Germany does not seek survival

It was obvious that Albert no longer trusted Ludendorff at this time. He was afraid to stay in the presidential palace. If he could not wait for Ludendorff's reinforcements, everything would be finished. He was even more afraid to go to Spandau. He was afraid that once he arrived in Ludendorff's territory, he would become Ludendorff's puppet.

As an old detective of the Berlin Police Department, Sheriff Gannett roamed the streets of Berlin and had dealings with all kinds of people. He thought of a refuge that no one could have expected.

"Mr. President, how about going to the El Dorado nightclub?"

"What! What the hell is that place!"

"The El Dorado nightclub is the largest gay brothel in Charlottenburg. If we hide there, I don't think any army will come to raid the brothel."

The El Dorado nightclub is located in the Charlottenburg district. It is famous for its gorgeous drag shows and cabaret performances. The stage design imitates the Moulin Rouge in Paris. It is one of the representatives of the so-called decadent culture in pre-war Germany. It is also very large, including a large stage that can accommodate hundreds of people for performances. Hiding in it is really the safest place for a short period of time.

Albert scratched his head. During the Second Battle of Berlin, he, the President of the Republic, had to seek refuge in a brothel with male prostitutes. If this was exposed later, it would definitely be an unprecedented scandal.

But compared to scandals, life is more important. Only when you are alive can you have political status. What's the point of talking about scandals when you are dead!

Albert slapped his thigh and said, "Okay, Sheriff Gannat, lead the way. We'll go to the nightclub now."

Albert immediately fled the Presidential Palace under the protection of the police. He did not dare to take a car out of the presidential palace gate, so he had to change into the police uniform of Sheriff Gantner's men. Then they set up a ladder on a window sill on the second floor of the backyard of the presidential palace, and protected Albert as he climbed out of the presidential palace from this position, and then fled to the brothel in a panic.

Chapter 202: All in Chaos

The Second Revolutionary Uprising of the Wehrmacht still used the General Staff Building as its headquarters, but Faust himself did not stay in the headquarters. Given his combat effectiveness, it would have been a waste for him to stay in the rear.

In order to gain political legitimacy, while the Großdeutschland Division was storming the Presidential Palace on Wilhelm Street, a small unit of the Wehrmacht had already taken control of the telegraph office and immediately sent a telegram opposing Ludendorff's mutiny to the whole of Germany.

Faust himself took a car to the Berlin Royal Opera, where there was a radio station that had experimentally broadcast the opera's performance of "Madame Butterfly" during the war, and had a certain audience in Berlin. More importantly, all government departments and major newspapers had radio equipment to hear the opera's broadcasts.

Faust sat down in front of the radio station, put on his headphones, and after adjusting the signal, he announced to all government departments and major newspapers:

"...Since the war criminal Ludendorff is leading his army to attack Berlin, the National Socialist Supreme Revolutionary Council has passed a resolution that the Wehrmacht will fight to defend Berlin and the Red Army will fight to the death to defend the Greater Berlin Workers', Peasants' and Soldiers' Committee. The current situation is chaotic. Except for the decrees passed by the plenary session of the Greater Berlin Workers', Peasants' and Soldiers' Committee, all orders, including the presidential decrees of the Provisional Government, are now invalid..."

The broadcast quickly spread throughout the city. Although only major government departments could hear the broadcast at that time, the effect was sufficient. Both Liebknecht and Luxemburg heard Faust's broadcast.

Luxemburg simply persuaded Liebknecht: "The KPD cannot fall behind. It's time to act! Since Ludendorff has launched a mutiny and attacked the city, even without a resolution from the Party Central Committee, the People's Navy Division and the Red Guards should have the right to self-defense. We should order all units to exercise the right of self-defense."

After hearing Faust's speech, Liebknecht finally stopped hesitating. He was just too obedient to party discipline, but when it came to the moment of action, Liebknecht was still very courageous.

