Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
The headquarters of the Social Democratic Party in Berlin. Strasser was walking down a small path behind the National Socialist Party office building with Ludendorff.
"It seems that Seeckt is able to accept your ideas," Ludendorff remarked.
"He broke many conventions for you, promoting a lieutenant two ranks without a vote from the General Staff collective meeting. By next year, he will have promoted him three ranks. Germany assumes that members of parliament cannot serve in the military, yet he ignored that as well. You aren't his illegitimate child, are you?" Strasser chuckled.
"General Siket is not doing this for me, but for Germany. His strategic vision far exceeds my imagination; it seems very complex to me, and even Rommel and the others would take several days to initially understand the 'Blitzkrieg.' General Siket can grasp it in just a few minutes, and he has even identified the flaws in Blitzkrieg.
Unfortunately, he is too conservative. If we were to immediately implement army construction based on the Blitzkrieg model across the entire military, I estimate that by 1930, Germany would have the capability to defeat France," Strasser expressed with some regret.
"Seeckt carries a heavier burden than either of us. He is responsible for the entire national defense of Germany. He cannot overturn all his previous efforts in building the army for what seems like an advanced idea; Germany cannot withstand such upheaval."
In fact, his willingness to give you a division as proof of your ideology seems very radical to me. If it were up to me, I might only grant you a regiment." Ludendorff shifted the topic, "However, we now have a division's worth of troops at our disposal. You should quickly establish a sense of identity for The First Division among us. As long as you haven't done anything harmful to Germany, Seeckt will likely turn a blind eye. You could even use this force to suppress Hitler without any issues."
Strasser nodded, but that wasn't enough. Strasser was well aware that Hindenburg had become the de facto emperor of Germany after assuming the presidency; he could even issue orders to dismiss Seeckt and directly strip Strasser of command over The First Division.
So Strasser had to turn the First Army Division into his own private army, and Seeckt granting himself such power was giving himself an opportunity. If his ideas proved feasible, Seeckt would have to consider how to support his rise to power; Hindenburg was a hurdle that Strasser had to overcome. Strasser glanced at Ludendorff but still did not voice his true thoughts.
In his eyes, although Ludendorff does not belong to the kind of bourgeoisie that must die and the landlord aristocracy like Juncker, their influence in the military must also be restricted, and the gun must be firmly grasped in hand. In the future, the party must command the gun, not the other way around. In history, the Night of the Long Knives when Hitler purged Rom, may not have been without this reason. "I have something else to attend to, I must leave," Ludendorff said suddenly, glancing at his watch.
"Take care, I won't see you off." Strasser watched as Ludendorff casually waved his hand, seeing him disappear at the entrance of the National Socialist Party headquarters, a cold glint flashing in his eyes. Beside him, soldier Coy had appeared silently at some point.
"Follow him and don't get caught."
Coy nodded and then ran off. For someone who used to be a reconnaissance soldier, tracking someone was not difficult.
In a small alley on Berlin's Ossendorf Street,
Ludendorff was issuing instructions.
"From now on, you will follow Strasser. You need to document everything Strasser does in the First Division and report it back. At other times, just execute his orders properly and act normal." Opposite him sat Rundstedt.
"What about my promotion? How long do I have to stay with Strasser in the First Division?"
Rundstedt looked somewhat worried. He had been doing well as the Chief of Staff for the Second Army in Kassel, and now he was being transferred to serve as an officer in a new unit. Although Strasser's ideas were interesting to him, it was clear that his future was more important.
"Don't worry, I have already arranged things with Seeckt. Once Strasser proves his ideas are correct, we will do our best to support him in ascending to the position of Chancellor. At that time, you will replace him as the leader, and we will promote you three ranks."
Ludendorff spoke confidently, adding in his mind, "Once Hindenburg is dealt with, I can sideline Strasser and take complete control of Germany." This was his own thought.
Ludendorff did not notice that, while he was talking to Rundstedt, a pair of eyes were quietly watching them from the rooftop of a nearby civilian house.
······
Suburbs of Berlin
German Army The First Infantry Division defense zone
The entrance of The First Division Division was empty, with only one sentry leaning on his post and yawning. This corporal, named Jürgen, clearly pulled an all-nighter yesterday and is now planning to catch up on some sleep.
However, Jürgen's sweet dream did not last long. A military car roared from a distance, and the huge noise startled Jürgen from his sleep. The car raced out of the rugged mountain road at full throttle, then elegantly skidded to a stop in front of Jürgen. Five sunglasses-wearing army officers jumped out of the car stylishly, all seeming like unfamiliar faces, which piqued Jürgen's curiosity.
"Please show your identification."
"Ugh..."
In response, there was a uniform and neat sound of vomiting. Four officers got out of the car and immediately started vomiting on the side of the road. One of the older officers even cursed and shouted,
"Student, are you driving a car or flying a plane?"
Student felt a little embarrassed,
"Aren't you guys asking to experience the feeling of flying? I definitely want to satisfy you."
"You drove well, but don't drive again next time."
Rommel said seriously while patting Student on the shoulder.
After venting his frustrations on the ground, Strasser looked towards the door where Jürgen was standing.
"This is our identification, as well as the pass from the General Staff of the Army. By the way, why are you the only one at the gate?"
Jürgen carefully checked and indeed it was stamped by the General Staff. He respectfully returned the documents to the officers in front of him.
"Our First Army Division has always had a single soldier standing guard at the gate, ever since it was established in 1920."
Strasser nodded, thinking this was some unwritten convention, and directly led Rommel and the others into the military camp. When he found the former commander of the First Division to hand over command, he was completely stunned.
"What? Are you saying this division only has six thousand men? The weapons and equipment are all understrength." Strasser's jaw nearly dropped to the ground.
"That's not entirely accurate. This division indeed only has six thousand men, and rather than saying the weapons and equipment are understrength, it would be more accurate to say they are only slightly up to strength," replied a brigadier named Michael.
"Besides, our unit has been owed five months' wages, and the soldiers only receive a bit of worthless paper each month, so they no longer follow my orders. Their training has become lax, and many have left to take on part-time jobs. I was already preparing to write to the higher-ups to request a transfer, so your arrival is perfect timing to help me deal with this mess," Michael shrugged.
"How could this situation arise? Germany can't even afford to support a hundred thousand army?" Bock was greatly surprised.
"There's also a possibility, isn't there? The German government is currently facing significant financial difficulties, and the budget allocated to the General Staff of the Army is very limited each year. There's barely enough to maintain equipment, let alone pay salaries," Rommel said, having worked at the grassroots level for a few years and being quite familiar with the situation in the German Army.
"That's right. My platoon also often went without pay, but so what? Everyone just wants to get by," the Student replied.
Just as everyone was feeling anxious about their future, Strasser suddenly burst out laughing.
"Great! General Siket is really too good to me!"
"Is it because the gap between his ideals and reality is too big that he went crazy?" Bock asked Rundstedt next to him.
"I'm not crazy, Bock."
Others saw a bleak future in the military disarmament of the First Army Division in Germany, but Strasser saw an opportunity. He was worried about how to make the army's First Division work for him, and now a pillow had come just as he was dozing off. Strasser said to Brigadier Michael:
"Please gather all the soldiers of The First Division at the drill ground. Move quickly, everyone must come, including those not in the barracks. If anyone is unwilling to come, just tell them to hurry back because gold bars are being distributed in the barracks."
Comment 0 Comment Count