Götterdämmerung[1]

 

 

The Finale of Das Reich[2]

 

     The First World War was called the war that ended all the wars; however, pitifully, it was not. Everybody desired the coming of peace, but the politicians started to prepare for the next war even though the European War[3] just had ended. As they expected, after the sounding of the Liberal Bell, the Second World War happened twenty-one years later. A famous historian said: “The biggest lesson that humans learned from history is that we have learned nothing.” In fact, there is at least one thing that people have learned: The means we adopt to win the war gets crueller and crueller.

 

      In Palace in 1919, British and French politicians asked too much from Germany. Their greedily evil deeds caused the destruction of the Weimar government[4]. Thus, the Nazis could build Das Reich. Moreover, without Daladier and Chamberlain, Hitler might not have been encouraged to aggress Austria and Czechoslovakia. Then, Poland became the next aim of Führer. On the first of September 1939, the daydreams of the western European politicians were finally broken, but it is too late. The Second World War took place.

 

      From 1939 to 1942, the Wehrmacht[5] crashed almost tow-third of Europe, whereas their doomed fate finally has begun since the battle in Stalingrad. They defeated Poland in twenty-seven days, and then they conquered France in thirty-nine days. The word “insurmountable” seemed to be created for them. But, owing to the stupidity and ignorance of “their great and almighty Führer”, these most excellent and brilliant generals of the world cannot serve their country, either.

 

      In Stalingrad in November 1942, Armee Nr.6[6], two hundred and half thousand warriors, were besieged because Paul Paulus[7] messed up. Not until they ran out of their last ammunitions did they surrender next February. However, this was merely the first nightmare. In May 1943, Generaloberst[8] von Arnim, Commander-in-Chief of Armee Gruppen Afirika[9], leaded his subordinates, around one hundred thousand soldiers, to the Allis stalag. In January 1944, the Allis destroyed most German defences in Italy. In June 1944, the Allis landed in Normandy. In October 1944, East Prussia was occupied. In Ardennes and Hungary in early 1945, the last counterattacks of Germans failed, too[10]. Unfortunately, the Doomsday of Das Reich was coming.

 

      By March 1945, the Allis arrived at the Rhine River. In the Eastern Line, the Soviet captured the entire Poland a month later. Ultimately, using more than forty thousand cannons, the Soviet Side started the last assault with a “man-made” earthquake on the 16th of April. Then, there was an unthinkable collapse in the Eastern Line. Numberless refugees and soldiers escaped to the Western Line. Even Hitler himself knew that the finale is coming soon. So, he gave the order to fight until the last moment, and then destroy everything at last.

 

      On the 30th of April, Zhukov’s[11] soldiers occupied the Building of Reichstag[12]. On the same day, Hitler and Eva Braun finished their life themselves after getting married for a couple of hours. On the 7th of May 1945, Grand Admiral Karl Dönitz, the new Führer, claimed the backdown of Germany. Generally speaking, in Europe, almost thirty million people died. What an expensive price! Everything came to the end at last, remaining nothing but a great number of ruins.

 

      However, there are still some meaningful things for us to discuss:

 

      The commanders of Wehrmacht, the last cavaliers of the twentieth century, all took part in this dishonest war even though they knew their leaders were a group of mad tyrant. However, during the war, they attempted to do nothing but guardian their Fatherland. They were not like what the Allies said, and they were not impossible, ether. Being loyal to one’s own country is not a wrong thing. According to the traditions of Prussian Officer Group[13], the only things that they have to do are to be loyal to the imperator, to obey orders, and to do their duty. Most of German generals played their roles well. They were as noble and honourable as their ancestors, the Teutonic Knights.

 

      On the other hand, sometimes, the politicians of the Allies were much meaner than those of the Axis. In order to save his country, Grand Admiral Karl Dönitz expected to finish the war as soon as possible. However, British military polices arrested all the members of his government to respond his kindness just after the surrender for one week. These skunk-like politicians, especially the French ones, distorted the truth. First, they held a ridiculous farce, the Judgement of Nürnberg[14]. With all evil and barbarous means, they striped the honours of war from all German commanders, claiming that they were prisoners. It simply encouraged people to betray their own country.

 

      They called this “Crime of starting the war”. It has been the most ridiculous wild talk sine the advent of human race. The real chief offenders of the War Criminals of the Second World War should be Chamberlain and Daladier because their ignorance and timidity definitely motivated the greed of Hitler and Mussolini.

 

      In order to take revenges, British and French politicians “invented” a version: “Soldiers have to judge the right and wrong themselves, not merely obey their orders.”[15] As a matter of fact, the Allies just wanted to revenge because of the insults of being taught a big lesson by Germans in the War. According to something said by the Allied judges, if the Axis officers objected their superiors, it would not be an armed rebellion! What made people take it as granted while hearing this? It is too spooky and incredible.

 

      There is a famous instance: the judge on Generalfeldmarschall[16] Albert Kesselring. He was a super master of defence in WWII, and the builder of Luftwaffe[17]. First, he was pronounced judgement as capital penalty, but later he was pronounced judgement as life imprisonment. Why did British military judges wanted to put him to death so badly? The answer is extremely simple. Kesselring embarrassed a British Field Marshall, Alexander; in addition, Kesserling’s excellent defending ability exposed the incompetency of Alexander[18], the Commander-in-Chief of Allied Force in The Mediterranean Sea. If it had been a crime, the winners of a war could mess around whatever they want without any remorse or sorrow. They could take revenges by robbing, rapping, or even murdering.

 

      As to justice, saying is one thing, whereas doing is quite another. This was what the Allies thought. Even The Soviet Union was more honest: The Red Army publicly robbed everything they needed from Germany and Eastern Europe without telling lies.

 

      These were the winners, “the Forces of Justice”.

 

      However, the truth is always unchanging. We now know some generals of Das Reich were the best ones during the War. They just met a wrong Führer. The Wehrmacht originally were to guardian their Fatherland, whereas they were ordered to be assistants in crime. Perhaps, all that happened were fates.

 

      In fact, we all have known that a victory without peace is very dangerous. However, W. S. Churchill always said, “Victory in spite of all terrors!”[19] What a terrible slogan! We all know Churchill is very clever, but what made him a beast? The wrath of revenge made most people blind, and so was he. At the same time, Franklin D. Roosevelt was dying for a war. He made all efforts to ask a declaration of war against Nazis. At last, Japan gave his this opportunity, and all strong powers were entangled into the war. It meant there would be no peace but ruin and destroy.

 

      We cannot forget the speech “The Four Freedoms”[20]. If a one is saying peace all the time and holding a bloody sword at the same time, he must be a devil. Since the beginning of Monroe Doctrine, America has had a desire of being the “Big Brother” of America Continent. Then, Roosevelt wanted to be the head of all the world. In fact, they did not succeed, and in 1946 Churchill told us they were wrong: “An iron curtain has descended across the Continent.”[21]

 

      What did they have after the Second World War? Pax Americana or Pax Tartarica[22]? It has proven that people have never learnt from history, and sometimes the aftermath which will happen next time may get even worse. The goal of war is to have peace, not victory. Owing to the Cold War, we can say that there is no winner in the Second World War.

 

      At least, on the viewpoint of honours established by military philosophy, we can say that the German commanders in the Second World War were competent. They gave us a good model: An excellent knight has to make efforts to do his duty all the time, no matter what his duty is. Personally, I wish that people could learn some from history: there should be no more war.