＜ Episode 230 >
Avignon, Russian occupied territory. southern France.
Three men got out of the car while heavily armed Ohrana agents stood on the lookout.
“It’s all good though. We’re not prisoners of war, don’t you think it’s too much, as you tossed in your underwear before coming here?”
“……”
There was no answer.
The man who spoke up, Captain Kurtsiegfried Schrader, simply resigned and quietly followed the Ohrana agents.
-Cheolkeong.
The iron gate opened. The three men who entered the safe house had to see the heavily armed soldiers.
And I found out why. The twinkling stars twinkled in the dim light.
The commander-in-chief of the landing forces, General Konstantin Rokosovsky, was there.
“……”
It wasn’t his time to go out, and he wasn’t in a situation where his other colleagues would either.
The man standing behind them sat on a chair with a cane.
Then Rokosovsky rose from his seat and prepared himself.
“Welcome to… You can’t be called Kaiser anymore, so I’ll have to call you Grand Duke.”
The old man looked ahead with blurred eyes.
According to the Russian Empire, Wilhelm II, the Kaiser of the German Empire and the Kaiser of the Nazis, was sitting there with a tired body.
“I heard you brought a message. secretly.”
In fact, Rokosovsky would not have even heard of it had it not been for a person with such a sense of weight to come.
However, Manstein just remembered that Wilhelm II was recuperating in Albi due to poor health after the death of Wilhelm III, and he roasted and boiled Captain Schrader, who was in charge of the security service.
People around me must have been under surveillance by the SD, so I even selected Major Gangle, who was a member of the French garrison, secretly extorting him to Lyon under the pretext of bringing the Kaiser to the safe zone, and then sending him to Avignon.
As long as the Russian army was a nominal ally of the new German government, and the empress was the daughter of Wilhelm II, it was calculated that it could not be driven out blindly.
And the thought was right.
“first.”
After all, the Sentai Kaiser is just a decoration. Major Gangle coughed and opened his mouth.
“Sergeant-General Manstein, who sent us, said he was willing to swear allegiance to Kaiserin of the true German Empire.”
“You mean surrender?”
“no. I just swear allegiance to the right government.”
If you surrender, you must disarm. However, Manstein was not willing to disarm him docilely.
Even his life cannot be guaranteed the moment he disarms.
“Many of the German armored forces are in the hands of General Manstein. Some were in the hands of General Model, but General Manstein said that if General Rokosovsky accepted the deal, he would immediately stop fighting on the Southern Front and attack the rear of the Model Army defending the Maginot Line to help advance the Russian army. .”
“Can’t we advance to Vichy or Paris and capture the Nazi leadership?”
“The defense of Paris is handled by General Model, and the defense of Vichy is under the control of SS Captain Reinhard Heidrich. Both are out of the reach of General Manstein. Of course, if you want to attack Vichy or Paris, not the Mets, you are willing to keep pace with the Russians.”
“……”
If it was surrender, he would have accepted it without thinking.
However, to say that Manstein would change the flag… was frankly unsettling.
What if this is a trap? There were not many Russian troops crossing the Mediterranean Sea.
If Manstein had sold the ship, and if the Russians were tricked by it, the bridgehead barely secured in the south of France would have been destroyed.
The safest way from the threat of betrayal is also to have Manstein attack the Metz alone, while the Rokosovsky forces stand in the south, and when the Russian army crosses the Maginot Line and joins, attack Paris or Vichy.
But if that happens, Rokosovsky cannot set his major properly. Objectively, it’s not that small of a major, but overall, the war ended after being crushed only in the southern region.
It would be a different story if even Vichy could be retaken with her own hands, but there is no guarantee that it will. Such decisions are solely made by Stavka.
And in Stavka, it was likely that Manstein would be the vanguard.
If Manstein had a lot of power, whether it was the Russian Empire or the new government, there was nothing good about it. It is foolish to not do so, as there is a good chance that they will weaken Manstein’s power and reduce the chance of their fighting spirit that made the Russian army tired of the same German army.
And Manstein’s abilities are well known to him who fought throughout the war. I’ve been hit by Manstein a few times, and I’m stupid for not knowing.
If Manstein literally occupies Vichy, then Rokosovsky literally does nothing. I don’t know if I can participate in the Spanish invasion later. Moreover, the Spanish offensive will likely not receive as much spotlight as the battles in France or Germany.
Of course, it is not for him to decide on his own, but Rokosovsky had a strong desire to bury the matter somehow.
