34

Tenrant Problem (1)

Blomberg, who was Minister of Defense and Field Marshal of Germany, was an ardent supporter of Hitler, but did not get along well with Goering and Himmler.

Göring coveted Blomberg's position as commander-in-chief of the Wehrmacht, and Himmler often clashed with Blomberg, who opposed the expansion of the SS.

The two, who had similar interests, came up with an ingenious and dirty plan to oust Blomberg.

The plan was to lower Blomberg's prestige by spreading rumors that Erna Grun, Blomberg's secretary and new wife, was a prostitute.

A German field marshal who risks his life for honor would take a prostitute as his wife! What greater shame could there be than this?

Hitler, who hated the Junkers but was just as conservative in his sexual views, became furious when he learned that Erna Grun had been a prostitute in the past, and ordered Blomberg to divorce him.

However, Blomberg refused and was eventually forced to resign from the military.

Werner von Fritsch, the commander-in-chief of the army, followed Hitler like Blomberg, but was strongly opposed to Himmler's plan to expand the SS.

Himmler and Heydrich framed Fritsch as a homosexual and forced him to resign from the military.

However, unlike the original history, I, who knew the truth, did not force Blomberg and Fritsch to resign despite persistent requests from Goering, Himmler, and Heydrich.

They may sometimes express opposing opinions, but they are basically capable and their loyalty is certain, so what are you trying to do by kicking them out?

"I'm sorry that Blomberg's wife used to be a prostitute, but that doesn't give me the right to interfere with their love. Neither does anyone else. "What can I say that they love each other no matter what happened in the past?"

"Mr. President, this is a matter of prestige for the military and the nation. The marshal's wife is a whore! "If other countries find out, they will point fingers!"

"So what? Blomberg himself said he was fine. How can you, who are not the party involved, ask someone else for a divorce? "Don't make me angry anymore and go."

"Where is the evidence that Fritsch is a homo?"

"According to eyewitness testimony, Fritsch did that with a man in the park at night."

The victim's tears are proof. I fell asleep saying the same bullshit. Where does this drug sell?

"Heydrich, the only evidence you're talking about is eyewitness testimony. Anyone can testify. "If someone comes to me and says they saw you fucking a man, should I believe them?"

"uh······."

It was a month ago that when I showed a firm attitude, Göring, Himmler, and Heydrich could no longer say anything.

However, Blomberg and Fritsch, whom they had been plotting for so long, got into a car accident.

Blomberg suffered a loss of his left arm, three or four broken ribs, and a concussion, so he underwent major surgery.

Fritsch is unconscious.

Could it be that Göring, Himmler, and Heydrich were trying to kill him by disguising it as an accident?

Those guys were enough to do that.

I immediately called these three.

"It's unfair, Mr. President. "We really don't know."

"It's only been a month since you guys chewed these two apart? "Would you believe that if I were you?"

"B-but, Mr. President! This matter really has nothing to do with us. How dare we do something like that..."

"Really. Please believe me!"

All three desperately claimed their innocence.

Even Heydrich, who is famous for his own pace, must have been embarrassed to see him sweating like a elementary school student who got caught making a mistake.

If this were acting, these guys would all be Best Actors. Even if Choi Min-sik comes, it will be difficult to act like these guys.

Looking at their reaction, it really seems like these guys aren't the culprits, so what?

My doubts were answered as Blomberg's condition improved.

When I heard that Blomberg's condition was improving, I packed a gift and went to visit him.

And there I was able to hear the full story of the incident from his own mouth.

The truth was much more absurd and outrageous than I expected.

"······Drunk Driving? Are you? "And directly?"

"yes······."

"······really?"

Blomberg and Fritsch were close friends both publicly and privately.

Something interesting happened recently, so the two of us drank together for the first time in a while.

Blomberg is in a better mood. He decided to go for round 2 with Fritsch.

When they got out, the waiting driver tried to get behind the wheel, but Blomberg ordered them to leave, saying he would drive himself.

Despite the driver's dissuasion, he sat down in the driver's seat himself.

Coincidentally, there wasn't a single car on the road. Should we speed it up a bit?

Is it fun? Shall we raise it a little more?

As I was turning a curve, a passerby suddenly appeared.

Blomberg, trying to avoid a passerby, jerked the steering wheel and

Bang on the street tree along the way.

······This was the truth about the Blomberg-Fritsch traffic accident.

***

A week later, Fritsch regained consciousness, but it was impossible for him to return to work due to the aftereffects of the accident.

According to the doctors, long-term treatment is needed.

Since the positions of Minister of Defense and Commander-in-Chief of the Army suddenly became vacant, follow-up action was urgent.

Wilhelm Keitel was appointed as Minister of Defense, and Walter von Brauchitsch was appointed as Commander-in-Chief of the Army.

