Imperial Elite

Chapter 135 Sudetenland Crisis

Although Joe had said long ago that limiting Wagner would be the biggest mistake Bonitania made in the entire twentieth century.

But when the situation really did deteriorate as Joe predicted, it would be a lie to say that Joe himself didn't regret it.

After all, the Teutons broke free from the constraints of the Treaty of Versailles and began a large-scale military expansion.

Joe once considered whether to plan a special raid to kill the Teutonic leader and all his party hacks.

However, this idea was ultimately abandoned due to the Teutonic fervor for war and the ubiquitous internal repressive apparatus. Although Wagner was elite, he was ultimately not a superman.

So, after Wagner's funeral, Joe also began a large-scale military buildup and preparation for war.

At this time, the political situation in Bonitania was quite chaotic, mainly due to the bloody battles of the Rhine that led to serious political divisions within Bonitania.

Not only between political parties, but even within political parties, there are differing opinions on the Battle of the Rhine.

Some see this as a last-ditch effort to stop the war, while others believe it is a sign that disorganization and indiscipline have brought Bonitania to the brink of war.

This debate reached its climax when His Majesty George's last phone call to the Prime Minister was revealed.

Furthermore, with George VI now on the throne, and George not attending his father's funeral or his father's coronation, many people had a very negative impression of George.

After all, you're just a street urchin from York. If it weren't for the late emperor's favor, would you be where you are today?
This has led to a complete split in London's opinion of Joe Biden. Some people think that it is time to reconcile with Joe Biden and let this only person who dared to oppose the Führer return home to rebuild the army.

Old Joe held off the Teutons in the Rhineland with just one regiment, a force more than three times larger, and was still able to withdraw calmly.

Why aren't we getting Old Joe back to reorganize the military in case the worst happens?!

Some people think that when old Joe only had Wagner, he dared to attack the Rhineland. He wanted to control the Bunitania army, and he could attack Germania!

We absolutely cannot strengthen Wagner any further. We should even freeze Wagner's assets in Buntania to let old Joe know that mobilizing troops without permission is absolutely unacceptable!

At the same time, opinions on Joe were also conflicting within the Army, although the older members were more inclined to have Joe return.

However, many of the new recruits felt that it might be better for Joe not to come back, since many of them had served in Wagner and that disagreement had strained their relationships.

Although Old Joe has never been a petty person, no one knows if he will be petty this time. After all, Old Joe was capable of making a play called "The Protector of London" in a fit of anger, which was almost a direct attack on the entire upper class of London.

So although London was aware that war might break out, it did not take any further action other than receiving some new orders for its factories and slightly increasing the size of its army.

Even after the Flamenco coup in 36, which led to the civil war, London was unable to make any statement on the matter.

Although London has not made any statement, this does not mean that Joe has not responded.

After the bloody battle of Rhineland, the smell of war had already been detected, and attempts to put on the brakes had failed.

Joe immediately began preparing for the war.

Firstly, despite the huge ideological differences, Joe still reached a further reconciliation with the People's Revolutionary Alliance.

In Riga, Joe, on behalf of NATO, signed a memorandum of understanding with the People's Revolutionary Union regarding the border between the two countries.

Both sides will withdraw their troops from the border to at least 50 kilometers away, leaving only necessary police units at the border. This agreement will be monitored by a joint monitoring group.

At the same time, border police from both sides will cooperate to combat the potential for cross-border crime that may result from relaxed border controls.

This agreement freed up a significant number of NATO troops from defensive missions against the People's Revolutionary Alliance.

Although further reconciliation with the People's Revolutionary Union freed up a considerable number of troops, Joe, like Paris, did not intervene in the Flamengo civil war.

On the one hand, neither side in the conflict offered Joe a contract to hire Wagner to fight for them.

On the other hand, neither side in the flamenco civil war were on Joe's side.

In Joe's view, neither the left nor the right is a good party.

Supporting the rebellious Falanges was tantamount to creating another ally for the Teutons in the Old World.

Supporting the Republican government of Flamengo would be tantamount to helping the People's Revolutionary Union expand its sphere of influence.

Therefore, Joe chose to remain silent during this major battle.

We stand idly by while the People's Revolutionary Union and the Teutons beat people's brains out of their heads in flamenco.

While pursuing further diplomatic reconciliation with the People's Revolutionary Alliance, Joe also made diplomatic efforts.

