Chapter 4: Birth of an Alliance
11th of February 1938 to 16th of November 1938
20th of April 1938, Wehrmacht training grounds in Brandenburg
General Student meets General Guderian
General Student: “Heinz, I would like to ask for your support. I think if we could convince den Führer and Feldmarschall von Brauchitsch to start investing in Fallschirmjägerdivisionen, our tactical options would increase massively.”
General Guderian: “To be honest the idea has never really come to mind. Why would you like me to support you in this?”
General Student: “Well, your word is carrying huge weight after your successes in Spain. And I do believe that a strong force of Fallschirmjäger would be beneficial to your Blitzkrieg as well! A force of airborne infantry can land on the opposing side of strategically important rivers, making it easy for your Panzerwaffe to actually cross them. On top of that, both doctrines require air superiority to work to their greatest effect. And finally, the Luftwaffe already has the transport planes we would need to put such divisions to actual use.”
General Guderian: “Very well. You have my support. But I would like to ask you a favor in return. My aide-de-camp, Johann, has shown astounding skill in planning the logistics of military operations. I think it is time for him to go play on the big field. In the staff of the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht.”
General Student: “Deal. You must be really impressed with his skills.”
General Guderian: “He is very promising. In his spare time, he came up with an invasion plan on Czechoslovakia.”
General Student: “Impressive indeed.”
24th of May 1938, Reichsaußenministerium
Kurt and Gerhard are having lunch
Kurt: “It is truly amazing what kind of fight the Chinese are putting up against the Japanese army. To think that they actually managed to force Mengkukuo into surrender…”
Gerhard: “Indeed. You’d actually think that a country as advanced as Japan would wipe the floor with the Chinese. German military training or not.
Kurt: “The dice have yet to finish rolling. The Chinese have started pushing into Manchuria. But Japan is still ruling the seas, which allows it to supply its beachheads. If the Japanese can make a push up from Qingdao, most of the Chinese forces would be cut off in Manchuria and starving for supplies.”
Gerhard: “The progress of the war thus far has shown that the Japanese are not able to make any quick thrusts into China. Save for some naval invasions.”
7th of September 1938, Silesia neat the Czechoslovakian border
Johann and General Guderian inspect bunkers on the Sudetenline
General Guderian: “It is truly ironic; don’t you think?”
Johann: “What is, Herr General?”
General Guderian: “The Western Powers help us carve up Czechoslovakia while announcing an alliance to keep our expansion in check on the very same day.”
Johann: “It is indeed. Those bunkers in the forested terrain would have given us some serious trouble. That’s why, in the wargame, I suggested pincers from Vienna, where the terrain is more favorable and the defenses less deep.”
General Guderian: “I have seen your plans. I showed them first to General Student and then to Feldmarschall von Brauchitsch. Needless to say, he was impressed and wants you on the planning staff of the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht. The change is coming into effect on January 1st, 1939.”
Johann: “I don’t know what to say, Herr General…”
General Guderian: “’Vielen Dank!’ ought to be sufficient. Now you don’t have to waste your talent planning the logistics and advances of a single Panzergruppe. Instead you can put your mind to work on the entire Wehrmacht. When you plan an assault, just remember me and give me an assault axis that yields some glory.”
16th of November 1938, German Embassy in Budapest
Gerhard and Foreign Minister von Ribbentrop just closed a deal
Von Ribbentrop: “Great work on the preparations and negotiations. Von Neurath was right about your skills.”
Gerhard: “Vielen Dank, mein Herr! But may I speak freely?”
Von Ribbentrop: “Go ahead, by all means.”
Gerhard: “Should we really be awarding territories to minor nations? Especially if we could easily occupy both ourselves?”
Von Ribbentrop: “You just answered your own question. We would have to occupy it ourselves. Meaning we would have to devote resources and manpower to it. If the Hungarians are willing to take back some of their old territories, why not? If we help them achieve it, we may very well gain valuable alliances.”
Gerhard: “What about the Munich Agreement?”
Von Ribbentrop: “The Munich Agreement and the deal we just made only proves Herr Goebbels’ propaganda that the Western democracies are weak pushovers, not fit for handling the questions of our time.”
Gerhard: “So we will eventually have to decide the great questions of our time with blood and iron…”
Von Ribbentrop: “Not iron. Steel."