The Rise of the Third Reich

When the Polish leader Piłsudski died, the handsome Italian Minister of Information and Propaganda Galeazzo Ciano, son-in-law of the Italian leader Mussolini, was in Paris, France. He came to Paris as a special envoy of his father-in-law.

Italy is now a loyal ally of France. On January 7, 1935, Mussolini and French Foreign Minister Laval signed the Italo-French Treaty. This treaty was aimed at Germany. France acquiesced to Italy's invasion of Abyssinia (Ethiopia) in exchange for Italy and France joining forces to curb Germany's ambition to expand southward and annex Austria.

Unlike the historical situation, Austria is still ruled by the Christian Socialist dictator Engelbert Dollfuss. The kidnapping and murder on July 24, 1934 did not happen. Because Schleicher and Hersmann now control the pace of Germany's expansion, the two of them will not act recklessly when the conditions are not ripe.

Moreover, on Schleicher and Hersmann's timetable, the restoration of the Hohenzollern dynasty must be placed before the annexation of Austria.

However, the Stasi Foreign Intelligence Service still supported the Austrian National Socialist Workers' Party, which had been infiltrated by the Stasi since its founding. The party's line has always been to merge Germany and Austria and establish the Greater German Empire, hoping to allow Austria to join the German Empire through a referendum.

However, Austria's democratic system came to an end in March 1933. Dollfuss dissolved the parliament and governed the country with emergency decrees, gradually moving towards dictatorship. He also banned the Bolshevik Party, the Austrian Nazi Party and other opposition parties one after another. The activities of these political parties were forced to go underground, and legal referendums could not be held. At the same time, Dollfuss also worked hard to promote military alliances with Italy and Hungary to oppose Germany's annexation of Austria.

However, in Austria, forces supporting the unification of Greater Germany always exist. Germany's rapid economic growth since 1931 and the situation where the unemployment rate has dropped to almost zero have also greatly attracted the middle and lower classes of Austria.

The news that the abdicated German Emperor Wilhelm left Dortmund, the Netherlands, and went to Tallinn, the Baltic Republic, and lived in the Tombe Palace, gave some of the upper class in Austria hope to restore the monarchy. The Austrian revolution in 1918 was not thorough. It only overthrew the Habsburg dynasty, but did not touch the roots of the monarchist aristocracy.

These supporters of the Habsburg dynasty expected Austria to become a state subordinate to the German Empire like the Kingdom of Bavaria, or to let their Crown Prince Otto ascend the throne of Hungary.

Such a situation made the rule of Austria's little dictator Dollfuss more and more unstable, because the middle and lower classes of Austria had never been his supporters, and the Austrian upper class that originally supported him split again.

In this situation, Galeazzo Ciano rushed from Rome to Paris in early May. These days, he has been meeting and negotiating with the heads of the French government to discuss the establishment of an alliance participated by France, Italy, Czechoslovakia, and Hungary to jointly protect Austria's independence.

"Your Excellency, France understands Italy's demands in the border conflict between Italian Somalia and Abyssinia, which is completely reasonable." In the Matignon Palace, French Prime Minister Etienne Frandy, who was about to leave for Poland, was meeting with Ciano.

The French Prime Minister continued: "France will not interfere with Italy's actions in East Africa, and I believe that Britain will not interfere either, because the main problem facing Britain at present is the same as France, which is to curb Germany's increasingly apparent expansion trend. We hope to conclude an agreement on the southern line involving France, Italy, Czechoslovakia, Hungary and Austria to jointly protect Austria.

At the same time, we also hope that Italy can participate in the Eastern Treaty and jointly protect the western border of the Polish Federation from German invasion with France and the Soviet Union, and oppose the merger of Germany and the Baltic Republic. Thus, a great alliance to contain Germany will be formed, including France, Britain, Italy, the Soviet Union, Poland, Belgium, Czechoslovakia, Hungary and Austria."

The French are fantasizing about a "German encirclement". Mussolini's beautiful son-in-law, with the most elegant smile on his face, nodded frequently when the French Prime Minister spoke. But I was thinking: the French never mentioned the issue of protecting Poland's eastern border. At present, Germany's request to Poland is only to take back the Free City of Danzig - that was not Polish territory. And the Soviet Union's request to Poland is at least the right-bank Ukraine...

"Okay, our leader fully agrees with France's proposal!" Ciano said, "If France wants to form an alliance to contain Germany, then Italy must participate."

