187

Episode 187: Time between dogs and wolves (13)

August 21, 1942

Palace of Versailles, Paris, France

"It is a great achievement, Marshal. "The whole German people is cheering."

"That's too much praise, Mr. President."

For his role in successfully repelling the Allied landings at Dieppe, Rundstedt was awarded the Knight's Cross with Golden Diamonds and Swords. I shook his hand and moved on to the next step.

"With this, my wish came true. How do you feel now?"

"It's like walking on clouds."

Rommel, together with Rundstedt, commanded and supervised the construction of the Atlantic Wall and assisted Rundstedt in the Battle of Dieppe, for which he had a great influence on the victory, and was promoted to marshal and awarded the Knight's Cross of Diamonds and Swords.

Rommel, who in the past had been deprived of merit by noble officers and excluded from being awarded the Order of Merit because he was a commoner, seemed happier than ever.

He caressed the marshal's baton in his hand like a newborn baby.

Next to Rommel was Major General Konrad Hess, commander of the 302nd Coastal Defense Division, the division that made the greatest contribution to defeating the Allies in the Battle of Dieppe.

He was awarded a special rank as a captain and the Knight's Cross of the White Leaf.

Next was Andrei Vlasov, the only non-German recipient of the medal.

The 1st Corps of the Free Russian Army, which he commanded, fought as bravely as the German army and contributed greatly to defeating the Allied forces.

Considering the reckless behavior and disgrace shown by the Free Russian Army in actual history, it could be said to be 180 degrees different.

Therefore, it was decided that he would be promoted to captain and awarded the Knight's Cross.

"I couldn't help but admire the fighting spirit and bravery of the Russian soldiers. Isn't this all thanks to the general's diligent leadership?"

"I just did my best for the mission given to me."

Vlasov hesitated, as if he had something else he wanted to say to me.

"I think there's something you want to say, so please say it comfortably."

"thank you. Mr. Fuhrer, our soldiers are those who enlisted of their own free will for the liberation of Russia. So, could you please send the Free Russian Army to the Eastern Front? "Our soldiers will be able to fight more courageously against the Bolsheviks."

I had something I wanted to say, but it was this.

With the Battle of Dieppe, voices that were suspicious of the Free Russian Army within the Wehrmacht almost disappeared.

And since the eastern front was where one more soldier was needed and he said he would go voluntarily, there was no reason to stop him.

"Nevertheless, we were considering sending the Free Russian Army to the Eastern Front before winter came. I also believe that the liberation of Russia should be achieved through the hands of the Russian people. "Sooner or later, you will get the news you want."

"Thank you, Mr. President. "I will do my best for Germany and Russia."

In addition, 39 Air Force pilots who participated in the Battle of Dieppe were awarded compensation commensurate with their respective achievements.

There were many familiar names in the list of medal recipients. Josef Priller, Hans Hahn, Egon Mayer, etc.

"As the President of the Third Reich, and on behalf of the German people, I express my gratitude. If it weren't for your hard work and efforts, Germany and Europe would have been in great danger. And thanks to you, Mr. Churchill will be happy to have another cool nickname, Dieppe, following Gallipoli."

"Wahahahah!!!"

While Germany was in a festive mood thanks to successfully repelling the Allied attack, England was in a mourning mood.

After the news of defeat at Stalingrad broke, just as voices of criticism and condemnation of Hitler and the Nazi Party erupted throughout Germany, public opinion against Churchill and the government is now seething in various parts of the UK.

Already, renowned media outlets such as The Times, The Guardian, and Daily Mail, as well as small newspapers in small and medium-sized cities, have reported the Dieppe disaster and raised their voices criticizing the government's mistakes.

Large-scale protests took place in London, and the BUF, whose power had been diminished due to the massive repression of Churchill's cabinet, suddenly emerged and called for Churchill's resignation and the signing of a peace treaty with Germany.

Even those who treated the BUF as a gathering place for idiots imitating the Nazi Party are now starting to look at the BUF seriously again.

SD's report states that if the current atmosphere continues, there is a high possibility that Churchill, unable to withstand the pressure of public opinion, will resign or seek reinforcement, but I was somewhat skeptical of SD's prediction.

Of course, if the UK proposes strengthening, there is nothing more welcome than that, but the British people were ignorantly supporting the idea of a man who did everything he could to become prime minister, but Dieppe alone has lowered the approval rating a bit. Even if I get cut off, I don't think I'll be overthrown because of this.

What if a disaster like Dieppe is repeated two or three times?

Even in actual history, Churchill's approval rating did not fall but even rose even when London was bombed, the German army advanced right in front of the Suez Canal, Southeast Asian colonies were taken over by Japan, whom he dismissed as an inferior race of yellow people, and even India was lost.

