German military advisors will be there, to train the Chinese forces in operations and tactics. As usual the Chinese will pay for this aid by way of supplying produce and raw materials, but the Germans have given them a big discount on the purchase price of the equipment.
My friend Jeremy Blackthorn has told me that the British are still quietly reinforcing their Far East possessions, as are the Dutch and the French with German blessing.
The Japanese Empire is now isolated. Maybe they will now have a rethink about their aggressive expansion. One can only hope. If they do come to the negotiating table, we will have Germany to thank.
Finally, one interesting item I picked up only three days ago. It seems that the German Governing Council has no plans to introduce a democratic vote for a new government at any time in the near future.
I discretely canvassed as many Germans as I could, to discover how they would regard such a thing. The majority take the simple view that politicians have let them down in recent history. There was no effective democratic government before the Great War. And after that war, politics were in chaos in Germany until Hitler swept it all away. Now they see themselves as a stable country and one of the world’s great powers. They do not need democracy.
I found that very interesting.
Jamie and Erica had the von Altendorf estate to themselves this weekend. No other family or friends. Klaus was with his regiment wherever it was, and the Baron was working over the weekend.
Since they had first met, they had seen each other at least once every week, usually for dinner or theatre. They had become very close.
After dinner that evening they played American jazz records. Erica was sifting through the records. Jeremy was slouched in his favourite armchair, eyes closed, listening to Glenn Miller’s ‘American patrol’. At peace with the world. He was here, alone, with Erica.
“This music was banned up until recently, you know,” quipped Erica with a giggle. “If the Gestapo burst in here right now, they would haul us off for interrogation.”
Jeremy just smiled without opening his eyes. He was dreaming of holding Erica in his arms, something they had not yet progressed to. Although he suspected he would summon the courage to declare his affection very soon, maybe this weekend.
As the number finished, Erica put on another Glenn Miller favourite, ‘In the mood’.
Jeremy was startled when she sat herself on his lap. Even more surprised when she relaxed against him with her head nestled on his chest. He gingerly put his arms around her. They remained like that, absorbing the music, comfortable with each other.
The music stopped and Erica reluctantly got up to change the record. This time it was ‘Moonlight serenade’. She sat on Jeremy’s knee again but did not lean back on him. She appeared to be lost in thought.
“What deep thoughts do you have, Miss von Altendorf,” said Jeremy lightly.
She did not answer, just turned her head and looked at him. After a moment she said “It is time.”
A little bewildered Jeremy asked, “Time for what,” with a quizzical look.
She stood up and held out her hand to him. “Time you stopped being a reserved English gentleman. Tonight I do not want to sleep alone.” She stared at him, willing him to respond.
And respond he did. As soon as it sunk in what she was saying, he was on his feet and engulfed her in his arms. They kissed passionately. All their emotions set free. Once they had un-entangled themselves, Erica took his hand and led him out of the room and up the broad stairway.
The trial of plotters belonging to the Oktoberfest Conspiracy as it had come to be known, was over.
After the arrest of the eighty five plotters, some of them had quickly co-operated with the police, and as a result, a further nineteen people were arrested. Police interrogation soon ascertained which of the one hundred and four detainees were merely used as unsuspecting messengers or dupes. There were fifteen of these. They were released with a caution to be on their guard in the future.
The remaining eighty nine were brought to trial.
To accommodate everyone, including a large contingent of local and international media reporters, the hall of a disused school was converted into a makeshift courtroom. There were five judges, who, unlike the British or American system, actively involved themselves in establishing the facts of the case. They acted as prosecutor, defender, jury and judge all rolled into one. The Public Prosecutor was a civil servant who presented the case to the court.
All of the accused were found guilty of treason in varied degrees. The ringleaders, eleven in total, received the death sentence. The remainder received sentences of imprisonment with hard labour for terms between twenty and five years with no opportunity for parole. A couple of them were excused the hard labour part due to their age or health.
A final irony was that the prison terms were to be served in one of the same concentration camps that the Nazis had set up and administered so brutally through their SS guards. Poetic justice!
In his office von Brauchitsch was relieved. Justice had been done. The relatively harsh sentences meted out, would be seen as a deterrent to any other potential plotters with Nazi tendencies. Thankfully, there had not been even the faintest whisper of a suggestion of any involvement by Hermann Goering.
The General believed that Nazism was now finally dead in Germany.
The German Minister of Foreign Affairs met with the French President, Marshall Petain, and his Minister of Defence, Admiral Francois Darlan, in the town of Vichy, France. The seat of the non-democratic government of what was left of France.
Petain was already eighty four years old. A hero of France from the Great War. Now he was attempting to run a country in which a low intensity civil war existed between communists/republicans, and those who preferred a more right wing regime such as that of General Franco in Spain. The pre-war French political parties were totally discredited. Communism was on the rise in France.
It was exactly six months since the armistice had been signed.
Von Altendorf had already met with Petain and his then Minister of Defence, General Charles de Gaulle, some months earlier to initiate discussions on a final peace treaty. While Petain largely stayed silent, the bombastic de Gaulle had dominated the meeting. His arrogant and unrealistic demands caused von Altendorf to prematurely terminate the talks.
It was another three weeks before a letter was received by von Altendorf from Petain advising him that General de Gaulle had been offered, and accepted, an appointment with the French forces in Africa, and that Admiral Francois Darlan was the new Minister of Defence as well as Deputy Prime Minister.
‘In other words de Gaulle was fired’, von Altendorf thought. ‘Good’.
There followed another two months of exchange of letters in which Petain and Darlan asked for German proposals and thoughts on a final peace treaty, in reply to which von Altendorf prevaricated and gave nothing away, only hinting at certain possibilities.
Now he was ready to talk!
After the usual preliminary small talk they got down to business. The discussions were conducted in French, in which von Altendorf was fluent. As before, Petain stayed largely silent. Darlan did most of the talking. The Admiral displayed a much more reasonable and conciliatory approach than his predecessor.