The German Peace

by Derek Pennington

  Eden wouldn’t be happy about him remaining Prime Minister, of course. Maybe he should think about stepping down and letting Eden take over the show? But maybe not just yet!

  There was also another small matter he wished to discuss personally with the King.

  WASHINGTON

  Once he had worked everything out, President Truman felt like an amateur compared to the German politicians. If he was right, they had just pulled off a magnificent coup for the western world. Indeed the whole world, if the Soviets were serious about arms limitations.

  Poland was now one country again, and a potential source of confrontation with the Soviets had been eliminated. He was happy for that country. The world was also a little safer.

  He had sent his personal, and his country’s, sincere congratulations to the Polish Government, and an ambiguous congratulatory note to Germany. Just to let them know that he knew.

  ‘I sure am glad they are on the right side’, he thought. ‘And it was only a few years ago it looked like we would be going to war with them. Remarkable people!’

  DESSAU – 26 FEBRUARY

  The prototype medium bomber/photo reconnaissance jet aircraft was towed out of the hanger at Junkers own airfield. In its military colours it looked sleek, and at the same time, menacing. The distinctive tear-drop shaped fuel tanks fitted under the wingtips spoke of its long range abilities. This was the aircraft that would be the king of the skies, if it lived up to its design specifications. It had been decided to call it the Kaiseradler - the Emperor Eagle.

  Once it was ready for production, it would be manufactured in both Germany and Britain. The British partners of Junkers had respected the German name, but needed a more appropriate name for their own version. As a gesture to Australia, who had such great faith in the project they had already placed a firm order for at least forty aircraft - the aircraft’s first export order - the British had christened it the Canberra.

  The Aviation and Defence Ministers watched as it powered into the sky. ‘It certainly looks a thing of great beauty,’ thought Kesselring, ‘So purposeful’.

  As it was the aircrafts maiden flight, no great display of its potential was expected. The test pilot’s instructions were to just fly around, come back in one piece, and tell us about the problems!

  Twenty minutes later it was safely back on the ground. Kesselring and von Mannstein joined the technical staff of Junkers to hear what the pilot had to say.

  The pilot had nothing but praise for the machine. It was vice free and handled like a fighter! Though he had been tempted, he restrained himself and flew it only in terms of his instructions. He confirmed that he had found only the smallest of problems, every one of which could easily be remedied. The Kaiseradler was a winner!

  The two satisfied Ministers drove back to Berlin.

  ISTANBUL - 10 MARCH

  The only surprise for the Germans from the arms limitation talks had been the relatively friendly attitude of the Soviets. The paranoia and cold suspicion of previous years was replaced with less obvious paranoia and only lukewarm suspicion. The reluctance of the Soviets to disclose their hand remained unchanged.

  Von Brauchitsch thought that perhaps it was a case of Russia’s new rulers needing more time before they felt secure enough to take the sort of decisions now required. He began to think this meeting may have been a wasted exercise.

  At least Poland was once again complete. The Soviets had expedited their withdrawal from the country, and Polish troops had followed behind them in a restrained and orderly fashion. Once all of the Soviet troops were out of the country, Sikorski, being a good Catholic, had ordered a thanksgiving evening of prayer, followed by a day of national celebrations. Apparently the populace had celebrated in style! Polish vodka was better than Russian vodka!

  Many Germans from different walks of life, had been invited to the celebrations, something that would have been absolutely unthinkable six or seven years earlier.

  Von Brauchitsch dragged his thoughts back to the present. At the last meeting of the Governing Council, anticipating exactly this time-wasting behaviour of the Soviets, they had decided on a bold offer. He was now about to make it before everyone fell asleep.

  He waited for this new fellow with the hairy eyebrows – Brezhnev his name was - to finish speaking. He surreptitiously caught the eye first of von Altendorf and then von Mannstein. They knew he was ready to try and kick-start things.

  At long last Brezhnev stopped droning on. There was silence for a few minutes.

  Von Brauchitsch had their attention. He spoke loudly and purposefully.

  “Gentlemen. We have met today in an attempt to eliminate the curse of high defence spending”. They waited for his next words. “I have a proposal to make.” He saw that he had the interest of the Soviets.

  “With immediate effect Germany is willing to unilaterally reduce by half, its arms production for the next three months. We also invite the Soviet Union to send a team of inspectors to verify this.

  If, after the three months inspection period has expired, the Soviet Union has made no move towards taking the same action, we can all presume that arms limitation talks are premature, and leave such things for renegotiation at some future date.”

  His offer was short and crystal clear. He waited for their reaction. No more bullshit!

  The three top Russians spoke quietly but urgently among themselves for a few minutes. This stretched to ten minutes. Finally it was Khrushchev who answered.

