Bab 44: 44
de invasion (3)
"This is a report from General Rundstedt. It is said that the Polish Army's 7th Infantry Division was defeated and Mokra was occupied."
"This is General Bork's report. Successfully surrounded the Polish army in the Danzig Corridor. "Completion of clearing out the remnants of the Polish army in Danzig."
"They say our troops have just captured Mikouf."
"Slovakia declared war on Poland, and Hungary and Romania declared neutrality. "President Tissot has contacted the Defense Forces saying he will cooperate fully."
I nodded quietly as I listened to the news of victory pouring in like a flood.
Army Group North, commanded by Senior General Fedor von Bock, joined General Georg von Küchler's 3rd Army, which moved south from East Prussia, completely separating the Danzig Corridor from Poland.
Danzig fell and the Polish army on the Hell peninsula was isolated.
Even if there were enough supplies, the Polish army on the Hel Peninsula would no longer be a threat because there was only the sea behind them.
Army Group South, commanded by Rundstedt, was also making progress by crushing the Polish army.
Although our troops also suffered damage due to the fierce resistance of the Polish army, there were no problems with the operation.
The Polish army even mobilized an armored train to save the troops who were surrounded by the 4th Armored Division and were on the verge of annihilation during the battle to occupy Mokra.
In real history, the Polish army's armored train Śmiały (courage) left behind a movie-like performance, defeating the German 4th Panzer Division consisting of tanks 1 and 2 and rescuing surrounded troops, but such a miracle did not occur here. didn't
Symiaoui was destroyed by a volley of Panzer IVs, and half of the surrounded Polish forces surrendered.
The remaining half of the Polish army ignored the advice to surrender and attempted to escape, but was annihilated.
"Reichenau is doing well too."
Reichenau, the Army Chief of Staff, had asked me to voluntarily go to the front.
It was his wish to lead the troops directly from the front line and defeat the Polish army.
He asked so earnestly that I gave him permission, and he is running wild.
Currently, the 10th Army under his command destroyed over 200 Polish vehicles, and the number of prisoners exceeded 1,000. The advance is so fast that the supply units in the rear have a hard time supplying supplies.
Indeed, Hitler would have trusted you.
In terms of loyalty, he is as good as Goering and Goebbels, and his skills are outstanding, so I can't help but trust him.
Youngf was horrified by the news of the invasion of Poland and informed the war to stop immediately.
I answered that I had no choice but to invade Poland because the Polish army first attacked the Gleiwitz broadcasting station in Germany.
Of course, Youngf didn't even snort, but he seemed to think that the Polish army's attack on the Gleiwitz broadcasting station itself was true.
Poland desperately tried to explain that it was not their fault, but it had no effect because they had so many criminal records.
Anyway, two days later, at 12pm on September 3rd, Britain and France sent me an ultimatum.
"... Therefore, if hostilities against Poland are not stopped within five hours, or if there is no clear guarantee that they will stop, the British government has no choice but to declare war on Germany. "I look forward to your wise judgment…"
The voice of Paul Schmidt, head of the interpretation department, who read Britain's ultimatum, trembled like an aspen.
Not only Schmidt, but also Göring, Keitel, Brauchitsch, and Ribbentrop all turned white and trembled.
Leder, who had been staring at the ceiling the entire time he entered the conference room, thought to himself that the only thing left for the German Navy to do was fight and die.
Even if you're screwed, you have an expression that says you've really screwed up.
It's like seeing my face after the midterm exam when I found out that my math score was only 30 points.
Hitler, who 'barely' had not expected England to declare war over the invasion of Poland, was embarrassed and attacked Ribbentrop for no reason.
I was confident that Britain would not declare war, but the opposite happened.
"What about France? "Has there been a reaction from France yet?"
"······I think France will soon send us the same ultimatum."
Ribbentrop answered in a throaty voice.
Göring looked back at Schmidt and muttered.
"If we lose this war again, will God have mercy on us?"
"I don't know either."
Unlike my subordinates who panicked and fell into despair, I maintained my composure.
I said as if nothing had happened, sitting on the chair and savoring the tea.
"Why are you all so surprised? "Since the last time we declared that we would not remain silent if the British invade Poland, it would be even more strange if they remained silent."
"Uh, Mr. President? "It makes sense, but I think the matter is too serious to be dismissed as an ordinary incident."
Göring said, wiping the sweat from the back of his neck with a handkerchief.
"Of course, it is true that Youngf's declaration of war is not normal. But don't worry too much."
"Why?"
My aides looked at me, wondering why I could be so calm.
