Ch.235Towards Berlin (2)

Alexander I pondered for a while, but only despair loomed ahead.

No matter how many times he wracked his brain, there was no way to save his homeland.

If only he could have died in place of the Austrian Archduke during the Sarajevo incident.

Or if not that, perhaps he should have accepted the Dual Monarchy’s proposal afterward.

In the end, wasn’t this all coming back to that day?

“The military wants to fight to the death while trying to negotiate.”

“Is that possible?”

“Realistically, it’s very difficult. This time we sent someone to the Tsarina on the battlefield, but…”

Although many of the advancing Danubian defense forces, Bulgarian, and Turkish armies had withdrawn, they still maintained the encirclement, and Yugoslavia lacked the ability to break through.

Even if they did break through, what difference would it make?

“What did they say?”

“They couldn’t even meet the Tsar. Some chief of staff said that if we don’t surrender unconditionally to Russia’s allies, they would use Belgrade as a testing ground for new weapons.”

Russia had been crushing communist forces with various weapons.

And now another new weapon? If they were threatening to hit a city with it, what could it be?

Perhaps those rockets that had been pounding Communist German cities?

No, a new weapon would be something else entirely.

“A new weapon? What kind exactly?”

“A weapon that can erase a city, they say.”

“Does such a weapon actually exist? Is that possible?”

Are they openly declaring this?

Are they truly trying to exterminate the Serbian people?

Isn’t Russia supposed to be the elder brother of the Slavic peoples? Could Russia really do such a thing?

Shouldn’t there be at least some mercy, no matter what?

“I suspect they want to test it. The recent reduction in offensives suggests they’re just maintaining the encirclement until they can test their weapon.”

“We’re clearly not even being treated as humans.”

Just an axis of evil. Viewed the same as the Red Plague.

What could they possibly do in this situation?

“England already treats Commune members and Communist Germans as non-humans and kills them indiscriminately. We never had any choices to begin with.”

“What do you think we should do?”

The war was essentially over.

Communist Germany was being reclaimed by the Kaiser’s Imperial German Army. Italy had even lost the naval battle and was now isolated in Greece.

The French Commune wasn’t even worth mentioning.

There was no hope for reinforcements.

“They’re not stopping civilian evacuations, so we should send Belgrade’s citizens elsewhere. They’re targeting Belgrade as the city of evil.”

Refugees. Where would they go?

At best, they would stay in other regions before being dragged to Bulgaria and the Danubian Federation to face oppression.

Either way, there was no avoiding tragedy.

If that was the case, he should at least show his dignity as king.

“I will remain here.”

“Your Majesty?”

“You and Petar should seek exile in Russia or elsewhere. I will face their attack.”

Though he said he would face the attack, it essentially meant he would die.

“Your Majesty, I will stay. Please, you must—”

“Someone must take responsibility. At the very least, it should be me.”

Someone had to take responsibility. It would be better if he did it himself.

However.

Anastasia had no intention of letting Alexander I earn the title of martyr.

* * *

Kingdom of Egypt

Egypt was nominally a kingdom, but with strong British influence, it was essentially a British colony.

“Hehehe. Do whatever you want now. I don’t care anymore.”

“You British bastard!!”

After the British forces withdrew from Egypt due to Churchill’s cowardice, the Kingdom of Egypt declared complete independence and tried to maintain neutrality, but soon faced invasion from communist Italian forces.

King Farouk I, who in the original history had leaned toward Italy when Britain and Italy fought in North Africa, ultimately maintained neutrality and preserved his kingdom.

Unfortunately, in this history, the Italian army had become communist, and naturally, King Farouk I of monarchist Egypt had no choice but to oppose them, regardless of neutrality. Egyptian communists conspired with Italian forces to stage a coup, but the timely arrival of Ethiopian Imperial forces and the Turkish National Army’s entry into Egyptian territory drove the Italian forces away.

And Haile Selassie, the Ethiopian Emperor who had saved Egypt, had liberated Italian Libya and was stationed in Alexandria with his army when he received a message from Russia.

The path to Italy had opened.

“How could I miss this opportunity?”

