FanOfHistory
Banned
Hey guys, this is my first time writing an ah timeline. The premise is that Hitler is denied the Sudetenland in 1938, so WW2 starts a year earlier
Case Green- A WW2 Alternate History
- Thread starter FanOfHistory
- Start date
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- Tags
- 1938 german reich world war
Been done, but I've not seen one with a lot of depth or through research. Hope to see some of that here.
Chapters
FanOfHistory
Banned
September 22, 1938. Munich
Adolf Hitler strode into the conference room a happy man. Chamberlain and Daladier had come to give him exactly what he wanted. At that, Hitler frowned a little. How could he send the Wehrmacht into Czechoslovakia when France and England gave him everything he wanted. He shook his head, it didn't matter, if somehow Chamberlain grew a spine, then he'd send the Wehrmacht in. He knew they were ready, no matter what the generals thought. He sat down in front of Chamberlain and Daladier and Mussolini was on his left side. The talks began. They were going well, but Hitler had an ace up his sleeve that would end the talks in Germany's favor. An aide burst into the room, yelling about more Germans killed in the Sudetenland. This was his chance. Hitler burst out of the seat and proclaimed "I will avenge every one of them. The Czechs must be destroyed."
Chamberlain and Daladier looked at each other. Chamberlain said something, and the interpreter translated, "We will discuss this further." Sweat beaded on Hitler's forehead. What could they discuss. As Chamberlain and Daladier left the room, Mussolini turned to look at Hitler and said something. Hitler looked at the interpreter, and he translated, "What if they deny you the Sudetenland?" At this Hitler scoffed, "Even if they do, then we go to war." Mussolini looked troubled, "Italy is not ready for this fight yet." Hitler waved that thought away. If it come to it, Germany would go to war alone.
Chamberlain and Daladier came back, and they both looked determined. That isn't good Hitler thought. Daladier spoke and the interpreter translated, "It's very convenient for you that these Germans died at the same time that this conference is taking place. France will back Czechoslovakia in any future aggression."
"So will Britain," Chamberlain piped up.
Hitler surged up in anger. Everything was falling down around him. His ace was the one thing that would bring him to ruin. "You two are cowards backing murders!" Hitler screamed, "Whatever happens next is on you! The deaths are on you!" At this, Hitler stormed out the room. He'd gotten the war he wanted and soon the whole world would tremble in fear of the Reich.
September 23: Headlines are made around the world of Munich. Goebbels' propaganda machine goes into overdrive, setting up the future conflict as "a war that Germany did not want but was forced into." A new Czech cabinet under General Jan Syrovy tries to issue general mobilization, but France and Britain urge them not to anger Hitler and give him a casus belli. The British ambassador urged them to be peaceful towards Germany because, as he put it, "Not even Hitler is crazy enough to plunge Europe into another World War."
September 24: The Soviet Union issues a statement saying that they will back Czechoslovakia in any conflict. Later that day, the Polish and Romanian governments issue statements that they will not allow any Soviet soldiers to pass through their borders. The Germans begin frantically beefing up the West Wall to make it a passable defensive structure.
September 25: Konrad Henlein, the head of the Sudeten German Party is found and arrested, leading to riots in areas of the Sudetenland. Germany issues a general mobilization, and start sending reconnaissance flights over the Sudetenland.
September 26: In response to the German mobilization, the Czechs try once again to issue their own mobilization, but Britain and France still tell them to "be peaceful." An offer of a second conference is sent to Berlin but is rejected.
September 27: The Czechs, now fed up with Britain and France's peacekeeping, issue a secret mobilization that would occur over the course of a week. A million men join the army, but they wouldn't all be mobilized until October 4th. The Soviet Union sends over a fighter squadron and some bombers to beef up the Czech air force. The Poles and Hungarians also start mobilizing, as they desire parts of Czechoslovakia too.
September 28: The Kreigsmarine is sent out to sea and the Luftwaffe finishes up their own war plans. German troops start pouring to the borders of the Reich and in response, Czech troops start manning defensive positions along the border. Britain and France still refuse to mobilize
September 29: Through fierce Czech goading and memories of war-ravaged France, France, and later Britain, issue general mobilization. Belgium sends forth a note of neutrality to Berlin, Paris, and London. Luxembourg and The Netherlands follow suit.
September 30: The world watches and prepares as Europe spirals to another Great War. Jozef Tiso goes to Budapest to meet Hungarian and German leaders to discuss the new state of Slovakia and its possible borders.