Since the war was won, the British people's trust in the prophet Churchill is widely praised by future generations, but I was curious about what they would have heard if Britain had lost the war. Perhaps, because of me, the evaluation of Churchill may change in the future.

To do that, we must first win the war.

Since we suffered such a crushing defeat at Dieppe, if my predictions are correct, there is a high possibility that we will avoid large-scale operations and go into a defensive posture until the end of this year.

At most, an air strike would be all that's needed.

Therefore, there is no need to worry about the Western Front, and from now on you can only focus on the Eastern Front.

"Now that we have demonstrated to the enemy the strength of the National Defense Forces, the Tommies will not be able to enter Europe for the time being. All that remains for us now is to strive for victory on the Eastern Front.

Now, let us all raise a toast. To commemorate your great victory, and for the victory of the Third Reich and the liberation of Russia!"

"Sieg Heil!!!"

***

-The worst defeat since the start of the war!

- Dieppe, becomes the second Gallipoli, the second Dunkirk!

-What is the limit of government incompetence?

After the disastrous failure of the Dieppe landing operation, newspaper companies published provocative articles on the front page as if competing, criticizing the government for its incompetence.

"Churchill, bring my dead son back to life!"

"War is boring! "Stop the war!"

"I oppose the hopeless war against Germany!"

People who lost their families and loved ones in Dieppe joined hands with anti-war activists and took to the streets, holding signs and placards and repeatedly shouting slogans.

The police, who saw the tears shed by parents and wives who lost their only husbands and children on the battlefield, could only repeatedly tell the protesters to calm down and disperse, but could not carelessly swing their clubs at them.

Churchill, who was pushing Operation Luther despite opposition from all walks of life, did not dare to leave the War Office underground bunker.

All he can do is lock himself in a dark and gloomy conference room inside the bunker and hold meetings while smoking cigars.

As if trying to erase the defeat at Dieppe from his memory, Churchill concentrated more on meetings than ever before.

"… .For now, I think we should focus on suppressing the colonial rebels."

"Well, that would be a good idea."

Brooke, who opposed Operation Luther more vigorously than anyone else, seemed to have a lot of things he wanted to say to Churchill, but he did not even mention Dieppe's letter and talked about future measures in silence.

Even Churchill, who was famous for walking around with a steel plate on his face, had nothing to say to him, so he just chimed in quietly.

Churchill, who had been yelling at Brooke just a few days ago, was cowering like a frightened mutt and looking around, and Brooke's staff couldn't help but laugh at him, but because the war was in full swing, they didn't show it on their faces.

Outside, protests were in full swing, and the appeasement faction against Germany, which had been passive in the war against Germany, was baring its teeth at Churchill's cabinet and demanding that he resign as prime minister and strengthen Germany.

If this is the case politically, the situation is even more serious militarily, and there are even predictions that we will have to focus solely on defending the homeland for at least six months to two years.

The elite army troops that Britain had treated so well and cherished as if they were a shrine melted away on the beaches of Dieppe, air force pilots were also shot down and killed over Dieppe or became prisoners of the German army, and the navy lost its core battleships and aircraft carriers. With the loss of 4 and 2 ships respectively, even the defense of the mainland could not be guaranteed.

Britain, feeling desperate, urgently recalled part of its fleet from the Mediterranean and Indian Ocean to the mainland, while resuming construction of the Lion-class battleship, which had been halted due to the war, to make up for lost battleships.

In addition, it was decided to expedite the construction of the battleship Vanguard, which is currently under construction.

"Now Germany has 9 battleships, but we only have 2 battleships on the mainland!"

"Therefore, we are requesting additional budget for battleship construction."

Due to the Navy's strong demands, Churchill had no choice but to allocate the budget as they wanted.

The generals of the Army and Air Force, who were competing with the Navy for budget, felt uncomfortable, but they did not say anything.

Even though it was an Amman Navy affair, in their eyes, the damage to the Navy was so great that recovery was urgent.

The presence of a navy was essential to prevent German troops from landing in England.

The exile governments of Free France, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Belgium, and the Netherlands, who were living alone in London with the help of the British government, were also in mourning, but there was a country engulfed in greater despair than these.

The Soviet Union.

The Soviet Union, which had a falling out with Britain due to the Cambridge spy incident, was still at war with a common enemy, Germany, and was hoping that Britain would land in France and reduce the burden on the Eastern Front, but the Dieppe landing operation was a miserable failure. I was devastated when I heard the news that it had ended.

"You stupid British pigs! "These guys don't do anything right!"

Upon hearing the news that the formation of the second front, which he had so desperately hoped for, had collapsed before even taking a step, Stalin was furious and poured harsh insults at the incompetent Churchill and the cowardly British people.

It was not something he would have said at a time when he had launched a preemptive attack and the West was in ruins and the capital was in danger, but the greater the expectations he had placed on England, the greater the disappointment.

