125

January 16, 1942

soviet airspace

As a private plane to take to Moscow, I was planning to take the existing Ju52 or Fw 200, but due to Göring's strong insistence that I fly the latest aircraft to kill the Russians, the latest transport aircraft, the Ju252, was selected.

Fifteen Bf109s and Fw190s escorted two Ju252s on the way to Moscow.

Göring suggested that all escort aircraft should be the Me262, the latest jet, but since it would only alert the Soviet Union to the existence of the Me262, the Bf109 and Fw190 were selected as escort aircraft.

Still, since all of the pilots in charge of escorting were aces who had been active in battlefields such as Gallant and Moulders, I thought this was enough.

Shortly after the transport plane entered Soviet airspace, 10 Soviet Air Force Yak-1s flew in and joined the ranks.

When I saw the Yak flying side by side with the Bf109 through the window, I had a puzzling feeling.

Who would have imagined that I, the Fuhrer of Nazi Germany, would be escorted to Moscow by the Soviet Air Force?

"I thought I would like to go to Moscow someday if I had the chance, but I never thought it would come so soon… ."

"Me too, Mr. President."

This was Hess and I's first visit to the Soviet Union, but Guderian and Ribbentrop, who had visited the Soviet Union several times before, seemed relaxed.

Schmidt and Dr. Haase were so absorbed in playing chess that they didn't seem to hear anything around them.

While on my way to Moscow, I tried playing chess to relieve my boredom, but I lost in a row.

Ribbentrop swept every game without even looking at me once.

"Well, I'm the President, so isn't this too much?"

"I'm sorry, Mr. President, but the world of competition is cruel."

okay. Well done, great.

Since I was always broken at chess, I picked up poker, which seemed to have the least chance, but the result was the same.

As I was about to read it, Krause approached me and relayed the words of SS Lieutenant General Hans Bauer.

"They say they are scheduled to arrive at the Moscow airport in five minutes."

"already?"

***

As Hans Bauer said, the private plane landed on the runway at Moscow Airport exactly five minutes later.

As we landed on the runway, a man with a familiar face walked up to me while two rows of Soviet honor guards were playing Horst Wessel's song.

The man's identity was Joseph Stalin, General Secretary of the Soviet Union.

Stalin welcomed me with an unusually bright smile.

"Welcome to Moscow, Führer Hitler"

When he offered his hand, I smiled and offered my hand as well.

"Thank you for your hospitality, Secretary General Stalin."

Stalin's hands were large and thick, and his palms were dotted with calluses.

Her face was full of pockmarks, and I remember reading in a book that they were the marks of suffering from a stroke when she was young.

But when I saw it in person, it was no joke, to the point where I wondered if it was a human face or a crater.

"I wanted to meet Fuhrer Hitler someday, and it is a great honor to meet him like this."

"Hahaha, that's too much praise. "I am also very happy to be able to meet General Secretary Stalin."

"As far as I know, this is Fuhrer Hitler's first visit to Moscow… .?"

"you're right. Even if I wanted to go to the Soviet Union, I didn't have the opportunity."

"okay. Well then, take this opportunity to see it to your heart's content and enjoy it to your heart's content."

I walked under Stalin's guidance and was inspected by the Soviet military honor guard. After the inspection, we had lunch together at the airport.

For a banquet in the evening, the meal was relatively brief.

Appetizers included canapés topped with smoked salmon and caviar, followed by Russian soup, borscht, Russian dumplings, pelmeni, and beef in a creamy sauce called beef stroganoff. It was.

After eating the main dish, a slice of Russian luxury cake called Medovic (Торт Медовик) and strawberries with whipped cream were served for dessert.

It wasn't a very luxurious meal, but it was quite a satisfying meal.

All the food was delicious.

"I don't know if you were satisfied with your meal."

"I enjoyed it very much. "The chefs seem to be very talented."

While heading to the Kremlin, I couldn't find a single common passerby on the street.

The only people on the street are Soviet soldiers standing at attention with rifles in hand.

I never expected a crowd of people to welcome me, but it was so desolate that the whole of Moscow felt like an empty city.

"There doesn't seem to be a single pedestrian on the street."

When the interpreter translated what I said into Russian and told it to Stalin, Stalin burst into laughter.

After that, I said something, but the content was truly shocking.

"Isn't it okay if something unpleasant happens when a precious guest comes? "He instructed us to keep the streets clear in advance."

"Ahaha… . "I don't know what to do with this."

It's something I've been thinking about for a long time, but the thinking itself is on a different level from ordinary people.

