Berlin, September 10th, 1939
The office was dim. The great ceiling lamp remained off. Only desk lights and the occasional flash of a distant storm illuminated the long chamber where the most powerful men of the Reich had gathered.
Adolf Hitler stood with his hands clasped behind his back, staring at a map spread across the table. Around him, shadowed figures exchanged reports in low tones: Himmler, Speer, Keitel, Guderian… and Martin Bormann, who scribbled notes without looking up.
"Poland will break," Guderian said firmly. "The question is how long it will take us to regroup afterward."
"We cannot afford to regroup," Himmler replied. "The Reich's apparatus must already be at full capacity."
Speer, calm, slid a report toward the center.
"Industry can sustain a short war. But a long one… requires reform. And time. Which we don't have."
Hitler said nothing. He looked east, but his thoughts were west. Toward France. Toward the British. Toward a world war he had not yet truly expected.
A side door opened briefly. An officer whispered something to Guderian and handed him a document. Guderian read it silently and spoke:
"Report from Josef Dietrich, commander of the Leibstandarte. He's with his men at the forward rear. He writes: 'My unit does not parade. My unit advances. If the East falls, the West will be our turn.'"
Himmler raised an eyebrow. Keitel stepped forward slowly.
"The Leibstandarte will be crucial for the image of invulnerability. If they advance, the people will believe we remain in control."
Hitler lifted his head. When he spoke, his voice was low, but filled with resolve:
"Then let the steel roar. Let Poland fall. And let the world watch—and tremble."
A pause. Then, footsteps echoed as an aide entered with another folder.
"News from Falk Ritter's unit, sir," he said, handing it to Keitel.
Keitel scanned it briefly.
"They're advancing without pause. Morale is high. The lead Panzer has met every objective."
"Then perhaps," Himmler added, almost contemplatively, "when this war of illusions ends… we can show what a true division is capable of."
And while the storm crackled beyond the windows, the Reich sealed its next move with smoke, maps, and a will of iron.