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Lebensborn.

The meaning of the name is 'fountain of life'.

It was created by Heinrich Himmler, a fanatic of Germanic supremacy and a believer in pseudo-science, to increase the number of pure-blooded Aryans by 'breeding' young SS members recognized as racially superior with unmarried women to have babies. It was an institution.

Established in December 1935, Lebensborn was also established in Norway in 1941 to accept applicants and give birth to babies.

Himmler's goal was to completely Germanize Eastern Europe by settling pure Aryans with blond hair born in Lebensborn in 'Lebensraum', but it ended up being a delusion as Germany lost the war.

If Germany had won the war, Lebensborn would have been evaluated differently than in modern times, but in any case, this Lebensborn was such a rare and bizarre attempt that there are very few similar cases in human history.

Most children born in Lebensborn after the war, especially those born in Norway, a country that had been invaded by the Nazis, were orphans - many of their fathers were killed or returned to Germany - and suffered enormous discrimination and contempt in Norwegian society. It is one of the Nazis' representative dark acts that created countless victims.

As in the previous retreat, Himmler asked me to found Lebensborn, but I refused outright.

I don't have enough money to spend on rearmament, and since I have no interest in Lebensraum in the first place, I had no intention of increasing the population in such an unreasonable way.

Just when the traces of Lebensborn were fading in my memory, Himmler appeared again with Lebensborn.

"A thousand-year empire needs soldiers to defend it for a thousand years, Mr. President."

"so."

"Of course, it is impossible for humans to live that long."

"yes."

"So the limitations in lifespan are compensated for by a large population. The so-called Aryan Supplementary Plan! That's the heart of Lebensborn.

By giving birth to pure Aryans who are racially perfect, the boys will become soldiers and farmers who will protect the empire, and the girls will become housewives and mothers who will give birth to future Aryans... ."

"Himmler. Please stop talking about third-rate porn and come up with some useful policies. A few days ago, when you said you would send a second expedition to Tibet, you gave permission. "Is that not enough anymore?"

"Mr. President. Tibet is the birthplace of the Aryans and will become the most important region for Germany in the future. And wasn't His Excellency the President satisfied with the results achieved by the first exploration team, so he approved dispatching the second exploration team?"

I've been eating kusari so much that I've built up a tolerance now. Seeing that he even talks back to me like he never did before, I think he looks really good.

I'm already feeling dizzy. Oh my, my head.

Rather than the origins of the Aryan people, which Himmler was interested in, the Tibet expedition only supported the costs to build friendly relations with Tibet and bring Tibetan seeds to Germany for use in food research.

This guy Himmler seems to have even manipulated his own memories, and thinks I approve of his bizarre research.

The intention was a little strange, but the SS expedition team succeeded in obtaining various seeds and ancient documents with the help of Tibetans and returning to Germany just before the invasion of Poland.

Ernst Schaeffer, the ornithologist who led the expedition, was promoted to SS major and received the Battle Service Medal.

Now that the war was over, a second expedition party, including Schaeffer and previous expedition members, was organized and was about to depart.

"Anyway, this case is dismissed. "Please properly complete the formation of the newly created mountain division in the SS."

Himmler, who had been rejected from Lebensborn for the second time, returned in despair. But this evening, Hess asked to meet with me.

"Mr. President. "The Lebensborn project proposed by SS Reich leader Himmler at noon today."

Oh shit.

Hess, are you doing this too?

Although not as bad as Himmler, I was anxious because he was also a huge fan of the occult, and as I was feeling discouraged, thinking that he might have fallen for that side in the end, an unexpected word came out of Hess's mouth.

"This is just my opinion, but rather than emphasizing only childbirth, why not approach it from a different direction? "The purpose of Lebensborn is to increase the German population."

"Of course."

"Then why not come up with a plan to increase birth rates across the country, rather than just within the Lebensborn institution? "Wouldn't that be more efficient and more effective?"

"That is correct. "Do you have anything else in mind?"

"yes. First of all, there were approximately 110,000 casualties in Germany during the war. There are reports that the number of war widows resulting from this is approximately 10,000.

There are quite a few widows who have difficulty making a living with the consolation money and subsidies provided by the government because their husbands died in combat, and among them, the government steps in to arrange marriage for those who want to get married.

