Chapter 008 Strategic Meeting

Tleskov indeed could not withstand the severe torture of the Gestapo, and that very night he revealed the core figures of the conspiracy group. In fact, even if he had said not a word, Hoffman already knew the names of all the important individuals: the former Chief of the General Staff, Army General Ludwig Beck, and the former Commander of the Western Front, Marshal Erwin von Witzleben, were certainly among them. The head of the Military Intelligence Bureau, Admiral Wilhelm Franz Canaris, also vaguely surfaced. Hoffman was aware of all the important figures: the former Chief of the General Staff, Army General Ludwig Beck, and the former Commander of the Western Front, Marshal Erwin von Witzleben, were certainly among them. The head of the Military Intelligence Bureau, Admiral Wilhelm Franz Canaris, also vaguely surfaced, along with the Commander of the Reserve Army, General Friedrich Fromm, and the Army Quartermaster General, Artillery General Edward Wagner, who were also well-known figures. As for the other minor players, there was a long list.

After Hoffman finished speaking, he looked at Himmler, only to find that the expression behind the lenses of his glasses was unusually calm, showing little dissatisfaction. It seemed that the Führer's personal capture of the traitorous group had a significant impact on him, and he could only grit his teeth and carry out the order to reorganize the intelligence agency. Everyone had originally been wary of the chicken farm owner's considerable power, and seeing the Führer personally intervening to curtail it, they all expressed their agreement. Bowman did not expect such a large piece of pie to fall into his lap; his face turned crimson, and excitement permeated his entire being. Everyone had originally been wary of the chicken farm owner's considerable power, and seeing the Führer personally intervening to curtail it, they all expressed their agreement. Bowman did not expect such a large piece of pie to fall into his lap; his face turned crimson, and excitement permeated his entire being.

The meeting suddenly fell into silence, with everyone exchanging glances, unsure of what to do: on one side was the disgruntled Göring, and on the other was the sullen Himmler, precisely the second and third figures of the Third Reich, with the impassive Führer seated in the middle, leaving no one daring to speak rashly

As the meeting was on the verge of a deadlock, the mouthpiece of the Third Reich, Paul Joseph Goebbels, Minister of National Education and Propaganda, stepped in to mediate: "Comrades, you have all heard about yesterday's events. We rushed to the Führer’s side in a state of great anxiety—fortunately, everything is safe and sound. Had it not been for the Führer’s wise and decisive actions at the scene, we cannot imagine what kind of disaster might have ensued. This shows that the Führer possesses insight and decisiveness far beyond our own. As for how to investigate and deal with the treasonous group, it is best that we follow the Führer’s instructions."

On the afternoon of August 25, 1942, in Berchtesgaden, the Eagle's Nest of the Third Reich was convening an imperial strategic meeting

After a moment, Himmler spoke: "My Führer, I must sincerely apologize to you, as our work errors have allowed the traitors' conspiracy to develop to such a rampant extent." The leader of the SS, who came from a poultry farming background, spoke in a low voice, filled with remorse and unease, his thin body standing straight. "However, we have taken action overnight, and this morning we made breakthrough progress..." He appeared quite confident, distributing documents to the attendees as he spoke.

As everyone had just taken their seats, before Hoffmann could speak, the corpulent Nazi elder, Air Force Commander, and Reich Marshal Hermann Göring was the first to break the silence, his tone rather sarcastic: "I wonder if the Führer's guard has searched everyone's bags today. If we were to have another bomb like yesterday, the Party and the country would be finished. The Führer has saved the generals once, but he may not be able to save us again."

It is evident that the events of last night have already spread among the higher-ups. Göring's words directly pointed to Heinrich Himmler, the National Leader of the SS, not only because the security detail responsible for the protection belonged to the SS, but also because the function of arresting the conspirators fell under the jurisdiction of the Gestapo. Himmler neither prevented the actions of the rebellious organization beforehand nor dealt with the situation in a timely manner during the meeting, which constitutes a complete dereliction of duty from a legal standpoint

Upon hearing this, Gorin immediately deflated, letting out a couple of "humphs" before sitting down again

Goebbels was indeed a master of balance, but what truly moved Hoffman went beyond this. He knew that until the very last moment of the Führer's suicide, the Goebbels couple had decided to follow him, not only personally administering poison to their six children, but also committing suicide together in loyalty—this loyalty alone warranted his promotion. Of course, more importantly, it was about changing the fate of himself and the entire Goebbels family

Hmph! The army has traitors, the navy has traitors, the General Staff, the Supreme Command, and even the reserve forces have traitors, yet our air force stands as the stronghold of national socialism, completely loyal to the leader. Following Hoffmann's lead, Göring suddenly slammed the file onto the table, stood up, and pointed at Zeitzler's nose, shouting, "Tell me, why are you dismantling our air force's field divisions and mixing our loyal and reliable air force units with the unreliable army? I suspect you are also a hidden traitor." Göring suddenly slammed the file onto the table, stood up, and pointed at Zeitzler's nose, shouting, "Tell me, why are you dismantling our air force's field divisions and mixing our loyal and reliable air force units with the unreliable army? I suspect you are also a hidden traitor."

