【 Chapter 22 – Interwar Period – Anschluss (3) 】
March 11, 1938
13th Military District Nuremberg District, Regensburg (Near the German-Austrian border)
Arriving in Regensburg after a sleepless night on a train that felt like it would drive me crazy, I wearily closed my eyes and led my exhausted body. However, upon arrival, another shit awaited me.
“Where is the 30th Infantry Division?!”
“Move aside! We need to unload the tanks!”
“No, how are we supposed to move here!”
What is this… It’s not even a market square.
The city center of Regensburg, a small and beautiful town in the tranquil southern part of Germany, was engulfed with bustling German military and various equipment being unloaded.
“This vehicle is requisitioned by the order of Colonel General Heinz Guderian from the 1st Armored Division!”
“Oh, you punks! how can you take a civilian vehicle like that!”
“I’m sorry, but we are just following orders, sir! We’re not stealing it! We’ll return it later, so please voice your complaints to higher authorities!”
The vehicles in the city are being requisitioned one after another. Excuse me, but…
…A unit that requisitions civilian vehicles, is this a true story…
I laughed in despair and grabbed one of the soldiers who was shouting beside me, asking.
“What unit do you belong to?”
“Ah, in the midst of chaos… Ugh. I apologize, sir! I belong to the 46th Division!”
Where was the 46th Division affiliated with… Was it part of the 4th Brigade?
“Do you happen to know where the 11th Brigade is located?”
“I-I apologize! This is the 14th Brigade! I don’t know about the 11th Brigade! Um, do you happen to know where the 4th Brigade is?”
“Well… I’m sorry, I just arrived myself and I’m not sure. I apologize for the inconvenience. Carry on, Private.”
No, tomorrow is the start of the operation… Is this okay? This chaotic situation is already exhausting. I can’t help but sigh deeply.
“Hey, Captain! Do you happen to know where the 11th Division is?”
While I was contemplating, this time a Lieutenant Colonel approached me and asked.
Well, sir, I don’t know either.
He must be a high-ranking staff officer. I envy him. Oh, wait. The 11th Division?
I saluted him and responded.
“I apologize, Colonel! I am also part of the 11th Division, but I haven’t been able to ascertain its whereabouts yet! I am Captain Dietrich Schacht!”
The Lieutenant colonel, with a disappointed smile in response to my words, returned the salute and replied.
“Well, this is quite a mess, indeed. I’m Lieutenant Colonel Henning von Tresckow.”
Henning von Tresckow. It was a familiar name, or rather, a name that couldn’t be unknown.
He was a key member of the anti-Hitler faction and had made several attempts to assassinate Hitler before Colonel Stauffenberg!
“It’s an honor to meet you, Lieutenant Colonel. I’m also from the 18th Brigade.”
“Oh, that’s great. I’ve been stationed at the General Staff Headquarters for a while, so it’s been a long time since I’ve been in the field. I’m counting on you, Captain Schacht.”
Ah, so this person was also part of Operation Valkyrie and then demoted… I didn’t know that.
Well, Beck was involved in the Valkyrie operation along with Stauffenberg, so it’s not surprising.
“I’ll certainly do my best, Lieutenant Colonel! …First, we need to find our units.”
“That’s the plan.”
After wandering around the city of Regensburg for a while, Lieutenant Colonel Treschkov and I managed to locate the 11th Division. We also stumbled upon Lieutenant Behr, who was assigned to the same division. Goodness gracious, what a situation we found ourselves in.
“I report the transfer to the unit, Division Commander! Lieutenant Colonel Henning von Treschkov here!”
“Captain Dietrich Schacht reporting!”
“Second Lieutenant Behr reporting!”
The Colonel, upon receiving our salutes, half-heartedly chuckled and returned the salute.
“Come on in, everyone. Now… Well, there are only 13 of you left. I am Major General Friedrich Karl Krantz. In all my years of military service, I’ve never seen such a chaotic operation.”
We couldn’t help but let out a hollow laughter at the Major General’s words.
Yeah, honestly, it’s exhausting to see things in such a chaotic state.
“Tresckow, you’re the commander of the 30th Infantry Division, right? Move out immediately. Schacht, you’ll be in charge of the 3rd Battalion of the 30th Infantry Division. Behr, you’ll be the deputy commander of the 3rd Battalion.”
Huh? The 3rd Battalion? That wasn’t the order I received.
