Chapter 95:

March 16, 1940

Berlin, Northern Germany – Government Complex Photographs of General Rommel and General Lutz making their triumphant entry into Danzig, and General Manstein and General Guderian into Posen, proudly adorned the front pages of all daily newspapers in Germany.

The four men in charge of the armored units, the key to this Polish War, became sudden stars.

In particular, Erwin Rommel, 'the conscientious soldier who stopped Hitler and defended Berlin,' and Erich von Manstein, 'the great strategist who brought down Poland at once,' truly became heroes of all of Germany.

In the end, it was a good ending for them, as they both became the heroes of Germany they had so longed to be…

But General Witzleben, who trusted me from the early days of the new government, and my mentor, General Model, are still reinforcing the Siegfried Line (the French Front) just in case.

Without them, who succeeded in that brilliant withdrawal operation from Italy, there would have been no military force to counterattack Poland in the first place.

Knowing that well, I was secretly jealous.

Honestly, if I had my way, I would have put those two generals in that position.

…On second thought, it might be a personal grudge.

In any case, by reclaiming West Prussia, including Danzig, and Posen, Germany recovered most of the Eastern Territories lost by the Second Reich and finally achieved its long-cherished wish of connecting the mainland to Königsberg.

The approval rating of the Fourth Reich soared, and the people began to hope that once the war with Italy was over, they would regain peace.

But if you think I became idle just because I ended the war with Poland, I regret to say that's not the case at all.

I was in the Government Complex in Berlin, reporting in the Chancellor's office.

"The public security status in West Prussia and Posen has finally become somewhat manageable."

A lot was omitted in the expression 'somewhat manageable'.

Considering we had suffered a preemptive invasion, the peace negotiation with Poland was relatively rational by the standards of this era, and could even be seen as lenient at a glance.

In fact, Britain and Hungary, which mediated our peace negotiation, expressed considerable praise and gratitude, and the overall international public opinion showed us a fairly decent reaction.

But in the end, that's only considered lenient from the perspective of a victorious nation. It's a separate matter from the Polish people, who were living perfectly fine in West Prussia and Posen before being exiled, accepting it meekly.

"This is a report on the riots and incidents that occurred."

I handed my father the report on the headache-inducing problem that persisted even after the peace negotiation.

Forcing Poland to renounce its sovereignty over West Prussia and Posen and exiling the Polish people was a necessary measure to prevent future disputes, but I tried my best not to ruin our relationship with Poland in the process.

Making Gdynia a Free City to guarantee Poland a minimal trade route, and giving the Polish people a one-month grace period to prepare for their departure and dispose of their property instead of just kicking them out empty-handed, were all part of that effort…

But did the consideration I prepared by painstakingly persuading the Cabinet move the Polish people? Far from being grateful, those who were being forever kicked out of the hometowns where they had lived since the days of the German Empire actively resisted.

And likewise, the German Military, angered by what they saw as the Poles shamelessly blaming the victim despite our administration's 'lenient' measures for a 'defeated invader,' was chomping at the bit to actively 'teach a lesson' to those Polish people.

"Hmm…"

My father, Hjalmar Schacht, looked through the report, slowly turning the pages, and I waited, feeling a deep fatigue.

It was so exhausting. Even though the Italian Front remained, the core Polish Front had ended, but my work only increased, never decreased.

"Not as bad as I predicted."

A slight annoyance welled up at my father's bland reaction, but I exercised patience.

Business is business, and personal is personal.

The reason I don't try to hog all the opportunities to score points for General Witzleben or General Model, as much as I like them, is to uphold that principle.

"…Because a certain high-ranking government official has been running around West Prussia and Posen all this time, stopping them."

The Polish people were constantly on the verge of starting a riot, and the German Military was closer to encouraging it than suppressing it.

With logic like, 'The government order is not to strike the Polish people first, so if they strike first, it's self-defense!'

The time given to the Polish people to pack their things and dispose of their property had perverted into a period of resistance before leaving their hometown.

To think that I had come up with such a desk administration-like idea! As I was feeling a sense of shame and torment, my father, Hjalmar Schacht, scoffed.

"Ha, the matter of Poland is the Vice Minister's responsibility, so shouldn't you see it through to the end?"

"…Your words are so true that I've been going through hellish hardship to handle it. Mr.

Chan.cel.

lor."

