Chapter 119: Bustling Slovakia

In a Czechoslovakian army barracks on the border, all the soldiers had already assembled. They watched their officer at the front of the parade ground, waiting for him to issue the orders they were to carry out.

Whether they would be ordered to engage the German Wehrmacht entering Czechoslovakian territory would depend on the command given shortly. However, what was puzzling was that behind their officer stood a young man in the grey-green uniform of a German officer.

“Alert is canceled!” a Czechoslovakian officer commanded loudly to the soldiers on the parade ground. “We have been ordered to cease resistance! Hand over your weapons to the German officer who has come to take over this barracks.”

“Good afternoon, gentlemen! I am Major Löw of the German Wehrmacht, and I have been ordered to take over this barracks,” the German officer said, stepping forward and looking at the Czech soldiers before him, shouldering their rifles with sorrowful expressions. “Please do not feel that you are being disarmed by me. Because your weapons are of a different standard than ours, I have been ordered to collect these weapons and, after today, to issue you with standard Wehrmacht weapons and equipment, as well as this handsome uniform I am wearing.”

“Major, sir, you don’t intend to disband us?” a Czech officer asked very cautiously.

“Why would I disband you?” Major Löw laughed and retorted. “You are all well-trained troops! Why would I waste these already-trained soldiers for nothing?”

At this point, Löw’s voice boomed. “You have not been defeated, gentlemen! Nor are you surrendering in humiliation! you are simply returning to the embrace of the Germanic nation! Becoming a part of the great Germany!”

“Today, you are not surrendering, but returning to the embrace of the motherland! Tomorrow, you will have even less need to surrender! Because you will become the most powerful army in the world, the Wehrmacht! Long live Great Germany! Long live the Führer!” Löw concluded his speech with a German salute.

With a clatter, a rifle was thrown to the ground. A Czech soldier of Germanic descent had dropped his weapon, his eyes filled with tears of excitement at the prospect of returning to his motherland. His action influenced the soldiers around him. One after another, the Czech soldiers placed their rifles at their feet.

“The Germans! The Germans are here!” a worker ran into the factory like a madman, shouting the good news to his colleagues. “God bless us! Czechoslovakia has been incorporated into Germany.”

“Are you sure?” a worker next to him cried out excitedly. “God bless us! We’ve joined Germany! That means we’ll have jobs from now on! And I heard there will be rationed flour and potatoes! If I ever meet that Mr. Führer, I really want to kiss his ass!”

A bearded worker said with a smile, “We are also Germanic people, the most superior race as Mr. Rudolph said. We used to always ask the question: why must we starve while our compatriots in the motherland have food to eat? Now we have returned to the embrace of the motherland! We’re going to be prosperous too!”

“Long live the Führer!” a worker not far away chimed in happily. “Since the Führer has led Germany, we have reclaimed the territory of the Germanic people and taken back our dignity! He is a man greater than Bismarck!”

With an angry expression, he waved his hand twice and continued, “We used to have a little bit of work, but those Czech bosses at the main plant were like parasites, using our factory’s funds to save themselves. That’s how we ended up in this state!”

“This factory has been incorporated into the Krupp Heavy Industry Group! Starting today, we’ll have endless orders for parts. We might even have to work overtime…” the foreman said as he walked over, an expression of indescribable pride and joy on his face. “Of course… I heard the finance department has received a lot of grain and plans to supplement some welfare benefits with payment in kind!”

“Sir! Are we saved?” a worker stepped forward and asked timidly.

“Yes! Sir! Will we have a good life from now on?” “Sir! Are we Germans now?” Behind him, many workers stood up and asked.

“Of course! We are Germans! And through-and-through Germans! I have the honor of being the first member of the Greater German Party in this factory,” the foreman said, raising his right hand high. “Long live the Führer!”

“Long live Germany! Long live the Führer!” all the workers roared.

Amidst the excited roars of the workers, a German Wehrmacht vehicle drove past the factory gate, where a German flag had already been hung. German cavalry on tall horses rode proudly forward through a sea of welcoming citizens, drawing waves of cheers from the people.

In Prague Square, the romance of violin music had long since vanished. Next to an armored reconnaissance vehicle, two Wehrmacht soldiers carrying rifles were smoking on the leeward side. They periodically poked their heads out to observe their surroundings, then chatted idly.

This was now German territory. However, news had come in that morning that in the outskirts of Prague, a stubborn Czechoslovakian policeman had pulled out his service pistol and shot a German Wehrmacht soldier in the head. So now, when the Wehrmacht was on street patrol, they were on high alert.

