Calm before the Storm
Calm before the Storm
((Frankish Troops parade after coming back from the Mediterranean War, in this case is the 27th Infantry))
Between the end of the Mediterranean War in July 1940 and the start of the Second Great War in January 1941, there was a large wave of immigrants to Countries like Canada and Australasia, even Britain and the United States seemed a better destination. Thousands of Germans, Poles, Hungarians, Danes, and several others fled to what seemed to be a timebomb. Military exercises by Frankish and Russian troops, the army expansions ordered by Chancellor Hitler during the Reichspakt meeting in September, and the rise of the Steel Pact in December signaled that 1941 would not be a peaceful year, and History would prove them right.((Frankish Troops parade after coming back from the Mediterranean War, in this case is the 27th Infantry))
Hitler watched the Mediterranean War with great interest, the war not only proved that his ideas of Armored Warfare were right, but also that the Franks were armed with some kind of terrible weapon, a gas that killed in mass and couldn't be countered by any known means. He could only hope that Delacroix's speeches of Franco-Germanic brotherhood would mean that he wouldn't use them against the German peoples. But he also had to look on the other side as the Russian Vozhd was expanding his military at an alarming speed, their military maneuvers were becoming more and more audacious, even sometimes with Russian soldiers taunting Polish troops in the border. The lack of German action was seen as a weakness by several of its enemies, when confronted with these reports, the Chancellor arguably said "And what I was supposed to do ?! Help the reds ?!" In response, the Chancellor called for a meeting of several nations of the Reichspakt on the first of September, informing them about the possibility of war and making a demand: "Expand your armies or the German Reich will not only expell your nation from the Pact but will also demand it's loans back. Then you can negotiate with the Bear and the Eagle with empty pockets." He would latter address the Reichstag and demand an increase of the Military spending, he would make sure that Germany would not have to depend on a Heavenly Intervention to save it again.
The Frankish victory only boosted Delacroix's belief of his army's invincibility, he once said to have had a dream that when the Frankish forces declared war on Germany, they all lowered the weapons and joined as brothers. But of course his generals knew that wouldn't happen, even with a large minority of Germans (in fact a majority in the Kingdom of the Rhineland) supporting such a Union, they couldn't count on their desertions and needed allies. There was a obvious one in the Continent: The Russian State.
((Frankish and Russian diplomats sign the Pact of Steel on the 10th of December of 1940))
As 1941 arrived, the war came early with one death to start millions. Kaiser Wilhelm of Germany was having a declining health for some years, but he would finally give up on February 3rd, 1941. A period of mourn of a week was called over all the Empire, and Hitler was worried about his political future. The New Kaiser Rudolf I was a more Liberal man than his father that didn't personally liked Chancellor Hitler. On the 4th of February, Rudolf was the Kaiser with grand dreams of reforming Germany, he scheduled a speech to the German troops of the West, giving them a day free from the duty of regularly manning the fortifications. His speech would be held on the city of Nanzig, to a crowd of soldiers and citizens alike. There was a large difference between the German soldiers and the French citizens, with the French remaining silent and some more daring even booing the Kaiser, while the Soldiers gave loud cheers to give the impression that the silent majority was a minority. Soldiers over all the border laid down their guard and listened to the radio as the Kaiser started giving a grand speech about the duty of the soldiers to protect the Fatherland against the "French Hordes" so their families could remain in peace. Until a shot was heard from the crowd, hitting the Kaiser's shoulder. The shooter was subdued but the Kaiser refused to leave, claiming that it was his duty to remain and finish, until he received the news from one menssager: Frankish troops had crossed the border.