Could it be that you lost your mind due to too much shock? Their gaze seemed to say so.
"I'm sure everyone is wondering why I don't feel anything. Don't worry. "I definitely didn't come back to my senses from shock like you think."
"Then can you tell us the answer?"
"It's simple. "Youngf will never attack us."
***
"······Ji, do you really mean what you say?"
Göring stuttered in shock.
My God, how can someone so brilliant be so crazy? I'm worried about what happens next.
Although the country had barely escaped the scars of defeat, the country was once again on the brink of destruction.
Although Germany was not a battlefield during the last war, there was no guarantee that the same luck would repeat itself this time.
Above all, if the war were to be lost again, would a country called Germany exist? Unless Youngf is an idiot, there is no way he will leave Germany alone.
They will try to tear Germany apart by any means necessary.
As the Rhine Republic, the Bavarian Republic, the Prussian Republic, etc.
Those who started the war will be executed as war criminals.
Ah, my poor life. There are a lot of things I haven't done yet...
"Everyone seems to be convinced that I'm crazy. Are you saying I'm not crazy? I will explain now. "Listen carefully and don't say anything else later."
To Göring, who was in despair due to anxiety and worry about the future, his Fuhrer smiled brightly and began to explain.
"As I said before, neither Britain nor France escaped the nightmare of trench warfare. They say they vividly remember how their country's youth became fertilizer in the fields after carrying out a hasty attack.
That's why they'll avoid a preemptive strike and wait until we attack first. Because I firmly believe that the one who attacks first will lose. I assure you, the Youngfs will not move a single step within their territory until next spring at the latest. "Even if it moves, it will only stop at slightly crossing the border."
"But there is no clear evidence that they will do that, is there?"
Hitler readily acknowledged Goering's point.
"That's right. This is just my guess, there is no confirmation. But I'm sure it will happen. "Have my predictions ever been wrong so far?"
"That's true, but..."
Göring was confused. Is that really true?
Until now, the President's prediction had never been wrong, but there was no guarantee that it would happen this time either.
If the prediction is correct this time, Germany will definitely win the war. But what if it's the other way around?
What if the prediction is wrong this time? What should I do then?
However, Hitler, perhaps using mind reading, accurately pinpointed Göring's anxiety.
"We have taken the necessary measures in case of an emergency, so rest assured. "I don't plan on neglecting the border defense just because there's no chance of an attack by Youngf."
***
"Are these all sent by the Fuhrer?"
"I say so, Your Excellency."
Wilhelm Ritter von Lev, commander of Army Group C, which was in charge of defending the Siegfried Line, exclaimed in exclamation when he saw the 'special supplies' sent by the Fuhrer.
The supply train was loaded with almost all types of equipment.
From rifles, ammunition, clothing, and food to the massive Panzer IV and 88mm anti-aircraft guns.
"No, I heard there aren't many of these?"
Not long after mass production began, the PaK 40 anti-tank gun, which I heard was only a few dozen units in the entire army, was loaded.
Sending the most powerful of the anti-tank guns possessed by the Wehrmacht to here instead of Poland, where the battle was taking place, also meant that the Fuhrer was paying close attention to the Anglo-French army's attacks.
Army Group C's mission was to stop the French army from crossing the border and invading, but neither Lev himself nor any of his staff thought that Army Group C would be able to stop the French army.
That's why Lev didn't really like Hitler, who had appointed him as commander of Army Group C, which was nothing short of a pariah.
He says it's because he believes in his abilities, but if he really believed in himself, he would have been sent to the Polish front, not the Siegfried Line. Who would believe such a blatant lie!
However, looking at the supplies that arrived today, it seems that what Hitler said then was not empty words.
"I don't think the President thinks of us as outcasts."
"This is really unexpected."
Lev, who occasionally complained and complained about the Fuhrer in front of his staff, felt embarrassed.
Due to a lack of supplies, they had only made a superficial defense plan and were actually sabotaging the operation, but in reality, all the supplies that had arrived were of A grade, which was a strange situation.
Considering the amount of supplies needed by the entire Army Group C, the supplies that had just arrived were far from sufficient, but for those who were missing even a single gun or bullet, it was like a welcome rain in a drought.
"dismissal! dismissal!"
While everyone was looking at the supplies loaded on the train with half-surprised, half-fazed eyes, Lev's adjutant came running in with a gasp.
"This is a call from Berlin! "The President is looking for you!"
"The Fuhrer me?"
"That's right. "I think we should go quickly."
Hitler spoke in a gentle voice to Lev, who urgently answered the phone.