Now the Italian army is heading to East Africa in large numbers, and the Italian leader is preparing to use 300,000 troops to conquer the Abyssinian Empire. However, the Abyssinian Empire is a member of the League of Nations and is theoretically protected. Italy's invasion of Abyssinia is likely to result in collective sanctions from the League of Nations...

"So," Ciano seemed a little uneasy about the French's previous assurances, "if Italy declares war on Abyssinia after June 1935, will France intervene?"

Why did he ask because France had just held another general election and would change the government on June 1, 1935.

"No!" said French Prime Minister Etienne Frandy, "Mr. Laval, who will become the Prime Minister, and I are friends of Italy. France and Italy will always be friends!"

……

"I heard that you held a large-scale military exercise in early May in the Baltic Republic."

At the Warsaw train station, Hitler and Hessmann met the Polish Army Review Officer Edward Rez-Chimigwi who came to greet them. As soon as the three talents met, Retz Himigwe directly asked about the "Iron Fist-1935" military exercise.

"Your Excellency, General Inspector, this exercise is defensive in nature," Hessmann said. "This is to test the German army's ability to rescue the Baltic Republics when they are invaded by the Soviet Union."

Retz-Khimigwi pondered for a while and said: "Poland can stand with Germany to protect the independence and territorial integrity of the Baltic Republics. I think this is more effective than Germany alone in ensuring the security of the Baltic Republics, because Poland It has the second largest army in the world after France.”

Poland was originally a military power in Eastern Europe supported by Britain and France, and it once had the force to "quell the enemy alone." After the rise of both Germany and the Soviet Union, Poland also increased its armaments. The Polish army now has a standing army of 1.5 million men, 50% more than the German and Baltic armies combined.

And the equipment of the Polish Army does not look bad. The number of artillery is no less than that of Germany. It currently has 4,500 cannons or heavy mortars, 2,000 anti-tank guns and 3,000 anti-aircraft guns. The light TKS series tanks have been equipped with a large number of troops, and each Polish infantry division has a tank company (equipped with TKS tanks).

In addition, the Polish Army also has a powerful "mobile force", including 20 cavalry brigades and 3 motorized brigades, which can conduct large-scale mobile operations on flat land at any time.

In addition, since the Soviet-Polish War, Poland in this time and space began to build the Piłsudski Line of Defense in the eastern right bank of Ukraine and Western Belarus to fight against possible Soviet invasion.

Therefore, in the eyes of most Poles—including Edward Reitz-Khimigwi—their motherland is a military power with an army that exceeds that of the Soviet Union and Germany, and is second only to France in the world.

In Hersman's eyes, the Polish Army was actually stronger than the French Army, because in history Poland resisted for 37 days, while France only resisted for 35 days under the German blitzkrieg. Moreover, Poland fell apart under the joint attack of the Soviet Union and Germany.

"The Baltic Republic will become part of the German Empire in the near future!"

Adolf Hitler said to Retz-Khimigwe somewhat unhappily: "This is a matter between Germany and the Baltic Republics, and it is also in line with the principle of national self-determination."

Retz-Khimigvi shrugged and said, "But the international community doesn't think so! According to the "British-German-Baltic Agreement" signed in 1920, the Baltic Republics can not negotiate with Germany under any circumstances. Merger. Moreover, the Treaty of Versailles also stipulates Germany's borders... These treaties and agreements are the cornerstone of European peace and stability. If Germany still wants to be a responsible member of the international community, it should not take unilateral measures. policy changes.”

Hitler took a breath and his face was slightly ugly, but he quickly concealed it. Now was not the time to fall out with the Poles - besides, the Baltic could be swallowed at any time, and it was almost a part of Germany.

He said: "We will not seek unilateral changes. We must seek recognition from the international community before making changes. This has always been the policy of the German government... I guarantee that things like the restoration of the military service system and the entry into the Rhineland will not Again in the Baltic Republic.”

"Okay, Poland appreciates this statement," the Polish Army Review Officer said to Hitler in the tone of a leader of a great power. "As long as Germany abides by its international obligations, Poland is also willing to continue to fulfill the obligations stipulated in the Declaration of Non-Aggression." obligation."

Poland retreated from its original policy towards Germany! Hersman thought that there might still be an alliance between Poland and Germany while Piłsudski was alive, but once he died, there would be no one in Poland who could promote the alliance.

Therefore, Poland's policy must shift from moving closer to Germany to containing Germany!