The Rise of the Third Reich

"Two fronts are durable..." Hitler smiled and shook his head, "It won't be that serious. Aren't 4 regiments of Soviet troops on the Leningrad front defecting now? This shows that the Bolshevik rule is disintegrating. Maybe it won't happen again. In a few months we can seize Russia east of the Ural Mountains."

"The situation in Leningrad is special." Hessman had no idea when he said this - the defection of the Soviet troops on the Leningrad front was completely beyond his expectation, but he still did not change his original view of the Soviet Union. He said: "Leningrad was surrounded by us for a long time without preparation, which caused a great blow to the people of Leningrad. Many officers and officials in Leningrad secretly surrendered to the Empress of Russia. The current defection may have something to do with it.”

His analysis makes some sense. Among the four regiments currently defecting, the commanders or political deputy commanders of three regiments are traitors who sent letters of allegiance to the Empress of Russia during the siege of Leningrad. Because he was afraid that his crimes would be exposed, he took his already unreliable troops to rebel against the party and join the enemy.

The Soviet army surrounded by the German army in Warsaw had sufficient food supplies, so there were not many traitors (a small number of traitors still existed) even after the siege. As for other places on the Soviet-German battlefield, although there were many Red Army prisoners taken as prisoners, there were extremely few cases of mutiny before being captured. So Hirschman did not believe that the Soviet Union was on the verge of collapse.

Of course, it remains to be seen what will happen to the Red Army once Empress Olga actually takes possession of Petrograd. Maybe, as Hitler said, Russia east of the Urals can be captured in a few months. That would be conducive to concentrating all European power against the United States in the future. But we can't be so full of wishful thinking now.

"Perhaps Ambassador Schulenburg can be asked to contact Ambassador Kennedy of the United States in Switzerland."

Hitler thought for a while and then proposed peace with the United States. "Using the Atlantic as the boundary to divide the sphere of influence, the United States and we can both retain the Lend-Lease Act, and Australia can be demilitarized. Is this condition acceptable?"

"I have no objection," Hersman said, "but the Americans must first sell at least 3 million tons of fuel to Dutch Shell."

In fact, Hersman had no confidence in Roosevelt's peace sincerity. The purpose of proposing to buy fuel was just to avoid Hitler, who always suffered in diplomacy with the United States, from being fooled by Roosevelt again.

Hitler also nodded. Just when he was about to ask about the whereabouts of the American fleet that broke through the "Atlantic Blockade", an adjutant of Defense Minister Schleicher suddenly ran in and handed Schleicher a note. .

The German Minister of Defense took one look and showed a surprised expression and said: "The Empress is entering Leningrad... no, she is entering Petrograd!"

Hessman was stunned when he heard the news and asked, "When?"

"Now! Now!" Schleicher said, "Her convoy is entering the city! The Russian Empress will soon return to Petrograd, which is loyal to her!"

…

"Your Majesty, do you really want to enter the city?"

When Schleicher received the news that the Empress had returned to her loyal Petrograd, Olga was still in Tsarskoye Selo, about 20 kilometers south of Petrograd, but had already gotten into a Cougar armored command vehicle.

But the car did not move because it was stopped by the Russian chief minister, Prince Wrangel.

"My Majesty," Wrangel said, "most of the urban area of ​​Petrograd is still in the hands of the Red Army. We only occupy the Narva Gate and a small piece of land nearby, and it is not stable yet."

The Narva Gate is the southern gate of Petrograd and is also a triumphal arch. It was built in 1827 to commemorate the victory over Napoleon.

Although with the expansion of the city, both the inside and outside of the Narva Gate have become contiguous urban areas, but entering the Narva Gate still has considerable symbolic significance - once the Queen passes through this triumphal arch, it can be regarded as her return home. Arrived in Petrograd!

This can definitely greatly encourage the Belarusian officers and soldiers who are fighting on the battlefield of Leningrad!

However, Olga took a huge risk and entered the Narva Gate not to cheer up her men. Her purpose was to show Berlin that she had returned to Petrograd! So you can't negotiate peace with the Soviet Union... unless she herself is killed in Petrograd!

"Duke," said Empress Olga in military uniform with a very firm attitude, "please do not prevent me from returning to the capital. Returning to Petrograd as the Empress of Russia has been my dream for more than 20 years, and it is also my dream. The greatest meaning of existence in this world. Now, by the grace of God, my dream will become a reality. I firmly believe that God will protect me from the weapons of the enemy and that the flag of the Romanov dynasty and Russia will be in Narva. The door is flying!”

This was a bit crazy to say, but Wrangel did not continue to persuade, but squeezed into the Queen's armored command vehicle.

