Father of France

Chapter 85 Standoff Turns into Meeting

T-34s of the Soviet 5th Guards Tank Corps appeared at the eastern mountain pass.

The bearded Soviet colonel jumped off the tank, his boots slamming on the ground. He stared at the French guards and said curtly, "According to the previous zoned occupation plan, this area belongs to the Soviet-occupied zone. You have crossed the line."

The T-34 tanks behind them posed an even more blatant threat, causing the vigilant French soldiers to look grave. Diplomacy is no small matter, and this is certainly true for the armies of various countries currently stationed in Germany.

The Soviets were right. According to the zoned occupation agreement, this was indeed a Soviet-occupied zone, and the French troops had indeed crossed the border.

Immediately, someone reported to General Axel that Soviet troops had appeared. General Axel was also at a loss for what to do, as relations between the two countries outweighed his authority as a division commander.

"For now, we can only report and remain on guard, not firing the first shot. Ask the Soviet soldiers about their objectives." After a moment's thought, General Axel offered a conservative solution, and the two armies were locked in a standoff, awaiting a solution from higher authorities.

“Guards? That’s no ordinary title. The regular Soviet troops are called Red Banner.” Koeman muttered to himself upon hearing the news from Lefebvre. “The most important thing now is to avoid hostility. I believe this is also the thought of the high-ranking officials of both countries. A few months ago, the two sides signed a mutual assistance agreement in Moscow.”

At present, Koeman can only hope that the friendship between France and the Soviet Union has not changed and that no accidental conflict will occur due to some misunderstandings.

At this point, the Russian translators previously assigned to the Youth Division came in handy, and the preparations made earlier proved to be necessary. Koeman immediately found several Russian translators recruited in Paris and set off for the standoff location to talk to the Soviets.

Soon after, news arrived that the Soviet army had indeed come for the Mittelvik Tunnel. They learned from the prisoners that the Mittelvik Tunnel had a vast interior space, and after renovation, it could not only accommodate a huge amount of rocket production equipment and scientific research personnel, but also further ensure the security of the base by setting up multiple defensive fortifications.

The Soviet army learned that there was a German rocket production base here, so they came directly. Upon hearing this, Koeman, along with a Russian translator, reported to General Axel, "That's the situation."

"I don't know what the higher-ups are thinking." General Axel agreed, saying that it was crucial to stabilize the Soviet forces and not to act rashly.

Koeman guessed that the above idea was just for discussion; Germany had more than one rocket production base, and the legacy of its military industry was enough to divide. To put it another way, France actually needed jet engines more; the rest could be transferred to the Soviets. However, he only thought this in his mind and didn't dare to say it aloud; he didn't have the position to make such a suggestion.

A day later, the high command of both the French and Soviet armies gave their respective positions, stating that they did not want to cause conflict during this special period and that they could talk to each other to ask what the other wanted.

The standoff had lasted all night, and neither side showed any intention of backing down, so negotiations began immediately.

What the Soviet Union urgently needed was, of course, the V-2 rocket body. Many of the required samples had already been obtained in the areas occupied by the Soviet Union.

The Soviet Union still operated much like it did during World War I, making a great demand for German machine production lines but failing to recognize the importance of German talent.

Having previously visited Moscow, Koeman assessed the risks and, once again, decided to capitalize on the situation. He joined the negotiations, preparing to divide the equipment and finished products inside the tunnel, and constantly reported to General Axel. "The Soviets won't budge; they want all the equipment inside the tunnel, as well as half of the finished products."

He didn't think the division was excessive. This area was originally Soviet-occupied territory, and the French army came to steal something but didn't even realize it, so their actions were not justified.

It would be best if the negotiations yielded results. However, if a military conflict were to break out, the Guards Force, which is already quite strong, might not be able to achieve as much as the negotiations could.

“The size of the Soviet-occupied zone is unreasonable to begin with,” General Axel muttered angrily. “How come they’ve been moving so fast lately? What are the Germans doing?”

Koeman could only pretend not to hear. The Soviet-occupied zone was indeed the largest of the occupied territories. The reason why East Germany was not large was because the Soviet Union had given a lot of land in the Soviet-occupied zone to Poland.

