【 Chapter 19 – Interwar Period – The String of Fate 】
December 11, 1937
Frankfurt Zeitung Berlin Branch, Northern Germany
“Good morning. Welcome to the Berlin branch of the Frankfurter Zeitung (Frankfurt Newspaper), Captain Schacht.”
“Good morning. Reporter Jung.”
I greeted Claudia with a smile and entered the building.
Well- the building is much bigger than I thought.
Everyone looks…. busy.
In Korea in the 21st century, paper newspapers are the exclusive property of older people, and news articles were mainly read on smartphones or the internet.
However, the status of newspapers in this era is completely different from that of the 21st century.
Even if I knew it in my head, it was impressive to visit and see such a lively and huge newspaper company in person.
“Thank you for accepting the invitation. Oh, by the way. Did you read the newspaper I gave you yesterday?”
“Yes, well… It was interesting.”
When I said that I hadn’t read the Frankfurter Zeitung yesterday, Claudia handed me yesterday’s newspaper with a shocked face as if struck by a thunderbolt, and I read it before I went to bed while I was bored.
In modern times, time would flow like water just by surfing the web or playing games at night.
“Honestly, I was really, really shocked. Former Minister Schacht is a core subscriber of our newspaper, and his son has never read it, so I wonder if our newspaper will be okay as it is.”
Even though I was interested in German history, I didn’t know because I didn’t dig deep into German newspapers, but this Frankfurter Zeitung was one of the most prestigious daily newspapers in Germany.
Liberal and pro-business conservative newspapers among others. So, it’s a newspaper that suits the taste of people like my father, Hjalmar Schacht, who is the epitome of a wealthy and successful German businessman who believes in the market economy.
I definitely remember seeing it at my father’s house. I didn’t read it back then.
“Well… since I’ve been in Spain for a long time. Haha.”
The truth is, Dietrich was such a bastard, and to Yoon Sung-il, who flew in from the 21st century, paper newspapers were not something he was used to seeing.
“Hmm~ Should I work hard and advance to Spain?”
“Haha.”
But the interesting thing I said to her wasn’t empty words. Instead of the provocative and eye-catching articles read in Korea, the newspaper’s articles and editorials contained quite objective and wide-spectrum articles.
It’s the exact opposite of the Nazi-printed “Der Stürmer” instigation.
On the contrary, from the editorials, there were many articles that made relatively neutral comments on other countries’ events while sneaking at the Nazi regime.
It’s a tendency to show that they don’t intend to publish a newspaper that covers the public’s eyes according to the Nazi’s taste, although it’s not nearly enough to scratch the Nazis’ feelings openly.
It was quite surprising and strange that such a media outlet was still functioning properly in Nazi-occupied Germany.
“So, Lieutenant Havenstein…. No, Mr. Havenstein is doing well?”
“That’s- I think it’s better to hear it from the person you’re meeting now than from me.”
Claudia answered my words with a smile, knocking at the door in front of her and told me to come inside.
“Chief, it’s Jung. I brought Captain Schacht.”
“Ah, thank you.”
Entering the door that Claudia opened, a middle-aged man called the branch manager approached and asked for a handshake.
“It is a pleasure to meet you, Captain Schacht. My name is Lutz Havenstein. I’m the head of the Berlin branch of Frankfurt Zeitung.”
“Oh, nice to meet you, branch manager Mr. Habenstein. Army Captain Dietrich Schacht.”
If it’s Havenstein…
“Sit down. Do you like coffee?”
“…Yes, please.”
“What about sugar?”
“One is enough.”
No, I think I’m being swayed. The man who was the same as the branch manager brewed coffee so casually and handed it to me, so I took it without my knowledge.
“Excuse me, but if you are Havenstein….”
“Ah, Julius is my nephew.”
“Oh, I see. Well… how is he doing?”
People who suffer from PTSD will have problems in their daily life…
Lutz Havenstein smiled at me.
“The child is doing just fine in Frankfurt. Thank you for your concern.”
“…Is that so.”
“When he was staying in Berlin for a while, he told me this and that. Thank you very much, Captain. So when I heard that Captain was coming to Berlin, I really wanted to see you.”
To be honest, I think it was close to a kind of self-satisfaction in the situation where I had just become a Company Commander.
“Thank you, Captain. If it wasn’t for the Captain, the child might still be blaming himself for being a coward.”
Still, it was a very good feeling that there was still one thing to be grateful for among the actions in such a gutter.
“…No, I am. Thank you for letting me know.”
Branch manager Lutz Havenstein promised quite unconventional benefits, saying that it was a return.
He promised to put it in the newspaper as a top priority after the editor’s review at any time if he requested an article report or an editorial.
It’s completely different from journalists reprinting what they’ve covered to their taste in the press.
Borrowing the name of my father, Hjalmar Schacht, it would not be difficult to publish an editorial in a newspaper.
Of course, since I had a financial mogul named Hjalmar Schacht as my father, there would be no investment in future customers- but I was convinced that this was a relationship that would definitely come in handy someday.
“This way, Captain Schacht.”
“Ah, thank you.”
And where I was guided by Claudia to greet the editor in advance, I encountered another man who I had never expected.
“Are you Captain Schacht? Nice to meet you. I’m Theodor Heuss, the editor-in-chief.”
“Nice to meet you, Editor-in-Chief Heuss. My name is Dietrich Schacht. Mr. Heuss?! Oh, no, Senator? Ugh, sorry!”
