194

Episode 194: Toward Victory (7)

According to Roosevelt's expression, the 20th century from the beginning to the present could be summarized as 'a struggle between Germany's attempt to expand outward and the world's struggle to prevent Germany's expansion.'

The ultimate cause of World War I was Serbian nationalists, but it was clearly Germany's greed that spread the war, which could have been limited to the Balkan Peninsula, to the world.

After four years of bloody fighting, he succeeded in obtaining a surrender from Germany, which had reached its limit, and in completing the Treaty of Versailles...

The leash, which was expected to last at least 100 years, did not last even 20 years.

Under the watchful eye of the world, Germany rearmed and started war again, and as a result, Europe and the world were in a desperate crisis incomparable to that of 1914.

Unlike the Kaiser, who was incompetent and greedy, Hitler continued to send love calls, saying that he had no intention of being hostile to the United States, but Roosevelt did not believe him.

Isn't today's Europe the result of Chamberlain and Daladier believing in Hitler's promises?

Roosevelt never, ever intended to repeat their mistakes.

"Hitler was a man on a different level from Wilhelm II, who was a foolish clown. The Kaiser had no intention of even acting, but Hitler was a man skilled at deceiving others and taking advantage for himself. But these two seemingly opposites have something in common. Do you know what that is, General?"

"······Are you greedy for territory?"

"It's similar, so I'll accept it as the correct answer. To be more precise, he wants to have the world at his feet."

"With all due respect, Sir, isn't that the same for the United States of America? "Britain, France, and the Soviet Union all wanted to have the world at their feet, and they still do."

"I won't deny it. But general, think about it. Neither the United States, Great Britain, nor France invaded other countries and started a war carelessly. It was like that in the 19th century, but not in the 20th century. But not in Germany. Since the Franco-Prussian War, Germany has pursued expansion endlessly and has not hesitated to cause friction with other countries.

If the Soviet Union collapses like this and Britain collapses, the only remaining barrier between the United States and Germany will be the natural barrier of the Atlantic Ocean. Now that even this has virtually become meaningless due to technological advancement, Germany will not hesitate to cross the Atlantic and land troops on the American continent if the opportunity arises. "Shouldn't we do something to stop it before it becomes a reality?"

Roosevelt was arguing that the army should be sent to stop Germany before it completely takes over all of Europe.

It was not that Marshall did not sympathize with Roosevelt's concerns.

In his opinion, no country would be more of a threat to America's security than Germany, which had taken control of Europe.

"But, Your Excellency. "Congress and the people will not tolerate sending troops to Europe unless Germany attacks the Panama Canal or bombs New York, as Japan did with Pearl Harbor."

"I know. Damn it, that's why we have to watch Hitler devour Europe... I'm sure that if things continue like this, Hitler and his henchmen will be enjoying tea time at Buckingham Palace before we can convince the parliament and the people."

"Hitler is greedy, but he is also cautious. He would prefer to end the war with a peace treaty rather than conquer Britain by force."

Of course, this is only possible assuming that Churchill also agrees to end the war.

But would Churchill be willing to sign a peace treaty with Hitler? It would be impossible until at least France was recaptured.

However, upon further thought, I realized that if France was recaptured, they would most likely call for a vacuum in Berlin and would never try to stop the war until Germany was eventually completely defeated.

Ah, the head.

***

September 16, 1942

German Presidential Palace in Berlin

"Everyone, stand at attention!"

Simultaneously with the chant, the sound of soldiers from the Friedental Special Mission Unit firing their military boots resounded in the courtyard of the Presidential Palace. The movements were as disciplined as those of the honor guard, and the small wounds and scars on the faces and hands of the soldiers silently showed the kind of training they usually undergo.

"Salute to His Excellency the President!"

"Heil Hitler!"

I responded by raising my right arm to the soldiers who saluted in a loud voice.

"Sieg Heil."

The Friedental Special Forces, comprised of only the most elite soldiers within the elite 500SS Airborne Regiment, was about to embark on its first mission.

Their first mission is to hunt down Josip Broz Tito, the leader of the communist partisans growing in Croatia.

Before the Yugoslav partisans began rampaging in earnest, Tito's existence was not well known, but if Tito could not be caught and defeated now, Germany would certainly have to invest a significant amount of troops and materials to stabilize the Balkans.

Thus, Operation Rösselsprung (Knight's Leap) was designed.