Liebknecht told Luxemburg: "You continue to convene the Central Committee at the Central Party Headquarters, and I will go to the headquarters of the People's Navy Division to command the troops."

Luxemburg grabbed Liebknecht's arm and said, "You must take care of yourself, Karl. You are the chairman of the German Communist Party. If we lose you, even if we win Berlin, it will be a failure."

Liebknecht patted Luxemburg on the back of her hand: "We shall not lose Berlin, and I shall not die."

On the street outside the Adlon Hotel, the Wehrmacht and the Peace Army were engaged in a full-scale exchange of fire. The SPD's Peace Army was far inferior to the Wehrmacht in combat effectiveness, and its numbers were much smaller than the Great German Division and the Republican Division that entered the city one after another. As soon as the battle started, it began to retreat and soon lost all the commanding heights around Wilhelm Street.

Model had led his troops to occupy six of the nine state offices on Wilhelm Street, and groups of provisional government officials were controlled by officers and soldiers of the Großdeutschland Division.

Most of the key officials in the provisional government were Social Democrats, all of whom were detained by the Wehrmacht. There were also a few members of the Independent Party and the German Communist Party. For example, Interior Minister Eichhorn was a member of the Independent Party who was pro-KPD.

The Wehrmacht quickly stormed the Ministry of the Interior without much effort. The police defending the State Office of the Ministry of the Interior quickly retreated. Eichhorn saw the Wehrmacht commander Model and immediately grabbed him and asked:

"Are you the insurgents led by Comrade Faust? Has the Second Revolution really begun? Comrade Kautsky, Comrade Liebknecht, where are they, and what is their situation?"

Model's face was stern. "Mr. Minister, you have too many questions. I am sorry that I cannot answer them all. I can only tell you one thing: the reactionaries are attacking the city. Albert has betrayed the revolution. The Wehrmacht is searching everywhere for Albert. If anyone knows where Albert is, please inform us immediately."

Many officials in the Ministry of the Interior's office looked at each other in confusion. Model had not found out Albert's whereabouts and could only speculate that Albert was still in the Presidential Palace.

Another regiment commanded by Gotthard was already attacking the Presidential Palace. The weapons and equipment of the presidential palace guards were much more advanced than those of most peace army troops. In order to deal with the coup, Albert had previously built several machine gun fortifications in the square in front of the presidential palace.

In a short period of time, Gotthard's troops were unable to attack the presidential palace. After hearing the news, Model immediately dispatched eight 75mm infantry guns.

Eight artillery pieces lowered their muzzles in the Republic Square in front of the Presidential Palace, aimed at the machine gun fortifications, and used direct fire to knock down the fortifications one by one and bomb them into pieces.

The pro-revolutionary Interior Minister Eichhorn was horrified: "Comrades, are you going to use artillery directly in the city of Berlin? My God, this great city will be destroyed."

Model stood straight in front of Minister Eichhorn. He actually did not have a deep understanding of the revolution. He joined the Wehrmacht entirely because of his personal belief in Faust.

Model's tone was cold: "If we are bound to fight for these bottles and jars, then after our revolution fails, we can chisel on our tombstones: A brave and fearless revolutionary soldier died protecting the city's infrastructure."

After the Wehrmacht used artillery to blast open the machine gun fortifications, the officers and soldiers immediately rushed into the presidential palace with bayonets in hand. The guards of the presidential palace fought desperately, so Model dispatched several heavy machine guns. Under the cover of mortar and heavy machine gun fire, the Wehrmacht quickly broke through the last line of defense at the gate of the presidential palace.

The guards of the presidential palace were all overwhelmed by the dense rain of bullets, and the heavy weapons they had were only machine guns at best, which could not cope with the artillery fire of the National Defense Forces.

A bronze statue of Bismarck in the presidential palace was also hit by the Wehrmacht's artillery shells. Its base was pierced by shrapnel and soon became shaky. After a while, it collapsed and crashed into the courtyard of the presidential palace, smashing the flower beds and fountains in front of the courtyard.

