Reichstag

Germany

Berlin,Reichstag

19 May 1940

Julius Schaub walked down the hallway to Hitler’s office. He carried his leather briefcase in one hand and a pile of documents in the other. Julius walked with a trained confidence. Like all party members he had to set an example wherever he went. The Nazi party was the symbol of strength and discipline for the ‘New German Reich’. That was the image Hitler wanted to convey to the world. Julius was a very well organised man and very dedicated to his work. His attention to detail was impeccable. Being Hitler’s personal aide took a particularly dedicated man and Julius proved himself to be such a man. Julius’ footsteps echoed through the empty hallways of the Reichstag. It was well past midnight and there weren’t many people working in that section of the building. Julius finally reached Hitler’s office; he promptly adjusted his collar and made sure the rest of his uniform was perfect. He looked down and noticed a white smudge on his left boot. He bent down, took a white handkerchief from his pocket and wiped the smudge off. The smudge was from all the debris outside the Reichstag. There was a lot of construction work going on around the building. Hitler ordered a complete overhaul of large sections of the former seat of the German parliament. The Nazi’s were transforming the Reichstag into the new headquarters for a few of their newly established organisations. Hitler preferred to work at the Reichskanzlei, but had to attend a meeting at the Reichstag with his war council, it had been a long day for the Führer. Julius knocked twice then entered. He stabbed his right arm into the air.

“Heil mein Führer.” He said with a solid tone of voice.

Hitler was sitting at his desk. The office was dark with only a desk lamp to provide some light for the German dictator to read. Hitler looked up at Julius and raised his right hand slightly.

“Heil” He said with a dour tone.

Julius promptly sat down in one of the chairs at Hitler’s desk. He placed some documents in front of him and proceeded to go over a few matters of administration with Hitler. The Führer seemed uninterested in all the mundane issues of state. He quickly lost concentration and allowed his mind to drift off. When Julius was finished with the documents in front of him he reached into his briefcase and removed a file that had the words Streng Geheim written on it in big black letters. Julius opened the file and started to read its contents to Hitler.

“From the office of the Oberkommando des Heeres...”

This caught Hitler’s attention immediately and he sat up straight, absorbing every word Julius read.

“... after extensive deliberation it is the decision of this committee to approve the formation of a specialised strike force that will operate independently but in cooperation with the Wehrmacht and other branches of the German military...”

Hitler leaned back in his chair.

“Julius, set up a meeting for tomorrow with the Abteilung der Wunderwaffen and the heads of all the military branches including the Waffen SS.”

Julius nodded then placed all the files back in his briefcase before leaving. Hitler got up out of his chair and walked towards a large window that overlooked the Königsplatz.

“Your little project was approved by the bureaucrats at the Oberkommando des Heeres?”

A man wearing a long black leather coat and a black Homburg felt hat suddenly appeared from out of the shadows that filled Hitler’s office. Hitler felt a cold chill run down his spine but he forced himself to maintain his composure.

“Of course they approved the request, even if they didn’t I would’ve allowed it to happen anyway.” Hitler could feel his hands starting to shake.

“People don’t like it when their authority is undermined.” The shadowy man said.

“I gave them their authority. I can take it away just as easily.” Hitler said with a faint trembling in his voice.

“The illusion of power...” The man said as he walked towards the window that Hitler was standing at.

Hitler walked back to his desk and removed a file from one of the drawers.

“Here are the files you requested.”

“Excellent. I will deliver them to Il Duce personally.”

“We also have the whereabouts of the person your people have been looking for. He’s in Italy right now.” Hitler said as he sat down in his chair.

“Thank you mein Führer.”

“You’re welcome Mr Schwarz.”

Hitler started to page through some documents that were on his desk while trying to avoid eye contact. Mr Schwarz walked to the door and opened it slowly, he saluted Hitler before leaving. The Führer pretended to be busy to avoid looking at Mr Schwarz. Julius stopped when he heard the door to Hitler’s office crack open and swiftly close. He turned around to see if Hitler was in the hallway. But he couldn’t see anyone.

