Chapter 245: Chatting in the Woods

In the southern outskirts of Liverpool, there lies a grand estate belonging to the Earl of Arundel's family. Its exquisite courtyards and majestic buildings resemble a royal palace. What's even more astonishing is the vast forest behind it, where nearly a hundred species of rare animals roam freely. Before the Germans launched massive bombings on Liverpool, the main members of this family, along with their accumulated wealth from generations, had already migrated by sea to the untouched Americas, leaving behind only the empty estate and hundreds of animals they couldn't take with them!

During rainy days, the air force, being a peculiar military branch, often found themselves with leisure time. Pilots took turns on leave, and ground crew only needed to carry out routine checks and maintenance. At the German Western Front Air Force headquarters, now relocated to the Earl of Arundel's estate, officers were enjoying rare afternoon tea. And General Hans Logan, the 27-year-old Luftwaffe Operations Chief who had just celebrated his birthday four months ago, due to not having to worry about the specifics of the Western Front Air Force's combat affairs, was leisurely strolling in the rain with Air Marshal Speer, while also admiring these non-aggressive "friendly" animals. Among them, one of the most curious species on the planet is the "elk". Once on the brink of extinction, in the late 19th century, the Duke of Beaufort XI, a famous British animal enthusiast, bought all 18 elks originally kept in zoos in Paris, Berlin, Cologne, Antwerp, etc., and released them in the Ubunsi Manor estate in northern London. By the time of the Second World War, this population of elks had reached 255. Due to fears of the war, they were dispersed and relocated. One pair found their way to the Earl of Arundel's estate and gave birth to a fawn within the year.

If the Germans ultimately failed to land in Britain, then Liverpool, far in the north of England, should have been relatively safe. But Logan's boots were firmly planted here, and there was no longer any place in Britain that was truly safe!

"Fortunately, the SS isn't interested in these animals! Otherwise, all we'd see in these woods is emptiness!" gazed at the long-horned animals frolicking by the pond, Logan remarked with a hint of sarcasm. The basis for this statement stemmed from a dispute that occurred in Edinburgh two days ago: the German Luftwaffe Command of the 6th Air Force requisitioned a luxurious villa in the suburbs of the city as their headquarters. Originally, this was the property of a British nobleman — after the German invasion, the owner fled in panic, leaving behind only a few loyal old servants. According to the conventions of the warring parties, the occupying forces had the right to requisition private buildings and land for military purposes, and the German officers and soldiers moved in smoothly. However, during the process of setting up anti-aircraft positions and shelters, a group of air force soldiers unexpectedly found a batch of valuable treasures in the cellar, including sculptures by renowned artists, gold and silverware, and other valuable items that were difficult to transport. A rough estimate valued them at a million pounds.

If every estate, castle, and monastery in Britain hid such a quantity of wealth, then the entire country would be a treasure trove for Germany!

As for these "private items," Air Force Western Front Commander-in-Chief Marshal Speer ordered them to be sealed and transported back to Germany. But the SS, following the Fuhrer's orders, moved swiftly — according to the leader's decree, the SS had the right to "properly preserve" the valuable items in the occupied areas in the name of cultural heritage, and the distribution would be decided by the Supreme Leader! Such actions naturally left the air force marshal, operations chief, and their subordinates indignant. It should be noted that during the era of Hermann Göring, confiscated valuable items by the air force were directly turned over to the Luftwaffe Command — although the greedy Imperial Marshal embezzled the majority, the lower-ranking officers and soldiers still benefited from it!

Anger aside, the wealth dispute between the air force and the SS ultimately did not cause much of a stir. In fact, similar incidents occurred daily in the occupied areas of the German army, and people constantly lost their lives due to valuable treasures. The German SS, with their actions, were proving their "infamous" reputation!

"They only recognize gold, jewels, and various seemingly prestigious sculptures and paintings. They have no idea what's truly valuable! A bunch of scavengers!" Speer criticized bluntly. Even during the Göring era, the relationship between the Luftwaffe officers and the SS had always been poor. The former considered themselves the glorious defense force of the nation, while the latter, under Himmler's leadership, were eager to involve themselves in everything.

"The good image we've carefully cultivated is often shattered by their rough actions in an instant! At this rate, I'm really worried that there will be more and more underground resistance organizations in southern England! The stronger the resistance of the British people, the more troops we have to keep for maintaining order, and these troops can play a very active role in the frontline battles!"