The dozen or so machine guns that Model dispatched fired directly at the second and third floors of the Presidential Palace, shattering all the glass in the windows. Dozens of officers and soldiers of the Great Deutschland Division immediately used the climbing skills they had trained in the snow-capped mountains of the Alps to climb up the balcony and then rushed directly into the presidential palace building through the windows.

The small-scale presidential palace guards were no match at all and were completely defeated after only twenty minutes of resistance. Model walked into the presidential palace building with a pistol in hand. Gotthard and his commandos had searched the building several times.

After meeting Model, Gotthard said with a gloomy face: "It's terrible. My people didn't find Albert."

Model slammed his pistol on the table, his eyes wide. "Keep searching! We must find Albert. Once we find him, we must kill him immediately, as ordered by His Excellency. Have you found any other important figures in the presidential palace?"

Gotthard shook his head. "Besides Albert, Noske and Scheidemann are not in the presidential palace either."

Model kept pressing his brow with the joint of his index finger, and cold sweat broke out on his back. If Albert was let go, it would be difficult for the Wehrmacht to make a decisive move. Once time dragged on, the situation would be very grim.

Model was extremely annoyed and said, "Send someone to inform His Excellency the Fuhrer that Ebert is not in the presidential palace, and the main leaders of the Social Democratic Party are not in the presidential palace."

Before the Wehrmacht stormed the presidential palace, Albert had quietly disguised himself and sneaked into the place he thought was the safest. Who could have imagined that the President of the Republic would hide in a gay nightclub?

Faust couldn't have imagined it, and neither could Ludendorff.

Mrs. Ludendorff was still at the martial law headquarters in Spandau. He had just finished talking to Albert on the phone when he said to his right-hand man, General Groener, with a smile:

"If Albert continues to stay in the presidential palace, we will wait for the Red Bandits to shoot him. If Albert comes to Spandau, we will control him and put him under house arrest first."

Ludendorff had no intention of working for Albert for nothing. How could the mere title of Chief of the General Staff of the Republic satisfy Ludendorff's ambition?

He commanded six divisions of the National Army and was the most powerful among all the parties in the current German Civil War. With such powerful force in his hands, Ludendorff naturally wanted to become the sole and supreme ruler of Germany.

His plan was not to send troops to rescue Albert. If Albert was stupid enough, he would allow the Wehrmacht to arrest him or even execute him directly. If Albert was smarter and knew to flee to Spandau for refuge, that would be even better. Ludendorff could then use the emperor to control the other states. After placing Albert under house arrest, he could act in the name of the provisional government.

General Groener had already handed over General Hutier's report and said, "General Hutier reported that fighting broke out in the city before the Nationalist Army entered. It seems that the Nationalist Army launched a coup before us."

Ludendorff did not read Hutier's report. He had expected that the Red Bandits would block the way of the National Army.

The key is who can win the Battle of Berlin.

"When the Fifth and Sixth Divisions reach Spandau, leave one infantry brigade to defend Spandau and hand over the rest of the troops to General Brüning, who will lead the attack on Potsdam."

Ludendorff issued another order: "The Third Division will also enter the city to fight. Do not hold back. If you encounter resistance from the Red Bandits, use all your heavy weapons and firepower to attack. Do not hold back. Spare no expense and defeat the Red Bandits as quickly as possible."

General Groener then asked, "What are the priority targets?"

Ludendorff thought for a moment and said, "The main force of the Third Division will attack the telegraph office. Once we take control of it, we'll issue a nationwide martial law order in the name of President Ebert. This will declare that it was the Red Bandits who initiated the rebellion, and that our army is under orders to suppress it and impose martial law."

Chapter 203: Blood and Fire Berlin

After leaving the Central Committee of the German Communist Party, Liebknecht got in a car and drove straight to the headquarters of the People's Navy Division.

