Chapter 522: Turkey
On the first day of May, Akado’s office welcomed a special group of guests. These were special envoys from Turkey who, after finalizing the relationship of interests between Turkey and Germany, would announce their entry into the “Pact of Steel,” becoming a new member of the Axis powers.
The reason Turkey had waited until now was, on the one hand, to wait for a winner to emerge between Germany and Britain, and on the other, to wait for the highest price, comparing the various benefits offered by Britain and Germany to maximize its own future interests.
Due to its superior and strategic geographical location, Turkey had always been playing a delaying game. They coveted the Balkan region, were hostile to the Soviet Union, and of course, they also coveted the lands of the Middle East. As a country with both ambition and the strength to expand, Turkey’s inclination towards Germany was not without reason. Both countries were latecomers in the pre-World War I era, both had their own territorial demands, and both had been suppressed by Britain. If they didn’t unite, would it not be an injustice of heaven?
However, because Turkey had not gained much in the First World War, the country was very cautious about choosing sides. They were unwilling to be easily drawn into a world war, yet they wanted to get their own share of the benefits from it. This was the current state of Turkey: greedy but unwilling to put in the effort.
Unfortunately, the recent series of German victories had stimulated the nerves of the radical faction within Turkey. They keenly sensed that if Turkey did not act quickly, then the interests that Turkey had claimed would be given by Germany to other Axis countries. Italy, for example, had always had its own views on the Balkan Peninsula.
Suddenly hearing that the German airborne forces had raided the island of Malta with lightning speed and had extended their hand to the islands in the Mediterranean, the bigwigs in Turkey could no longer sit still. They were afraid that Germany would achieve a similarly lightning-fast victory in the Balkans, in which case the benefits Germany had promised Turkey would become a passing cloud.
“My Führer, we have traveled thousands of miles to make a final confirmation. On the Balkan issue, can Germany and Turkey, and even Italy, truly achieve an equal division of interests?” The moment he sat down, the Turkish diplomat asked Akado.
Akado glanced at Merkel, then nodded slightly. “Of course. Germany has always regarded Turkey as a friendly and cooperative country, and the ‘Pact of Steel’ has always looked forward to Turkey’s entry. In the Balkans, the Greek region has historically been within the traditional sphere of influence of the Turkish Empire. On this point, Duce Mussolini and I have already reached a consensus. Germany is also a country that respects history.”
After saying this, his tone changed. He looked at the Turkish diplomats and continued, “But please understand one thing, your esteemed country, and that is that Germany is not a fool, nor will it give away its own interests to others for free. Our meaning is very simple: if you want benefits, no problem, but you must fulfill the obligations of an ally.”
The Turkish representatives fell silent. They naturally knew the specific content of the obligations. For the past six months, they had been studying these treaty contents every day, carefully weighing whether they would bring benefits to Turkey. They had recently come to a conclusion, otherwise they would not have rushed here. But diplomacy is diplomacy; one must haggle over every condition.
“My Führer, since it is a full submission to the alliance, Turkey will naturally fulfill the obligations stipulated in the treaty,” the Turkish diplomat said, choosing his words carefully as he haggled. “We will send troops to the Middle East when conditions permit, to disrupt the British strategic deployment there. We will also conduct military deterrence on the Soviet border to attract a portion of the Soviet Union’s attention.”
“When conditions permit?” Akado raised an eyebrow, looked at the Turkish diplomat in front of him, and sneered. “Was it ‘when conditions permitted’ that Germany swept through Poland? Was it ‘when conditions permitted’ that we annihilated the Anglo-French allied forces? Every battle we fight is a victory bought with the lives and blood of our soldiers! You want to wait for the benefits and then pick up the scraps from behind? How come Germany never gets such a good deal?”
The Italian diplomat who was listening on the side blushed so much that he almost buried his head in his lap. The performance of the Italian army in France had been utterly disgraceful, and the mess in North Africa was still being paid for by the Germans. The German Führer’s words, “waiting for the benefits and then picking up the scraps from behind,” were more or less directed at Italy.
However, at least Italy had done one thing relatively well: although its battlefield performance was very average, it had indeed put in the effort. Italy was one of Germany’s earliest allies and a major world power that had always supported Germany on the international stage. Even Rommel, who was dealing directly with the Italian army, had to admit that in some areas, the Italians had indeed done everything an ally should do.
