Between December and January, Colonel Walther Model returned to Berlin.
He was such a busy man that after a single greeting, I barely saw him.
The tide of the Spanish Civil War had completely turned in favor of the Nationalist faction.
The Republican faction had completely lost the Northern Theater, and with the Nationalists pressing their advantage all the way to Valencia, the Republicans had reportedly moved their capital to Barcelona.
In the meantime, Lieutenant Colonel Richthofen had been promoted to Colonel, and he sent a long letter full of praise for the impressive military gains of the early model of the famous ‘Stuka’ Junkers Ju-87 dive bomber, and that it was the most suitable aircraft for the dive bombing we had discussed.
I had been worried about Klemens, but after seeing his letter, which had less than a tenth about his unit and was full of nothing but boasts about Raphaela, I decided to stop worrying.
That damned batchmate of mine.
-
February 4, 1938
Northern Germany, Berlin, Berlin War Ministry, Army General Staff Headquarters
“This is absurd! That bastard Hitler is determined to swallow the military whole!”
The most senior person in the German military, General of the Infantry Gerd von Rundstedt, slammed his desk and let out an angry roar.
“The High Command of the Armed Forces?! To revive something abolished over a decade ago and seat that incompetent Keitel. Isn't he just saying he'll put up a figurehead and use us like his own henchmen!”
“Indeed, Chief of the General Staff.
We can’t just let this happen! The Minister of Defense’s wife is a prostitute and the Commander-in-chief of the Army is a homosexual?! Is there any slander more disgraceful than this! This incident is clearly a fabrication!”
Erwin von Witzleben passionately argued, seconding Rundstedt’s opinion. Facing the two Generals of the Infantry, the German Army Chief of General Staff, Ludwig Beck, touched his forehead as if he had a headache.
Werner von Blomberg, the Field Marshal of the German Army and Minister of Defense, had been threatened by an enraged Hitler—after the Secret Police reported that his new wife was a prostitute—to either divorce her or have it announced to the press, and so he had simply resigned.
Immediately after, Werner von Fritsch, the Commander-in-chief of the Army, was pressured with the disgraceful accusation of being a homosexual and resigned as well.
In a single moment, the two men who were the high command of the German Army were ousted, and when the Nazis declared they would revive the High Command of the Armed Forces to oversee the three military branches and directly control the military, the military was thrown into chaos.
“…Hmph, what do you think?”
Beck asked the opinion of his favored subordinate, whom he had unofficially appointed as the next Chief of General Staff.
“…With all due respect, Chief of the General Staff. Field Marshal Blomberg could have protected his honor by clearly stating the suspicions were false or by getting a divorce, yet he refused and resigned himself.
So this cannot be called simple slander…”
“What are you talking about! Major General Manstein! Are you suggesting we just stand by and watch?!”
The man advising Beck, Major General Erich von Manstein, flinched at Rundstedt’s scolding and shut his mouth.
But wasn't it the truth? If he had just given up that one wife, it would have ended with his position being slightly shaken, but the one who caused this trouble by refusing to divorce was Blomberg himself.
A part of the military, which placed extreme importance on honor and had grown accustomed to the patriarchal society that became more dominant under the Nazis, thought so.
Of course, Manstein’s true intentions were a little different.
As a man of undeniable ability but who was also extremely opportunistic and ambitious, he wanted to avoid any incident that would get him entangled in others’ affairs and hinder his own career advancement.
The position of next Army Chief of General Staff would fall into his lap if he just stayed quiet, so why on earth would he take the risk of setting up an angle of confrontation with the regime?
However, contrary to Manstein's hopes, the deliberating Beck opened his mouth.
“How many would join if we were to demand an investigation for fact-finding?”
“There are quite a few who feel the unfairness of this incident.”
At Witzleben’s confident words, Beck hesitated for a moment, and Manstein quickly interjected.
“But Chief of the General Staff. The military is fundamentally politically neutral.
.”
“Isn't Hitler interfering with that very military!”
