105

March 22, 1941

New Fuhrer's Residence in Berlin, Germany

King Petar II of Yugoslavia, who took power after ousting his uncle, Prince Pavle, seemed to live quietly for a while.

However, the information collected by SD and Afbear was different from what was revealed on the surface.

"… "The Yugoslav army is gathering at the Albanian border?"

What does this mean?

Assembling troops near a country's border without any legitimate reason is nothing more than planning a war.

I thought we had finally reached Europe without gunfire, but on the other side, they are preparing for war again. Heydrich answered as I squinted.

"Yugoslavia's exact intentions are still being ascertained, but I think it is an intention to attack and annex Albania, which has recently become independent and is less confused."

"That makes sense. Albania and Serbia have historically had a bad relationship. Still, it's been so long since we were disgraced by Italy that we're preparing for war again. Do these guys have no learning ability? "Didn't they start a war by messing with the Austro-Hungarian Empire, which was at a standstill during World War I?"

"Originally, Serbs are a people who don't understand the subject and only know about fighting."

Actually, I had a feeling about it before. Not long after the coup, Yugoslavia imported 300 T-26s from the Soviet Union.

There was a lot of speculation about the sudden import of tanks from the Soviet Union, but they did not pay much attention to it, seeing it as an attempt to make up for the disgrace they had shown earlier and to strengthen military power.

However, two months later, Yugoslavia imported an additional 200 T-26s and 60 DB-3 heavy bombers.

In addition, we contacted the UK and placed an additional order for the Hawker Hurricane, which is already in operation with the Yugoslav Air Force.

Although it was said to be a measure to strengthen military power, I felt it was too sudden, but I never thought there was a plan like this.

"Does Albania know about this?"

"I think we will notice it soon."

Albania and Germany are not formal allies, but they were very friendly to Germany because they became independent from Italy with our help.

It was an important country to Germany in its own way because it not only leased its own ports for free, but also exported chrome and agricultural products to Germany at very low prices.

"Share information with Albania as well. And while I'm at it, I guess I should propose forming a military alliance."

Previously, I suggested forming a military alliance with Albania, but King Jogu I took a step back, saying that he did not think there was a need for that right now.

I thought it might be because of concerns that leaning too pro-Germany could offend Britain, which still exerts considerable influence in the Balkans and the Mediterranean.

It's not that I didn't understand Albania's position, and it was okay to form an alliance with Albania or not, so I passed without any problems.

However, if Yugoslavia is preparing for an invasion, even King Jogu I will change his mind.

The country seems to be disappearing again, but will England come into view?

"And one more thing. "Not only Yugoslavia, but also Greece's recent movements are unusual."

"Christ?"

"yes. On the surface, it is known as regular military training, but there is a lot of movement of troops, which is strange for training. It is also strange that troops are being deployed intensively in northwestern Greece, close to the Albanian border. "I am speculating that there may have been some kind of deal between Yugoslavia and Greece."

"Is it because they thought it would be difficult for them to do it on their own, so they brought in Greece? "People with a lot of greed are strangely realistic in this regard."

Greece is a friendly country of Yugoslavia, but at the same time, relations with Albania are not very good as they are in conflict over sovereignty over the Epirus region.

Greece had a good relationship with Germany during the time when Ioannis Metaxas, who studied in Germany, was prime minister, but unfortunately Metaxas died on January 29 of this year.

With the death of Metaxas, Greece, which was originally pro-British, began to distance itself from Germany.

"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will be busy for a while. "Call Ribbentrop and Weizsäcker."

"Yes, Mr. President."

***

March 25, 1941

Nanchong City, Sichuan Province, China

While German diplomats were busy traveling around the Balkan Peninsula to prevent war, training was in full swing in Nanchong City.

Military training during wartime is not uncommon, but this training was special.

It was a fairly important training in which members of the German military advisory group, who arrived in China after traveling thousands of kilometers, taught National Revolutionary Army soldiers how to use German-made equipment and mastered it.

As Chiang Kai-shek and other Kuomintang leaders were in attendance, the soldiers' attitude and mindset toward training was bound to be different from usual.

"Look carefully. This is a new German-made submachine gun. The name is MP40, it uses 9mm bullets that can kill a horse in one shot, and one magazine holds 32 bullets."

A National Revolutionary Army officer interpreted what a German sergeant from the Military Advisory Group in China said and spoke to the soldiers, and the soldiers listened to the officer's interpretation and paid attention to the actions of the German sergeant.

