Chapter 11: Operation Pluto

On one side of the round table, several men in suits pounded the tabletop, their faces filled with righteous indignation. In the very center of the table lay a plan bound in a white cover, stamped with a bright red seal. A line of German text indicated that the document was top secret.

In the upper-middle section of the plan’s cover, its codename was written in bold, named for the god who ruled the underworld: Operation Pluto.

On the other side of the round table, the military representatives appeared calm and composed. They sat serenely, holding their teacups, watching the politicians across from them shout and clamor as if they were watching a play, letting out an occasional sneer to express their disdain.

The leading politician pounded the table, pointed at the plan, and yelled furiously, “What is this? What exactly is the military trying to do? This isn’t a disarmament plan at all! This would preserve more than half of the entire German army!”

The man speaking was the president of the current German government, Friedrich Ebert. His words immediately drew a chorus of agreement. Another politician shot to his feet. “Look at this! What in the world is written here? Huh? The state is to train one hundred thousand discharged soldiers, who will then go undercover in every corner of the country, and even abroad, to be used for espionage or special operations when the nation needs them. Deploying spies on such a massive scale will cause an international incident!”

As he spoke, he waved the copy of the document in his hand, slapping it forcefully and making sharp thwacking sounds. “And you want to secretly place military officers in civilian government posts? You want to place seven hundred officers at the rank of major or above, and three thousand at the rank of second lieutenant or above? Are you trying to establish a military government?”

“Sir, I hope you will think carefully before you speak! If your words represent the government, then the Reichswehr will have to seriously reconsider its attitude towards the government!” General von Seeckt didn’t even look at the man who was speaking, and his tone was perfectly calm. However, President Ebert immediately stood up and pulled his still-stunned colleague, who had just been shouting indignantly, back into his seat. “We all understand the difficulties of the Reichswehr, and we support the secret development of our armed forces to protect Germany’s basic security. But to violate the Treaty of Versailles on such a massive scale… the Allied Commission will not just let this go!”

“How to deceive the Allied Commission’s inspectors is our military’s business. What we need now is the government’s full and unreserved support!” General von Seeckt snorted, cutting off Ebert’s complaints.

“There is a sub-plan here to train pilots and tank drivers abroad. This involves diplomatic issues. We cannot provide assistance. Once meetings at the ambassadorial level occur, it will be impossible to keep the negotiations secret!” The Foreign Minister did not object loudly but simply stated his difficulties regarding the practical issues.

Seeckt glanced sideways at Akado, who was standing ramrod straight behind him, signaling for him to come forward and explain his own plan.

Akado knew it was his turn. He had to get this plan approved and secure the maximum amount of support. Without the government’s backing, the path to revitalizing the Reichswehr would be fraught with thorns.

He took a step forward, head high and chest out. “Gentlemen, this part of the plan will be carried out solely by the military. We will directly contact the countries we are interested in and sign secret agreements. It will not involve any government departments. Even if it is discovered, you gentlemen in the government can completely absolve yourselves of any responsibility.”

“Young man! The word ‘responsibility’ is easy to say, but do you know what price must be paid?” An old man who had been silent until now, looking somewhat dim-eyed and ancient, suddenly spoke up.

He wore a large, imposing mustache and a German Army uniform that seemed a bit tight on him, as his frame was particularly stout. He sat there like a small mountain.

The insignia on his shoulders made him stand out. The golden decorative cords swayed gently. He was the undisputed number one man in the German military, the old Field Marshal Hindenburg.

Akado snapped to attention again, standing as straight as he possibly could, and saluted the old field marshal, the heels of his leather boots clicking together with a sharp crack. “Field Marshal! This subordinate will not hesitate to give his life for the German Reichswehr!”

“A warrior who is prepared for sacrifice is often the one who survives! You have done well,” the old marshal grunted softly. He then glanced at General von Seeckt and asked a seemingly off-topic question in a casual tone, “How long has he been a major under your command?”

“Seven months,” Seeckt replied respectfully.

“Hmm.” Hindenburg nodded. “That’s about right. Let Lieutenant Colonel Akado take charge of Operation Pluto. Execute Article Four. That can be started immediately. As for the rest, you all discuss and draft an execution plan and submit it to me.”

Ebert raised his eyebrows. Hindenburg was supporting this plan. And he had even promoted this nobody, Akado. It seemed the military’s ambitions needed to be reined in.

