Chapter 98:

April 8, 1940

Berlin, Northern Germany, Government Building This year, as we increased munitions production of items like the new model Panzer IV with reinforced armor and armor-piercing shells, our need for tungsten was rapidly increasing.

But Spain's Caudillo Franco notified us that he would invalidate the mining rights for the northern mines, which had been given to Hitler as a price for the dispatch of the Condor Legion during the Nazi Germany era.

On the pretext that the party to the deal was Nazi Germany, his excuse was that there was no need to provide the same concession to the Fourth Empire.

But they sold us rifles during the Civil War, and they've been supplying tungsten just fine even after the Civil War ended, and now they send us this notice? For us, it was a rather flustering situation.

Fortunately, we had prepared three months' worth of reserve supplies, but wasn't this too sudden? Thanks to this, the Ministers and Vice Ministers of the Chancellery and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs gathered for the first time in a while, the four of us holding a discussion.

"Hmm, we'll have to assume France had a hand in this, right?"

At my father Hjalmar's words, Minister of Foreign Affairs Weizsäcker nodded.

"That seems to be the case. I heard that Philippe Pétain, who has a special relationship with Franco, became the Minister of Defense in the La Rocque Government. I suspect his influence was at play."

Nazi Germany had the same problem, and now we can't be free from the issue of strategic resource shortages either.

How bleak.

"Portugal is also a major producer of tungsten, but with Spain acting like this, they'll have to watch Franco's mood."

Hearing the words of Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Erich Kordt only made me sigh.

To the small country of Portugal on the Iberian Peninsula, we are far, and Spain is close.

In the end, this leaves only one answer.

I was too preoccupied until now to pay attention to it…

"It seems we'll have to revive our diplomatic relations with the Republic of China."

Since China was also a major producer of tungsten, Germany had been sending a Military Advisory Group in China for a long time and trading for tungsten in return.

It's just that Japan, which Hitler had made an ally nation through the Anti-Comintern Pact, attacked China, so we broke off diplomatic relations with them.

Even so, China's Chiang Kai-shek, who was struggling with the Second Sino-Japanese War, had wanted to re-establish relations with us in the early days of the new government, but at that time we didn't have the spare capacity, so we postponed it.

Back then, we were in a tight spot and in no situation to send a military advisory group to another country, but now that the Polish campaign is over, we've caught our breath, and the necessity to revive the relationship has arisen because of the resource issue.

"Hmm, General Falkenhausen was the head, wasn't he?"

Alexander von Falkenhausen, the former head of the German Military Advisory Group in China, had wanted to remain in the Republic of China but was threatened by Hitler and reluctantly returned to his country.

Now that we've overthrown the Nazi Regime, he'd probably want to go back to China.

"Yes, Your Excellency, the Chancellor. For two purposes at once, Siemens employee John Rabe, who was out in China, has a high reputation among them. If he's willing, it would be good to dispatch him as a civilian cooperation employee."

John Rabe, who had braved danger to protect the Chinese people during the Nanjing Massacre, tried to inform Hitler of the situation in China after returning to his country, but was instead thoroughly oppressed by the Gestapo and became a subject of surveillance.

Fortunately, when we took power, John Rabe returned to Siemens, and like others who had been persecuted by the Nazis, he held a favorable impression of our government.

We would dispatch an advisory group centered around Falkenhausen and John Rabe and support them with our equipment in exchange for tungsten.

It would be a great help to China, which is still struggling without America's help since the Attack on Pearl Harbor has not yet occurred.

It would be a great help to China, which is still struggling without America's help since the Attack on Pearl Harbor has not yet occurred.

I know that China's coast is already in a state of pandemonium, but since we've improved our relations with Britain to the death, we should be able to trade stably through the Burma Road (Eastern India).

"Japan will throw a fit.

Can't we use them as an ally nation against the Soviet Union if we handle them well?"

As soon as my father expressed his doubt, I quickly spoke. Joining hands with Japan? What a terrible thing to say.

"In any case, they were allies of Hitler and Mussolini. Looking at what they've shown in the Second Sino-Japanese War or the Nanjing Massacre, they are a card we must discard if we are to go with Britain and America."

