Father of France

Chapter 106 I'm Weak, So I'm Right

Even Lieutenant General Walter could see that Eisenhower was now annoyed with Patton, but he was still willing to say a few words in Patton's defense: "Perhaps we have been too harsh on him."

"Look at this! Does he think no one can see his little tricks?" Eisenhower pulled out a letter, which was actually a protest letter forwarded by the Soviet Union.

Now that Germany has been defeated for more than a month, theoretically there should be no German army left. But that's just in theory; in reality, there really is one, in Bavaria, which is under the control of General Patton.

The Soviet military complained to Eisenhower that the disbandment and detention of several German units in Patton’s area were proceeding very slowly.

As Lieutenant General Walter read the letter of protest, General Eisenhower retorted, "Why is he keeping such a large-scale German force? What exactly is he trying to do?"

"In that case, we can hold a joint military parade in Berlin and send General Patton to participate, so that the Soviet general and General Patton can meet. That way, the misunderstanding may be cleared up."

Lieutenant General Walter knew that things couldn't continue like this and that they had to come up with a solution.

Most soldiers are reserved about war, and if General Patton had seen the Soviet military in person, he might have retracted his previous outrageous remarks.

"If he still doesn't understand, I will let him go back to his country to experience the glory of the victors."

Eisenhower coldly decided that if Patton failed this test, then Eisenhower would have to show Patton what it meant to be a politician-general. He would recall Patton to the United States and reorganize the Bavarian Army, disbanding the German troops that were still in formation.

Eisenhower was still prepared to save face for Patton. Once he finished dealing with the Bavarian affairs, Patton would be on vacation back home. When he returned to Munich, Patton would be all alone, and even if he wanted to cause trouble, no one would cooperate.

In Munich, the capital of Bavaria, the Allied High Command's report on the Soviet Union's protest letter to Eisenhower eventually reached Patton's ears.

Faced with this turmoil, Patton cursed at Chief of Staff Joseph, "Damn it, those damned Russians! I'll fight them sooner or later, within this generation. Why don't we take advantage of our relatively intact army and drive those damned Russians back to Russia? If we arm the German army and have them attack the Russians with us, we can easily win. They hate those bastards."

"General, we need to participate in the joint military parade in Berlin," Joseph said, both amused and exasperated.

This was an order from Eisenhower, the top Allied leader. Although the wording wasn't harsh, Eisenhower's wording was always mild. But to conclude that Eisenhower was a mild-mannered person based on this would be overthinking it.

The Rhine Camps, stretching from south to north along the Rhine River, would not agree with Eisenhower's moderate view.

Unfortunately, Joseph's good intentions did not calm Patton down. His eyes gleamed, "Have I already fought my last battle? Do I still have a chance to go to Moscow? I can advance there within thirty days. I must not wait for the Russians to attack us. By then, we will have little fighting capacity left, and the army will have been largely reduced."

A few days later, a grand joint military parade began in Berlin, and Patton was invited to participate in this parade...

After the parade, in a Berlin restaurant, Armand said in a low voice, "Patton's conversation with the Soviets was quite unpleasant, and everyone is talking about it now."

At the military parade, when invited by the Soviets, Patton contemptuously told the translator: "Tell those Russian dogs that they are my enemies. I would rather lose my head than drink with an enemy."

"He wants to go to war with the Soviet Union? But he's just an army group commander, and the US military is currently advancing into East Asia."

Koeman pulled out a report on the recent end of the Battle of Okinawa and laid it out, saying, "Eisenhower isn't a general who can be kidnapped. He'll probably find an opportunity to talk to the US president about this."

The Potsdam Conference was no longer a secret; even the American media had been hyping it up. Patton's hostility toward the Soviet Union was almost contrary to the mainstream view of the US government.

At no time did the United States ever intend to truly engage in a battlefield confrontation with the Soviet Union, and even the later Cold War model was most advantageous to the United States.

Patton's open conflict with the Soviet Union became a topic of conversation among the occupying forces in Berlin; anyone who didn't share their thoughts on the matter was considered an outsider.

"Montgomery is a coward, Zhukov is just a clown," Armand said, quoting General Patton's famous saying, his whole demeanor radiating joy. Koeman paused, then immediately laughed. Patton's quotes had become so widely known; even Eisenhower wasn't this arrogant. What gave Patton the right?
"The war is over, and he is no longer an indispensable figure. Who would tolerate such a troublemaker during wartime? He's not just a troublemaker; a troublemaker can't have such a big impact."

