259

Episode 259: The Road to Destruction (1)

I knew that Denmark and Norway were steeped in evil.

So, I thought it was inevitable that friction would arise with the residents of the occupied area, and I tried not to say anything.

The Swedish military is not completely free of friction, but so far, they have been living happily with British civilians without any major incidents.

The Croatian Army, Ukrainian Army, and Free Russian Army, which have no grudges with Britain, are similar.

However, the Danish and Norwegian troops, as if to avenge their resentment, were eager to plunder and massacre civilians under the guise of conscription, like the Soviet troops stationed in Germany at the end of World War II.

Even the officers of the National Defense Forces and SS who were dispatched as liaison officers thought this was not right and said everything they could to stop it.

As various atrocities by the Danish and Norwegian troops continued, the number of British people joining the resistance increased.

Of course, there was no way the Resistance was only targeting the Danish and Norwegian troops, and the friendly forces had to leave a considerable number of troops behind to deal with the Resistance.

"If we continue to neglect them, all British people will join the resistance."

"No matter how much we are allies, we cannot wait any longer."

"I think the same thing. "At least it should have a self-purifying effect."

***

"The President did not spare praise for the Danish army's efforts, but he expressed deep regret over the recent series of clashes between the Danish army and British locals, causing unpleasant incidents."

Chancellor Erik Skarbenius listened intently as Weizsäcker conveyed the German Führer's intentions in a calm tone.

"Of course, we are not unaware of Denmark's resentment toward Britain, but… … "The Prime Minister is not unaware that such actions encourage British people to support the Resistance and make it more difficult to wage war."

"Of course."

Skarbenius nodded.

He also had ears, so he didn't know what his country's army was doing in England and what the consequences were.

"If this problem is not resolved or if the Danish authorities are determined to be unwilling to resolve the problem, the President said he would reconsider the arms support promised to Denmark. He also said that he would even consider withdrawing Danish troops from England."

Germany could easily take over all of Britain without the help of the Danish army.

Nevertheless, the reason why the Danish army was included in the conquest of Britain was Hitler's intention to make the War against Britain appear to be a war between Britain and all of Europe, rather than a war between Germany and Britain.

And Denmark, which suffered from British bombing, also wanted to take revenge directly by participating in the conquest of Britain.

However, if you offend Hitler and face the humiliation of being excluded from the conquest of Britain, it will forever remain a shame in history, and you may not even receive the share you were promised to Germany after the war.

Of course, Hitler wouldn't go to that extent, but that didn't stop him from going against his will and making him angry or disappointed.

Relations between Denmark and Germany will continue not only now during the war but also after the war, but should there be a rift between the two countries over nothing else but the treatment of British civilians?

"I understand, Deputy Minister. Please tell the President that I am sorry for causing him great concern. And the Danish government will do its best to gently resolve this situation."

Scabenius chose the easy path rather than showing unnecessary pride.

Weizsäcker also drank his coffee with a nonchalant expression, probably because he expected Skarbenius to obey him obediently.

"Of course, Mr. Prime Minister."

***

Rosenberg, who was acquainted with him, was responsible for meeting Quisling of Norway.

Quisling, who absolutely obeyed everything Hitler said, promised Rosenberg that he would thoroughly crack down on the military so that such an unpleasant incident would never happen again.

Rosenberg also said no more because it was not to put pressure on Norway.

There was no need for Germany to dissuade its allies from taking actions that crossed the line, but to damage the smooth relationship by applying more pressure than necessary.

However, there was no punishment for soldiers who committed incidents against the public, such as massacres and looting of civilians.

The governments of Denmark and Norway began to control the actions of their troops due to Germany's concerns, but they had no intention of punishing the soldiers who committed the accident.

Why punish the soldiers who risked their lives on the front lines to avenge their country?

Germany also did not delve too deeply into that part, so none of the soldiers who committed war crimes was able to get away without being punished.

There was no compensation for the victims. This was because most of the victims had joined the resistance, making it neither possible nor necessary to compensate them.

It was an everyday absurdity that often occurred during wartime.

***

August 2, 1943

glasgow england

"We finally arrived. "The great tanks of America."

Patton was overcome with mixed emotions as he watched the new tanks from the mainland being unloaded at the port.

It would have been better if these had arrived at least a month earlier.

The war situation was too bad to consider it fortunate that we had arrived even now.

