klisemfg Chapter 339 The Last Madness (8)
Chapter 339 The Last Madness (8)
Keitel and Jodel walked into the meeting room, and the noise quieted down.
Goering was released from the ban. As the second-in-command, he looked at Keitel coldly. Although he did not say anything, his meaning was very clear: a conclusion must be reached on the future of the empire.
Jodel knew that most of those present were still loyal to the Führer, and although he was dead, he believed most would not openly betray him. Furthermore, given Germany's current situation, it had little room for maneuver.
Jodel followed the Führer's wishes and relayed his final wishes to everyone. Then, with a heavy heart, he continued, "The Führer, considering the current state of the Reich, proposed before his death that an honorable surrender to the Allies be permitted. As for whether to accept the Allies' demand for unconditional surrender, I believe you should all reach a consensus as soon as possible."
Goering was the first to respond: "Given the current state of the Third Reich, an honorable surrender is probably no longer possible."
A senior Nazi executive shouted, "If we can't do it, we will fight to the death! Even if the entire Reich is destroyed, we will leave nothing for the enemy."
As he shouted, several fanatical Nazis also became excited. For them, whether they surrendered or not, they knew very well that they would have no chance of survival.
Senior officials from the IDF and government frowned. For them, the future of the nation and its people was their primary concern. Keitel clearly shared this sentiment. As the heir apparent, he calmly raised his hand to silence the quarreling crowd.
"You can all die for the Reich. But what about the people? What about the future of Germany?"
"Why did the Führer choose to commit suicide? Besides not wanting to accept the shame, he also had more concerns about the German people. We cannot let the people accompany us to destruction."
"Given the current situation, we have no choice but to accept their terms. For us, this means nothing more than calmly accepting their humiliation and trial, but doing so can save the German people and prevent them from further disaster."
Goering nodded in agreement and said, "Surrender is certain. The key is to whom we surrender, and we also need to consider the long-term and future."
"In fact, the Allies are not united. There is a clear ideological gap between the US, Britain, and the Soviet Union that is difficult to bridge. I believe that after they deal with us, they will sooner or later have a dispute, and even war will break out in the near future. This is our opportunity."
As the Chief of the Third Reich's General Staff, Jodel had a deeper understanding of this matter. He nodded and continued, "So we have to consider the future. Under the current circumstances, surrender may be a good thing, an opportunity."
"Whether from history or the current war, there is no peace between us and the Soviet Union. Even if we lower our stance, even willingly becoming their dogs, the Soviet Union will never give us any chance. They will definitely kill us all!"
"So, if we have to surrender, we can only surrender to the Allies! Even to win their favor, we must hold on to the east, fight to the death, resist the Soviet Union, and give the Allies a chance to occupy Berlin."
Goering took up the topic again and said: "Not only that, we must also try to create conflicts between the two sides and make the conflicts public! It would be best to provoke a war between them. This is our only chance of survival."
The words of Goering and Jodel touched the hearts of everyone present. Everyone whispered to each other and continued to improve the plan.
Keitel also nodded and said, "If everyone has no objection to this, then let's do it."
"Marshal Goering will lead the surrender negotiations with the Allies. The Soviets, to put on a show, will entrust Chief of the General Staff Jodel to make the trip."
Jodel agreed, replying, "I have no problem going, but I can foresee that the Soviets will never agree. We also need to readjust our defenses and try to resist the Soviet offensive in the west."
Heinrich Himmler, the previously arrogant Nazi SS commander-in-chief, stepped forward and declared, "That's it. Whether it's the Allies or the Soviets, the SS and the SA will not be spared. Instead of that, let's leave the defense of the Eastern Front to us and transfer as many Wehrmacht troops as possible to the Western Front."
Goering was very satisfied with the SS's attitude and said: "All aircraft that can take off and all heavy firepower should be transferred to the Eastern Front. If necessary, the Western Front should be released so that the Allies can enter the city of Berlin as soon as possible!"
The German army acted unusually quickly, completing the mobilization under the cover of night. The SS, SA and other Nazi military organizations pressed forward to the Eastern Front. Many people knew that if they were defeated, they would die anyway, so they erupted in astonishing fighting power.
The next morning, the Soviet army encountered unprecedented resistance during its offensive. Some SS troops even launched a counterattack on local battlefields, seizing some positions occupied by the Soviet army a few days ago.
In the direction of Neuenhagen, the Wiking Division recaptured the town after a night of fierce fighting. An SS armored regiment concentrated 36 King Tiger and Maus tanks, and with the support of 16 Tiger attack helicopters, destroyed 156 Soviet tanks/tank destroyers of various types, which greatly frustrated the Soviet offensive.
On June 6, General Popozov once again concentrated more than 2 troops and launched an all-out attack on Neuenhagen, with 3 heavy artillery pieces bombarding continuously. However, the more than 1500 remaining people of the Viking Division stubbornly resisted the Soviet attack in this desperate area and caused nearly 5000 casualties to the Soviet army.
That night, Zhukov personally arrived at the front, dismissed Popozov, and assumed command himself. Under Zhukov's command, the Soviets deployed an armored corps, a heavy artillery corps, and an air force corps. They launched an intensive bombardment of the Neuenhagen area throughout the night, with an astonishing barrage of over three rounds per cubic meter. By dawn, the Wiking Division had finally failed to hold out. On the afternoon of June 3rd, when the last Maus tank caught fire from within, the fierce Battle of Neuenhagen came to an end.
The Wiking Division lost over 9000 men in the battle, inflicting heavy casualties on the Soviets. The division lost over 300 tanks and artillery pieces, 125 aircraft and helicopters, and over 5 personnel, making it the Soviet Union's heaviest casualties in the Battle of Berlin.
Similarly, the demise of the Wiking Division also caused the German army on the Eastern Front to lose one of its most elite resistance forces. The SS commander-in-chief Heinrich Himmler had to adjust his troops and withdraw them into the city. He used the carefully managed city defenses to engage in the most brutal urban street fighting with the Soviet army!