Chapter 142: The Fall of the SDP

Chapter 142: The Fall of the SDP

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In a mere three months after Bruno had introduced the Volkswagen Type I, the vehicle could be seen everywhere on the streets. The fact of the matter is, an affordable automobile built for middle-class families and filled with comforts that weren't even found on the majority of luxury vehicles found in the Reich other than those latest models sold at exorbitant prices from Daimler Benz, made the people's automobile the most popular car in the world.

So much so that the factory couldn't keep up with the current demand. And though this was a temporary problem, Bruno did not mind it in the slightest. He would not, of course, jack up the prices despite the limited supply and high demand.

After all, it was meant to be an affordable option for middle-class families. And that would be counter intuitive. Considering the overwhelming wealth Bruno currently possessed, extracting the most profit possible was not really a concern for him. He was, after all, a man of humble nature, and was seldom tempted by avarice.

Which itself was a rarity among mankind. Nevertheless, it was perhaps because these Volkswagen Beetles were so prominent in the Reich, that it was no surprise that when it came winter, there were many parked along the streets of Berlin.

The night sky was blotted out by clouds and snowfall, so much so that the city of Berlin was unusually illuminated for the time of the day. After all, the streetlights simply could not escape into the darkness of the universe, rather their brightness was captured within the clouds, and thus made the city abnormally well lit.

This was less than ideal for a man like Erich who stepped outside of his government issued Type I beetle, whose paint job was as black as night, just like the rest of the Type I's as they were sold in a single color to reduce costs.

He, along with several other men, dressed in black tailored suits that were worn beneath leather trench coats, opened up the trunk of the vehicle, where several firearms were on display. Erich pulled out a pack of cigarettes and lit one such device where he took a long drag, all the while picking up an MP-34 submachine gun from the automobile's storage

compartment.

After doing this he racked the charging handle, ensuring a 9x19mm round was properly chambered before flicking on the safety, where he slung the weapon around his back and took the cigarette from his map, nimbly keeping it held before his fingers as he spoke to the agents beneath his command.

"The target is living in that building over there... Our informant in the SDP tells us that after failing to gain any seats within the Reichstag during the election, he has progressively become more unstable...

This, of course, elicited confusion by the Marxist leader, and his wife, because neither of them were armed. And Erich had entered the room before any of his comrades could. Because of this, Paul made the mistake of opening his mouth.

"I--"

*bang bang bang*

Erich sprayed a burst of lead into the target's chest, killing him on the spot as he fell against the wall, his blood staining the wallpaper behind him. The departed wife shrieked in horror as she watched her husband gunned down without cause in front of her. Only for Erich to smirk sadistically at the woman, as he aimed down the sights of his submachine gun and unloaded on her as well.

By the time the rest of his team entered the room, they were busy clearing the rest of the house, and ensuring that the leader of the SDP's children was safely apprehended. They witnessed Erich standing there callously with a cigarette in his hand. The two deceased parents of the children they had just escorted out of the building were lying dead on the floor. The target had a revolver in his hand, while the man's wife had a knife in hers. Though the men knew exactly what had happened, they chose not to speak of it. Erich was a man known for a ruthless ferocity towards the enemies of the state. It was specifically why he was chosen to be the director of the Stasi.

The fact that he chose to come out on missions like this was simply because he personally liked to send Marxists like Paul Singer to Death's embrace. And the man was very good at covering up his abuse of power.

The deaths of Paul Singer and his wife would be written off as an act of unlawful resistance against the proper authorities of the German Reich, and would be used publically as an excuse to disband the SDP and arrest its members for high treason.

Only a few individuals in the government would know that the deaths of Paul Singer and his wife, as well the disbanding of the SDB were premeditated, and carried out by Erich and his death squads, not under the orders of the Kaiser or his administration, but by Bruno himself. Though the SDP's public image had been thoroughly ruined as a result of Marxist atrocities in the east, Bruno would never allow them to grow and fester under the façade of being center- left. No, they had to be rooted out completely. And considering Erich's loyalty to him, it was a simple matter to ask the man to abuse his authority as the Director of the Kaiser's Secret Police on his behalf.

Not even the Kaiser, or the current Chancellor, would ever become aware that the downfall of the German Reich's largest and most influential left wing party was deliberate, let alone a product of a Machiavellian plot orchestrated by their most talented general.

In fact, nobody would ever believe it, as Bruno was sleeping peacefully in his own home, while his orders were being conducted by his close friend and personal attack dog. After all, men like Erich, whose sense of empathy and compassion had been entirely eroded by the horrors of wars, had their uses. But they needed to be kept on a tight leash.

And the holder of this leash was not Wilhelm, but Bruno. Despite the fact that Erich was operating as the Director of the Kaiser's Secret Police.