229

Episode 229: What we will fight for (3)

March 20, 1943

Wolfsschanze, East Prussia, Germany

In actual history, the meeting between Hitler and Mannerheim took place in Finland on June 4, 1942.

Germany was enraged by Finland's obedient attitude, which accepted support indiscriminately but focused on regaining the territory it had lost rather than conquering Leningrad and Murmansk, and refused Germany's demands with various excuses.

Hitler, who was enraged by Finland's obedience, visited Finland and had a meeting with Mannerheim under the pretext of celebrating Mannerheim's birthday.

Hitler met with Mannerheim and informed Mannerha of Germany's demands, but Mannerheim wasted as much time as possible by diverting his words, and in the end, Hitler returned to Germany without much benefit.

One theory is that Mannerheim pretended to accept Hitler's request in front of him and then chewed it all up when Hitler returned to Germany.

There is also a story that Mannerheim, who had a personal relationship with Hitler, smoked a cigar on purpose to overpower Hitler, but it is said that this did not actually happen.

In any case, Finland did not properly fulfill Germany's demands, and Finland's intentional sabotage had a significant impact on the results of the Battle of Leningrad and the Battle of Murmansk.

And in September 1944, Finland strengthened its support against the Soviet Union, which had been its enemy, and went into war with Germany, which had helped Finland.

The explanation was long. Here too, Finland made the generals angry by openly trolling several times, just like in real history.

Fortunately, the war ended with Germany's victory, but Finland's fantastic trolling during the war was still vividly remembered.

Therefore, when Mannerheim requested a meeting with me, I deliberately set the meeting location not in Berlin but in Wolfschanze in East Prussia.

I could roughly guess why Mannerheim had asked to meet with me.

Inside the bunker, in the narrowest conference room, I was drinking Coke and reading Hermann Hesse's "Gunsche" when Günsche knocked on the door.

"Mr. President. "They say the Finnish delegation has just passed through the guard post."

"I understand."

Exactly ten minutes later, I met Mannerheim. As expected, Mannerheim's expression was not very bright.

As a quick-witted man, he seemed to have figured out why I had called him to the East Prussian bunker rather than the Fuhrer's residence in Berlin.

"It is an honor to meet Mr. President."

"Nice to meet you, General."

I deliberately used the title 'General' instead of 'Marshal'. The interpreter was also instructed not to use the word 'enemy' but to interpret as general.

Mannerheim's eyebrows twitched as if the interpreter had conveyed my words correctly.

I feel like I'm already laughing. Hmm, it shouldn't be like this.

"So, what brought you all this far? "The war with the Soviet Union is already over."

When I shrugged my shoulders with an exaggerated expression, Mannerheim looked even more uncomfortable.

"… … "This is to have an in-depth conversation with the Führer Gakhwa regarding the border issue between Finland and Free Russia."

"If it is a question of the border between Finland and Free Russia, shouldn't you meet with Vlasov and not me?"

Mannerheim was embarrassed as he continued to remain ignorant.

This guy, surprisingly, has a taste for teasing.

"The only person who can solve this problem is His Excellency the President."

"is it so? I'm not as great a person as the general thinks... … Anyway, I understand. "Let's talk about it."

"Well, first of all, on behalf of the Finnish people, I would like to thank Germany. "If it weren't for German support, Finland would have remained a vassal state of the Soviet Union."

"hmm."

"Finland had to endure many sacrifices due to the Soviet attack. Between 1939 and 1940 and 1942 and 1943, close to 100,000 Finns died and hundreds of thousands more lost their homes. Fortunately, the war was won, but it will take several years for Finland to fully recover from the damage caused by the war."

"I guess so. "It is very unfortunate."

"Our people have not forgotten that the Russian Bolsheviks tried to rob Finland of its territory, and we want to take revenge on them."

"so?"

"I hope the President will help us hand over the Kola Peninsula and Karelia to Finland."

Under the Second Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, the Soviet Union ceded the Kola Peninsula and Karelia, and those regions became part of Free Russia.

This was precisely why Mannerheim came to see me. He planned to annex the Kola Peninsula and Karelia to create Greater Finland (Suur-Suomi), but it was embarrassing enough that the two regions he thought would fall to him ended up in the hands of Free Russia.

"I don't have anything to say about that. I have already promised to hand over the Kola Peninsula and Karelia to the Free Russian Government. But can I reverse that decision?"

