Chapter 169 Germany's Dream of Becoming a Powerful Nation

A week after the German troops entered the Rhineland, Ludwig von Heinsberg-Hersmann returned to Berlin from his headquarters in Cologne - the hero of the reconquest of the Rhineland.

"Hooray, Germany! Hooray, the Wehrmacht!"

The sound of cheers echoed through Berlin's Friedrichstraße train station square. This square, which in 1918 was often used as a gathering place for anti-war people, has now become a sea of ​​military uniforms and cheers.

"Ludwig, did you see that? Our soldiers still retain their military uniforms! They are always ready to put them on again and fight for the rise of Germany!"

Vice President Ludendorff, who personally went to the train station to greet the "triumphal" soldiers, held Hersmann's hand tightly and said in a proud tone.

Hersman looked at the sea of ​​military uniforms in the square. Most of them are not active duty or reserve soldiers of the Wehrmacht. They are veterans who participated in the last world war, as well as the sons of veterans who wear the military uniforms left by their fathers.

Of course, there were also some Volkssturm members in brown uniforms. The Volkssturm was not disbanded, but was completely reorganized and became a militia organization under the control of the Ministry of Defense and the General Staff of the Defense Forces.

"Your Excellency General, the German people are now truly united, and the whole of Europe will tremble in front of them!" Hessmann said loudly, then stood at attention and gave Ludendorff a military salute, "Deputy General Staff Officer Lieutenant General Hersmann reports to you: The Rhineland area has been completely controlled by the Wehrmacht!"

Ludendorff was the vice president. As Hindenburg's Alzheimer's disease became more and more serious, he spent most of his time recuperating at his manor in Hanover. The presidential power was assumed by Ludendorff. Although Ludendorff himself was not a member of any political party, everyone in Europe knew him as a "political general."

The Fatherland People's Party and the Nazi Party, which are co-ruling in Germany, both have very close relations with him. The People's Party of the Fatherland was formed on the basis of the Fatherland Party before the November Revolution and had many generals and members. The backbone of the Nazi Party were junior officers and veterans who were unwilling to lose the world war. Its establishment and development were inseparable from Ludendorff's support.

Therefore, many foreign political observers now mistakenly regard Ludendorff as the real plenipotentiary figure in Germany - they regard him as the same person as Piłsudski, Goltz, Horthy, Miklós, and Kemal. Similar characters. Within Germany, many people hold similar views.

And Adolf Hitler was regarded as the German-enhanced version of Salazar, the "savior" of the Portuguese economy (the historical Portuguese professor dictator who was appointed as the Minister of Finance by the military dictatorship and is currently the Prime Minister of Portugal). With good financial management and good governance, he miraculously saved Germany from the quagmire of the Great Depression in just over a year after taking office. But no one would regard Hitler as the dictator of Germany, and in fact he was not.

After reporting to Ludendorff on the reconquest of the Rhineland, Hessmann walked up to Adolf Hitler, performed the same military salute, and then made almost the same report - the German Wehrmacht was now under the dual leadership of the president and chancellor. , the president is the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, and the Ministry of National Defense under the prime minister is in charge of military affairs.

"Well done!" Hitler was also extremely excited. He held Hessmann's hand and laughed heartily. He said in a high-pitched tone, "The French and British have really lost their courage. They could have easily stopped it." our."

If both Britain and France fulfilled their obligations under the Locarno Convention, carried out military mobilization and marched towards the Rhineland, Germany would have no choice but to retreat. However, if France’s white leftist politicians do this one time, they will completely ruin their political future - anyone who has played electoral politics knows that the fundamentals of a political party cannot be lost. Playing politics.

The basic base of the French white left is the French who do not want to die in war. Therefore, as long as the white left in France is in charge, it will not dare to start a war easily. Even if Germany forces him to have no choice but to bite the bullet, he will only fight a sit-down war.

As for the old French soldiers who were afraid of death and did not want to fight, they left the safety of the Maginot Line and went to the Germans' "impregnable" Siegfried Line to die... That kind of thing violated the "political correctness" of France at the time and could only exist. In a dream.

"Yes, they have lost their courage," Hessman said with a smile. "Maintaining peace has become the biggest public opinion in Britain and France, which is very beneficial to our development."

