Chapter 93:

March 6, 1940

Western Poland, East of Posen – German Military Polish Front Headquarters On the afternoon of the final day of the grace period promised to Poland, I sat in the headquarters with a weary body, anxiously awaiting the results.

"Here, Vice Minister. Have a cup of coffee."

"Ah, thank you, Chief of the General Staff."

Manstein handed me the coffee, and when I accepted it and called him Chief of the General Staff, he beamed foolishly as if he was simply delighted.

What's with him looking so proud, as if he brewed it himself when he just had a subordinate do it…

The situation was so urgent that the grace period we granted to Lieutenant General Sikorski was extremely tight even by our standards, and I myself had to spend a very busy three days after the breakdown of the peace negotiations.

It would have been a different story if I planned to use Poland as a mere discard card to buy time, but since I intended to establish it as a bulwark against the Soviet Union, there was much to do.

I had to busily go back and forth between factories to prepare munitions equipment, wrestle with the Cabinet in arguments, and then immediately return to the Polish front.

I have a lovely wife, but the only times I see her face are when I briefly stop by the office! Damn it, I want to relax at home with Claudia…

"You've been so busy lately, Vice Minister! The military is also drawing strength from watching you always struggle so hard for the fatherland!"

As I drank my coffee, lost in thought with a frown, Manstein fussed beside me.

Ah, this guy, really. I gave a bitter smile.

"Isn't the military dissatisfied with the situation of waiting without commencing an attack even after the peace negotiations with Poland broke down?"

Of course, we had made a secret pact with Sikorski, but we didn't inform the entire military since security would have been impossible if we had.

"Ahem, of course, there are some like that.

But I, for one! I know very well that you have deep thoughts, Vice Minister! I have no doubt that they too will soon realize your foresight and express their gratitude!"

I felt goosebumps rise on my arm and looked at him with an unimpressed expression. Of course, as the Chief of the General Staff, I had hinted to him that we were on standby due to a secret agreement with Poland and that peace negotiations would happen soon.

In the Army, we only informed Minister of Defense Beck, Commander-in-Chief Wilhelm Ritter von Lepp, and Chief of the General Staff Manstein…

I heard that Manstein, in front of me, put on a face of being incredibly moved and flattered me for giving him special treatment, but behind my back, he grumbled about why we were giving time to a Poland we had all but caught.

To say such things even after hearing about the secret pact must mean this Junker simply dislikes the appeasement policy towards a nearly captured Poland.

And yet this shameless guy is really…

If you're going to talk behind my back, at least do it secretly. I suppressed the sigh that was about to burst out and gave Manstein a faint smile.

"I always trust you, Chief of the General Staff."

The words "only your ability," were left unsaid.

"Haha, thank you, Vice Minister! Hahaha!"

Manstein laughed, cluelessly pleased, but I humored him while getting lost in other thoughts.

While Sikorski prepared his coup d'état, we began diligently moving the equipment to be sold to Poland to this place, which would become the border area after the armistice, according to our secret pact.

The military seemed puzzled as to why we were bringing so much equipment near the front line without distributing it to the units, and it was tough coming up with excuses.

The problem is the success or failure of Poland's coup.

If Sikorski fails or the deadline passes, I'll have to awkwardly distribute the prepared equipment to our own military units and order an attack.

"Phew, this is nerve-wracking."

Even setting aside the Soviet Union's proposal, since accepting it would mean we could no longer hold our heads high as a democratic nation, if the coup here fails, it will mean we've needlessly bought time for Poland and the Soviets, so I can only hope for Sikorski's success.

As I waited in great suspense, a staff officer came with a telegram. It seems the result is finally in.

"Vice Minister, a telegram from the home country."

I took the telegram, read it, and let out a sigh of relief.

It's a real relief that my busy movements over the past few days weren't meaningless.

If this had been a futile effort, thanks to my damn father, it would all be my responsibility, and my neck would have been on the line.

"Oh, Vice Minister! Did it go well?"

"Yes, it's a success. Now that Poland's regime has changed, the war will soon be over."

Sikorski's coup d'état succeeded by a very narrow margin.

Now that they have seized Warsaw and hold the authority for peace negotiations, the besieged generals in Danzig and Posen will have no choice but to obey the new government in Warsaw.