The next day Julius arranged the meeting Hitler had requested. A large table was set up in one of the halls inside the Reichstag. Covering the table was a large map of Europe. The room was filled with high ranking officials from all the branches of the military. Elber Alfons was going over some of his notes. He was chosen to give progress reports to the assembly, despite his objections. The Abteilung der Wunderwaffen was under a lot of pressure from Hitler to deliver on the weapons systems they were developing. The Germans had hoped to use all of their new weapon systems when they invaded France. But the designers and fabricators had dragged their feet. The Abteilung der Wunderwaffen could only deliver the jet powered aircraft and the MGH 40 machine gun. It wasn’t good enough for Hitler but the weapons that were available to the Heer had performed beyond expectations in France. That changed Hitler’s attitude a bit. All around Elber there were discussions about the battle in France. The overall feeling was positive. However, Elber wondered if Hitler shared everyone’s enthusiasm. The doors to the hall swung open. Hitler marched in and walked straight to the head of the table. Everyone in the hall saluted him and in one voice shouted

“Heil Hitler!”

Hitler looked around sternly then saluted back. Everyone in the room took that as their cue and promptly sat down. The first order of business was the situation in France. As Hitler listened to reports from all the different branches his mood seemed to have lightened up a bit. The news from Dunkirk was of particular interest to him. Hitler suddenly turned his attention to Elber.

“Reichsmarschall Göring is very impressed with the new aircraft you have provided.” Hitler said with a slight grin.

“Thank you mein Führer.” Elber said nervously.

“What can you tell me about the new machine guns?” Hitler asked as everyone in the hall focused their attention on Elber.

“Our reports from the frontlines are very positive. The weapon is outperforming anything the Allies have and the unique cooling system is working perfectly. The MGH 40’s rate of fire has also exceeded our expectations under battlefield conditions.”

Hitler had an even bigger smile on his face, which was a relief to Elber. Hitler opened a file then looked at the assembly.

“The Oberkommando des Heeres has approved plans for the formation of a new specialised strike force. I have already approved preliminary plans concerning the recruitment and allocation of weapons and vehicles. You will all receive documentation with your orders. This will be an organisation comprised of elements from all branches of the military, so everyone’s cooperation is required concerning this matter.”

Everyone sat quietly as Hitler discussed the plans for the new strike force. It was always one of Hitler’s ambitions to form a brigade of soldiers who could operate independently from all the other branches of the military. But use weapons and tactics from all of them. Hitler believed the brigade’s strength would lie in its versatility. He also wanted a strike force under his direct command that was free from the shackles of bureaucracy. When Hitler was done Julius handed everyone their files. Julius handed Elber his file and told him that the Führer wanted to see him after the meeting.

Hitler and Elber were the only people sitting at the huge table after everyone had left. Julius had closed all the doors when the last few officials trickled out of the assembly hall. Elber nervously moved closer to the head of the table where the Führer sat patiently waiting for him. When he got closer Elber straightened himself up and sat in a chair right next to Hitler.

“Elber, the Abteilung der Wunderwaffen needs to move faster with the weapons I’ve commissioned then to build. I’ve grown impatient with the leadership of the department so I’ve dismissed all of them. I also instructed the Gestapo to place a few of them under arrest for contravention of their duties to the Reich. So...I’ve decided to formally promote you to head overseer.”

Elber was silent for a moment as he tried to absorb what the Führer had just told him. The news of Elber’s promotion filled him with a sense of dread. Hitler dismissed and arrested ten members of the Abteilung der Wunderwaffen for moving too slowly on the development of his weapons. What would he do to Elber if he fell behind? Hitler didn’t wait around for an answer from Elber, to the Führer it was just a matter of correcting a few irregularities. Hitler handed Elber a document then got up and left. Elber stayed behind for a while trying to make sense of things. He aimlessly paged through the document Hitler had given to him, normal promotional protocols. Eventually Elber got up and left the assembly hall, his mind still trying to get a grasp of the situation he found himself in. Everyone who was personally promoted by the Führer knew it was, in some cases, a curse as much as it was a blessing. Elber wasn’t prepared for either.

Italy

The Capo del Governo was busy. International dignitaries were in Italy to discuss the recent activities in France. Most of the dignitaries were from officially neutral countries, which meant that they were waiting to see what the outcome of the invasion was going to be before they chose a side. Germany’s latest conquests had forced some world leaders to speak out. It was their hope that Italy would convince Hitler to halt the invasion. Mussolini was in his office discussing a few matters with his minister of foreign affairs when there was a knock at the door.

“Enter!” Mussolini mumbled.

Mr Schwarz entered Mussolini’s office carrying the file Hitler had given to him. When the Italian leader saw who it was he quickly excused his minister of foreign affairs. Mussolini closed the door behind the minister then walked over to his desk. He pulled a chair out and offered it to the shadowy man. As Mr Schwarz sat down Mussolini felt a sudden chill envelop his office. Mr Schwarz handed Mussolini the file.