Joe's target this time is Poland, a country located at the crossroads of the Old World.

If Poland could join NATO, or even just sign a defense agreement with NATO, it would improve NATO's strategic position and open up land transportation links between NATO countries.

This will prevent Bohemia from becoming an isolated, helpless island.

However, Joe's diplomatic efforts were unsuccessful. Polande felt that Joe's olive branch was just empty words.

Oh, so we joined NATO to gain security? Is it possible that we are already very safe now, and joining NATO is what makes us insecure?

The Teutonics are willing to reconcile with us on the territorial issue. Moscow is a good friend of ours, and Paris is our buddy. You, a guy who just fled from the Rhineland, what right do you have to talk to us about security?

Joining you, and then angering the Teutons, is that it?
Get lost! We have absolutely no interest in your proposals or your NATO.

After being rejected by Poland, Joe had no choice but to further cooperate with Bohemia to strengthen his ally's fighting power.

With Bohemia joining NATO, although geographically Bohemia is separated from other NATO members by Poland.

However, this greatly enhanced the power of NATO countries. After all, compared with other NATO countries with barren land and small populations, Bohemia was known as the Crown Territory when it belonged to the Habsburg dynasty.

This area not only has a large population, but also boasts a developed industry under the Habsburg dynasty.

So, in the year following the bloody battle of the Rhineland, Joe spent most of his time in Bohemia, assisting Bohemia in its large-scale military expansion while also working with Bohemia's military industry to develop some new equipment that might soon be put to use.

For example, the emergency tank, which was requested a year ago, has now completed testing and design finalization and is ready for production.

Normally speaking, it takes at least two to three years from the design, testing and finalization of a tank to its production.

Tanks that can be finalized in just one year are mostly the kind of things that you might dare to build but I wouldn't dare to drive.

However, this type of emergency tank is different.

This tank, whose very name evokes a sense of anxiety, was naturally designed from the outset with speed, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness in mind.

Therefore, from the very beginning, the designers at Bohemia and York had no intention of redesigning a car body.

Instead, it's like building with blocks; they're preparing to use the existing products on the shelf to assemble a tank.

Those vehicles with a universal chassis, known as Old Joe's Happy Cars or officially called Crawlers, happen to be an excellent choice.

Firstly, in order to be able to transport infantry all over the world, this type of vehicle has a very spacious interior and inherently has good potential for modification.

Secondly, even before the last war ended, Joe wanted to miniaturize diesel engines and install them on tanks and armored vehicles.

After nearly twenty years of experimentation, the two-stroke diesel engine, which was finally able to be used in vehicles, finally succeeded in being installed in vehicles after defeating four-stroke oil rigs and the more widely used gasoline engines.

Those who frequently build tanks know that diesel engines are excellent. They are not demanding in terms of fuel, and can basically run as soon as you give them gas. They also have strong low-end torque and are not easily flammable, making them very suitable for high-performance vehicles like tanks.

The next step is to select a suitable cannon for this tank.

This problem might be a huge one in other NATO countries, but it's not a problem at all in Bohemia.

After gaining independence, Bohemia continued to upgrade its army's equipment in order to replace the legacy of the Habsburg dynasty. Among the many upgrades to the army, the Bohemians developed a 76.5mm cannon assigned to division-level units.

Although its most basic design role was that of a field howitzer, providing indirect fire support to infantry divisions to strike enemy positions, assembly points and light fortifications.

However, due to its flat trajectory and high rate of fire, it could also effectively perform the task of an anti-tank gun, so the Bohemians also developed capped armor-piercing shells for this type of artillery.

At the same time, although this cannon was not like the Gauls' 75mm cannon, which could fire at a rate of 25 rounds per minute in the hands of a skilled crew, it was still capable of firing at the bolt-action rifle level.

However, a rate of fire of 15 rounds per minute is more than enough.

Basically, in some Slavic blood pressure treatment game, if Anton's mother were still alive, she would make the player point to the data and say, "Give me this thing."

Of course, since this artillery was not designed to be mounted on a vehicle, it is not light at all, weighing a full 1.8 tons.

Slimming down the cannon and then creating a turret that could fit it in took a lot of brainpower from the design team.

As for the final reinforcement of the armor, since the chassis is a universal chassis, the design team chose the simplest and most makeshift method: simply welding the armor on top as a makeshift solution.

