Chapter 6: Chaos and Rebirth

"Knock, knock, knock." The sound of someone rapping on the office door interrupted Major Gordon's work. He rubbed his tired eyes, trying to ease the fatigue that had built up over days of relentless paperwork. "Come in," he said, his voice tinged with exhaustion.

For the past ten days, Gordon had been reviewing the files of around five hundred former officers of the Imperial German Army. Each one had been carefully selected to join the newly formed German Army, a force that, while small in size, was arguably the most professional in Europe—if not the world.

"Major Gordon, Second Lieutenant Albert Rudolf reporting for duty," a crisp voice announced from the doorway. To Gordon, however, it was just another voice among the dozens he heard daily. Each young officer who walked through his door was among the best of the best, and Gordon took pride in ensuring that Germany retained as much of its military strength as possible.

Over the past week, Gordon had met countless officers—some young and full of energy, others seasoned and authoritative. Many of them had earned the Iron Cross, and some were even former majors who had volunteered to serve as ordinary soldiers.

"I've reviewed your file, Lieutenant Rudolf," Gordon began, leaning back in his chair. "You might not know why you were selected, so I'll be frank. There are at least twenty thousand soldiers more qualified than you. The reason you're here is simple: you survived a gas attack. We need someone to lead a gas defense training program for two regiments. Your job is to ensure that our soldiers can survive enemy gas attacks as you did."

Albert was taken aback. He had considered the possibility that his experience with gas warfare might play a role in his assignment, but he hadn't expected to be placed in what was essentially a logistical role.

"Your office will be at the 103rd Regiment's headquarters, located in the suburbs of Hamburg. The facilities there are excellent—it used to be the command center for an entire corps. You'll be responsible for the 103rd and 105th Regiments," Gordon explained, a hint of pride in his voice. "Leather sofas, oak desks, even a large globe."

"Sir, with all due respect, those things have little to do with actual combat," Albert replied, unable to hide his disdain for such luxuries.

"Those were just pre-war amenities. After the defeat, most military bases were looted. Don't get your hopes up," Gordon said, already turning his attention back to the stack of papers on his desk. "On your way out, please send in the next officer."

"Who should I report to? Or who is my direct superior?" Albert asked as he stood to leave.

Gordon paused, then shrugged. "Reports? Honestly, the army's reorganization is such a mess right now that even my superiors haven't clarified who you should report to. Just start your work, and they'll figure it out eventually."

The German Army was like a dying man, its organs failing one by one. The chaos was overwhelming, and the once-proud force had yet to regain its vitality.

After collecting a pistol, his identification papers, and a verification document from Gordon's assistant, Albert set off to find his new office. The so-called "gas defense training group" he was supposed to lead consisted of exactly one person: himself.

As a second lieutenant, Albert should have had at least a few subordinates or an assistant. But due to the severe manpower shortages in the German Army, he wasn't high-ranking enough to warrant such support.

After a long morning of searching, Albert finally located the 103rd Regiment's headquarters. It wasn't easy to find—the building still bore a sign that read "11th Corps Headquarters, Imperial Army."

The base was in disarray. Once home to an entire guard battalion, it now had only seven soldiers on duty. The guard at the entrance checked Albert's documents and led him to a random room to serve as his office. The door still bore the label: "11th Corps Secretariat."

The regiment's commander was already on-site but busy reorganizing the second battalion in the suburbs. The first battalion had just been formed and hadn't even begun basic training. As a result, the regiment was far from operational, and Albert's gas defense training program was effectively nonexistent.

When Albert pushed open the door to his office, he was stunned by the scene before him. A sofa lay overturned on the floor, the globe was missing, and the oak desk was buried under piles of once-classified documents.

In the center of the room was a fire pit filled with ashes. It seemed that anything truly important had already been destroyed, leaving behind only trivial paperwork.

Albert walked to the desk and noticed a portrait of the German Kaiser hanging on the wall behind the chair. He ran a finger across the desk, leaving a trail in the thin layer of dust. Clearly, no one had been here for at least a week.

He hung his coat and cap on a nearby rack, then picked up a dirty, hole-ridden white glove from the floor. Dusting off the chair, he sat down and began flipping through the scattered documents.

There were telegrams announcing the empire's surrender, orders to disband troops, sanitation reports, and a copy of the armistice agreement. Albert chuckled dryly and tossed the papers back onto the desk.

A force of over twenty thousand soldiers had been dismantled without firing a single shot, all because of a piece of paper.

Albert couldn't help but think of the Qing Dynasty and the humiliating treaties it had been forced to sign. The desire to resist unequal treaties existed everywhere, but in this era, at this historical moment, the German people's yearning for strength and resurgence was being exploited and hijacked by a certain political party.

His thoughts turned to his friend, Adolf Hitler. He wondered if the former corporal would rise to prominence as he had in history, becoming a force that would reshape the world.

As Albert gazed out the window at the blue sky and white clouds, his eyes grew heavy, and he drifted off to sleep. He dreamed of standing at a university lectern, teaching his students about the familiar events of World War II.

While Albert's office was quiet, the rest of Germany was anything but. Across the country, a sense of despair and frantic activity prevailed.

At the Krupp factory, British officers and French officials in formal attire supervised German workers as they dismantled machinery. Massive gears were scattered everywhere, and precision parts were discarded like trash.

Journalists documented the heartbreaking scene as workers tearfully destroyed the machines they had once relied on for their livelihoods. The French and British meticulously recorded every detail, numbering each part with paint before destroying the critical components.

Piles of high-quality steel gun barrels lay like toppled chimneys, a staggering reminder of the once-mighty German war machine. These cannons, which had brought Germany to the brink of victory, were now worthless scrap.

The factory, which had once produced the weapons that nearly won the war, was ordered to reduce its production capacity by 90 percent.

Amid this chaos, the German Army was halved, leaving approximately two million soldiers unemployed. At the same time, around one million factory workers lost their jobs.

The German government was powerless against the Allied Control Commission. The economy was in freefall, and public support for the government plummeted. The entire administrative system teetered on the brink of collapse.

Protests erupted across the country. People took to the streets, armed with rifles, toppling statues of the Kaiser. Some even clashed with the military. Germany was engulfed in a month of despair and disorder.

It was in this environment of chaos that a new political party began to rise. Small but full of energy, it was aggressive and espoused extreme nationalist ideals. This party, with its seemingly contradictory name—the National Socialist German Workers' Party—began to attract a growing following.

And within this party was a man whose name was gradually becoming known to industrialists and gaining influence in the region. His name was Adolf Hitler.