The German army advanced to Newcastle and Carlisle, and German bombers also flew over Glasgow and Edinburgh and dropped bombs.

The Allied forces' morale was at its lowest. Not only the soldiers but also the officers who were supposed to command them had long since lost hope for victory.

Since they couldn't fight properly and just retreated repeatedly, their morale was obviously not good.

That's why Patton was more desperate for victory than ever.

In order to continue fighting in England, it is important to first raise the morale of the soldiers. Of course, victory was necessary to raise the military's morale.

To win, you needed strong weapons. A tank with a large, strong gun and thick armor that can crush the Jerrys with a single blow.

These new tanks delivered from the U.S. mainland will be of great help to our forces, which have been repeatedly defeated by enemy armored forces.

It had to be that way.

To avoid leaving the shame of defeat in the history of the United States.

As Patton requested, Marshall and Eisenhower collected the heavily armored and high-firepower tanks that Patton wanted and sent them all to England.

The 'Super Sherman', equipped with a 90mm main gun, can defeat Panthers and Tigers from the front, and the M4A3E2 Jumbo Sherman was able to protect against 88mm from the front thanks to its armor being strengthened to the limits of the car body.

And the T26 heavy tank, named 'M26 Pershing', had the firepower of a Super Sherman and defense power greater than that of a Panther.

The number of Pershings that arrived in England was only 30, or two companies.

At a time when dozens of tanks were being destroyed on the front lines every day, 30 was an unremarkable number, but the mere fact that a tank existed that could take on German tanks from the front was heartening to the U.S. military, which had suffered from the German army's heavy tanks.

"It's good that the new tanks have arrived, but I'm worried about my friends who will operate them."

One of Patton's advisors complained.

Pershing's tank soldiers were young people who came to England after training on the mainland.

The difference between not having any experience in the field and having experienced combat even once was like heaven and earth, so it was natural for the staff to be anxious.

"And I heard that the engine of the new Pershing heavy tank breaks down often."

"I heard that too. "Still, Eisenhower said that our engineers have solved that problem to some extent."

Patton valued mobile warfare, but in the current situation, any tank that could at least fight on equal footing with the damn Jerrys was okay, even if it was a tank with an engine problem.

If we keep using the Sherman all the time due to that damn engine problem, we will never be able to win this war.

It wasn't just tanks that arrived. Tanks are important, but the U.S. military needed powerful anti-tank guns that could destroy advancing German tanks.

The 17-pounder used by the British Army had good firepower, but had many problems with accuracy and cover, and even the British Army was reluctant to lend it due to the lack of quantity.

Fuck you guys. These guys who barely survive with the weapons and food provided by the US show off all sorts of favors just by lending them a few anti-tank guns.

Patton was appalled by Britain's shamelessness and vowed that if he could get through this difficult time, he would definitely overthrow that shameless reputation.

"The British pigs are so greedy for those tanks that our army doesn't even have enough to use them, so please tell them to do their damnedest. "That way, the British will be so mad that they will want to die."

Patton said, looking back at his staff.

There were British officers nearby, but the staff were embarrassed to see Patton speaking as if he did not care about their presence.

However, he did not refute Patton's words. It was true that they did not have enough supplies for their soldiers.

***

"Sergeant Hans, come out and have a look."

"why? "What's going on?"

"His Excellency the President's gift has arrived."

A gift from His Excellency the Führer. This was tank crew slang for a new tank.

"Hey, what is this new guy?"

"It looks like Koenigstiger."

"Isn't it a little smaller than that?"

When the new tank arrived, the tank crews who had been scattered and resting came rushing in.

Since their lives were at stake in the things they would ride in the future, it was natural for them to express interest.

"It's not a Tiger, it's a Panther. The official name is Panzer 5, Type B Panther II."

The Panther B type, also known as the Panther II, issued in place of the Panther G type, had an appearance more similar to the Tiger II than the Panther.

Because of the Schmalturm turret, it could easily be mistaken for a Tiger II from a distance.

"The main gun is the same as the Koenigstiger, and the front of the hull is 100mm long, the sides are 60mm wide, and the front of the turret is 150mm wide."

"To put it simply, he is stronger than Panther."

"I think I can already hear Tommy peeing from here?"

The faces of the tankers brightened when they heard that it was stronger and more durable than the existing Panther.

I was quite satisfied with the Panther I had driven before, but the new tank was said to be even more powerful than that, so of course I couldn't help but be satisfied.

