Obviously the Soviet Union is by far, Germany’s biggest potential external threat, and this will always be uppermost in our minds during our military review”.
Von Brauchitsch was not a politician. He did not need to use one hundred words for something that could be said in twenty. He was finished.
The two Ministers without Portfolio had nothing to report at this time.
General von Mannstein had been given the task of assessing the future role and needs of the armies of the occupied countries. This would largely depend upon whether these countries would be prepared to co-operate with Germany.
This led to the second part of his brief. To explore his idea of a European Alliance. An attack on one country, is an attack on all. This part of his job excited him the most.
General Beck was now responsible for all intelligence gathering, both civil and military. The Abwehr, German military intelligence, under the redoubtable Admiral Canaris, also fell under his wing.
Such was the first meeting of the Governing Council. Minimum amount of time wasted, and everyone, (with the possible exception of its President), aware of the tremendous amount of work that had to be accomplished in a relatively short space of time.
Goering was anxious to get home and relax. The others were more interested in getting back to work.
Over a twenty day period beginning 24 June, over two hundred thousand British prisoners of war were repatriated back to Great Britain from camps in Germany and France. General Rommel had been given the responsibility for ensuring an orderly handover of the troops to the British officers sent to Europe to accept them. Rommel in turn delegated the task to his trusted aide, Colonel von Altendorf.
The British team was under the command of none other than General Brooke. He had been one of the last British officers to leave when Dunkirk had been evacuated, and now he had been one of the first officers ashore. He had to wait another three days before the men of his own regiment arrived, but when they did, there were tears in more than a few eyes at an emotional reunion.
Brooke’s aide was the newly promoted Colonel Blackstone, who was to act as the British liaison officer with Colonel von Altendorf. Blackstone had, of course, met von Altendorf’s father at the peace negotiations in Lisbon. A fact that he kept to himself.
Rommel had instructed von Altendorf that the British prisoners of war were to be treated with maximum respect at all times. He had even ordered that their German escorts be supplied with beer, to be given to the British troops at the assembly stations. This proved very popular with the troops of both countries! There was little evidence of animosity between the two nationalities at this stage. In the eyes of the average British soldier the German’s had won ‘fair and square’ through the use of better equipment, tactics and leadership, while the British had been saddled with the French army!
If there was any resentment harboured by the British troops, it was directed towards their own country that had sent them into a war for which they were poorly equipped.
It was known that the British Secretary for War had not only feuded with the British Army high command, but had also misled the House of Commons on the capabilities of the British Expeditionary Force. He had assured the House that the BEF was sent off to war ‘as well, if not better, equipped than any similar army.’ This was either wishful thinking or outright deceit.
And the BEF paid the price.
Von Altendorf carried out his repatriation mission perfectly. He met several times each day with Blackstone, and by the time the last British prisoner-of-war stepped aboard the last ship, the two had become firm friends. Each of them had invited the other to visit them and meet their families at the earliest opportunity.
This happened sooner than either of them anticipated. It was only a few weeks later that Blackstone was seconded to the British Embassy in Berlin as military attaché, following the re-establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. This appointment had also been at the behest of General Brooke.
The entire repatriation operation had gone smoothly and the British soldiers arrived back in England to be greeted by huge crowds. The King accompanied by the Prime Minister had been at the port to welcome the first shiploads of troops home.
So ended Britain’s involvement in the European War.
Over a period of four days the Foreign Secretary had called in the different governments-in-exile based in London. He had steeled himself to let these people know, in no uncertain terms, that they must negotiate with Germany. If they declined he would politely point out that Britain would have no alternative but to withdraw recognition of them, leaving the Germans to negotiate with others in their countries.
It had been only weeks earlier that the British Government, anxious for foreign support in the war, had gratefully acknowledged the common aims and ideals shared between them all. Now they were being told they were on their own! Such is politics!
The Polish delegation was led by General Wladyslaw Sikorski, a vigorous advocate of the Polish cause, and a fierce opponent of both the Soviets and the Nazis. He had only recently arrived in London. His government had previously been based in France since his own country had been overrun by the Germans the previous year. The imminent fall of France in June, had persuaded the Poles it was time to move — again.
Sikorski had been surprised at the terms offered to Poland by Germany, then suspicious. However, after an hour of in-depth discussions with Halifax, he came to realise that he really had no option but to accept. There was no possible way he could get better terms anyway. And he would be freeing his country! Or at least the western part!
He nurtured a deep hatred of the Germans but eventually agreed to talks with the German Minister of Foreign Affairs in London at any time of their choosing.
After Sikorski left, Halifax breathed a sigh of relief. “One down, four to go,” he thought.
Norway and tiny Luxembourg had accepted the proposals with alacrity. They were getting their countries back.
The five man Czechoslovakian delegation had left the meeting with Halifax, in despair. He had no good news for them, other than that they would be allowed to return to their country on condition they accepted the status quo that Czechoslovakia was now an integral part of Germany. And they would have to swear an oath of loyalty to the German state and become German citizens.
Lord Halifax genuinely felt sorry for them as he bade them goodbye and they slowly filed out of his office.
It was the Dutch that resisted the most. Queen Wilhelmina, (once described by Churchill as ‘the only man in the Dutch government’), was part of their delegation. After hearing what was being offered she was scathing about their country being left at the mercy of the Germans. It took all of Halifax’s patience and diplomacy before she reluctantly conceded they had no choice but to agree to talks with their enemy.
Halifax had now honoured his commitment to von Altendorf. He had persuaded the foreign ‘governments’ to see the greater perspective. Good luck to him!
While Lord Halifax was ‘entertaining’ the other governments-in-exile in London, Baron von Altendorf had visited the Belgium King Leopold at his palace in Brussels. The King had been under house arrest since surrendering alongside the Belgium army at the end of May. Meanwhile his previous government — from which he was estranged — was temporarily sitting in Bordeaux, in Vichy controlled France.
The policy of neutrality of the Belgium government before the war had been taken to ridiculous extremes and had left the country with an ill-equipped army and air force. The army had been equipped with only sixteen battle tanks when the Germans invaded. For ‘political reasons’, more than this number of tanks had been considered ‘too aggressive’ for a neutral power. Political correctness gone mad!