  “Your offer is accepted,” was all he said. Then he smiled.

  ‘That’s a first’ thought von Brauchitsch.

  The conference now lost itself in details of dates, security, verification procedures, and other nonsense that von Brauchitsch largely left to von Mannstein to sort out. He was by no means sure if their offer would result in anything more than a few months reduced production by the Germans, and free insight into their manufacturing facilities for the Russians. That was the only risk they faced. At least the deadlock was broken. They would soon know how serious Khrushchev was.

  An hour later they were all drinking vodka in the Russian living quarters. His offer had dramatically changed the atmosphere in an instant. The Russians were actually trying to be friendly!

  A few more drinks and some Russian music started playing. Another drink and some of the Russian soldiers were called in by their officers to perform some traditional dances for the German guests, who were actually enjoying their first ever normal meeting with Soviet citizens. Most unexpected. And very interesting. Even a slightly inebriated Marshall Zhukov demonstrated his dancing abilities to a delighted audience.

  Like von Altendorf, von Brauchitsch was also aware of how the Russian peasantry had been brutally treated for countless years. He looked around him. ‘Yet they are resilient. I really hope they see some meaningful change emerge from all this. If everything works out amicably, I think I would like to visit their country at some time.’

  The vodka was truly awful, but the Germans forced it down. Don’t want to offend our hosts now that we have made this breakthrough! The Russians seemed to have an endless supply of the stuff.

  During their get together, von Brauchitsch took the opportunity to surreptitiously return to Khrushchev the incriminating paper he had handed over at their last meeting. In effect he was saying, ‘Your trust has not been betrayed.’ Khruschev’s face showed no emotion, he simply raised his glass in a silent salute to the German.

  Before the party started to break up von Brauchitsch found himself standing next to Khrushchev. He had the feeling that the Russian had deliberately manoeuvred himself to be there when he had seen the German interpreter with him. The new Russian Tsar touched him on the shoulder and smiled. Two smiles in one day!

  Khrushchev then addressed von Brauchitsch through the German interpreter who calmly and coolly translated as if it were nothing more than a few comments the Russian was making about the festivities.

  It was much more than that!

 
Von Brauchitsch was told emphatically that the bad old days of Stalin were a stain on the Soviet Union. Khrushchev himself had been forced to do things of which he was deeply ashamed. He was pledging to do everything he could to alter the Soviet Union in a meaningful and positive way so that it could eventually assume its place alongside the rest of Europe within, or shoulder to shoulder with, the European Alliance. Although he could not say how long this would take, it would not happen quickly. Such a thing could not even be mentioned within Soviet ruling circles at the present time.

  The friendship and fair play displayed by Germany towards the Soviet Union, regardless of their conflicting ideologies, would forever be remembered by Nikita Khrushchev. He thanked von Brauchitsch.

  He then calmly wandered away to drink more vodka with his compatriots leaving a wondering von Brauchitsch.

  The following morning, suffering from hangovers varying from bad to very bad, the German delegation prepared to evacuate their living quarters before going to the airport. To their great surprise the senior members of the Soviet delegation appeared. They wanted to bid their new comrades a fond farewell, and give them a few bottles of the best Russian vodka to take back to Germany as gifts. The same drink they had enjoyed so much the previous evening.

  To the horror of von Altendorf they also insisted on one last drink before their German friends left. There was no way the Germans could refuse. The vodka was already being poured!

  Von Brauchitsch noticed von Altendorf go pale at the thought. He could not help but smile at this. That was one person he was not going to sit next to on the bumpy flight home! He can puke over somebody else!

  BERLIN - 20 APRIL

  The Russian arms control inspectors had finally gone home after three weeks. At one stage it seemed to Von Mannstein that they had been more interested in Germany’s night life, than inspecting the country’s armaments production. Albert Speer wholeheartedly agreed with him. Never known for his ‘partying’, Speer was glad to see the back of their wild and sometimes uncouth, visitors.

  The two Ministers, and their underlings detailed to escort the Russians, nevertheless felt sure that the Russians had successfully accomplished their mission. They would be able to confirm to their superiors in Moscow that production had indeed been slowed down in the factories they had seen in Germany.

  During the visit to the Junkers factory, von Mannstein had noted that the Soviets were in possession of very accurate production figures up the end of 1945. He wondered how they had got them, and mentioned the fact in his thank-you letter to Junkers. The Soviet figures for Focke-Wulf and Messerschmitt were much more inaccurate, as were those for tank production.

  Now it remains to be seen if the Soviets are serious about arms limitation. Or if they ARE serious, will the ‘old guard’ allow any change?