If we calculate based on the area of ​​Germany before the war, the area of ​​the Soviet-occupied zone should be about the same size as the occupied zones of Britain, the United States and France. The area of ​​East Germany was even smaller than the land ceded to Poland.

General Axel could only negotiate; the decision-making power remained with higher levels, even with the provisional government in Paris. Besides waiting, there was little he could do. At the Ministry of the Interior headquarters in Lubyanka Place, Deputy Minister of the Interior Merkulov reported on the standoff at the border between South and East Germany, loyally emphasizing, "That is indeed the Soviet-occupied zone; France has crossed the border."

"What the French need most is jet engines, which we have already obtained from other places. Giving them these is not out of the question, but other things like rockets are not an option."

After listening, Beria replied, "At this time, we must also avoid conflict with Western countries. US President Roosevelt has just passed away, and we do not know the new president. The front line is still besieging Berlin, and the attack on Berlin is about to begin."

Beria felt that this confrontation was too time-sensitive and had to be handled with caution. He didn't think the discussion with Truman in the Kremlin made any sense.

Just yesterday, Molotov said, "Truman is just a nobody from a senator background who knows almost nothing about international affairs."

Stalin exhaled smoke: "That's precisely why it's dangerous. Roosevelt understood the art of the deal, but this Truman—" He nudged Berlin with his pipe stem—"Tell Zhukov to accelerate the offensive on Berlin. We need to get as many chips as possible before our Western allies can react."

Recalling his memories of yesterday at the Kremlin, Beria even began to wonder, due to his long-standing security work, whether this was a conspiracy orchestrated by the Americans behind the scenes and directed by France.

It must be said that after experiencing a series of events such as the siege of the Allied forces after the founding of the country, Trotsky and the Great Purge, imperialist conspiracies had taken deep root in the minds of many Soviet cadres, especially the Minister of Internal Affairs, Beria, who saw everything as an imperialist conspiracy.

While defending the Soviet Union's rightful interests, we must also be vigilant against imperialist conspiracies and not give imperialist countries any pretext.

“There’s something else interesting,” Deputy Interior Minister Merkulov brought Beria back to his senses. “Among the French negotiators, there was one who had come to Moscow with the French Foreign Minister—that young French soldier.”

"His name is Coman, right?" Beria had a good memory and remembered immediately. "I remember he was a relative of a French general. He was very brave; he really went back to his country to fight in the war."

He also remembered that in the report he submitted, Koeman was eager to return home to fight in the war and to seize some German technology. Unexpectedly, he kept his word and truly lived up to his original aspirations.

Beria remembered Koman entirely because of his honest, reactionary successor persona. Knowing that this reactionary who had been to the Soviet Union was also involved in this confrontation, the evidence for the imperialist conspiracy theory seemed to become much clearer.

"Give them the jet engines; the Battle of Berlin is now the top priority," Beria instructed. "Our main objectives are the nuclear industry and rocket technology; nothing else is as important."

It's fair to say that the United States and the Soviet Union were evenly matched rivals. The United States was selective, only acquiring Germany's top rocket experts, while the Soviet Union wasn't much stronger, its main focus being the nuclear industry.

While others might not know about the Manhattan Project in the United States, how could Beria, as the absolute leader of Soviet intelligence, not know about it?

On the front lines in Berlin, Soviet generals such as Zhukov and Bagramyan were inspecting the front lines to boost morale for the final blow against Germany, and a standoff within the Allied forces quietly dissipated.

The French 1st Panzer Division and the Soviet 5th Guards Tank Corps retreated with their spoils, and the commanders of both sides shook hands with a sense of relief.

In an instant, the standoff turned into a meeting between French and Soviet troops. The French army understood the Soviet army's desire for revenge against Germany, because the French army also shared this mentality. Through their current rampant activities in Germany, officers and soldiers from both countries found common ground, and the unbreakable Franco-Soviet friendship was further strengthened.

"We just received news that the U.S. Third Army is approaching Munich and has joined us." General Axel's voice carried an unusual emotion.

This feeling is like a fierce firefight has just occurred, but the police only arrived late after the fighting was over; when the French army needed the US military the most, the US military was nowhere to be seen, but when they didn't need it, the US military appeared.

(End of this chapter)