Chapter 153: Manstein

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From the moment he transmigrated to Germany until now, Akado was finally starting to feel a bit like a transmigrator. For the first time, he had encountered one of those legendary, brain-dead fans who would pledge their heart and soul to him. After hearing the Führer’s vision for the construction of airborne forces, Student had become a thorough supporter of Akado. His tearful display of vowing to lay down his life for the Führer was so intense that even Akado felt a little overwhelmed.

This also made Manstein, who was standing to the side, speculate about the Führer’s mindset: it seemed this Führer was fond of new tactics. Guderian, Rommel, and now this Student had all secured brilliant futures by championing new branches of the military, such as the panzer troops, which the Führer favored. Thinking of this, Manstein couldn’t help but smile bitterly.

He thought of that Rommel, who had been just a junior field officer back in the day, and was now a representative of the young guard in the Wehrmacht. He had commanded the German 7th Panzer Division in the plan to annex Austria and was now on equal footing with himself, who had become a major general two years earlier.

And just now, the Führer had personally promoted a colonel. Another fresh major general, promoted because of the Führer’s strange ideas, had just been minted, making his own rank of major general seem even less valuable. Manstein’s mind was filled with one thought: My recent research has been on infantry offense and logistical organization, all old tactics carried over from World War I. There’s nothing new that would be worthy of the Führer’s attention.

“As for why I called you here,” Akado didn’t give Manstein time to let his imagination run wild. He smiled and patted Manstein’s shoulder, saying very cordially, “I wanted to ask you, as an aristocrat, what is your view on the current issue of the SS dealing with the Junker aristocrats?”

“My Führer,” Manstein suddenly became uneasy, an anxious expression on his face.

“Your full name is Fritz Erich von Manstein. You are an old Prussian aristocratic officer with a deep aristocratic background. The Junker aristocrats must have contacted you,” Akado said, waving his hand to signal Manstein not to speak. “Tell me, what do you think of the current partial aristocratic rebellion in the country?”

“My Führer, I have sworn an oath under the national flag! I am loyal to you and the German people and will fight for this country until the very last moment,” Manstein said, having calmed his emotions. “I participated in the Great War and experienced the defeat and the suing for peace. I am also well aware of what those Junker aristocrats did behind the scenes! Therefore, Mr. Führer, I personally agree with your decision to deal with the Junker aristocrats.”

“In the army, are there many aristocrats who think this way?” Akado continued to ask. This was a spur-of-the-moment question. Many reports from the SS and the secret police indicated that the reason Akado’s purge had not caused a major stir in the army was mainly because the German military aristocracy had long been dissatisfied with the Junker aristocrats and the monopoly conglomerates, and had therefore stood by and watched.

“Of course there are many, my Führer! The aristocracy is not a monolith; we have our own enemies. The collusion of those Junker aristocrats is also despised by the true aristocrats!” Manstein thought that Akado had summoned him for this matter, and he naturally felt much more relaxed. He had sided with the Führer from the beginning of the Junker rebellion. This was a good opportunity to show his merit, so naturally, he spoke his mind.

“Since that’s the case, I am relieved,” Akado nodded, then suddenly asked, “Then what is the general’s opinion of France’s Maginot Line?”

This was something of a test, and it was precisely the problem that Manstein’s unit was supposed to be studying, so Manstein answered without hesitation. “The French are reinforcing their Maginot Line. If our army were to launch a frontal attack, the cost would be enormous, especially since our troops lack the necessary large-caliber artillery.”

“Then in your opinion, General, how should we break through this line?” Akado asked with a smile.

“If it is a frontal attack, then it would be best to equip super-large-caliber artillery to bombard the core areas of the Maginot Line, completely destroying the fortifications, and then use tanks to cover the infantry in a simultaneous breakthrough at several points… Even so, the losses on the first day of the attack would probably be no less than 10,000 men,” Manstein answered honestly. This was the result they had repeatedly war-gamed on the Western Front. If French reinforcements arrived in time, the losses would be even greater.

“If the French army mobilizes quickly and their reinforcements arrive, we still won’t have taken the entire Maginot Line,” Akado said, looking at the map with a sigh. “I have seen the General Staff’s solution. To be honest, it’s just the stuff Moltke wrote. If I want to see those operational results, I can just read a history book.”

So the Führer is dissatisfied with the military’s offensive plan, Manstein thought, his eyebrows twitching. He then said, “Then why doesn’t the Führer convene a new operational meeting to redraft the entire plan?”

