I Will Stage A Coup D’état - Chapter 100



Only Krnovel

EP.100 Operation Valkyrie (1)

Germany prepared for the fateful summer offensive of 1943.

This attack involved the mobilization of large numbers of new main battle tanks, the Panther.

Nevertheless, the numerical main force was still the Panzer III and IV tanks.

The Germans decided to rely on the numerically inferior power of the Tiger and Panther tanks to break through the thick Soviet defenses.

“One month before Rasputica. The game will be decided in that one month.”

On August 25, 1943, the Germans made their final move.

The launch of Operation Citadel was more than a month later than the original plan.

Of course, the number of Panthers and Tigers deployed also increased.

However, the Soviet Union was waiting for the German offensive with far greater strength.

From the beginning, Hitler’s intentions were clearly seen by the Allied forces.

“Come in, come in.”

A massive defensive line with six layers and endless minefields.

A large counterattack force waiting in line with the front lines.

and,

“Germanskis. The sky is ours now.”

Even the Red Air Force, which threatened the right to provide air support.

As soon as the German offensive began, it was met with overwhelming Soviet firepower.

“No, I can’t break through it.”

“What are you talking about? You put the heavy tanks in front.”

Germany tried to crush the Soviet defenses with slow but sure impact using the heaviest tanks possible, but it didn’t work out as planned.

The tanks repeatedly stopped in front of the anti-tank guns scattered here and there, the long anti-tank ditch that could not even be bypassed, and the minefield that seemed to have no end.

The German advance was as slow as an ant crawling.

Hitler was anxious about this situation.

“This is absolutely impossible. I must go to the front lines.”

“I will prepare.”

Hitler flew straight to Smolensk, which was under Army Group Center’s control, to assess the situation.

The conspirators were waiting for this very moment.

The communications officer, Felgibel, sent a secret, coded message to his sympathizers on the Eastern Front.

“The eagle has left the nest.”

This was the opportunity.

In the capital city of Berlin, the conspirators actually had little military power on which to rely.

But the Central Army Group was a different story.

Here, the Junkers involved in the conspiracy could move the army as they pleased.

The Junkers entrusted the task of killing Hitler to Major General Henning von Treszkopf, Chief of Staff of Army Group Center’s II Corps.

Treskov was confident about this undertaking, having prepared thoroughly through several preliminary exercises.

“Gentlemen, it is time to risk our lives for Greater Germany. Are you prepared for Operation Flame (the operation to assassinate Hitler)?”

“Of course, General.”

“We are ready to give our lives for our country.”

The conspirators expressed their determination by holding up oak leaves.

“Communication officer. Here you go, Treshkov. Are you ready?”

“Don’t worry. The enemy has also finished his preparations.”

Treshkov put down the phone and looked back at the officers.

Now the die is cast.

All that remained was to kill Hitler.

Each officer was assigned a task according to his role.

Major Georg von Bösselager commanded a cavalry honor guard of anti-Nazi officers tasked with ambush and assassination of Hitler between the airfield and headquarters.

Captain Eberhard von Breitenbuch accompanied Field Marshal Kluge, commander of Army Group Center, and was tasked with immediately suppressing him if he reacted negatively to the coup.

Captain Axel von dem Busche was given the task of shooting Hitler at the entrance to the Führer’s headquarters when Major Bösselager failed to assassinate him due to a lengthy altercation.

Colonel Rudolf-Christoph von Gersdorff waited outside the Führer’s headquarters wearing a suicide vest.

If he didn’t see any opportunity for attack from other conspirators, he was determined to embrace Hitler and blow himself up.

Besides these, many other officers were roped in to eliminate Hitler.

Hitler could not be missed in Army Group Central, which was dominated by the Junkers, even if it was not elsewhere.

On September 1, 1943, the plane carrying Hitler arrived in Smolensk.

Senior generals from Army Group Center, including Field Marshal Kluge, came out to welcome the Führer.

“The wind is cold.”

Hitler’s secretary, Colonel Heinz Brandt, hurriedly brought a field coat and put it on Hitler.

The high-ranking officers stood up in unison as they saw the President step down.

The moment the dictator arrived, everything became quiet as if time had frozen.

The President shook hands with the generals and then got into his car.

An SS company was mobilized on Hitler’s way to the Führer’s headquarters in Smolensk.

Treskov’s expression became frowning at the more numerous escort than he had expected.

“General, what should we do?”

Treskov was a little surprised by the larger escort than he had expected, but he did not hesitate to proceed with the operation.

“Go ahead.”

As soon as Treskov’s order was given, the cavalry squadron waiting in the forest moved.

The generals’ car was following Hitler’s car, but Treszkov deliberately caused an accident.

“Hey, hurry up and clean up the car I just bought.”

While the generals were panicking, Hitler and his men disappeared into the forest.

‘I have to finish everything within 30 minutes.’

Treshkov trusted his subordinates’ abilities, but nothing in life is certain.

3pm.

Tata tata tata!

When the sound of beans roasting was heard in the forest, the generals who were waiting for the car to leave were greatly alarmed.

“Isn’t that the sound of gunfire? Are they guerrillas?”

If there were any anti-German partisans around here, it would be a disgrace.

It was shameful to have permitted a guerrilla attack in front of His Excellency the President.

“Hey, run towards the forest quickly!”

