Chapter 146 Chapter 24 "The Door to the Dark Room" (3)

What can bother you, You, knight in arms, A knight who idles helplessly? — Keats During these days in the early summer of 1941, Hitler fell ill.First, he had frequent stomach pains - possibly irrepressible.This was due to an overdose - 120-150 oral anti-drugs per week plus 10 strong sulfa injections. Then he contracted dysentery—a common disease in the marshes around Wolf's Den.In addition to dysentery, nausea, and aches in the extremities, he suffered from chills and fever. In late July, during a heated debate with Ribbentrop, an even more serious threat to his health occurred.The foreign minister, who had opposed "Barbarossa" from the very beginning, was furious and loudly opposed the invasion of Soviet Russia.Hitler was blue with rage at this extraordinary attack.He tried to defend himself, but fell short in the middle of the sentence.He clutched his chest and sat down on the chair.He was silent and frightening. "I thought I had a heart attack," he finally said. "In the future, don't oppose me like this again!"

Dr. Morell was very concerned and sent the Führer's electrocardiogram to Dr. Karl Weber (a well-known authority on cardiology) at the Heart Hospital in Bad Nauheim for reexamination.He didn't know his patient was Hitler, only that he was a "busy diplomat".His diagnosis was: rapidly developing coronary arteriosclerosis, an incurable disease.Dr. Morell probably did not break the news to Hitler.Once, he said to the head of state that his heart was fine.However, Morel added a variety of drugs to his prescription: heart tonics (beneficial and harmless potions for poor circulatory system function, fainting and excessive fatigue), epinephrine, etc.

Hitler's illness broke out just when the conflict between him and his generals (about how the war in the east should be fought) reached its peak.He has ordered the cancellation of a direct attack on Moscow.He stripped Army Group Center of its best armored units: one was sent to the north to take Leningrad, and the other to the south for the march on Ukraine.Both regions were more important to Hitler than Moscow.The former is an important industrial center (ordered in Lenin's name), the latter because of its economic importance. Ukraine is not only an industrial center and rich in food, Crimea is also a potential for the Soviet Union to bomb the Ploiesti oil field in Romania Moreover, once the Crimea is captured, the German army will be able to advance smoothly into the Caucasus.

Hitler's illness provided an opportunity for Brauchitsch's Halder to undermine the Führer's strategy.They quietly tried to carry out their own plans, with Halder exerting personal influence on yordle to gain his support.It wasn't until mid-August, when Hitler's body gradually recovered, that he realized what they were doing behind the scenes: neither his strategy nor Halder's policy was implemented, but a mixture of the two.To clarify the situation, Hitler issued an order on August 21.It is impossible to misunderstand this order: "The most important goal to be reached in winter is not Moscow, but the Crimea peninsula." The attack must not start.Then, hours after the order was issued, Hitler angrily dictated a lengthy memorandum.It's a little better than stern lectures on how to fight wars.Hitler read the memorandum in anger.Assaulting that some commanders had been driven by "selfish desires" and "bully tempers", he described Army General Command as a collection of "clinging to obsolete theories".

"It's a bad day for the Army!" Engel wrote in his diary. "Unbearable!" Halder wrote in his diary, "Unheard of! Limit!" On the 22nd, Halder and Brauchitsch complained for several hours, complaining about the "inability of the Führer to intervene in the internal affairs of the army." accepted" practice.In the end, he suggested that the two resign together.The old marshal, emaciated and depressed, refused to do so on the grounds that "this is not feasible and will not change anything."He even tried to suppress the rebellion among his own personnel.He told them that the Fuehrer had personally promised that once victory in Ukraine was assured, all available troops would be devoted to the attack on Moscow.Thereafter the rebellion--if one may call it that--was subsided in low and low murmurs.