“The file contains details for an Italian invasion of Southern France.”

Mussolini rubbed his hands together as he leaned forward in his chair. He was clearly nervous.

“With all due respect signore, I have discussed this issue with Hitler earlier this week. Italy won’t be able to launch a successful invasion of France. Not at this point in time.”

“We’re not expecting you to conquer Southern France all by yourself. We need to weaken their defences in the southern Alpine region. Opening a southern front near the Italian border would seriously disrupt their efforts at reinforcing their defences in the north.”

Mussolini shuffled around slightly in his chair.

“I will coordinate the Italian ground forces. The operation won’t take longer than two weeks.” Mr Schwarz said as he got up to leave.

“So you didn’t come here to ask for my assistance? You assumed my compliance” Mussolini asked with a slight tremble in his voice.

“You agreed to assist the Germans when you signed the Pact of Steel.” Mr Schwarz replied as he swiftly exited Mussolini’s office.

Mussolini leaned back in his chair and proceeded to read the file. He was under immense pressure from the international community. As Germany’s strongest ally it was expected of him to speak up whenever Germany stepped out of line. However Germany and Italy had secret ambitions of their own and needed each other’s support on all fronts, diplomatically and militarily. So whenever the world condemns Germany for doing something that was considered wrong, Mussolini had to step in and defend Germany’s actions. If Germany was planning something, Germany expected Italy to support them. Mussolini was starting to feel like he was being used by both sides. In the meantime his own people were slowly growing impatient with him for failing to deliver on the promises he had made. Italy’s fascist movement was not strong enough yet, so angering any of the three parties would leave Mussolini and his regime in a vulnerable position. The near disastrous invasion of Abyssinia proved that the fascists were not strong enough both militarily and politically. If it wasn’t for Hitler’s assistance Italy would have lost the war and Mussolini would have been hanged. The Italian leader was hesitant to accept Germany’s help because he knew that Hitler would use it as an excuse to make Italy do whatever he wanted them to, to obey without objection. So when Mussolini accepted Hitler’s help Italy became Germany’s servant not its ally. Il Duce knew if his people learned the truth of this they would want his head on a platter.

Mr Schwarz stood outside the Capo del Governo. He was waiting for Gustav Ruerr to exit the building. Ruerr was the personal aide to the Swedish dignitary who was attending the meeting at the Capo del Governo. Ruerr was also a spy for the Allies. When Ruerr walked out the front door Mr Schwarz walked towards him. A group of journalists that were waiting outside started to crowd around Ruerr and the other dignitaries exiting the building. Mr Schwarz disappeared into the crowd. Suddenly Ruerr felt a sharp sting on his left hand, which was followed by a slight burning sensation. He looked down at his hand a saw a very small prick hole with a small drop of blood forming. He didn’t think much of it as he got into the car that was waiting for him. The driver greeted him as he got in and he greeted back.

“Back to the hotel?” the driver asked.

“Yes please.” Ruerr replied.

When the car was a block away from the hotel, Ruerr unexpectedly went into shock. His body went into a violent seizure. White foam bubbled out of his mouth as he tried to yell for help. The driver stopped the car immediately and rushed to Ruerr’s aid. But after a few moments Ruerr was dead. The driver tried in vain to wake him up.

Mr Schwarz casually walked across the street to an apartment building overlooking the Capo del Governo. He entered the building and went up the stairs to the second floor. He stopped at an apartment with the number sixty six on the door. Mr Schwarz entered without knocking. There were four men inside the apartment. Three agents from the Gestapo were standing in the living room area facing the Capo del Governo. In a shadowy corner a man wearing a long grey coat approached Mr Schwarz.

“Did you take care of Gustav Ruerr?”

“I met him outside the Capo del Governo, we shook hands.” Mr Schwarz said with a smile on his face.

“How did the meeting with Mussolini go?”

“He’ll comply, he doesn’t have much of a choice. We gave him his power. If he doesn’t do what we tell him to we will take his power away.”

The man in the grey coat walked over to the group of Gestapo agents in the living room. After he discussed something with them he returned to Mr Schwarz.

“I will stay here in Italy until the invasion of Southern France is ready. You need to return to Berlin and report on today’s events.”

Mr Schwarz strolled back to the front door.

“Are you going to join the invasion Mr Grau?”

“No, I have other issues to tend to. Besides, I’m too old for war.”

“One is never too old for war.” Mr Schwarz said as he left the apartment. 

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