Iron Cross

"Führer, I still don't understand why you agreed to give the Iranians more favorable conditions?" Keitel asked with a puzzled look on his face, "Although anthropologists told me that Persians are Aryans on the plateau, but I..."

"That's right! You are right. I did not make the decision because of whether Persians are Aryans. This is just a political excuse. If Persians can be considered Aryans, then Slavs can also be Aryans - the gap between them and us is much smaller than the gap between Persians and us."

Keitel nodded mechanically, and then looked at Hoffman eagerly, eager to get an answer like a humbly asking for advice - this was of course pretended, there is no fool who can become a marshal, Keitel's humble and studious appearance is completely a way to flatter the Führer. Hoffman didn't know if Hitler could see it, but at least he fully understood it. When he was a professor at the university, there were students who did such performance art - clever and unobtrusive.

"This involves two factors. First, it is our overall arrangement for the post-war Middle East. I don't know if you have noticed that Persians and Arabs are two completely different nations. Not only are their living habits, historical heritage, and cultural atmosphere different, but even their religious beliefs are very different. The difference and opposition between Shiites and Sunnis are so deep that I'm afraid only the relationship between Protestants and Catholics during the Reformation can be compared. We should arrange for different voices to appear, just like a catfish must be arranged in a can of sardines. This is good for the empire's future position in the Middle East. Second, this is a touch on Turkey. I The Persians were promised a piece of land, involving the territories of Armenia and Azerbaijan, which were also territories that Turkey had owned in history. If we give these territories to Iran, which is a member of the Axis camp, what do you think the Turks will think? Do they dare to jump into the Allied camp? "

"Definitely not."

"If Turkey does not get this territory in the end, who will they blame? Us or President Inonu?" Hoffman laughed, "King Pahlavi is a young, impulsive and even reckless politician, and President Inonu is a sophisticated, calm and even weighing politician - now, I want to let the former Politicians gain benefits, while the latter politicians who expect more returns are disappointed. Whose strategy do you think observers will comment on? "

"I see." Keitel showed a "sudden enlightenment" expression, "You are putting pressure on Turkey." "Russia and Britain left painful memories for the Persians during the colonial era, and this time they violated their neutrality with armed invasion. As long as we show a little goodwill and show signs of friendship with them, the desperate Persians will surely rush to us. Moreover, to be honest, I am only a little interested in Iran's oil and minerals, and I do not control its territory, population, or interfere. I have no desire to interfere in the internal affairs of the United States. I have enough to worry about the hundreds of millions of German people. I don't want to bear the burden of tens of millions of other nations. In this case, why not be more generous? "Hoffman laughed, "Helping King Pahlavi establish prestige and consolidate his rule is of great benefit to us. This is the real investment of the empire in the Middle East. In fact, I am very grateful to Stalin and Churchill. If they hadn't been so short-sighted and stupid, how could I have picked up this bargain today?"

There is one sentence Hoffman didn't say. From the original historical time and space, Pahlavi followed the United States wholeheartedly after getting help from the United States until the outbreak of the ****** Revolution. This shows that he is a politician who values ​​feelings and friendships. Such a person is worth supporting. As for how Iran will go in the future, that is a matter for the future.

On the other side, after calming down, Pahlavi explained to the prime minister and the princess why he was so impulsive: "Why am I so eager to agree to the Germans' conditions? Because I can see that Germany has no territorial demands in the Middle East except for economic and security interests, and it does things relatively in accordance with the rules. This is the case with Egypt, Iraq, and Iran. Look at what the British and Soviets have done, it's simply disgusting - on the one hand, they keep saying they support our independence and autonomy, and on the other hand, they support the 'Iranian People's Party' (developed from the Iranian Communist Party) and the rebellion in the northern mountains. "They are elements who want to get rid of the royal government now. I don't believe they will withdraw as promised after the war."

Others nodded silently. Pahlavi was right about this. The examples of the pros and cons were very clear: Egypt's cotton was bought by the Germans, while Iran's few trucks and railway trucks were requisitioned by the Soviet Union without compensation. The wheat, rice and cotton produced in northern Iran were also collected by the Soviets and transported back to the country. The farmers received worthless military bills. In order to pay the garrison, the Allies also forced the National Bank of Iran to issue 700 million rials of banknotes, causing the Iranian currency to depreciate by 20% overnight. Under the orders of the Allies, rice, sugar, tea, cotton fabrics and other necessities in Iran were rationed. Britain and the Soviet Union issued ration tickets to tribal chiefs. These tickets could be exchanged for a lot of cash on the black market, enough for them to launch armed rebellions in the future.