"Mr. President, the Finnish people had to make many sacrifices during the war. The Kola Peninsula and Karelia are Finland's prize gained through the sacrifices of its people. But if you give it back to the Russians-"

"Let us get our point straight. It was Germany who took over the Kola Peninsula and Karelia. "The land acquired by Germany was disposed of according to Germany's will, so why is Finland so angry?"

"Of course, it was the German army that sacrificed the most and made the most achievements, but the Finnish army fought just as valiantly as the German army and contributed to the victory of the war. But the reward is a return to the border before the Winter War. "This is too much treatment for our allies."

"Is this too much treatment for our allies? "Isn't Finland the one who violated its alliance obligations first?"

I think I should take this opportunity to make it clear who my boss is. I looked straight into Mannerheim's eyes and continued speaking.

"Although Germany had no relationship with Finland, it provided material and material support to Finland when the Soviet Union invaded Finland. Germany was also the country that helped rebuild the Finnish army, which was devastated after the war. But the war broke out and Finland remained neutral until it was attacked by the Soviet Union."

"that-"

"And what did Finland do during the war? If we win the war, we will regain all the territory we lost, so even though we asked them to cooperate with the strategy, Finland consistently ignored them. Neither Leningrad nor Murmansk! In attacking these two places, it would have been great if the Norwegian and Swedish troops had provided more help than the Finnish army, but it was definitely not less.

"Did you think that if you played around like that during the war and then acted like nothing happened after the war, we would forget everything we did?"

"… … ."

Mannerheim, who seemed to have a lot to say when he entered the bunker, became completely mute.

When I saw Mannerheim's face, sweating coldly and not knowing what to say, all the stress that had accumulated so far seemed to fly away like dust.

In the end, Mannerheim had to return to Finland, having gained nothing and only being devastated.

I'm telling you this in advance because I think there might be a misunderstanding, but it doesn't mean that Finland gained nothing from the war.

A representative example is the Murmansk port, which is officially part of Free Russia, but Finland is responsible for managing the port.

Besides that... … What was there?

No matter how much Finland trolled, some might say that they are being too mean.

But this is all done with intention. In any case, Finland is in a position where it has no choice but to remain in the Axis powers.

Now, even if I want to change sides, I can't. There is no country to join.

uk? USA? The distance is so far that they can't stick together, and as soon as Finland shows signs of betrayal, the countries that surrounded Finland will group together and attack each other, right?

If I told you that I would share the Finnish territory amicably, wouldn't you all want to join in?

In other words, even if I give Amman Yazi, Finland has no choice but to remain in the Axis powers.

And there is no way that Finland will be fooled by Germany, as it was a country that was more dependent than necessary on the Soviet Union, which invaded its country.

Shouldn't you have done something better? If only we had listened carefully during the war, we could have realized the Greater Finland we dreamed of.

Oh, and of course we added some troops to the invasion of England.

***

While Germany was sharpening her teeth and claws to bite off the neck of Britain, which was left alone,

In the distant Pacific, the United States launched a full-scale offensive.

The United States, having completely shattered Japan's offensive will at Guadalcanal, began its march toward Tokyo, the capital of Japan.

The U.S. military set the Gilbert Islands and Marshall Islands as its next targets.

While deceiving the people by using words to describe the defeat at Guadalcanal as an advance on Guadalcanal, the headquarters felt a serious sense of crisis due to the U.S. military's offensive.

Accordingly, the headquarters declared absolute national defense rights along the maritime defense line that binds southern Indonesia, western New Guinea, the Caroline Islands, the Mariana Islands, and the Ogasawara Islands, while deploying elite troops to Tarawa Atoll in the Gilbert Islands, the target of the U.S. military's attack. They increased the number of troops and made it a fortress.

While preparing to face the U.S. military in the South Pacific, many words were exchanged within the headquarters about the end of the German War.

"I never thought the Soviet Union would collapse so quickly… … ."

"If I had known this would happen, I should have joined hands with Germany somehow."

Even as the U.S. military's full-fledged counterattack began and the fate of the empire, which had been on a roll for so long, began to slowly decline, there were loud voices in the main headquarters expressing regret over the failure to form an alliance with Germany over the outcome of the German-German War.

Some even argued that a surprise attack on the Soviet Union was necessary now that the Soviet military was weakened.

"The main force of the Soviet army was destroyed by the German army. "Currently, the divisions on the Manchurian border are all ragtag."

"If we launch a surprise attack now, the imperial army will definitely win."