Thanks to that, even after the peace negotiation ended, I had to make a desperate struggle, frantically running in and out of Posen and West Prussia to prevent armed conflict.

Only after I stayed in the area and monitored for several days did Manstein, pretending to give in, make a request, and the Commander-in-chief of the Army, Field Marshal Wilhelm Ritter von Lepp, issued an order of emphasis to exercise restraint.

Only then did the riots, which had known no quiet day, stop, and the Polish people, who had been causing a ruckus for over a week, began to realize it was futile and started to leave the region quietly.

During that period, armed conflicts were by no means few, and those who held out until the end, saying they couldn't leave, will eventually be forcibly evicted, but there's nothing I can do about that.

"Once the eviction of the Polish people is complete, we will tidy up the urban areas and then move in the Jewish people as planned."

"As you should."

We were going to settle the Jewish people in West Prussia and Posen, from which the Polish people were being sent out.

To give them, who were liberated from concentration camps but were still objects of avoidance and among the destitute, land and provide them with a new livelihood base.

There was also a small hope that the Germans residing in West Prussia and Posen would have less Nazi influence, and having been persecuted together with the Jewish people in Poland, their perception of them might be a little better.

Of course, that's just wishful thinking, and we'll have to see. The Jewish problem is an important shameful part of the Fourth Reich, too important to lose interest in after just setting up some desk administration with endless optimism.

It's realistically impossible to return everything the Nazis took, but I have to at least let them live like human beings.

In any case, both Posen and West Prussia were regions that had been somewhat industrialized since the German Empire, and compared to other German lands, they are reasonably decent for agriculture, so the unemployment problem of the Jewish people and Germany's food situation should improve a little.

"I think we've caught our breath on the Poland and Jewish issues for now."

I was worried that the Soviet Union's invasion was even faster than predicted, but Poland somehow succeeded in establishing a defense line and creating a stalemate on the front line.

With the Rasputitsa coming soon, it will be difficult for the Soviet Union to continue its offensive, and my expectation was that if our, Britain's, and Hungary's munitions equipment support continued, Poland would be able to hold on.

My father, who heard my words, took off his glasses and set them down, then looked at me and smiled with just the corners of his mouth.

"So, did you enjoy asking for trouble?"

"How could I enjoy it? I do it because it's necessary."

Just as he advocated for the German-Polish Trade War during the Interwar Period, my father had a very hardline stance on Poland.

However, he did not interfere even when I used an appeasement policy with Poland in this negotiation, persuading the Cabinet's opposition.

No matter how much I struggled to look ahead and reduce the grudge between Germany and Poland, if my father, the Chancellor, had opposed it, there would have been no way.

I'm grateful for that.

My father, who was staring at me, opened his mouth.

"I still remember when you rascal followed Hitler, joined the army, and then flew off to Spain."

Why is he suddenly bringing up Dietrich Schacht's dark history…

Strictly speaking, it was before I entered this body, but from my perspective, having all the memories and emotions of that time, it feels like a rebellious phase I want to forget.

"That damn Hitler was ruining the economy, and on top of that, Luise was crying and making a fuss, so it was tiring."

"…I apologize."

Bringing up Mother's story really left me with nothing to say, so I honestly bowed my head.

Mother, who was very haggard when I first met her, regained her health after I treated her well while I was in Berlin and my father became Chancellor and started to work energetically.

Though nowadays, whenever I visit, she adores Claudia far more than me, which is a bit awkward.

"You've worked hard. That wild rascal has finally become somewhat useful."

"…Thank you…?"

When I expressed my thanks a bit awkwardly, wondering why he was complimenting me for a change, my father answered with a scoff.

I was truly worked mercilessly, but well, maybe I've earned a little acknowledgment?

---

March 19, 1940

Northeastern France, Reims Air Force Base In the sky, the fighter aircraft of the French Air Force were performing a maneuver, flying and turning in unison.

French Prime Minister François de La Rocque clapped as he watched the sight, and Air Force Chief of Staff Joseph Vuillemin watched the scene with eyes full of emotion.

"Excellent. Absolutely excellent, Chief of Staff. Let's further accelerate the training of the Air Force and the production of aircraft."

"Thank you, Prime Minister! Thanks to your generous budget support for the Air Force and allowing its independence from the Army, the Air Force's morale is sky-high!"

