Post by Diarist on Feb 21, 2017 18:01:00 GMT 1
At home I had to tell Sally that she won't be going to Luxembourg with me but she was thrilled that Hitler was dead along with the majority of the Nazi leadership. She even called her parents at two o'clock in the morning to let them know. I packed my uniforms and civilian clothes just in case as well as my Thompson and Luger. I decided to take £1,200 with me plus credit documents my father had given me. Sally drove me to RAF Duxford then left for London.
I've negotiated a deal with the 24th Squadron. Since I've never had time to take my twin-engine licence the instructor will be flying with me and be the 2nd pilot. Me flying to Paris will be my test. I got my flight plan, etc. checked the aircraft then took off for Le Bourget near Paris. Almost 2 hours later I did a textbook landing and the instructor congratulated me on qualifying in a twin-engine aircraft. The instructor benefits too because he is flying with me to Saarbrücken and Luxembourg.
At Hôtel Brienne I had a brief conversation with PM Daladier and General Gamelin. The confederation offer was still #1 priority for France so nothing had changed. I also asked about the airfield at Saarbrücken. It is operating under French control. I also left a message for COL de Gaulle asking him to meet me there. Back at Le Bourget WO1 Jake Higgins, my instructor, already had a flight plan so I flew to Saarbrücken without delay. Another beautiful landing and at 11:30 we were in occupied Saarland. Charles was indeed waiting for me and after a short chat he offered to drive me around the city. Jake declined the offer to join us. I told him that the next leg is Luxembourg City in about three hours.
The city was seemingly unaffected by the 'conflict'. Everybody appeared to be reading newspapers but the choice was limited to local papers. 'Hitler Dead' was the main headline. I asked a traffic warden where the main police station is so we made our way there. When I got my Luger in Libya I forgot all about ammunition. The police had plenty of ammo. I walked out with 500 rounds and 5 magazines. The 1st MID has moved its HQ to Saarbrücken so we had lunch at their mess hall. I took the opportunity to ask the officers at our table about their thoughts on what a peace treaty should look like. Would they accept this or maybe that, etc. In England we don't really know what the French want.
After lunch I called our embassy in Luxembourg and informed them that I'll be arriving in the next couple of hours and they promised to send a car. After an uneventful flight I landed at 15:40. I made sure that Jake was taken care of. He'll be flying back to England tomorrow morning without me. Our delegation has a VIP Valentia. I was driven to nice hotel-restaurant not too far from the Cercle-Cité. A suite had been reserved for me so I had a shower and changed into civilian clothes then went to visit Winston in his suite. I found the whole team there.
"You've finally arrived," Winston greeted me.
"I took the scenic route. Do we still have champagne or has Winston already consumed it all?"
I then told them about my day and then they told me that the Sudetendeutsch are being expelled by Czechoslovakia. I'd only told Winston and John Gort about this possibility and to be honest I hadn't thought about it either. "I guess they don't want to be the next Rhineland," I commented. "Are the Germans here?"
"Not yet," John replied. "They do have a few problems to take care of. There are reports of running street battles in some cities."
"Wehrmacht versus SS and Gestapo?"
"Presumably. Were you expecting this?" Louis asked.
"Let's say that I'm not very surprised. There's no love lost between the Reichswehr officers and the Nazis and the latter have lost their usefulness."
John asked me if I'm prepared for tomorrow.
"I have this list of laws that need to be rescinded and here is the peace treaty which PM Daladier and I agreed upon." Winston joined us. "The list is not complete..."
"Then you should say that."
"I was about to say that, Winston."
"The Peace Treaty contains everything and there is no punishment."
"They are being asked to acknowledge the current situation, simply that."
There was a knock on the door and since I was the nearest. "Good evening, my name is Giuseppe Motta. I'm looking for Secretary Winston Churchill and Sir Robert Carter."
"I'm Robert Carter, Pleased to meet you, sir. Come on in. Winston is here." I took his coat and hat. "Winston. Giuseppe Motta is here." Winston appeared and they greeted each other. Motta was introduced to the other members of our team then we three retired to a quieter area.
"I'd like to belatedly thank you for your support during the Abyssinian Crisis. You and Switzerland did what the League Council was incapable of doing."
"We stepped in where it was necessary. May I ask what your goals are here."
"A lasting peace between Britain, France and Germany. No more war between our three nations."
