บท 192: 192
Episode 192: Toward Victory (5)
"Nice to meet you again, Minister Molotov. "It's been a while."
"Hahaha... Oh, it's been a while, Mr. President."
Parties held in countries at war to welcome envoys from the invading countries were frequent throughout history, but parties held after the breakdown of peace talks were unheard of.
Molotov shook hands awkwardly with Hitler, who welcomed him.
When Molotov heard that Hitler was coming to see him at a dinner party, he was dumbfounded and did not know what was going on. It is strange that a banquet is being held when the meeting did not end well, and that the President himself is coming.
The war did not end with the signing of the Armistice Agreement, nor did Germany fall behind in the war.
Although Germany is waging war with Britain in the west, it is continuing to make victories day after day on the eastern front.
But why is he being so kind to the delegation of the enemy country that is losing?
Even though it was an enemy country, the banquet was too extravagant to be considered basic courtesy towards guests.
"Please say hello. "This is Hess, Acting Führer."
"Oh my, it's been a while. "We met in Moscow before, right?"
"Is that so...?"
The dinner was attended by many high-ranking figures in Germany, including Führer Hitler, Ribbentrop, Hess, Todt, Speer, Frieck, and Rosenberg.
The dinner began with the SS honor guard playing songs that suited the party atmosphere.
"Let's all raise a toast to the guests who came from far away. Although the road to peace is long and long, won't this too pass someday? Now, let's forget everything for today and simply enjoy it!"
"Sieg Heil!"
"Heil Hitler!"
While all the German attendees shouted "Long Live Victory", the Soviet attendees between them smiled awkwardly and raised their glasses.
The glass contained expensive French champagne that was difficult to obtain in the Soviet Union.
"Minister Molotov, I don't know how the Secretary is doing. "It's already been eight months since I last saw you, and I'd like to meet you whenever I get the chance."
"ha ha ha. "When I return, I will definitely tell this to Comrade Secretary General."
Even though Molotov felt embarrassed every time he saw Hitler constantly pretending to be friendly and talking to him in a friendly manner, he faced the German Führer with a smile like a skilled diplomat.
As the dinner was getting ready, Hitler spoke quietly to Molotov.
"Anyway, it's such a pity. "I thought this was my chance to put an end to this damn war."
Molotov seemed to come to his senses when he heard those words. He looked around, confirmed that not many people were paying attention, and opened his mouth.
"So do i. But there is nothing we can do. "The Caucasus is essential to the Soviet Union."
"Well, I guess it's because the minister also has his own difficulties. I understand. Still, rather than going right away tomorrow, how about staying a few days longer? "It doesn't necessarily have to be in Breslau."
"Thank you for your kindness, but I will only accept your heart. Let's enjoy the sightseeing next time we visit."
"It's not just empty words, make sure to do that. Ah, and although this is a small gift, it is a gift I have prepared."
As Hitler clapped his hands lightly, Krause approached with a small box.
Inside the box, which looked luxurious at first glance, was a wristwatch made by Germany's best watchmaker.
"A top-of-the-line watch made by special order from A. Lange & Söhne."
A Lange and Söhne is Germany's best watch manufacturer, founded in the Kingdom of Saxony in 1845 by watchmaker Ferdinand Adolf Lange, and was renowned for its high quality and gorgeous, sophisticated appearance that rivaled Swiss luxury watches.
"It was made as a gift to General Secretary Stalin when he visited Germany, as I mentioned before, but the war broke out as soon as the watch was finished."
"I don't know if I dare accept this."
"Please accept it without any reservations. This is what it was made for in the first place. "I hope the Secretary General will like it too."
Molotov opened his mouth involuntarily at the flashy and luxurious appearance.
A platinum-plated watch body with a flowing second hand and a shiny black cowhide leather belt. It was an expensive item that even high-ranking executives, who were said to have bought it in the Soviet Union, could hardly get their hands on.
