176

Episode 176: Time between dogs and wolves (2)

August 1, 1942

Over the Strait of Dover

Twenty Halifax bombers were flying across the dark navy blue curtained sky.

"I will arrive in France soon. "Brace yourselves."

Captain Kim Erickson, who was at the controls, spoke in as calm a tone as possible, hiding his mixed feelings.

He first entered the battlefield during the Copenhagen raid two years ago and participated in 22 battles until he was wounded by anti-aircraft fire over France.

He was injured the day before the signing of the Peace Treaty and was hospitalized for seven months before being discharged with a promotion to captain and returning to normal.

When the Pacific War broke out, Erickson was able to remain on the mainland rather than being sent to the Asian battlefield due to his past record of injuries.

Every time he went to a pub with his colleagues and drank heavily, he would often complain that he couldn't fight the gangsters, but inside he was happy that he didn't have to go to battle again.

I wanted to stay like this in the safe mainland until the war ended.

However, a sudden change in the situation pushed him back into the battlefield.

Although he pretended to be calm on the outside, he felt like crying. Damn it. I thought he would be able to continue training safely like this... ..

Erickson didn't understand everything.

Citizens who had been shouting for communists to be hunted down just moments ago came out with retribution against Germany when an IRA-related incident occurred in Belfast, and the government also joined in and criticized Germany so much that it entered a state of war with Germany today.

Just two years after the peace treaty was signed in Switzerland.

"What are you thinking?"

Erickson shook his head at the co-pilot's question.

"just. "Thoughts of old times."

When I thought about it carefully, it was just absurd. In a normal society, a person like Churchill should not have become prime minister in the first place.

The same goes for the Battle of Gallipoli, when Churchill attacked Scandinavia to block Germany's supply of iron ore, which increased the number of enemies Britain had to deal with, and he only suffered humiliation when he tried to place the blame on Chamberlain.

Nevertheless, he continued to eat one meal at a time, and when our army suffered a crushing defeat in Malaya, he harshly criticized Halifax, drove him out, and took over the position of prime minister himself.

Even though he, the Minister of the Navy, can never be free from responsibility if he is actually held responsible for the crushing defeat in the Malaya campaign.

Nevertheless, the public did not show much of a reaction to Churchill becoming prime minister.

Of course, voices of criticism against him continued to come from the political world and the private sector, but the majority of the public acted as if it did not matter.

Even after Churchill became Prime Minister, the war situation continued to worsen, but no politician held him responsible. Isn't something strange?

'Am I wrong or are the people just stupid... .'

What part of Churchill do people believe in and will they stand by and allow such a person to become prime minister?

No matter how much he thought about it, Ericson felt frustrated because he couldn't figure out the reason.

In actual history, even when France surrendered and suffered consecutive defeats in Yugoslavia, Greece, North Africa, Malaya, and Burma, Churchill remained Prime Minister until the Potsdam Conference, receiving the unwavering and absolute support of the people, rather than being dethroned or held accountable. It was impossible to know that far.

By this time, the squadron had arrived over Abbeville, its target point. Upon reaching the destination, Erickson put aside his thoughts and focused on his mission.

Eriksson's mission was to destroy the German Army's supply base near Abbeville.

Following the flight commander's instructions, he opened the bomb bay and eventually dropped the bomb.

The bombs dropped by the twenty Halifaxes illuminated the pitch-black land with orange flashes.

The bomber crew could hear the roar of the bomb exploding even at altitude.

After dropping all their bombs, the bombers quickly turned around and flew in the direction they had come from.

Soon, German fighter planes would take off like a swarm and rush towards the bombers who were carrying out their missions or returning from their missions.

Still, Ericsson was lucky.

I was tasked with destroying the enemy base in Abbeville, the closest place to England. The unluckier pilots were tasked with carrying out air raids on German bases farther away than Abbeville, while the unluckier pilots had to fly all the way to mainland Germany.

But Erickson did not consider himself lucky. If we were really lucky, the war itself wouldn't have happened.

Now was the end of happiness and the beginning of hell.

***

On August 1, 1942, Britain declared war on Germany.

The reason for the declaration of war was Germany's violation of the peace treaty.

The position of the British government and Churchill was that since Germany had provided weapons and funds to the IRA and instigated terrorism against Britain, this was a clear violation of the treaty and a provocation against Britain, so it could not stand idly by.

In the end, the situation I was trying to avoid came up.

The United States was said to have avoided the worst because it was still neutral, but Britain's participation in the war was quite a headache.

This means that from now on, we must pay attention not only to the eastern front but also to the western front.

On the day that Churchill's declaration of war against Germany was broadcast across the world through the BBC, protests were held in major cities across the UK, including London, Manchester, Birmingham, and Glasgow.

Demonstrators consisting of pro-German and anti-war activists marched holding pickets and placards reading 'Oppose the war against Germany' and 'Withdraw the declaration of war' and condemned the government for going ahead with the declaration of war.