The only problem was that there weren't enough of them. Marek frowned, he and his division were holding a line of trench, and that was it. Just a trench system like the ones of the last war. While this was still a feasible defense system, the bunkers were better. At least he was in the north, where there were heavy fortifications to hold back the Germans. The southern border, which was formerly against Austria, only had a series of light fortifications. When the attack comes, the Germans would most likely push through there with all their might. Rezek looked down in his hands, he was holding a new ZK-383 submachine gun which would give him more firepower than the average German or Czech soldier, and with the foldable bipod, he was essentially holding a light machine gun in his hands. Rezek walked up and down the trench inspecting his men. " Hey Sarge," asked private Artur Richter, "Do you they'll invade tomorrow?"
"I don't know," Marek admitted, "They could attack tomorrow. Hell, they could attack today. Or maybe they're bluffing and we'll all get to go home next week." Artur chuckled at the last bit, so did Marek. Joking lightened the mood a little, but the seriousness of the situation set back in quickly. Rezek patted Artur on the shoulder and moved on. He talked to people, joked with people, cleaned his gun, ate from the field kitchen, and went to sleep in a dugout. In the middle of the night, Marek was shaken awake. "W-What's happening?" he asked groggily.
"Someone was spotted in the barbed wire. Everyone's on high alert." Artur explained. Marek surged up, forgetting how tired he was and ran out to the firing step, folding out his gun's bipod and setting it on the parapet. As he eyes adjusted to the dark, he could see that certain wires were cut. The Germans had gotten this close to his trench and he didn't realize it. Marek wanted to kick himself for not being ready enough, but he calmed himself with the fact that on one else in his trench were ready either. If they cut wires here, how bad is the damage further back? Rezek thought. They were on high alert for an hour. When it seemed like the danger had passed, people started to relax. That's when the first German shells started falling around them.
"Shit, shit, shit!" Rezek swore as he tumbled back into his dugout. The bombardment seemed like the end of the world. The ground shook and dirt fell on top him. If the dugout collapsed, then he'd suffocate and die before the war even started. After what seemed like an eternity, the shells stopped falling. In that sudden silence, screams and engine noise came to fill the void. Rezek hurried back up to shot at the Germans. Other people were also coming up to defend their country. Rezek peered through his gun sight, his eyes having to readjust to the dark again. It was still night, but morning couldn't be far off. He could see shapes in the distance, crushing the left over barbed wire. German tanks, and behind the, infantry. All along the line, rifles and machine guns started firing. Bullets made sparked when they hit wire, and clanged off the armor. He squeezed the trigger, firing at the advancing Germans, at the very least it would make the infantry hesitant to advance at his stretch of the line.
He heard a noise descending from the air. Rezek looked up for minute and saw a German dive-bomber descend on the bunker, dropping a bomb and veering back up into the air. He heard the concrete fall in as the bomb exploded, but one machine gun kept firing. The Czech artillery also decided to start firing at the Germans. Marek cheered as he saw shells fall among the advancing Germans and bodies fly in the air. A hidden anti-tank gun fired at the lead German tank, a small thing with two guns in the turret, and the shell went through the hull, stopping it. A man in black escapes from the turret, running towards the German line. Rezek fired at him, and he collapsed. Nothing would come cheap for the Germans today. The German artillery also started firing back at the Czechs, distracting their artillery. A couple of Germans set up a machine gun and they started firing into the trenches. Men screamed as bullets hit them. Marek gritted his teeth as he replaced his magazine. The Czechs would fight as long as they could, of this Rezek was certain. He started to fire his submachine gun at the Germans again.
Adolf Hitler strode into the conference room a happy man. Chamberlain and Daladier had come to give him exactly what he wanted. At that, Hitler frowned a little. How could he send the Wehrmacht into Czechoslovakia when France and England gave him everything he wanted. He shook his head, it didn't matter, if somehow Chamberlain grew a spine, then he'd send the Wehrmacht in. He knew they were ready, no matter what the generals thought. He sat down in front of Chamberlain and Daladier and Mussolini was on his left side. The talks began. They were going well, but Hitler had an ace up his sleeve that would end the talks in Germany's favor. An aide burst into the room, yelling about more Germans killed in the Sudetenland. This was his chance. Hitler burst out of the seat and proclaimed "I will avenge every one of them. The Czechs must be destroyed."
Chamberlain and Daladier looked at each other. Chamberlain said something, and the interpreter translated, "We will discuss this further." Sweat beaded on Hitler's forehead. What could they discuss. As Chamberlain and Daladier left the room, Mussolini turned to look at Hitler and said something. Hitler looked at the interpreter, and he translated, "What if they deny you the Sudetenland?" At this Hitler scoffed, "Even if they do, then we go to war." Mussolini looked troubled, "Italy is not ready for this fight yet." Hitler waved that thought away. If it come to it, Germany would go to war alone.
