Chapter 142 Chapter 23 "The whole world will hold its breath" (7)

The day after learning of Hess' departure, Hitler issued two decrees of repression.The first decree declared that any Russian who took up arms against the Germans in the coming invasion was an outlaw and could be shot.Another decree authorized Himmler to carry out "special tasks arising from the struggle between two opposing political systems." Himmler could act independently of the army and "be responsible for himself."No unit is allowed to intervene and "top government and party figures" are not allowed to enter occupied Russian territory, where special assassination squads of the SS, known as "Special Operations Brigades," will kill Jews and other Troublemakers "clean".

These two decrees worried Alfred Rosenberg - not long ago, he had been appointed commissioner of the "Central Control Committee for Eastern European Questions".Rosenberg, himself a native of the Baltic region, believed that the Soviets should be treated as anti-Stalinists, not as enemies of the Reich.He told Hitler that they would welcome the Germans and treat the Germans as liberators from the Bolshevik-Stalin tyranny.We should trust them and give them some autonomy.Each Union Republic should be treated differently.For example, Ukraine "should be an independent state in union with Germany", but the Caucasus is to be ruled by a German "ambassador plenipotentiary".

Rosenberg firmly believed that adopting a high-pressure policy in the East would destroy the spirit of living space.Therefore, he drafted a memorandum and wrote to Hitler, opposing these two laws.How could Germany establish a civilized regime in the occupied territories without the use of the civil and administrative officials who are now governing the Soviets?He suggested that only "old or aging officials" should be "purged".Hitler did not answer in the affirmative.It was characteristic of Hitler that he did not want to take an active part in the power struggle between Himmler and Rosenberg - the kind of struggle that would inevitably take place as soon as German troops stepped into the Soviet Union.In this power struggle, Baumann, the rising star of the National Socialist Party, will be a decisive factor.He has joined Himmler.

Meanwhile, final preparations for Barbarossa continued. On May 10, Admiral Raeder informed Hitler that he would stop delivering important raw materials to the Soviet Union.In fact, before that, there were many arrivals from the East, while the shipments to the Soviet Union had relatively decreased.In addition to 1.5 million tons of grain, the Soviet Union delivered 100,000 tons of cotton, 2 million tons of petroleum products, 1.5 million tons of timber, 140,000 tons of manganese, and 25,000 tons of chromium.Although Stalin suspected that Hess had left, he was still eager to appease Hitler and approved the express delivery of important raw materials (such as copper) from the Far East to Germany.

On the same day, Schulenburg met with Molotov.Earlier, Schulenburg had speculated that Stalin's recent consolidation of power meant only that the Soviet Union's diplomatic power was completely in Stalin's hands.The meeting reinforced his view.In the report, Schulenburg avoided talking about "Barbarossa", saying only that in the past few weeks, the Soviet Union's attitude towards Germany had improved greatly.But neither the admiral nor the diplomats could convince Hitler any more. On May 30, three days after German forces captured Crete from the British, Raeder urged Hitler to launch a massive offensive against Egypt and the Suez Canal in an attempt to divert his attention from the east.He urges that it is time to strike.With reinforcements, General Rommel would have won a decisive victory.He said, "This move is more fatal to the British Empire than the capture of London!"

Hitler would not listen to such advice. "Barbarossa" was already on the move, and nothing could delay it except catastrophe.His greatest concern was secrecy.The misfortune in Belgium a year ago still haunts him, so, to this day, they have not informed Mussolini of the invasion of Russia. On June 2, when he met with his older allies at the Brenner Pass, he spoke of his determination to force Britain to surrender (this time using submarines), Hess' departure, and the situation in the Balkans.He said nothing about "Barbarossa."This was not only for secrecy, but also because Mussolini had clearly warned Hitler not to attack the Soviet Union.This has become Germany's "painful foot".

The road and rail lines to the east were very busy when preparations for the final phase of Barbarossa began. On June 6, Hitler summoned Japanese ambassador Oshima to Berchtesgaden and revealed to him that due to the Soviet invasion of the border, a large number of German troops had moved east. "Under the circumstances," Oshima was impressed by the confidence with which he spoke, "a war between us may be inevitable." In Oshima's view, this was tantamount to a declaration of war, and he immediately Warn Tokyo that a (German) invasion of Russia is imminent. This is a very meaningful day for the head of state.He had Marshal von Brauchitsch draw up a directive announcing the elimination of all captured Soviet commissars because they represented an ideology that was completely opposed to National Socialism.in order to legitimize the threat of waging a brutal ideological battle.His Commander-in-Chief objected vehemently.

Hitler said succinctly: "I do not ask the generals to understand my orders, but I want them to carry them out." The wording of this instruction cannot be misunderstood. "These political commissars are the inventors of the barbaric Asian methods of warfare. Therefore, they must be dealt with strictly and promptly... Regardless of whether they are captured in the war or resistance, they should be shot immediately." This order derived from ideology will be executed by The Army and Himmler's special operations team jointly executed.And the fact that this order was issued by the High Command was, for Hitler, another victory for the military.It tied the military to his political program, turning them into unwilling accomplices with the SS in his grand plans for the future.

To achieve this goal, he must first destroy the Red Army.For this, he had to enlist the help of the trusted states bordering the Soviet Union—states that, with their horrific hatred of Bolshevism, also had their own accounts to settle with Stalin.The Finns, forced to accept harsh terms to end their short, bloody war with Russia, were willing to join the expedition without saying a word. On June 8, the vanguard of the German infantry division landed in Finland.Two days later, Field Marshal Mannershing ordered a partial mobilization.Hitler also trusted Romania; on June 11 he told General Ian Antonescu privately that he had decided to attack Russia.He said that he was by no means asking Antonescu to assist him in such a war, "just hope that Romania will do its best to facilitate the successful conclusion of this conflict for its own benefit."Tempted by future spoils and military glory, Romania's dictator hastily declared that from day one he would fight.