Koeman replied curtly, and Armand nodded in agreement. No one else would openly show hostility towards the Soviet Union at a military parade.

The two paid their bill and left the restaurant. The waiter thanked them profusely with Swiss francs. Armand explained, "The situation in Berlin is a little better now, but inflation is very serious elsewhere, and the devaluation of the mark is beyond reason."

Koeman glanced at Armand, knowing the reason: it was because the Reichsmark printing press in Germany was in Soviet hands.

This method of printing money is extremely destructive to a country, as the Germans experienced during the Weimar Republic. However, since it was the Soviet occupying forces that did it, Koeman chose to remain silent.

The frictions created by Patton were out of step with the prevailing circumstances, and the occupying forces in Berlin tacitly refrained from mentioning them, thus maintaining the hard-won peace.

At the end of the month, after a long search, Bruno Bader, the designer of the Bader jet airliner, finally arrived in Berlin quietly. At that time, Berlin was not as clearly divided as it was after the Iron Curtain speech. With the help of the French garrison, Koeman quickly met with his counterpart.

"The purpose of finding Mr. Bard is very simple: we hope you can lead your team from Junkers to join France." Koeman showed no patience whatsoever and stated his conditions directly.

Perhaps unprepared for this attitude, Brunov-Bad did not give a direct answer, but instead asked, "Why would I agree to your joining France?"

"Because among the major countries, France's aviation industry is the weakest. After years of war, Britain, the United States, and the Soviet Union had already accumulated a strong aviation industry. Serving them would only be icing on the cake, but it is by no means irreplaceable."

Koeman launched into a long and eloquent speech, "As for your mother country, Germany, it's basically certain that it will have no future in the aviation industry. The Treaty of Versailles being torn up will only happen once."

Germany's aviation industry during World War II is considered the best in the world by German enthusiasts. Koeman doesn't think so, but it's undeniable that Germany definitely has a place in the top tier.

The Allies were certain they would not preserve the German aviation industry. After the war, they began to restrict it, systematically dismantling almost all aviation-related factories, research institutes, and equipment. Airlines such as Messerschmitt, Junkers, Fokker-Wolf, and Heinkel were all dissolved.

The decree explicitly prohibits the design, manufacture, import, export, and flight activities of any kind of aircraft and aircraft engines in Germany.

The worst thing was the closure of German airspace, similar to the no-fly zone drawn by the United States over Tokyo, Japan. Germany has also experienced this.

At its strictest, Germans banned learning to fly airplanes to prevent Germany from training pilots through flying clubs promoted by Göring.

This ban caused a ten-year hiatus for the German aviation industry, and after ten years, Germany disappeared from the ranks of aviation powers.

"I want to know how much room for development I can have if I take my team to France." After listening to Koeman's argument that he was weak and therefore justified, Brunov Bader got to the point and asked about the treatment he could receive, which was crucial to him.

"The most generous offer is currently just a concept. We can invest in an aviation group with you in the name of the state. The state will naturally have the dominant position, but you can hold shares and obtain management rights. I think you won't refuse this offer."

As Koeman considered his options, he stated, "The Soviet design bureau model certainly ensures that design engineers have no worries about their future and satisfies their leadership needs. However, in the end, the design bureau is not yours. Going to the Soviet Union would guarantee you a stable life, but you would never have a higher stage to showcase your talents. As for Britain and the United States, Britain cannot even meet the needs of existing airlines, and in the United States, your competitive pressure will be extremely high. Only by coming to France can you showcase your talents in a relatively synchronized environment."

"If you can't compete with the existing French airlines, I certainly can't save you. But if you have real talent and can bring healthy competition into the French aviation industry, the joint venture mechanism with the state will make the state trust you more."

Brunov-Bard picked up his wine glass, took a sip, and then put it down. "I'll give you a list of my team members. Whether they'll be interested, I'm not sure. Besides that, the project information I have is stored in..."

Koeman nodded repeatedly, occasionally offering words of assistance to allay Bruno Bader's concerns, and also mentioned some issues related to dual-use (military and civilian) compatibility, saying, "Actually, France still has a great need for regional jets."

(End of this chapter)