Hoffmann knew that Göring was more or less using the situation to his advantage. Last night, he explicitly ordered the disbandment of 4 air force field divisions for use as supplementary troops. It goes without saying that this morning, the representative of the Imperial Air Force stationed at the headquarters must have relayed the news back. This touched Göring's sensitive nerves; he did not dare to openly confront the Führer but could only vent his frustrations through veiled criticisms.

I see that some people are utterly unaware of their own limitations, daring to oppose even the commands of the Führer. Göring's consistent rival, Martin Bormann, did not miss the opportunity to add fuel to the fire, stating, "Perhaps the explosion did not occur, and certain individuals' vice-führer cannot take over or succeed the position."

It is evident that the difficulties in the war over the past year have profound reasons. Hoffman, holding the documents, roared, "My chief of military supplies is a traitor; no wonder the soldiers could not receive rations during the Battle of Moscow, forced to fight the Russians in thin summer clothing in temperatures of minus 30 degrees; my reserve army commander is a traitor; no wonder the reserve army, numbering over 2 million, has been unable to timely reinforce the front lines; Stalin has eliminated 500 divisions from us, yet there are still 500 divisions left, and we cannot even manage to supplement 50 divisions without delays; my military intelligence bureau chief is also a traitor; no wonder we have invested a vast amount of manpower, resources, and finances, yet can only obtain flawed and contradictory intelligence! Both commanders of the Central Army Group have connections with the traitorous faction, and the chief of staff is simply a core member; how can such a force possibly win battles?"

The turmoil surrounding the treasonous group is growing increasingly intense, and as everyone gazes at the long list in hand, they all feel a sense of dread creeping over them

Hoffmann also sought balance, and to appease Himmler, he added: "Over the past year, the Waffen-SS has made outstanding contributions on the Eastern Front, demonstrating exceptional spirit of sacrifice and combat performance. Furthermore, from the list of this treasonous group, it is evident that the SS has not been infiltrated by the enemy and continues to maintain its consistent loyalty and reliability, which is a glory of National Socialism and the Party. I authorize you to re-establish 4 Waffen-SS divisions, while prioritizing the reorganization of the Hitler Division, the Reich Division, and the Death's Head Division, which are currently resting in France, into armored divisions"

Wasn't it said that Göring lost the Führer's favor after the failures at Dunkirk and the Battle of Britain? How can that fat man still dare to be so arrogant and take advantage of the situation! Hoffman could no longer bear it, and he slammed his hand on the table in front of him, raising his voice: "Watch your words and actions, Marshal Göring. The disbandment of the air force field divisions is my order. We are now discussing the punishment of the treasonous group; do not direct the struggle against your colleagues."

This statement by Bormann has its origins; on June 29, 1941, the Führer issued an order that in the event of his unforeseen demise during the war, Göring would be his successor. As Göring, visibly agitated, was about to confront Bormann again, Hoffmann had to step in and admonish, "Bormann, you should say less as well"

"Yes, my Führer." Himmler, who had been wearing a gloomy expression, finally revealed a hint of a smile upon receiving the good news. Of course, Seitzler was not pleased with the expansion and prioritization of the Waffen-SS, but given the number of traitors in the Wehrmacht, it was understandable that the Führer would increase the Waffen-SS forces due to his lack of trust in the Wehrmacht. After all, the Führer was personally overseeing military intelligence, which also indicated a lack of confidence in the Gestapo; it was not only the Wehrmacht that was in a difficult position.

This is a meeting convened by Hoffman on a temporary basis, involving only a few personnel. Therefore, instead of using the large conference room where yesterday's military meeting was held, a guest room with fresh air and a good view was chosen. However, it is evident that the improvement in the environment did not lead to an uplift in the mood of the attendees. On the contrary, the atmosphere at the beginning of the meeting was quite poor

He cast an appreciative glance at Goebbels and slowly said: "It has been proven that our intelligence work has its flaws; of course, this is not solely Himmler's responsibility, as he bears too heavy a burden. Canaris, leveraging his position at the Military Intelligence Bureau, played a significant role in the treasonous group and successfully deceived us, highlighting the necessity of further strengthening our intelligence efforts. I have decided that from now on, the Military Intelligence Bureau will report directly to me, and I will transfer the external functions of the Reich Security Main Office and the Eastern Front Foreign Military Office to it, making it fully responsible for collecting external information, with Comrade Baumann assisting me in daily operations; the domestic functions of the Reich Security Main Office will continue to be strengthened, responsible for monitoring domestic enemies.