The harsh alarm resonated throughout the German Wehrmacht station, its piercing sound cutting through the air. Soldiers scrambled out of their barracks, hastily organizing their disheveled equipment. Just days prior, they had been issued ammunition. Now, all that was required was for them to load their rifles by pressing the bullets into the barrels.
"Hey! Hey? What did you say? Clarify! Are you saying the French have counterattacked? Slow down, tell me what's going on!" Major Varandu shouted into the telephone receiver, anxiety evident in his voice.
Behind him, a line of IDF soldiers marched out of the station. They had received orders over ten minutes ago and were now rushing to the outskirts of Mannheim to prepare defenses against the anticipated French forces.
Placing the phone down momentarily, Major Varandu quickly picked up the handset again. "Connect me to headquarters! Yes, immediately! Headquarters? Colonel Scock! This is Varandu. My regiment is mobilizing, but we're short on anti-tank weapons. We need support!"
"I'm in a mess here too!" The voice of Colonel Scock, equally fraught with tension, came through the line. "I don't have enough anti-tank guns available. I can only send you some 88mm guns from the division near Heidelberg. You'll have to manage with what you have."
"Colonel! I have only a handful of anti-tank mines! How am I supposed to hold off French tanks? With stones? I need more support, or my regiment won't be able to withstand the French onslaught!" Varandu protested loudly.
"Alright! I'll send you 20 more mines and try to arrange for two additional heavy machine guns. That's all I can spare," Colonel Scock replied helplessly. "You must hold the front line for at least two days. I've heard that our armored division should be arriving by then."
He had just spoken with Major General Luz, who confirmed that the French had indeed engaged IDF troops and informed him that the 25th Panzer Division was nearing Augsburg. Luz hoped that the 13th Division, currently deployed, could withstand the initial French attacks.
"What's going on! That damn Akado has thrown us into the fire!" Varandu cursed under his breath. "And that damn Luz, why did he have to deploy troops to the Rhineland at this crucial time?"
"Silence! Major Varandu, arm your men immediately; the French won't give us much time," Colonel Scock, a member of the Great German Party, admonished sternly.
"What's that noise?" Varandu questioned, hearing another alarm sound through the phone.
"Damn! French reconnaissance plane! Captain Deco! Get someone on the machine guns for air defense! Tell the soldiers to take cover! Quick!" Colonel Scock barked orders and then spoke hurriedly to Varandu, "I'll call you back later. It's too chaotic here right now..." Before Varandu could respond, the line went dead.
Hanging up the receiver, Varandu turned to his adjutant. "Have the scouts search immediately. I need concrete evidence of French aggression!" He pointed to the map, indicating the area from Germany to the French border near Kaiserslautern. "Find the French offensive line—quickly!"
He then directed a battalion commander, who was awaiting orders, "Deploy your men here and here. Spread all sniper teams across the wilderness and in the towns along this route. No one retreats without orders!"
"Sir, if the French forces push through, we can't maintain such an extended line of defense. The entire regiment could collapse," the battalion commander warned, his expression troubled.
"It's useless to call for help. General Lutz is also setting up defenses towards Frankfurt. They can't spare any troops for us," Major Varandu dismissed the suggestion with a wave of his hand. He thought bitterly of the high command in Berlin, "God! Akado has sent us straight to hell. We'll be torn apart by the French!"
Meanwhile, at the naval base, Sindra reported to Akado, "The navy's destroyers are combat-ready and can depart at any moment."
"Colonel Guderian just called. His troops are moving towards Augsburg. He requests that the Transport Department ensure there's sufficient fuel along the route so they can reach Stuttgart by tomorrow," she continued.
"The 26th Cavalry Division under Rommel is advancing towards Villingen-Schwenningen. He plans to counterattack from the south towards Offenburg when the French target Stuttgart. However, his troops are running low on fuel and ammunition," Lieutenant General Fedor von Bock added, his voice laden with urgency.