“I’m sorry, sir, but according to the orders I received…”
“Hah! While the higher-ups are in a frenzy, demanding immediate action according to the offensive plan, when do they expect other officers to arrive and move as planned? We need each unit to be functioning properly, even if it’s one by one.”
“….Yes, sir!”
…So, since deploying units according to the plan and starting the offensive has already gone awry, we’ll just gather them as they come and arrange them in an improvised manner, and then advance. That’s the plan, right?
Thankfully, the German army has a tradition of mission-oriented tactics, so even if it’s an improvised response, if we hadn’t done so, initiating the offensive within three days would have been impossible…
“Then let’s go, everyone. Well… We must have coordinated our movements on the way here, so we’ll figure something out, won’t we? Dismissed.”
“Yes, sir!”
After leaving the makeshift headquarters, we moved directly to the battalion, and I was immediately bombarded with various issues before even properly introducing myself to the unfamiliar soldiers in the company.
“Captain, our platoon doesn’t have standardized rifles!”
“Well, whether it’s Gewehr 98 or Karabiner 98, they’re similar and have the same ballistics, so just make do with what you have!”
“Captain, we also lack tents for accommodation!”
“Lieutenant Behr, send a messenger to the headquarters and request supplies. No, go there yourself! Since it’s obvious that other units are also in chaos, go and try to get whatever you can!”
“Yes, sir!”
“Captain…!”
Ah, damn it. I don’t know either! I just arrived here myself!
Do you think I have a magical ability to conjure up supplies in an instant!
I wanted to cry.
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March 12, 1938
13th Military District, Regensburg (close to the German-Austrian border), Southern Germany
Unable to contain the unrest of the Austrian Nazi Party, Austrian Chancellor Schuschnigg announced on March 13th a referendum on the unification with Germany, expressing his intention to hold a vote on the matter.
Furthermore, the voting rights were granted only to older individuals, which led to attempts by the supporters of the Austrian Nazi Party, particularly those in their early 20s, to manipulate the voting process by excluding certain demographics. Outraged by this, Adolf Hitler immediately ordered the invasion of Austria upon hearing the news, with a deadline set for the attack to take place within 12 days.
In a desperate attempt to appease Hitler and calm the situation in Austria, Chancellor Schuschnigg made a broadcast indicating his willingness to submit and even announced his resignation. However, Hitler, who had already found a pretext, managed to obtain a request for military intervention from Arthur Seyss-Inquart, the Interior Minister of Austria, and ordered the advance into Austria to proceed.
That was the reason why we were going through all this hardship. We hastily assembled our makeshift units and set out early in the morning, relying on improvisation, but….
In the end, among the 11th Division, only the 18th Brigade under the command of Major General Karl Krantz succeeded in departing on time.
Schwantes, the Major General leading the 19th Brigade, decided to depart as soon as possible due to inadequate preparations. However, in the meantime, the 18th Artillery Battalion, belonging to the 18th Brigade, couldn’t depart because the equipment handling wasn’t completed.
In short, most of the heavy equipment was not fully prepared, but at least the infantry was instructed to advance and plant the flag.
Our objective was Hitler’s hometown, Linz. Fortunately, it was located north of the Danube River, and there were no overlapping attack targets among the divisions.
After crossing the Danube River through the historic and ancient Steiner Bridge, which was built in the medieval era, we marched along the riverbank. However, as soon as we crossed the river, the chaos on the other side became evident.
The roads were filled with requisitioned civilian vehicles and tanks moving about, and scattered tanks blocking the way caused traffic congestion. The long procession of infantry extended all the way to Linz, forming a continuous column.
What… Is it possible for everyone to depart today? We’re in a hurry.
Our company also had to manage and find accommodations in nearby households, squeezing in as much as possible. Even though we tried to provide some rest for everyone, the shortage of tents meant that our soldiers had to sleep in cramped conditions, and their overall state didn’t look good at all.
Thank goodness it was spring at least!
“Captain Schacht, how is it going? Any issues… of course there will be, but are we able to move?”
“Yes, Colonel. Well, somehow we’ll manage.”
I saluted and gave a wry smile in response to Lieutenant Colonel Tresckow, who was touring the division in a vehicle.
Lieutenant Colonel Tresckow seemed to have aged five years overnight. As an officer who had been working in a relatively relaxed rear headquarters for a long time, yesterday’s chaotic situation must have been truly exhausting for him.
Well, I only had to worry about our company, but it was obvious how much the newly appointed division commander had struggled in this mess.
