The Kriegsmarine would be testing the launching of an A4 rocket from underwater early in the new year. And by mid-1946 they would submit their final plans for the new generation of submarines.
Progress was also being made on the stand-off bombs that the Luftwaffe considered to be so important.
Finally, a decision would be taken on a new aircraft carrier or carriers next year. This had been long delayed while Germany’s and the Alliance’s strategies had been constantly updated in a changing world. During this time work had not stopped on the designs for the next carrier. If and when it was built, it would be the biggest, fastest and most heavily armed carrier in the world.
There was no doubt in anyone’s mind that Germany had the most powerful military forces on the planet.
And maybe soon ‘off the planet’ if von Braun has his way, von Brauchitsch thought with a wry smile as he gathered his papers and exited the Council Chamber.
Only a few more scheduled Council meetings and there was the Christmas recess. He looked forward to it.
General Sieckenius was back in Germany with two hundred of his advisers. That particular contract with the Chinese armed forces had come to an end and Sieckenius had been replaced with another Wermacht Colonel. The number of military advisers to China was reduced to two hundred.
The training operation had been successful and the huge Chinese Army was now considered to be much improved, if not yet quite ready to be classified as first class. There was still much work to be done with the world’s largest army.
After a well-earned four weeks leave, the General was given a new job within the Defence Ministry. He was appointed as Director — Foreign liaison. This entailed liaising with friendly client states such as China, Libya and Bangladesh, to assist them to reach military proficiency. And buy German equipment, of course!
After his five years in China, he undoubtedly had the necessary experience and knowledge for the job. He had retained the majority of the men who had been with him in China. These would form the foundation of his ‘advisors for secondment’ team.
His first task was to look at Serbia’s recent request for assistance with the modernisation of their armed forces. Thereafter he must work out a detailed plan for the same thing, but much bigger, for Bangladesh.
He also had some interesting ideas of his own that he wanted to explore in the near future.
He looked forward to his new job with relish.
CHAPTER SIX - REAPING THE REWARDS
The German and Swiss Economics Ministers had finished dealing with the mundane matters that had brought them together on this icy cold day in January.
‘Now for it’, Erhard thought. ‘We will see if three years working on this project has been wasted time’.
Three years previously, his superior, Hjalmar Schacht, after cautioning him to secrecy, had assigned him the task of tracking down the proceeds of the sale by the Nazis, of the pre-war gold stocks of Germany, Austria, Czechoslovakia and Danzig. It was something Erhard had to carry out secretly in his own time. Later his remit had been expanded to include numbered Swiss bank accounts and safe deposit boxes held in the names of known Nazis and possibly also connected with the gold sales or illegal activities.
It had taken him three years of painstaking accounting detective work to unravel the whole complicated structure and movements. Switzerland’s banks featured prominently. Erhard now had a well-constructed and detailed dossier to hand over to his counterpart.
“Herr Muller, there is one more thing I would like to discuss with you.”
The dour Swiss Minister looked at him, waiting for him to continue.
“I have here a dossier which has been compiled over the past three years. I did most of the work myself so I am completely satisfied as to its veracity. At this stage only myself and my previous superior, Hjalmar Schacht, who originally gave me this task, are aware of its existence.” He now had Muller’s interest.
“It concerns the movement of gold reserves and other assets during the years of the Nazi regime.” He noted the shutters descend within the Swiss Minister’s eyes.
“We are not primarily concerned about excessive profits that may have been made by the Swiss banks involved. They were unusual times and circumstances. We have, however, found a mass of evidence that many German officials fraudulently enriched themselves from such transactions. We believe that Swiss banks have accounts for these people, as well as safety deposit boxes containing illicitly gained valuables. To put it simply — we want them!” No need to beat about the bush, as the British say.
He sensed the cool reception to his disclosures. The Swiss Minister hesitated only briefly.
“As you know, Herr Erhard, Swiss banking laws are very strict and they are rigidly enforced. We take our banking duties very seriously indeed. Obviously I cannot comment on your findings until I have read the report. May I suggest that we leave it at that for the moment. I give you my word the matter will be looked into without delay.”
Erhard had expected no more. He handed Muller a copy of the dossier, thanked him, and allowed the Swiss Minister to escort him outside and into his secretary’s care.
Later that day on the Lufthansa Starflight back to Berlin, he started to review the contingency plans he had in case of procrastination or outright refusal of assistance by the Swiss Authorities. He had left this until he had met with Muller face to face.
The response from the Swiss Minister came quicker that Erhard had expected. Four days after their meeting, Muller had telephoned him personally to advise that he had read the report in its entirety, but unfortunately Swiss banking law prohibited them from giving any assistance in this matter.
Again, Erhard had expected this or other stonewalling. He thanked Muller and told him he would be in touch sometime in the future as he would have to take the matter further.
He telephoned Hjalmar Schacht for an appointment to see him.
The members of the Governing Council were curious. They had received a special request from the Economics Minister that his predecessor be invited to the next Council meeting. While it was unusual, it was also agreed to with great pleasure. All there greatly respected the old man.
The meeting opened with von Brauchitsch warmly welcoming their old colleague. It was a genuine pleasure to see him at the table again. It had been only two months since he had retired, but his calm and reassuring presence was missed. Schacht was obviously pleased with his reception by his ex-comrades.
They got down to business.
To avoid unnecessarily detaining the ex Economics Minister, it was decided that Erhard would open proceedings that day.
The Minister firstly informed them of the secret directive he had been given three years earlier by Herr Schacht. He handed a condensed version of his findings to each member. The main dossier was so full of all the relevant facts and figures, that it would have been difficult and long reading for everyone.
“As you can see from the dossier, during the years 1937 to 1940, there were over two hundred million dollars of gold bullion sales by Germany to Swiss banks. There is firm evidence that many Nazi officials had their fingers in the pie. They privately received ‘commissions’ on these transactions totalling at least ten million dollars”. Most of this was spirited away into Swiss bank accounts.”