They completely emptied the streets just because it might cause trouble.

It was truly Stalin who calmly did something that even I, the President, had never thought of doing.

The car passed through Red Square and entered the Kremlin Palace.

Even after arriving at the Kremlin, we did not start the meeting right away, but instead watched a performance by the Red Army Choir.

The first performance started with the International Song, which could be considered the Soviet Union's national anthem.

While the choir sang, dancers in colorful and unique costumes danced to the notes of the song.

The international song was followed by a traditional Georgian song called Suliko (Сулико) - which was also Stalin's favorite song - and numerous songs were sung, including Katyusha, composed in 1938.

The choir's excellent singing skills and the dancers' dance moves also caught the attention of viewers, but personally, the last songs 'Song of the Germans' and 'Defense of the Rhine' were most memorable.

The German national anthem sung by a communist country choir, how common is this?

When the performance ended, the audience gave the choir a round of applause.

I also clapped my hands hard along with the others.

"It looks like you liked the performance."

"yes. "It was a great performance."

Now that the performance is over, the meeting has finally begun... ..

… ..I thought they would do it, but this time they are going to give us a tour around the Kremlin Palace.

"Do you see it? "The tower you are looking at now is the Spasskaya Tower, the most famous tower in the Kremlin."

If asked to choose the most famous tower among the many towers in Moscow, 7 or 8 out of 10 people would choose the Spasskaya Tower.

To that extent, Spasskaya Tower is the most famous tower in Moscow, beyond the Kremlin.

Built in 1491, the 71-meter-high tower originally had a double-headed eagle, a symbol of the Romanov dynasty, on top, but it was replaced with a red star symbolizing the Soviet Union under Stalin's instructions to end the counter-revolutionary legacy of the Tsarist era.

This happened not only to Spasskaya Tower but also to all towers in Moscow.

"That clock hanging on the tower is 6 meters in diameter. "It's probably the biggest clock in the Soviet Union, hahaha!"

"… .ha ha ha. "That's amazing."

But wasn't that watch not made in Russia but imported from the Netherlands?

But I don't know why you're saying it as if it was made in the Soviet Union.

Anyway, starting with Spasskaya Tower, Stalin took the German negotiators around and introduced them to various attractions in the Kremlin.

It was a refreshing experience to see with my own eyes cultural heritage sites that I had only seen through pictures in books and on the Internet, but at the same time, I couldn't shake off the uneasy feeling.

You probably didn't just invite me to take a look at the Kremlin, right?

It was nice to go sightseeing, but I had a strong feeling that Stalin was hiding something from me, or that he was deliberately delaying the meeting.

It smells very suspicious, it smells… .

Maybe he was going to great lengths because he wanted to impress me, or maybe it was just a favor, but Stalin was never that kind of person.

A sociopath who is thoroughly calculating and mercilessly eliminates even comrades who have been with him in life or death if they do not fit the bill or are likely to be an obstacle to his path.

That is Stalin.

Therefore, we must not relax even a little bit.

The moment we let our guard down, Stalin will stick a knife to our throats.

The Kremlin tour, which had no clue as to what was going on, came to an end when the surrounding area became dark at 5 p.m.

Only then did he lead us into the conference room, and soon the real meeting began.

The German negotiating team had a total of five people, including myself, Ribbentrop, Guderian, Hess, and Schmidt, who served as interpreter. The Soviet Union also had five people, including Stalin, Voroshilov, Molotov, Defense Minister Semyon Tymoshenko, and Stalin's personal interpreter Vladimir Pavlov. It was.

"Did you enjoy the sightseeing sufficiently?"

"Sure."

In response to Stalin's question, I gave a formal smile.

"It was a very enjoyable time. "Thanks to you, I am happy that my lifelong wish has come true."

"Hehe, that's really satisfying. "Then, can we take the lead?"

Look at it coming in right away. I thought so too.

"Sure. "We are only guests, and aren't you the owners of this place?"

I smiled and agreed with Stalin.

It wasn't difficult to give the right to speak. There is nothing to lose.

"thank you. You may remember that last year our negotiating team went to Germany and had a meeting with the Führer. And about what conversation took place at that time."

In May of last year, the Soviet Union sent Molotov, Voroshilov, and Shaposhnikov to negotiate with us.

It seems like it happened just yesterday, but it's already been more than 7 months. Time flies.

"I remember."

"This is a rare opportunity, so I will speak honestly. I hope that the Soviet Union will expand beyond Iran and Afghanistan, into the entire Middle East, into India, the Indian Ocean, the Mediterranean and Africa."

