing this golden opportunity!”

Shaposhnikov, who was already worried for his life due to the unseemly behavior the Soviet Army had shown in the Winter War, shrank back at Stalin's browbeating.

“That Poland is a wreck from fighting Germany anyway, and its eastern border is empty! I don't care if the units haven't all gathered, be prepared to launch the offensive immediately if anything happens between Germany and Poland!”

“Ah, I understand, General Secretary Comrade.”

Shaposhnikov replied, wiping his cold sweat with a handkerchief.

At this point, it was safe to say his life was in the hands of Field Marshals Voroshilov and Budyonny, who were in charge of the Invasion of Poland.

He truly hoped they would successfully conquer Poland.

-

March 5, 1940

Capital of Poland, Warsaw On the evening before the deadline set by Germany, Lieutenant General Władysław Sikorski was gathered in one place with those who had joined hands with him.

“General, I acknowledge the reality that we must negotiate with Germany, but to give up sovereignty over Gdańsk and Poznań itself… If this fact is revealed, some of our comrades will waver.”

Sikorski, with his arms crossed and eyes closed, listened to Major General Władysław Anders's words, then slowly opened his eyes and spoke.

“So you intend to reject that, wage a heroic resistance against Germany and the Soviet Union, and drive the people and the nation to ruin?”

Major General Anders could not answer, and Sikorski looked around at the gathered people and spoke heavily.

“Like the comrades gathered here risking their lives, I, too, am a Polish nationalist. But if we lose the people and the nation to protect the land, what will be left?”

He also had no intention of giving up sovereignty even if he handed over Gdańsk and Posen, and he thought he had gone with plenty of cards prepared.

But because their green young representative, whom he had expected to be somewhat colored by idealism, thoroughly represented Germany's national interest, he ultimately had no choice but to give up everything he held in his hand.

“I agree with your thoughts, General.”

Sikorski looked at the anti-communist, General Sosnkowski, who had agreed with him, and then rose from his seat.

“Tonight, we will wash away the cancerous lumps driving our fatherland to ruin.

Other than those who must be handed over to Germany, shoot to kill anyone who resists. We no longer have time to debate right and wrong.”

At Sikorski's statement, the only non-soldier in the room, the leader of the Polish People's Party, Wincenty Witos, spoke up.

“What will you do about President Mościcki and President of the Senate Raczkiewicz?”

“They were once comrades who opposed those militarists with us, but they are betrayers who colluded with the Sanation and the Sejm members of the Senate.

We will subdue them and hand them over to Germany.”

At Sikorski's resolute statement, Witos spoke with a slightly anxious face.

“Isn't that too extreme? They have their own support domestically. In a situation where we're already handing over Gdańsk and Posen and giving up sovereignty, this could become the ember of a backlash.”

At Witos's reasonable words, Sikorski laughed cynically.

“That might be so.

But it's too risky and we don't have the time to persuade them one by one and seek their cooperation. If a problem arises later because of Gdańsk, Poznań, and them.”

As everyone watched Sikorski with a tense air, Sikorski spoke heavily.

“Cover it up by saying it was all my unilateral action, and abandon me.”

There was no one here who did not know the weight of his words.

As all the soldiers saluted, Sikorski took them all in one by one with dark eyes and then spoke.

“I fought alongside you all when we defended the Vistula River against the Soviet Army, but this time, it seems we will shed blood with the Polish people in Warsaw, the pride of Poland.”

Sikorski slowly closed and opened his eyes and then spoke, and everyone here shouted as one.

“Wiwat Polska (Long live Poland)”

“Wiwat Polska.”

-

As night deepened, loud roars echoed and explosions erupted throughout Warsaw.

As the citizens of Warsaw, who had fallen into a troubled sleep trembling with anxiety at the news that the peace negotiation with Germany had broken down and the Soviet Union had annulled the Non-Aggression Pact, woke up in surprise and screams erupted, gunshots began to ring out throughout the urban area.

But amidst it all, Field Marshal Rydz-Śmigły was fast asleep in his temporary lodging at the government building, dead drunk on wine and snoring.

“F-Field Marshal! Your Excellency, the Field Marshal! It's an emergency!”

As Colonel Stanisław Kopański, who had rushed in, shook him vigorously, Rydz-Śmigły raised his head with a drowsy face.

“What is it? What's going on.”

When the peace negotiation with Germany broke down, Rydz-Śmigły had ordered Prime Minister Składkowski and Lieutenant General Sikorski to be confined and plotted to shift the blame, but the news somehow leaked and was spread in the newspapers that he and the Sanation had caused the negotiations to fail by continuously rejecting Germany's demands.

It was a method he seemed to have seen somewhere before, but the aftermath was by no means small, and Rydz-Śmigły had flown into a rage, ordered all the employees of that newspaper company to be arrested, and then fallen asleep dead drunk.

“It's a riot! An unidentified armed group is attacking the city center and approaching the government building!”

“What did you say?”

Rydz-Śmigły tried to shoot up, but thanks to being heavily drunk, he almost fell to the floor in an unseemly manner, only managing to stagger thanks to Kopański catching him.

“A riot, how? Who is it?”

“I don't know that much.

It was a surprise attack in the middle of the night, so the situation hasn't been assessed.”

Rydz-Śmigły staggered to the window, was horrified by the sight of smoke rising from all over the urban area, and picked up the telephone.

“Connect me to the Capital Defense Command!”

While Rydz-Śmigły waited anxiously, the screams and gunshots in the urban area did not cease, and Rydz-Śmigły felt a cold sweat run down his spine.

[Capital Defense Command, this is Major General Sosnkowski.

]

“Major General Sosnkowski? What are you doing there?”