  LONDON - 23 APRIL

  The royal palace was pleased to announce that an invitation had been extended to the German Chancellor, Field Marshall Walther von Brauchitsch, to attend a ceremony in October at Buckingham Palace. He was to be invested with Britain’s highest Order of Chivalry, The most Noble Order of the Garter.

  Traditionally, this day, 23 April, St Georges day, was the day such honours were announced.

  This Order had instituted by Edward III in 1348, and was awarded by the British sovereign as his or her personal gift. In this particular case, a special Statute had to be passed, to enable the Chancellor to receive the award as a foreign Head of State. Prior to this, the only foreign nationals to whom it could be awarded, were foreign monarchs.

  It was a singular honour for von Brauchitsch and it recognised his courage and commitment in, firstly, eliminating the scourge of Nazism in Germany, then later his leading role in creating a peaceful, prosperous, and strong Europe. This included the German success with arms limitation. All this was suitably described in diplomatic language.

  What could not be mentioned, for obvious reasons, was the virtual elimination of communism in Europe, other than the Soviet Union. The current easing of tension between the Soviet Union and the western world was also attributed to von Brauchitsch, but again could not be officially recognised.

  LONDON - 5 MAY

  The British general election had seen Winston Churchill’s Conservative party returned to power with a greater majority. The five years since the last election had been good ones for Britain. Churchill unashamedly took the credit for this. The British people had never had it so good!

  During his Premiership, it had given him a certain amount of secret pleasure to say no to the invitation by the US President Truman for Britain to join his ramshackle United Nations organisation. Truman was too liberal for his liking. He was also too often openly hostile to the existence of the British Empire.

  Churchill personally might have felt that Britain was morally obliged to join the UN if the rest of the world had, but the firm rejection of the concept by Germany and the rest of Europe gave him the excuse he needed to say ‘NO’. Britain’s decision had been copied by other countries in the Empire, notably Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. Only Canada had succumbed to pressure from its southern neighbour.

  As he celebrated in private with a whisky, he thought that he might retire before the next election. He had been in politics a long time. ‘Another three or four years and I will become a full-time painter’, he promised himself.

  BERLIN - 25 MAY

  It gave von Altendorf great pleasure to report to the Council that he had received a letter from Khrushchev. The Supreme Soviet Council had ordered a fifty percent reduction in arms production throughout the Soviet Union, commencing 1 June that year. This would last for a period of six months to give Germany and Europe, together with - hopefully - China, Japan, and possibly the United States, sufficient time to agree a permanent arms limitation treaty with the Soviet Union.

  The need for inspectors to verify matters was accepted. It was suggested that initially Germany and the Soviet Union work out an acceptable system between themselves, and this could then be put to all the other countries involved, for their consideration.

  “Like everything with the Soviets, we cannot take for granted that we have a deal here. I am optimistic, but I am sure that somewhere along the way we will find obstacles before us. In the meantime, let us regard this as real progress.”

  He also advised that an invitation had been received from Great Britain for the Chancellor to make a State visit to that country in October. This would coincide with the Chancellor’s investiture of the British honour being conferred on him by King George.

  Chancellor Von Brauchitsch didn’t show it but he had felt deeply honoured by this award from the British King. He considered it one of the greatest moments in his life.

  It was even possible it wouldn’t be raining in England in that month!

  Von Altendorf mentioned that during a debate the previous week, the Dutch Government had concluded that, with the exception of the Caribbean territories, their colonies were becoming a liability. There had been signs of increasing nationalism, usually involving terrorism, and the individual colonial economies were suffering.

  The Dutch wanted to shed them next year, before they became a drain on the home country.

  One more item of interest was the fact that the Balkan republics appeared to be settling down. Reported incidents of political unrest or violence were at their lowest since Yugoslavia had split asunder two years earlier. Early days yet, but a positive sign.

  The long awaited maiden test flight of the Komet would take place in mid-July, the Aviation Minister announced. His British counterpart would be there, together with Rolls Royce executives. Many representatives from various world airlines were expected. This would be an important day for the Anglo-German aircraft industry.

  The Defence Minister announced that General Sieckenius’ munitions deal with Argentina seemed to have started something of an arms race on the South American continent. His Ministry, through General Sieckenius’ department, had authorised sales of equip
ment to Chile, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela. All cash sales!

  A request from Paraguay had been declined due to the repressive nature of the regime of President Stroessner. Stroessner’s father had been German, and his government was firmly anti-communist and pro-German, but this was insufficient to persuade von Mannstein of the desirability of supplying their regime with arms. Too many similarities with Hitler and the Nazis!

  He also advised that India had obviously looked at the significant improvements taking place in the Bangladesh military, a potential enemy of theirs, and had requested a meeting with the German Defence Minister at his earliest convenience. Pakistan must have got wind of this and they too had requested a meeting. Could be a minefield!