“Field Marshal, we also support this plan. However, the funding… billions of Marks… we simply cannot come up with it right now. We cannot afford such a huge sum, nor can we hide it from the Allied Commission.” Ebert, deciding to change his strategy, played his trump card.

“Well then! Since you support the plan, however much you can give, we will take!” Akado interjected, his eyes narrowed.

The meeting ultimately concluded according to the wishes of the Reichswehr. The government officials agreed to provide 13 billion German Marks for the entire “Operation Pluto.” A large portion of these funds was blatantly given to the military under the pretext of providing for discharged veterans.

The moment this money arrived in the Reichswehr’s accounts, it was squandered almost overnight. Disbanding the veterans required a huge sum of money. Although the Reichswehr had already dragged out the demobilization process to more than twice the planned time, it still couldn’t cover the immense expenses.

Disbanding veterans cost money, paying the salaries of the active-duty new Reichswehr cost money, refurbishing old warships cost money, dismantling aircraft cost money. In the end, after all 13 billion Marks had been allocated, Akado and Seeckt discovered to their dismay that not a single cent was left for purchasing new weapons.

“This won’t do!” In the office, Akado was furious. He simply could not tolerate this budget allocation, which was clearly a compromise with the Allied Military Control Commission.

He pounded on the plan, his face filled with anger. “General, sir! I’ve already said, to build the new Reichswehr, we need at least 700 new vehicles and new communications equipment! The infantry’s sidearms also need to be replaced, and the army’s training will consume about ten million rounds of ammunition annually.”

“We can only carry out these plans in secret! Do you understand, Akado? The Allied Military Control Commission is watching us very closely right now! We cannot proceed entirely according to our plan! Also! Training ammunition can be appropriated from the imperial reserves! These outdated munitions will be useless to us in the future anyway! Use them to train the soldiers! That’s the only part I can solve for you. You’ll have to figure out the rest yourself!” General von Seeckt said helplessly, throwing up his hands.

“And what about cooking the books? How is that progressing?” After saying this, General von Seeckt casually asked Akado about the more substantive issue.

Akado loosened the collar of his uniform, calmed himself, and reported, “After great difficulty, we have managed to create a seventy-million-Mark discrepancy in the funds for disbanding the old army. We collected severance pay for non-existent units and inflated the number of troops in most units.”

Seeckt nodded in approval. “Very good! You’ve worked hard! Use half of this money for Operation Thumbtack, and give the other half to those military factories. Have them continue their research on new weapons! Although we cannot produce them now, we must ensure that when we do, they will be the best in the world!”

“Yes, General, sir!” Akado said, standing at attention.

Seeckt smiled with satisfaction and continued assigning tasks. “The first phase of Operation Thumbtack will focus on domestic deployment. Monitor all enemies of the Reichswehr! Understand?”

“Understood!” Akado replied.

“Your promotion papers have already been approved. Starting tomorrow, you will be Lieutenant Colonel Akado Rudolph. Any thoughts?” Seeckt asked with a smile, changing the subject.

Knowing that Seeckt didn’t want to dwell on the issue, as it was a top-secret plan, Akado went along with the change of topic. “A soldier who doesn’t want to be a general is not a good soldier, correct?”

“If you had been born twenty years earlier, perhaps our Kaiser would not have had to suffer such humiliation,” Seeckt said with a sigh. In front of Akado, he made no effort to hide his monarchist sympathies, a clear sign of his trust.

Akado also knew that Seeckt’s words were meant to subtly draw him into the monarchist circle. But Akado was no loyal guardian of the Kaiser. He would much rather be the leader of the Third Reich than a pawn in an imperial restoration.

“History has no ‘ifs,’ General, sir! I am more concerned with the future!” Akado sidestepped Seeckt’s pointed remark, making his own position clear.

“The future? I hope the future you speak of is the future of the German people,” Seeckt said, closing his eyes. He waved his hand, dismissing Akado from his office.

Akado’s promotion ceremony was brief yet grand. It was brief because the entire ceremony was held just for him, a secret and streamlined affair. It was grand because Field Marshal Hindenburg himself personally awarded the young officer the newly established Contribution Medal and promoted him to Lieutenant Colonel of the German Reichswehr.

Amid a round of applause congratulating Akado on his promotion, the first phase of “Operation Pluto” was fully launched. The 60,000 men of the Black Reichswehr were completely disbanded, and fifteen new Reichswehr divisions were organized across the country. At that moment, the German military took its first steps in violation of the Treaty of Versailles.