If I wanted to convene a new operational meeting, would I need to see you? A frontline commander with the rank of major general, would you even have a chance to participate in an operational discussion meeting that I personally convened? Akado took a deep breath and then said, “I want to hear what you think, as a frontline commander. What are your thoughts on this French defensive line? Speak your mind.”

“Since the Führer does not approve of a frontal breakthrough, then the only option left is to bypass it,” Manstein, who would become a world-renowned German master of command, was certainly no fool. He immediately got to the heart of the matter. “And the Franco-German border itself is not a good breakthrough point.”

“Then where, in your opinion, should we break through?” Akado asked with a smile. Manstein was on the right track, and he was very pleased. He was happy to use this more professional way of communicating to build a rapport with his subordinates. Hitler had done the same in history, and it had been proven that the German Wehrmacht generals were very fond of this kind of communication: they believed the Führer understood tactics. Of course, Hitler later interfered with command, which made the army increasingly dissatisfied, and eventually, the two sides were at odds. So this time, Akado had to get the balance right.

The foundation that General von Seeckt had painstakingly laid for Germany finally blossomed and bore fruit at this moment. The high quality of the German officer corps was finally demonstrated before Akado. At this time, Manstein was only a divisional commander and logically should not be considering problems at the army group level, but he still gave Akado a satisfactory answer.

“My Führer, formulating a plan requires consideration of many issues. I need time to calculate and deploy accurately. I will submit a plan of my own within a month. I wonder if the Führer wishes for me to take any international issues into consideration?” Manstein asked in a low voice.

“There is no need! I just want a purely military plan,” Akado said, shaking his head. “Since the attack will no longer be on the Franco-German border, that moment will be the beginning of a total war, so there is no need to consider anything else.”

“Yes! I understand,” Manstein said with a nod. He was now increasingly convinced that the Führer was a very good leader. No wonder many of the big shots in the military held the Führer in high regard. Now he knew part of the reason: this superior did not constrain his generals on minor details.

Akado nodded, then casually asked some questions. “How is the new tactical vest that was issued to the troops?”

“My Führer, this tactical vest has improved the soldiers’ load-carrying capacity, allowing them to carry more equipment with ease. It is very convenient,” Manstein was clearly very satisfied with Germany’s new equipment. “But the most popular item is the canned meat. Our army has always been short on meat supplies. With this canned meat, the situation has improved a lot.”

Akado had ordered the collection of things that Germans didn’t usually eat, such as animal offal, meat trimmings, and even pig trotters, to be processed with starch to make the canned meat of later generations. Sealed in cans, it became a very welcome food for the soldiers. Compared to having nothing to eat or no meat at all, this canned meat, which looked a bit like ham and tasted passable, was a godsend.

The most important thing was that it could be preserved for a long time, making it easy to stockpile. After adding preservatives and all sorts of other things, it could even be kept for several years. Germany had already established relevant food processing plants in several regions, specializing in the production of this emergency ration. Of course, due to profit issues and material shortages, the quality remained at a “not bad” level.

“I plan to form a new 11th Infantry Corps on the Western Front, with the 11th and 12th Infantry Divisions under it. After you return, prepare the promotion lists and promote the qualified officers accordingly,” Akado said finally.

“Thank you for your trust, my Führer! Manstein swears to you that he will be loyal until the end of his life,” Manstein said, standing up at attention. “Heil Führer!”

Akado was promoting Manstein for no other reason than that he was preparing Army Group C on the Western Front. This army group would be the main force for the attack on France. By first letting Manstein form an independent corps, and adding the tank forces led by Guderian, Rommel, and others, Army Group C would be even stronger than the German army that had historically attacked France.

After seeing General Manstein off, Akado received a report from Gascoigne. The French, in order to deal with Germany’s Siegfried Line, were deploying large-caliber railway guns on a massive scale. The French were equipping a type of railway gun called the Schneider, with a caliber of 340mm and immense power.

“It seems we need to encourage the French in their weapon development decisions,” Akado said with a smile, glancing at Gascoigne beside him. “Clearly, our neighbors are too conservative, aren’t they?”

Gascoigne nodded, a smirk matching Akado’s on his face. “It’s been prepared for a long time, my Führer. Do I need to send an invitation to Colonel Smith?”

Akado nodded. “Of course. We need to invite a lot of people.”