A heated debate took place in the House of Representatives over the government's declaration of war against Germany.

Many lawmakers protested, saying it was an outrage by the cabinet that went against public opinion and the general trend, but it failed to produce meaningful results because there were more voices calling for punishment than voices opposing the war.

Although many British people opposed the German War, many more expressed their support for the Great German War.

Rather than the burden of going to war with Germany, the anger at having to somehow punish Germany for supporting the IRA played a bigger role.

On the first day of the war, Britain mobilized hundreds of aircraft to raid German army, naval and air force bases in northern France, Belgium, and the Netherlands.

Because the atmosphere in the UK had been unusual before, we had made thorough preparations for this, so the damage was not significant, but it was not non-existent either.

The damage to the Navy was one schnell boat sunk, two damaged, and 60 base defense personnel killed. The Army lost 27 vehicles and tanks, and about 90 people were killed or seriously injured, while the Air Force suffered damage to about 20 bombers, transport planes, and fighter planes.

Of course, right after the airstrike, our forces immediately counterattacked and did well, shooting down 35 fighter planes and 32 bombers.

There were British airstrikes in the German territories of Wilhelmshaven, Bremerhaven, and Helgoland, but the damage was only minor.

Britain's declaration of war against Germany caused great confusion even in the countries of the Commonwealth.

Since they only had sovereignty and were moving in the direction Britain wanted them to go, they automatically participated in the war as soon as Britain declared war, but internal opinions were greatly divided.

"Why should we risk our lives fighting a war in Europe?"

"The IRA is a British problem, not a Canadian problem!"

Starting with the capital Ottawa, protests were held in Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, and Quebec.

"We're at war with Japan, but we're at war with Germany!"

"We can't let our young people die on a battlefield!"

"It's Tokyo, not Berlin, that London should care about!"

The voices of opposition were even stronger in Australia and New Zealand, which were sparring with Japan in the front yard.

Demonstrations against the war took place in Newfoundland and South Africa, and even in the United States, which had declared neutrality, rallies were held against Britain's entry into the war against Germany.

Anyway, since Britain entered the war, it was no longer possible to import materials from foreign countries such as the United States, Argentina, and Brazil.

There is also a way to use U-boats, but U-boats were not originally made for cargo transportation, and moving the required amount of supplies with a U-boat with a narrow space would take thousands of years even if all the U-boats in Germany were mobilized. .

Still, it is better than nothing at all, but it was expected that there would be many difficulties as the limit was to import only 2 to 4 instead of the usual 100.

I can already hear the sound of hair falling out of Tote and Speer's heads.

Fortunately, despite the misfortune, all the cargo ships that had gone overseas two days before Britain declared war entered Axis waters.

Five cargo ships departing from New York arrived in Kiel, one ship carrying food imported from Argentina anchored in Vigo, Spain, and two ships carrying Brazilian coffee and rubber anchored in the French port of La Rochelle.

For the two cargo ships to reach Germany, the only way was to pass through the narrow Strait of Dover or take a major detour through the North Atlantic.

Naturally, the British Navy and Air Force were swarming in that area with their eyes on, so orders were given to move the cargo by land to Germany.

"Churchill, he made it happen, so now we have nothing to hesitate about."

"That makes perfect sense!"

"They say they don't want to live, so there's no need for us to keep them alive!"

"Mr. President. All preparations are complete. "Order!"

"Let's get started."

***

August 3, 1942

london england

Two days have passed since Britain officially re-entered a state of war with Germany.

Opponents of the war still continued their protests, but citizens' reactions were generally in the mood of supporting or accepting the government's decision.

Extreme anti-communists, pro-German fascists, and those with anti-war tendencies expressed doubts about the timing of the Belfast incident and claimed that the start of the war against Germany was a government conspiracy to cover up the Cambridge Five incident, but many British people I thought I should use this opportunity to flatten Germany's nose.

The crushing defeat two years ago was a disaster that occurred because Britain was not yet ready for war.

In fact, England was able to fight well, but Halifax was too scared and weak, and everything went wrong.

Germany is currently concentrating all of its power on the Eastern Front, so even if our troops land in France tomorrow, they cannot be stopped.

And so on and so forth.

Churchill went on the air every day and tried diligently to make people realize that Germany was not the invincible monster that people thought it was.

Britain has a navy much larger than the German Navy, allies and colonies across the world, and more manpower and resources than any other country in the world.

On the other hand, Germany has a shortage of manpower and resources, so they even recycle cigarette butts and even conscript women to make up for the lack of soldiers.

Soon, Germany will suffer from food shortages, exploit its allies, and eventually collapse into rebellion, just like it did during World War I. Like 1918.

"Remember everyone! Even in moments of crisis, Heaven did not abandon the British Empire! "The Goddess of Victory is smiling upon us!"