The People's Navy Division set up its headquarters in a bank building near the Old Palace Square. In order to protect the vault, the walls of the building were very strong and thick, and there was also a tall iron gate in the backyard.

There was a hail of bullets all the way from the Central Committee of the German Communist Party to the headquarters of the People's Navy Division. The Wehrmacht and the Peace Army loyal to the Provisional Government were still engaged in fierce fighting in the city. A large force of the National Army, a full six divisions, was setting out from Spandau one after another and launching a full-scale attack on the capital from the west of Berlin.

The Peace Army lacks heavy weapons - the heavy weapons here do not refer to machine guns and armored vehicles, nor to ordinary artillery, but to heavy howitzers with a caliber of 105 mm or above.

In this regard, Faust and Ludendorff did not hesitate to use heavy firepower in the capital. Except for the siege mortars larger than 200 mm captured from the royalists in Potsdam, the Great German Division had opened fire with all its 105 howitzers and 150 heavy artillery.

Ludendorff was even more exaggerated. The National Army set up a powerful artillery position in Spandau. There was no shortage of such super-heavy siege guns on the Western Front. As soon as the National Army and the "Red Bandits" started fighting, Ludendorff felt that the resistance of the Great German Division and the Republican Division was very tough, so he immediately told Hutier not to save artillery shells and to let go. Even the super-heavy siege guns above 200 mm were fired directly at Berlin.

Taking the sFH 13 150mm howitzer as an example, when it fires a 43kg high-explosive bomb, the charge is about 5.7kg. With one shot, the aftermath of the explosion can reach 15 meters, and the effective killing range of the shell is more than 50 meters. A large crater with a diameter of about three or four meters and a depth of about two meters will immediately be blasted out at the center of the explosion.

The 200mm Mrs 16 heavy howitzer is even more exaggerated. Its charge is three times that of the 150mm howitzer. Its core killing radius is 25 meters. When a shell explodes, shrapnel can fly up to 100 meters.

Of course, in urban street fighting, because there are a large number of high-rise buildings made of reinforced concrete in Berlin, the splashing of shell fragments will be blocked by the buildings, and the actual killing range is not that large.

However, the National Army had six divisions, and Ludendorff had dozens of super-heavy artillery pieces in his hands. If he let go and bombarded Berlin indiscriminately, it would be enough to turn the streets of Berlin into a living hell. Even the Berlin citizens hiding at home would be in trouble.

On the streets and squares, in open terrain, the explosive power of heavy artillery is completely unobstructed, and if you are not careful, it will cause huge casualties.

Faust only intended to use heavy artillery to bombard the presidential palace to scare and frighten Ebert, hoping to directly scare the Social Democratic Party into collapse. He did not intend to use heavy artillery to engage in street fighting.

Ludendorff's situation was completely different. He attached great importance to the two regular field divisions of the Red Wehrmacht under Faust. So as soon as the National Army entered the city, the heavy artillery group in Spandau immediately cooperated and fired a series of slowly advancing barrages of bullets.

The western part of Berlin was like a cake crushed by a giant hand. Even the dome of the Reichsbank on Wilhelm Street was blown to the ground, sticking diagonally into the rubble. The carved columns broke into several pieces, and the bronze eagle emblem fell on the street corner, its claws still tightly grasping half of the faded national flag.

A ten-meter-wide gap was torn in the outer wall of Charlottenburg Palace by a 200mm artillery shell. Granite blocks mixed with relief debris fell like a rainstorm. A Kuomintang soldier was flattened by a half-ton stone horse head. Blood and brain matter flowed under his deflated helmet.

Fortunately, the old palace had not yet been bombarded by the Kuomintang's heavy artillery. As soon as Liebknecht's car arrived at the headquarters of the People's Navy Division, he saw that many people had gathered there.