Chamberlain and Daladier came back, and they both looked determined. That isn't good Hitler thought. Daladier spoke and the interpreter translated, "It's very convenient for you that these Germans died at the same time that this conference is taking place. France will back Czechoslovakia in any future aggression."
"So will Britain," Chamberlain piped up.
Hitler surged up in anger. Everything was falling down around him. His ace was the one thing that would bring him to ruin. "You two are cowards backing murders!" Hitler screamed, "Whatever happens next is on you! The deaths are on you!" At this, Hitler stormed out the room. He'd gotten the war he wanted and soon the whole world would tremble in fear of the Reich.
September 23: Headlines are made around the world of Munich. Goebbels' propaganda machine goes into overdrive, setting up the future conflict as "a war that Germany did not want but was forced into." A new Czech cabinet under General Jan Syrovy tries to issue general mobilization, but France and Britain urge them not to anger Hitler and give him a casus belli. The British ambassador urged them to be peaceful towards Germany because, as he put it, "Not even Hitler is crazy enough to plunge Europe into another World War."
September 24: The Soviet Union issues a statement saying that they will back Czechoslovakia in any conflict. Later that day, the Polish and Romanian governments issue statements that they will not allow any Soviet soldiers to pass through their borders. The Germans begin frantically beefing up the West Wall to make it a passable defensive structure.
September 25: Konrad Henlein, the head of the Sudeten German Party is found and arrested, leading to riots in areas of the Sudetenland. Germany issues a general mobilization, and start sending reconnaissance flights over the Sudetenland.
September 26: In response to the German mobilization, the Czechs try once again to issue their own mobilization, but Britain and France still tell them to "be peaceful." An offer of a second conference is sent to Berlin but is rejected.
September 27: The Czechs, now fed up with Britain and France's peacekeeping, issue a secret mobilization that would occur over the course of a week. A million men join the army, but they wouldn't all be mobilized until October 4th. The Soviet Union sends over a fighter squadron and some bombers to beef up the Czech air force. The Poles and Hungarians also start mobilizing, as they desire parts of Czechoslovakia too.
September 28: The Kreigsmarine is sent out to sea and the Luftwaffe finishes up their own war plans. German troops start pouring to the borders of the Reich and in response, Czech troops start manning defensive positions along the border. Britain and France still refuse to mobilize
September 29: Through fierce Czech goading and memories of war-ravaged France, France, and later Britain, issue general mobilization. Belgium sends forth a note of neutrality to Berlin, Paris, and London. Luxembourg and The Netherlands follow suit.
September 30: The world watches and prepares as Europe spirals to another Great War. Jozef Tiso goes to Budapest to meet Hungarian and German leaders to discuss the new state of Slovakia and its possible borders.
Sergeant Marek Rezek peered over the trench parapet and looked towards the border. The Germans were planning something, for days, airplanes flew over their positions, no doubt marking them. He'd wanted to take a shot at them every time he saw one flying overhead. Everyone Rezek talked too felt the same, but orders from on high had told them to be on their best behavior. He scoffed, so much for being good boys, if Hitler wanted a war, then he'd make war. Even the brass seemed to realize this, as over the past few days, men and material had come to shore up the defense. Marek looked to his right, there was a concrete bunker there, armed to the teeth with machine guns. When the Germans came, that bunker would slaughter a lot of them.The only problem was that there weren't enough of them. Marek frowned, he and his division were holding a line of trench, and that was it. Just a trench system like the ones of the last war. While this was still a feasible defense system, the bunkers were better. At least he was in the north, where there were heavy fortifications to hold back the Germans. The southern border, which was formerly against Austria, only had a series of light fortifications. When the attack comes, the Germans would most likely push through there with all their might. Rezek looked down in his hands, he was holding a new ZK-383 submachine gun which would give him more firepower than the average German or Czech soldier, and with the foldable bipod, he was essentially holding a light machine gun in his hands. Rezek walked up and down the trench inspecting his men. " Hey Sarge," asked private Artur Richter, "Do you they'll invade tomorrow?"
"I don't know," Marek admitted, "They could attack tomorrow. Hell, they could attack today. Or maybe they're bluffing and we'll all get to go home next week." Artur chuckled at the last bit, so did Marek. Joking lightened the mood a little, but the seriousness of the situation set back in quickly. Rezek patted Artur on the shoulder and moved on. He talked to people, joked with people, cleaned his gun, ate from the field kitchen, and went to sleep in a dugout. In the middle of the night, Marek was shaken awake. "W-What's happening?" he asked groggily.
