The Rise of the Third Reich

Józef Klemens Piłsudski is a great Pole, he seems to have the ability to predict the future - on par with Hessmann! As early as 1908, they encountered the European war, so they created a secret military action alliance, of course for the purpose of opposing Russia. Therefore, it received the support of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and was reorganized into the legal Rifle League and became a school for training Polish officers. During the war, because he saw that Russia would be defeated by Germany and Austria, he organized 3 brigades of Polish regiments to fight against Russia and achieved numerous military exploits. Winning independence for Poland, he himself became Minister of War in the newly created Council of State. However, after the defeat of Russia, he refused to be loyal to Germany and Austria and participated in the war on the Western Front, preferring to go to jail in Magdeburg. Because he expected that Germany and Austria would be defeated, Poland would never go to war with Britain and France...

In the center of Magdeburg, in a heavily guarded prison surrounded by high walls and trenches, Hersmann and Rosenberg were invited into a deserted, windowless office with a shabby writing desk and three chairs. Hersman and Rosenberg each took one, and another empty one was placed opposite them.

The door opened. A German soldier wearing a helmet and a pistol on his belt came in with heavy steps and clicked and saluted Hessmann. A man about 50 years old, wearing an old military uniform without collar badges and brochures, with thick eyebrows and a messy mustache, and very sharp eyes walked in with a high head. Behind him was a second lieutenant in his forties who was a little fat. He also gave a military salute to Hersman, then pointed at the strutting man and said: "Major, he is General Piłsudski."

Piłsudski had already sat down in a grand manner at this time, as if this was not a prison but his headquarters.

"Mr. Piłsudski, were you happy in Magdeburg Prison?" Hersmann said.

Piłsudski looked at the young major in front of him with some surprise - it was not easy to get promoted in the German army. Majors in their twenties were very rare, and most of them had some background.

Hessmann then waved to the second lieutenant and the guard: "Get out, General Piłsudski will not take the opportunity to escape. Even if the prison door is opened, he will not leave."

"I'm in jail, not on vacation, Major!" Piłsudski spoke in a majestic tone, and his German was very standard.

The second lieutenant said to Hersman: "Major, the guards and I are outside. After you finish talking to the prisoner, just shout."

After saying that, he left with the guards. After the door closed, Hessman smiled at Piłsudski: "General, it's enough to stay in prison. The French and British already know your attitude, so there is no need to stay in prison forever."

Piłsudski snorted: "I will not agree to let the Polish army go to the Western Front to die!"

"I agree with this," Hessman said with a smile. "Poles should go to the Eastern Front to die, not the Western Front..."

"The war on the Eastern Front is over!"

"It's over for Germany, but it's not the beginning for Poland."

Piłsudski was stunned and looked at Hersman with narrowed eyes: "Who is Poland going to fight?"

"Who else? Of course it is Russia, Soviet Russia!" Hersman said, "Isn't your ideal to establish a federal state including Ukraine, Belarus and the southern coast of the Baltic Sea, led by Poland? Now Belarus and Ukraine But in the hands of Soviet Russia."

Frankly speaking, Piłsudski is actually similar to Hitler, both of them have a dream of becoming a great power. Hitler wanted to make Germany the master of the entire European continent (including the European part of the Soviet Union), while Piłsudski dreamed of restoring the territory of Poland's historical heyday. Moreover, the strength in their hands is somewhat insufficient. In addition, they have historically faced the dilemma of fighting on two fronts.

Piłsudski looked at Hersman with an expressionless expression, as if he was analyzing Hersman's words.

After coming over for a while, Piłsudski said: "But Poland and the southern coast of the Baltic Sea are still in the hands of you Germans. I am just a prisoner with nothing."

"You have nothing, but you dream of seizing land from two European powers. You are really amazing!"

"Major, what exactly do you want to say?" Piłsudski asked with a frown.

Hessmann shook his head and said with a wry smile: "I think you also know that the German Empire is currently facing unprecedented difficulties... As for the reasons, you must be very clear."

Piłsudski nodded. Germany's dilemma was that it was fighting on two fronts, and the enemies it faced were all powerful countries.

Hersman continued: "In January, U.S. President Woodrow Wilson announced the Fourteen Points for Peace, of which Article 13 was aimed at Poland. Mr. Piłsudski, you should know that, right?"

"Know."

"Rebuilding an independent Poland with access to the sea, guaranteeing its political and economic independence and territorial integrity through international treaties... How beautiful and tempting! Mr. Biski, what do you think?"

"..."

“Where do you think Poland’s future outlet to the sea will be? Danze or Riga?”

"Riga? If I remember correctly, does that belong to the future Baltic United Principality?" Piłsudski said slowly. In his mind, Poland's ideal outlet to the sea was of course Danzig, and it would be best to annex the entire West Prussia, Silesia and Galicia, which is now part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. In this way, a Polish nation-state with Russian Poland as its core can be formed, and then based on this Poland, with the support of Britain and France, it can move eastward and annex part of Russia's territory.

However, Hersman proposed a plan to move Poland as a whole eastward - of course, this was just one of the many plans in the "Gray Plan".

Hirschman sighed deeply. "The current situation is extremely dangerous for Germany. It is obviously unrealistic to keep the entire Baltic region and Lithuania..."

In Hersman's view, even the United Baltic Principalities are a bit too big - there are more than 2 million Estonians and Latvians there. There was certainly no way for a defeated German nation to assimilate them. Therefore, in the "Gray Plan", Hirschmann planned to establish an autonomous state of Courland with a German majority as the foundation of the Baltic Germans. The main ethnic group is composed of Baltic Germans and Germans who migrated from Russia. It occupies Courland and Livland, and its capital is Riga.

The Kurland autonomous state will be highly autonomous, with its own government, parliament and defense force, but will not be an independent state. Either form a federation with Estonia and establish a monarch acceptable to both Britain and France, or form a federation with Poland - hide under someone else's tree to enjoy the shade, and get by with the Allies.

"It sounds quite attractive. The Polish Federation became a wall, isolating Germany from Soviet Russia. In this way, after Germany loses the war, it can at least have a safer eastern border. However, this plan will It is also beneficial for Poland. I can accept it and persuade the Polish Provisional State Council. But... we Poles cannot participate in the Western Front. This is our bottom line!"

Piłsudski could guess Hirschmann's intentions without even analyzing them—only part of them, of course. Of course Piłsudski would not have thought that Hessmann wanted to "create" a Poland that was more powerful than in history to make the Soviet-German alliance stronger... As for whether Piłsudski would be successful after Germany's defeat , betrayed Germany and bitten Germany, Hessmann didn't care at all. Anyway, Da Bobo only needs to play a good villain who is hated by both the Soviet Union and Germany.

Of course, letting the Courland Autonomous State join the Baltic Federation is only the last resort! In Hirschmann's plan, a union state formed by the Courland Autonomous State and Estonia is the first choice. In order to meet the requirement of giving Poland access to the sea in the "Fourteen Points of Peace Conditions", Hessmann planned to hand over Liepaja, which belongs to Courland, to Poland. This was of course also a plan. After Poland gave up its attack on West Prussia It will only be implemented if the province makes territorial claims. Regarding the future of the Courland Autonomous State, Hersman has prepared several response plans.

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