“…The trench warfare of the last war was truly a nightmare, but this nightmare in a different sense.”
“Hahaha…”
“Well then, take care.”
“Yes, sir!”
As I left Colonel Tresckow behind, I sighed as I observed the disarrayed soldiers walking haphazardly.
Back when I was in the modern era, I had read about Italian diplomats stationed in Germany during the time of the Anschluss, mocking the state of the German army as a mess. I couldn’t help but think, well, they must think highly of themselves…
But I have to admit, this is a fucking mess.
To think that these seemingly invincible German forces, who once boasted their myth of invincibility during the early stages of World War II, would end up like this. It’s unbelievable!
At this point, wouldn’t it have been easier to overthrow the regime by conducting an anti-Nazi propaganda campaign in Austria and deliberately losing the war against Austria, rather than contemplating a conspiracy against Hitler?
Of course, considering the strength of the Austrian Nazi Party, it wouldn’t have been possible, and even if it had been attempted, Germany would have unleashed an uncontrollable chaos and Hell’s Gate would have erupted…
It was a moment when I missed the Condor Legion1.
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March 15, 1938
Banks of Donau River, Linz, Northern Austria
Despite the worries of Colonel Tresckow, we managed to enter Linz successfully without firing a single shot.
Not only did the Austrian army fail to obstruct us, but they also cheered us on and opened the way as we marched. In the city center of Linz, adorned with hakenkreuz2, residents warmly welcomed us, showering us with flowers.
Exhausted soldiers, who had marched in chaos, delightedly referred to this sight as the “War of Flowers” (Blumenkrieg) and embraced it with joy.
Even I, who knew the history, couldn’t help but feel delighted by such an enthusiastic welcome, and it goes without saying that other German soldiers felt the same way.
The Austrians who are currently welcoming the Nazi German soldiers so fervently were reluctantly drawn into the Second World War, only to suffer a bitter defeat. In modern times, they may take solace in attributing all the wrongs to Germany and the Nazis.
The fervent welcome of the Nazi German soldiers by the residents of Austria was astonishing, to the point where even Hitler and Göring, who made a stop in their hometown on the way to Vienna, couldn’t help but chuckle at the enthusiastic reception of the locals as they passed by.
We were stationed in the city center of Linz, listening to Hitler’s speech broadcast across Austria.
“As the Führer of the German Nation and Empire, I now declare with joy that my homeland has entered the German Empire! The oldest eastern region of the German people (Österreich), Austria, has now become the newest stronghold of the German Empire, at this very moment!”
While the joyful residents in the town center and our German troops were attentively listening to Hitler’s speech, some houses in the town had the word “jude” (Jew) crudely painted on their doors and windows as a derogatory mark.
“Some foreign media outlets might have thought that the Nazis would forcibly annex Austria in a brutal manner! However, the Austrians would have said that reunification with Germany was inevitable, even if it meant sacrificing their lives!”
In the midst of an era where the terrifying statement was praised as a display of the Führer’s determination and greatness, without anyone sensing any doubt, I made eye contact with a family anxiously peering out beyond the window with the jude mark.
“My political struggle has been won through the love of the people! The moment I crossed the border, I could personally feel that love from the people! We have come not to rule, but as liberators!”
In front of that girl’s house, Nazi party members stood momentarily, listening to the speeches of their respected Führer.
“Now, no one can dare deny that Austria is Germany! Germany shall reign over the world! Deutschland über Alles (Germany above all)!”
“Deutschland über Alles!”
Believing without a doubt that the united Germany, consisting of the people of Linz, the German military, and the entire former Austria, would reign over the world, we shouted out the greatness of Germany. However, Nazi party members with the same belief began to destroy and commit acts of lynching on houses marked with the jude mark.
While everyone enthusiastically cheered and chanted, “Long live Germany and the Führer,” I quietly approached Henning von Tresckow, the division commander who couldn’t take his eyes off the Jewish family dragged onto the bloody streets by Nazi party members.
“…Our great homeland can be a disaster for some. Isn’t that right, Colonel?”
Now, it’s time to move.
【 Interwar Period – Anschluss (3) 】- End
1The Condor Legion was a unit composed of military personnel from the air force (Luftwaffe) and army (Wehrmacht) of Nazi Germany, which served with the Nationalist faction during the Spanish Civil War of July 1936 to March 1939.
2Hakenkreuz, a symbol in the form of a hooked cross with four equal arms bent clockwise at a right angle, used as the emblem of the German Nazi party.
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