African Entrepreneurship Records 2

Chapter 1569 The German Army Enters
After Italy declared war, Poland, Serbia, Romania, and western Ukraine followed suit, using the pretext of declaring war on the United Austrian Republic to gradually encroach on Austro-Hungarian territory.

Originally, they were all concerned about the Austro-Hungarian Empire and Germany, but the emergence of the United Austrian Republic gave them an excellent pretext for war. Now, this war, disguised as a "strike against the Labour Party," has become legitimate.

Within the Austro-Hungarian Empire, multiple governments emerged. Both the Austro-Hungarian government and the coalition government claimed legitimacy and represented the entire nation, while several local governments seized the opportunity to declare independence.

Berlin, Germany.

Prime Minister Adolf was not in a good mood. Although the current chaos in the Austro-Hungarian Empire provided Germany with an excellent opportunity to annex Austria, the situation had developed in a way that exceeded his expectations.

At the Prime Minister's residence, Adolf gave Heinrich a severe dressing-down and said, "Your intelligence services are doing a very poor job."

"The so-called Greater Austrian coalition government has completely disrupted our plans."

Adolf originally intended to support the German National Party of Austria-Hungary to enhance Germany's penetration into Austria-Hungary, thereby assisting Germany in fulfilling its ambition to annex the entire Austro-Hungarian Empire.

However, Vienna has now fallen into the hands of the Labour Party, which has formed a coalition government. Crucially, this coalition government is nationwide and is not on good terms with Germany.

"Why didn't the Austrian National Party take any action before the changes in Vienna, and why did Vienna fall directly into the hands of the Labour Party?"

In response to the Prime Minister's questioning, Heinrich explained: "Your Excellency, we do bear some responsibility for the changes in the situation in Austria-Hungary, but the main reason is that the situation changed too quickly, leaving us no time to react."

"Recently, the intelligence agencies have been busy arresting domestic Labour Party members and Jews, etc. This workload is not small, and it is difficult to spare resources to simultaneously make arrangements for the Austro-Hungarian Empire."

"In addition, Vienna was previously under the control of the Habsburg royal family, which made it difficult for us to carry out some of our work. After all, Austria-Hungary was an imperial ally, so we had many concerns."

Adolf was clearly not satisfied with these explanations. Regardless of whether the intelligence service had its own difficulties, the intelligence service was obviously to blame for the deteriorating situation in Austria-Hungary.

"Don't make excuses or reasons to avoid this. I just want to know why Vienna was so easily taken over by the Labour Party, while the Austrian National Party did nothing during the same period."

Heinrich glanced cautiously at Adolf, then lowered his head and said, “Your Excellency, the reason is actually quite simple. The Austrian National Party itself is unpopular in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Their proposals can only gain the approval of a small number of Austrians. However, the Austro-Hungarian Empire is different from our Germany. It is a multi-ethnic country, and Germans do not constitute a majority.”

"In contrast, the Austro-Hungarian Labour Party did not have such restrictions. They did not emphasize national and state identity, but focused more on promoting and instigating class issues, so they were better able to win the hearts and minds of the people."

Heinrich meant that the different national conditions of Austria-Hungary and Germany led to differences in the thinking of the people of the two countries. Austria-Hungary, as a multi-ethnic country, obviously placed more emphasis on national equality than Germany.

This kind of government-level propaganda has been promoted since the founding of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and it is bound to have some effect over the years.

Therefore, the Labour Party was more likely to represent the majority of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, especially the grassroots population, while the Austrian National Party had the greatest influence on some German-populated areas.

Heinrich said, "This made the Labour Party more able to win over the people during the Vienna civil war, while the National Party could not achieve the same effect, and was even less effective than other Austrian parties and royalists."

"Now, if we want to annex Austria-Hungary, we have no other way but to take military action. Otherwise, given the Labour Party's pace of expansion, the coalition government might become a second Soviet Union."

Adolf said somewhat impatiently, "I understand the seriousness of the problem better than you do. Although I have always looked down on the Labour Party, I must admit that the Labour Party is not weak in terms of ability."

Adolf, who had dealt with the German Labor Party for many years, was naturally very clear about his enemy. The fact that the German Labor Party was able to grow stronger despite government suppression over the past decade speaks volumes.

This group of people are neither afraid of death nor greedy for money, but that is precisely what makes them so terrifying, as it also means they have few weaknesses.

