On May 10, 1940, just before dawn, the Belgian ambassador in Berlin was summoned to the German Foreign Ministry.
Here, he was informed by Ribbentrop that the troops of the Third Reich were about to enter their country to ensure from the source that Belgium would not violate neutrality again and invade Germany, thereby safeguarding the interests of the Third Reich.
"This is the second time, this is already the second time!" Belgian Foreign Minister Paul Henry Spak also called the German ambassador to Belgium, and roared in German: "Within 25 years, Germany will
Loyal and neutral Belgium has launched an invasion for the second time. Compared with the invasion in 1914, this time it was even more heinous. It did not issue an ultimatum, note or any protest to the Belgian government. Until it suffered
Attack, we in Belgium know what Germany has done."
Paul gushed to the German ambassador: "History will hold Germany responsible, and you will be condemned by future generations..."
"Boom, boom, boom..." Outside the window, the roar of German bombers has been heard. The German Ambassador Thomas enjoyed listening to the roar of the planes and Paul's voice mixed together, curling his lips in a cold voice.
Look at this clown-like Belgian diplomat.
"That's enough," Thomas said without any warmth, "that's enough, just shut up and listen to me!"
Thomas' toughness made Paul stunned for a moment. He was surprised that the German diplomat could actually respond to him with a tougher attitude despite his aggressive momentum. How brave is this?!
Thomas straightened his collar, glared at Paul with a sneer, then coughed twice to clear his throat and said loudly: "Since Mr. Foreign Minister can still remember the war as far away as 1914, then 1923, which is closer to today,
, I’m sure you won’t forget the Belgian army’s invasion of Germany’s Ruhr Industrial Area, right?”
Thomas used a rhetorical question to push Paul's country into a morally disadvantageous position.
If you want to tell me about your historical origins, then I can also find out a lot of your dark history. Belgium said that Germany invaded it, and we in Germany also said that Belgium invaded our Ruhr Industrial Zone. It’s nothing more than nonsense.
Which country's diplomats can't do this?
Looking at Paul, who couldn't think of an answer for a while, German diplomat Thomas took advantage of the victory and said: "Since the war in 1923, Germany has never made any guarantees to Belgium's neutrality. For a man who has violated neutrality, it is blatant
Invading their own country, Germany will not be stupid enough to continue to believe their lies about neutrality. What we have to do now is to use force to completely solve this duplicitous country of yours."
Waving his hand, Thomas smiled and said: "Look at your neighboring country, the Netherlands. Didn't the Third Reich recognize and guarantee the inviolability and neutrality of their Dutch territory? There is also Norway in the north, even in their neutrality and territory.
When you were threatened, you received direct military assistance from the empire. These are all things you could have received!"
Because it defended Norway's neutrality and defeated the British and French forces that invaded Norway, Germany's international reputation today can be said to be quite good.
Although the League of Nations led by Britain and France did not recognize Germany's contribution to aiding Norway, many countries privately approved of Germany's just feat, and international public opinion also tilted towards Germany.
It is worth mentioning that after helping the Norwegians defend their homeland, Reinhardt seemed to needlessly express goodwill to the Dutch government, publicly stating that if any country harms the neutrality of the Netherlands or infringes upon the territorial sovereignty of the Netherlands, the third party will
The Empire will also act to maintain the neutrality of the Netherlands if the Dutch government wishes to do so, as it did to the Kingdom of Norway.
This guarantee not only clearly eliminated the excuse for the German army to invade the Netherlands, but also allowed Germany to stand in the world as the neutral defender of the Netherlands. Thanks to this guarantee, the Dutch government clearly refused to join the Anglo-French-Belgium coalition from the beginning.
proposal, strictly maintaining a neutral image.
Germany gave the Dutch government a substantial guarantee, but was stingy and did not mention even a word to Belgium. Since Reinhard came to power, the Belgian government has not had friendly exchanges with the German government for more than ten years. All of this, as
Paul, the Belgian foreign minister, knows that very well.
Clenching his fists, Paul squinted at Thomas with half-closed eyes and said, "So, the German government is clearly planning to invade Belgium?"
"Invasion? No, no, no!" Thomas laughed loudly: "We are just avenging the grudge we had with Belgium 17 years ago. Didn't Belgium do what the German army is doing now 17 years ago?
In the final analysis, we are just repeating what you did back then."
Thomas snorted heavily and said to the Belgian Foreign Minister, whose face was already very ugly: "As for whether history will condemn us, I think you don't have to worry about this issue. In matters such as fighting for right and wrong,
Our head of state is a genius. Even if something is wrong, the head of state can say it is right. He can also describe a black thing as white. What's more, there is still the Ruhr crisis as an excuse. I believe the history textbooks
What finally appears in the book must be the text about the successful revenge of the German army."
"Are you sure that you can win? Aren't you afraid that the country will end up with a broken country and a weak people?" Paul said with a guilty conscience: "Don't think that Germany can get a gentle treaty like the Treaty of Versailles every time. This
If you face failure again, we will not give you a chance to make a comeback."
Yes, if Germany loses another world war, it may be impossible for Germany to recover. Thomas is deeply convinced of this, but he is also very disdainful.
After thinking for a few seconds and organizing his words, Thomas continued: "The Treaty of Versailles is not gentle. It's just that we, under the leadership of the head of state, cleverly failed to abide by it seriously."
"But if Belgium loses the war this time," Thomas changed the subject and said to Paul with a ferocious look: "We will definitely leave you a treaty that is less gentle than the Treaty of Versailles, and then send people to seriously
Supervise your implementation."
Because in history, the conspirators Goedeler and others who had informed Belgium of the specific time of the German invasion had long ago asked Reinhardt to borrow another assassin's bomb and carried it out in a Munich pub. So this time, the Belgian government
We did not get the date range for the German attack, nor did we make psychological preparations in time.
The panicked Belgian Foreign Minister could not change the current situation of the Belgian army's lack of combat readiness except for using his words for a while. Sadly, in front of Thomas, he could not even use his words because he could not say...