"Well, since His Majesty insists on entering the Narva Gate, please let me stay with you."

The Russian Empress laughed loudly: "Then let's go together to witness the great moment of the revival of the Russian Empire!"

…

"We must take it back! We must take back the Narva Gate!"

This is what Kuznetsov is roaring. He is currently in the Peter and Paul Fortress where the headquarters of the Leningrad Front is located, and he is angry at the commander of the Front, General Vlasov.

The three of them and Abakumov returned to the city of Leningrad last night, and also brought back 5 internal defense divisions to resume execution in the city.

As soon as the blue hat soldiers took to the streets, the Leningraders gathered in the streets dispersed. But there was a problem on the battlefield south of Leningrad - because the retreat of the blue hat soldiers greatly encouraged the confidence of various anti-GM elements in the army, and at the same time dampened the morale of the revolutionary officers and soldiers.

So starting from last night, new mutinies occurred one after another. By the early morning of the 14th, a total of 4 regiments, including the 644th Regiment, openly raised the flag of rebellion, and at least 15 regiments were out of control.

Under such circumstances, the peripheral defense line south of Leningrad was naturally riddled with holes and could no longer withstand the onslaught of the German and White Russian troops.

Therefore, by the morning of the 14th, a part of the Belarusian army (including the mutinous 644th Regiment), under the cover of the German armored group (mainly the No. 3 assault gun), had already invaded the real urban area of ​​Leningrad and captured the pole. The symbolic gate of Narva!

In a sense, Belarus are now back in their Petrograd!

"We can't take it back!" General Vlasov shook his head repeatedly. "The White Army who captured the Narva Gate area has a large number of people, and there are many German tanks covering it. But we don't have many truly reliable troops in our hands..."

There are hundreds of thousands of garrison troops in Leningrad, but since most of the garrison troops were recruited from the city of Leningrad before and after the last siege of the city by the German army, most of them are family members of anti-GM elements. Now that he is being courted by White Russia, he naturally becomes less reliable.

And the reliable internal defense divisions and the relatively reliable ordinary infantry divisions coming from outside the city add up to 15. Passive defense is very reluctant. If you want to actively counterattack, isn't it necessary to find your own attrition?

"Now we can only rely on the solid buildings in the city to resist step by step." General Vlasov said, "Delay as much as possible, Marshal Zhukov will come to save us."

Seeing that Kuznetsov was still unwilling to give up, Vlasov added: "If we force a counterattack and are defeated again, people's hearts will be even more shaken... And if the loss of the five internal defense divisions is too great, Lenin I'm afraid Gullah will fall soon!"

When he heard "it will fall soon," Kuznetsov could only sigh. There is always hope in procrastinating, and if the city falls soon, then he will be the biggest sinner of the Bolshevik Party.

However, at this time, Kuznetsov and Vlasov would never have imagined that a "crazy homesick" Russian Empress was riding in a Cougar armored command vehicle under the protection of a regiment of Guards. Rush to the gate of Narva, which has just been captured by the White Army.

"Ula! Ula! Ula!"

The cheers were louder and louder. Countless soldiers and people had spontaneously gathered on both sides of the wide street leading to the Narva Gate, and each of them was cheering for the Queen.

Most of the soldiers were White Russians, and some were "old white men." They all burst into tears while cheering. After more than 20 years of exile, they finally returned home in glory! But more of them are former Red Army soldiers who joined the White Army from prison camps or simply on the battlefield... They were not able to sing "The Internationale" on the streets of Paris, but they cheered for the Russian Empress on the streets of Leningrad. It's really It's hard to imagine.

In addition to people in military uniforms, there are also many ordinary people. The urban area of ​​Leningrad is much larger now than it was more than 20 years ago. Some newly built residential areas have appeared outside the Narva Gate. Many Leningraders who have not been evacuated are now flocking to the streets. On both sides, people craned their necks to watch their "new master"'s motorcade enter the city in great force. They also shouted "Ula" together with the Belarusian officers and soldiers.

They were not entirely cheering for the Petrograd household registration. Although they all liked the Petrograd household registration (later they found out that they had been fooled, because the White Russian household registration under the Queen's rule could be transferred at will), but they were Russians after all. , likes a strong and brave ruler. And Empress Olga, who had borrowed German troops to restore her country, was stronger and braver than they imagined. Not only did she have many real troops, but she also dared to go to the front line in person and brave the war to enter Petrograd.

This courage has some traces of Peter the Great! At least he is bolder than Stalin who was hiding in Moscow and did not dare to show his face! She is countless times more powerful than her fallen father, Nicholas II, and it seems that he will be a good czar...