In this case, widows who have difficulty making a living due to their spouse's death not only solve their livelihood difficulties by starting a new family, but also bring about a significant change in the birth rate, and also save the national treasury because there is no longer a need to provide subsidies to the widows since they have remarried. You will be able to do it. How is it?"

In other words, the state takes over the role of a marriage brokerage company. not bad. In particular, it is a much more normal idea compared to ideas such as Himmler's baby production factory.

"That sounds plausible. Hess, you are much better than Himmler. "It's great."

"Thank you, Mr. President."

As Hess said, if the government steps in and mediates the marriage of widows, it is a win-win for widows who are having trouble making a living because they will not have trouble making a living, and men who cannot marry for various reasons will be able to get married.

At the same time, subsidies paid to widows are naturally reduced, which saves money.

The next day, I conveyed Hess's idea to Schacht, Goering, and Keitel, and all three responded positively.

First of all, this is much more normal and constructive than Himmler's baby factory idea, so it is natural.

"But the manpower and cost required for the arrangement must be considerable. "I don't know about the manpower, but where do you plan to raise the money?"

"Why not replace it with the amount of subsidies to be paid to widows? "Even if the cost is higher, the goal of increasing Germany's population can be achieved, so I don't think it's a loss-making policy."

"Hmm."

As Shacht said, it may be difficult to secure all the manpower and costs needed to arrange a marriage simply by saving on subsidies to be paid to widows.

But wouldn't it actually cost less than the Nazis spent to maintain Lebensborn? The effect will be more certain than the actual Lebensborn.

Accordingly, the Lebensborn Project planned by Himmler was transformed into a marriage brokerage plan directly arranged by the government and implemented.

Himmler was displeased when his planned Lebensborn proceeded in a completely different direction than he had planned, but he had no choice but to remain silent as he could not find any flaws in the current plan.

In the first month of the Lebensborn project, 730 widows met suitors, and two months later, 400 of them received positive reports.

I expected that even if only 200 people signed up, the performance would be above average, but the figure was exactly double that. Although it was not a big achievement, it was an encouraging achievement in its own way.

For the first time in a while, Hess had something to do of his own and, having been pushed out by the generals and had not had a chance to make a mark, Hess enthusiastically devoted himself to his work in Lebensborn.

At this time, Hess proposed a plan that went beyond simple marriage arrangements and even supported disabled veterans.

Schacht also said that it was not a bad idea and that he would review it positively.

"This is SS Lieutenant General Meitzner's report."

"Give it here."

SS Lieutenant General August von Meichner was in the Netherlands.

As the commander-in-chief of the SS stationed in the Netherlands, his mission was to monitor local public sentiment, monitor and hunt down the activities of various anti-German figures and organizations, including the Resistance, and to periodically report on the movements of certain people.

***

January 2, 1941

Dorn House, Utrecht, Netherlands

"Happy New Year, Your Majesty."

"Thank you, Count."

The old Kaiser of Germany, Wilhelm II, nodded to the young count who came to pay him a courtesy visit.

The count wore the uniform of an army major, but the Junkers, who prioritized rank over military rank, called each other by title rather than rank, and Wilhelm II, who was an old-fashioned figure, deliberately made him a count to please the few guests who visited him. called.

"Time flies. It seems like only yesterday that I left Germany with my family and crossed the Dutch border, but it's already 1941... ."

The old Kaiser smiled empty-handed and sprinkled feed on the mallards floating around the pond.

When he was young, Wilhelm II could not control his blood and mainly engaged in extreme exercise.

In particular, the sport he enjoyed most passionately was logging with an axe, and even when he arrived in the Netherlands after being dethroned, he was crazy about logging to relieve his anger.

He cut down trees all day like a woodcutter, to the extent that the chamberlain, servants, and officials of the Dutch Forest Service who followed him were worried about his health.

However, even business cannot overcome time. Wilhelm II, now 82 years old, was unable to enjoy extreme exercise as often as before due to his aging body and depleted stamina.

Following the advice of his wife and doctor to think about his body, he cut down on logging, carving wood, taking walks, and feeding ducks in the pond.

"Have you heard anything from your President?"

"I'm sorry, but that's true."

In response to Count Claus von Stauffenberg's answer, Wilhelm II turned his head again and stared at the ducks on the pond.

The ducks were busy eating the feed Kaiser had sprinkled.

