Chapter 482: Weariness
“How many times has it been now?” Akado asked, looking through the glass window of the Führer’s residence at the protesting crowd outside, which was continuously shouting slogans. He didn’t turn his head as he spoke to Chancellor August behind him.
August’s face was etched with fatigue. He sat on the sofa and sighed. “My Führer, after a year of continuous war, most of which we initiated, the people’s anti-war sentiment has risen. Many are now calling for an end to the war with Britain.”
“Haven’t I been trying to end this war? Haven’t I done enough? We instigated the Japanese to go to war with the Soviet Union precisely to delay our own war with them. I said at the time that the Japanese were not strong enough and couldn’t delay them for long, but we still went ahead and had the Japanese fight the Battle of Nomonhan!” Akado slammed his fist on the windowsill in frustration.
Akado seemed agitated and exasperated, because he found that the war had deviated from his original plans. The history he was familiar with was becoming less and less relevant, and the history he couldn’t analyze was growing. When would Japan declare war on the United States? Would it even declare war at all? He had no certainty about these things anymore.
“We ordered the use of the ‘Temporary War Act’ to restrain the protesters, but the effect has not been good. These people are not afraid of being thrown in prison, or even being sent to concentration camps. But we don’t dare to arrest these anti-war activists on a large scale. After all, we still have to consider our public image,” August replied helplessly.
Under the current circumstances, the only war that could be ended quickly was the landing in Britain. But even if that were finished, it would not be a quick solution. The number of troops that could be withdrawn would be small, and it seemed it would not be enough to alleviate the people’s aversion to the war.
A year of war had already brought Germany over a hundred thousand casualties. These were wounds that could not be healed by handing out a few more bags of flour or some extra margarine. The families who had shed blood and made sacrifices could not rejoice at the victories at the front. And the families whose children were still fighting and dying on the front lines could not possibly be fond of the dividends of war.
Of the over 5-million-strong army, only about 700,000 had received leave to visit their families in the past year. Many of the most effective units had not been back to the fatherland for 10 months. All the generals knew that the situation of the German army was not good, but they simply couldn’t think of a solution.
“Suppression is not the answer. We are the leaders of Germany, elected by the people, not shameless villains who disregard the lives of the people,” Akado said, turning around and no longer looking at the civilians who were calling for an end to the war. For a moment, he even envied Hitler, who could use heavy-handed methods to suppress domestic opposition.
But he knew that was just drinking poison to quench thirst. The problems that were bound to arise would arise sooner or later. Suppression would only delay the outbreak of the conflict; it would not truly solve the problem. This was the fundamental difference between him and Hitler: he could still look at the problem rationally, unlike Hitler, who had already gone mad.
“Have Merkel hold a press conference? Announce to the world that we are willing to end the war. How about that?” Akado asked, walking over to August.
“Not good. You will lose the support of the capitalists who are profiting from the war, and you may not be able to end the war then anyway,” August said with a worried frown. “At the very least, the Soviets might not accept a ceasefire.”
The British won’t agree to peace talks either, Akado thought bitterly, not unless we withdraw from the British mainland, dismantle our navy, split Germany apart, and then I shoot myself in the head. Maybe then the British would nod and agree to peace talks, but the terms would be whatever they wanted.
Germany now seemed to have entered a dead end. Every front had to be fought, and every front had to be won. These necessary wars were suffocating Germany, but when it wanted to stop, it found it couldn’t do so on its own terms. To use a popular internet catchphrase: “It just can’t be stopped!”
The Battle of Britain had entered a vicious cycle: to make the Atlantic Wall absolutely secure, they had to hold the British mainland. And as long as they held the British mainland, the war would continue. Unless Germany could outlast the collapse of the British overseas colonial system, but that was destined to be a long war, not a quick one.
The operation in North Africa was also a dead end. To completely cripple Britain, they had to occupy the Suez Canal and threaten the Middle East. To win the Jews’ commitment, they also had to enter the Middle East. But once they did, America’s core interests would be threatened. At that point, the North African front would only become larger with America’s entry, and ending it would be a fool’s dream.
On the Eastern Front, although Germany had thwarted the Soviet offensive, the Soviets would clearly not surrender easily. Under the current circumstances, the German army could only commit more combat troops to prevent the situation from reversing. And Akado knew that the Eastern Front might well be the most decisive theater, so he did not dare to be careless in the slightest.