Amidst the ongoing conflict between the government, which was trying to convince the public of the legitimacy of the war and attract support, and the protesters, who criticized the government and shouted opposition to the start of the war, there were people who paid no attention to politics and went about their daily lives in silence.

Margaret Pauline, a 23-year-old nurse, was one of those typical small-town people who had no interest in politics.

Newspapers and radio were talking about the war with Germany every day, but to her, who had no interest in politics, it was like a foreign matter.

Because she was a woman, she was not subject to conscription, and since she had no boyfriend or brothers, she did not have to worry about sending them off to war.

There are relatives, but we are not on good terms with each other, so we have now cut off communication.

"Margaret!"

Casey Grayson, Margaret's best friend of 10 years, raised her hand.

She was nicknamed 'Strawberry' by the neighborhood kids from a young age, and her face was full of freckles, befitting her nickname.

"Are you a little late today?"

"With just 10 minutes until shift change, an emergency patient suddenly came in."

Margaret shrugged her shoulders as if she were tired.

"What kind of patient was this?"

"He was a public servant in his 40s who was hit by a drunk driver. "He was unconscious and bleeding profusely."

"Well. so?"

"Luckily I survived. Consciousness also returned. "When I came to my senses and opened the cabinet, it was 6 o'clock."

"great job. "As a nurse, I can't help it."

Casey patted Margaret on the back.

"I will live today. What do you want to eat?"

"The meal is done, let's have a beer. How are you and your boyfriend these days? "How's it going?"

"so so. But a problem arose a few days ago."

"What's the problem?"

"The police came to my house a few days ago. Well, it's because my boyfriend is close to BUF party members. "There is also a record of being investigated for damaging property after participating in a protest last month."

"Oh my."

Given the current situation, the police's reaction was not incomprehensible, but I refrained from speaking in front of Casey. At least she was someone who knew the difference between what she wanted to say and what she could say.

"It would be nice if my boyfriend stopped being interested in politics like you do. But I guess that doesn't work."

"Well, I guess you'll take care of it. "I'm not really interested in things in this world."

Margaret stopped talking at the sound of an explosion coming from afar and looked in the direction from which the sound came.

"What?"

"What's going on?"

Passersby who were walking down the street as usual also heard the sound. As soon as a thin layer of smoke was visible, people's murmurs grew louder.

"no way… . air raid?"

The moment Margaret saw the plume of smoke, what came to mind was an air raid by the German Air Force.

Has the German air raid really begun? However, if it was an air raid, an air raid warning had to be sounded before that. However, the air raid alarm did not sound.

Maybe terrorism? Although she was not interested in what was going on in the world, I heard at least the basics about her through her radio news.

She did not know that Germany provided weapons and funds to IRA terrorists, and that the reason for the war was that the IRA attempted to cause terrorism with bombs supported by Germany.

Or it could simply have been an old gas pipe that caused the explosion.

However, the second she heard the explosion, Margaret put the gas pipe explosion out of her mind.

After the third binge, when the air raid alarm sounded, she also erased the IRA terror.

When the siren sounded, announcing an air raid, people rushed to the subway station. As the police showed up to control the situation and blew their whistles to encourage citizens to evacuate, heavy drinking continued.

The German air raid itself was true.

However, it was not an ordinary air raid.

It was the first moment when V2, the world's first ballistic missile developed by German scientists, hit London.

***

The V2 bases that Germany built in northern France and Belgium in preparation for war with Britain were almost unharmed from the British Air Force's air raids.

One of the reasons for the low damage was that there were only a few bases whose locations were known, but since it was built thick and solid with a generous amount of reinforced concrete, it was impervious to most air attacks.

Since there was no way to intercept the V2 flying at Mach 5 in Britain in 1942, Britain had no choice but to be helpless in the world's first ballistic missile bombing.

"Hurry up and refuel!"

"hurry! hurry!"

"Shouldn't we show the British bastards an example?"

The officers and soldiers of the SS 500th Independent Launch Battalion were full of motivation. Who wouldn't be excited that they, who are not air force pilots but just ordinary infantrymen, can turn Britain's homeland into a sea of fire?

Since the authority to operate the world's first ballistic missile was a difficult one to obtain in competition with the Army and Air Force, Himmler's ordering special treatment for the SS soldiers selected to operate the V2 also had a great impact on their morale.

After completing preparations for launch, V2 soon flew up into the sky with its yellow tail dangling from its tail. After leaving her launch pad, V2 arrived across the ocean in England, wreaking havoc on the streets of London, a city with a long history.

Where V2 fell, only sparks and pieces of debris remained in a huge crater.

The British military and citizens, who had only expected bombers to cross the Strait of Dover in droves and drop bombs, were taken aback by the rocket attack, which they had experienced for the first time in their lives.

The shock of the British people was even greater because this type of attack had never been experienced or imagined before.

But compared to what was to come, V2 was just a taste.

Like the finely chopped sausage pieces in the tasting corner inside a large supermarket,

The hardships the British people would experience were just beginning.