"Following the tragic death of Generalmajor Markus von Sauerberg, the troops of the 5th Regiment have planned a parade through our city. They will be starting at the church and will..."
"Is that not the third one this month?" Sergeant Mayer asked, turning the radio down.
"The third one we know about," his comrade replied quietly. There was a hint of unease in his voice. "Do you not see the pattern?"
"Pattern?" Mayer raised an eyebrow.
"They are all from the old guard." The other sergeant leaned closer, almost whispering, and cast a quick glance toward the door of their dormitory.
"You think these are not accidents? That is ridiculous," Mayer said, shaking his head.
"It is not..." the man began.
"Wait, wait," Mayer interrupted, suddenly turning the radio volume back up.
"This is important news. The Führer is going to speak to the nation right now."
The radio crackled, the static fading into silence. Then a sharp, commanding voice filled the room.
"Good morning, fellow citizens of the Reich. Today I bring you important news. The talks with the Austrian delegation have concluded and they were a great success. This is why I, as Führer, hereby declare the Anschluss of Austria into the German Reich. I have ordered the Wehrmacht to march into Austria peacefully. From this day forth, Germany and Austria shall be one. All Germanic people will unite under the Reich."
12 hours earlier
"Generalmajor Markus von Sauerberg, you are proclaimed a traitor of the Fatherland by the Führer's decree. With the authority granted to me, I sentence you, in view of your crimes, to death. Any last words?" Paul asked, extending his Luger and pressing the cold barrel against the forehead of the middle aged man kneeling before the shallow pit.
Sauerberg exhaled slowly.
"Then so be it. Dying here means I remained true to myself, true to the Kaiser, true to Germany. False to the Führer, false to the Reich and false to you and your ambitions, Oberst Jeager."
He closed his eyes.
"I have no regrets."
A single gunshot tore through the forest. For a moment, the world fell silent. Then the sound of rain returned, whispering through the trees.
"Good night," Paul murmured as the general's body collapsed into the mud.
He looked down at the man lying before him, the body already sinking into a darkening pool of blood. His gaze did not linger on the corpse but on the reflection shimmering on the surface. His own face stared back at him.
He tilted his head slightly, studying the features in the red shine. He wiped several faint specks of blood from his cheek.
I barely recognize that face, Paul thought.
He nudged the lifeless body with his boot, pushing it into the waiting hole.
The SS men behind him stepped forward at once, their shovels biting into the wet earth. When the pit was filled, one of them hurried away and returned with a simple wooden cross, placing it on top of the fresh mound of soil.
"Quite the graveyard," a voice remarked behind him.
Paul turned just enough to recognize the tall silhouette and the familiar sharpness in his tone.
Heydrich stepped to his side. The two men stood in silence for a moment, their eyes drifting over the dozen white crosses scattered across the clearing.
Heydrich folded his hands behind his back and turned to Paul."I have news," he said. "The Führer will announce the annexation of Austria tomorrow morning. My birds have whispered to me that the talks with the Austrian delegation went very well."
Paul gave a short nod. "I will be there."
Present – Vienna
"Göring has arrived with a squadron of Messerschmitt fighters. Quite the grand display, one could say," a burly official reported in a thick Austrian dialect. "Himmler came by armored train, brought an entire battalion of SS men with him."
"The rest of the inner circle traveled with the Führer. They flew in together and should arrive shortly."
He hesitated."All except one."
"Except one?" Kurt Schuschnigg asked. The puppet president Hitler had installed only days earlier leaned forward, impatience in his voice.
"Well... Heinrich Jeager," the official said, stumbling briefly over the name. "By now he can be considered part of the inner circle too."
"Yes, and?"
"He took command of a Panzer division and drove straight across the border. His division should arrive any moment." The official looked uneasy, a faint crease forming on his forehead.
A loud commotion erupted outside. Cheers and excited shouts echoed through the corridors.
"Seems like they have arrived," the official said.
Minutes later the doors swung open and a group of men entered the building, led by a smaller figure with a narrow mustache under his nose.
"Schuschnigg!" Hitler called out, gripping the Austrian's hand a little too enthusiastically.
"Mein Führer," Schuschnigg replied awkwardly. "Welcome to Vienna."