Of course, many would die in the landing, but the bitter history with Italy had to end.

Moreover, if he could lead an African nation to direct victory against a major power and march through the enemy’s cities, Ethiopia’s national prestige would rise so high that it could never be disrespected in the post-war era.

So he decided to enter a new battle.

“My soldiers! Soldiers of Ethiopia! You have achieved miraculous victories, defeating Italy, an imperialist nation that invaded us under the pretext of liberating workers! But the war is not over yet. How can we not avenge the devastation they brought to our land? Fortunately, our friend Russia has completely destroyed the Italian navy, paving the way for us to advance into their territory! Let us go to Italy together and capture their leader Benito Mussolini! Let us end this wretched feud with Italy once and for all!”

“We will follow Your Majesty!”

“Capture Benito Mussolini!”

“Long live the Ethiopian Empire!”

Naturally, the Ethiopian army showed unwavering loyalty to their Emperor, who had repelled the forces of a major power and counterattacked to occupy Italian territory and advance into North Africa.

The landing plan was as follows:

They would receive assistance from some Russian troops stationed in Constantinople who had long trained for amphibious landings, along with selected Turkish National Army forces.

Then they would successfully land on Sicily from Greece and slowly advance to the mainland.

The Russian commander was Anton Denikin, who had been stationed in Greece with Krasnov, and when the time finally came, he eagerly presented his planned operation to Haile Selassie.

“Their main front is at the Danube and Greece. Moreover, they would never dream that Ethiopian forces would land. Even if they defend against a landing, they won’t be able to withstand it effectively, and they won’t be able to stop the elite Ethiopian forces that are equal to European armies.”

“I see.”

Unlike in the original history, as Communist Germany began to be pushed back to its homeland, Italian forces received no help from Germany and had to face the threat from the Danube.

“First, our Russian and Turkish airborne troops will be deployed to attack the enemy while securing a beachhead after landing. Then we’ll advance to capture Palermo, Sicily’s largest city, and move northward along the northeast coast to Mount Etna. Before proceeding with the plan, we’ll conduct landing drills to minimize casualties among Ethiopian troops. Would that be acceptable?”

“I cannot miss this opportunity. Please proceed.”

In the original history, the Sicily landing was carried out by Britain, the United States, and Commonwealth nations, but in this history, the main force for the Sicily landing operation would be the Ethiopian army.

Meanwhile, there was a surprisingly unexpected figure participating in this operation.

“After a long time of humiliation and disgrace, I will definitely return to Germany (not communist).”

It was Manstein.

After the Aegean naval battle, most of Italy’s Red Army was isolated in Greece, except for Graziani and some troops who fled back to their homeland. When they surrendered to Anton Denikin and Krasnov’s South Russian Army and Mustafa Fevzi Pasha’s Turkish National Army, Manstein’s isolated People’s Army “had no choice” but to surrender as well.

He explained his situation to Anton Denikin, and as the White Army at the front had been keeping an eye on Manstein, they informed Wilhelm II and accepted Manstein’s surrender, allowing him to join the German Imperial Army.

However, Manstein had to prove he wasn’t a communist, and the German People’s Army—no, the German Imperial Army—that he led would now help with Ethiopia’s landing.

The Kingdom of Spain under the Falange also declared war on the Commune and dispatched its navy to assist with the landing operation.

“Communist comrades! If we fail to defend Berlin and surrender in this battle, our Germany will crumble to pieces, so we must fight to the very end!”

Meanwhile in Berlin, Joseph Goebbels ordered the People’s Army to install anti-aircraft guns and create defense lines, planning for a final desperate resistance.

The Red Front, which once seemed poised to dominate Europe, was now collapsing.

* * *

In August 1942, Berlin was surrounded.

Many Junkers surrendered with their People’s Army troops.

Figures like Guderian, Kurt Student, and Gotthard Heinrici surrendered with the People’s Army.

Stettin, Frankfurt, Dresden, Leipzig, and other cities were occupied by the Anti-Comintern Pact forces, and with help from part of the Baltic Fleet, the Danish government-in-exile forces were landing in Kiel alongside Baltic states’ armies to reclaim Denmark’s mainland.

