Chapter 179 Chapter 28 The Army’s Explosion Plan (10)

The military situation had become so serious that only those with some motive would not consider surrendering.Along the entire eastern front from the Baltic to Ukraine, the Red Army launched a counter-offensive that either wiped out the Germans or surrounded them.In the south, the Soviet army is capturing the oil fields of Romania; in the north, the Soviet army has just encircled 50 divisions of Germany; in the center, the Red Army is encircling Warsaw.In this case, Hitler himself ordered the removal of the coffin of President von Hindenburg from Tannenberg, the site of his great victory in the First World War.

In this emergency situation, Goebbels promulgated a new "Draco Policy" on August 24: all theaters, concert halls, drama schools, and restaurants with singing and dancing must be closed within a week.Before long, he warned, all orchestras, music schools, academies, etc., except for a few major ones, would be out of business or closed;Except for the two illustrated newspapers, other books, such as novels and other literary works, were not allowed to be published. The next day, after four years of German occupation, Paris is liberated; Romania and Finland both sue for peace. Twenty-four hours later, Romania overthrew the rule of Marshal Antonescu through a coup and declared war on Germany.Facing defeat across the board, Hitler remained unwavering.His answer to the signs of disintegration within the Army was that relatives of deserters would be arrested.

On the last day of August, he told Keitel and two other generals that it was not yet ripe for political decisions. "These moments only come when you win." There is still hope for success, he said.Tensions between the Allied forces were growing and would eventually lead to a split. "The only thing to do is to wait, no matter how difficult, for the right moment." He mused gloomily on the problems he faced on both the east and west fronts, and then pitied himself. "I think this war is obviously not fun for me. I have been isolated from the world for five years. I haven't been to the theater, I haven't heard a piece of music, I haven't seen a movie." Anger builds up. "I would blame the General Staff for not showing iron resolve, which affected the morale of the combat officers. When the General Staff officers went to the front, I said they were spreading pessimism!" He would fight until Germany The peace achieved is enough to guarantee the life of the German people for the next hundred years, "especially important, so that our honor will not be tarnished like it was in 1918." His thoughts temporarily returned to the bombing conspiracy.Death, he said, "is the release from sorrow, sleepless nights, and mental anguish. In the blink of an eye, man is free from everything and rests forever."

His fatalistic mood may have been the result of his deteriorating health.Although he joked with the secretaries about his right hand—he could no longer shave himself because it was trembling—it was badly affected by the wind, which was exacerbated by constant earaches.After a few days, he felt hair swelling, especially in the brow area, which further complicated his condition.His voice was hoarse; he complained of stomach pains, but ignored Dr. Gissing's warnings, which were the result of taking various pills prescribed by Dr. Morell. At the beginning of September, in order to relieve the fistula pain, he agreed to use the 10 percent cocaine solution prescribed by Dr. Gissing, and to inhale obediently on the inhaler for several hours every morning and evening.

Gissing's visit made Hitler very happy.He began to express his gratitude to Gissing as to Dr. Morel.Gratitude developed into trust—and before long, his personal relationship with the Führer was rare.After the treatment, the two talked for a long time, covering a wide range of topics, from the future of the empire to the harm of smoking.During the conversation, Gissing continued to take detailed notes.He even took on a more dangerous task: conducting psychological experiments in secret.The job was done so ingeniously that Hitler did not realize for a long time that he was the subject of, in Gissing's words, "a rather primitive psychological experiment."Gissing diagnosed him as a "Caesar-obsessed psychopath."

Painful, despondent and irritable as he was these days, he never lost his temper with his youngest secretary, Traudel Jung, and remained concerned about her private interests.However, one day at lunch, she noticed that he was behaving strangely.Not a word was said to her.When their eyes met, she saw that his eyes were serious, as if he was probing something.She wondered if someone had gossiped about her.Later that day, SS General Otto Hermann Fegelein called and asked if she could come to his barracks.The general put his hand on her shoulder like a father, and told him that her husband had died in the field.He explained that the Führer knew the news yesterday, but dared not tell her the bad news.She was later called to the Führer's study.He took her by the hands, and said tenderly, "Oh, my child, how sorry I am. What a wonderful man your husband is." He told her to go on with her work, and promised to help her "often."

In early September, Professor Ecken came to check again.Like Dr. Gissing and Hitler's other two surgeons, Brandt and Hasselbach, he was worried when he heard that Morel had given him those injections and medicines. The four doctors discussed in secret, but Professor Eckon was worried that the head of state would not listen to his warning, just like he would not listen to the three doctors, because the head of state completely trusted Morel. A week later, Hitler reported that he could barely sleep.He couldn't sleep all night because of stomach cramps.Inflammation of the fistula did not abate; pain continued on the left side of the head.And his condition was aggravated by the sound of steam hammers day and night—in order to prevent sudden bombing by Soviet planes, the bunker where he lived was being reinforced.The damage to health brings another side effect: the original good memory is now declining.For a long time, he had a good memory for lengthy documents and could repeat them word for word; now, he even found it difficult to remember names.He smiled wryly and said that fortunately, there are only a few people who need him to deal with these days.

Immediately after Gissing finished his cocaine treatment on September 12, he felt dizzy.He said that it was pitch black before his eyes, and he quickly supported the table so as not to fall.His pulse was fast and weak, and after 90 seconds the attack—probably a mild coronary attack—passed.Pulse returned to normal.Then he broke out in a cold sweat.He called Morel and gave him three injections; the illness was temporarily relieved. On September 16, he suffered a mild heart attack for the third time.This time, he agreed to do what Dr. Gissing had been asking him to do for months: get a head radiography.