152

Episode 152 Spear and Shield (3)

When Tymoshenko heard from the Secretary-General that there were plans to attack Finland, he felt embarrassed.

The Soviet Union had long been planning to re-invade and completely annex Finland, and Tymoshenko and Zhukov also participated in the planning of the invasion of Finland.

There was no disagreement between them that Finland, like Ukraine and the Baltic countries, should be conquered and made a territory of the Soviet Union at some point, if not immediately.

But not now.

They attack Finland while Germany, the enemy in front of them, is not able to push back properly.

Stalin declared that it was revenge on Finland for fooling the Soviet Union by joining hands with Germany, but in Tymoshenko's view, the invasion of Finland did more harm than good.

Not only was it completely undesirable to have another hostile country at a time when pouring all our might into Germany was not enough, but conversely, there was a risk that Leningrad and Murmansk, which were close to the Finnish border, would become dangerous.

Therefore, Tymoshenko worked diligently to change Stalin's mind.

However, Stalin had already made up his mind to attack Finland, and no matter how much Tymoshenko tried to persuade him, it had no effect.

"So what happens now?"

"What should I do? "Now we will be fighting against the Finnish army as well."

The size of the Finnish army was smaller than that of the Red Army or the German army, but its combat power could never be underestimated.

To be honest, the combat power of one Finnish soldier was equivalent to that of three Soviet soldiers.

This was the assessment made by Tymoshenko, who participated in the Winter War and personally fought against the Finnish army.

"Britain should enter the war quickly… ."

Tymoshenko unconsciously nodded at Zhukov's muttering.

Churchill, an old imperialist, expressed his intention to cooperate with the Soviet Union to defeat Germany and declared that he would attack Germany while the Soviet Union fought Germany.

However, to this day, Britain maintained a neutral relationship with Germany.

Although Churchill's cabinet was raising its voice of criticism against Germany, it was an extremely unsatisfactory response from the Soviet Union's point of view, which was engaged in a life-or-death struggle with Germany.

At the very least, we need to show 'sincerity' by blockading the German coast with the Navy or mobilizing the Air Force to attack Germany!

Wouldn't that be the only way to find some way out of this sluggish front?

But they only said they would participate in the war, and so far they have just sat back and watched. Tymoshenko was so frustrated that he was on the verge of bursting out.

I even had a suspicion that perhaps all of this was a British deception. It may have been a cunning plan to induce the Soviet Union into a bloody fight with Germany and then enter the war when both sides were weak, minimizing damage and maximizing benefits.

Above all, the current British Prime Minister is Churchill. He is the one who, despite having already committed countless mistakes in Gallipoli and Norway, eventually ousted Halifax and took the position of Prime Minister. It was quite possible for him.

Not only has it not been enough to hastily start a war, but the Secretary General is only increasing the number of enemies without any countermeasures, and the allies are just waiting for the war while only paying lip service to the war.

It was truly a heart-warming combination.

***

May 31, 1942,

The Soviet Air Force bombed 18 cities in Finland, including Helsinki, Espoo, Turku, Tampere, Lahti, and Kotka.

Officially, Finland, which had signed a secret agreement with Germany, had launched a preemptive attack on the Soviet Air Force, so the airstrikes were carried out as punishment, but no one believed it.

Even Soviet pilots mobilized for air strikes.

News of the Soviet Union's re-invasion of Finland soon spread all over the world, causing an uproar in many countries.

Even England, a country across the sea where the sun never sets.

***

June 1, 1942

10 Downing Street, London, England

"Stupid commies! "I'm not doing anything right!"

Churchill was so frustrated that he became very angry. Those who can't even push Germany properly suddenly attack Finland.

"Stalin, is that guy an idiot? "Why are we attacking Finland when all our strength is not enough for Germany?"

Germany was trying to invade the Soviet Union, and the Soviet Union was aware of this and was desperately defending the Soviet Union's preemptive attack, claiming that it was the first strike - but only those who believed it - believed that - but due to the invasion of Finland, all efforts so far were in vain.

The 48 million British people have not forgotten the incident in the past when the Soviet Union invaded Finland, a weak country.

And Churchill once criticized the Soviet Union for invading Finland and praised the Finnish people.

The Soviet Union's re-invasion of Finland made the British people remember the Soviet Union's ugly past and at the same time aroused sympathy for the invaded Finland.

In addition, it became an opportunity to view Germany in a friendly light, which declared support for Finland even though its own country was at war.

Churchill's plan to declare war by pushing Germany into the axis of evil went awry.