"Usually, many people shoot by holding the magazine, but in this case, the recoil during shooting increases the risk of the magazine being bent or the insertion hole being damaged, causing a malfunction of the gun, such as poor ammunition supply, so avoid it as much as possible.

The correct way to hold the MP40 is to hold the handguard behind the magazine. Either that, or hold the upper part of the magazine insert, not the magazine, and shoot."

"Before firing a rifle grenade, don't forget to load a blank bullet into the chamber. Also, because the recoil is strong, you have to hold on to your shoulder properly and be careful not to point the muzzle downward as there is a risk of the grenade spilling out."

The personnel operating the three tank companies, consisting of 10 No. 4 tanks and 20 Hatchers, were comprised of veteran officers and soldiers who had accomplished numerous feats.

For the National Revolutionary Army, which regarded even the Type 50 tank, which would have been considered a third-rate weapon at best in Germany, as a valuable force, German-made tanks and self-propelled guns were the most important equipment that could not be replaced by anything else.

Because the people who would operate such precious equipment were considered the most elite among the National Revolutionary Army, they were issued specially designed uniforms, unlike existing tank soldiers.

The tank crews, wearing black uniforms imitating German tank crew uniforms, operated the tank under the instructions of their German instructors and moved the turret and main gun to aim at the target.

The tank crews paid careful attention to each shell. This is because the amount of ammunition that can be used in actual combat decreases as much as the number of ammunition used in training.

Although ammunition was being supplied from Germany via the Soviet Union, it took a long time and the number was limited, so the only way was to conserve ammunition as much as possible for the time being.

"Target 9 o'clock. Distance is 600, bullet type is grenade. The driver advances 50 meters and takes over the shielding position, and the ammunition operator finishes loading."

"All right!"

Panzer 4, which had been advancing, leaving tracks resembling a long caterpillar on the ground, stopped, and soon a flash of light the size of a house erupted from its main gun.

"Hit. "For a first shot, this is pretty good."

"thank you!"

The catcher gained strength from the instructor's praise. But the driver was not like that.

"Driver, the steering is too rough. You can't drive while thinking about the Type 50 tank you drove before. Tank 4 is a medium tank that is several times larger and heavier than that. "You have to drive while taking that into account."

"I will correct it!"

The driver who drove the Type 50 tank, which was based on a light tank, could not adapt well to the much larger and heavier Tank 4.

Still, this level of skill wasn't bad for the first training, so the instructor didn't say anything more. It's rare for a soldier to be good from the start.

If they repeat training, they will become proficient to a certain degree and will be able to improve their performance in actual combat.

"How do you feel, Mr. President?"

"I am very satisfied. How long I have waited for this day to come... ."

Chiang Kai-shek answered Falkenhausen's question with a bright smile.

When I saw the soldiers armed with German-made equipment and being trained under German instructors, my heart naturally swelled.

Although it is an absurdly small scale to drive out Japan's million-strong army, if it is possible to arm the National Revolutionary Army by importing a large number of German-made weapons and equipment into China through additional negotiations with Germany, it will be absolutely impossible to drive out the Japanese army from the Central Plains. Probably not.

"So Marshal. When do you think it will be possible to deploy these into actual combat?"

"We will have to wait until June at the most to fully master how to use the equipment.

Chiang Kai-shek frowned at Falkenhausen's answer.

"June? Don't you think it's too long? "All of those receiving training now are not new recruits, but are all veterans who have been fighting on the front lines for at least three years?"

"Of course, if we ask them to deploy it right away, it wouldn't be impossible to deploy it next month. However, since it is a precious piece of equipment, wouldn't it be better to train it thoroughly before using it to avoid mistakes? "If they are hastily sent into battle without proper handling of the equipment and are destroyed or captured by the enemy, it will only be good for Japan."

"Mmm."

Falkenhausen, who had been promoted to Marshal in China at the direction of the President a week ago, was one of the few people in China who could reject Chiang Kai-shek's orders or express opposing opinions. When he refuted in a calm manner, Chiang Kai-shek could not refute any further and looked away.

Chiang Kai-shek, embarrassed, turned to another topic.

"That damn money is a problem. If I had enough money, I would have ordered weapons to arm the entire National Revolutionary Army from Germany, but all I had to do was buy a few dozen... . "The reputation of popularization that once commanded the world is nonsense."

