The Rise of the Third Reich

On September 8, 1939, the whole of Europe held its breath and watched how the Netherlands, a small country that was rich but not strong, made a choice - this was a very difficult multiple-choice question. If it joined Britain and France, the Netherlands would immediately be attacked by Germany. The reason for the indiscriminate bombing was not that Emperor William did not miss his old friendship, but that the main force of the German army was now on the Eastern Front, and they could only rely on blowing up roads and railways in the Netherlands to prevent the powerful French army from advancing.

If you join the German side, the Netherlands will immediately be occupied by the British and French forces. After that, the land of the Netherlands is likely to become the main battlefield between the British and French forces and the German army, just like Belgium in World War I!

In comparison, it seems that the loss of joining the side of Britain and France is smaller - if Britain and France can really "win".

Of course, the Dutch government does not need to make a decision on September 8, because it will take a lot of time just to prepare hundreds of thousands of British and French troops to leave. The Netherlands' premature declaration of war on Germany was not beneficial to British and French military operations.

However, at this time, no one in the top management of Britain, France and the Netherlands thought that a small Eastern European city named Lviv would become a key point in changing the course of the war within a few days.

At this time, Major General Theodore von Hipple and Colonel von Stockhausen, who were at Lviv Airport, did not expect that the Lviv airborne operation would ultimately affect the entire war situation. They didn't even have time to think about the big picture because they were in trouble outside Lviv.

Lviv's airport is in the southwest of the city, not too far from the city. Because there is no air force, the Ukrainian Defense Forces stationed in Lviv do not attach importance to the airport. No heavy troops were deployed here, and the Germans succeeded in a sneak attack.

After seizing Lviv Airport, the "Miuta Cluster" quickly completed its deployment and defense, occupying part of the forestland around the airport. At this time, there was a large forest around Lviv, and the original site of Lviv Airport was one. In the forest, the Ukrainians actually cut down an airport and the road leading in and out of the airport. This kind of terrain is very beneficial to the "Miuta Cluster" which only has light equipment.

They cut down many trees on both sides of the two roads leading to Lviv, northeast and due north of the airport, blocked the roads with them, laid mines and built many firepower points on both sides of the roads.

As soon as the deployment was completed, the Ukrainian Defense Forces sent a large number of infantry and horse-drawn artillery from Lviv city to counterattack, hoping to retake the airport. But how can these Ukrainians who are very amateurs in fighting be the opponents of the elite of the National Defense Forces? It was quickly defeated, abandoned a few outdated "Miss 75s" and fled back to Lviv, allowing the Germans to capture many prisoners.

However, the results of the interrogation of the prisoners surprised Hipple and Stockhausen - Lviv, the capital of the Ukrainian Free State, was now armed to the point where all the people were soldiers! Nearly all adult males took up arms, either in the regular army or in the guerrillas.

Moreover, all coal mines, iron mines, oil fields, factories, railways and bridges in the Lviv area have been placed with explosives and are ready to be blown up at any time when the enemy invades!

Yes, Ukrainians are going to fight! They were ready for a scorched-earth fight. Even if most of the Ukrainian Free State, including Lviv and right-bank Ukraine, falls, the government of the Ukrainian Free State will never surrender. They will move to the Carpathian Mountains, which was what Poland received during the partition of Czechoslovakia. The last resistance of the Trans-Ukrainian region!

It seems that the Germans' idea of ​​obtaining a complete Lviv has completely failed! And the "Miuta Cluster" that is alone and deep will soon face a bloody battle!

…

"Not Russians, they are not Russians, thank God they are Germans!"

In the center of Lviv, in the basement of the Prime Minister's Office of the Ukrainian Free State, Prime Minister Petliura and several ministers who also wore military uniforms breathed a sigh of relief at the same time.

The Germans are finally here!

But the German invaders are coming!

Several big figures in Ukraine thought so in their hearts.

The invasion of the German army at this time is undoubtedly a great thing for the rulers and people of the Polish Ukrainian Free State, and many, many people's lives will be saved!

Of course, these big figures also have eyes and ears in the Polish government, and they have long known about the Soviet Union's demand for the dissolution of the Polish Federation. This does not mean that the Ukrainian people will be independent and free from now on, but it means that the Soviet Red Army can invade without any scruples.

Moreover, the Soviet Union’s large-scale military buildup on the east bank of the Dnieper River and East Belarus has also been discovered by the Ukrainians. The Soviet Red Army may launch an attack at any time!

No matter how armed the Ukrainian Free State is, it is impossible to defeat them.

Everyone in this basement and their families would definitely be shot when the Soviet Union occupied Ukraine. Even if he sincerely surrendered to the Bolsheviks, he would only be able to live a few more days at most.