"Haha, then shall we proceed as discussed?"

I gave a bitter smile at Manstein's question.

"Yes. We will have General Lutz and General Rommel, who distinguished themselves with their armored units in the Polish offensive, make their triumphant entry into Danzig, while General Guderian and General Manstein will be the vanguard entering Posen."

Manstein wore a satisfied smile, though with a hint of disappointment.

It was a bit of a hassle placating him when he threw a fit, insisting he should also go to Danzig if Rommel was to be given the glory of entering it.

I mean, why would I have to remove General Lutz, who is obviously near Danzig, just to put Manstein there? For someone who is the Chief of the General Staff, he's so childish for his age…

"Of course, you must make your move after the official peace negotiations are concluded, Chief of the General Staff."

"Is there any question! Do you not trust me, Vice Minister?"

Honestly, I kind of don't, is what I want to say…

Sigh, but it's true he's trying to get on my good side.

I gave Manstein a vague smile and replied.

"Of course I trust you, I do. Of course."

"I am honored, Vice Minister! Hahahaha!"

Right, let's just say I trust you because there's no Chief of the General Staff as competent as you, General Manstein.

-

March 7, 1940

Western Poland, Vicinity of Łódź, German-Polish front line area As of March 6th, the day Poland's coup succeeded, both Germany and Poland handed down orders to their confronting armies to immediately cease all hostile acts.

With no time to waste in a situation where we didn't know when or how the Soviet Union would react to this news, we arranged a place for the real peace negotiations the very next day.

This time, Lieutenant General Sikorski and I met not by borrowing Hungary, but in a conference hall on Polish territory, with our respective armies at our backs.

"I'm pleased to see you again like this, Lieutenant General Sikorski."

"The feeling is mutual, Vice Minister Schacht."

I spoke with a natural smile, but Lieutenant General Sikorski, contrary to his words, did not have a very bright expression.

It was only natural for him to be like that, as he now had to sign a treaty ceding Danzig and Posen, and even renouncing sovereignty over them.

Just because they succeeded in their coup while we waited doesn't mean the hierarchical relationship has reversed; their main force is still trapped in our encirclement, and the Soviet Union will surely go wild as soon as it grasps the situation, so unfortunately, that's not the case.

"You have no disagreement with the contents agreed upon in our previous secret pact, I assume?"

When Minister of Foreign Affairs Weizsäcker took out the pact's written agreement and asked, Sikorski, who had his eyes closed, gave a heavy nod.

Once he agreed, I opened my mouth.

"Good. I'm very pleased that Poland has promised to keep its word. In that case, I would like to agree on a few additional points."

"Additional points?"

Hearing my words, Lieutenant General Sikorski's expression hardened slightly, making me feel a bit like we were the villains.

In fact, we were the ones who were invaded…

"Yes, first. I understand your country's navy has submarines, but if you think they will be difficult to manage after the war, we would like to purchase them."

The Polish Navy's destroyers were sunk in Danzig at the start of the war, but the whereabouts of their submarines were unknown.

Sikorski's expression turned slightly sour. It probably didn't feel good to be reminded of Poland's reality as a future landlocked country in this way.

"…Very well. They are docked in Estonia, but I will have them handed over to Germany.

The price will have to be confirmed later; would it be acceptable to deduct it from the reparations to be paid?"

"Thank you for your quick decision."

Not that he had much of a choice, but so that's where they were, in Estonia.

I can probably please Admiral Dönitz with this, who's been a bit neglected lately.

"The Polish people in West Prussia and Posen will be relocated to Poland. We will grant a one-month grace period for them to dispose of their property and prepare for relocation."

Setting Danzig aside, about half the population of West Prussia and Posen are Poles.

Sikorski had a somewhat complex expression, but he soon nodded.

This is to block any potential for future conflict with Poland, where nationalism is already intense.

In the original history, this was an action Poland would take by expelling Germans after World War II, so it felt strange for us to be doing it in reverse. Of course, we aren't merciless enough to just beat them up and drive them out naked.

Aside from the matter of feelings, from Poland's perspective, which must fight a war against the Soviet Union, they will need the population right away.

"However."

