Jackboot Britain: The Alternate History - Hitler's Victory & The Nazi UK! (33 page)

Yet
, it was whispered by some.
Not yet
.

“On top of the decree,” von Brauchitsch explained flatly, “Reichsführer-SS Himmler himself will be arriving with Heydrich. Obviously, this means the country is to be swept and cleansed of any undesirable elements, and police measures will intensify that, we are told, do not concern the Wehrmacht.”

The sneer in his voice was unmistakeable. General Halder wondered why he kept it out of his voice during meetings with Hitler. The commander continued:

“The order from Keitel, you can find in front of you, if you’ll permit me to read the pertinent parts…” he cleared his throat, and in a tone that clearly emphasised the disagreeable parts, shared with his fellow generals the orders concerning the Wehrmacht in Britain:

“Subject: Regulation on Commitment of the
Security Police and SD in units of the army
.
The execution of special Security Police missions outside the unit makes the commitment of special detachments of the Security Police and Security Service in the Wehrmacht’s operational area necessary, as well as unoccupied and civilian zones. In agreement… et cetera, et cetera… with the chief of the Security Police and the Security Service, SS-Obergruppenführer Reinhard Heydrich, Reichsprotektor of Great Britain, the commitment of the Security Police and the SD in the operational area is regulated as follows:

1. Missions. A: In the army rear area: Before the start of operations, securing of tangible objects (material, archives, card indexes of state organisations and/or organisations hostile to the state, units, groups, etc.) as well as especially important individuals (leading emigrants, saboteurs, terrorists, etc.).”

Field Marshal von Brauchitsch turned his face up to the table, his contempt palpable. He was gratified to see his feelings mirrored in the men before him.

“On this note, where the SiPo and SD actions may disrupt an ongoing army operation, the
commander of the army and the Chief of the Security Police and SD are to reach an agreement on the individual action
, or if this is not possible in the given timeframe,
the Security Police commander
in question must
use his own initiative
to determine expediency of accomplishing the mission in question, and the possibility of doing such without jeopardising army operations.”

Again, several generals made derisive noises. The document was cancer to their eyes.

The commander, sickened, continued his reading
ad nauseum
. “1b. In the army group rear area: Discovering and combating endeavours inimical to the state and Reich, insofar as they are not incorporated in the enemy armed forces, as well as generally informing the commanders of the army group rear areas about the political situation. Et cetera, et cetera…” the Field Marshal paused to gulp some water before continuing, his voice clearer. “2. Collaboration between the Einsatzkommandos of SiPo and SD, and the military commanding authorities in the Army Rear Area (to 1a).
The special detachments of the Security Police and Security Service carry out their missions upon their own authority
. In the zones of armed conflict, and when attached to the army for coordinated operations, they are subordinate to the armies as far as marching orders, rations, and quarters are concerned.
However, outside of conflict zones, they hold complete jurisdiction to operate in civilian areas and behind the army frontlines in non-combat zones
. Disciplinary and legal subordination under the Chief of the Security Police and Security Service is
applicable in all areas
, outside of adhering to army operations in active areas of conflict.
They receive their technical instructions from the Chief of the Security Police and Security Service
, although if occasion should arise are subordinated to restrictive orders of the armies in conflict zones with reference to their activity. (See No. 1a.).”

And for the last line, Commander von Brauchitsch, cursing his pyrrhic title and the siphoning of his power away to the bastard upstart Heydrich, and the bastard’s clever language and politicking, spat:

“
With this in mind
, a commissioner
of the Chief of the Security Police and of the Security Service will be employed in the area of each army for the central direction of these detachments
. He is required to bring to the attention of the Commander in Chief of the Army promptly the instructions sent to him by the
Chief of the Security Police and Security Service
, who in cases of grave importance for Reich Security and that of occupied Britain has
jurisdiction to decide in his power as Reichsprotektor…
the direction of such coordinated or overlapping actions, and
to issue the necessary orders determining the course of action taken
.”