"It's not just a Labour Party issue. Now, countries like Italy have taken the opportunity to declare war on Austria. Their actions make it more difficult for us to completely take over the Austro-Hungarian Empire."

"If we had been able to control the situation in the Austro-Hungarian Empire from the beginning, we wouldn't have given them this opportunity to get a share of the spoils."

If he could have kept it all to himself, Adolf would naturally not want to share the Austro-Hungarian Empire with the likes of Italy, a place he had originally considered his own.

The problem is that the countries that have declared war on the United Austrian Republic have good relations with Germany, and some are even Germany's ally.

They declared war on the United Austrian Republic under the pretext of eliminating the Labour Party, and Adolf, out of consideration for his reputation, could not use this as leverage.

Therefore, he can only blame his own intelligence agencies for failing to do their job properly, which has put Germany in a passive position.

He frowned and said, "It is no longer possible for us to take over Austria-Hungary by peaceful means, because the Labour Party in Austria-Hungary has grown too powerful, especially in Bohemia."

"This will create some difficulties for our military operations. If we cannot quickly subdue Bohemia, we may fall behind countries like Italy, allowing them to get more spoils."

If Germany wanted to invade Austria-Hungary, it could only do so through Bohemia. The border between Austria and Germany was mostly mountainous, which was not convenient for military operations.

Moreover, Bohemia has a strong industrial base, and the Labour Party now has its own government and armed forces in Bohemia, making it difficult to defeat these Labour Party forces.

Therefore, Adolf said, "We cannot only consider this from a military perspective, especially your intelligence department, which has made a big mistake this time. I will give you a chance to redeem yourselves."

"Take immediate action against the Austrian National Party and reorganize them. If the Labour Party can form a coalition government, the Austrian National Party can do the same."

Of course, Adolf was well aware that the effect of doing so would be rather limited, given that the National Party had a weak popular base to begin with, and this was even more true across the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

However, if this force can be used well, it can be of great help to Germany. Germany also needs collaborators, and it also needs manpower to govern the local areas. Obviously, the Austrian National Party is one of their own and is more trustworthy.

Heinrich then said, “Your Excellency, Vienna has now fallen, and the Austro-Hungarian Empire is effectively leaderless. Although Emperor Rudolf has gone into exile in Hungary, he has lost most of his control over the Austro-Hungarian Empire.” “We can win over Austrian officials and generals to our side. I believe that faced with the threat from the Labour Party, they will inevitably choose to side with us.”

Adolf nodded and said, "You are in charge of this matter. If we can get them to play their role, it will greatly help us annex the Austro-Hungarian Empire."

Vienna fell, but the local forces of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, especially the former government leaders, still wielded considerable power. Even in the most chaotic Bohemian region, many areas remained under the control of the former government and had not yet been occupied by the Labour Party.

They are now isolated and helpless, and have lost contact with the central government. At this time, if Germany enters the area and gains their support, it can coordinate internal and external efforts to facilitate Germany's smoother occupation of Bohemia, Austria, and other regions.

Since the only way to annex Austria-Hungary was through military means, Adolf no longer hesitated. He summoned German military officials and high-ranking members of the National Party, such as Hermann, to begin formulating an invasion plan.

In late May 1934, the German General Staff quickly formulated an operational plan.

According to this plan, Germany would launch a full-scale invasion of Austria-Hungary, with its forces divided into two routes: one eastward to quell unrest in Bohemia, and the other southward to take over Austrian territory.

The former aimed to wage direct war against the Labour Party's armed forces, while the latter sought to cooperate with the former Austrian government in the western mountainous region of Austria, bringing them under German rule.

Austria's terrain is predominantly mountainous and elongated from east to west. As a result, most of the western mountainous areas were still under the control of the Austro-Hungarian government, while the Labour Party was concentrated in the towns in the east.

The German invasion was undoubtedly the final straw that broke the camel's back for the Austro-Hungarian Empire, thus setting the stage for the partitioning of the Austro-Hungarian Empire by the surrounding European empires.

In early June, Germany successfully entered the Sudetenland region in northern and western Bohemia, which was already home to German-backed armed groups and was within German sphere of influence, so it was easily taken over by Germany.

At the same time, the Austro-Hungarian local government in the Alps surrendered to the advancing German army without resistance, actively welcoming them and eagerly hoping that the German army would move eastward to annihilate the Labour Party forces in Vienna and other areas.