My father seemed to think about my words for a moment, then nodded without much difficulty.

That surprised me.

I have no intention of joining hands with Japan anyway, but Japan, which was taught a lesson by Zhukov at Khalkhin Gol after needlessly challenging the Soviet Union, won't want to fight the Soviet Union.

Helping the Republic of China will ultimately help Korea, but that aside, if we're going to conduct proper diplomacy, we must never join hands with that mad Empire of Japan.

The situation for the Attack on Pearl Harbor hasn't arisen yet since France hasn't surrendered and Japan hasn't occupied Indochina, but who knows what crazy act those warmonger bastards will pull and when?

It's not like we can proactively intervene on the Pacific Front right now anyway, so I can just think of it as laying some groundwork for the future.

As I was thinking that, my father glanced at me and asked.

"When did you study so much about Asia?"

Huh? As I flinched, Weizsäcker and Erich Kordt also sent me a questioning gaze.

Ah, crap. My father may have an acquaintance with the high-ranking official of the Republic of China, H.

H. Kung, but in this era, few people in Germany know much about the Far East.

For me, it's as natural as breathing, so I spoke too freely.

"When I was active in the Resistance force, the Vice Minister had requested that I investigate after seeing Mr. John Rabe being taken away by the Gestapo."

The answer came not from me, who was flustered, but from Claudia, who was standing a little way off.

My father glanced at her, then nodded.

"Good, then summon Falkenhausen and John Rabe. We'll consult with them."

"Yes, sir!"

I expressed my gratitude to Claudia with a look, and she gave me a small smile.

Instead of making my aide wait endlessly in the office, I decided to move with her for anything other than military affairs. What a huge relief.

Come to think of it, a full four years have passed since I fell into Dietrich Schacht's body. Now, life in Germany feels more like my real life, and the Korean side feels more like a dream.

Since my birthday is August 15th, a hard date to forget, it's a relief that I get to think about Korea at least once a year.

To think I'd be able to have even an indirect influence on the Korean side at a time like this.

It was a strange feeling.

-

April 18, 1940

Berlin, Northern Germany, Army General Staff Headquarters The atmosphere in the General Staff Headquarters conference room, which I visited for the first time in a while, was grim, and only deathly silence hung in the air.

The atmosphere in the General Staff Headquarters conference room, which I visited for the first time in a while, was grim, and only deathly silence hung in the air.

France is continuously building up its armaments, and the Rasputitsa is over, so we don't know how long Poland and Finland can hold out.

With the front concentrated into one, we mobilized 60 divisions with the resolve to push Italy back in one go and end the war, launching a general offensive on their defense line.

But the plan that Manstein had ambitiously prepared ended with the disastrous result of the Fourth Empire's very first defeat.

In the end, I couldn't bear the silence and opened my mouth, but I didn't want to believe the words I was saying.

"Fifty thousand casualties…"

To have more casualties than in the Nazis' urban warfare in Berlin, where they intentionally induced a war of attrition, I felt like I was going to faint.

And not just plain infantry casualties. We lost 300 of the 1,000 tanks committed to the offensive.

Over 100 of those were Panzer IVs, which was a devastating shock to us.

From the German Civil War until now, the Fourth Empire's military had a series of victories without a single defeat, but to think we'd suffer our first loss not to the Soviet Army, but to the Italian Army.

It was an unimaginable result.

Damn it! The German Military lost to the Italian Army? This is a nightmare, isn't it? It would be better if it were a dream.

While Minister of Defense Ludwig Beck was sighing, Manstein just puffed on his cigar, unable to say anything.

I opened my mouth, feeling empty.

"First, the decisive role in this defeat was played by France's tanks, the SOMUA S35 and the Char B1, I'm told."

Those damn French bastards hit us from behind like this?

We had to ram into the defensive position that Italy had established after crossing the Alps, but because of the terrain, the advance routes for the tanks were extremely limited.

And those damn French bastards' tanks were waiting at every one of those tank advance routes. Their tanks held on with their thick frontal armor and annihilated our tanks as they came.