Originally, Hitler tried to appoint Walter von Reichenau, who was an ardent Nazi among the pro-Nazi generals in the military, as Minister of Defense or Commander-in-Chief of the Army, but the decision was aborted due to the military's desperate opposition.

I also thought about Reichenau, but there was no need to appoint him and incur opposition from the military.

Unlike Reichenau, Keitel and Brauchitsch were recognized for their abilities within the army, were well-liked, and were personally passionate followers of Hitler.

Therefore, successful bid.

Goering, who had coveted the position of Minister of Defense, openly showed his disappointment when I told him that I would nominate Keitel as my next Minister of Defense.

Himmler, who had also been in conflict with Brauchitsch over SS issues, was also embarrassed to hear that Brauchitsch had been appointed commander-in-chief of the army.

Now that Blomberg and Fritsch, who were saboteurs, have left, they must have decided that their world has come to their own.

I'm betting that these guys got together and drank champagne.

"What are the facial expressions? "You look like you don't like my decision?"

"Oh. Oh, no, Mr. President."

What do you know, you guys? It's all visible on your face.

Still, they followed whatever I said without saying a word, so there was no point in continuing to just give them water.

If you use a stick, you should also give a carrot.

The day after I appointed Keitel and Brauchitsch as Minister of Defense and Commander-in-Chief of the Army, I conferred on Göring the title of Marshal of the Reich.

It was thought that this method might work for Göring, who was obsessed with collecting gamtu.

"Thank you, Mr. President! "There will be no greater honor in my life!"

"That's enough. "I hope you will continue to work hard in your work."

As expected, Göring was happy like a child.

Simple guy.

Is the title Marshal of the Empire really that good? The name is grandiose, but the treatment is no different from that of ordinary enemies.

Well, if you're satisfied, that's fine.

I didn't forget to give Himmler a gift as well.

I persuaded Keitel and Brauchitsch to expand the size of the Waffen SS, the SS combat unit, to three brigades and to create a new tank company for each brigade.

"We will definitely make the Waffen-SS the best unit in Germany, surpassing the army, Mr. Fuhrer!"

Himmler also expressed great satisfaction with these measures.

I guess I can organize my house like this.

But I feel like something is lacking, why?

Feeling somewhat empty, I naturally shifted my gaze to the globe on my desk.

In the middle of Europe is Germany, next to Germany is Poland, and under Poland is Czechoslovakia.

A Siamese twin nation created by combining two ethnic groups that look similar but are distinctly south of each other.

According to Hitler's words, a country that is a by-product of national self-determination.

Look at that hateful border that seems to pierce Germany's side.

I guess I'll have to take a look at it soon.

***

Most residents living in the Sudetenland in Czechoslovakia, bordering Germany, are of German descent.

After World War I, when U.S. President Wilson reestablished the principle of national self-determination, German residents of the Sudetenland also insisted on independence.

However, Czechoslovakia thoroughly suppressed this.

Although national self-determination was re-established, the reason for the oppression was that it did not apply to the Germans, who were the losers.

The Allies also did not want Germany's territory to expand, so they supported the suppression of German residents in Czechoslovakia. In this way, the Germans of the Sudetenland had to live quietly, submissive to the Czechoslovakian government.

However, when I, Adolf Hitler, appeared, the German residents of the Sudetenland, who had been living quietly, gradually began to speak out.

I have been mentioning the Sudetenland issue since May.

At first, in passing in a speech to the public, then in a tone that said it was a fairly important issue, and then in earnest in the next speech.

"Dear German people! Do you know what is happening to your compatriots in the neighboring Sudetenland of Czechoslovakia?

Our compatriots, our brothers who share the same blood as us! We are having a hard time day by day under the oppression of the Czechoslovakian government!

Czechoslovakia was able to achieve independence thanks to national self-determination. But paradoxically, the Germans living in the Sudetenland were not granted independence.

Just because the Germans are inferior losers! Freedom was not granted to the compatriots of the Sudetenland. All they were given was a vow of slavery and a life of humiliation!

Even at this very moment, the Czechoslovakian government is busy trampling on the wishes of the German people mercilessly and beating them with sticks. An elderly man was brutally beaten by Czechoslovakian police yesterday for carrying a German flag. The old man had broken his ribs and cracked his skull.

The villagers rushed him to the hospital, but even there, the doctor refused to treat him because he was German. In the end, the old man died that evening.

Does this make sense? Why do tragedies like this have to happen and why can't we prevent them?

I say this here. The Czechoslovakian government must immediately stop its violent and barbaric atrocities. And listen to the voices of the German people! "If you really want peace!"

"Wow!!!!!"

"Heil Hitler!"