As Rydz-Śmigły was flustered that it wasn't the person he expected, a low laugh echoed from over the telephone receiver.

[Ah, Your Excellency, the Inspector General of the Armed Forces.

With all due respect, I am in command of the Capital Defense Command.]

“What? By whose authority! What are you talking about right now!”

Rydz-Śmigły was still not sober, so his situational judgment was slow, and the other person, perhaps sensing this, let out a hollow laugh and continued speaking.

[To think you've driven the nation to a crisis of ruin and still haven't come to your senses. This is a coup d'état, Inspector General.

We have decided to follow Lieutenant General Sikorski.]

“S-Sikorski… that bastard committed treason!”

Rydz-Śmigły slammed down the telephone.

As he poured cold sweat, the sounds of gunshots, screams, and shouting were clearly approaching the government building.

“Your Excellency, the Field Marshal, what should we do?”

“We-We'll escape Warsaw.

We have to sign a peace negotiation with Germany again. We'll accept all their demands, and bring the units in a stand-off with the German Military to retake Warsaw.”

Hearing Rydz-Śmigły's words, Kopański spoke, flustered.

“B-But, Your Excellency, the Field Marshal.

That would mean civil war. Right now, the Soviet Union in the east is also…”

“Then are you saying we should just hand over the regime to that bastard Sikorski! I can't do that! I am a Field Marshal of the Polish Army! I am Piłsudski's successor!”

Rydz-Śmigły cut Kopański off with a shout.

Kopański, who had served as his staff officer, wore a displeased expression, but Rydz-Śmigły, fuming and still not sober, was in no state to care about such things.

Now was the time to escape.

“Why are we heading to the west gate and not the back gate?”

Rydz-Śmigły asked while running hard, having thrown off his ornate Field Marshal's formal attire and rank insignia and dressed in casual clothes, but Kopański's answer was simple.

“The back gate is already under attack, Your Excellency, the Field Marshal.

The west gate will be attacked soon, so you must hurry.”

“I-I see.”

It was a situation where he had poured almost all his military force into Germany, had his main force encircled, sent out the remaining army, and as if that wasn't enough, had sent troops to the Eastern Front because of the Soviet Union.

But for the coup d'état forces to have enough military force to surround the government complex from the front and back even after suppressing Warsaw's Capital Defense Command, just how long have they been preparing?

Rydz-Śmigły felt goosebumps, but he had no choice but to run hard, gasping for breath.

But as soon as Rydz-Śmigły came out of the west gate, he was horrified and had to raise both hands as soldiers hidden on both sides aimed their guns at him.

“N-No way! Here too?”

The military force was at most a little over 10 men, but there was no way for Rydz-Śmigły, who had misunderstood the scale of the coup d'état forces and escaped in a hurry with just his body and no escort, to resist them.

Looking closer, he saw President Mościcki and President of the Senate Raczkiewicz, forced to their knees, looking at him with despondent faces.

And in front of them stood Lieutenant General Sikorski, a cigar in his mouth, puffing out smoke.

By now, Rydz-Śmigły also noticed something was strange, and Kopański was looking at him with cold eyes.

“H-How dare you betray me!”

“I'm sorry, Your Excellency, the Inspector General of the Armed Forces.

I can no longer stand by and watch the Polish people suffer a senseless death for your power.”

Hearing Kopański's words, Rydz-Śmigły ground his teeth.

With almost all military force requisitioned to the front line, and time being so short, the scale of the military that joined the coup d'état barely exceeded 200 men, even including the civic forces.

For those who had committed almost all their military force to securing the Capital Defense Command, there was of course no such thing as a force to encircle the government complex.

Nevertheless, the reason they succeeded brilliantly was that Warsaw was so lax that it was swayed even by a smokescreen disturbance in the city center, and even the close aides of the high command had turned their backs on them.

Rydz-Śmigły shouted at Sikorski with an aggrieved face.

“You start a coup d'état when we're on the verge of war with Germany and the Soviet Union! Do you intend to bring ruin to our fatherland!”

Sikorski leisurely smoked his cigar, blew out smoke, then threw it on the ground, stamped it out, and spoke.

“I'm doing this to avoid the fatherland's ruin.

Thank you, Colonel Kopański. Thanks to you, the damage was minimized.”

As Sikorski strode toward him, Rydz-Śmigły hesitated and backed away.

“I-I have done my best as a patriot of Poland! Lieutenant General Sikorski, like this—”

Before Rydz-Śmigły could finish his words, he was struck by Sikorski's fist and had to fall to the dirty floor.

Sikorski frowned at the smell of alcohol coming from him, and President Mościcki, who was kneeling on the floor, asked him weakly.

“What do you intend to do with us?”

Sikorski looked down with mixed feelings at President Mościcki, who was once his ideological comrade.

However, Mościcki, despite his duty as President, ultimately turned a blind eye to the fate of the fatherland for his own safety, and Sikorski had no intention of showing him mercy.

“You will be sent to Germany and tried as war criminals in their court of law.”

Hearing that, Mościcki powerlessly lowered his head, and Rydz-Śmigły, writhing in pain, looked up at him with a pale face.

“Gi-Give me a pistol instead! Let me die with honor—”

“Honor? What honor, after putting the fatherland in this state.

Be grateful. At least your final value will be put to good use for the fatherland.”

“T-To collude with Germany! You despicable traitor to your country!”

To the criticism of the self-proclaimed patriot who had driven Poland to the crisis of ruin with a dictatorship without a dictator, Sikorski replied with a cynical smile.

“Rather than remain a patriot of a ruined fatherland and keep a nominal honor, I will remain a traitor to a surviving fatherland.”