294

Episode 294: The End of the Apocalypse (7)

It was Secretary of State Hull who suggested bringing Germany into the war.

"Are you out of your mind?"

And President Wallace's reaction was astonishment.

"Let's send Germany into the war against Japan? "Did you eat something wrong?"

Despite Wallace's remarks, Hull did not give up his convictions.

"Your Excellency will know that Japan has asked Germany to mediate peace negotiations."

"exactly."

"This means that Germany is Japan's only hope."

Hull realized that the reason Japan was obsessed with Germany was because it had high expectations for Germany.

And he kept an eye on the 750,000 troops of the Japanese Kwantung Army remaining in Manchuria.

As long as the Kwantung Army remains, Japan is confident that it can still fight and will never surrender.

If even Germany, the only country they trusted, declares war and the 750,000 troops of the Kwantung Army are destroyed, Japan may also realize the reality and surrender.

That was Hull's argument.

Wallace was so shocked that he was speechless, but Hull was very serious.

"It may be unpleasant to drag Germany into war. "But isn't it a good choice compared to the sons of the United States losing their lives in vain on the battlefield?"

"In return, we will turn a blind eye to German fascists advancing into Asia?"

"Of course, we should limit the scope of the German military's activities to China and Manchuria and minimize the loot they will take. "Only then will we be able to secure leadership in the Pacific and Asia."

Hull also never wanted Germany's influence in the Far East to become stronger.

However, whether we liked it or not, attracting Germany was absolutely necessary to obtain Japan's surrender early.

"I don't think it's bad."

Marshall responded positively to Hull's comments.

"If we want to end the war within this year, we must consider several options."

Rich reacted the same way.

Wallace was taken aback when there were many opinions other than his own that agreed with Hull's argument. he asked Hull.

"Then how are you going to get Germany into the war? "You certainly don't mean to allow Germany to occupy key locations in the Far East, do you?"

Hull shook his head. Although he insisted that Germany's power be borrowed to crush Japan, he had no intention of giving Germany a base to operate in the Far East.

"It's money."

"money? "Did you just say money?"

Hull nodded.

Buy German soldiers with money.

America has a lot of money, and Germany wants money.

By providing enough money to force Germany into the war and obtain Japan's surrender, the United States can end the war with minimal damage.

Hull had no doubt that it would be a much better choice for the future of the United States to bribe the German soldiers who had once been at gunpoint and drag them into the war against Japan than to have hundreds of thousands of the sons of the United States become the dust of the battlefield and not be able to return.

Although the President thinks the exact opposite.

At least for now.

***

After capturing Iwo Jima, America's next target was Okinawa.

Even before the last Japanese troops on Iwo Jima surrendered, the U.S. military began air raids on the Okinawa area and minesweeping operations on the nearby coast.

The Japanese military also did not know that the U.S. military's next target would inevitably be Okinawa.

Despite active interference by the U.S. military, some of the troops stationed in Joseon and Taiwan were redeployed to Okinawa, and the islanders of Okinawa were given military training and prepared for battle with the U.S. military.

February 16, 1944.

"come!"

"Enemy number 7! The sea is 3!"

"American soldiers are coming!"

Finally, American troops landed in Okinawa.

The iron storm has begun.

On the day that US troops landed in Okinawa, Yamato, the world's largest battleship owned by Japan, launched a sortie with instructions to block US troops landing on Okinawa.

It was a crazy operation to load only one-way fuel to Okinawa due to lack of oil and board the sandy beach to block the landing of U.S. ground forces as a stationary battery. However, the Yamato crew went on a sortie under instructions from their superiors that were no different from suicide orders.

Now that the naval power has been destroyed, there is no longer any place for Yamato to function.

Since we don't know when the U.S. military will land on the mainland, wouldn't it be more helpful to the sentiments of the subjects of the empire to have the Yamato, which was built with a huge budget and time invested, die fiercely on the battlefield rather than leaving it as a pile of scrap metal?

Following that amazing logic, Yamato and its 3,000 crew members were given a mission that would almost certainly result in their death, and they sortied.

And of course the result was sinking.

Yamato's boasted 460mm gun was powerless against attacks from US Navy aircraft that rained down from the sky.

Yamato, hit by a non-stop rain of fire from naval aircraft, exploded its enormous size, ending its short and meaningless life.

Just as on Iwo Jima, the Japanese military in Okinawa recognized early on that it was impossible to block the landing of U.S. forces and made a plan to wage a delayed war by staying in the caves scattered around the island.

"We are the last hope of the empire. "We must kill at least one more American bastard and hold them here for at least a day longer to contribute to the victory of the empire."