La Rocque smiled faintly at the Air Force Chief of Staff's remarks and asked.

"You said our new model fighter is the Dewoitine D.520, correct?"

"Yes, Prime Minister! If the production volume and training budget remain as they are now, we will be able to stand up to the German Air Force!"

At Vuillemin's self-confident reply, La Rocque smiled with satisfaction.

"Just as you wished, we are also accelerating the production and training of the Latécoère 298 torpedo bomber!"

The French Air Force was mass-producing not only fighter aircraft but also torpedo bombers (torpedo attacker aircraft for attacking ships). This was at La Rocque's request.

La Rocque nodded at Vuillemin and urged him again.

"Good.

Please proceed without a hitch. As you can see from Germany's war, this is now the era of the tank and the Air Force.

I have high expectations for the Air Force, so I hope you will show a capability worthy of the great France."

"Yes, sir!"

The French Air Force was rapidly expanding in both quality and quantity.

Military support, which had almost been cut off under the Radical Party regime, exploded under the La Rocque Government, and investment poured into the Army, Navy, and Air Force.

Thanks to this, the French Army, forgetting their past rivalries, unanimously admired and pledged loyalty to the La Rocque Government.

However, such things naturally have their light and dark sides.

"Prime Minister, the purchase and stockpiling of oil from America and other countries' colonies is proceeding smoothly, but the total amount of Patriotic Bonds is rapidly increasing."

To the report from La Rocque and the government's Minister of Finance, Jacques Doriot, La Rocque replied simply.

"Don't worry too much. In an era of crisis, special solutions are needed.

When everyone is happy, what's the use of worrying about the budget?"

The driving force behind the La Rocque Government's massive military budget spending was simple. They were using an almost exact copy of Germany's MEFO bills under the name of Patriotic Bonds.

By promising that the government would pay later and making huge munitions investments by purchasing bonds instead of cash, French industry, which was still struggling in the last of the aftereffects of the Great Depression, began to stretch with a joyful scream.

Just as with Nazi Germany, as jobs exploded and the economy circulated, it began to look as if the economy was enjoying a boom.

"But if this continues, our government will eventually go bankrupt with no way to pay for those bonds."

"Don't worry. Do we really need to pay it back? We can just cut open another goose's belly to make up for it."

La Rocque smiled deeply.

France's rearmament, which was already underway, was rapidly being completed, and within a few months, a military power like Napoleon's that would shake all of Europe would be ready.

For the people who didn't want to shed blood for Poland, he made the bold decision to abandon Poland, and simultaneously revived the failing economy and rebuilt the weakened French Army.

The La Rocque Regime, having accomplished that, gained immense approval ratings in a short time, and used it to smoothly neutralize the opposition faction, which was deemed 'unpatriotic' by the regime's standards.

"Although we stepped back from the war with Germany, isn't it shameful to just watch from the sidelines while other countries are writing a new history for an era?"

La Rocque continued speaking to the slightly anxious-looking Jacques Doriot.

"We must face the fact that the true enemies are the dirty opportunists who only used France and then betrayed her. They are the driving force that allows Germany to act as it pleases."

Jacques Doriot seemed a bit anxious, but he soon nodded his head.

"The people hold considerable anger towards the dirty British bastards who have sided with Germany twice."

Hearing Doriot's words, La Rocque smiled brightly and turned his gaze to the northwest.

"Fortunately, they don't dare to imagine what we are trying to do. The ones who insisted on defending Poland with the blood of the French people are openly carrying out disarmament and only scheming to make money while watching the war in Europe."

Staring coldly to the northwest, where the distant Island of Britain would be, La Rocque turned back and spoke.

"That Germany may believe they are the key players writing the history of a new era, but when our plan is realized, they will find out what a great misunderstanding that is."

"But for that to happen, the Italians will have to buy us some time.

Can they do that?"

At Jacques Doriot's question, La Rocque made a displeased expression.

"Well, for the sake of the precious idiots who are shedding blood for us against Germany, it would be good to show some leniency. We also need to test our military equipment."

La Rocque, with his hands behind his back, seemed lost in thought for a moment before saying something out of the blue.

"Would a Hawk (faucon) be enough?"

"Pardon?"

At Jacques Doriot's question, La Rocque smiled brightly and added.

"Since Germany called those they sent to Spain the Kondor, let's call ours the Hawk.