"Someone was spotted in the barbed wire. Everyone's on high alert." Artur explained. Marek surged up, forgetting how tired he was and ran out to the firing step, folding out his gun's bipod and setting it on the parapet. As he eyes adjusted to the dark, he could see that certain wires were cut. The Germans had gotten this close to his trench and he didn't realize it. Marek wanted to kick himself for not being ready enough, but he calmed himself with the fact that on one else in his trench were ready either. If they cut wires here, how bad is the damage further back? Rezek thought. They were on high alert for an hour. When it seemed like the danger had passed, people started to relax. That's when the first German shells started falling around them.
"Shit, shit, shit!" Rezek swore as he tumbled back into his dugout. The bombardment seemed like the end of the world. The ground shook and dirt fell on top him. If the dugout collapsed, then he'd suffocate and die before the war even started. After what seemed like an eternity, the shells stopped falling. In that sudden silence, screams and engine noise came to fill the void. Rezek hurried back up to shot at the Germans. Other people were also coming up to defend their country. Rezek peered through his gun sight, his eyes having to readjust to the dark again. It was still night, but morning couldn't be far off. He could see shapes in the distance, crushing the left over barbed wire. German tanks, and behind the, infantry. All along the line, rifles and machine guns started firing. Bullets made sparked when they hit wire, and clanged off the armor. He squeezed the trigger, firing at the advancing Germans, at the very least it would make the infantry hesitant to advance at his stretch of the line.
He heard a noise descending from the air. Rezek looked up for minute and saw a German dive-bomber descend on the bunker, dropping a bomb and veering back up into the air. He heard the concrete fall in as the bomb exploded, but one machine gun kept firing. The Czech artillery also decided to start firing at the Germans. Marek cheered as he saw shells fall among the advancing Germans and bodies fly in the air. A hidden anti-tank gun fired at the lead German tank, a small thing with two guns in the turret, and the shell went through the hull, stopping it. A man in black escapes from the turret, running towards the German line. Rezek fired at him, and he collapsed. Nothing would come cheap for the Germans today. The German artillery also started firing back at the Czechs, distracting their artillery. A couple of Germans set up a machine gun and they started firing into the trenches. Men screamed as bullets hit them. Marek gritted his teeth as he replaced his magazine. The Czechs would fight as long as they could, of this Rezek was certain. He started to fire his submachine gun at the Germans again.
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If England and France had really stood up to Hitler in 1938 there is much evidence that the German Army was ready to depose Hitler rather than go to war at that point.
I'm a very big fan of the concept, and have always wanted to write or read a TL on this subject. When it came to it, though, the problem is that it needs a really strong PoD, given the extent to which Chamberlain was intellectually and emotionally invested in his policy (the French even more so arguably). I can't see them just changing their minds mid-conference like this. It wasn't just Chamberlain & Daladier deciding; they believed they were articulating the policy their countries wanted (& they were right in that belief in fact, given the public reaction to the Munich agreement). My own TL on this theme (sigged) ended up invoking an ASB intervention to make it happen, because I couldn't see a way to get London & Paris to change policy otherwise. I still can't. I do think that the resulting ATL war would have been a much more favourable scenario for the Allies compared to OTL (and might have been avoided entirely as Scott notes).
FanOfHistory
Banned
Yeah, the POD isn't that great when put under scrutiny, but its the only way I could think of them refusing to give Hitler the Sudetenland
Having pondered the question at length I can't see a good way to get London's policy to change much out of purely British factors. On the other hand there might be scope to get Paris to take a firmer line against Germany and in so doing leave London feeling that they needed to follow suit. That is, finding a PoD that would make Paris not London the lead player in Allied diplomacy in 1938. One way would be to side-line Georges Bonnet somehow as he was the leading French appeaser - a man of great talents unfortunately misapplied. Possibilities for doing this might be getting the Reynaud/ Mandel faction to force Bonnet out in early 1938 (not sure if this would have been possible) or for Louis Barthou to survive in 1934 - his death was due to a shambolic and tragic sequence of events that might have been averted, and he would have been a powerful voice on the anti-appeasement side.
In fact, something like this might serve as the backstory to what you've written, and explain why ATL Daladier and Chamberlain take the line you describe on September 22nd. Perhaps one could have Barthou making an effective elder-statesman intervention (e.g. a powerful speech sometime in the spring) that weakens Bonnet enough for Reynaud or Mandel to replace him as Foreign Minister. The wiki article on Bonnet mentions a meeting he had with Litvinov in May 1938 in which Litvinov was non-committal about Soviet aid. Replacing Bonnet with Mandel would have been a signal that Stalin might have interpreted as a sign that the West was serious; the butterfly from that would be a firmer promise of support from Litvinov in May, thereby creating a different set of incentives and beliefs in Paris leading up to Munich.
