253

Episode 253: Tug of war (6)

July 15, 1943

london england

The U.S. military's first offensive ran into a strong defense shield and ended with only over 40 tanks and hundreds of casualties.

This is not a bad result for the first battle with the U.S. military. Even if Patton was a war-mad berserker, if he suffered this much loss in the first battle, he would be put off for a while.

"I hope the Yankees realize that fighting with us is doing more harm than good… … "Eh."

"Don't worry. "Even if a million cowboys came, wouldn't you come to your senses if we slaughtered all of those million people?"

He appeared just as he was about to tell Göring, who laughed at what he said, that our soldiers would die just as much.

"It's been a while since I saw you, Mr. President. "Have you been safe so far?"

BUF leader Oswald Mosley.

"It's been a while, Lord Moseley."

Mosley looked surprisingly different from when I saw him before, probably due to the hardships he had gone through.

Although the cheeks were sunken, the cheekbones were sticking out and there were small scratches on the hands. It looks like you had quite a hard time in prison.

"It looks like you've been through quite a bit."

"It's no big deal. "Something happened during the escape process."

Behind Mosley, key executives of the BUF stood motionless.

Looking at their facial expressions, they seem to be so happy that their long-awaited meeting with the President has come true that they don't know what to do.

I shook hands with each of them and praised them for their 'hard work'.

"You worked very hard. That cowardly and incompetent Churchill and his henchmen must have put a lot of pressure on you, but you never gave up your beliefs until the end... … I like people with faith. Same goes for all Germans. "I swear on my name that the Third Reich will never forget the friendship you showed us."

Mosley and the BUF executives listened to what I had to say with a proud look on their faces.

Their faces seemed to say this. Now the hardships are over and happiness begins.

Although the war was still far from over, I had a rough plan in my head for the formation of the government of 'Fascist Britain' that would be born after the war.

Of course, the man in front of us, Mosley, will become prime minister, and he will be given a position commensurate with the positions of BUF executives.

The King of England will naturally belong to Edward VIII.

The streets of London were in shambles due to bombing, shelling, and fierce fighting.

In addition, all the buildings that can be considered landmarks of London have been demolished with Legger, so if you bring anyone in the world here and ask them where this place is, no one will be able to think of London.

To that extent, London was destroyed.

"This is so… … "No matter how much of an enemy country we are, as a person who loves culture and history, I cannot hide my sadness when I see London, a city with a long history and tradition, destroyed."

Goering said with a smile.

"For that matter, your face looks very bright, doesn't it?"

"Uh huh. "You must be quiet."

It seemed clear that even if the war ended tomorrow, it would take a considerable amount of time and money to rebuild the shattered London to its pre-war appearance.

However, Germany's economy is not large enough to help Britain's post-war recovery.

Support from the United States will be essential for London to regain its original form, but will the United States be willing to contribute money to the recovery of Britain, which became a puppet state of Germany after the war?

I think it would be difficult unless Henry Ford or Charles Lindbergh became president.

While I'm at it, the two representative pro-German figures in the U.S. are still actively engaged in anti-war activism (limited to Germany).

Their argument that why go to war with Germany, which could be an important political, economic, and military partner of the United States and put innocent young people at risk, was gaining more and more support day by day.

However, the new U.S. President Wallace, as a pro-Soviet figure who made even Roosevelt disgusted, declared that he would not withdraw from Europe despite endless attacks from anti-war activists.

The amount of troops and materials sent to the UK was significantly increased compared to before, and both the BLR and the KKK were considered terrorist groups that threatened the security of the United States, and a drastic suppression was ordered.

Although there are still many black people protesting against the government, black protests are gradually subsiding after Wallace promised punishment and compensation for those responsible for the Tuskegee incident and the death of Jesse Owens.

However, the good news is that there are many black soldiers who insist on going to the Pacific, saying they cannot go to Europe to fight against Germany, and that there are increasing cases of German and Irish soldiers who were destined for England deserting and disappearing with the help of anti-war activists.

Because of this, the media is also asking if there is any reason to send them to Europe.

I hoped that these pro-German anti-war activists would talk harder and fight harder.

Goebbels, who appeared on a Berlin radio broadcast, also praised them eagerly, praising them as true pacifists of this era and the living conscience of America.

Germany doesn't want to fight with America! Roosevelt, the culprit of the war, is dead, so why should you shed blood!

It's not too late, so let's resolve misunderstandings and sit down face to face and have a serious and deep conversation about the future of Europe and the world.

Of course, there was a risk of creating the wrong perception that we were afraid of them, so when we went out strong, we went out strong.

American tanks and fighter planes are no match for Germany.

If America continues to fight, we will slaughter your precious sons as they cross the sea to reach England!

The recorded film showing German fighter planes and tanks ruthlessly destroying fighter planes, bombers, and tanks provided by the United States to the British army became good propaganda not only for the people of Germany and the Axis countries, but also for the British and Americans, who were enemies.