The more powerful the tank, the higher the chance of winning against the enemy, and the more you win the battle, the higher the chance of survival.

Therefore, the soldiers on the front lines had as strong a desire and fantasy for large and powerful weapons as the generals and leaders in the rear.

***

The day new American and German tanks arrived in England.

Royal Air Force Bomber Commander Arthur Harris met with the pilots heading out for the mission, shook hands with each of them and reported on their sorties.

Bomber production had ended, and the places for bombers to operate were now gone, but Harris had no intention of making fun of the remaining bombers and pilots.

Sorties must continue as long as there is fuel and bombs and at least one pilot remains. Otherwise, the Jerrys will sleep with their legs stretched out every night, and even the fighter planes deployed for rear defense will flock to the front lines.

However, when the bombers sortie, the cautious Jerrys will have no choice but to tie up the minimum number of fighters and troops to the rear in preparation for additional bombing by the RAF.

Harris's decision drew strong opposition from bomber pilots.

At a time when air superiority had clearly passed to Germany, the order to fly to the enemy's territory and drop bombs was in effect an order to go and die.

Pilots who rebelled against Harris' orders increasingly refused missions or deserted.

Accordingly, Harris disciplined the pilots by catching and summarily executing pilots who refused to fly or deserted.

Since it was wartime and one soldier was missing, there was an opinion that it would be a good idea to hold off on shooting them and stop with a rank demotion, but Harris said that it would be a handshake that would only increase the desertion rate.

In times like now, we need to be more stringent in enforcing military law and discipline our soldiers, but what mercy!

No matter how many soldiers, especially pilots, are lacking, cowards are of no use to the country.

All these cancer cells that demoralize soldiers need are lead bullets, not mercy.

Still, Harris was not so thoughtless that he ordered people to go to an enemy country when 60% of the mainland had been taken over by Germany.

Bomber pilots were tasked with bombing German-occupied areas.

Among their destinations was London, which was under German occupation.

"You may have already heard it, but let me explain it again.

Intelligence has come in that traitors who have betrayed His Majesty the King and the British Empire and have taken advantage of Jerry's babies have made a home at Claridge's Hotel (Claridge's, London).

And the leaders of the Jerrys are living in the Savoy Hotel.

Your mission is to destroy those two places and send the Jerrys and the traitors who betrayed their country to God."

London suffered severe damage due to fierce air raids and battles, with about 40% of the city's buildings destroyed, but there were buildings that managed to escape the fire even during the great chaos.

The Savoy Hotel, known as 'London's most famous hotel', and Claridge's Hotel, one of the five major hotels representing London and with a longer history than the Savoy Hotel, were representative examples.

It was a coincidence that the two hotels escaped the fire of war with only minor damage, while even Buckingham Palace, where the King resides, was turned into a huge stone tomb.

The German army, which thoroughly destroyed London's landmarks, took over the remaining relatively intact hotels in London and established a headquarters, and the provisional government of 'New Britain', which received approval from the Fuhrer, also used Claridge's Hotel as its temporary headquarters.

Harris' goal was to destroy the two hotels and kill the German military and BUF leaders.

"Of course, this mission is not easy and is very dangerous. However, if you succeed in the operation, our despairing people and soldiers will be able to gain a ray of hope, and even if your soldiers do not return to base and disperse in smoke or become prisoners of the Jerrys, the country will be proud of you. .

May God bless you all. So that we can definitely, definitely succeed and come back."

Harris saluted the pilots, and the pilots saluted Harris.

Then they all took heavy steps toward their respective bombers. The sight of the pilots heading for the dead was extremely dark.

The Lancaster bomber they boarded was equipped with a secret weapon developed with great care by British scientists.

TALL BOY.

A very large bomb measuring 6.4 meters in length and weighing 5.4 tons, created by the British after looking at the German army's Leger.

The RAF, which was both appalled and impressed by Leger's achievements, wanted to develop seismic bombs like Leger's and use them for air raids on Axis cities and attacks on enemy warships.

However, when Tallboy was completed, the German army had already landed in England.

The ultimate weapon of the British army, which was thought to be buried in history as an ill-fated weapon at the wrong time, was given the opportunity to be active for the first and in fact last time.

In return for risking the lives of the pilots involved in the operation.

Soon, nine Lancasters left the runway and took off.

And then headed straight to London.