Naturally, Czechoslovakia reacted sensitively to my mention of the Sudetenland issue.

The Czechoslovakian government fiercely criticized me, asking if I was planning to start a war, and warned that if I directly rioted against German residents, they would declare special martial law in the Sudetenland area.

Nevertheless, German residents committed sabotage against the Czechoslovakian government and organized self-defense groups to rob the military's armory and attack police stations.

Czechoslovakia called up reserves and deployed troops to the German border, while requesting support from allies France and the Soviet Union.

However, the response from both countries was lukewarm.

In September, the conflict between Germany and Czechoslovakia became more severe.

I instructed the Wehrmacht to deploy troops to the Czechoslovakian border. This time too, the military screamed at my decision.

"Mr. President, war is impossible! "If we start a war when rearmament has not yet been completed, we will be defeated!"

These were the words of Beck, who was always opposed to anything I said.

He openly showed on his face that if I were not the President, he would have given me a beating right away.

"General Beck is right. War with Czechoslovakia is impossible. Please reconsider."

Witzleben and Canaris also supported Beck.

Göring also cautiously expressed his opinion to me that an immediate war was unreasonable, and Himmler silently glanced at the generals who expressed their opposition to me in a harsh tone.

Goebbels also kept silent because it was not his area of expertise.

"I don't know what these people are talking about. Did I say let's go to war? "I just ordered troops to be deployed on the Czechoslovakian border to threaten them."

"That's it, isn't it? "I don't think now is the time to play with words."

Beck said in an absurd tone.

Because his tone was so explicit, the trio of Goering, Himmler, and Goebbels glared at him, and the other generals all looked at me and at Beck.

I, too, was angry at Beck's words, but I acted calm on the outside.

Talk loudly. Because I don't have much time to live anyway.

"It's a shame that what I said sounded like a joke. But I really have no intention of going to war. As I just said, the idea is only to intimidate.

I also know that if we start a war now, we cannot guarantee victory. It may come as a surprise, but I really hate gambling. "I'm the type of person who tries to take the safest route possible, even if I'm on the road."

"Why did someone who hates gambling stumble over the Czechoslovakia issue? "Is that the safe path that the President considers?"

"Look, general! How dare you say such rude words to His Excellency the President!"

When Beck scoffed, Goering also shouted as if he couldn't stand it anymore. I raised one hand to stop Goering.

"I think I misunderstood, so let me explain. Neither Czechoslovakia nor the UK know that we want to avoid war. By now, they must be worried and thinking that I really want to start a war.

"I have no intention of exploiting their weaknesses this time, just like I did in the Rhineland."

France formed an alliance with Czechoslovakia, but going to war with Germany was burdensome, and Britain also found war with Germany burdensome.

The two countries, who outwardly criticized Germany's ambition to invade, but later feared that war might really break out, made the worst choice, believing that war should be avoided at all costs.

Believing that war could be avoided if Germany's demands were met, they intimidated their ally, Czechoslovakia, into giving up the Sudetenland.

When even the people they trusted abandoned them, Czechoslovakia had no choice but to cede the Sudetenland to Germany.

Hitler regretted until his death that he had missed the golden opportunity to turn Czechoslovakia into a sea of fire.

The difference from actual history is that Italy, which would have supported Germany, is now actively supporting Czechoslovakia, but it was not a matter of great concern.

Even in the original history, Italy's military was ruined due to excessive spending in Ethiopia and Spain, and here, it suffered even more damage in Ethiopia.

Even if the Italian army was damaged beyond its original history, two divisions would be enough to stop it.

Beck was not persuaded in the end, but Keitel and Brauchitch differed.

I called them both together and promised them that I had no intention of going to war with Czechoslovakia and that if the British Empire came out strong, I would be the first to withdraw.

"But there are still those within the Wehrmacht who firmly believe that I want to go to war. "I would be grateful if two people would come forward and clearly convey my intentions to them."

"I understand, Mr. President. "We will do our best to convince those friends."

Goering and Himmler were the ones who lived and died by my orders, so there was no need to persuade them. Leder also said that he fully supports my wishes.

After Leder's persuasion was completed, I called Heydrich.

When Heydrich came to my office after being called, I handed him the document I had written myself.

"Listen to me, Heydrich. From now on, we will strictly monitor those on this list. "Do whatever it takes to monitor their every move and report it to me."

"I understand, Mr. President."

Heydrich, with his quick thinking mind, did not question my command at all.

He carefully put the documents I gave him into a file and put them in his briefcase.

"Do you have any additional instructions?"

"There is none. Not yet. I'll call you when it happens. "Stop going."

'Cleaning' will be carried out as soon as the work is completed. I don't think they'll notice, but it still doesn't hurt to be careful.

If you want to live for a long time, you have to beat on the stone bridge and cross it