Winston and I explained our confederacy plan for 30 minutes and I had the impression that he was concerned we are hoping for too much.
"The alternative is a full invasion of Germany. Then we'll tear it apart."
Time for dinner.
I've negotiated a deal with the 24th Squadron. Since I've never had time to take my twin-engine licence the instructor will be flying with me and be the 2nd pilot. Me flying to Paris will be my test. I got my flight plan, etc. checked the aircraft then took off for Le Bourget near Paris. Almost 2 hours later I did a textbook landing and the instructor congratulated me on qualifying in a twin-engine aircraft. The instructor benefits too because he is flying with me to Saarbrücken and Luxembourg.
At Hôtel Brienne I had a brief conversation with PM Daladier and General Gamelin. The confederation offer was still #1 priority for France so nothing had changed. I also asked about the airfield at Saarbrücken. It is operating under French control. I also left a message for COL de Gaulle asking him to meet me there. Back at Le Bourget WO1 Jake Higgins, my instructor, already had a flight plan so I flew to Saarbrücken without delay. Another beautiful landing and at 11:30 we were in occupied Saarland. Charles was indeed waiting for me and after a short chat he offered to drive me around the city. Jake declined the offer to join us. I told him that the next leg is Luxembourg City in about three hours.
The city was seemingly unaffected by the 'conflict'. Everybody appeared to be reading newspapers but the choice was limited to local papers. 'Hitler Dead' was the main headline. I asked a traffic warden where the main police station is so we made our way there. When I got my Luger in Libya I forgot all about ammunition. The police had plenty of ammo. I walked out with 500 rounds and 5 magazines. The 1st MID has moved its HQ to Saarbrücken so we had lunch at their mess hall. I took the opportunity to ask the officers at our table about their thoughts on what a peace treaty should look like. Would they accept this or maybe that, etc. In England we don't really know what the French want.
After lunch I called our embassy in Luxembourg and informed them that I'll be arriving in the next couple of hours and they promised to send a car. After an uneventful flight I landed at 15:40. I made sure that Jake was taken care of. He'll be flying back to England tomorrow morning without me. Our delegation has a VIP Valentia. I was driven to nice hotel-restaurant not too far from the Cercle-Cité. A suite had been reserved for me so I had a shower and changed into civilian clothes then went to visit Winston in his suite. I found the whole team there.
"You've finally arrived," Winston greeted me.
"I took the scenic route. Do we still have champagne or has Winston already consumed it all?"
I then told them about my day and then they told me that the Sudetendeutsch are being expelled by Czechoslovakia. I'd only told Winston and John Gort about this possibility and to be honest I hadn't thought about it either. "I guess they don't want to be the next Rhineland," I commented. "Are the Germans here?"
"Not yet," John replied. "They do have a few problems to take care of. There are reports of running street battles in some cities."
"Wehrmacht versus SS and Gestapo?"
"Presumably. Were you expecting this?" Louis asked.
"Let's say that I'm not very surprised. There's no love lost between the Reichswehr officers and the Nazis and the latter have lost their usefulness."
John asked me if I'm prepared for tomorrow.
"I have this list of laws that need to be rescinded and here is the peace treaty which PM Daladier and I agreed upon." Winston joined us. "The list is not complete..."
"Then you should say that."
"I was about to say that, Winston."
"The Peace Treaty contains everything and there is no punishment."
"They are being asked to acknowledge the current situation, simply that."
There was a knock on the door and since I was the nearest. "Good evening, my name is Giuseppe Motta. I'm looking for Secretary Winston Churchill and Sir Robert Carter."
"I'm Robert Carter, Pleased to meet you, sir. Come on in. Winston is here." I took his coat and hat. "Winston. Giuseppe Motta is here." Winston appeared and they greeted each other. Motta was introduced to the other members of our team then we three retired to a quieter area.
"I'd like to belatedly thank you for your support during the Abyssinian Crisis. You and Switzerland did what the League Council was incapable of doing."
"We stepped in where it was necessary. May I ask what your goals are here."
"A lasting peace between Britain, France and Germany. No more war between our three nations."
Winston and I explained our confederacy plan for 30 minutes and I had the impression that he was concerned we are hoping for too much.
"The alternative is a full invasion of Germany. Then we'll tear it apart."
Time for dinner.