So, after a year of piecemeal development, Joe finally arrived at a tank that was 2.49 meters tall, weighed 29 tons, was equipped with a 76.5mm cannon and two machine guns, used a forged and welded turret, had an off-road speed of 42 km/h, could reach 50 km/h on roads, could carry an external fuel tank, and had a maximum range of 420 km when fully loaded. Judging from the stats, it was a very spirited vehicle, one that would make its opponents roar.

However, this car also has a small problem.

That's because this vehicle embodies a makeshift spirit, just like its name suggests, it was an emergency product prepared in response to an impending war.

Therefore, the car's appearance is rather unsatisfactory.

It gives the impression of mounting a turret from an equally underdeveloped Tiger II onto the chassis of a flattened Sherman.

Although Joe thought the thing looked weird, everyone else thought it wasn't actually that ugly.

And there's no time to dwell on whether tanks look good or not, let's just mass-produce these vehicles!
While tinkering with emergency tanks, Bohemia also began expanding its military.

It has a large population and a decent industrial base.

Bohemia quickly expanded its forces to nearly a million.

In fact, if a full mobilization were carried out, Joe estimated that Bohemia could expand to more than 1.5 million troops.

However, at this time, Bohemia encountered some economic problems.

As an isolated island nation and an industrial country, Bohemia could only rely on railways for foreign trade.

However, as Bohemia began to expand its military and continuously organized military exercises to ensure the combat effectiveness of its troops, the countries surrounding Bohemia declared that they were threatened by Bohemia and closed their borders to Bohemia.

They refused to allow Bohemian trains carrying Bohemian goods to pass through their territory.

This caused problems for Bohemia's economy.

The inability to sell its own products is fatal for an industrialized nation. With foreign trade nearly cut off, Bohemia could no longer expand its army.

Meanwhile, after merging with the Habsburgs, the Vulture Legion sent to Flamengo Teutons and the International Brigades of the People's Revolutionary Union, much like in the previous Lucian Civil War, gradually turned from armored assaults where the two sides clashed into an awkward war of attrition.

Just six months after merging with the Habsburgs, the Teutons took action again.

This time, the Teutons chose the Sudetenland region of Bohemia as their target.

In a sense, the Sudetenland problem was actually a problem sown between Bonitania and Gaul in the Treaty of Versailles.

Based on the so-called national self-determination, the Sudetenland, where the Teutonic population was the absolute majority, was handed over to Bohemia.

This led to a situation where, after the Teutons began to rise again, the Teutons, the Bohemians, and the Teutons living in the Sudetenland all had some opinions about the ownership of this region.

Thus, although they announced during their advance into the Rhineland that they were only reclaiming the Rhineland, the Teutons had no desire for territory.

When merging with the Habsburgs, they stated, "We are merely merging with our blood brothers; this is not an annexation, but the choice of the people."

Upon reaching the Sudetenland, the Teutons continued to assert their commitment to protecting the Sudetenland people due to the persecution they suffered in Bohemia.

In fact, before the Teutonic Kingdom made this diplomatic declaration, it had already begun to secretly fund and arm the Sudetenland Free Teutonic Army and other anti-government organizations in Bohemia.

They also instructed them to launch a series of targeted and high-profile acts of violence, railway sabotage, and local government riots in the Sudetenland region.

Then, when the Bohemian government sent troops to suppress the riots and maintain order, the Teutons showed photos of the Bohemian government dispersing the rioters, claiming it was irrefutable evidence of the Bohemians' cruel persecution of the Teutons.

The Teutons demanded that the Bohemians withdraw their troops from the Sudetenland and hold a referendum in the region, allowing the Sudetenlanders to decide whether to remain in Bohemia, declare independence, or return to the Teutonic family.

If the Bohemians refuse this demand, then the Teutons, as the protectors and leaders of all the Teutons in the world, will do everything in their power to protect the safety of every Teuton.

This incident almost immediately escalated into a more dangerous geopolitical conflict than the previous Rhineland crisis.

As soon as the Teutons made this statement, Joe, as the Supreme Commander of NATO forces, immediately issued a mobilization order, putting all NATO countries into a state of emergency, and at the same time, the troops began to be mobilized.

Wagner, as part of a rapid reaction force, began to be deployed to Bohemia via airlift.

Joe reiterated the previous military defense agreements between NATO countries without hesitation and declared that if even one Teutonic soldier entered Bohemia, it would mean a full-scale war.