A total of three watches were prepared. One is for Stalin, the other is for Molotov.
The last one is...
"Whose is the remaining one?"
"Ah, this is General Zhukov's."
"You mean General Zhukov?"
Molotov was taken aback by the unexpected answer that came from Hitler's mouth. Why does Zhukov's name appear here?
Hitler, seeing Molotov's embarrassed face, waved his hand as if it was no big deal.
"Don't misunderstand. It contains admiration for the efforts and fighting spirit shown by General Zhukov, even though he was an enemy. Even back in the Middle Ages, weren't there many cases where gifts were sent out of respect to enemies? "You can think of it as an extension of that."
***
September 7, 1942
USSR Moscow Kremlin Palace
"So… Hitler said that?"
"Yes, Comrade Secretary."
As the days passed, Molotov returned to Moscow.
After arriving in Moscow, Molotov met with Stalin in the evening and reported on events in Germany.
Everything from the beginning of the meeting to the results and even the words exchanged at the dinner party.
The gift that Hitler gave to Molotov was disassembled down to every screw and thoroughly analyzed by NKVD engineers.
When Molotov finished dictating, Stalin closed his eyes and fell into thought.
After a while, Stalin opened his closed eyes and spoke, staring at the ceiling instead of Molotov's eyes.
"That's so strange. Why was Hitler so nice to his comrade?"
There were more than one or two suspicious points that could be considered simple diplomatic courtesy.
Even though the meeting did not go well and ended on the contrary, the President personally attended and even held a banquet.
"Still, we had an encounter in the past, so as a courtesy to that..."
"Hitler is not such a simple person. "It must be because he has a plan."
Isn't this proof that Germany's situation is also urgent? The thought occurred to him briefly, but Stalin quickly put it out of his mind.
If Germany had been in an urgent situation, it would have signed an armistice right away without even asking for the Caucasus.
Therefore, the speculation that Germany, which was internally unstable, was trying to impress Molotov in order to beg for the signing of an armistice agreement was unrealistic.
"First of all, you had a hard time, comrade. "You must have had a hard time traveling back and forth between the Soviet Union and Germany, so please go back and get some rest."
Molotov bowed politely and left the office.
After Molotov left the Kremlin, Stalin pressed a button on his desk.
Three minutes after pressing the button, a sturdy NKVD colonel entered the office and saluted politely.
"Did anything come out of Hitler's gift?"
"Nothing, Comrade Secretary."
"No?"
"yes. "It's an ordinary watch with no poisons, no explosives, no stings."
Stalin felt somewhat lost at the colonel's words. The watch Hitler gave did not contain anything that Stalin was concerned about.
A gift to the leader of an enemy country at war. Hitler, what on earth are you thinking?
As time went on, Stalin became less able to understand Hitler's intentions.
Maybe it's just bad ridicule. It may have been a gift given with the purpose of ridiculing Stalin and the Soviet Union, like a rich man laughing at a beggar and throwing gold coins at him.
But I never heard that Hitler had such a hobby.
On the day the armistice agreement was signed with Italy, I served the Italian delegation some bizarre food, such as pizza with sliced pineapple and grilled food.
······Now that I think about it, I think that is also mockery.
In addition to the gift of a watch whose intentions were unknown, there were other factors that complicated Stalin's mind.
It was a report written directly by NKVD agents disguised as members of the People's Commissariat of Foreign Affairs among the members of the negotiating team who followed Molotov to Germany.
The report stated that Hitler and Molotov remained 'suspiciously friendly'.
It was also very suspicious that in addition to Hitler and Ribbentrop, a large number of high-ranking German figures such as Hess, Frick, Todt, and Speer attended the dinner.
If it was just a simple welcome dinner, there was no reason for them to attend.
And it was very suspicious that they even prepared a separate gift for Zhukov, who was not present.
Hitler's overly friendly attitude towards Molotov, the high-ranking figures of the Third Reich who attended the dinner, and the luxury watches set aside for Molotov and Zhukov.
