98

December 19, 1940

Hendaye near the French-Spanish border

Hendaye, bordering Spain, is a small city famous as a tourist destination in France.

I arrived in Hendaye early this morning on the private train 'America' and spent time walking along the beach with my entourage.

After returning to the train after a light tour, Yodl, head of the Ministry of Defense's operations department, handed me a report sent by the military advisory group in China.

Engineers who were sent to China on the same train as the Chinese delegation began work as soon as they got off the train.

The German engineers' mission was to teach the use of German-made anti-tank guns to National Revolutionary Army soldiers and Chinese engineers, as well as to install anti-tank guns on vehicles such as tankettes, old tanks, and tractors owned by China and convert them into new tanks.

After completing the modifications, the vehicles were immediately loaded onto trucks and sent to the front lines, and soon experienced their first combat experience.

Strictly speaking, the 'Type 50 tank', which was made by removing the turret of a Renault FT-17 imported from France and installing a PaK 38, is not a tank but an anti-tank self-propelled gun, but the National Revolutionary Army, which rarely knows how to distinguish between a tank and a self-propelled gun, gave this a Type 50 tank. They gave it the name tank.

The Type 50 tank, built by French workers, modified by German engineers, and driven by the Chinese, achieved the feat of destroying four Type 3 tanks in its first battle.

Of the three Type 50 tanks sent into battle, none suffered damage. When all Type 3 tanks were destroyed, the demoralized Japanese army retreated. For a first real match, this was a pretty good result.

Chiang Kai-shek, who had finally obtained the means to destroy the Japanese Army's Type 3 tank with a single blow, met the German engineers in person and was delighted to praise their efforts. Good, good.

I'm so happy with just the PaK 38, but I might die happy when Panzer 4 arrives.

"Mr. President, I am told that the Spanish delegation has arrived."

"okay? "Let's go soon."

***

"It is truly an honor to meet our respected President!"

Spain's dictator, Francisco Franco, smiled brightly and spread his arms.

"You can't tell me how surprised I was when I read 'Mein Struggle' written by the President. "My Struggle is still on the front row of my bookshelf, haha!"

Even though he hadn't said a word yet, Franco poured out words like firing a machine gun. It is said that southern Europeans such as Italians and Spaniards are naturally talkative, but Franco seemed to be one of the most talkative.

"Nice to meet you too, President."

"I'm sorry for keeping you waiting. The train was late. As you know, Spain is in dire straits as it has only been a year since the war ended. "In particular, the railways were the most damaged during the war, so it takes time to restore them."

"I understand."

There is a saying that Franco was late to the meeting with Hitler on purpose to avoid being dragged around by Hitler, but this is completely far from reality. In fact, the delay in Franco's arrival was not due to Franco's intention but because the railway situation in Spain was really in a mess. When Franco was late for the meeting, he went so far as to threaten to dismiss the lieutenant colonel in charge from his position.

As I passed on without saying anything, Franco was visibly relieved, took out a handkerchief and wiped the sweat from the back of his neck.

"Thank you for your understanding. As I heard, you are generous. "Germany is truly a blessed country, with a person like this being the President of Germany."

"That's too much praise, hehe."

"Without Germany's help, we would not have won the civil war. If that were the case, Spain would still be under the tyranny of communists. Just as Germany has Hitler, Spain has Franco, so aren't Germany and Spain spiritual allies? ha ha ha!"

"Ha ha ha ha ha… ."

Thank you for the compliment, but there are too many words. There was so much talk that even Paul Schmidt, an S-class interpreter, was unable to keep up with what Franco was saying and stuttered.

There's a reason why Hitler hated it.

It's only been a minute since I met Franco, and I already want to go back to Berlin. Schmidt also looked at Franco, who was talking like a fish out of water, as if he was tired of it, but Franco, who was clueless, continued to brag about himself.

"… .In that brief moment, I gathered my thoughts. If I get angry or scream here, I lose. So I spoke calmly. Feeding center, improve the quality of food immediately. "Can't you see the soldiers' dissatisfaction?"

Even talking about it was extremely creepy. I was paralyzed by the sight of him recounting, as if it were a sagas, how he executed a soldier by firing squad who threw spoiled food at him when he was the commander of the Foreign Legion, and how he massacred with a machine gun all the local tribesmen who were suspected of collaborating with the rebels. I felt it falling apart.