"Now is the only opportunity to avenge Nomonhan's grudge and take control of Karafuto (Sakhalin) and Outer Manchuria! The Empire has an invincible Kwantung Army!"

The opinion, mainly expressed among some ultra-hardline generals in the army, surprisingly gained a lot of support, and the headquarters headquarters even seriously considered it.

However, the army's hard-liners' theory of conquering the Soviet Union soon had to face opposition that was several times greater than those in favor.

"Are you saying this in your right mind? "While we are waging war against the devil, we are going to turn the Soviet Union into an enemy!"

"Not to mention the U.S. military, even the Chinese military is growing stronger day by day."

"In such a situation, let's fight the Soviet army! "The imperial army is invincible, but excessive pride is nothing but arrogance!"

As criticism poured in against the theory of Soviet conquest not only in the Navy but also within the Army, the theory of Soviet conquest brought up by ultra-hardliners was soon abandoned.

However, Japan did not stop here.

Although the theory of Soviet conquest was abandoned due to practical difficulties, the Great Britain found a 'way out' elsewhere.

"Now the only country in Europe that stands up to Germany is England."

"Britain is still having a hard time suppressing the rebellion in India."

The threat from Germany reached its peak and the rebellion in India took place.

These situations led the Japanese military to dream of another new ambition.

Attack and occupy India, completely surround Zina and put pressure on Britain!

"The Assam region in India is where the supply route for British and American troops to Jina begins."

"If we take control of Imphal, we can cut off the supply of British and American forces and the Jinnah army, and furthermore, use it as a forward base for our invasion of India."

"If India comes into the arms of the Empire, we can completely expel Britain from the Indian Ocean, and if we do well, we might even be able to force Britain into a ceasefire."

Mutaguchi Renya, who was appointed commander of the 15th Army in Burma, especially strongly advocated the idea of conquering India.

In fact, in the past, he was the strongest opponent of the Indian vacuum operation established by the Great Britain, but when he was appointed to Burma, he changed his position and actively called for an invasion of India.

"Now Britain is too busy preparing for a German attack to pay attention to India! "Now is the golden opportunity to conquer India!"

"If the imperial army occupies Imphal and further takes control of Assam and Bengal, the Indian people will rise up and join forces with the imperial army to drive the British out of the Asian continent!"

"If you give me the chance, I will definitely conquer India to repay Your Majesty's kindness and show the world the imperial army's valor!"

Not everyone in the main headquarters agreed with Mutaguchi's absurd claims. Although not as strong as the theory of Soviet conquest, this too was met with strong opposition.

However, out of complacency and desperation for the need for a great victory to make up for the defeat in the South Pacific, the upper echelons of the headquarters gradually began to listen to Mutaguchi's claims.

If they are truly successful in conquering India, there is a possibility that isolated Gina will request reinforcements.

If we strengthen China, we can redirect all the power invested in China to Southeast Asia and the South Pacific, and if we fortify major islands in the Pacific to defend them from attacks by the U.S. military, we can protect our right to absolute national defense!

While the happiness circuit of the headquarters was burning hard, the Indian vacuum operation, which had been called for every day, was accepted, and Mutaguchi also began preparations for an invasion of India in earnest.

"But Sir, even if the resistance of the British army is weak, how will we provide supplies? "It takes a lot of food to feed all these troops, but isn't the Imperial Army currently short of even trucks?"

"What are you so worried about? Wouldn't artillery shells be carried on horses and cows instead of trucks, and when the cannonballs are used up, the horses and cows that are no longer needed can be slaughtered and eaten? It's called Genghis Khan's strategy! It's a way to solve material transportation and supply at the same time.

And Japanese people are originally herbivores. "We have been vegetarians for over a thousand years, so you can advance while eating the grass that grows along the road."

"… … ."

"It's been 30 years since I served in the military. I have never felt so confident in victory. The British army is weak, so they will definitely retreat. "Concerns about supply can be mistaken."

"I think this operational plan is too risky. "Isn't there room for reconsideration?"

"You seem to be scared because you have no combat experience, but you have never been so thoroughly prepared for a battle before. "I will definitely occupy Imphal and Kohima before the Heavenly Festival."

Despite the pouring concern and questioning gaze, Mutaguchi remained confident.

Although they were on the defensive in the South Pacific by the evil American forces, the British and Chinese forces, which were weaker than the American forces, had a good chance of winning.

Coincidentally, the Indian people who were fighting against British rule would also actively cooperate with the imperial army's advance.

Thus began Operation No. 21, the Battle of Imphal.