Chapter 6

The Führer rarely visited the Eagle's Nest, and each time he did, he never stayed for more than an hour. However, this by no means indicated that the Eagle's Nest was backward or outdated. On the contrary, as a birthday gift from the Nazi Party for the Führer's 50th birthday, the Eagle's Nest, supervised by Martin Bormann and constructed by over 6,000 workers over 13 months, could be described as "grand and magnificent." It also boasted fresh air and beautiful scenery, making it a suitable high-altitude residence, in stark contrast to the dark and damp Wolf's Lair, not to mention the cramped wartime headquarters in Vinnytsia. The only drawback was its distance from the Eastern Front—though if the focus of operations shifted to the Southern Front, it would be the ideal command center.

The conference room at the Eagle's Nest was over 300 square meters. The junior staff officers of the General Staff had already set everything up. The walls were a standard light green, identical to those in the Army High Command, and the floor was covered with a field-gray artificial carpet, which muffled footsteps and met the requirements of the meeting. Crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling in a cross pattern, illuminating the room brightly. The only slightly uncomfortable aspect might have been the sealed windows and the walls draped with curtains, but for security and confidentiality, this was understandable. Thanks to the efficient ventilation system, the room did not feel stuffy. On the longer walls, one side hung a huge swastika flag of the Third Reich, and the other side displayed the flags of the Army, Navy, and Air Force. On the shorter walls, one side featured a large full-length portrait of the Führer, and the other side hung a large map, densely marked with troop deployments and enemy positions, providing a clear overview of the current battlefield dynamics.

As the Führer's bodyguard shouted, "The Führer has arrived!" Hoffman walked into the room with a steady pace. The previously slightly noisy conference room immediately fell silent, and everyone stood up from their seats, shouting in unison, "Heil Hitler!"

Seeing the room filled with generals and the整齐的举手礼, Hoffman was extremely nervous, his heart almost in his throat. Yesterday, when he had a small meeting with Martin Bormann, Guderian, Zeitzler, and others, he felt somewhat awkward, but he gradually overcame this feeling. He thought today would be better, but the deafening cheers almost made him jump. If he were still a scholar, each of these generals, with their red stripes on their trousers and cornflower emblems on their collars, would be someone he should look up to—getting a signature from any of them would be a small matter, and catching any one of them could result in a monumental academic work. But fate had taken a strange turn, and now they were all under his command, and he had to lead them into war, which seemed almost impossible. He waved his hand slightly, his joints and wrists stiff. If someone were standing nearby and listening carefully, they might even hear the sound of his teeth chattering as he clenched them.

"Please be seated, gentlemen." After finally calming down, Hoffman walked to his seat. His voice was steady and impeccable, very much in the style of the Führer. Only those who were observant could see the slight tension and distortion on his face, or perhaps it could be called a grimace.

However, the focus of the audience soon shifted. As the Commander-in-Chief of the Army, Hoffman announced, "Today's main agenda is to discuss the Eastern Front. First, there are a few personnel changes... General Halder is relieved of his duties as Chief of the General Staff and will be appointed Director of the Berlin War Academy, focusing on the training of staff officers at all levels of the Army. The position of Chief of the General Staff will be taken over by General Zeitzler." Upon hearing this, Halder's face turned sour. He had no personal grudge against Zeitzler, but he felt that being Chief of the General Staff under someone who did not listen to advice was a thankless job, and returning to Berlin in such a humiliating manner was a significant loss of face. However, he suppressed his anger, wiped his glasses, and silently turned to leave—after all, the rest of the meeting was meaningless to him. As Halder left, the room buzzed with whispers and varied expressions. The news of Zeitzler replacing Halder as the new Chief of the General Staff had already spread before the meeting, and many were aware that Zeitzler had been promoted directly to Infantry General, bypassing the rank of Lieutenant General. While Halder's departure was not surprising to many, the appointment of the relatively junior Zeitzler to this position was. Envy and jealousy were evident in the eyes of the audience, and they also noticed Guderian's presence, but their expressions were indifferent—after all, Guderian's relationship with most of them was poor.

If this announcement was still within their tolerance, what Hoffman said next shocked them as much as a 500-pound aerial bomb dropped into the room: "General Paulus is relieved of his duties as Commander of the 6th Army and will be appointed Chief of Staff of the Western Front and concurrently Chief of Staff of Army Group D."

The room was abuzz with whispers. What did this appointment mean? The 6th Army, commanded by Paulus, was fighting on the front lines in Stalingrad, a strategic direction personally designated by the Führer. Why the sudden change? Moreover, Paulus was one of the Führer's favorite generals, steadily rising through the ranks in staff positions, and the Barbarossa Plan was his creation. Logically, he should have been further promoted, not reassigned to the Western Front. Although it seemed like a promotion from Army Commander to Chief of Staff of the Western Front, the Western Front was currently quiet, and what was the point of transferring Paulus there? Had Paulus committed an unforgivable error that angered the Führer? But no one had heard any such rumors.

Hoffman scanned the room with a cold gaze and, unusually, began tapping his fingers on the table. The room immediately fell silent. Removing Paulus was a decision Hoffman had carefully considered the previous day: Paulus was an excellent staff officer but clearly not a competent field commander. The 6th Army, with hundreds of thousands of troops, was destroyed in Stalingrad under his command. More critically, after being urgently promoted to Field Marshal, he neither fought to the death nor committed suicide but instead surrendered to the Russians. Even worse, in 1944, he called for a military uprising and later testified as a prosecution witness at Nuremberg—this made Hoffman despise his character. It was better to transfer him to the Western Front under the command of Field Marshal Rundstedt, where he could use his skills as a staff officer. This was the end of the road for Paulus; he should not expect the Field Marshal's baton anymore.

General Weichs, the commander of Army Group B, decided to stand up and speak on Paulus's behalf. Although the Führer had retained direct command of the 6th Army after the Southern Front campaign began, and Weichs had no personal relationship with Paulus, the 6th Army was still a subordinate unit of Army Group B. The sudden transfer order for Paulus, while he was still fighting on the front lines, was unacceptable to Weichs, and he decided to ask the Führer for an explanation.

Just as he stood up, before he could question the Führer's decision, Hoffman issued another order: "General Weichs, your position is also being adjusted. You will be transferred to the Central Army Group to replace General Kluge, and the position of Commander of Army Group B will be taken over by Field Marshal Manstein."

"Me?" Weichs was clearly unprepared, his mouth open wide enough to fit an apple. What was going on?

On the other side, General Kluge, who was being relieved of his duties, also stood up, his face red with anger. "Führer, why am I being relieved of my duties? I need an explanation!"

"Explanation?" Hoffman glanced at him contemptuously and suddenly raised his voice, shouting, "Guards!"

A squad of SS Führer's Bodyguard Flag Corps soldiers, armed with MP38 submachine guns, rushed in. Leading them was the tall, blond, blue-eyed Major Otto Günsche, the Führer's personal bodyguard commander. The muzzles of a dozen submachine guns were pointed at Kluge, ready to turn him into a sieve at Hoffman's command.