Chapters
FanOfHistory
Banned
October 1: Germany invades Czechoslovakia, igniting the Second World War. France and Britain give Berlin one last chance to pull out of Czechoslovakia, but that statement is rejected within the hour.
October 2: France and Britain declare war on Germany. The Wehrmacht is bogged down in heavy fighting in the north of Czechoslovakia, but are still pushing forward. They fare much better in the west and south of the country.
Klaus Maurer shot at a Czech who had revealed part of his head. The bullet missed as the Czech immediately ducked back down into the trench. The 19 year-old from Potsdam cursed as he put a new bullet in his Mauser's chamber. In just two days of fighting, they had only taken the first line of the Czech defenses, in some places there was no movement at all. Now that the Czechs had been forced from their first line, they were digging like moles to form a second one. Fortunately, the brass wasn't stupid enough to let them continue. Klaus had heard that they were going to attack again today. From what he could see, the main thrust of the Wehrmacht would come from both north and south and meet up in the middle, and the southern front was holding up its end of the bargain. News from there said that the advances were measured in kilometers.
Klaus yawned. He'd only had an hour of sleep since the fighting started. "Hey, Klaus," called Hans Mahler, a machine gunner, "feeling sleepy?"
"Ha, ha. Very funny." Klaus shot back. Mahler snorted and went back to cleaning his MG34. That gun looked modern and dangerous, and apparently no other nation had anything like it. It had been such a state secret that they weren't shipped to the front until a day before the fighting started. Klaus yawned again and again. "Alright I'm going to sleep," he said to Mahler, "wake me up when the attack goes in." Klaus set his Mauser to the side and fell asleep in a hastily dug dugout. He had no idea how long he'd slept, but when he was awoken, it was night and he was feeling better. Someone shoved a cup of coffee into his hands, and he drank it down. The coffee didn't taste very good, but it helped pry his eyes open. Klaus grabbed his gun and stood on the firestep of the trench. He saw a panzer next to him, but it looked different from the ones he'd already seen. It was taller and had a bigger gun. The commander of the beast stood out of the cupola. "Hey," Maurer called to him, "what is that?"
The commander looked down and grinned, "The Panzer 3."
"Panzer 3? I've never heard of that."
"State secret you know. There aren't that many of us yet."
Klaus nodded. First the MG34, now this, what other war-winning state secrets did The Reich have up its sleeve? The artillery started firing. The barrage went on for an hour, then it stopped. Klaus heard whistles blow along the line telling him to go over the top. His dad would have heard the same thing in the last war. Unlike his dad, he had panzers to help with the advance. The Panzer 3 moved forward, accompanied by Panzer 1's, 2's, armored cars, and the infantry. As he was running across no-mans' land, Klaus saw the same thing happening around him, advance spearheaded by the new panzer, and some older ones. Stukas flew over him and then over the enemy trenches. Probably going for the artillery, he thought. He must have been right, since no Czech shells fell on the the Germans. The lead Panzer reached the Czech trench, cannon and machine guns blazing. Klaus jumped into the trench. A Czech looked at him in shock and tried to bring his gun to bear, but Maurer shot first. The bullet went through the Czech's neck, and the poor man writhed in pain, screaming in agony. Klaus winced and looked away, but then had another idea. He took the Czech's pistol and held it in front of his face. The Czech seemed to understand and nodded. Klaus shot him in the head, ending the man's suffering. He was the enemy, but he was still a human being, and if Klaus was in that situation, he would've wanted someone to do the same for him. He shook his head to clear his head, and pushed on further into Czechoslovakia.
October 3: Germany puts all their Panzer IIIs and IVs into action. Even though they don't have many of them, it was made increasingly clear that the Panzer I and Panzer II aren't built to fight other other tanks. The Wehrmacht finally breaks through in the north.
October 4: Germany reaches Pilsen, a city 90 kilometers west of Prague and encircles Brno with 2 Czech divisions trapped inside. France starts their offensive into the Saarland, and crosses the border.
October 5: Some Czech planes raid Leipzig. Goebbels' propaganda machine screams about "barbaric untermensch." In response to the Leipzig Raid, the bombing of Prague, which has been going on since the start of the war, intensifies.
October 2: France and Britain declare war on Germany. The Wehrmacht is bogged down in heavy fighting in the north of Czechoslovakia, but are still pushing forward. They fare much better in the west and south of the country.