"The Empire, Japan, is a country protected by God. With Amaterasu Ookami's blessing, you will become a stepping stone to the great victory of the empire!"

"Tenno Heika Banzai!"

An army armed with fanatical loyalty to the Emperor.

"As of today, you are also the imperial army!"

"Be loyal to His Majesty the Emperor!"

The civilians who gave them shotguns and grenades and gave them the plausible title of death squad.

The optimal conditions for Okinawa to be stained with blood have been created.

"American soldiers are coming!"

"Start shooting! Tenno Heika Banzai!"

The Japanese army's artillery fire and bullets rained down on the heads of the American soldiers who had landed on the island and were moving inland.

The Japanese army's secret weapons, the Type 3 heavy tank Chinu and Type 4 heavy tank Chito, also made their first appearance in Okinawa.

On the way to Okinawa, they encountered a U.S. submarine and there were quite a few vehicles that went straight to Yonggung without even setting foot on land, but enough to form a tank battalion arrived in Okinawa and opened fire on the U.S. forces.

The U.S. military retreated for a moment due to the Japanese army's formidable firepower, which far exceeded expectations.

However, they soon began their advance again, fully prepared than before.

Prior to the advance, the Navy, at the Army's request, attacked the Japanese defensive positions with the guns of battleships and cruisers. Second, aircraft from aircraft carriers dropped bombs and then charged with tanks.

Aiming at the M4 Sherman advancing on a track, Chinu buried its body in the ground and made it into a torch car and fired on the 75mm Type 3 tank gun.

-Car 2 hit!

-You got hit! I will escape!

-Enemy in front! They're only putting out turrets!

As the driver and front gunner were killed and the inside of the tank was filled with toxic gas, the tank commander ordered the gunner and ammunition operator to abandon the tank and escape.

While the tank crews were escaping from the Sherman, which had a hole in the front of the hull, the Shermans who discovered Chi-nu fired their main guns in unison.

Equipped with a turret that was too large for the hull, the Chinu had the strongest firepower among the Japanese tanks, but its armor was still thin.

As the 75mm tank gun fire was concentrated, Chinu was quickly roasted and burning brightly.

The tank soldiers inside the tank were killed instantly when their bodies were cut into pieces when the tank was hit.

Unlike the Chinu, which had difficulty penetrating the Sherman's frontal armor even after 500m, the Chito was equipped with a more powerful 75mm Type 5 tank gun and was able to defeat the Sherman without difficulty even at 700m.

But Cheeto is also caught by that damn glove.

"Enemy tank at 2 o'clock! Armor-piercing bullets!"

"Shoot!"

To make matters worse, due to the lack of rare metals and technology, Japan's armor plates had lower defensive power than the actual thickness, so Sherman was theoretically able to defeat the Cheeto from a greater distance.

"Destroy enemy tanks!"

"Go ahead! "The only thing left are the ground dogs!"

In addition, with the end of the European war, the jumbo Shermans and M26 Pershings with improved engines that had been accumulated on the American mainland poured into Okinawa.

"All our shells are bouncing!"

"Chinu, even Chito doesn't work on that monster!"

"Communication with the 1st Battalion of the 27th Tank Regiment has been lost. I guess they were completely wiped out... … ."

Since they were made to fight German heavy tanks, the Jumbo Sherman and Pershing, which deflected all attacks and advanced, were like a wall that could never be overcome by the Japanese army, which even the Sherman could not overcome.

When the Japanese army realized that neither tanks nor anti-tank guns were effective against the enemy's 'heavy tanks', they mobilized their last resort.

"Now, go! Go and die like a man!"

"The Empire will not forget the sacrifices of our soldiers!"

"Let's all meet at Yasukuni Shrine!"

"Don't forget. "We'll meet right at the main gate of Yasukuni Shrine."

"Tenno Heika Banzai!"

The last resort chosen by the Japanese military was an anti-tank explosion.

A soldier holding a depth charge or having a Type 99 wave armored charge attached to his body would rush towards an enemy tank and self-destruct.

The Japanese military, which lacked anti-tank means, adopted it without hesitation because of its extreme cost-effectiveness, capable of destroying one tank with the sacrifice of one soldier.

After all, if you are a member of the Empire of Japan, you must be prepared to sacrifice yourself for the glory of the Empire!

Following a logic so rare that even Satan would be dumbfounded, countless young Japanese people rushed toward the tank with bombs attached.

There were many cases where they were caught by the tank's machine gun before they could even approach the tank, but there were also many cases where they succeeded in approaching the tank while disguised as a corpse or while the infantry was drawing the tank's attention.