In response to Joe's tough stance, the Führer said, "If you want total war, then I'll give you total war."

Immediately, the Teutonic forces began mobilization, and large numbers of infantry units marched to the Teutonic-Bohemian border.

Suddenly, war clouds gathered over the Old World, as if a great war was about to break out.

Even London and Paris, which were still in a state of mental breakdown, had to make a statement, demanding that Joe and the Führer stop, have love, and not war.

Any problems can be resolved through negotiation.

Meanwhile, in Germania, as the Sudetenland crisis intensified, the royalists, unable to stand idly by while their leader took military risks, also began military preparations.

Since the Führer had already ordered the mobilization, even the Royalists, whose strength had been greatly weakened compared to the Second Reich, had the opportunity to transfer some troops dedicated to the cause of the Empire to Germania through operations within the Army Headquarters.

At the same time, some troops that might be loyal to the Führer were transferred away from Germania.

The plan was good, but a small problem arose at the beginning.

That is, although Holtz's armed guards were basically on the road the whole time during the Battle of the Rhineland, they neither caught up with the Battle of the Bridgehead nor caught up with Joe's exhaust fumes.

However, this did not prevent Holz's armed guard from winning a propaganda victory and further expanding its forces.

In addition to the Levante Division, the Second Imperial Division and the Third Skull Division began to be formed.

The troops of these three divisions were all located in and near Germania, and they did not obey orders from the Army Department.

This cast a shadow over the royalists' actions from the very beginning.

However, the royalists were not without a chance of winning, as Colonel Hans, who had made great contributions in the last war, also joined them.

Furthermore, Colonel Hans commanded a mountain infantry unit that had been trained in the Caucasus Mountains and had had some minor skirmishes with the Volga People's Revolutionary Army in the no-man's-land along the Volga River.

After the bloody battle of Rhineland, this unit was reorganized into a paratrooper unit.

In terms of both technical and tactical level, as well as its status within the national defense system, it undoubtedly belongs to the T0 level.

The only problem was that, since it was a seed unit converted from mountain infantry into the air force, the unit was not large, consisting of only one battalion.

Apart from this paratrooper battalion, the other troops that the royalists could mobilize were not so impressive.

Most of them were troops who had just completed training during the second wave of expansion, and their combat capabilities were highly questionable.

After all, in just a few years, the army has expanded from 70,000 to 2.4 million, although this includes the black-clad defense forces that were secretly trained in the past.

However, even the royalists were not entirely at ease about the training level and equipment completeness of these new troops.

However, since things have come to this point, we have no choice but to take action.

With diplomatic communications between Paris and London underway, the head of state is preparing to hold these negotiations in Germania.

The royalists were prepared that if the peace negotiations broke down, the announcement by the head of state that the negotiations had failed would be the signal for their actions.

The troops mobilized in the second wave must seize the National Broadcasting Building and Parliament after the operation begins, control the streets of Germania, and stop the head of state's armed guards at all costs if they react.

While the mobilization troops were moving, Colonel Hans's paratroopers were also tasked with completing the most crucial part of the operation.

The paratroopers will be divided into three arrest teams to apprehend the head of state, the deputy head of state, and the head of state's air force deputy commander, Herman.

The arrest teams must act simultaneously. The goal is to capture the suspect alive, but if resistance is encountered, on-the-spot killing is permitted.

At the same time, the generals in the royal party will use the authority of the Supreme Command to issue the highest alert order, "The country is in a state of emergency," to all military districts in the Teutonic homeland.

He also ordered the army to disarm the guard organizations in various military regions and cities, as well as the National Intelligence Agency.

The pretext was: "The head of state has been kidnapped by radicals and national order needs to be restored."

The troops controlling the broadcasting building will cut off all Nazi Party propaganda broadcasts and issue a statement to the nation and the world in the name of the General Headquarters of the Defence Forces: "The head of state has been taken over by radicals and the Defence Forces have taken over power to protect Teutons from an unnecessary war."

They will then welcome back the emperor, allowing his authority to restore stability and reunite the country.

Then, through neutral countries, a diplomatic note of the highest level was immediately sent to Buntania, Gaul, and NATO: the new Teutonic government had ceased its military threats against Bohemia and was willing to resolve the Sudetenland issue at an international conference.

This saved the Teutonic Kingdom from the brink of war.

(End of this chapter)