Klaus Maurer shot at a Czech who had revealed part of his head. The bullet missed as the Czech immediately ducked back down into the trench. The 19 year-old from Potsdam cursed as he put a new bullet in his Mauser's chamber. In just two days of fighting, they had only taken the first line of the Czech defenses, in some places there was no movement at all. Now that the Czechs had been forced from their first line, they were digging like moles to form a second one. Fortunately, the brass wasn't stupid enough to let them continue. Klaus had heard that they were going to attack again today. From what he could see, the main thrust of the Wehrmacht would come from both north and south and meet up in the middle, and the southern front was holding up its end of the bargain. News from there said that the advances were measured in kilometers.
Klaus yawned. He'd only had an hour of sleep since the fighting started. "Hey, Klaus," called Hans Mahler, a machine gunner, "feeling sleepy?"
"Ha, ha. Very funny." Klaus shot back. Mahler snorted and went back to cleaning his MG34. That gun looked modern and dangerous, and apparently no other nation had anything like it. It had been such a state secret that they weren't shipped to the front until a day before the fighting started. Klaus yawned again and again. "Alright I'm going to sleep," he said to Mahler, "wake me up when the attack goes in." Klaus set his Mauser to the side and fell asleep in a hastily dug dugout. He had no idea how long he'd slept, but when he was awoken, it was night and he was feeling better. Someone shoved a cup of coffee into his hands, and he drank it down. The coffee didn't taste very good, but it helped pry his eyes open. Klaus grabbed his gun and stood on the firestep of the trench. He saw a panzer next to him, but it looked different from the ones he'd already seen. It was taller and had a bigger gun. The commander of the beast stood out of the cupola. "Hey," Maurer called to him, "what is that?"
The commander looked down and grinned, "The Panzer 3."
"Panzer 3? I've never heard of that."
"State secret you know. There aren't that many of us yet."
Klaus nodded. First the MG34, now this, what other war-winning state secrets did The Reich have up its sleeve? The artillery started firing. The barrage went on for an hour, then it stopped. Klaus heard whistles blow along the line telling him to go over the top. His dad would have heard the same thing in the last war. Unlike his dad, he had panzers to help with the advance. The Panzer 3 moved forward, accompanied by Panzer 1's, 2's, armored cars, and the infantry. As he was running across no-mans' land, Klaus saw the same thing happening around him, advance spearheaded by the new panzer, and some older ones. Stukas flew over him and then over the enemy trenches. Probably going for the artillery, he thought. He must have been right, since no Czech shells fell on the the Germans. The lead Panzer reached the Czech trench, cannon and machine guns blazing. Klaus jumped into the trench. A Czech looked at him in shock and tried to bring his gun to bear, but Maurer shot first. The bullet went through the Czech's neck, and the poor man writhed in pain, screaming in agony. Klaus winced and looked away, but then had another idea. He took the Czech's pistol and held it in front of his face. The Czech seemed to understand and nodded. Klaus shot him in the head, ending the man's suffering. He was the enemy, but he was still a human being, and if Klaus was in that situation, he would've wanted someone to do the same for him. He shook his head to clear his head, and pushed on further into Czechoslovakia.
October 3: Germany puts all their Panzer IIIs and IVs into action. Even though they don't have many of them, it was made increasingly clear that the Panzer I and Panzer II aren't built to fight other other tanks. The Wehrmacht finally breaks through in the north.
October 4: Germany reaches Pilsen, a city 90 kilometers west of Prague and encircles Brno with 2 Czech divisions trapped inside. France starts their offensive into the Saarland, and crosses the border.
October 5: Some Czech planes raid Leipzig. Goebbels' propaganda machine screams about "barbaric untermensch." In response to the Leipzig Raid, the bombing of Prague, which has been going on since the start of the war, intensifies.
The Wehrmacht was a lot less powerful in 1938 then in 1939. Maybe we will see a repeat of the Western Front in WW1, as Germany may not be able to crack France that easily?
I like this so far. Whats going on in the Sudetenland? As German troops enter the region they will find a lot of sympathy, and logistic support. Also, whats going on with Sudeten Germans in the Czech army. Are lots of them refusing their call up papers? I could see advance units of the Wehrmacht trying to take control of Sudeten cities really quickly to protect ethnic Sudetens and keep the region intact as a source of local recruits and strength. So a quick push to take Reichenberg, Troppau, Karlsbad, Eger, Asch, Znaim, Troppau, with so many of these cities really close to the border. Did the interwar Czechoslovak army have ethnically segregated units? If so, perhaps many Sudeten dominated units surrender or defect in the first days, or are they stationed far to the east in Slovakia or Ruthenia, but then newly mobilized men wouldn't be with those units, so I could see lots of young Sudeten men hiding out from Czech military police in those first days.
Goebbels relationship with the Czech actress Lida Baarova must be in for a tough time. Also, would the Germans try not to destroy the more historic parts of Prague, which has so much of a German speaking history?