Newsreels showed the pitiful images of British and Canadian soldiers surrendering to their own troops, printed on leaflets and distributed to cities in England that had not yet been occupied.

So that the British people can come to their senses and make wise choices even now.

On the streets of London, the Hakenkreuz flag and the BUF flag were flying together. Even in the city that was completely devastated, people still lived.

Although Londoners still kept their distance from the occupying forces, they lined up hundreds of meters long to receive the bread and soup distributed by the occupying forces.

Even bread mixed with sawdust and soup made with only turnips and cabbage were valuable to citizens who had no way to obtain food.

I suddenly wondered what they were thinking. Are they blaming the German army for invading their country, or are they cursing Churchill for starting the war? I think it's probably both.

Just as the Allied forces that occupied Germany implemented strong de-Nazification education, they will have to do something similar if they want to rule Britain long after the war is over.

If a second or third Churchill appears and takes power, we will have to repeat what has happened so far, so we must nip it in the bud before that happens.

***

"Anyway, they are like ignorant Yankees. "I tried to stop you like that."

As Patton's offensive failed spectacularly, Montgomery gained momentum.

"If it weren't for the help of the U.S., these guys would have already fallen to the Nazis and licked their shoes with their tongues, but now they've become so arrogant!"

Although the offensive failed with only heavy losses, Patton was not discouraged at all.

It's just that the arrogant British bastard's arrogant attitude got even higher, and he was about to burst out in a fit of rage at his inability to say anything.

However, when the German army's offensive began, the two were in no position to argue about whether I was better or you were worse. First of all, we had to stop the incoming German army.

To ensure the smooth advance of infantry and tanks, Germany called in the air force and plowed the entire front line.

Self-propelled anti-aircraft guns fired powerfully, but they were of no help in stopping the 500 Stukas and bombers.

"air Force! "Where on earth is our air force?"

The soldiers in despair gritted their teeth and desperately searched for the Air Force, but the RAF and U.S. Army Air Forces they were looking for were nowhere to be seen on the scene.

The only aircraft visible in the sky were German planes.

The defensive lines of the U.S. and British troops were greatly weakened by the intensive bombardment that lasted for nearly three hours.

Rommel judged that the enemy had been sufficiently neutralized and deployed tanks and infantry.

"Our target is Birmingham. "Everyone knows, right?"

"Yes, Your Excellency!"

"The war must end before the end of summer. Let's go wild like we did in France."

At the forefront of the attack was Henschel's masterpiece, the Tiger II, a heavy tank.

Panthers and Tigers followed, followed by Panzer IV and Hatchers, and finally, infantrymen on half-tracks charged in a Panzerkail progression.

"The tanks are coming!"

"Why are there so many?!"

"Fuck it, we're all dead now."

After the air raid, before they could even shake off the dirt from their clothes, the Allied forces faced a huge storm of steel charging towards them.

The blood drained from the faces of the Allied soldiers as they saw the ranks of German steel beasts.

"This is crazy. "I'm getting out of here."

"Hey, where are you going!?"

"Don't leave your seat! "Before we deem it desertion and shoot you!"

Young soldiers who enlisted by lying about their ages, believing only in their blood, panicked and ran away.

When they did not return even when called, the officers fired pistols at the fleeing soldiers.

"If you retreat, you will die! "Shut up and fight!"

If you don't want to die, shut up and fight. The soldiers knew that the only way to survive was to fight and win, so they gritted their teeth and prepared for the attack of enemy tanks.

"Start shooting!"

"Shoot!"

The tanks, judging that the enemy tank was close enough, fired their shells all at once, but the Tiger II was unharmed.

Occasionally, there were vehicles that were hit by tracks and became inoperable, but no shock was transmitted to the inside of the tank.

"There are Yankees in front. "Load armor-piercing bullets."

"It's 11 o'clock. Shoot!"

Tiger II's KwK 43 burst into flames and several Shermans turned into fireballs.

Unless the aim was wrong and the shell missed, the shell that landed on the tank's armor would inevitably explode along with the tank.

If the ammunition inside the tank exploded, the tank crews died instantly without even having time to scream.

Ammunition exploded in the tank, which was spewing flames through the hatch, making a popping sound and sparks flying in all directions.

"Ha ha! "Aren't their tanks as small as tin cans?"

"Try it for 100 days. "I'll throw them all away!"

The Tiger II, armed with 120mm sloped armor on the hull and a 215mm thick armor plate on the front of the turret, deflected all 6-pounder, 75mm, and 76mm shells.

Even the 17-pounder, the most powerful of the Allied anti-tank guns, could not penetrate the Tiger II's frontal armor and ricocheted.

"Orbit, shoot orbit! "At least make sure they can't move!"

When no amount of shooting at the armor was of any use, the gunners changed their goal to aiming at the tank's track and losing its mobility.

No matter how powerful a tank was, its tracks were its weak point.

Although he was successful in stopping the enemy by sniping on a caterpillar track, a counterattack immediately followed and the tank was blown up.

In particular, the 17-pounder, which was much larger than other anti-tank guns and had a larger muzzle flame, was quickly located and suppressed.