Although the policeman who couldn’t see reason was subsequently turned into a sieve by the Wehrmacht soldiers who reacted, an internal military bulletin still required every soldier to ensure their personal safety to the best of their ability and issued ammunition to all soldiers participating in street patrols. The city was divided into zones by district, and armored cars were assigned to provide cover for these patrols.

In a manor in the suburbs of Prague, a dozen SS soldiers stood around the house with submachine guns. An officer was sitting on a sofa in the middle of the room, sneering at a middle-aged couple.

The male owner of the manor spoke with a tremor in his voice. “You can’t do this! This is my private enterprise! How can you seize my personal property! I can donate a large sum of money to the SS, but please do not take away my brass processing plant!”

“I’m sorry, my dear sir,” the SS officer said, lighting a cigarette with great satisfaction. He took a deep drag in front of the frowning lady of the house, then flicked the ash onto what looked like a very expensive carpet. “The Führer has already ordered that your factory be transferred to the Rheinmetall company! I regret to inform you that you are bankrupt!”

“This is robbery! I’m going to sue you in court!” the lady of the house finally exploded, unable to bear it any longer. “You occupy our country by force! And now you dare to brazenly rob us of our…”

“You see? Your wife is the reasonable one,” the SS officer said, dropping his cigarette and standing up. “If you didn’t curse me viciously and swear at me with such foul language, how could I bring myself to order your execution?”

The husband was stunned. He then shielded his wife behind him and pleaded mournfully, “Let us go! We won’t say anything! Even if you beat me to death, please let my wife go! She’s just a woman, she doesn’t understand anything…”

“Open fire,” the officer commanded with a wave of his hand.

“Rat-tat, tat, rat-tat-tat…” The SS soldiers expressionlessly aimed their weapons at the targets and pulled the triggers.

To pay off the debts incurred from military expansion and to continue to stimulate economic growth, Akado had signed secret directives. The SS was dispatched in full force to seize a number of important factories and enterprises in Czechoslovakia. Many of these enterprises were converted into cash and mortgaged to several large German industrial groups.

Germany, Berlin, the Führer’s Residence.

“My Führer! The Wehrmacht has received approximately 300 LT-38 tanks from the Czechoslovakian army, with nearly 60 more on the production line. These tanks look good. We can use them to supplement our tank forces,” General von Brauchitsch said excitedly, looking at the inventory of captured items. The variety of weapons on it made him very excited.

The Czechs had the large-caliber artillery that the German army desperately needed, as well as tank production lines and a large amount of arms manufacturing equipment. These were all things that Germany had been forbidden to possess under the Treaty of Versailles. Now, this equipment no longer had to be hidden away from prying eyes. Czechoslovakia could immediately be transformed into a heavy industry production base for the Wehrmacht.

Moreover, the Czech ZB light machine gun was also very popular, but equipping it could create logistical difficulties for the army. Akado was currently holding an emergency meeting on weapons and equipment reform, where the fate of most Czech-standard weapons would be decided.

“Assign the Czech LT-38 tanks to the newly formed 6th Panzer Division near the Polish border. After the Wehrmacht’s numbering reform a few days ago, all army division-level units have been re-sequenced and divided into three parallel types: Infantry Divisions, Panzer Divisions, and SS Divisions,” the Minister of Defense, Schleicher, explained.

He pointed to the documents and reported to Führer Akado, “After absorbing Austria and Czechoslovakia, the entire German army is now divided into Infantry Divisions 1 through 48, with a total strength of nearly 700,000 men; Panzer Divisions 1 through 7, equipped with over 1,900 tanks; and three newly formed SS divisions, namely SS-Panzer Divisions 1, 2, and 3, with a strength of approximately 50,000 men.”

When Schleicher sat down, Kesselring stood up to present his report. “The air force has already been equipped with 57 of the newest Messerschmitt 109 fighters and is expanding at a rate of one per day. We have obtained the air force equipment of Austria and Czechoslovakia, and the number of our fighter planes is now close to 700. I am confident that we can ensure local air superiority in any strategic direction.”

“Then, gentlemen! For the next year!” Akado signaled for his trusted general Kesselring to sit down, then stood up himself. “We will not be conducting any more large-scale operations! I am giving you all one year. During this time, I require you to transform the troops in your hands into a truly elite force capable of combat! By 1935, I want you to be able to sweep away any enemy!”

“Yes! Long live the Führer!” all the men shouted, standing up and raising their right arms in a salute.