To Sikorski, who wore a gloomy face wondering what was next, I spoke with a certain sense of pride.

"The port city of Gdynia, west of Danzig, which your country built from scratch as a city solely for Poles, will remain a Free City, and we will permit Poland's trade through that city. The transportation network is already built to connect to Warsaw anyway."

Sikorski's eyes widened slightly, perhaps because this was completely unexpected.

Making Gdynia a Free City means that although it is German territory, the city will be self-governed by Poles, and Poland can freely conduct imports and exports through Gdynia's port.

The roads and railroads to the Polish home country will pass through German territory, so they will have to go through our customs procedures, but at least they won't suffer a critical blow from having their trade immediately blocked.

"…That is a welcome favor."

There was considerable opposition from the Cabinet, making it the most difficult part to persuade them on, but this is an essential measure to maintain a smooth relationship and build trust with Poland in the future.

Even if Sikorski declares he is giving up sovereignty over Danzig and Posen, if he gets branded as a traitor in Poland and is driven out, the next regime will likely deny all his actions.

Rather than that, it's better to take preemptive measures to quell at least some of the Polish people's dissatisfaction and support a leader with whom we can reason.

"Furthermore, the equipment to be sold to your country has already been brought to the border area, so we will hand it over as soon as payment is made this year. We can transport it with our vehicles if you wish."

It's mostly composed of the heavy equipment Poland lost in the battle against us and anti-tank equipment to counter the Soviet Union's armored forces, so it will be of great help to them in the impending invasion.

Sikorski silently looked at the list of munitions equipment I handed him, then gave a bitter smile, and with a slightly more relaxed expression, gave a slight nod and opened his mouth.

"I had concerns that we might become a discard card for Germany even after giving up everything, but I express my gratitude for your consideration."

This alone won't eliminate all backlash, but from now on, it will depend on his actions.

I went through some hardship persuading the Cabinet, which doesn't hide its animosity towards Poland, but I felt a sense of pride at being able to reply to his words with a smile.

"The resolve you showed, Lieutenant General, was worth this much of an investment."

Of course, it's true that the attitude Lieutenant General Sikorski showed earned my favorable impression, leading me to go through the trouble of persuading the Cabinet and taking a proactive stance, but this is a very important course of action for Germany's future, so I paid even more attention to it.

For now, there will be lingering animosity between Germany and Poland, who just fought a war, but Poland was one of Germany's major trade partners and a bulwark against the Soviet Union, so there's no reason to be unconditionally harsh.

Treating the damn Polish militarists well would have been useless, but acting like an imperialist persecuting a colony towards someone who is trying to accommodate us by giving up territory and sovereignty, and even handing over their former high command for war crime trials, would be foolish.

Finland is a weak nation in need of protection, so that's understandable, but Poland is a country sizable enough to be a threat to Germany and the first nation to surrender.

But if we act too harshly, all the countries that fight us in the future will cry for do-or-die resistance.

Was it for nothing that in the original history, the Soviet Union waged a nationwide resistance against Germany, and even madmen like Nazi Germany tried to surrender to the Allied Forces rather than the Soviets?

"For now, our relationship may be awkward, but I hope we can become partners who cooperate in a better form in the future."

"We hope for the same."

We and the Polish delegation now signed not a secret pact, but an official written agreement.

The attitude we've shown here will surely influence how other countries treat us in the future.

Exploiting an opponent's disadvantaged position for everything they're worth might seem good for now, but it's an act that only creates conflict in the future.

Knowing full well what the coming modern era will be like, what Germany must aim for is ultimately to be the leader of Europe.

Therefore, it's important for Germany to end the war smoothly and engage in image-making to exert a leading influence in Europe.

"Then, may God's blessing be upon you, General, and upon Poland."

"…May God's blessing also be upon you, Vice Minister, and upon Germany."

The war between Germany and Poland, which began on December 20, 1939, officially ended on March 7, 1940.

However, Poland must prepare for war with the Soviet Union, and we are at war with Italy.

Peace is still a distant prospect, but both nations succeeded in setting aside their animosity for the sake of their national interests and avoiding a fatal ruin.

I hope that the result of the war between Germany and Poland, different from the original history, will ultimately bring a different fate for us all.