Hungary must be chomping at the bit, trying to come up with some formula to intervene in southern Slovakia and yet not be drawn into the full conflict. How are ethnic Hungarians reacting to the mobilization order, and Slovaks for that matter.
Goebbels relationship with the Czech actress Lida Baarova must be in for a tough time. Also, would the Germans try not to destroy the more historic parts of Prague, which has so much of a German speaking history?
Hungary must be chomping at the bit, trying to come up with some formula to intervene in southern Slovakia and yet not be drawn into the full conflict. How are ethnic Hungarians reacting to the mobilization order, and Slovaks for that matter.
FanOfHistory
Banned
As German troops enter towns and villages in the Sudetenland, they're hailed as liberators and received warmly. Czechoslovakia had an interesting time during mobilization as the general staff realized that calling up Sudeten Germans to serve in the army would be catastrophic since most off them had more allegiance to Germany rather than Czechoslovakia. The other ethnic minorities, like the Poles, Hungarians, and Ruthenians, aren't mobilized either as they also can't be trusted. The Slovaks are a different story, as they are mobilized along with the Czech majority. While most simply surrender to the Germans, some fight just as hard alongside the Czechs.
Chapters
FanOfHistory
Banned
Lou Calvet marched along with the rest of his comrades deeper into Germany. The advance moved at a snail's pace. There seemed to be a conspiracy among the higher-ups that the Germans were baiting French troops away from The Maginot Line to encircle them like they did to the Czechs at Brno. Their main goal was to reach the Saar river, but at the rate they were moving, French troops would stand on the shore of the Saar the day Lou's future children were old enough to conscripted. The Germans didn't put up much of a fight either. At times they would shot bullets at them from machine guns and sometimes even drop mortars among the French, but every time the French started to dig in, the Germans would retreat further into Germany. This type of skirmish also helped to drive French officers paranoid. Lou was happy that the Germans weren't fighting hard because it made it more likely that he would survive the war. His dad hadn't survived the last one. He was buried somewhere near Verdun. His family didn't like to talk about it, and the only picture they had of his father was him in his 1914 uniform. Lou frowned at that, he couldn't help but get sad whenever he thought of his father. "Why so down, Lou? We're winning," said Guillaume Cerf.
"It's nothing," Lou answered. He sighed and shook his head. Guillaume didn't look convinced, but he looked forward again. "Get ready," someone called from the front. Lou unslung his rifle and crouched down to make himself a smaller target. He moved to the front of the column. "What is it?" Lou asked.
"Damn boche machine gunners," a sergeant answered. Lou could seem them, going about their business like there there wasn't a war going on. They were crewing an old Maxim.
"Should we fire at them?"
"Oh god no! You want to try and take out a machine gun nest?"
Lou shook his head in disagreement and the sergeant seemed satisfied. The sergeant went on to say "Well, this is as good a place as any to dig in." He then took out his entrenching tool and made dirt fly. Lou followed suit, and soon the whole regiment was digging into German soil.
October 6: To the horror of the Czechs, the French offensive into the Saarland slows to a halt without doing any damage to the Germans. The Wehrmacht takes the town of Kladno
October 7: After a day of arguing, the French restart their offensive, but the heart has been taken out of the offensive and no one expects it to do anything extraordinary. Britain starts organizing and outfitting a new BEF.
October 8: The men trapped in the Brno pocket surrender.
Elijah Steinberg stood with his hands raised. He'd been standing for hours after the remains of entrapped divisions surrendered. He'd already been stripped of his rifle, helmet, and valuables. He was thirsty, hungry, and tired. He could see German army engineers taking apart cars, trucks, and even bicycles. Steinberg could see them ripping off wheels to get at the rubber and siphoning out the gas. Elijah smiled at seeing the mighty German army reduced to cannibalizing civilian vehicles. "What are you smiling at Jew?" thundered an SS man. The SS was completely different entity than the normal army, and so traditional army rules didn't seem to apply to him. "I asked you a question kike." the man yelled in his face. Steinberg was puzzled, he had no idea what the man was saying, or what to say to the German. Saying anything seemed like it would just get him in more trouble, so he remained silent. All that got him was a boot to the chest. Elijah crumbled to the ground, and the SS man kicked him again and again.
At last, the kicking stopped. Elijah looked up to see an army officer arguing with the SS man. He struggled to his feet, battered and bruised. Another man joined the argument, siding the SS man, and the officer walked away exasperated. After more waiting, the prisoners trudged off into captivity. Elijah noted that all the Jews were separated into a different train. They were all crammed into the cars. Thankfully, Steinberg managed to nab a seat before anyone else. The train chugged westward. He didn't get much sleep on the train as there were man crammed next to him and in front of him. Finally the train came to a stop, and all the Jews were marched out and into a massive complex. As Elijah marched on, he turned to a guard and asked in bad German, "Where we are?"