Several representatives of the People's Navy Division Soldiers' Committee, including Albin Cohen and Fritz Etzel, were all from grassroots sailors. They had a strong revolutionary will and fought bravely, but they had never commanded a large force even at the battalion level or above. At this moment, their lack of experience was obvious and they could not make any decisions at all.

Two other representatives of the Central Committee of the German Communist Party also rushed to the headquarters of the People's Navy Division.

These two representatives were Liebknecht's right-hand men. One was Liebknecht's secretary Wilhelm Pieck, and the other was Thälmann, a former soldier who was also Liebknecht's important military adviser.

Everyone in the division headquarters was silent. Dozens of eyes were fixed on Liebknecht. Only Thälmann slammed the table and stood up. "Chairman, please give the orders quickly! The Wehrmacht, the Peace Army, and the Western Army rushing in from outside the city are already everywhere in Berlin, in every street and alley, fighting fiercely. We can't just sit there and watch. We must take action!"

Among the many leaders of the German Communist Party, Thälmann was the youngest and still young and energetic.

Apart from Thälmann, everyone else also knew that the National Socialist Party had started the Second Revolution. Only a very few people in the German Communist Party knew about Faust's previous discussions with Liebknecht and Luxemburg. When many people heard the news at this time, they thought that the German Communist Party had already formed an offensive and defensive alliance with the National Socialist Party and was just waiting to act together.

Many people secretly rejoiced that if Liebknecht had reached a secret agreement with Faust, the situation in Berlin would have been very favorable for the German Communist Party to win in the chaos.

Liebknecht clenched his hands. He saw what everyone was thinking: "I have not entered into an offensive or defensive alliance with Faust. I have always observed Party discipline. Without a resolution of the Central Committee, I would never have entered into a private agreement with Faust!"

Thälmann stepped forward and said, "Chairman, what are you hesitating about? Whatever your relationship with Faust is, we cannot sit idly by and wait for death. Otherwise, whether the National Socialist Party or Ebert wins, the KPD will be drowned in the blood and fire of Berlin."

Just as they were in relative silence, there was suddenly a louder noise outside. The shouting first rose in a chaotic manner, and then became louder and louder.

Liebknecht was startled. Outside, many sailors from the People's Navy Division and members of the Red Guards had gathered. They were all holding weapons and surrounding the yard, shouting and making noises. These shouts gradually became more and more unified and turned into a slogan:

"Second Revolution! Second Revolution! Second Revolution!"

……

Everyone was shocked at first, then they were happy to see that the morale was good. Liebknecht's right-hand men, Pieck and Thälmann, as well as the commanders of the People's Navy Division, Albin Kern and Fritz Etzel, all focused their attention on Liebknecht.

"Chairman, let's do it!"

Liebknecht, startled, finally reached the soldiers, shook hands with each one, then stood up on the desk at divisional headquarters and shouted:

"Second Revolution, uprising, uprising! In the name of the Chairman of the Central Committee of the German Communist Party, I issue an order: All People's Navy Divisions and Red Guards are now mobilized to cooperate with the National Socialist Party's armed uprising!"

There was a huge crowd outside, and suddenly there was overwhelming cheers. A large group of revolutionary sailors and Red Guards immediately rushed out with weapons in hand.

The weakness of the German Communist Party's armed forces was the lack of bureaucratic leadership by professional officers, but its advantage was that after decentralization, morale was extremely high and the subjective initiative of grassroots officers and soldiers was also very strong.

Without any command, the revolutionary sailors and Red Guards spontaneously poured into the streets and alleys of Berlin and began to engage in full-scale fighting with the National Army and the Peace Army.

Gunfire rang out everywhere like a tide, and Berlin was in chaos. The streets were filled with the bodies of soldiers wearing the same gray uniforms, except that the Wehrmacht wore party emblem armbands, the revolutionary sailors and Red Guards wore red scarves, and the National Army soldiers had white skull patterns spray-painted on their helmets.