"As long as the Germans support the Royal Government and are willing to help us deal with the separatists, we can even pay a little more - this is why I asked the Germans to send instructors to help us rebuild the Wehrmacht, if you still remember the shameless proposal of the Russians a few months ago."

Prime Minister Forouj nodded gloomily: A few months ago, the Soviet Union proposed to donate a regiment of T-34 tanks and a batch of fighter jets to Iran. Pahlavi was very happy and prepared to accept these gifts, but his heart dropped when he heard the additional conditions: Soviet officers would come to Iran with the gifts, the tanks could only be placed in Qazvin, and the fighter jets had to be parked in Mashhad ; Before the end of the training (the end date is decided by the Soviet side), these tanks and aircraft will be directly commanded by the headquarters in Moscow. This is definitely not something a young and arrogant king can tolerate. This kind of "good intention" can only be Thanks for not being sensitive. The Germans use the word "sale", which shows that Iran can have complete sovereignty and freedom of movement, and judging from the record, German equipment is obviously more powerful. Pahlavi was already admiring the power of the Tiger tank.

"Marshal Rommel reminded us that we hope that His Majesty can temporarily endure and protect himself. If he needs to say something insincerely, the German side will understand - he asked his subordinates to give us a set of contact code tables. Once the Soviets jump over the wall, he will Find a way to send out special paratroopers to rescue us - just not too many."

"Very good. Thank you to Marshal Rommel for me. I am waiting for his arrival in Tehran." Pahlavi smiled and said to his sister and the Prime Minister, "Look, the Germans and Marshal Rommel are still good friends. I won’t let them suffer.”

Faced with the complete collapse of the British 10th Army, a part of the German army pressing at the gate of Tehran, and a part of the German army eyeing the passage between Tabriz and Tehran, Tyulenev found it very difficult. Just as Rommel predicted, this was a very cautious Red Army commander. He thought deeply about the strategies he could adopt, but found that there was no way to take into account all parties. If he had to find one, he would stand firm and wait for reinforcements. Perhaps it is a relatively wise choice.

But starting from the day before yesterday, Lieutenant General Metzov reported to him that the life of the Persian Army was beginning to be unstable. Groups of German aircraft were brazenly carrying out air attacks on the Red Army's transportation and supply roads. Their numbers were small, their performance and technical levels were higher. The inferior Red Army planes were quickly beaten out of sight, and only planes painted with the Iron Cross logo could be seen everywhere in the sky. The integrity rate of ammunition and other combat materials transported to the front line is declining day by day, and the usually submissive and docile Iranian troops have begun to become restless. There are various signs that the army group is in a dilemma.

"Has Comrade Zhukov not called back yet?"

"Not yet. Maybe he wants to ask Comrade Stalin for instructions."

After much deliberation, Tyulenev felt that the only way out was to abandon Tehran and hold on to Tabriz with all his strength. Therefore, he formulated a plan: let the troops take high-level Iranian officials hostage and move them to Tabriz, and then use this as a stronghold to take advantage of the rugged terrain. Resistance was carried out at all levels, and the idea of ​​forcibly attacking the left wing of the German North Route Group through Turkey only flashed through his mind once and then he gave up automatically - he did not dare to poke the hornet's nest of Turkey.

Just when Tyulenev was anxious like an ant on a hot pot, the call back from the General Staff finally arrived, but the tone was cold and unquestionable: "...The previous call has been received. Tehran is the capital of Iran and has It has extraordinary political significance and should be fully defended and shown the strong appearance of the Red Army. Tehran currently has the 402nd Infantry Division, the 1st Mountain Cavalry Division, the 23rd Cavalry Division and two independent motorized regiments, plus additional troops from the Persian Army. Although your enemy only has 40,000 to 50,000 troops, the total strength is completely sufficient. The leaders of the Caucasus Front should not be intimidated by the momentum of the German army and should have a fearless revolutionary spirit..."

"This...do you want to ask Comrade Stalin for instructions again?"

"No need." Tyulenev waved his hand dejectedly - he was an old comrade, and he immediately read between the lines who meant this, and sending a telegram to ask for instructions would only be self-humiliating.

"What now?"

"Send two more divisions, and at the same time let Comrade Mezov focus on the construction of the defense system, turn Tehran into a strong fortress against aggression, and let the Germans fight against each other. As for the air force..." Tyurenev After pondering for a moment, he said, "Two more regiments will be transferred from the flying group army attached to the front army. The rest of the air defense will be relied on by the Persian group army to find a way."