As soon as they got close to the tank, the suicide bombers detonated their bombs without hesitation.

The US military that landed in Okinawa lost dozens of tanks and tank crews to anti-tank explosions.

The Japanese military did not discriminate between children and adults in anti-tank explosions.

Not only strong adult men, but also young boys and girls were forced to carry out hand-to-hand assaults against American tanks with bombs attached in the name of protecting the Empire and the Emperor.

"Crazy bastards."

"All those little ones are crazy."

"How can even children… … ."

The U.S. military, who witnessed the scene in real time and plans to witness it in the future, stuck out their tongues at the insanity of the Japanese military.

Oh my, children, old people, they have no choice but to run with bombs attached to them, disguise themselves as corpses, and throw grenades when they get close.

To them, the Japanese soldiers and Japanese people went beyond being hated enemies and became beings who even questioned whether they were the same human beings.

Reports of the Japanese army's struggles in Okinawa and records of the ever-increasing number of dead and wounded were enough to worry Wallace in the White House.

In Iwo Jima and Okinawa as well, the U.S. military is suffering great damage from the Japanese military's resistance.

What about mainland Japan? What about the Japanese mainland, which is incomparably larger and better prepared for defense than places like Okinawa, and where tens of millions of Japanese people live? If you combine Taiwan, Joseon, and Manchuria... … .

Wallace shook his head.

Although the Republican Party is expected to win this year's presidential election, I did not want to be evaluated as a straw man who wasted his time doing nothing and wasted his time as president.

And they did not want to hear the cries of tens of millions of people who sent their children to the battlefield, telling people who desperately hoped for an end to the war that the war would continue next year.

Wallace gathered his thoughts.

As Marshall argued, if we give up the mainland invasion after Okinawa and blockade all of Japan to induce starvation, we can avoid further casualties.

However, in this case, not only would it take at least a year, but if the Japanese military leadership left the archipelago and fled to the continent to form a government in exile, an additional landing war would have to be launched on the Korean Peninsula or Manchuria.

However, if it lands on the Japanese mainland, there will be massive casualties. Even if the war ends faster than Operation Hunger, this too will take quite a long time.

What if, as Hull said, the German soldiers were bribed with money to participate in the war against Japan, and the sacrifices that the American soldiers had to endure were passed on to them?

The end of the war will come sooner and the sacrifices of U.S. troops will decrease.

The growing influence of Germany in Asia is something I don't mind thinking about, but the option of hundreds of thousands of American youth dying ahead of the Cold War with Germany was never a better option.

Chiang Kai-shek also continued to suggest to Wallace that it would be a good idea to involve Germany in the war against Japan in order to minimize the sacrifices of the United States and China.

Although the British exile government in Canada strongly opposed this, they would not send additional young men of their country to the battlefield to reduce the sacrifices of American soldiers.

In fact, even now, for the survival of the British Empire, many young people from Britain, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand are needed, and they have been secretly wondering if the U.S. military can take on their role.

Even though we are allies and our mainland is occupied by Germany, isn't this too much?

Free France and the Netherlands were no different from the British government-in-exile, and Czechoslovakia, Poland, Belgium, and Luxembourg only participated in the formal declaration of war against Japan and simply ignored it.

The people dying on their behalf were the youth of the United States.

Is this really right? Is this truly for the future of the United States?

Wallace couldn't answer.

After thinking for a while, he finally made a decision.

"Please prepare to speak to Chiang Kai-shek."

"I understand, Your Excellency."

***

April 9, 1944

New Fuhrer's Residence in Berlin, Germany

A customer came from China again.

This time Chiang Kai-shek visited Germany in person.

I met Chiang Kai-shek after a long time, and compared to when I first met him before the war, his wrinkles increased and his voice became hoarse. Because he must have suffered a lot during the war, his body must have aged quickly.

Still, the expression on his face was extremely bright, perhaps due to his confidence in victory.

however… … Why did you come this far away? Hasn't the conversation related to arms exports already ended with practitioners?

"Fuhrer Hitler. "It may be shameless, but I have something to ask the President."

"What kind of favor are you asking?" … ?"

"We need the President's help for peace in China and the world."

"Are you saying you are asking Germany to participate in the war against Japan?"

"That's right."

"I'd like to, but America won't like it very much."

"Ah, don't worry about that."

"Don't worry?"

What does that mean? Are you saying that you are covering it for yourself?

Just when it occurred to me that even if Chiang Kai-shek covered it, America would not listen to it, an unexpected sound came out of Chiang Kai-shek's mouth.

"Because America also needs Germany's strength."