In the United States, protests were held in front of the Soviet embassy, and volunteers flocked to New York to join the volunteer army to help Finland.

Fortunately, this did not happen in Britain, but it was certainly not a good situation for Churchill's cabinet as it prepared for war with Germany.

They're like idiots with no brains in their heads. If we have the power to invade Finland, we will use it to attack Germany!

Churchill, who found himself in an awkward position due to Stalin's sudden action, couldn't control his anger and fumed.

It was funny that we had no choice but to fight together with people who we would have taken care of somehow if it weren't for Germany.

If it weren't for that damn Hitler, we wouldn't have reached out to these barbarians... ..

"What do you plan to do now, Prime Minister?"

Attlee asked. Churchill, who was pacing around the room, raised his head at Attlee's words.

"What should I do? For the time being, we will have to wait until public sentiment calms down. Either that or… . "Are we going to create something that will change the public's perception?"

Churchill seemed to be already contemplating how to change the already ruined public perception of the Soviet Union into hostility toward Germany.

Attlee looked at Churchill with uneasiness.

Although he mercilessly criticized Chamberlain and Halifax, who showed a conciliatory attitude toward Germany, and joined hands with Churchill, who was a hardliner against Germany, he was somewhat skeptical about whether he should even go as far as to stage a war.

Of course, there is nothing more important than stopping Hitler.

But is there a need to deceive the public by creating a self-made drama?

Churchill protested that it was a 'minor injustice' that could not be helped for the sake of the greater good, but in Attlee's view, it was doubtful whether the people would really consider that minor injustice to be trivial.

How will people react when secrets that have been kept from the public for the sake of national interest are revealed to the world?

As Churchill said, that it was an inevitable choice for the peace of the British Empire and Europe, do the people think that way? or not… .

"Attlee, what are you thinking about?"

"… .iced coffee. "I thought about something else for a moment."

"This person is too. So how was your meeting with the US ambassador? "What results have you had?"

Yesterday, Attlee met with US Ambassador to the UK John Gilbert Winant to discuss future US support.

Churchill was busy meeting with Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands and President Władysław Rackiewicz of the Polish government-in-exile yesterday, so Attlee was in charge of meeting with the U.S. Ambassador.

"President Roosevelt said that although he had a positive stance on the war against Germany, he had no choice but to officially declare neutrality in consideration of public opinion. Therefore, even if support is possible, military dispatch would be difficult unless the situation is right before the German army lands in England."

"Nothing has changed."

Churchill clicked his tongue at Attlee's words. The United States, which had more favorable public opinion toward Germany than Britain, had no choice but to take a reserved stance toward Germany.

It was understandable considering the proportion of Germans among voters, but it was also disappointing.

This was because it was burdensome for Churchill to wage a war against Germany and Germany's allies with only Britain, the Commonwealth, and the armies of governments in exile in Britain without direct intervention from the United States.

There is also the Soviet Union, but as everyone knows, the Soviet Union is currently busy making porridge in Poland, Hungary, and Romania.

Rather, they are continuing to show an unreliable appearance, such as urging Britain to ask when they will join the war.

"Wouldn't it be difficult for Britain to enter the war alone unless there was support from the United States?"

Attlee said to Churchill, who was about to light a cigar. Then Churchill glared at him, forgetting to light his cigar.

"The war hasn't even started yet, so what kind of weak talk are you talking about? "When will you ever say that we need to kick Hitler's ass?"

"Don't misunderstand, Prime Minister. Because that thought still hasn't changed. Just that… . "I doubt whether the British Empire alone could fight Germany and win."

"The British Empire is not alone. The Soviet Union is already fighting against Germany, and France, Poland, Czechoslovakia, the Netherlands, and the Belgian government-in-exile are also aligned with the British Empire.

Of course, it would be much easier if the United States intervened, but it is not impossible to win against Germany even without direct intervention by the United States."

Attlee did not mention that the combined forces of the 'allies' mentioned by Churchill were smaller than the entire forces of Romania, which had joined hands with Germany.

About the humiliating defeats suffered by Germany even when already with Poland, France and Italy.

There was no need to make Churchill uncomfortable by saying something that would not help boost morale.

***

June 2, 1942

New Fuhrer's Residence in Berlin, Germany

Finland, which was attacked by the Soviet Union, formally declared war on the Soviet Union and then approached us about its intention to form an alliance.

Of course, we had no reason to reject it, so we accepted Finland's offer, and Germany and Finland officially became allies.