He's like an incorrigible narcissist.

"President Franco, do you know the saying that time is money?"

I felt like the little devil inside me would awaken if I continued like this, so I took advantage of the moment Franco stopped talking and quickly opened my mouth.

"of course. It's also my favorite saying. "You can make money, but once time has passed, you can't get it back. What a wonderful thing to say."

"That's what I like too. So, let's not waste time. "Can we get straight to the point?"

"radish… . of course. haha… ."

When I spoke with a straight face, Franco flinched in despair. As expected, going strong was the right answer.

In my mercy, I gave Franco the opportunity to first tell Germany what he wanted. With a polite, pretentious smile, Franco talked about how the Nationalists, armed with outdated weapons, had suffered during the civil war.

When the story seemed to get longer again, I sighed proudly. Franco immediately understood my warning and got to the point.

"The Spanish army is a strong army made up of brave soldiers with years of combat experience, but the quality of its armament is poor. Therefore, in order to modernize the Spanish military, we need high-performance German weapons, Mr. Fuhrer."

"What are the specific types and numbers of weapons?"

"We want 250 Panzer IVs, 100 Hatchers, and 300 reconnaissance armored vehicles and infantry transport armored vehicles."

In addition, there were requests for licensed production of the Bf109 and Ju52 and import of the Fw190, Stuka, and He 111.

"Can I replace part of the price with minerals and agricultural products?"

"Sure."

"thank you. And I hope Germany will help Spain recover from its civil war-"

"Oh, I'm sorry, but that might be a little difficult. "Because Germany's economic reconstruction is a priority."

If Schacht were here, he would definitely have strangled Franco. Right now, our noses are the size of three, so who can help us?

Thanks to the efforts of Economic Fool Schacht, Germany's economy is slowly recovering, but it is not in a position to help other countries rebuild. In particular, what is the state of Spain now? It's only been a year since the civil war ended, but isn't it an underdeveloped country in Europe where ghost towns and cities turned into piles of ruins still remain all over the country?

Helping Spain's recovery will again suffocate Germany's economy, which has begun to revive. Therefore, Franco's request could not and should not be granted.

"Keuhumhum. Then, give the power to cede French Morocco and Oran to Spain-"

"That's not possible either. Morocco and Oran are French territories, and I have already promised the French not to touch their colonies. In return, the French were willing to give their ships to our navy. But now, if I break my promise, what will the French think? "I don't want to see Europe become a sea of fire again."

Hitler tried hard to bring Spain into the war to pressure Britain, but I had no need or reason to do so. Because the war with England ended on May 25th.

Franco tried his best to change my mind, but since I had already lost interest in Spain, no matter what he said, I was unimpressed. In the end, Franco realized that it was difficult to change my mind and suddenly became less talkative.

For me, I like the current Franco much more. I wish it had been as quiet as it is now from the beginning.

All that Franco got out of this meeting was permission to import German weapons to modernize the Spanish military and a promise to take over republican figures who had fled to France and were captured by the German army. It must have been a disappointing result for him, who had hoped for the restoration of Spain and the cession of Morocco and Oran by boiling me in sugar coated pieces.

Franco, who was disappointed with the outcome of the meeting, said goodbye to me as soon as the meeting ended and returned to Spain.

"Did you see it earlier? "There was rust on the guns of the Spanish honor guard."

"I saw it too. They are an honor guard in name, but they show up with rusty guns. "It was absurd."

After Franco left, Keitel and Brauchitsch talked about the Spanish honor guard arriving with rusted guns. Everyone knows that Spain's economic situation is a mess, but I had no idea that it would be so bad that even the honor guard would be given rusty guns, so it was a shock in many ways.

Göring was concerned that Spain might try to rip off the rusty guns and the weapons they were carrying, saying he did not know what kind of money they had to buy them. But I wasn't really worried about that part.

"You don't have to worry about that. Franco is a man full of bravado, but he is not a man whose brains have fallen to the point where he is taking our money. "You probably know that the moment they take our money, the whole of Spain will become a sea of fire."

Above all, Franco's Spain has no one it can rely on other than Germany. The United States is far away, and many Americans are not happy with the Franco regime, which started a civil war. Britain is busy minding its own business, and France and Italy are completely ruined.

There is no way those with an anti-communist identity would join the Soviet Union, and in the end, Germany is the only one left. What would happen if the relationship with Germany soured? Franco knows this, so even if he is personally dissatisfied, he will try to remain a faithful ally of Germany until the end.