Silence met the last proclamation. The implications were clear enough; the Military Commander of England did not hold even complete military sway in England, let alone civilian administration. No, the Hangman of Berlin had extended his empire west, and in the process, snatched away the hard-won victory of the Wehrmacht.

He pressed on, sensing that his diatribe had run its course. “We have been… instructed, as in Poland, as the army of the nation not to impede the…
noble historic tasks on behalf of the Fatherland
that our SS comrades are to perform. But we have our own tasks; the stability of the incorporation of England into the Greater German Reich… now, I want updates. General Halder?”

General Franz Halder, his Chief of Staff readjusted the pince-nez on his nose and answered in clear, clipped tones, casting his gaze around the table as he did so:

“Nothing new to report on the military situation, Herr Feldmarschall. The two Scottish cities remain secure; organised resistance in Scotland has been pushed south, and in any case much of it joined the bandit groups of northern England. As to the northern zone; resistance continues; we have secured the cities in the east-west Ludendorff Line: Hull, Leeds, Manchester, Liverpool, and we are established between twenty and thirty miles north of all those cities.”

Lieutenant-General Kritzinger pitched in; “And of the cities themselves, General? Have there been any instances of further terrorism or organised revolt?”

“There has not. Organised resistance remains exiled to the unoccupied pockets, mostly following the part of the underground auxiliary situation. Quite ingenious, I must say; a snowball effect from the small groups set up, as those who fled our troops were recruited en masse into collectives. But their hideaways are limited, and many remain hiding at home, with friends or sympathetic locals in villages, towns and whatnot.” Halder looked around impressively. “Commendable, but they cannot hold out through winter.”

“Excellent, General. What of continuing resistance in northern cities and townships, and policies enacted?”

Halder cleared his throat. “No. Army Group Centre was not been badly affected. The bulk of its reserves remain in the cities and major towns, but only individual acts of desperation or madness occur. Near Sheffield, three hundred partisans were shot for resistance that led to the death of nearly eighty soldiers. There is a complete press blanket on this story and the sharing of this incident was minimal.”

“Any others? Full report.”

Some of the generals began to make notes.

“In Leeds, the hanging of the mayor from the Town Hall seemed to be most effective. Two hundred were shot in City Square in reprisal for continued incidents in the weeks after Group North: Army Group B initially took the city. It was not an SS style reprisal,” he added smoothly, letting the statement sink in. “The General here was most specific in his report; the two hundred condemned had all been involved in active armed resistance to us. As to the rest… most of those willing to fight were flushed out along in the uprising, and either joined the partisans or were picked off retreating. All subsequent actions were individual acts of desperation or fear, and dealt with at the police level. Imprisonment, or quiet executions, nothing loud. The general populace got the message from the shooting in the square.”

“Not to mention the mayor,” another general chortled, and the men laughed.

“Everything in the path of AGB from Sheffield, Rotherham and Leeds was crushed. All the swine were pushed north. Things are quiet
now
,” Generalleutnant Walter Model cut in, irritated to have had the Yorkshire front laid out by Halder so peremptorily covered by Halder when his Panzer division had led the Army Group B spearhead in the fast blitzkrieg through Sheffield, Rotherham, Barnsley, Huddersfield and the Leeds that had taken only three days. Army Group B had been the fastest among Army Group Centre to establish their section of the Ludendorff Line, despite Leeds being further north than were Liverpool and Manchester on the west.
He lit a cigarette, despite every other general having abstained in the meeting room. “The surviving swine fled north, the rest are settling in to the new way of life,” Model concluded with gusto. The Generalleutnant sat back, pleased to have offered his piece. Model had no love for the Prussian aristocratic class of general, and hated the OKH and OKW General Staff as much as they despised him.

Halder shared a glance with von Brauchitsch; Model’s presence in reporting to OKH was the reason they were relatively restrained in their criticisms of the Führer’s policy, even regarding the SS. Model was a Nazi.

Unfortunately, though only in command of one motorised division of Army Group Centre, his input on the current conflict zones was necessary for the continuation of the ‘sweep and cleanse’ winter policy for north of the Ludendorff Line.