A cold wind blew fine snow across the ruins, making the broken tricolor flag on the street corner rustle. In the distance, violent explosions were heard again. The bomb crater in the middle of the street could swallow half a car. Five steps away from the bomb crater, half of a carved balcony was hanging in the air. A lace-edged women's coat was hung on the broken steel bars, and the hem of the coat swayed in the wind, as if the owner was still dancing at an aristocratic tea party in some parallel time and space.

In the dim light, there were many stranded luxury cars and trolleybuses used by civilians, all of which were destroyed by shelling. A very gorgeous fur coat was hanging by the door of a luxury car. I wonder which noble lady owned it?

In the chaos, Faust had led a battalion of soldiers from the Republican Division that had just arrived in Berlin into the presidential palace on Wilhelm Street. Except for Rommel who stayed in Potsdam at the headquarters, Hitler and Sorge also rushed to the presidential palace.

"Sir! There's no trace of Albert. He must have run away..."

Model immediately reported the battle situation at the presidential palace to Faust. He failed to capture Albert alive and failed to kill Albert. Model felt ashamed and had no confidence to speak.

"Where's Noske? Where's Scheidemann?"

"Scheidemann shouldn't be in Berlin. Noske, Noske has retreated to the Berlin Police Headquarters building. There are many fortifications there, and the firepower is very fierce. Comrade Gotthard led a battalion to attack the Police Headquarters, but they haven't taken it yet..."

Faust slapped Albert's oak desk with his palm, and the thick wooden table collapsed into a pile of broken wood. Faust ignored the horrified expressions of the people around him and picked up a rifle.

Chapter 204: Burning Nosk

"The Second and Fourth Regiments went to Charlottenburg Palace. The KPD troops were finally moving. The Second and Fourth Regiments went to Charlottenburg Palace to join up with the KPD troops and tell them that we are joining forces to drive the Nationalist troops across the river."

Model was worried: "Sir, the heavy artillery firepower of the Nationalist Army is too strong! Some of our soldiers can't withstand it. What should we do?"

Hitler said angrily: "Our army will also mobilize the heavy artillery group in Potsdam to entertain Ludendorff well."

Sorge shouted that it was not possible. If both armies used heavy siege artillery with a range of more than 200 mm to engage in a firefight, Sorge was really worried that the entire city of Berlin would be razed to the ground.

Faust calmed down a bit. He thought for a moment and said, "Tell Vasily to bring my guards here. I'll go to the police headquarters first to deal with Nosk. The Second and Fourth Regiments must hold the positions around Charlottenburg Palace first and prevent the Nationalist troops from entering the city center!"

The distance from Charlottenburg Palace to the Brandenburg Gate in the center of Berlin is only about seven or eight kilometers. This section of road is the battlefield where the final decisive battle between the National Army and the Wehrmacht took place.

Vasily immediately lined up the hundred or so soldiers of the guard, and with a wave of Faust's hand, they all followed him. Because the streets were constantly under fire and the trucks were too risky, everyone followed Faust on foot and ran towards the police headquarters.

The Police Headquarters building was very strong. After the November Revolution, Noske also transferred a large number of soldiers from the Peace Army to build three additional fortifications for the Police Headquarters. Therefore, Gotthard led his troops to attack fiercely, but was unable to take it down after only a few hours.

The Peace Army soldiers huddled behind the ruins of the Police Headquarters. As soon as Faust arrived with his guards, they were hit by a burst of machine gun and mortar fire.

The soldiers under Gotthard suffered heavy casualties. A Wehrmacht officer wearing a helmet saw Faust and saluted him quickly. When he extended his hand to perform the Roman salute, Faust saw that the officer's face was scratched by shrapnel, and was bloody and completely disfigured.

Faust took a deep breath and said, "Good comrade, good soldier, here I come. Faust will personally deal with this lackey of Nosk!"