Father of France

Chapter 101 This is Britain's responsibility

Koeman has always favored the Soviet military-industrial complex system. France simply cannot compete with the American military-industrial complex; only the United States can operate in this way.

The miracles achieved by the US military industry were not a later issue. The price of building a battleship in Britain during World War II was enough for the US to build only a heavy cruiser.

It is common knowledge that the unit price of American fighter jets has not decreased from the first one to the ten thousandth one produced.

A little attention will reveal that the United States has been a nation for over 150 years. How could many of these problems have only emerged after the war? They must have existed for a very long time.

The Soviet Union did indeed possess a systemic advantage, but it failed to recognize it. Ironically, the most laughable instance was in 1968 when the United States claimed that the Soviet Union's military spending exceeded that of the US and that it was simply engaging in militarism.

At this time, the Soviet Union only had one military operation, which ended very soon, while the United States was waging a major war in Vietnam.

As a result, the United States claimed that the Soviet Union, which was not involved in the war, had already surpassed the United States in military spending, even though the US was fighting in Vietnam. Koeman considered this to be a rather shameless move.

If France were to learn from the United States' military-industrial complex layout, it wouldn't be far from becoming the European Union of the 21st century. The fact that North Korea's support for Russia is now more significant than that of the 27 EU member states is already imminent.

To shake up the old order, new competitors must be introduced. Foreign monks can chant sutras better. Starting a new business based on Germany's military heritage is just an idea for now, but we should try it.

On June 8, a month after Victory Day, German Führer Admiral Dönitz had been arrested for half a month. A large number of refugees appeared on the Austrian-Yugoslav border. These refugees, carrying the elderly and children, formed a huge flood and poured into the Austrian border, which was in a special period.

French troops at the border tried their best to stop them and fired warning shots, but they could not stop this huge group. After all, the British troops stationed in the British-occupied area had not yet arrived, and the French troops were obviously not enough in number.

It has to be said that the timing of this refugee crisis is particularly coincidental, almost as if a lieutenant on vacation at the Swiss border had predicted it.

Austrians certainly did not want a large influx of refugees from other countries into their country, but Austria had already surrendered, and the absence of occupying forces, especially the British occupying forces, led to this consequence.

The French army's main task was to prevent German war criminals from escaping, and they were completely unprepared for this action. However, the French command responded immediately, drawing a significant number of troops from the Italian and Swiss borders to provide support. That was all the French army could do.

The French troops in Bavaria were already far away, so even if they came, they would only serve as a ceremonial guard. Even if they were closer, it wouldn't be France's fault. The main problem was that there were loopholes in the British-occupied zone, and it was all the fault of the British occupation forces not being in place yet.

Koman's youth division, Antioch regiment, also received support orders, which made the border closure work even more difficult.

"Hmm..." Koman finally ended his verbal argument. Gudron Himmler's flushed cheeks excited him, and he immediately revealed his true colors and began to make a wish, "I will protect you for the rest of my life. I will definitely become a general as soon as possible so that you can be with me without any psychological burden."

When it comes to reading empty checks, Koeman isn't targeting anyone in particular; he considers himself an expert, belonging to the category of someone who dares to think and act.

Ever since the news of Himmler's death came, he felt that this special period was an opportunity to work on Gudrun Himmler, and it proved to be so.

Gudron Himmler, having fallen from grace, desperately needed security, and Koman seized the opportunity, perfectly filling the role of protecting the young dragon rider.

“Send a telegram to your superior saying that you have found Himmler’s family members; perhaps you can get a promotion.”

Gudrun Himmler calmed his emotions and spoke up, "My mother and I have discussed it, and we will not accept living under an assumed name for the next few decades. You are right, after a short period of supervision, I will be free again. Moreover, I can move to the French-occupied area and not return to Munich."

“I will do everything I can to keep you from being bothered.” Koman breathed a sigh of relief, but was also very excited. This was partly because of Gudrun Himmler’s trust, and partly because he was, in a sense, going against the authority of the Allies, which thrilled Koman, who loved walking a tightrope.

While Koeman was enjoying a peaceful life, news of Yugoslavia's opposition to Tito's refugee entry had already caused a huge uproar, with Tito bearing the brunt of the controversy.

Because of this incident, Tito convened the four leaders of Yugoslavia to discuss countermeasures, allowing senior officials to express their opinions. After the officials arrived, Serbian leader Rankovic, who had long been in charge of security, briefed them on the current situation: "A large number of anti-socialist elements have crossed the border into Austria. Because the British occupation forces haven't arrived, the Austrian side is almost undefended. The French troops assisting in guarding the border are unable to stop the massive influx of refugees. This is the information we received from Western countries. My thought is, could we request the Soviet Red Army's help to prevent the refugees from assimilating into Austria?"