If he did that in the first place, he couldn’t because the Ohrana agents would kindly separate the flesh from his bones.
“But before that, there are some priorities that need to be addressed.”
“Something?”
“Spetsnaz members, there is a political officer sent by the Nazi Party in the current command line, and they will respond if they find out that General Manstein has changed the flag. To subdue this, we need elite troops.”
“…I understand, but it’s also out of my reach.”
“I know.”
***
“Is Manstein going to change?”
“The conclusion of Ohrana and the military is the same: the rats run away from the sinking ships of the Nazis.”
“Hmm…”
It is a fact recorded in history that Manstein was an opportunist. Because of that, I heard that Hitler didn’t get the trust of Hitler unlike the model.
Perhaps it was in the same vein that Stalin trusted Brusilov. Brusilov is friendly enough to get through Stalin’s slap without a hitch, but when he was reprimanded for the failure of the Winter War as Defense Minister, he became furious and said, ‘You killed all the elites of the Red Army!’ Even after defeating Stalin with facts and throwing a bowl of roast pork on the floor, it ended in dismissal.
Stalin and Hitler had some similarities, so Hitler’s trust in the model was ‘Am I the commander or are you the commander?’ There is a good chance that he trusted the model who clashed in this way, saying that he wouldn’t hit me in the back of the head because he was such a guy. On the other hand, Manstein, who frankly flirts and flatteres his superiors behind the scenes, did not receive Hitler’s trust.
But still, Manstein wouldn’t have been attached to the Soviet Union until the last minute…
No, because Manstein said he would join the new government in Germany, not Russia. Did you even lose?
In the original history, it would be understandable if he was a yangban who even participated in the attempted assassination of Hitler.
But when I say that this yangban is a human being who will do something like false surrender, that is not the case. If you put in an opportunist like you, you can really see the situation and get attached to the other person.
If the model had surrendered, I would have been 100% sure that it was Gura, but the fact that Manstein is surrendering seems plausible again, which is very difficult.
“Still, I can’t not do it because I handed over to Wilhelm II, because there is also the face of the new German government.”
Still, it is Wilhelm II who has the strongest say in Hohenzollern. I’m almost done with the old man in the back room.
In other words, if Wilhelm II just admitted that his daughter was Kaiserin, it would have a significant impact on legitimacy, and that the Junkers, who were the mainstay of the German army, would be shaken a lot.
“That means…”
“Acknowledge Manstein, put in Spetsnaz, instead… you have to keep that in mind. If Manstein does anything suspicious, kill him without delay.”
“All right.”
***
Russian military garrison, east of Metz.
“Looks like a real high-risk mission, if we’re missing out.”
Aliases were usually forbidden for operational security, but they had unusual aliases.
A four-member Spetsnaz with unparalleled sniper skills.
Of course, in fact, it was nothing more than two teams of two people moving together, and it could be torn apart as needed.
like now.
Lev and Lyudmila are on standby, Vasily and Shimo are in.
they barely knew Although the best players were needed, it meant that the mission was too risky.
They already have experience in playing chess in the middle of the enemy line. Even so, it was so dangerous that he left out Lev, a rather precious body, as a spare.
The reserve team can be deployed in case of emergency, and in fact, the REF will be deployed when the situation is stable.
Of course, direct contact with Manstein by the imperial family, second in line of succession, is also an aspect of showing respect for Manstein, and since the royal family is Spetsnaz, it is not enough to cause acute lead poisoning to Manstein in case of emergency.
The problem is that at the beginning of the operation, even if it is not a trap, it is extremely dangerous. With the exception of Manstein, it is not known how many people can sympathize with Manstein, and in the worst case, all but a handful of whom Manstein has already enlisted may point their guns at them.
The Spetsnaz are deployed not only to monitor Manstein, but to exterminate them all and ensure that Manstein takes command of the Army Group.
Perhaps Lev and Lyudmila’s assault period will be after Manstein has definitely joined.
“Then, sir, have a good trip.”
Shimo Hewihe, with a grin, checked the new equipment.
A tripod-mounted, portable 30mm semi-automatic grenade launcher that boasts great performance for people. In addition to the ‘Panzerfaust’ used by the German military, a rocket launcher that looks absurd but is multi-use. AKM with a new classification of assault rifles, semi-automatic sniper rifles, and more.
In the first place, even as a sniper, CQC was as good as a professional, and they were all needed.
“I’ll reserve a seat first, so come quickly.”
“of course. Shall I bring vodka?”
“Are you going to drink during the operation?”