Chapter XXXIII
In which Europe goes up in flames.
1940
The man was sitting behind his large oak desk, alone in his office. He has been there for several hours now, it was late night already. A very difficult decision was weighing down on his shoulder. It was raining and the night was unusually cold even for the season. And he knew it will get worse before it would get better.
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- Take care of him for me, will you?
- We are going to be stationed in the same city but that's it. I couldn't look after Hans even if I wanted to.
- And
what are we going to
do there, anyway?
- You will be informed when you need to. And we serve in completely different Army Corps of different Armies, how should I have any idea what your orders will be? For all I know, they might send you right over to England.
-
England?!
- He is surely joking, honey! If you were going to England, why would they send you to Düsseldorf? Why not say Wilhelmshaven?
- To confuse the British!
- Martin!
- Alright, alright. Anyway, you already participated in a landing and it wasn't that bad, was it?
- But that was against the
Soviets! The British have a
Navy!
- True. But if it comes to a landing in Britain, you surely will get the cover you need from both the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe. And once you land, the Heer will take care of the enemy. No need to worry.
- It
would be good to believe you,
really...
- Everything will be fine, just don't forget to write often!
- I won't forget, I
promise!
- And always read the news! It's very healthy to be well informed.
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1940, November
He stood up and stepped over to the window. The city was dark at night in fear of enemy bombers. The long arms of the enemy could reach even here. They could do very little damage when they did come this far, but it was better not to provide them any targets. Even his office was dark, and even during such a rainy night. And of course there was nobody on the streets. Not that he could see them if there were any. He turned away from the window, back to his worries.
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November 1, 1940
As it turns out, the boys were right. We were deployed close to the Turkish border and now we are at war with them. Some of them argued that we will invade Persia, and they may also turn out right in the end. Noone can be sure anymore. Seargent Martinovic was of the opinion that they shouldn't be guessing in the first place.
On November 1, 1940, the German Reich declared war on Republic of Turkey, as a response to them declining to sign the Tripartite Pact.
Our Division won't participate in the fighting, for the moment at least. Currently we are tasked with defending the Corps HQ. As for what we need to defend it from, I have no idea, nor do I care. As long as we don't have to go into any swamps, I'm a happy man.
Last week I shot a deer. We were on patrol with three of the boys led by Seargent Martinovic and one of them spotted this majestic animal. We all crouched an I took aim with my rifle. One of us must have made some noise because the prey noticed us and I had to act quickly. I didn't miss, but the shot was not as good as I intended it to be. Seargent Martinovic had to shoot it again with his pistol when we got close. The cook was overjoyed when we got back to the camp. I had worse.
Seargent Martinovic said that the war is getting serious in Europe as well. Not that it wasn't serious before, but now it is even more so, because the Reich has declared war on the Netherlands. Something about British submarines being aided by the Dutch Navy. I'm not sure how that was possible, but it doesn't really matter now, the deed is done. The Dutch choose the wrong side in this ever-growing whirlwind of clashing nations some are calling a World War. The name fits well, as I'm sure, soon enough the whole World will be consumed by this conflict.
On November 1, 1940, the German Reich declared war on the Kingdom of the Netherlands as well, following some (probably forged) incidents with Dutch naval vessels interfering in fighting between German coastal defence ships and British submarines.
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1940, November 10
It would only take a short telephone call. All he needed to do was reach out... He raised his hand and almost touched the telephone but something stopped him. There would be consequences he needs to consider first, serious consequences. He sat back, staring at the painting on the opposite end of the office. It depicted a very important moment in the history of the nation. Dozens of statesmen and military officers were cheering with their swords drawn, as the new monarch was crowned, an Empire declared. The dawn of a new era. If he makes this decision, it could be a similarly important step towards the final goal, but it wouldn't provide for such a grandiose picture. A man making a telephone call is not comparable with that scene, yet the impact of this decision would be felt for years to come.
It must have been past mindight by then yet he still couldn't reach a conclusion. He took a sip of his coffee. It became a rather expensive commodity recently. He still couldn't get used to the taste but already became dependent on the effect. The responsibilities he had were too much of a burden to bear without it.
*** *** *** *** ***
- This can't be good... - Martin was reading the report Erwin just brought him. It came from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. King Leopold III of Belgium convinced his government to allow French troops to pass through Belgian territory in order to help out the Dutch, bypassing the Siegfried Line. - Do you know what this means?
- Of course I do! The Heer will soon start to kill Frenchies at last.
- You are a fool, Erwin, and you do very little to hide it. This means that Belgium is now a
de facto member of the Allies!
- Yeah? So what? Should we be afraid of them?
- Of them? No. But with the Wehrmahct focused on the Dutch army stranded in the North, the French might cause trouble if they manage to flank our forces!
- And what are the odds of that?
- I don't know, but the possibility is there. And the terrain is unfavourable in Belgium, too. Back in the Great War, they had it easy, because all they had were soldiers and horses with the occasional cannon. But our Panzers are much less effective in those forests. Not to mention the rivers!
- You are a pessimist, that's your problem! This map here clearly shows how fast the Heer progressed in the Netherlands. Why would it be any different in Belgium?
In a short week, the Dutch Army is cut off from the Capital in the Northern part of the country.
- That map is three days old, Erwin, a lot of things happened in that time. But the main difference between the two is that the Dutch were cut off from direct support from the Allies, their only option to get reinforcements would have been via the Channel, and the Kriegsmarine could prevent even that. Belgium served as a kind of a neutral wall, much like that Yunnan warlord still does in Asia. Belgium was probably threatened with war or something by France to pull them in. Then again, it was only a matter of time before they got involved anyway, so I think I can understand their point...
- Alright, but what now? Do you really think that we will be defeated because Belgium went their way?
- It is a distinct possibility, yes, but only if the French manage to act fast enough and cut off our forces. I don't think it will come to that. Still, with most of the French forces redeploying into Belgium, I doubt that we will see another Blitzkrieg...
*** *** *** *** ***
1940, November 10. Berlin
His original plans went up in flames the day before: it was now completely unfeasable to launch an amphibious invasion. He sat back on his chair and took another look at the reports before him. Now that Belgium is open to them, the French armies previousely defending the border with Italy are being redeployed to the North to hold off the German advance. Meanwhile, in Africa, things were quiet. The Reich's advance into Turkey was slow and indecisive. The entire Mediterranean was under firm Allied control, and this was not to be changed for a long time.
He stood up and went to the hanger, taking his coat and hat. He made his decision. This was not the time. Yet.
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