What on earth do these mean?
'······if?'
Doesn't Hitler believe that Molotov or Zhukov are likely to become the next leaders of the Soviet Union?
Even if you don't become Secretary General, are you hoping to do so?
Or, it could be that they are laying the groundwork to draw the two into pro-Germany.
When I thought about it that way, all the suspicious circumstances mentioned above began to make sense. There are even suspicions that Zhukov's relatives were in contact with German agents.
The burden of war and the stress that came from it were enough to worsen Stalin's chronic suspicion.
In fact, Hitler never left any comments about Molotov and Zhukov, but the suspicion that had begun grew endlessly.
***
September 8, 1942
New Fuhrer's Residence in Berlin, Germany
"You Stalin guy, your head must be exploding by now, right?"
"I have nothing but admiration for His Excellency the President's insight."
"How can you come up with such an idea? Even if we die or wake up, we will not be able to match the brains of His Excellency the President."
"That's it, that's enough. It's hard to get excited already when the effects haven't been directly seen yet. "The greater the expectations, the greater the disappointment."
The idea of showing excessive hospitality to Molotov and sending him a gift was an idea that occurred to him momentarily during the meeting.
How would Stalin react if he, who was already under a lot of stress because he was losing the war, did something with suspicious intentions and even sent him a gift?
Even so, Stalin was suspicious of not only his close associates, but even his own family and relatives, so he sent them to the Gulag. Of course, wouldn't he look suspicious?
I am sure that by now Stalin is racking his brain trying to figure out what my intentions are.
Molotov and Zhukov's every move would have been monitored by Stalin, and those who were close to them would also have been registered as targets of Stalin's surveillance.
Of course, this is just my wish and there is a possibility that it passed without any trouble, but Stalin, who I know was in the terminal stage of a suspicious disease, was never a great person to ignore this.
He is a guy who pretends that his suspicions are reasonable even if he makes up evidence when there is no evidence, but there is no way he can get over the fact that he is openly giving off a suspicious smell.
"Still, it's a shame that the armistice agreement was canceled. "It was an opportunity to end the war quickly."
"It's because the communists haven't come to their senses yet. "Don't worry too much."
"you're right. Soon the Wehrmacht will burn down Moscow and deliver the news of victory to His Excellency the Fuehrer."
"Okay, while we're at it, I'd like to ask, how far did the Central Group Army advance? "We should arrive at the mosque before Rasputitsa begins."
"The Central Army Group is now in Byajma. At the current rate, we could arrive in Moscow around October. "Don't worry."
***
September 9, 1942
Soviet Union
"SS Lieutenant Wittmann! SS Lieutenant Wittmann!"
"······What is it again?"
"It's dispatch. "The front line has now been breached..."
Mr. Ha.
Wittmann, who had been taking a nap while sitting in the tank commander's seat, frowned when he heard the word "dispatch." The 320th Infantry Division, which was advancing ahead, was surprised by the Soviet army and allowed a breakthrough.
"The dispatches are becoming more frequent. "The Roskees are becoming more and more toxic."
"This is a warning from the battalion commander. "They tell us to be especially careful because the Soviet army's new tank has been spotted."
"A new tank? Oh, that T-34 with the 85mm main gun? Was the name T-34/85?"
"That's probably right."
The T-34/85, which began to be seen on the front lines at the end of August, is rumored to be more dangerous than the T-34/76 equipped with a 76mm gun, called the T-34-85 according to the original designation. It was a shame, but Wittmann didn't really care.
Even so, they are a level below Tiger, so is there any need to be afraid?
Wittmann, who a month ago had become the first German soldier in the SS and Wehrmacht to destroy 60 enemy tanks and was awarded the Knight's Cross by SS Senior General Paul Hauser, was even nominated for the Knight's Cross of the White Leaf.
He, who turned dozens of tanks into scrap metal, had no fear of any enemy with the Tiger.