"I know."

Today is my first time hearing about Africa. Did Molotov talk about this during the last meeting?

"But for the Soviet Union to advance south, it would inevitably come into conflict with Britain. India naturally belongs to Britain, and the Middle East is also a place where Britain has a strong influence."

"Of course."

"So, would you like to make a proposal to Germany?"

"… .What are you proposing?"

Soon, an explosive statement came out of Stalin's mouth.

"If we attack northern India through Afghanistan, Britain, which is busy fighting Japan in Burma and Malaya, will have no choice but to divert its troops and supplies toward India to protect India. Then, the mainland's defenses will naturally weaken.

How about taking advantage of that opportunity and allowing Germany to attack the British mainland? If Germany attacked Britain, the Soviet Union could easily conquer India."

"… .."

Is this a joke? no. Looking at Stalin's eyes, I realized that what he had just said was not a joke.

Stalin spoke to me with sincerity.

Ribbentrop, Hess, and Guderian were all dumbfounded by Stalin's remarks and could not keep their mouths shut. Schmidt, who translated Stalin's words into German and told me, looked quite surprised.

"Are you telling us to attack England?"

"That's right."

Stalin nodded.

"If Germany attacks England while we are attacking India, she will most certainly succeed. It is good for the Soviet Union to be able to take control of India, and it is good for Germany to conquer Britain, so it is mutually beneficial. "Isn't that right?"

"You are not wrong, but England and Germany agreed not to attack each other. But if Germany breaks the treaty first, how will the international community view Germany? And today's Germany has no need or reason to conquer England."

Ribbentrop spoke for me, and Molotov answered from over there as well.

"You seem to be misunderstanding something, but Comrade Secretary General gave a suggestion, not an order, to Germany. "It is Germany's choice whether to accept the proposal or not, so we have no intention of getting involved."

"Still, you'd better think about it carefully. Wasn't Britain already at war with Germany? Even though they signed a ceasefire treaty, they are potential enemies who never know when they might aim their guns again. There is only now a chance to conquer Britain with minimal damage. It will be much more difficult after the war with Japan ends. "Isn't that right?"

If you look at the logic alone, Stalin was right.

Japan is already at war with Britain by attacking Burma and Malaya, and if the Soviet Union joins the war and attacks India, Britain will try to protect India even by deploying all its troops on the mainland.

Naturally, the British mainland would become defenseless, and if they took advantage of that opportunity and attempted a surprise landing, they might really be able to conquer Britain.

"If Germany helps the Soviet Union to attack Britain, in return I will give up the Levant and the Arabian Peninsula to Germany. We also provide resources in the amount that Germany needs. "Isn't this a pretty good business?"

Stalin continued to throw bait to get the answer he wanted.

But my answer is already decided.

"What the Secretary said is correct. If both countries joined forces to attack Britain, landing on the British mainland would not be a problem. But that doesn't mean I have any intention of starting another war."

"Why?"

Stalin frowned in disappointment.

"Aren't Britain and Germany bitter enemies? "I don't understand why you reject it when the opportunity to conquer England is just around the corner."

"Of course it would be great if we could conquer England. There is no reason to oppose this as Germany's power area will be expanded accordingly. However, attacking Britain would naturally invite Britain's ally, the United States, to join the war, resulting in the whole of Europe being swept up in the flames of war. "We cannot drive Europe into a sea of fire for the ambition of conquering Britain."

Attacking Britain was the same as attacking the United States, which was allied with Britain.

The FDR government is looking with suspicion and anxiety at Germany, which has already conquered Europe, but is it attacking Britain?

Even if the U.S. mainland is not attacked, it will be considered a grave threat to U.S. security and will most likely declare participation in the war.

If nothing else, Americans who believe that Britain's safety is America's safety will also support the government's decision.

A war with the United States will most likely lead to Germany's defeat.

Even if defeat is miraculously avoided, the destruction of the country due to war will not be avoided.

Furthermore, we will have to vomit up all the lands we have conquered so far.

In other words, this regression also fails. If things continue like this, it will be a success, so why would I take such a risky gamble?

"Hehe, this is so… . It's a shame. "If it was Hitler, I thought he would definitely be interested in my proposal."

Stalin continued speaking by repeatedly clenching and opening his palms.

"still… . Think about it carefully. As I said, the opportunity to conquer England doesn't come around often. Please keep this in mind."

"Thank you for the advice. Still, it won't change my decision. "I'm sure."