Hessmann then walked towards the loudspeaker placed on the steps outside the train station building. Seeing this, the crowd in the square gradually became quiet. They were waiting for the new star of the German army, Lieutenant General Hessmann, who was only 40 years old, to give a speech. Ludendorff and Schleicher arranged for Hessmann to regain the Rhineland and let him shine in order to bring him to the limelight. Packaged as a Ludendorff-esque hero...

Hessmann did not start speaking immediately, but remained silent for a while. He was imitating Hitler's speaking skills.

"I have great news to report to you. In the past week, the army of the German Empire has shattered a chain imposed on our German nation by the evil Treaty of Versailles. The Rhineland region, which has belonged to the German nation since ancient times, is now in a Under the protection of the German Wehrmacht!

After being knocked down by a bullet fired from behind in November 1918, our nation finally embarked on the road of relying on iron and blood to build the glory of Germany...

The Treaty of Versailles was a great disgrace to us! We have the determination and strength to refuse to implement it! Retaking the Rhineland is just the beginning, we will tear it apart completely! Germany will become strong and invincible again!

This is the common ideal of 70 million outstanding German sons and daughters, and it is also the common responsibility that history has given to our generation. The soldiers of the German Wehrmacht have made up their minds and are ready to shed the last drop of our blood for this ideal. Sons and daughters of the German nation, are you ready..."

"Hooray, Germany! Hooray, the Wehrmacht!"

Hessmann's gunpowder-filled speech ended, and the cheers became louder. The current public opinion in Germany is exactly the opposite of that of Britain and France - after experiencing humiliation and oppression in the 1920s, the vast majority of Germans miss the powerful empire of the past.

Therefore, Germany’s political correctness is the “dream of a powerful country”! It is to establish a Third Reich that can bring glory to Germany.

"What you said is so good!" Hitler said, and he got into the same open-top Mercedes-Benz W07 with Hersmann and Ludendorff, and then drove towards Wilhelm Street with the cheers of the Berlin people.

"There are no generals like you in Britain and France!" Hitler said as a compliment while waving to the crowd on the roadside.

"No, they also have excellent generals and fearless politicians." Hersman replied with a smile, "But they do not have 70 million people who are willing to sacrifice their lives for the rejuvenation of the country. This is our greatest advantage!"

"Yes! 70 million... no, it should be more than 80 million German people. They are our greatest advantage!"

Adolf Hitler nodded heavily and his tone became a little solemn: "Recovering the Rhineland is just the beginning... I want to unite all Germans in Europe! A united Germany will be invincible!"

This means that Germany will take back the Saarland, merge it with the Baltic Republics and the Republic of Austria, take back the Free City of Danzig, Alsace and Lorraine, the Czech Sudetenland, and some other scattered territories.

Except for the Saarland (according to the Treaty of Versailles, the Saarland could be decided by a referendum in 1934), all other areas that need to be annexed or recovered have no "law" or "treaty" as a basis.

In other words, German reunification is inconsistent with international law!

…

"He openly declared that he would crush the Treaty of Versailles. He is really an old friend of the Soviet people!"

Soviet Foreign Minister Litvinov was probably the first foreign politician to obtain the full text of "Hersmann's Railway Station Speech".

He got the news on a ship bound for France. In the eyes of this obese Jew with good manners and a somewhat aristocratic temperament, Hessmann's blatant declaration in his speech that he would "smash the Treaty of Versailles" undoubtedly did the Soviet Union a big favor.

"He had to say so," said Mrs. Kollontai, who went to Paris with Litvinov. Because of Hersmann's rise, she seemed to have gained Stalin's trust. "His supporters and backstage bosses all hated the Treaty of Versailles, and he was their tool to undermine it."

Kollontai was now the Soviet Union's "expert on Germany" and, of course, the "expert on Hessmann." Her view of Hessmann was basically realistic. Behind Hessmann was a group of people who wanted to tear up the Treaty of Versailles and make Germany strong again. And Hersman has been engaged in this matter since before the end of the last world war. And it was very successful!

"So he got a reward!" Litvinov smiled and handed a copy of the telegram to Mrs. Kollontai. "He has just been promoted to general...a 40-year-old general! It seems that he has become the general. The chief of staff and even the German president are a matter of time."

"The Chief of General Staff is sure," Kollontai nodded, and then thought for a moment, "The President may not be."

"If it's not him, then who will take over from Ludendorff?" Litvinov asked, "Ludendorff is also very old."

Kollontai said: "He may succeed Ludendorff. If Germany still has a president in 1938, it will be either him or Schleicher... and the president after Schleicher will probably be him."