"Let's go hunting Roske! Tanks advance!"
After completing preparations, the six Tigers raced to the front lines.
About 10 minutes after departure, Wittmann encountered the enemy.
"stop. "They are at 1 o'clock."
The number of tanks discovered by Wittmann was approximately 30. The size was well over two companies, and nearly half of them were T-34/85s.
Wittmann was the first one I saw today.
I guess those are the new tanks. The hull was the same as that of the T-34, but the turret was different.
It was a larger tank than the T-34 equipped with a 76mm gun, and its main gun was larger and longer.
'That long main gun must be threatening.'
"Take care of those with long guns first! "Load armor-piercing bullets!"
"Loaded!"
As Richter loaded the armor-piercing round, Ball finished aiming. The ball was aimed at the center of the T-34 as usual.
"Aim complete!"
"Shoot!"
As 88 roared, the Soviet army's new tank exploded and stopped. A yellow tongue of fire stuck out through a hole in the front.
"Destroy enemy tanks!"
"Good job. next!"
As Wittmann predicted, the performance of the T-34/85 was lower than that of the Tiger.
However, the T-34/85 is equipped with a new turret with stronger armor than the T-34/76, so its defense power is superior to that of the T-34/76, limited to the turret. The 85mm S tank gun has a longer range and higher penetration than the 76mm F-34 tank gun. Equipped with the -53 tank gun, it was able to penetrate the Tiger's frontal armor at 700m.
Considering that the T-34/76 had to approach within 100m to penetrate the Tiger's frontal armor, it was a far superior performance.
"Platoon, be careful of your distance from the enemy! "Take down the 85mm guys first!"
-Received!
As I was frantically reducing the number of T-34s, an assault gun that looked like I had never seen before appeared and rushed towards the scene where the battle was taking place.
"What is that ugly guy?"
ugly. That was Wittmann's assessment after first encountering the SU-203. In fact, the appearance of the SU-203 was so bad that even the Soviet military disparaged it as ugly.
However, regardless of its appearance, the SU-203's firepower could never be said to be low-level.
-Quaaaaaang!!!
"Crazy, what!?"
Wittmann, who saw a flash of light the size of a house exploding from SU-203, reflexively closed his eyes.
Even though I was wearing headphones, my ears were tingling from the heavy drinking. It hurt so much that it felt like blood was flowing from my ears.
But the more shocking sight was the Tiger overturned on its side.
Wittmann was astonished at the sight of a heavy tank weighing nearly 48 tons lying upside down like a tin can, even though the shell did not hit the target and landed at close range.
"Aim at that bastard! "Shoot as soon as you finish aiming!"
"Oh, I understand!"
As Ball's somewhat embarrassed voice came over the intercom, Wittmann's eyes followed the SU-203.
After firing the shell from earlier, it moved behind the destroyed wreckage.
It would definitely take a long time to load enough shells for that large main gun.
It was clear that they were trying to hide because they were defenseless while the shells were being loaded.
However, before he could hide behind the rubble, Ball, who had completed his aim, fired.
When an 88mm armor-piercing round hit the side of the SU-203's fighting compartment, a huge explosion occurred, dozens of times larger than the main body.
The explosion was so large that the T-34/85 behind the SU-203 was also swept up in the explosion, its main gun was damaged and its track was broken, rendering it incapable of combat.
***
Although there was a brief crisis, the battle ended in German victory.
As the 20th T-34 burst into flames, the Soviets stopped their attack and retreated. The Germans pursued the retreating Soviet troops and destroyed four more aircraft.
The damage suffered by the German army was not enough to be ignored.
One Tiger was rendered unable to fight by the SU-203's close-range bombs, and the other was attacked by the T-34/85, which approached close range, and the lower part of the hull was penetrated.
The four remaining Tigers each suffered major or minor damage, so maintenance was inevitable.
Even when the battle was over, the tank crews could not easily smile. Because I felt with my own skin today what awaits them in the future.
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