Heuss, who is older than the branch manager, waved his hands in vain.
“This is it, there was someone among the young people who still remembered me. Well, that’s fine. Now I’m just an ordinary journalist.”
Theodor Heuss, a member of the Reichstag (Imperial Assembly) of the Weimar Republic, but lost his seat after the passage of the Authorization Act (passed on March 24, 1933, giving all parliamentary powers to Hitler).
He was working here? I shook hands with him even though I was puzzled.
“…It’s an honor. Editor-in-chief Heuss.”
“Haha, nice to meet you, too. I’ve heard from the branch manager. If there’s anything we can do to help you, feel free to tell me.”
Of course, I’ve seen that this isn’t a common scourge, but Theodor Heuss, the editor-in-chief, is not just a common politician!
He mediated and united liberal figures after the war to create the Liberal Democratic Party and is the person who will become the first president of West Germany.
Just because such a person is here, confidence in the newspaper has increased dramatically.
I’ll have to get to know these people a bit more while still living close to them, but come to think of it, it’s not only conservative royalist aristocrats and the military that have antagonized Hitler and the Nazis.
No, on the contrary, if you wanted to rebel against Hitler and avoid the war rather than the end, you had to prepare for the future, not just wait for the von Kleist meeting.
No matter how the participants in Operation Stauffenberg and Valkyrie, who attempted to assassinate Hitler at the end of the war and failed, were later regarded as heroes, they were treated as traitors in Germany at the time.
Even if he had succeeded in killing Hitler, the coup would have been highly likely to fail.
Whatever their intentions, to the masses, Hitler and the Nazis were great leaders leading their country.
A coup that does not receive the least acceptance and support from the people cannot succeed.
There is an absolute limit to what an individual can do against the Nazi regime that controls the people.
If you focus on dealing with Hitler without thinking about it, is it because you are in the military that you have become a militarist? Even if I got the direction wrong, I was holding it wrong for a long time.
“How was it? You didn’t regret taking your time, did you?”
After a short conversation with the Havenstein branch manager and editor-in-chief Heuss, I naturally smiled at Claudia’s question, who escorted me to the entrance.
Oh, honestly, at first, I had the impression of a Nazi propaganda Aryan beauty, so I didn’t want to get involved.
Who knew that the actions of the Condor Legion, perhaps nothing more than self-satisfaction, would lead to this connection?
“Yes. Thank you so much for today.”
When I thanked her for giving me a really valuable realization today, she opened her eyes wide and immediately smiled and held out her hand.
“Well, I think I’ll see you often. I look forward to your kind cooperation. Captain Schacht.”
“…me too, reporter Jung.”
It was a handshake with the first relationship that might be a comrade in this bleak future.
January 9, 1938
Wedding hall owned by the Wehrmacht, Berlin, North Germany
“Congratulations, Marshal!”
“Hahaha, thank you. Thank you.”
The face of Werner von Blomberg, the Defense Minister of Hitler’s cabinet and the honorable head of the German Army, was full of smiles.
Having died his wife in 1932 and raised five children alone, he married Erna Gruhn, who had supported him as a secretary.
The beautiful wife was 26 years old and he was 59 years old, so the age difference was too big, but no one can say anything about the head of the army getting a younger wife.
“Haha, Eva. Please smile some more.”
“I’m embarrassed…”
Two equally smiling Nazi dignitaries approached the newlywed couple.
“Haha, congratulations. Defense Minister. Today is a very happy day for Greater Germany.”
“Mein Führer! It is a great honor to have you here on this joyous day!”
After greeting Blomberg warmly, Hitler turned his gaze to Erna Gruhn with a smile on his face.
“Oh, what a beautiful bride. I wish you a happy life.”
After talking, Hitler kissed Erna Gruhn on the back of her hand and left. He didn’t even dream that he would be ashamed of himself.
“Ah, Reichsmarshall Göring. Thank you for coming.”
“Congratulations. Marshal Blomberg. I’m glad you don’t feel lonely anymore.”
“Hahaha, thank you.”
“…I hope you two will be happy together for a long time.”
Göring looked at Blomberg and his wife strangely and said something, but Blomberg was just happy and thanked him in return.
Göring went out of the wedding hall, saluting here and there and dealing with those who were trying to flatter him.
“Senior.”
Seeing that Himmler, who had been waiting for him, was approaching with an eerie smile, Göring smiled delightedly as well.
“Are you sure?”
“Hahaha… would you like to see it for yourself?”
Göring took the envelope from Himmler and opened it.
“Oh…. what a scandal…. this German field marshal…”
“Isn’t that something to lament about, senior?”
Himmler’s data included a criminal record left by Blomberg’s new wife, Erna Gruhn’s mother, who was found illegally engaged in prostitution, and a sensational photo of Erna Gruhn herself as if she were a prostitute.
“That’s shameless, shameless. I can’t believe you were smiling like the purest bride in Germany.”
“What about the Marshal who was happy with such a woman?”
Both were talking as if they were sorry, but their faces were smiling.
“What about the Fritsch?”
“Haha, that side was also fully prepared. Senior.”
“Hahahaha! Good, very good! Now the stumbling block will be gone. What a joyous day for the great Great Germany!”
Just after congratulating the wedding, Göring was smiling excitedly, it was a disgusting smile.
A few days later, the German military was shocked.
【 Interwar Period – The String of Fate 】- End
Thank you for reading!