Previously, the two countries had maintained a close relationship with each other to keep the Soviet Union in check, but until the war, they could not openly reveal it out of concern for the Soviet Union.

From the beginning, Finland was reluctant to form an alliance, saying it could be the cause of a re-invasion.

However, now that the German War and the re-invasion of Finland had broken out, there was no longer any hesitation, so the two countries joined hands.

"With this, the two countries have become inseparable."

"I am very happy to be able to share this historic day."

"ha ha ha. "Then how about taking a picture to commemorate this historic day?"

"Good."

Ribbentrop, I, and Finnish Foreign Minister Baijnö Tanner, who came to Berlin as special envoys of the Finnish government, took a photo with the document with our respective signatures after the conclusion of the German-Finnish alliance.

Tomorrow morning, all of Germany will see the photo in the newspaper while eating breakfast.

Finland, which was officially an ally, requested numerous items needed for its country as if it had been waiting.

Starting with increasing food exports, Finland was also asked to build a production plant for Panzer IV, Hatcher, and Bf109, and to export and support numerous other weapons.

"Isn't this a sign that they are viewing us as patronizing?"

Even the generals who were in favor of the alliance with Finland showed signs of discomfort, as it was a request in words, but it was nothing more than a one-sided demand on some matters.

Göring was the first to express his displeasure, and Keitel also said in an irritated voice that Finland was crossing a line.

"If it weren't for our help, the Soviet Union's licking shoes would blatantly try to turn us away, so we can't just ignore it."

"That's right, Mr. President! "If all of Finland's demands are met, it will have a huge negative impact on the German economy!"

Schacht even gave an impromptu lecture, explaining the losses the German economy would suffer if Finland's demands were accepted.

Seeing the blood vessels on his neck stand up, he looks like he's really pissed off.

"No need to explain, I have no intention of granting all of their requests. "Finland isn't our only ally, and we can't do business where only we are at a loss when we are at war."

The presence of the Finnish army, which possesses excellent combat capabilities, will be of considerable help on the Eastern Front, but if you ask whether it is worth giving away like a bully while suffering unilateral losses, you can only shake your head.

In reality, Germany, whose goal was to conquer the Soviet Union and build Lebensraum, worked diligently to please Finland, an ally essential to conquering the Soviet Union, but I see no need for that at all.

My goal is not some absurd delusion like Lebensraum, but all I want to do is to strengthen in an appropriate way and end the war. So, I have no intention of behaving like a brat to Finland.

Isn't the fundamental principle of diplomacy the principle of give and take? So if Finland asks for 10, they should get at least 6.

"It seems difficult to build a weapons factory. Not only have our engineers who went to Spain and Turkey not yet returned, but there is also strong opposition at home. "When we launch a major counteroffensive against the Soviet Union in the near future, if you join us and capture Leningrad and Murmansk, then I will listen."

"Uhm, I understand."

Tanner didn't say anything, perhaps because he thought this was too unreasonable.

Even though we are allies, we know how reckless it is to just ask to build a factory first.

Still, it is also true that with the amount of equipment the Finnish army possesses, it is somewhat difficult to block the Soviet army, which boasts a deceptive amount of equipment. Therefore, I promised to provide the Finnish army with 70 Bf109s, Fw190s, 70 Hs123s, Ju87s, and He 111s, 5 Schnellboats, and 60 tanks, including captured French tanks, Panzer IV, and Hatcher.

From the Finnish military's point of view, even this amount is a significant amount of military power, and when it was announced that an additional 5 Panthers would be donated, the Finnish special envoys cheered and were thrilled.

"We will also allow the personnel who will operate the equipment to receive training in Germany."

"Thank you, Mr. President! Thank you so, so much… .!"

Next is the issue of food exports. During World War II, Finland imported most of the food it consumed from Germany, and Germany imported various winter items essential for the Eastern Front from Finland.

Finnish cold weather products, manufactured for Finland's harsh winters that even the Russians found difficult, boasted excellent performance, and Germany used them to great advantage.

There was no telling when the war with the Soviet Union would end, and if a counteroffensive was launched in the future, it was certain that winter would be spent within Soviet territory, so Finnish winter products were essential.

Finland was able to easily resolve this issue as Germany was the only country close to importing the food it needed.

Germany exports food to Finland, and Finland exports wood and winter goods to Germany.

Apart from this, there are many other things agreed upon with Finland, but it would be too painful to explain them all, so I will pass on them.

Anyway, this gave Germany a strong fighting ally in Finland, and Finland gained a strong ally in Germany.