After thinking it over, Akado suddenly realized that it seemed all the previous battles had been for nothing. Germany was still besieged on all sides, still in an embarrassing situation where it could be overturned at any moment. The millions of troops he now had at his disposal seemed to be winning victory after victory, but in reality, if any single link in the chain were to go wrong, this Third Reich that he had painstakingly built would instantly collapse.
“In this situation, we can only take it one step at a time,” Akado said to August with a wry smile, feeling somewhat disheartened. He was only 38 years old this year, and Anna had already had to dye his hair three times. He himself didn’t know why he had been so determined to realize his grand ambitions back then, only to end up in this unmanageable, tragic situation.
Those people who dreamed day and night of being emperor, who knew that every one of those emperors who had left their mark on history was a poor soul who had to get up at 4 AM to work and was still working overtime at 8 PM! He himself had not yet reached the point of absolute power, yet he already had to work more than 12 hours a day.
Speer’s industrial reforms had brought a new vitality to German industry amidst the flames of war. After taking over as the Minister of Industry, he had increased Germany’s industrial capacity by 7% in just one month, and this trend was continuing. It was estimated that by the end of 1938, Germany’s industrial production capacity would be more than double that of 1937.
Chancellor August had been mainly responsible for internal affairs for the past year. He had managed to stabilize the restless remnants of the Junker aristocracy, inspire the populace to endure the hardships of war, and also had to pacify the occupied territories and mediate the small conflicts within the Axis. Thinking of all this work, Akado really wanted to award a medal to this old man in his seventies.
Foreign affairs were basically Merkel’s responsibility. As the Foreign Minister of the Third Reich, he was probably one of the busiest people in Germany in 1937. He had to stabilize the increasingly restless Balkan Peninsula, while also flirting with Finland, Portugal, Vichy France, and Northern Britain. The key was that after completing these diplomatic tasks, he still had to find time to win over Turkey… Okay, if you also counted the time spent on a war of words with the enraged Japanese diplomats, Merkel seemed to be even busier than Führer Akado.
Gascoigne and Heydrich were in charge of the Third Reich’s espionage and counter-espionage agencies. The two sides’ spies were constantly at each other’s throats. The insertion and control of tens of thousands of German overseas spies, their surveillance and use, the transmission of information and the guarantee of their safety. If it weren’t for the war, what couldn’t these people be doing?
And then there were the commanders of the Wehrmacht—the logistics and supply for an army of over 5 million, battlefield transport, tactical deployment. Just thinking about it was enough to make one’s head explode. Arranging the timetable for over a thousand military trains every month was a task of unimaginable scale, and in most cases, after arranging the timetable, the logistics department had to meticulously check what kind of supplies were being transported in each and every carriage.
“Transfer another three divisions from Army Group B, stationed near the west coast of France, to the British mainland,” Akado said, having made up his mind. He intended to resolve the war in Britain before his child was born. “Send a telegram to General von Rundstedt. Within 15 days, end the Battle of London.”
August thought for a moment, stroking his chin, then nodded. “It seems now that we can only find a solution on the British mainland. End the Battle of London as soon as possible, then negotiate peace with Northern Britain, to give the people an explanation.”
“That’s the only way!” Akado closed his eyes. “I hope Rundstedt can win the Battle of London quickly. This way, we can at least let 100,000 troops go home on leave, which should ease the current tense atmosphere.”
“In fact, the military-industrial enterprises have already begun to mobilize for war. Speer has cancelled leave in several industrial areas with the most Greater Germany Party members and has raised wages by 30%,” August added after a thought. “General von Bock has suggested that the Afrika Korps adopt a volunteer mercenary system to eliminate the people’s resistance to the war.”
“Let’s try it. It’s better than having no solution at all,” Akado said, looking at the map. He placed his hand on the Atlantic Ocean and, after a long pause, finally said with difficulty, “Tell Raeder to recall Admiral Lütjens. The fleet will rest and reorganize. Dönitz’s submarine force will also reduce its scale of operations. Let the soldiers go home and relax for a few days. The blockade of Iceland has not been effective. We might as well let the British Royal Family make their move. I’d like to see what kind of trouble these British can stir up on Iceland!”
“Have Merkel personally go to France. The unbreakable posture of the Axis powers must be maintained,” August said with a nod. “In fact, we have quite a few allies, don’t we?”
Published: 2025-08-29T02:31:58.000+00:00
Last Edited: 2025-11-25T14:23:45.000+00:00
URL: https://www.patreon.com/caleredhair/posts/mtr-c482-137600671
Advance chapters at Nightjar Reads · nightjarreads.com