"Dachau."
October 9: A Czech light tank battalion and some infantry regiments counterattack the head of the southern German column. Although they maul the head, they can't stop the advance. Poland takes the Zaolzie region from Czechoslovakia with no casualties as all the soldiers are desperately trying to halt the German advance.
October 10: To remind the Germans that the Soviets were in the war, Soviet bombers hit Konigsberg. Goebbels screams about "the horrors of Jewish Bolshevism" and "Slavic Untermensch"
October 11: The Germans meet up in Olomouc, cutting Czechoslovakia in half. With Slovakia now cut off, the Hlinka Guard start taking control of towns and cities in Slovakia, and Jozef Tiso declares the independence of Slovakia to the world in Bratislava. Hungary marches into Slovakia, stopping at the predetermined border.
"It's nothing," Lou answered. He sighed and shook his head. Guillaume didn't look convinced, but he looked forward again. "Get ready," someone called from the front. Lou unslung his rifle and crouched down to make himself a smaller target. He moved to the front of the column. "What is it?" Lou asked.
"Damn boche machine gunners," a sergeant answered. Lou could seem them, going about their business like there there wasn't a war going on. They were crewing an old Maxim.
"Should we fire at them?"
"Oh god no! You want to try and take out a machine gun nest?"
Lou shook his head in disagreement and the sergeant seemed satisfied. The sergeant went on to say "Well, this is as good a place as any to dig in." He then took out his entrenching tool and made dirt fly. Lou followed suit, and soon the whole regiment was digging into German soil.
October 6: To the horror of the Czechs, the French offensive into the Saarland slows to a halt without doing any damage to the Germans. The Wehrmacht takes the town of Kladno
October 7: After a day of arguing, the French restart their offensive, but the heart has been taken out of the offensive and no one expects it to do anything extraordinary. Britain starts organizing and outfitting a new BEF.
October 8: The men trapped in the Brno pocket surrender.
Elijah Steinberg stood with his hands raised. He'd been standing for hours after the remains of entrapped divisions surrendered. He'd already been stripped of his rifle, helmet, and valuables. He was thirsty, hungry, and tired. He could see German army engineers taking apart cars, trucks, and even bicycles. Steinberg could see them ripping off wheels to get at the rubber and siphoning out the gas. Elijah smiled at seeing the mighty German army reduced to cannibalizing civilian vehicles. "What are you smiling at Jew?" thundered an SS man. The SS was completely different entity than the normal army, and so traditional army rules didn't seem to apply to him. "I asked you a question kike." the man yelled in his face. Steinberg was puzzled, he had no idea what the man was saying, or what to say to the German. Saying anything seemed like it would just get him in more trouble, so he remained silent. All that got him was a boot to the chest. Elijah crumbled to the ground, and the SS man kicked him again and again.
At last, the kicking stopped. Elijah looked up to see an army officer arguing with the SS man. He struggled to his feet, battered and bruised. Another man joined the argument, siding the SS man, and the officer walked away exasperated. After more waiting, the prisoners trudged off into captivity. Elijah noted that all the Jews were separated into a different train. They were all crammed into the cars. Thankfully, Steinberg managed to nab a seat before anyone else. The train chugged westward. He didn't get much sleep on the train as there were man crammed next to him and in front of him. Finally the train came to a stop, and all the Jews were marched out and into a massive complex. As Elijah marched on, he turned to a guard and asked in bad German, "Where we are?"
"Dachau."
October 9: A Czech light tank battalion and some infantry regiments counterattack the head of the southern German column. Although they maul the head, they can't stop the advance. Poland takes the Zaolzie region from Czechoslovakia with no casualties as all the soldiers are desperately trying to halt the German advance.
October 10: To remind the Germans that the Soviets were in the war, Soviet bombers hit Konigsberg. Goebbels screams about "the horrors of Jewish Bolshevism" and "Slavic Untermensch"
October 11: The Germans meet up in Olomouc, cutting Czechoslovakia in half. With Slovakia now cut off, the Hlinka Guard start taking control of towns and cities in Slovakia, and Jozef Tiso declares the independence of Slovakia to the world in Bratislava. Hungary marches into Slovakia, stopping at the predetermined border.
Last edited:
FanOfHistory
Banned
Sorry for the delay guys. I've been busy with school. So, thoughts? How good is the TL so far?
This is verging on ASB. No way the Germans would have had this kind of success. You're giving the Wehrmacht of 1938 the same abilities as the Wehrmacht of 1940.