In addition to the Friedenthal Special Forces, Operation Rösselsprung was scheduled to involve the Brandenburg Division, the 22nd Airborne Division, the 7th SS Mountain Division Prinz Eugen, the Croatian Army, and the Ustasha Militia.

There was talk that too much effort was put into just barely dealing with the Partisans, but considering the value at stake on Tito's neck, it could never be said to be excessive.

It is important to extinguish the cigarette fire before it burns the entire mountain, even by pouring a whole bucket of water into it.

The commander of the Friedental Special Forces, which was at the center of the operation to behead Tito, was SS Major Otto Skorzeny.

After his fall from power, he rescued Mussolini, who was imprisoned in a hotel in Gran Sanso.

He kidnapped Horthy Miklós II, the son of Horthy Miklós, the regent of Hungary, who was trying to take over Germany and strengthen the alliance with the Soviet Union, and prevented Hungary from leaving the Axis.

'The most dangerous man in Europe', who led a special force disguised as US soldiers and invaded US military camps during the Great Ardennes Offensive.

With a height of 193cm and a weight of 100kg, combined with a face full of knife marks, the feeling of intimidation was no joke.

If even I, the Fuhrer, were like this, what would the enemies who encountered Skorzeny in actual combat have felt...?

"SS Major Skorzeny, we have very high expectations for you."

"It is an honor, Mr. President."

"The enemies you have to deal with are not simple militiamen. They are human scum that cannot even be called villains, who enjoy torturing prisoners alive and burning down entire villages if they do not obey their orders. As long as those scum continue to live and breathe, the Balkans will never be at peace. "Keep in mind that the peace of the Balkans and Germany rests in your hands."

"I will engrave it on my bones."

It is a little-known fact, but the Yugoslav partisans led by Tito boasted a level of brutality that even the Soviet army could not compare to.

They committed various atrocities, such as chopping off the heads of captured prisoners with an ax, cutting open their stomachs with a saw, pulling out their intestines, and killing them. They massacred villagers who refused to cooperate, and summarily executed those who refused to be conscripted, accusing them of being German soldiers or Ustasha collaborators. committed an atrocity

This did not stop, and after the war, they even tied up the limbs of German prisoners of war who had been transferred to Yugoslavia and threw them into the river to kill them.

Of course, it is not impossible to understand because they are opponents, but even taking that into account, the atrocities of the Yugoslav partisans went far beyond the limit, to the point where Allied advisors were shocked and asked for restraint.

And unlike the Axis powers, who lost the war and were judged by the law, Yugoslavia was a victorious country, so war crimes committed during the war were naturally buried.

"I believe that you, the best warriors in Germany, will definitely accomplish any mission. I pray that God's protection may be with you. So, gentlemen, please do your best."

"Of course, Mr. Fuhrer! "We will make the operation a success by any means necessary!"

***

September 18, 1942

Croatia Drvar Yugoslav Partisan Command

After finishing a simple meal consisting of black bread, butter, cheese, ham, and a cup of black tea, Tito lit a Belgian cigar.

As a smoker, he always smoked a cigar after a meal.

Tito, who had to work as a technician after graduating from elementary school due to his poor family background, began smoking as a young boy and could not let go of a cigarette even in middle age.

Born into a poor Croatian peasant family in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Tito spent his childhood working as an engineer and wandering around various Balkan countries.

When World War I broke out, Tito was conscripted into the Austro-Hungarian Imperial Army and sent to the Eastern Front, where he became a prisoner of the Russian army.

For Tito, who was imprisoned in a POW camp, the Russian Revolution that occurred right before his eyes was a refreshing shock.

A society centered not on royal families, nobles, and capitalists, but on workers and farmers who were looked down on in society!

For him, who had suffered from poverty and discrimination his whole life, communism was literally a 'revolution', and his experience in Russia was enough to make him an ardent communist.

Even after Yugoslavia, the homeland, was shattered by the German invasion, the Yugoslav Communist Party led by Tito did not initiate much activity.

Since the Soviet Union, the fatherland of thought, had a close relationship with Germany, and Hitler had put the brakes on the Ustasha's massacre of Serbs, Tito did not feel any need to move.

It was after the outbreak of the German-German War that he organized the Yugoslav Partisans and began active activities.

The ultimate goal of the Yugoslav Partisans, comprised of Serbs and communist-leaning Croats, was to drive out the Nazis, Ustashas, and Hungarian invaders from Yugoslav territory and establish the 'Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.'

However, at first, there were not as many applicants as Tito had expected.