At this point, the frontline mentioned by Logan was no longer solely the British battlefield. In North Africa, Rommel's legion had already landed and initiated its first attack; in Southern Europe, Germany's intervention plan for the Greek conflict had gained approval from the Italian side — although Hitler had no intention of seizing his allies' interests in the Mediterranean, the Italian army not only lacked the capacity to conquer Greece but also faced the precarious situation of its own Albanian colony under Greek counterattack! In short, these two battlefields were no longer Germany's primary targets. According to the revised "Barbarossa" plan, the German army would complete its preparations for the Eastern Front within two months!

"Well, we have no choice! Since the demise of the Imperial Marshal, except for the Führer, the SS leaders no longer consider anyone else important! Oh, our poor Deputy Führer, it's said he's been having a rough time lately!" In the absence of any third party nearby, Scheppler's words were quite frank. In fact, German generals rarely discussed purely military topics in private, but rather engaged in talk and discussions. Unless absolutely necessary, they seldom got involved in political affairs!

"Oh? I thought the Duke of Windsor's government ruling Britain would make the Deputy Führer genuinely happy!" Logan deliberately diverted from the real issue — after Goering's death, Himmler had become the second most powerful figure in the Reich, yet according to the Führer's previous decision, Hess was the primary successor to the position of Führer. The power struggle between the two, needless to say, favored the crafty and powerful one!

"Anyone can see that our Deputy Führer missed the opportunity to deal with the British problem properly, while the performance of the SS has been exceptional! One plus one equals two — the results are quite clear!" Scheppler reminded Logan with the insight of an elder, reminding him that despite ranks and positions, he still outranked this young subordinate.

Logan shrugged, offering his assessment in a suitable tone, "Well, we can only say... our Deputy Führer is too upright!"

"Uprightness may be the character Germany needs most at present!" Scheppler remarked sotto voce.

Any seemingly reckless words may not be unintentional. Often, they are tools used by some to test others. Logan had been fortunate enough to learn this lesson "by ear and eye" many years ago.

After careful consideration, Logan responded, "Yes, we need the character of uprightness!"

Satisfied with this answer, Scheppler seemed to be content. The two continued to walk along the gravel path deep into the woods. In early spring, as everything was awakening, various animals, though confined within the wire fences at the outer perimeter of the estate, still exuded the natural essence: cheerful, agile, and free.

"How much longer will the Luftwaffe continue in this state? Until the end of the war?" Logan ventured to ask.

"It's hard to say! The Führer doesn't involve himself in the specifics of the Luftwaffe's affairs, and he probably isn't interested in holding the position of Luftwaffe Commander-in-Chief for the long term! However, the death of the Imperial Marshal has had a severely negative impact on Germany. If all the blame is shifted to the British, it won't be conducive to the strategy the Führer has been insisting on... So, someone has to take responsibility for everything!" Scheppler spoke slowly.

"And who might that be?" Logan felt uneasy, yet he also wanted to know the intricate power struggles behind the plane crash incident, as he increasingly felt like a pawn in someone else's game — a situation he least desired and had always tried to avoid!

"Somebody! Just 'somebody'! Who specifically, well, that depends on who deserves to die the most!" Scheppler said meaningfully.

The rain in England could last for several days at a stretch. Near a village about 60 kilometers south of Glasgow, the newly constructed German airfield was nearing completion. Considering the surrounding terrain, the Germans intended to use a nearby abandoned ancient monastery for surveillance and barracks for the troops. However, in the cellar, the officers and soldiers unexpectedly found 19 paintings and sculptures, including works by renowned artists such as Hals and Vermeer. As per protocol, these Luftwaffe officers immediately reported to the Western Front Air Force Headquarters (they were a group of honest soldiers), and the order they received was to transport them to Liverpool immediately. However, as the rainy weather rendered it unsafe for transport planes to land, the Luftwaffe officers and soldiers had no choice but to use cars for transportation. Unfortunately, even before reaching Liverpool, they and their vehicles were detained by the SS. With each side adhering to their superior orders, the situation quickly escalated into an armed standoff - a scenario clearly not desirable for the High Command. Following a decision by high-ranking officials, these valuable artifacts were inventoried by the fiscal authorities of the occupying areas and transported to Berlin. It was rumored that the most valuable six pieces ended up in the Führer's private warehouse, while the remaining thirteen pieces were distributed among high-ranking SS officials. To appease the military leaders, the High Command secretly conveyed the Führer's instructions to all units: valuable items such as cash, precious metals, and artwork, once discovered and seized, should be transported to Germany without reservation for assessment by specialized agencies. The Finance Ministry would reward the units that first discovered and seized these items with a certain percentage of their appraised value, which could be used for rewarding meritorious individuals or for additional equipment for the unit!