Faced with the German invasion, the Greater Austrian coalition government immediately launched a counterattack, beginning to consolidate the Labour Party's power and systematically hindering the German offensive, which was very disadvantageous for Germany.

Previously, the Greater Austrian coalition government did not react so strongly to invasions by other countries. The reason for this was not that the Greater Austrian coalition government did not want to, but that those areas were not under its control.

For example, Venice and Eastern Lombardy, which were attacked by Italy, are still controlled by the Habsburg royal family, and most of the areas bordering other countries are also under the control of the former Austro-Hungarian government.

The German invasion of Bohemia and Austria was different; it directly threatened the security of the coalition government. These two regions are now the areas under the strongest control of the coalition government and are also its core.

On June 13, the German army advanced smoothly to the outskirts of Prague, the center of Bohemia. The remnants of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, which had been dormant due to the strength of the Labour Party, sprang up like mushrooms after rain after the German army entered Bohemia.

They formed hundreds of armed groups of varying sizes, attacking the Bohemian Labour Party forces, looting supplies, and hindering the fighting between the Labour Party forces and the German army.

At the same time, they proactively provided intelligence to the German army, assisted Germany in its operations, and provided food and military supplies. With their cooperation, the situation in Bohemia underwent a dramatic transformation in a short period of time.

The once formidable Bohemian Labour Party suffered repeated defeats on the main battlefield. After all, compared to the well-equipped and experienced German army, the Bohemian Labour Party forces were more like a motley crew.

Previously, the Austro-Hungarian army had concerns about the Labour Party's armed forces for various reasons, but the German army did not think so much, after all, the German army was the guest army and had less psychological pressure.

The German army was making good progress at the front, but Adolf was not satisfied with the result, believing that the German advance was still too slow.

From the General Staff, Adolf told senior German military officials: "We must quickly settle the war in Austria-Hungary. The fact that our troops are currently tied up in Bohemia and Austria-Hungary is not conducive to our complete takeover of the entire Austro-Hungarian Empire."

"Especially when other countries were also encroaching on the Austro-Hungarian borders, especially Italy, which mobilized hundreds of thousands of troops."

“I do not want Venice, Trieste, and the eastern coast of the Adriatic to fall into Italian hands in the future, as that would mean we would lose our access to the Adriatic.”

"This means we cannot form a new Mediterranean fleet in the Mediterranean."

"Therefore, the troops should race against time to take these areas before Italy. Germany must try to make up for its weaknesses, and I think the biggest weakness of the Reich army is the navy."

"If we can acquire the original Austro-Hungarian coastline and completely absorb its navy, then the German navy can quickly surpass France and approach the strength of East Africa and the United States, which will also make it easier for the German navy to surpass the British navy in the future."

Adolf also dreamed of a great navy, after all, everyone knows that this is the age of the sea, and whoever controls the sea is the world's hegemon.

In the previous life, Germany did not attach importance to the development of its naval power because the Germany that Adolf took over simply did not have the conditions to develop a navy. The input and output were far less worthwhile than expanding the army and air force.

In this timeline, Adolf's conditions were much better. Although Germany had also experienced World War I, it was not crippled, and its naval power remained relatively intact and continued to improve.

At the same time, unlike its predecessor, the Austro-Hungarian Navy was not dismantled after World War I. With the German and Austro-Hungarian navies combined, Germany was able to control the Baltic Sea and play a role in the Mediterranean at the same time.

Therefore, Adolf said, "We need to send more troops to penetrate directly into the heart of Austro-Hungarian territory, bypass the front lines, make contact with other parts of Austro-Hungarian Empire, and take over its legacy."

"At the same time, we must prevent other countries from encroaching on the Austro-Hungarian Empire, with Italy being particularly crucial. Therefore, it would be best if we made contact with the Austro-Hungarian officers in Venice and persuaded them to surrender to us."

Italy dared to fight Austria-Hungary, but would never dare to provoke Germany. This was Adolf's confidence, and he wanted to use this to make Italy back down.

Of course, Adolf did not want to completely antagonize Italy. He and Benito still had some common ground, and Germany also wanted to win over Italy. So Germany could offer Italy some incentives, but Germany would obviously not allow Italy to take advantage of the situation and devour the Austro-Hungarian coastline.

(End of this chapter)