Thanks to Nazi Germany's complete prevention of the Ustasha massacre, many Serbs were safely 'exiled' to Serbia, and Croats, who had suffered from long-term oppression by the Serbs, did not want to join hands with the hated Serbs.

Only communists were in favor of union with Serbia.

Fortunately, not all Serbs supported Tito.

Rather, anti-communist Serbs joined the Chetniks, who were calling for the overthrow of communists, and fought gunfights with partisans within Serbian territory.

It was not an easy start, but Tito's Yugoslav Partizan gradually and steadily grew in size.

The Partisans, mainly composed of Serbs and communists who opposed the deportation policy of the independent Croatian government, attacked Croatia's support of Germany in its war with the Soviet Union by raiding Ustasha military bases and planting bombs on railway tracks and bridges. .

Pavelic was initially confident that he could eliminate the partisans without the help of the German army.

Considering the number of partisans, it was not unreasonable for him to think this, but Tito's partisans were much more persistent and strong than Pavelic expected.

As the sweeps repeatedly failed, the Ustasha became impatient and searched villages suspected of collaborating with the partisans, scolding and torturing the residents.

However, this action only had the opposite effect of increasing the support of the partisans.

The Partisans, who had grown in size, launched more bold attacks, and as the number of Partisans continued to increase rather than decrease, Pavelic decided to request support from Germany after much deliberation.

Germany, which was keeping a close eye on Croatia, immediately accepted Pavelic's request for support and dispatched reinforcements.

"This has become difficult. It has become difficult..."

As the German military began a full-scale suppression of partisans by assisting the Ustasha, the concerns of the Yugoslav partisan leadership also increased.

The German army was an elite unit with a different level of armament and discipline than the Ustasha, and was superior to the partisans in all aspects, and it was difficult to expect external support.

The Soviet Union was busy protecting its capital, and Britain was unable to even take care of itself, so it was in no position to help the partisans in the far-off Balkans.

Compared to the actual history of fighting the Axis powers with ample support from the Soviet Union and the Western Allies, the situation was extremely unfavorable.

"It hasn't been an easy fight so far, but it will only get more difficult."

"But even so, there is a lot of talk among the soldiers because of that. "It is already becoming difficult to obtain weapons and food…"

Milovan Djilas, Tito's subordinate and his most trusted confidant, also sighed. If the war had progressed as Moscow had predicted, the Red Army would have engulfed Romania and Hungary by now, and Tito's partisans would have been able to make direct contact with the Soviet Army and receive weapons and manpower support from them.

However, the Soviet army suffered rout after rout and was retreating towards Moscow at the speed of light, and the partisans were naturally forced to survive on their own instead of relying on external support.

Although they are holding on with the necessary manpower and food support from villages supporting the Partisans, the number of villages cooperating with the Partisans has decreased.

As an example, they executed several people and confiscated food from the village, but this only increased the hostility of the residents and was of no benefit in the long run.

However, the partisans did not have the funds to purchase food legally.

Although the Yugoslav Partisans issued their own checks, it was safe to say that there were very few farmers who gave food in exchange for the checks.

In the first place, there was no need to give checks because the farmers who gave food in exchange for checks were people who voluntarily donated food without having to give checks.

In the end, the Partisans also tried to counterfeit the kuna, the currency of the Independent State of Croatia, but the counterfeit notes they printed were so crude and easy to read that they were not widely used.

Another big problem was that many rural farmers preferred spot transactions over currency.

"At this rate, the future is dark as to when we will be able to liberate this country."

Tito's grand ambition to drive out the fascist invaders and establish a unified Yugoslavia was gradually becoming more and more distant.

Their enemy, Germany, which supported the Ustasha, boasted the strength of an iron fortress, and the partisans were very weak.

"comrade! Comrade Tito!"

"?"

"It's the Germans!"

"what? German soldiers?"

Zilas, on behalf of Tito, asked an 18-year-old child soldier. The child soldier's face was as red as blush.

"It's a German attack! "Evacuate quickly!"

As if to prove that the child soldier's words were true, gunshots and tank gun explosions were heard from afar. Only then did Tito stand up.

"How did the Germans get here? "Even the Ustashas couldn't find it?"

"Comrade, that's not what's urgent right now. "You must evacuate quickly."

Zilas said. Tito was extremely embarrassed that his home base, which he was confident would not be discovered by anyone, was discovered.

No matter how great the Germans' intelligence was, I believed they would never find this place...

"Prepare the train! Everyone hurry so we can leave in 15 minutes!"

"Burn all confidential documents! "You must not fall for the Nazis!"