Manstein, who had tried to dissuade him one last time, retreated again at Rundstedt’s scolding, and in the end, Beck nodded.
“Very well, let’s demand a fact-finding investigation. No matter how I think about it, this incident is suspicious.”
A short while later, the high command of the Army General Staff, led by Chief of the General Staff Ludwig Beck, General of the Infantry Gerd von Rundstedt, and General of the Infantry Erwin von Witzleben, officially demanded an investigation for fact-finding regarding the Blomberg–Fritsch Affair.
It was an extremely common-sensical request for an investigation into a suspicious incident.
The problem was that the Nazis who would receive it were not a common-sensical group.
-
February 13, 1938
Northern Germany, Berlin, Suburban area
[All Friction with Austria Resolved! Another Diplomatic Victory for the Great Führer!]
On a lazy Sunday, I was enjoying some rare leisure time, sitting in a nearly empty cafe in a suburb, looking at the extremely provocative newspaper headline.
The High Command of the Armed Forces (OKW) had been established, and Wilhelm Keitel, known within the Wehrmacht as just a nice desk-keeper, had been appointed as the Commander-in-chief of the OKW.
Of course, he had no real power, and he was nothing more than a figurehead president for handing down Hitler’s orders to the Wehrmacht.
The reinvestigation into the Blomberg–Fritsch Affair, demanded by the Army’s elder Rundstedt and Chief of General Staff Beck, was completely ignored by the Nazi Regime, then buried by today’s news.
Yesterday, on February 12, Austria’s Chancellor Kurt Schuschnigg, unable to withstand Hitler’s pressure, had agreed to appoint Arthur Seyss-Inquart, the leader of the Austrian Nazi Party, as Minister of the Interior.
Hitler and Germany had tried to take over Austria in 1934, but they failed and tasted defeat due to the backlash from Mussolini, who saw Austria as part of his fascist sphere of influence.
Mussolini only became friendly to Hitler after he was internationally isolated when Britain and France, once his allies, fiercely condemned his 1935 invasion of Ethiopia, and only Hitler supported him.
Surprisingly, it hasn't been that long.
With proof that Austria, which had to back down due to Mussolini's check, was now firmly incorporated into Germany's sphere of influence, all of Germany was once again singing the praises of the Führer's greatness.
“Here you are.”
“Ah, thank you.”
After receiving the coffee from Claudia, I glanced at the newspaper headline and opened my mouth.
“Has the Frankfurter Zeitung become quite a pro-government newspaper?”
“Oh, heavens no.
This was sent directly from the Ministry of Propaganda. If we don’t want to face discontinuation of publication, we have to accept that much.”
“Aha.”
I see.
It's the work of Doctor Goebbels, that man?
Well, obscuring the eyes of the public with this sort of case is his specialty.
I had grown quite close to Claudia and the personnel of the Frankfurter Zeitung.
When I asked them to publish a risky editorial to test them, they were worried for my safety and suggested we revise parts of it, to the point that I had to apologize for testing them.
“So-? Does our promising Captain have any intel for me?”
“I’ve been curious for a while, Reporter Jung.
It’s the weekend, don’t you rest?”
“I'm often told I'm a workaholic.”
Claudia answered lightly while drinking her coffee.
She was a reporter for the Political and Military Affairs Department.
I had wondered why a female reporter who seemed so distant from the military was assigned to me, and her answer was a masterpiece.
‘The more high-and-mighty the politicians or soldiers, the looser their lips become around a pretty woman.’
I thought for a moment before I spoke.
“Well, the military’s suspicions will probably be covered up and pass. But they won’t just let the military personnel who demanded a reinvestigation go.”
“Hmm- Forgive me for asking, as the one receiving the tip, but where is the source of such information?”
I simply smiled at Claudia’s question.
“Another secret matter.
To be honest, I'm really curious. You were right about there being a request for reinvestigation and even about the military personnel who requested it, but we'll have to wait and see this time too, right?”
“I suppose so.
It’s not like it’s anything I can write an article about anyway, so I find you, who remains so curious, to be more fascinating.”