After eating all the food, the ducks circled the pond, hoping that the Kaiser would throw breadcrumbs at them. Kaiser sprinkled the last handful of seed into the pond.

He was the Kaiser who made numerous mistakes during his reign and ultimately made himself what he is today, but even he had at least some sense.

Wilhelm II knew that the current German government did not like him, a relic of an old world.

In particular, after it became known that many of those purged during the Second Night of the Long Sword were royalists and that they attempted to restore the monarchy in Germany and reinstate themselves in the Netherlands after the coup, he would seem even more of a thorn in his side.

Wilhelm II sighed and took a step forward.

As he entered the mansion, the chamberlain ran up to him and took his cloak. Maids dressed in black led the Kaiser and the Count into the drawing room. After a while, warm British black tea was served for the two of us.

Wilhelm II liked British black tea and drank it often. Even on the day Britain declared war, he drank British tea, and on the day he abdicated and arrived in the Netherlands, he finished the day with British tea.

"Don't be too upset, Your Majesty."

Stauffenberg lowered his voice to see if anyone would hear.

"There are still many people in the military who follow Your Majesty."

Stauffenberg did not oppose the policies of Hitler and the Nazi Party. Rather, he was an ardent follower of Hitler.

However, his faith faded after witnessing two Nights of the Long Sword.

In particular, he was close to several of the coup participants arrested during the second Night of the Long Knives, and was even investigated by the Gestapo for making statements confident in the innocence of the arrested participants.

Fortunately, it was recognized that he had no contact with the participants other than his usual friendship, and he was released with only a warning to be careful about what he said. However, when several of his acquaintances became victims of the execution, and he himself was marked as a person of interest, he was treated as a child practically abandoned by his superiors. Stauffenberg began to distance himself from the Nazis in earnest.

He also acknowledged that the Fuhrer had achieved something that no other German had accomplished.

In particular, he enthusiastically supported the colonization of Poland, Germany's eternal enemy, and the bringing of France to its knees.

However, the President ruthlessly suppressed political opponents who stood in his way and did not hesitate to slaughter them.

How much less Jews! What about niggers? Isn't the whole world laughing at Germany because the Fuhrer gives them preferential treatment?

It is clear that Germany has continued to develop since he took power. But Germany lost a lot in return.

The people have lost their freedom, the military and nobility have lost their authority, and they are busy ignoring the customs and order of past times as outdated.

Now that the war is over, the customs and orders that were neglected in the wake of victory must be reestablished.

Only then will Germany remain Germany.

"I too am one of them. Your Majesty, now Germany needs you again. "Your Majesty must step forward and correct the order that has been ignored."

"Thank you for treating this old man so well. But how is that possible?"

Wilhelm II shook his head. Stauffenberg's words were certainly sweet, but they were an illusion without substance.

"If you ask any German citizen to choose between me and Hitler, they will most likely choose Hitler.

That's why Hitler is an absolute presence in Germany. Even I, once upon a time, never had as much authority as Hitler.

That's how absolute he is. "If I bring him down and come back to power, the people will bring me down again and put Hitler in power."

Stauffenberg also did not deny Wilhelm II's words. Even if the coup was successful, it was obvious that it would only lead to a backlash from the people.

"But, Your Majesty. When the Emperor died in France, 50,000 people gathered at the funeral to express their condolences.

It is certainly true that the people are loyal and support the President, but on the other hand, there are many who support His Majesty.

"Now that the war is over, if His Majesty appears before the people again, wouldn't public opinion change?"

"hmm."

"If the President realizes that there are quite a few people who support His Majesty, he will have no choice but to seriously consider restoring the Empire."

If Wilhelm II resumes his activities actively, he may not only be able to unite the scattered royalists in Germany, but also absorb other political parties and their supporters who are dissatisfied with the Nazi party's policies.

Considering the symbolism of the Kaiser, even Hitler would not be able to do anything rashly. Perhaps he will completely win over the remaining royalists in the military to his side or bring up the restoration of the Empire as a card to appease them.

In other words, it is not completely impossible for Germany to return to being a monarchy. At least Stauffenberg was sure of that.

"Germany will never change if we just stay still like we are now, Your Majesty. In order to change Germany, His Majesty must first come forward in person. Only then will the people follow Your Majesty again."