Because of the vendetta between Ukrainians and Russians during the Soviet-Russian Civil War, the "extinctional famine" suffered by Left Bank Ukraine during the three-year difficult period of the Soviet Union, and the blow to Left Bank Ukrainians caused by the Soviet Great Purge, everyone with some property and social status was Right-bank Ukrainians and Western Ukrainians have no illusions about being ruled by the Soviet Union.

If God must make Ukrainians choose between becoming Soviets and becoming Germans, there is no doubt that 90% of "free Ukrainians" would like to become Germans. In the Lviv area, which was originally part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the proportion of Ukrainians who are willing to become Germans must be 100% - the Ukrainians in Lviv (most of the Ukrainians in Lviv are from the Dnieper River area People who immigrated from Ukrainian cities were very afraid of the Soviet Union, and from the perspective of the large number of Jews in the city, Germany's anti-Semitic policy was much milder than that of Poland and the Soviet Union). This was a choice between starving to death, being shot, or speaking German. Well.

“Now it is basically certain that the Germans occupied the airport,” Petliura said with a smile. “The Polish government in Lublin has confirmed through the United Kingdom that the Soviet Union has not yet participated in the war, and people running back from the airport also confirmed this. . So everyone, what should we do now?

"Negotiation, we should negotiate with Germany alone." Someone immediately suggested, "The war between the Germans and the Poles has nothing to do with us. We can become friends of Germany... I think this is what we must strive for first."

Clearly, this man did not want to give up his chance for independence yet.

"This won't work," someone immediately objected. "If we really become independent, the Soviet Union will invade. Who will protect Ukraine then?"

"We can be Germany's allies."

“Will the Germans go to war with the Soviet Union over Ukraine?”

This is obviously unrealistic. If Britain and France had not declared war on Germany, then Germany might consider protecting the entire Ukrainian Free State.

"But besides Germany, who can we Ukrainians rely on? Can Britain help us? Can we count on Poland?"

Stepan Bandera, who was regarded as a confidant by Petliura, stood up and spoke: "Everyone, an independent Ukraine has always been the goal pursued by those of us. But what is the basis for pursuing Ukrainian independence? It is Ukrainians! There are more than 20 million Ukrainian people living on the west and east banks of the Dnieper River!

Save people first, and then have hope of independence. So the goal we are pursuing now is not to become independent with the support of Germany, but to preserve more of the blood of Ukraine! "

Without people, how can there be independence?

Due to misunderstandings over the past 20 years, most people in the Ukrainian Free State now believe that the Soviet Union wants to exterminate Ukrainians. He was either shot or starved to death. Even if he joined the Bolshevik Party, he could not save his life.

"Then what should we do?" Petliura asked, looking at Bandera.

"We can conditionally join the German Empire!" Bandera gritted his teeth and said, "For the survival of the Ukrainian nation, we can only do this. Only by becoming a state under the German Empire can we stop the Soviet invasion."

“Would Germany risk war with the Soviet Union by admitting Ukraine?”

"It will not be fully accepted," Bandera said. "If the Germans don't want it at all, then why do they come here? Since they are here, they are interested in Ukraine's resources. Lviv has oil and coal mines. There are iron mines and ready-made steel plants, which the Germans want. In addition, there are fertile black lands in Western Ukraine. These are the bargaining chips in our hands!”

"Chips?"

Bandera nodded, "And we still have hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian defense forces. The defense forces can still fight! If the Germans want to get more Ukrainian territory, then they need our cooperation. As a condition, they You must help us protect more Ukrainians.”

In other words, Germany could carve up the Ukrainian Free State with the Soviet Union - this was inevitable, but at the same time Germany was obliged to protect the majority of Ukrainians.

With the cooperation of the Ukrainian Free State government, the Germans will definitely gain more territory in the process of carving up the Ukrainian Free State.

All eyes were on Petliura, now the "Piłsudski" of Ukraine.

"Okay, let's do it!" Petliura shrugged. "If we surrender to the Soviet Union, the entire nation will disappear (actually not). If we surrender to Germany, then we can at least preserve the vitality of the nation. There will always be opportunities in the future. Independence day!" He looked at Bandera, "Stepan, I appoint you as plenipotentiary to negotiate with the Germans who occupied the airport...negotiate surrender!"

This is simply an international joke!

The Ukrainian Free State, with a population of more than 10 million, a land of more than 300,000 square kilometers, and hundreds of thousands of armed troops, actually wanted to surrender to thousands of Germans who airborne at Lviv Airport!

And they surrendered with the most joyful and rescued mood. The German soldiers stationed at the airport did not wait for the second attack by the Ukrainians. What they waited for were many Ukrainian girls carrying salt and bread...

Then, all of Europe was dumbfounded.