As China became increasingly closer to Germany, the United States reacted sensitively.

When China imported weapons from Germany and invited a large number of military advisors, the United States postponed the payment of the loan it had planned to provide to China, which caused China to experience great difficulties in importing materials.

Fortunately, the negotiations with the United States were progressing smoothly, but when Chiang Kai-shek heard from the ambassador to the United States that the White House was keeping a close eye on China's friendliness with Germany, he could not help but burst into anger.

Those sneaky Yankee guys. They say they can't allow China to import weapons from Germany while openly selling oil to Japan. Is there such a thing as such far-fetchedness?

However, Chiang Kai-shek, who was always in a disappointing position, tried his best to suppress his anger and impress the United States.

A few days ago, he called the US ambassador and complained that US help was absolutely necessary to defeat Japan.

At the same time, it was necessary to provide an explanation, not just an explanation with Germany, that they were only cooperating on the Japanese issue.

Chiang Kai-shek, for whom the most important thing was to drive Japan out of China, was confident that he would endure any humiliation in order to achieve victory.

"Don't worry too much. No matter how long it may take, China will definitely win against Japan. "Then the world will look at China from a different perspective than before."

"Thank you, Marshal."

***

The 18-year-old King Petar II was troubled.

It was good that he followed the advice of his close associates to oust his uncle and seize the power that was his own.

However, having tasted victory at a young age, he hoped for successive successes.

The king's aides and the military also fanned the young king and roamed around looking for new prey, and then Albania, a neighboring country, came into view.

Albania, which had just gained independence from Italy and had not yet resolved all of its social chaos, was a very attractive target.

If there is a problem, it is the ragtag Yugoslav army itself.

Petar II, who learned of the level of his country's military due to all the disgraceful acts shown in the war with Italy, attempted to strengthen its military power by importing T-26 light tanks and DB-3 heavy bombers from the Soviet Union.

If you are planning to go to war, isn't it urgent to first make the soldiers capable of fighting?

But Germany, who was quick-witted, stopped smelling it.

Germany had been pressuring Yugoslavia through informal channels to make a declaration guaranteeing Albania's independence.

Although there was no word on what to do if Yugoslavia invaded Albania, it was essentially a statement that they would never sit idly by and ignore an invasion of Albania.

Should I give up cleanly here? However, if it gives up here, Yugoslavia will never have the opportunity to expand its territory again.

With the chaos in Albania not yet resolved, this was Yugoslavia's only chance to expand its territory.

"The reason Germany is putting the brakes on the invasion of Albania is probably because of the interests it has in Albania."

said Duşan Simovic, a close associate of Petar II and the current Prime Minister of Yugoslavia.

"Albania leases its ports to Germany for free and exports agricultural products and minerals to Germany at low prices.

For this reason, Germany is putting the brakes on the project because it is concerned that if Albania falls, its rights will be infringed. "But if you guarantee them the rights they enjoy in Albania, won't they stay still?"

"That is correct, Your Majesty. "If we give Germany some of the benefits they want, they will definitely turn a blind eye."

Yugoslav Army Commander-in-Chief Danilo Kalapatovic also strongly agreed with Simovic.

"Will Germany quietly surrender as the police say?"

"Of course, Your Majesty. Germany is currently busy concentrating on its economy. "A large number of soldiers who were conscripted during wartime are being discharged and divisions are being disbanded. Recalling them and reorganizing troops will not only take a long time, but will also cause considerable administrative and economic chaos."

"But Hitler's SS grew in size… ."

"This is only a matter for the SS, so it cannot be applied to the whole. And the SS, which is said to have increased in size, only has six divisions. And our country is also a powerful country with an army of 700,000, so Germany will not be hasty in attacking us."

Having already decided to go to war, they began to see the reality they could see with their own interpretations, rather than just the way it was.

As a result of working so hard on the happiness circuit, the brain came up with only one answer.

Even if war were to begin, Germany would not be able to intervene immediately. At best, it will only be a warning.

While Germany is hesitating to enter the war, this problem can be resolved by collaborating with Greece to quickly occupy Albania and give Germany some leverage.

When the true nature of the Serbs exploded, driving the whole of Europe into war with their ambitions for Greater Serbia, no one could stop them.

"Okay. "I will only believe in the sutras."

"I will definitely offer Albania to Your Majesty."