The new model Panzer IV with reinforced armor was just starting production, so almost none were deployed to the very front line. Our tanks, which had thin armor due to their focus on mobility, couldn't use their strength in such a situation and just got blown up one after another.

"The commander is Charles de Gaulle, and the chief of staff is Jean de Lattre de Tassigny."

In the original history, Charles de Gaulle was a figure who sent chills down the German army's spine during the invasion of France, and according to the Abwehr's report, Tassigny is considered one of the most promising stars in the French army.

French Chancellor La Rocque dispatched several Armored Divisions and is insisting it's not an act of war but volunteer soldiers like the Condor Legion, calling them the 'Hawk Legion'.

At this point, their intention to screw us over was so obvious that I was at a loss for words.

Furthermore, Italy's M11/39 tanks, which we had laughed at for having machine guns on the turret and the tank gun on the fuselage, had been changed to a model with the tank gun properly on the turret, becoming an enemy that couldn't be completely ignored.

If we'd had the Air Force, the situation might have been a bit better, but we pushed ahead because the weather conditions were too bad and it seemed we couldn't delay the offensive any longer, and we paid too heavy a price.

Manstein puffed on his cigar and spoke heavily.

"I apologize, Vice Minister, Your Excellency, the Field Marshal. I have no choice but to admit that I underestimated them."

Even though it was an operation that would naturally incur heavy losses—attacking a prepared enemy's defense line after crossing the Alps without the support of the Air Force, where we have clear superiority—we thought we would naturally win because the opponent was the Italian Army.

Of course, it wasn't a defeat to the Italian Army alone, but it's true that we were careless and paid a heavy price.

"No. You've led many successful operations until now, so things like this can happen. It was an operation approved by the government, so let's be more prudent in our considerations from now on."

"No.

You've led many successful operations until now, so things like this can happen. It was an operation approved by the government, so let's be more prudent in our considerations from now on."

Manstein's stiff expression softened a little at my comfort, but the situation was so bad that he couldn't offer any empty flattery.

The space to enter Italy from the Austrian border is narrow, and the terrain is the lousy Alps Mountains.

We can't just pour a large military force into a place like that, but there's a fortified position, and French-made tanks whose armor and firepower are not inferior to ours at all are waiting.

It was a defense line with no answer.

This isn't even ramming head-on into the Maginot Line.

What kind of mess is this?

Of course, I and our government had approved this operation, but even without underestimating the Italian Army, the reality was that the operations we could carry out were extremely limited due to the terrain in the first place.

Manstein let out a soft sigh.

"Vice Minister, it is most regrettable, but I don't think we will gain anything by resuming the offensive in the current situation. For now, while the new model Panzer IVs are being deployed, would it be alright to regroup the units?"

A bitter taste filled my mouth.

To be tied down like this when I have no idea what those French bastards will do next.

I looked at Minister of Defense Beck, and he nodded without complaint.

"Of course, Chief of the General Staff. We can't keep feeding our precious soldiers to the enemy."

Manstein expressed his gratitude to me, but as I answered him, my mood was not good at all.

The fortification of the Siegfried Line on the French border area has progressed sufficiently, and the people in charge are none other than Witzleben and General Model. There's no worry about it being breached, I suppose.

But as long as the Maginot Line is there, even if we go to war with France, we can't push through there.

It's not like we can stomp on the neutral country of Belgium and do a Sickle Cut Operation like in the original history.

In the end, Italy was the easy target, but that failed.

"Hmm. The commies are also a worry. This is a big problem."

As Beck said, the Soviet Union is the real problem.

The reason we pushed ahead with an unreasonable offensive and failed in the first place was that we were in a hurry.

In the east, Finland and Poland are still holding on well against the Soviet Union, but realistically, they are only holding on.

The Soviet Union overwhelms them in both weight class and industrial power, so in the end, they will be the ones at a disadvantage as time goes on.

If that side starts to collapse, we'll have no choice but to give greater help in some form…

If this situation drags on, nothing good will come of it for us.

We could face the worst nightmare of a two-front war against France and the Soviet Union, but what we can do is so limited.

I have to do something about this.

How can I land another blow on those damn French bastards?