The Rise of the Third Reich

The issuance of euros or Euromarks has always been the goal pursued by Hirschmann. This is not only for the convenience of leading the world economic considerations after the war, but also the need for a world war.

Historically, two of the three main enemies Germany faced, the United Kingdom and the United States, both had an "international hard currency" that could use paper money to purchase supplies needed for the war from abroad.

However, Germany does not have its own "hard currency". If it wants to obtain supplies from abroad, it must either rob or exchange them.

The prerequisite for robbery is occupation, and occupying many countries that are not prepared to annex will cause many unnecessary burdens to Germany. Moreover, the production efficiency of occupied countries will inevitably become low.

The premise of exchange is that Germany has enough production capacity to produce items for exchange, such as machines, aircraft, cars, weapons, etc. But Germany during wartime did not have such production capabilities.

Therefore, as early as the 1920s, Hessmann began to deploy the euro and European banks, hoping that by issuing a super-sovereign European currency, Germany would also have its own "hard currency."

If the "Euro" or "European Mark" can appear when Germany is victorious, it is very likely to be accepted by those European countries that need to rely on Germany's protection. And a European Union led by Germany will appear on the European continent at the same time that Germany defeats Britain.

"Leader," Hessman said slowly about his plan, "the role of money is huge. We should not ignore this. It is not only a certificate of trade exchange, but also a symbol of capital. National Socialism should Guide capital rather than eliminate capital, nor completely control capital. The land under German rule can absorb capital from friendly European countries for development. For example, investment in new steel plants and mines in Western Ukraine can be absorbed from Sweden, Switzerland or the Netherlands. . If we use imported machinery and imported capital to develop Western Ukraine, we will have paid nothing.

Moreover, issuing the 'Euromark' also had a huge benefit, allowing Germany to obtain the resources needed for the war from neutral countries such as the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and Switzerland through debt instead of occupation. And allowing these countries to remain neutral will allow Europe to continue to receive resource supplies from all over the world without Germany having control of the sea..."

In Hersman's view, European countries are now divided into two types. One is an enemy country that needs to be fully or partially integrated into Germany, or needs to be subject to military control after defeat. Germany is the backbone of the future European Union, and of course it needs to be. Be as strong as possible, but don't annex land randomly.

The other type is a country that does not need to be merged into Germany.

For the former, it is natural to occupy, such as Ukraine, Lithuania, and Poland in the east, Belgium and France in the west, and the British mainland across the sea from the European continent.

As for the latter, try not to occupy it. Because once occupied, it will not only cause management and control troubles, but also increase the shortage of material supplies throughout Europe. It is the most beneficial way to let these countries remain neutral and use "Euromarks" and "German bonds" to obtain their supplies.

"But it's not easy..." Adolf Hitler frowned slightly after listening to Hersmann's words. This was not the first time he heard Hersman say these words. In fact, the Army policy controlled by Hersman has been promoting "European currency" and "European integration" in the past dozen years. In Europe, especially Western Europe, in 1939, there were really not many adults who didn't know these two concepts.

But not many people think that "European integration" and "European currency" can really be realized. German leader and chancellor Adolf Hitler also did not believe this approach was feasible.

"If we defeat France on land in 1940 and defeat Britain in the Mediterranean in 1941," Hersman paused and emphasized, "then nothing is impossible!"

Defeating France in 1940 was a sure thing! And defeating Britain in the Mediterranean in 1941 did not seem to be too difficult. As long as these two goals are achieved, Germany seems to have secured victory and will become the dominant player in Europe (except the Soviet Union).

In this case, the establishment of the "European Union" or the "European Community" and the issuance of the "Euromark" are nothing more than the establishment of a new order under the leadership of Germany.

Countries that are more pro-German, such as the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Denmark and even Switzerland, will not have much resistance - after all, the European Union led by Germany is a very large common market.

As for the two defeated countries, France and Belgium, joining the European Union and participating in the issuance of the Euromark can be written directly into the peace treaty.

Moreover, Hirschmann would also propose a "European Colonial Sharing Plan." The overseas colonies of France and Belgium will become colonies shared by the whole of Europe, and the African colonies recovered by Germany in the future will also become shared colonies of Europe.