And now, only Berlin stood in our way.

It’s quite strange, really.

Until now, everything went smoothly like a highway, but Berlin looks enormous.

The casualties will likely be significant.

Berlin still had figures like Joseph Goebbels, Martin Bormann, and Alfred Jodl, along with original Nazi Germany’s scum like Ferdinand Schörner and Helmut Reimann in the Berlin defense forces.

I’m not sure why the lineup is so similar to Nazi Germany’s.

It seems Goebbels didn’t purge everyone like Stalin but rather worked hard to strengthen military capabilities.

But what does it matter? The Junkers are surrendering anyway.

Even Spanish forces are crossing the Pyrenees into France.

They’ve already occupied Bordeaux, forcing the French Commune army to urgently redirect troops there.

“Berlin still has no intention of surrendering?”

Honestly, if they don’t surrender, we’ll have more to gain.

“There’s much debate internally, but Goebbels’ power seems quite formidable. They’re isolated and doomed anyway, but if we want to break through their defenses, we’ll have to accept some casualties.”

So we’ll have to engage in urban warfare.

The closer we got to Berlin, the stronger the resistance from the communist German forces became.

Of course. Except for those who surrender, they’ll try to hold out somehow.

They lost the Great War, and if they lose this war too, Germany will be finished—they must know that much.

They’ll try to hang on by any means.

Especially since they’ve prepared for the Battle of Berlin much faster and more thoroughly than in the original history—what more is there to say?

“But there must be some inside who want to surrender to us.”

When a country is about to fall, traitors typically emerge.

Just like the French Commune.

“A man named Heinrich Himmler tried to negotiate surrender, but he was caught by Goebbels and executed.”

“Oh my.”

What surrender negotiations? We wouldn’t have accepted anyway, so he died for nothing.

Those remaining in Berlin might not be true communists, but they’re people who would die if captured by us anyway.

Well, that’s understandable.

But it would be good to leave an escape route.

Surround them, but leave a path for escape.

I deliberately plan to leave that path open for Goebbels.

I’d like to drop a nuclear bomb, but seeing Wilhelm’s zombie-like appearance makes my heart strangely moved.

Above all, Goebbels needs to be captured separately. Yes.

But if that doesn’t work…

I looked at Wilhelm, who was excited about reclaiming his homeland, at the joint command headquarters.

This wouldn’t be bad news for Wilhelm either.

Berlin is already a communist den, the home of communists.

“I have a proposal for the Kaiser.”

“What is it?”

“If casualties become greater than expected, we need to consider alternatives.”

“Surely you’re not suggesting negotiations?”

Negotiations? Forget it.

How do they think those guys would respond to negotiations?

If they were just communists, I might consider dividing Germany, but with communists, there’s absolutely no intention to negotiate.

So I gently shook my head.

“No. Actually, Russia has developed a new weapon.”

“Oh, is that so?”

“The problem is that this weapon completely destroys cities.”

We must consider dropping it on Berlin.

The forces surrounding Berlin are substantial, and it seems like it would collapse if attacked.

“Hmm.”

“Many people will die in the heat wave, lose their sight from the flash alone, and even if they survive, their skin will hang like melted rubber, and their organs will fail, causing them to die in agony.”

I’m not sure about nuclear weapons in this era, but I’ve heard they’ve already made several bombs. If all else fails, we’ll have to hit Berlin.

When I think about it, that’s how it is.

We can’t just drop it somewhere random to show how strong we are.

“You’re saying such a weapon exists?”

“Of course, before deploying this weapon, we would issue evacuation advisories to Berlin, but there would still be many casualties. However, this would spare the German Imperial Army from fratricidal conflict, and we would suffer fewer losses.”

The casualties would definitely be lower.

The reason I’m saying this now is to pin the evaluation of “killed many civilians by dropping a nuclear bomb” on Wilhelm rather than myself.

Well, if we do drop it, we’ll certainly issue sufficient evacuation warnings.

“So you’re leaving it to my judgment.”

“Yes. But surrender would be certain.”

Of course, this is only if things become more difficult than expected.

I don’t yet plan to drop a nuclear bomb on Berlin.