Unlike Spain, which is tied to Germany politically, economically, and militarily, Portugal still keeps its distance from us. Portugal, which was historically pro-British, maintained a pro-Allied stance throughout World War II and continued trade with Germany, an Axis power. There was no significant change in this stance even after Britain suffered a humiliating defeat and signed a peace treaty with Germany. Trade volume increased compared to before the war, but that was all.

"How about taking this opportunity to include Portugal as part of Greater Germany?"

"… ..You never thought those words would come out of the Admiral's mouth?"

I felt a pang in my back as Leder said words that had never even come out of Himmler's mouth, who on a random day babbled about the origins of the Aryans and all, raising my blood pressure. Even Himmler didn't say anything about annexing Portugal!

As if my expression was believable, Leather added hastily.

"What I mean is, rather than annexing Portugal to Germany like the Czech Republic or Poland, let's put Portugal in a similar position to Spain."

Ah, fortunately it wasn't that one. You were worried because you thought a gentleman who had lived a normal life all of a sudden was talking nonsense. You're making people scared for no reason.

"Make Portugal the second Spain…" . Way? "I don't want you to hear anything about war."

"Of course, if we invade Portugal, we will be able to take control of all of Portugal within 10 days, but in this case, there is a high possibility of provoking the United States and Britain. It causes more harm than good. Therefore, we are putting pressure on Portugal through Spain."

"Pressuring Portugal through Spain? "The two countries have very good relations. Is this possible?"

Portuguese dictator Antonio Salazar dispatched the Viriatus Legion, made up of his country's volunteer soldiers, to Spain during the Spanish Civil War and helped Franco win. Therefore, the relationship between the two countries is very friendly. I don't think the proud Franco would threaten his best friend Salazar for us.

"There is no need to use Spain directly. By deploying Crixmarine ships in Cádiz and Vigo, close to Portugal, they are putting silent pressure on Portugal. If possible, request Spain to deploy National Defense Forces to the Portuguese border. On the surface, wouldn't it be okay to pretend that it was a joint training with the Spanish military?

Salazar probably knows that his country's military is not strong enough to prevent a Wehrmacht invasion, and that if Germany invades, no country will come to their aid. "If we even shake our fists, Salazar will quickly bow his head and promise cooperation."

"Mmm."

Portugal is also a very attractive target for Germany. Thanks to its geographical location at the western end of Europe, it is possible to both advance into the Atlantic Ocean and blockade the Mediterranean Sea. In particular, if Portugal takes control of the Azores and Madeira Islands, it will be possible to disrupt or block the passage of the US and British navies through the Atlantic Ocean!

"Not bad. But I think we need to hear what other people think."

"of course."

Göring, Keitel, Brauchitsch, and Reichenau were all in favor of Raeder's proposal. Ribbentrop was concerned that the relationship between Portugal and Germany was not bad, but that if the relationship deteriorated for no reason, we would also lose, but he did not oppose Leder's idea itself.

Four people voted in favor and one abstained. The conclusion has been decided.

"I will do as the Admiral wishes. Still, if you use the whip too much, you can only increase the opponent's animosity. "I think we need to think of a carrot to match."

"Wouldn't it be sufficient compensation if we provided the Portuguese army with the weapons that Germany possesses?"

The condition of the Spanish army was incredible, but the condition of the Portuguese army was even more serious. Unlike the Spanish army, which, although poorly armed, has a wealth of practical combat experience after going through three years of civil war, the Portuguese army has no experience as it has not fought any war since World War I, and most of its weapons are antiques that were used in World War I. admit.

The only armored equipment is the Carden-Lloyd Carrier and Vickers light tank imported from the UK, and the aircraft are imported from the UK, Italy, and Germany, so they are better than armored equipment, but compared to the Luftwaffe, this is still a baby chick.

As soon as the order to invade Portugal comes from my mouth, the Wehrmacht will reach Lisbon within a week. To that extent, the Portuguese army was no match for the German army in terms of size or armament.

The average person would think that it is better to give in to the other person's demands and get the price rather than fighting a fight where the outcome is obvious. Salazar is no different in that respect.

"Okay, let's do that. "Ribbentrop, you go to Portugal and convey my wishes to Salazar."

"I understand, Mr. President."