"Mein Führer, we must meet with the members of parliament..." one official began.
"There will be an even larger crowd of Austrians waiting outside..." another added.
"Oberst Jeager will arrive soon," a third interjected.
"Gentlemen, enough," a well dressed, good looking man said, adjusting his suit.
"No, wait. Ribbentrop," Hitler said, turning toward the one who had spoken last. "Jeager is coming? Is that true, Hess?"
"Indeed. He told me he wanted to give you a present. A military parade for this special occasion," Hess answered.
Several men gasped, realizing what that meant. Jeager had acted entirely on his own authority, without orders.
Hitler's eyes narrowed for a brief moment. Then a grin spread across his face.
"Good. Very good. Let us see it then!"
In that moment, both Himmler and Göring, clad in their expensive military uniforms, wore the same expression: anger, disappointment, and jealousy.
When the group stepped onto the balcony overlooking Vienna, they saw the tanks growing larger in the distance.
Crowds of thousands, perhaps even hundreds of thousands, rushed into the streets, bringing flowers and cheering as the soldiers approached.
Paul saluted from the turret of his tank, leading the spearhead of the column. The rumble of engines and the clatter of tracks were drowned out by the deafening roar of the crowd around them.
The new prototype Panzer III and the Panzer II rolled down the boulevard, their officers inside saluting with unmistakable enthusiasm.
Columns of infantry marched between them, smiling as they tried in vain to free themselves from the countless flower petals raining down on their uniforms.
"Heinrich Jeager!" a man shouted, his voice full of reverence.
"Yes, that is Heinrich Jeager. He is famous in Germany!" a boy said excitedly, pointing at the man standing on the tank.
Yet Paul kept his head tilted upward, his eyes locked sharply on the distant balcony.
As if sensing Paul's gaze, Göring and Himmler clenched their jaws, watching the spectacle unfold and the Führer's rising enthusiasm.
"That is Germany's might!" Hitler roared.
Some around him nodded eagerly. Others, like Himmler and Göring, clasped their hands with fading energy, unable to hide their discomfort.
When Paul's Panzer came to a halt before the balcony, he climbed out and raised his right arm, shouting something the roar of the crowd swallowed instantly.
Hitler smiled, delighted by this very public proof of Paul's loyalty.
Moments later Paul joined him on the balcony, receiving a firm clap on the shoulder.
"What a spectacle, Jeager," Hitler said with a loud laugh. "And was that the new Panzer III our marvelous engineers built?"
"Indeed, my Führer," Paul replied with a nod. "I wished to surprise you on this occasion. The Panzer III surpasses all previous models. It will bring Germany victory."
"Good, good," Hitler called out, clasping his hands together before leaning in closer to Paul.
"Loyalty will be rewarded," he whispered, loudly enough for the others to hear.
Himmler tightened his fist, the knuckles whitening. Göring's face turned a deep shade of red, and he had to take a steadying breath to keep himself under control.
Paul noticed both men from the corner of his eye. While Hitler turned to address another official, Paul stepped away, walking in their direction.
Surprised, Göring and Himmler exchanged a glance.
But Paul halted before reaching them, extending his hand not to either of them, but to another player entirely.
"Herr Ribbentrop. A pleasure to meet you," Paul said, offering a small, calculated smile.
Ribbentrop studied him for a brief moment before returning a practiced diplomatic smile.
"Herr Jeager, a marvelous display," he said with a respectful nod. "The Führer appeared quite pleased with your surprise..."
"It depends who grants him surprises," Paul replied, his smile sharpening but never reaching his eyes. "He tends to favor mine."
Ribbentrop tilted his head slightly, gauging the meaning behind the words, before answering:
"We should meet soon, Herr Jeager. Face to face."
Paul nodded and turned his gaze back toward the city, letting his eyes drift into the far distance.
At that same moment, a man in a brown suit sat at a small table in a Viennese café, a newspaper held loosely in his hands. His eyes narrowed.
Not at the print before him, but at the balcony far beyond it. A faint shiver ran down his spine, as if someone were watching him. Only when a waitress approached did he finally look away.
"More coffee?" she asked politely.
"Yes... thank you," he replied, his heavy American accent impossible to hide...
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