“I have a personal interest.
Knowing in advance could be helpful somehow- and, well. Just as you tested me, Captain, I'd like to verify the extent of your intelligence capability.”
“To a mere captain?”
“You are a General Staff Candidate, and also the son of the former Minister, a tycoon in financial circles. Besides, as you know, it’s not easy to find a military officer who is favorable to a liberal-leaning newspaper company like ours.”
The Wehrmacht basically espouses political neutrality, but in reality, most high-ranking officers of noble birth are anti-democratic royalist faction personnel, influenced by the tradition handed down from the German Empire.
The younger soldiers of commoner origin are often fervent supporters of Hitler and the Nazis, who have torn up the Treaty of Versailles and are in the process of rearmament.
As she said, there would be almost no military officers favorable to the liberal-leaning press.
In any case, I welcome this kind of interest.
I have to build up my value and trust in advance to be able to receive rather risky help when it's really important.
“…Hmm.
There will be a riot in Austria soon.”
“What?”
With a slightly dumbfounded look, Claudia glanced at the newspaper headline I had spread on the table—the one about all friction with Austria being resolved—then looked back at me.
It hurts a little when you look at me so blatantly as if I'm talking nonsense…
But this reaction isn't unreasonable. At this point, Hitler really thinks the Austrian problem has been solved.
Hitler initially demanded an invasion of Austria, but when the military backlash was too strong (which resulted in the Blomberg–Fritsch Affair), he settled for putting pressure on Austria to plant Nazi personnel in the Austrian government and make it a definite pro-German country.
The result of that was yesterday's appointment of Arthur Seyss-Inquart as Minister of the Interior.
But the Austrian Nazi Party members will interpret this incident differently and start running wild on their own.
They’ll start rampaging, thinking unification with Germany could happen at any moment, and a panicked Austria will try to hold a referendum against unification with Germany to suppress them, only to incur Hitler's wrath and have it all blow up.
That is the Annexation of Austria, the Anschluss.
“Well… official diplomacy and behind-the-scenes maneuvering are separate things.”
“…Excuse me, but do you have any connections in the Nazi Party or the SS?”
Claudia’s eyes turned quite wary as she asked. Was she imagining a grim twist where the person she thought was on her side was actually the Gestapo (Nazi Secret Police)?
“Honestly, if I were Gestapo, I think I would have made you an unemployed person first, Reporter.”
“You’re not taking me to a concentration camp, then.”
“No, well, there's no case for that yet.”
As the two of us exchanged silly jokes, the tension seemed to ease, and Claudia’s expression relaxed a bit.
“So, why are you giving me such hard-to-believe information?”
“…Well, whether you believe it or not is your choice, Reporter.
I trust all of you at the Frankfurter Zeitung and will continue to be of help. So, I’m in your care.
Something like that?”
“I may not look it, but I’ve been a reporter for a few years, and I really can’t get a read on you, Captain. I don't quite know how to deal with you.”
“I’m often told that.”
Claudia chewed on the end of her pencil and then spoke as if tossing out the words.
“…Alright. I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt.
If you’re right, our newspaper gets to land a scoop faster than anyone else.”
“I hope you get good results.”
“I’d better, right?”
“Haha.”
I acted relaxed in front of her, but in truth, I was growing more and more anxious.
The Anschluss is just around the corner, yet my father, Hjalmar Schacht, shows no particular sign.
I was frustrated, not knowing if he still lacked trust in me, or if the activities of the von Kleist Group hadn't become active yet because Ludwig Beck's resignation hadn't happened.
The time to be swept away by the waves of history is approaching, yet there is so little I can do right now.
I actually know.
Just how absurd a goal it is to think that knowing a little about the future could stop World War II, which is set to erupt from a combination of the great powers' interests, Germany's victim mentality, and madness.
But to just sit still and be swept away by the coming era means that only waves of steel and a sea of blood are waiting.
So I have no choice but to struggle.
If I don't at least do that, what value is there in being alive and breathing in this era?
I truly hope that my actions are meaningful.