Akado, the Deputy Chief of Staff of the National Defense Forces, surveyed the map detailing the troop movements towards the German-French border. His brow furrowed deeply, a sign of the heavy burden he carried.
"Majoran Brouchich's 4th Division is moving towards Cologne, but intelligence reports suggest that the city will fall within days. The 4th Division won't make it in time," Gascoll nearly choked on his words, the gravity of the situation weighing on him. He and Akado had planned the operation into the Rhineland, and a defeat here would mark them as villains in German history.
"Enough! Calm yourselves," Akado suddenly interrupted the flurry of reports. "Who can tell me—why did the French fire on us? Where exactly are our troops now in relation to the French forces?"
"Two hours ago, General Luz ordered his battalions to advance into the Rhineland. They were initially welcomed by the local residents," Sindra explained, pointing to a specific area on the map of the Rhineland. "As our troops reached this point, one soldier was hit by a bullet, causing immediate chaos at the scene."
"Our soldiers sent a telegram back claiming that the French had opened fire," Lieutenant General Bock added with a sigh. "The orders were to retreat at the first sign of a counterattack, so they don't have a clear assessment of the French forces. They've retreated to defensive positions near several key bridges across the Rhine."
"A reporter was prepared to celebrate this as a triumphant moment, but it turned into a farce with just one gunshot?" Akado exclaimed in frustration. "Now the world will see us as nothing but cowards!"
"General, our imposition of martial law in Berlin has sparked public complaints," a colonel interjected as he entered the room. "President Hindenburg just called the guard room, demanding that we control the situation."
"Deputy Chairman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Streisman, has requested a return call," Anna added, her voice tense. "He suggested that we immediately contact the French government to explain our actions."
"If we back down now, all our efforts will be in vain!" Akado stood, his determination unwavering. "I expanded the National Defense Force to its current size. I've poured my life into building this powerful nation. I've never been wrong before, and I won't be this time. I order the troops that are being mobilized to continue their advance."
"General, we could be completely overwhelmed by the French," Bock warned, his brow furrowed in concern. "We have only about 70,000 troops near the French border, and the reinforcements are less than 150,000. France can mobilize more than four times our strength."
"I know," Akado responded solemnly. "But we can't afford to panic now. I want to handle this myself!" With that, he pulled out his gun, placed it on the desk, and picked up the telephone receiver. "Get me General Luz."
He waited impatiently for Luz to answer and then demanded, "Luz! I need to know what happened. Why did the French fire?"
"General, the French did indeed open fire. My troops had to withdraw from the Rhineland and establish defensive positions at several bridges," Luz replied, his own situation chaotic. "One battalion commander reported that the French were retreating, while another said a French machine gun unit was active, but we couldn't confirm their numbers."
"You need to find out the exact situation yourself! I want the most accurate information immediately!" Akado insisted angrily. "Because of your telegram, we now have 100,000 troops on the road. Confirm the French intentions now!"
"Yes, sir," Luz responded, setting down the receiver. Akado could still hear him shouting orders in the background, "Get me a car! Let's head to the bridgehead!"
As Akado hung up, another officer knocked on the door. "Kaiserin called to ask if he should deploy a fighter plane to intercept the French aircraft."
"No, let his units stand by at the airport. Fuel all aircraft and prepare bombs," Bock decided after a moment's thought, then dismissed the officer with a nod.
Everyone in the room turned their attention back to Akado, observing as a bead of sweat trickled down his pale face.
"General, I believe in you," Anna approached Akado, her expression earnest. "I trust everything you've planned. If we fail, I'm prepared to face the consequences with you."
Akado looked up, meeting Anna's gaze. He attempted a reassuring smile but was interrupted by a soldier bursting into the room, his expression alarmed.
"Sir, President Hindenburg just sent a telegram to headquarters," the soldier stammered, his voice trembling. "He said, if you had any honor left, you should take your own life."
Suicide? Akado glanced at the P-38 pistol lying on his desk and let out a bitter laugh, the weight of the situation bearing down on him.