At the generals’ urging, the honor guard and military police quickly armed themselves and ran into the forest.

“Give me the watch.”

Treshkov looked at the time anxiously.

About ten minutes later, several SS men came running towards the airfield, screaming.

They cried and told astonishing news.

“Your Excellency the President, you have been shot and killed by unknown assailants.”

Treshkov was confident that his subordinates had handled the matter.

Although a verification process was needed, time was of the essence.

He quickly picked up the phone.

“Communication Room. Please begin your work. The eagle has fallen.”

Treskov informed his communications officer of his success and left the airfield to confirm Hitler’s death.

When Treskov’s phone call ended, the communications officer, Pelgibel, also became busy.

“General Ulbricht? The eagle has fallen.”

The conspirators began their move immediately after the phone call.

Although the Central Army Group was the one that started the uprising, the core of the rebellion was the reserve army command that had taken over the capital.

The head of the Wehrmacht’s Reserve Forces Bureau, Major General Friedrich Ulbricht, ordered his chief of staff, Colonel-General Albrecht Merz von Kürnheim, to mobilize replacement forces.

Colonel Kürnheim ordered the launch of Operation Valkyrie without the approval of his immediate superior, Commander of the Replacement Forces, General Friedrich Fromm.

“The SS has staged a coup and assassinated the Führer. Operation Valkyrie has been launched to maintain order.”

Martial law was declared throughout Berlin, and armed soldiers were mobilized to attack Nazi party and SS headquarters.

“Operation Valkyrie! How dare you do it without my orders!”

Fromm was furious, but Ulbricht came out strong.

“The matter has already been settled, Your Majesty. Will you cooperate with us?”

“gibberish.”

Fromm refused to cooperate because he felt he could not assess the situation.

“Take the general to a suitable room.”

The commander of the reserve forces, Fromm, was immediately detained.

In the midst of a virtual coup d’état in the heart of the capital, the German high command, which was supposed to handle the situation, did nothing.

“Communication is down. What the hell is going on?”

With the command of Communications Superintendent Felgibel, key communications networks including the Army High Command were paralyzed, and military orders were only relayed from the coup forces.

4pm.

Treskov called Ulbricht.

Treskov became quite anxious as he could not get through on his numerous phone calls to Pelgibel.

“General.”

“General Treshkov, what’s the matter?”

“Hitler was alive. We used all the means we had available, but we failed to kill him. I apologize for giving you the wrong information, General.”

Treshkov said in a frustrated voice.

After checking the scene several times, he was able to find that only an SS officer who resembled Hitler was dead, and the Führer himself had escaped the scene safely.

Ulbricht was shocked by Treskov’s report.

“We moved based solely on the General’s words. Is there absolutely no way to deal with the President from the Central Army Group even now?”

“I managed to subdue Field Marshal Kluge and prepare the orders, but I was a little behind schedule. The Führer got on a plane and left before I could mobilize my troops.”

“This is a mess. I don’t know how to handle this situation.”

Treshkov’s misinformation was corrected too late.

In that one hour, the coup forces moved and their true nature was exposed to the world.

Now it was impossible to hide under the water.

Ulbricht immediately called Beck.

“Your Excellency, Hitler is alive.”

Beck remained silent for a moment, trying to keep his voice calm.

“Now that things have come to this, let’s gather our comrades together. With so many people gathered here, how can we possibly defeat Hitler?”

5pm.

Field Marshal Ludwig Beck, leader of the coup forces, appeared at the replacement army headquarters.

Commander-in-Chief of the Replacement Forces, Friedrich Fromm, was not sure whether the coup would succeed or fail, so he did not respond to Beck’s request to join him, and continued to remain ‘incarcerated’ in his office.

Anyway, the rebellion proceeded smoothly.

In Paris, France, coup forces also moved in and arrested SS and Nazi Party members.

All over Europe, the coup d’état army was becoming covered with oak trees.

The German front-line commanders were at a loss over this situation and stamped their feet, not knowing what to do.

“What’s going on here? It looks like there’s been a rebellion, but are these guys definitely winning?”

Given these circumstances, the German army had no time to worry about anything like an offensive.

“We don’t know what the domestic situation will be like in the future, so let’s stop the attacks for now.”

Generals Walter Model, commander of Army Group Center, which was immediately leading the attack, and Field Marshal Erich von Manstein, commander of Army Group South, agreed to halt the advance.

While the generals on the front lines took a wait-and-see attitude, the coup forces continued to expand their power without wavering.

Even if Hitler returned, it did not seem likely that the rebellion would be easily suppressed.

Beck believed that riding this momentum and gaining as many sympathizers as possible was the path to victory.

Oster and Ulbricht agreed.

“We must get the new government recognized by the United States and Britain before it is too late.”

Mayor Karl Friedrich Goerdeler, who participated in the coup as a civilian, believed that recognition by the regime was the most important thing in this situation.

If the talks with the UK and the US had gone well, the Nazis could have been subdued with the help of the UK and the US.

“Director Canaris?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Please take charge of negotiations with England and America.”

The coup forces moved every second.

However, unlike Lee Seong-jun, they failed to secure a decisive victory.

The coup forces that started by capturing Park Han-jin and lost Hitler.

The difference was enormous.

The long night on which Germany’s fate depended was now beginning.