“Does that hold true elsewhere?” the commander asked Halder, trying to delay Model’s coarse contribution as long as he could. There were some murmurs of affirmation from several generals to the question, but Chief of Staff Halder offered the formal report.

“Roughly the same situation for Group C in Manchester. Prominent shootings in Piccadilly Square of armed resistors, and some hangings of the more prominent. The Einsatzgruppen under Six,” Halder said with audible distaste, “… were more zealous in Manchester, where they set up their major HQ for the northern zone. The Security Police executions were public, and graphic. Resistance crumbled fast.”

Halder checked the notes on the table in front of him, before continuing. “Hull at the far east of the line, secure. Manchester, Liverpool, secure. South of the big cities’ belt; Bristol, Birmingham, Wolverhampton, Coventry, Sheffield, Rotherham, Barnsley, all secure. West of Manchester and the final part of the great defensive line was volatile, but the Security Police groups secured the area after the army had pushed through. No continuing organised resistance south of the Wehrmacht’s Ludendorff Line. Group D that took Liverpool…” he hesitated, cleaning his glasses, and then resumed, “… Group D encountered some truly disgusting occurrences on the west coast.” Halder’s nose wrinkled in distaste. “But resistance there was soon quelled. Most tried to escape, rather than join the partisans or reach Scotland. Many set off across the sea for Ireland. No doubt we shall catch up with them soon enough.”

“Regardless of which zone,” a burly major-general boomed, and the assembled banged their knuckles on the table in approval.

Halder concluded. “So all in all, the major northern cities across the ‘Ludendorff Line’ and within one hundred miles south have been cleared.

The Commander nodded in approval. “Eight weeks and
All Quiet on the Western Front
?”

Halder grinned. “Like Paul could have only dreamed of. And we shall not be reaching for any fledgling birds, Herr Feldmarschall.”

“What of Scotland and the major cities?” Brauchitsch asked.

Halder glanced to Field Marshal Ritter von Leeb, one of those twelve generals promoted along with von Brauchitsch in the aftermath of the fall of France, not long before Operation Sealion had begun. Göring had become Reichsmarschall, a six-star general of the German Armed Forces in combination with his political roles of Reichstag President, Prime Minister of Prussia and the virtual economic and social dictator of Germany.

Ritter von Leeb had been assured by the Führer that becoming Commander of the Scotland theatre was befitting of his recent elevation, and he sweetened the pill by issuing the title of Acting Deputy-Military Commander of North Britain. But, given how von Brauchitsch’s own title was now largely worthless, his fellow Field Marshal was content to be known simply by his rank.

“Rebels have fled the occupied zone,” he began. “Fighting was, as you well know, extremely fierce in every township we encountered, though Army Group North’s progress was irresistible. After the initial hostilities we were quick to reach an arrangement with the suitable authorities. To all intents and purposes, we are not treating it as an occupation. Independence from England is the currency on our lips, as per the Führer directive, and as such we have forsaken reprisal policies.

The commander nodded without enthusiasm. “Mass-executions avoided. No reprisals. But what of resistance?”

“None remaining in the cities, despite our relative lack of size compared to the South and Centre Groups. It must be said, though, a great number of Scottish males of military and non-military age alike fled south to ally with the northern rebels of England.”

“They are doomed. What of the situation in Scotland itself,” von Brauchitsch demanded impatiently.

“The demarcation line has been drawn just north of Glasgow and Edinburgh, from Kirkcaldy in the east stretching down to Paisley in the west. Nothing of any strategic importance for the army exists north of those cities anyway, and the use of existing military bases in future or the building of new ones is a purely political issue, and unrelated to our current operations.”

Halder interjected. “As the Führer said, once things settle down we can just give the Scots independence at the price of naval and air bases in the north, and simply have done with them. As long as Germany controls the waters north of Britain, there is no reason for troops to be held down there just like there is no reason for Scots to fight and die for England.”