Chapter 179
< World War II - The Continuation War (1) >
March 19, 1941
Berlin, Capital of Germany, Army Headquarters
As the military band played and the honor guard marched on the parade ground, the stars of the event, Field Marshal Wilhelm Ritter von Leeb and Field Marshal Ludwig Beck, watched the ceremony from their car, saluting.
As soon as I was appointed Minister of Defense, a major reorganization took place in the Army.
Field Marshal Wilhelm Ritter von Leeb, who had served as Commander-in-Chief of the Army, and Ludwig Beck, the former Minister of Defense, decided on military discharge.
Despite having avoided being swept up and forced out during Rundstedt's defeat, both ultimately decided to step down from their duties with the inauguration of the Heuss Government.
Both cited health problems due to old age as their reason, but I was curious about their true feelings.
Was it because they acknowledged the limits of their era? For the sake of their successors?