-General Lev? I heard that the supplies have arrived by now. Have you checked?
"I just checked and am on my way back, Mr. President."
-It looks like you arrived on time. So, do you like the gift? Although the quantity is a bit lacking, I only selected and sent grade A items as much as possible.
"Obviously, they're all nice guys."
-Oh, among the weapons that arrived this time, there must be an 88mm anti-aircraft gun. I have something to say to the general about that.
"?"
-Listen carefully to what I say and spread the message to your troops. There will be a day when I can use it properly. 88 is...
***
Unlike Germany, which was thrown into confusion by the news of England's declaration of war, Poland was in a festive mood.
"Long live England! Long live France!"
"Victory is now ours!"
Polish citizens gathered in front of the British and French embassies in Warsaw and cheered.
Since England declared war on Germany, Germany will soon have no choice but to stop its invasion.
However, the thinking of the Youngf leadership was different from that of the Poles.
"Although we have declared war, it will take some time for our army to arrive in France because the military is not prepared."
In a phone call with Daladier, Chamberlain frankly confessed the reality of the British Army.
After the Anglo-German summit, Chamberlain reassured citizens by calling for peace in our time, and later increased military spending to prepare for a possible future war with Germany.
Thanks to this, the British army has made great progress compared to 1938, but the army is not yet fully formed.
The only army capable of engaging Germany right now was the French.
Even though the French army was proud of being the strongest in Europe, they too were worried.
"Fighting against the Germans alone without the British is too much to ask!"
"But it can't be helped, right? The British army says it will take time, and Poland is clamoring to attack Germany as soon as possible!"
"Once war has been declared, battle is inevitable. Let's attack right now!"
"for a moment! Offensive action is too dangerous. Have you forgotten what happened during the Great War?"
Since the risk of attacking the German mainland was too great, there were suggestions to bombard only the border area or conduct air strikes with the air force, but the French military ultimately decided to attack the German mainland.
It was necessary to show Poland, which was resisting Germany's full-scale invasion, that France would not sit back and play.
Even though the military's thoughts were different, the French government's thoughts were the same.
"Didn't you pride yourself on being the strongest in Europe? Attack immediately. "We have to at least pretend to attack so we can lose face with Poland."
"Ah, I understand, Mr. Prime Minister."
On September 7, the French army went on the offensive, half voluntarily.
Immediately after Youngf's declaration of war, Germany issued an evacuation order in villages near the French border to evacuate residents in preparation for Youngf's attack.
When the French army crossed the border and entered the first village, there was not a single rat in sight.
The second village was also deserted like the previous village.
"Is this a completely ghost town?"
"The Germans, they all turned a blind eye without even caring about children."
"Cowards."
The French soldiers who crossed the border anxiously were relieved when they could not see any shadows of people, let alone German soldiers.
Relief soon turned into confidence, and the bold soldiers began to search every corner of the village.
Since he was dragged into the battlefield against his will, shouldn't he be compensated appropriately?
"Roland, did you find anything?"
"no. you?"
"I'm a loser too."
"Tsk. Terrible guys. "I thought I would at least leave a watch or necklace behind."
"There's nothing here either."
"A village without even a sock or a loaf of bread? Is this true?"
The French soldiers, who went on a search (read as plunder) hoping to find valuable items, quickly lost interest when they got no results.
Some soldiers could not give up their hopes until the end and searched every corner of the village until they heard the officers' cries.
"You bastards! "When did you tell them to line up, but they still haven't gathered?"
"Those coming now will stand guard at dawn for three days!"
The soldiers who had gone out to plunder with their comrades, but instead of making any profit, had suddenly found themselves standing guard at dawn, they lined up muttering.
Still, they still did not give up any hope.
There will definitely be something worth salvaging in the next village. At the very least, you might be able to find a few pennies hidden in a closet or under the carpet.
As I walked along the path marked on the map to get to the third village, something unexpected happened.
Several soldiers leapt into the air with a boom that sounded like thunder.
Blood and flesh were scattered on the ground, and birds, startled by the binge drinking, flew up making the sound of a food duck.
"Holy shit! "It's a land mine!"
"medic!"
It was the first casualty that occurred three hours after entering mainland Germany.
Among the dead soldiers, wounded soldiers with their ankles cut off by landmines screamed.
However, the soldiers behind them were unable to hastily approach the wounded soldiers out of concern that they too might step on a landmine.
Soldiers hiding in the bushes were secretly watching the French army, which was suffering from casualties caused by landmines.
The nightmare has only just begun
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