There was no damage to the German army. Even though the front armor was thick, the side armor was thin, so if you attacked that area, even the world's Tiger II could be defeated.

Some 76mm Sherman gunners waited for the enemy tank's turret to rotate and fired armor-piercing shells as soon as the enemy showed its flank.

-Kuaaaang!

"Hit! Defeat-!"

The Tiger II, which had exposed the side of its turret as it was attacking the flanks, was struck repeatedly by 76mm shells and collapsed.

The operator and driver escaped from the tank and hurriedly ran back.

However, the German tanks continued to pour in to stop the enemies using this method.

As the distance to the enemy tanks narrowed to the infantry's trenches, the infantry also began to resist by firing bazookas.

When the bazooka fired aimed at the lower part of the car body hit the target and the Tiger II came to a halt, the American soldier clenched his fist and shook it.

However, the Tiger II's engine stopped, but the tank crews inside were alive and well, and the MG40 on the front of the car fired a bullet, killing an American soldier holding a bazooka.

Allied tanks, whose numbers were reduced by half compared to before the battle began, soon abandoned their positions and retreated.

The retreating tanks hastily fired smoke bombs to prevent the Germans from aiming. Soon the infantry also came out of the trenches and fled following the tanks.

In the case of the anti-tank artillerymen, they fled, leaving behind their immovable anti-tank guns and ammunition.

"They're running away!"

"Hahaha! "You guys are such a bastard!"

"Keep shooting. "Kill at least one more person who runs away."

Tankers mercilessly fired bullets at the fleeing enemy infantry. Soldiers with bullets in their backs fell to the ground, and grenades exploded, sending out flashes of light through the whitish smoke.

We did not fire armor-piercing rounds because we did not know where the tanks would be. But the grenades and bullets continued to rain down.

***

July 16, 1943

Reykjavik, Iceland

Iceland, which had been Danish territory before the war, was invaded and occupied by the British army at the same time as Britain bombed Denmark, which had lent its way to Germany.

After the Anglo-German Peace Agreement was signed, the British army withdrew from Iceland, but two years later the British army invaded and occupied Iceland again.

Although a very small number of German and Danish troops are playing tag with the Allied forces in the Iceland area, major bases in Iceland have been occupied by the Allied forces and are under strict control.

The people living in Iceland looked at the Allied Forces who occupied their home by force with a disapproving gaze, but unless they had the courage to fight with guns in hand, they had no choice but to remain quiet, and the Allied Forces, who did not want to cause unnecessary friction with the residents, were also concerned about food supply. Food and gasoline were distributed to residents whose roads were blocked.

For U.S. troops stationed in Iceland, Iceland was a comfortable place in the world, even though it was occupied by the enemy.

There was no need to fight as long as I stayed here forever, and all I had to do was sweat a little during regular training every week, so there was no paradise better than this.

However, the wrinkles of Dwight Eisenhower, commander-in-chief of the U.S. European Expeditionary Force, grew deeper by the day. Although it was a wartime promotion, he was proud of being awarded the rank of captain, but soon he was faced with a mountain of problems that came before him.

This was the first time I had seen such darkness since MacArthur, who had been assigned to the Philippines, decided to take me as his exclusive adjutant.

Still, it wasn't wartime at the time, and after being treated like a dog for four years in the Philippines, MacArthur at least helped Eisenhower's promotion to colonel.

But there was nothing like that here.

Liverpool was blockaded with mines, and due to Ireland's participation in the war, the safety of even the route to Glasgow could no longer be guaranteed.

However, if the German army were to attack and occupy Ireland first, they would have to reach Glasgow, and the thought of leaving Ireland like this was itching.

Although the United States was working hard to send troops and supplies to Britain, German troops arrived in Britain faster than American troops arrived in Britain.

To make matters worse, the overall performance of their fighter jets and tanks was far superior to that of the United States.

According to the telegram sent by Patton, who was his West Point senior and was currently fighting the German army in England as his subordinate, and countless reports from before, the Sherman currently in possession of the U.S. Army could not possibly catch up with the German army's tanks.

Patton even said that it would be suicidal to engage in a head-on confrontation with a German heavy tank using a Sherman.

Eisenhower was dumbfounded. If everything written in the report was true, then everything the Ordnance Bureau had told him was an outright lie.

It has been well known that the performance of German tanks is unusual since the German armored divisions devastated Western Europe three years ago.

Accordingly, the Bureau of Ordnance argued to Eisenhower that the Sherman, which had been upgraded with a 76mm main gun, was capable of fighting German tanks.

"Damn Ordnance Bureau guys… … ."

Contrary to the Ordnance Bureau's claims, the 76mm gun had no effect against German tanks.

Many tankers lost their lives to realize that fact.

The hundreds of tanks that burned down with them were a bonus. If we had realized this fact even three months earlier, we could have saved a little more blood that the soldiers would have shed.

I'm glad I finally found out about that fact.

"… … "I guess I'll have to bring him back."