Chapter 58: Compiègne Forest
The Third Reich actually had three sources, one in the center of Berlin. Karl Liebknecht and Philipp Scheidemann together announced the collapse of the Second German Reich. Now that constitutional monarchy is impossible, it is also impossible to allow the Junker nobles who control the German army to become a force for maintaining the stability of the German country. The newly established republic was actually a country without an army, and no Junker officer would be loyal to it. From now on, the German Army became an independent kingdom, but the Army itself did not have the power to rule the country. So they are waiting for politicians like Adolf Hitler who can unite the middle and lower classes of German people.
The Ledo Railway Station in the Compiègne Forest, 60 kilometers north of Paris, is the second source of the Third Reich.
As for the final origin of the Third Reich, it was, of course, the Palace of Versailles in Paris.
It is now November 11, 1918, and an unprecedented victory lies before Philippe Foch. The German Empire collapsed and was gone, and Berlin was occupied by revolutionaries. They elected the Soviet and the Council of People's Commissars on the 10th. The socialist parties had come to power, and the millions of German troops on the front lines had lost allegiance.
"How similar all this is to Russia in March 1917!" At 5 o'clock in the morning, after breakfast and waiting for the German delegation to surrender, the Allied Commander-in-Chief Foch stood in his command train and said to himself Chief of Staff General Weygand said: "If we refuse their surrender, the People's Commissar in Berlin will collapse in a few weeks!"
The skinny and short Maxime Weygand looked at Marshal Foch, who was already elderly, had personally experienced the Franco-Prussian War, and was determined to take revenge. He said in a hoarse voice: "If the People's Commissars in Berlin collapse, what will happen if the People's Commissars in Berlin collapse?" I'm afraid it will be the Spartacists... They are the real Bolsheviks, just like the Russian Bolsheviks!"
"So what?" Philippe Foch stroked his white beard, "We can defeat them! The German Bolsheviks, the Hungarian Bolsheviks, and the Russian Bolsheviks! Now is the time when these three countries are at their weakest. Do you understand? This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!”
The coalition still has millions of soldiers armed to the teeth, and they also provide weapons and supplies to the wealthy man in the United States. The Bolsheviks in Germany, Hungary and Russia were so weak. If we fight for another year or two, we can crush them all, so that France can dominate Europe and peace will be truly guaranteed.
But British and American politicians are worried about triggering a new world war - a war between capitalism and the Bolsheviks!
"The war may continue for several more years, causing millions of casualties..." Admiral Wei Gang reminded in a low voice. "In fact, France is already standing on the edge of the cliff!"
If the Americans hadn't taken action in time, it would have been France that collapsed now! If the United States and Britain are willing to continue to accompany them, let their millions of soldiers fight hard for a few more years. Then there was no soil for the Third Reich - either there was a world revolution and red flags were planted all over the world; or Germany and Soviet Russia were completely crushed in the early 1920s. It is a pity that Britain and the United States have no interest in the alternative of French domination of Europe or world revolution.
"But by treating Germany so lightly, what we get is not peace at all, but a twenty-year armistice!" Marshal Foch once again reiterated his point of view. "Twenty years from now, we will regret today's short-sightedness."
In his opinion, the Compiègne Forest Armistice Agreement was too generous to Germany. It has reached an unforgivable point - the agreement did not propose to completely disarm the German army! It only requires Germany to hand over 5,000 cannons, 25,000 machine guns, 3,000 mortars, 1,700 aircraft, 5,000 locomotives, 150,000 wagons and 5,000 trucks, as well as Germany Most of the Navy's ships. This means that Germany still has the force to maintain national unity and territorial integrity after the armistice. Germany will not fall apart on its own. It will remain a unified country with a population of at least 60 million, a territory larger than that of France, and its industrial strength will still far exceed that of France. Once Germany calms down, they will come for revenge!
As the winner, Marshal Fuxi felt extremely heavy at this moment. The German government representative Erzberg, who had just arrived in the Compiegne Forest after spending ten hours on the road, felt even heavier. Because the empire to which he was loyal was gone, the emperor had stepped down, the government had collapsed, and Berlin was now ruled by a Council of People's Commissars elected by some soviet! It sounds like Soviet Russia...
As for the Allied Powers... the "Fourteen Points of Peace Conditions" agreed upon seem to be useless paper. For just a temporary armistice, the Allies required the Germans to hand over so many weapons and almost the entire fleet! It is probably conceivable what kind of demands they will make at the subsequent peace conference. By then, Germany would most likely have fallen into a terrible civil war!
…
"The war is over!"
This was said in a tone of relief. Schleicher's eyes were red as he walked into the office, but his face was full of excitement.
"Ludwig, Germany can be saved!" He sat down on the chair opposite Hessmann, "We did not disarm all of us... we just asked for the surrender of 5,000 cannons and 25,000 machine guns. We still have a lot of weapons! And the Germans on the Eastern Front don’t need to retreat immediately.”
Germany, which supported a world war and almost won the final victory, certainly had a lot of weapons reserves, and its industrial capabilities were obvious. Now you just need to hand over some old cannons and machine guns, and then go to the warehouse to get brand new ones.
"This way we can mobilize the army and come to Berlin!" Hersman could guess what was going to happen next with his eyes closed.
"Yes, there will be ten divisions, it has been agreed." Schleicher said excitedly, "Prime Minister Albert will also order all officials from the original empire ministries to stay in their posts. The original hierarchical affiliations in the army will also be The command power of the officers will be restored, and the Soviets will be prohibited from intervening in the affairs of the high command.
After the February Revolution, the provisional government that came to power, under pressure from the Petrograd Soviet of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies, ordered the establishment of a soldiers' committee system in the entire Russian army, with the soldiers' committees exercising leadership. It was tantamount to depriving the officers of their power and causing Tsarist Russia's army to fall apart. The Soviets controlled by the German Social Democratic Party and the Independent Social Democratic Party have now issued the opposite order, strengthening rather than weakening the leadership of the Junkers' officer corps over the army.
"Liebknecht is finished!" Hersmann affirmed. "He doesn't have much power, at least not an army."
This was the weakness of the Bolshevik Party in Germany later. Some workers simply could not resist the veterans who had come off the battlefield of World War I.
"Ludwig, Marshal Hindenburg also issued orders over the phone from the Spa headquarters." Schleicher grinned, "He was very satisfied with our performance and decided to promote me to colonel and take over the Central Office of the General Staff. (Personnel Division), and you take over Military Intelligence.”
The order to take over the Military Intelligence Bureau was expected by Hessmann, because Germany no longer needs the Military Intelligence Bureau from now on. What it needs is an internal secret police agency. And the Stasi is! But Colonel Val T. Nicholas obviously did not have the talent in this area, and Hersman was the most suitable candidate.
Moreover, after the war, the Military Intelligence Bureau will definitely be reduced to a division, or even a group. Such a miniature intelligence agency has no effect at all. If the German army wants to have a powerful spy agency after the war, the only way is to secretly merge the intelligence department or group with the Stasi.
"Okay, I will definitely not betray the trust of the Marshal." Hersman looked at Schleicher, "Colonel, do you have any other instructions from the Marshal?"
"He wants you to go to Riga immediately... to escort the coffins of His Majesty the Tsar, his wife and son! Alas, I really didn't expect that the Russian Bolsheviks would be so persistent in killing the Tsar. Now Olga is determined to be the empress. I really don't know what to do. How to comfort her? Ludwig, this task is left to you."
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