In fact, if the damage suffered at Dieppe was considered purely in terms of the number of soldiers, the Soviet Union would have laughed at the damage, but Britain and the Soviet Union were different from the beginning.

Unlike the Soviet Union, which had an overflowing population and could easily handle 10,000 to 20,000 losses, due to the nature of the island country, the population was limited, and the damage suffered at Dieppe was suffered by Britain, which had trained its troops with a greater emphasis on quality rather than quantity. This was not damage that could be repaired within a few months.

The navy and air force, which were essential for the landing operation, also suffered extensive damage, so Britain was in a situation where it could not even dream of attacking for the time being and had to focus only on defense.

Because Britain was now focused on defense, Germany could now put all its power into the Eastern Front with peace of mind.

Stalin trembled with fear as he imagined Hitler ordering even one German soldier stationed in France to be sent into Russia.

Smolensk, Kiev, and Leningrad are already under attack.

Leningrad is not likely to fall easily as it is large in scale and the force put into defense is all-out, but Smolensk and Kiev were different.

Kiev is already surrounded and in the middle of the German army, and it would not be strange if Smolensk also fell at any time.

Now was the time to face the cruel reality that had been put off for so long.

"I hate to admit it, but I can't help it. Soon the fascist army will invade Moscow. "I am ordering you to prepare to defend Moscow immediately."

After pouring out his anger against Britain, Stalin's close associates each swallowed their saliva at the sight of Stalin predicting the Battle of Moscow in a cold voice.

Stalin gave instructions to deal with the coming crisis with such a cool-headed attitude that it was hard to believe that he was the same person who had just lost his temper and hurled all kinds of foul language.

"Comrade Voroshilov, I will appoint you commander of the Moscow Defense Command from now on."

"We will definitely protect Moscow from Nazis, Comrade Secretary General."

"Comrade Serbakov, please draw up a plan to transport important facilities in Moscow to the rear as soon as possible and bring it to me."

"Yes, Comrade Secretary."

"Is Comrade Zhukov still in Smolensk?"

"That's right."

"Tell him to come to Moscow right now."

***

August 22, 1942

Smolensk, USSR

"Comrade Secretary General? me?"

"Yes, comrade. Right now-"

Another explosion sounded and dust poured from the ceiling. This time, the bomb seemed to have landed quite close by.

"… .He told me to come to Moscow right away. "You must go right away."

Zhukov was dumbfounded. The secretary called me to Moscow?

He did not forget Stalin telling him that this was his last chance.

That is why he did not leave Smolensk, and even as the city's fall began to count down, he remained quietly confined to the bunker and devoted himself to the defense plan.

But come to Moscow? Zhukov, who was wondering what the Secretary General's intention had been in calling him to Moscow, recalled Pavlov's case and his face turned pale.

"… ..Does your comrade know why you called me?"

"Comrade Secretary General said that Comrade Zhukov is an essential talent for the defense of Moscow."

Hearing those words, it became even more difficult to understand the Secretary General's intentions.

After saying that this was their last chance, they are now entrusting us with the defense of Moscow. Isn't it strange, no matter how strange it may be?

But no matter what questions he had, in the end he had no choice but to follow Stalin's orders.

Even if he refused the order to come to Moscow, the only thing left for him was the German army right around the corner.

Unless they were planning on surrendering to the Germans, the only way was to follow the secretary's instructions, even if they were questionable.

"I understand. "Get ready."

"Please hurry as much as possible. "There is already a transport plane at the airfield for your comrade to take."

If an ordinary colonel had spoken to Zhukov in this way, his teeth would have been broken by Zhukov's punch and a military bullet would have hit his shin, but because he was a member of Smersi, he could be confident in front of Zhukov.

Zhukov looked into the eyes of Colonel Smersi, who had a burn mark on his cheek.

The colonel did not move even though he made eye contact with Zhukov.

"I have one more question."

"Please speak."

"Comrade Secretary General instructed me to defend Smolensk from the fascists at all costs, but I could not do it. If I leave, Smolensk will fall to the Nazis. Didn't you say anything about this?"

"I don't know. Comrade Secretary General will tell you directly."

"… ..Okay, I understand."

As the cocky colonel whose name is unknown said, a transport plane was waiting at the airfield with its engine turned on.

Lisunov Li-2. He was an American C-47 transport plane modified to suit Soviet tastes and was the only one who could take Zhukov to Moscow.

Zhukov and his adjutant boarded the transport first, followed by the Smersi agents.

Once all passengers had boarded, the pilot took off the plane. Six La-5s assigned as escort aircraft took off first and were on guard against the visit of the German Air Force, which could appear at any moment.

Just before the wheels of the Li-2 carrying Zhukov lifted off the ground, shells began to fall around the airfield.

The transport plane shook from the impact, but no one spoke.