"Leader," Hirschman said at last, "we have been promoting the idea of ​​the European Community for the past ten years, and many people must agree with it. Because Europe is currently losing its world hegemony. The United States on the other side of the Atlantic and the Soviet Union in the East were all 'intercontinental countries' with almost unlimited resources and potential, while the so-called great powers in Europe were actually 'middle powers'.

If Europe's 'middle powers' unite, they will become a super-powerful Europe that can overwhelm the United States and the Soviet Union and continue to dominate the world. Otherwise, Europe would lose power and subsequently all its colonies. The glorious and powerful colonial empires of the past will no longer exist, and the world will be dominated by continental powers such as the United States and the Soviet Union.

So what we are fighting now is not a war to destroy Europe, but a fight to unite Europe. Germany must first become the leader of Europe through war, and then it can lead the entire Europe to continue to lead the world! "

What Hessmann is talking about now is actually Germany's war goal and the means to achieve this goal. It is somewhat similar to the historical "Hosbach Memorandum" (this was proposed by Hitler in November 1937 in history, and this memorandum did not exist at this time and space), but it is much milder. Most of the content can be directly published in newspapers and told to the European people. Because once Germany's goals are achieved, it will be beneficial to most Europeans (except the Soviet Union and the British).

Hitler listened quietly until Hessmann explained all his points one by one, then asked calmly: "So, what are we going to do now? I mean, what can we do before defeating France?" ?”

Defeating France does not seem to be that fast. The German army exposed many problems in the Polish campaign. Soldiers need to strengthen training, equipment needs to be repaired and upgraded, and officers need to change their thinking. It seems that it will not work without a few months of preparation.

"Of course, all the neutral countries in Europe will regard us as the good guys and Britain and France as the bad guys!" Hersman smiled and said, "I think the principle of 'confirming neutrality' can allow everyone to see the true face of Britain and France. Leader, is this going well?"

Hitler nodded and smiled: "It went very well. Ribbentrop has convinced the Dutch and Italian leaders. The Netherlands will play the accuser and the Italian leader will play the arbiter... This is a role he likes to play very much, and The audience will be the whole world!”

…

"Comrade Pavlov, don't be so gloomy. Working people all over the world are watching us. The pseudo-socialists defeated Poland in 12 days. What's wrong with us defeating Poland again in one month?"

On the outskirts of Minsk, inside the headquarters of the Brest-Litovsk Rapid Group, division-level political commissar Fominekh was cheering for the group commander Pavlov.

"One month..." Although the weather has become cooler, Pavlov's bald head is covered with beads of sweat.

He was originally the commander of an armored group, but with an order a few days ago, he became the commander of a "rapid group".

It is said to be a fast group, but there are three infantry corps, the 4th Infantry Corps, the 16th Infantry Corps, and the 23rd Infantry Corps, which are not fast at all. In addition, there are four independent tank brigades including the 6th Cavalry Corps, the 6th Tank Brigade, the 22nd Tank Brigade, and the 25th Tank Brigade, as well as the improvised 15th Tank Corps (3 tank brigades and 1 motorized infantry brigade). ) and the 25th Tank Corps (the same organization as the 15th Tank Corps) formed the so-called "Brest Rapid Group".

Compared with the forces originally assigned to Pavlov, the forces he now controls have increased nearly three times, with three more fully-equipped infantry corps, two tank brigades, and one cavalry division. The number of troops reached 200,000, with more than 1,300 tanks and more than 1,500 artillery pieces.

But so many troops, tanks and artillery were not given in vain. According to the orders of the Belarusian Front, the Brest Rapid Group must advance 350 kilometers within one month and capture the Brest Fortress, the largest Polish stronghold east of the Bug River!

No one dared to imagine such a thing in August - covering 350 kilometers in one month was already considered fast, and we also had to capture a fortress garrisoned by hundreds of thousands of people. How is this possible?

But now, the Germans have defeated Poland, which has more than 1 million troops, in 12 days. How dare Pavlov still say it is impossible?

Pavlov sighed, raised his wrist, and looked at the time. It is already 2:30 a.m. on September 15, Moscow time. He nodded: "It's almost time, let's start the attack! Before September 25, the vanguard will advance to Brest... We are very tight on time!"