For a country like Turkey, which had been swaying from side to side, placing bets based on the direction of the wind, and still haggling at the last moment, even the Italians, whose skin was as thick as a city wall, felt it was a bit too shameless. If they were not in the Führer’s conference room and did not have the guts to slam the table and stand up, they would have wanted to ask the Turks on what grounds they dared to compete with Italy for the Balkan Peninsula.
This Italian diplomat asked himself if he really had the guts to slam the table and glare at Akado, and he dared not speak up at this time. At least the German Führer had not yet brought the problem to Italy’s hundred battles and hundred defeats. To stand out now would definitely be an unwise choice.
Thinking that his country had at least helped a little, the Italian diplomat hypnotized himself. He sat comfortably in his seat, ignoring the somewhat playful glances from Merkel and the Turks on the side.
“My Führer, Turkey has never had the habit of getting something for nothing!” the Turkish diplomat replied with a frown after hearing Akado’s words. “Within two months at most, we will be ready to start the war in the Middle East. Turkish troops will head south and look for an opportunity to attack the local British garrisons.”
He paused, then continued, “And to prove our sincerity, Turkey will declare war on the British government in Iceland within two days!”
So Turkey was thoroughly preparing to board the German war chariot. To speak of their opportunistic looting of a burning house after declaring war on Iceland with such righteousness, Akado felt that these diplomats should all go and be stand-up comedians. At the very least, their gift of the gab was an unparalleled advantage.
The German soldiers had won their results with courage and blood, and they could get them by just spraying words from their mouths. This was the so-called “three-inch incorruptible tongue,” right? Akado looked at Merkel helplessly and suddenly felt that it was quite good to have such a talent.
Merkel saw Akado’s look and knew it was his time to step up. So he decisively came forward and became the protagonist of today’s alliance meeting between the two countries. The facts proved that while the level of the diplomat was important, the strength of the nation was even more important. Merkel was as unshakable as a mountain in the face of the various demands put forward by the Turkish envoy, and the two sides engaged in a fierce struggle.
The war in the Middle East was certainly not just a matter of Turkey sending troops. If it were just a matter of sending troops to occupy a region, and such a distant one at that, why would everyone sit down and negotiate? They could just do it if they could, why bother? So this dispatch of troops was naturally accompanied by the future distribution of the entire Steel Axis’s oil interests in the Middle East.
In other words, you, Turkey, send troops to the Middle East, and you have to hand over a portion of the interests of the places you conquer to Germany and Italy. Only then will Germany and Italy recognize Turkey’s rights in Greece. In fact, it was just a process of mutually buying insurance, creating a community of interests where you are in me and I am in you, to strengthen the power of the Steel Axis alliance.
The three countries, and even Franco’s Spain, Pétain’s Vichy France, Chamberlain’s Northern Britain, and the new country of Ireland, all stretched out their knives and forks and began to carve up the Middle Eastern oil fields, which were still an Anglo-American sphere of interest. The representatives of the several countries fought for every barrel of oil quota, each with their own reasons. The greedy appearance of these people reminded Akado of the Paris Peace Conference back then. Thinking of the Chinese diplomats watching a group of countries discuss the division of their motherland’s due interests, he felt very uncomfortable.
In the end, the distribution of interests was completed. The latest plan was that the United States would still account for 20% of the total Middle Eastern oil production, Germany would account for 30%, Turkey, for sending troops, could account for 20%, Italy, Spain, and France would each get 10%, local forces would account for 20%, and the other countries would divide the remaining 10%. Everyone expressed that this distribution was relatively fair and was a result that made everyone happy.
So later that day, these Turkish diplomats, who had secretly rushed to Germany, attended a reception held by Krupp in a high-profile manner. At the reception, the two sides showed a good intention of cooperation.
The next morning, the diplomats of the two sides officially confirmed their alliance at a press conference at the German Foreign Ministry in Berlin. Turkey joined the Steel Axis and became a new member of this group.
This blow was somewhat huge for Britain. The war situation in the Mediterranean immediately became even worse. Patton and Montgomery, who had been planning to counter-attack Rommel, immediately abandoned their plans and began to desperately fortify the Tobruk fortress.
On the afternoon of the same day, Turkey officially declared war on the British government-in-exile in Iceland. This news shocked the American government and public. The interests of the United States in the Middle East were under an unprecedented threat. President Roosevelt immediately summoned the German ambassador to the United States to inquire whether the future military action plans of the Axis powers in the Middle East were directed at the United States.
Published: 2025-09-02T03:31:54.000+00:00
Last Edited: 2025-12-10T19:49:26.000+00:00
URL: https://www.patreon.com/caleredhair/posts/mtr-c522-turkey-137920327
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