"But it seems that the Soviet Union is also hesitant about this suggestion, because the situation within the Allies is currently delicate. Patton, the nominal direct military commander of the U.S. forces in Bavaria and Austria, seems to be hostile to the Soviet Union, which may be the reason why the Soviet Red Army is avoiding our suggestion."

After Rankovic finished speaking, Montenegrin leader Djilas waited until Rankovic was finished, glanced at Slovenian leader Eduard Kader, and then organized his thoughts, saying, "From any perspective, Slovenes are naturally Yugoslavians. If Slovenes are unwilling to have their openness exploited by their powerful northern neighbor, then on the other hand, they are also unwilling to be oppressed by Croatians and Serbs, or have their lives and traditions threatened. Slovenes are willing to participate in Belgrade's decision-making while hoping to remain unaffected."

“We can be certain that, although this way of life is different from that of most people, Slovenes have never had their own country and are therefore more likely to be misled. This should be considered separately from the Croatians and Serbs among the refugees.”

Although Djilas is one of the current four leaders and seems to have close ties with Montenegrins and Serbs, he is not a centralized figure like the Serbian cadres.

In fact, Djilas and his supporters prefer Western political systems and hope to adopt a multi-party system, and Djilas does not hide his views.

He believed that only a multi-party parliamentary system could eliminate internal conflicts in a country with such complex circumstances as Yugoslavia.

"Slovenes are now the most Germanic of the country's ethnic groups, and it's not good news that they read Frankfurt newspapers."

After listening, Rankovic retorted, "The so-called idea of ​​magnanimity is a threat to our country. Slovenes themselves have a higher education rate and higher income, and this advantage should be extended to other fraternal nationalities, rather than allowing this entity of Western culture to continue to exist in a part of Yugoslavia."

“Comrade Rankovic, we are discussing cross-border refugees. There are not only Slovenes among the refugees, but it seems there are even more Serbs and Croatians.” Eduard Kader had to bring Rankovic back to the main topic, instead of having him insert his own agenda into the meeting.

“Alright, Comrade Kader, issue a protest note to the British government,” Tito said, ending the internal debate.

Tito held absolute authority in Yugoslavia because he was much older than the other three leaders. In fact, he was a member of the previous generation of Yugoslav Communist Party cadres, while Rankovic and the others were considered his younger colleagues.

In other countries, this age difference could be interpreted as a relationship between two generations of leaders, such as Khrushchev and Brezhnev. Therefore, Tito during the war possessed almost Stalin-like authority.

After Tito's final decision, there was no need for the conference on the refugee crisis heading towards Western-controlled areas; his decision was the final resolution.

On the Austrian-controlled side of the French-occupied zone, overcrowded refugees came into view through binoculars as Koeman arrived in a jeep.

Setting down his binoculars, he chuckled and said to Lefevere beside him, "The British were dragging their feet, and now look what's happened. Whose responsibility is it that hundreds of thousands of refugees have entered British-occupied territory? Hmm?"

“Sir, when the British troops arrive, they can just deport these refugees back to Yugoslavia,” Lefevere said nonchalantly. “It’s Yugoslavia’s internal affair.”

“The King of Yugoslavia still lives in London, and Britain’s betrayal of Chetnik has deprived them of their moral capacity for mediation,” Koeman explained to Lefebvre. “So this is not a simple matter of expulsion.”

In any case, these refugees are now under French control, so it wasn't a waste that they came all this way... actually, not that far. Britain is facing a problem, but France is happy.

“I need to return to Saar to escort an important person. You stay here and assist Alan.” Koman finally put down his binoculars. His unexpected gain here, Gudron Himmler, was waiting for him to fulfill his promise.

He wasn't a pedantic person; wouldn't it be foolish not to use the opportunity? He escorted Margaret and her daughter Gudrun with a few comrades, and after crossing the Austrian border, headed straight for the French-occupied territory. He dealt with the American interceptions along the way without incident, and more than ten hours later, he arrived in Baden, the French-occupied territory.

Back at his base, Koeman allowed Gudrun Himmler to get out of the car. He then used the garrison radio to contact the First Army headquarters, informing them that he had accidentally intercepted Himmler's relatives and that the interrogation was complete. He also said that Himmler's family had now been brought to Baden.

(End of this chapter)