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Episode 161: Spear and Shield (12)

"Are you serious?"

This was what Badoglio said after Eden's remarks. Ethan nodded his head.

"Then, would you dare say something like this for fun?"

Badoglio was silent for a while.

When there was going to be a war, they would say 'I don't know' and take the first step, but now it's war again.

Of course, Badoglio knew that the British Prime Minister at the time was Halifax and the current Prime Minister is Churchill, so he could not be blamed for the previous administration's mistakes.

However, even if they could not be held responsible, Britain's proposal was so absurd that it was very embarrassing in Italy.

"As far as I know, your country is already at war with Japan in the Pacific."

Eden nodded.

"And yet we're at war with Germany…" . "What does your Prime Minister think?"

"That is to prevent Germany from dominating Europe and the world."

"This award is bold, but haven't you ever thought that it would be too much to risk the fate of the country just for that one thing?"

Badoglio asked in bewilderment.

"Mr Prime Minister. Think about it carefully. It may sound like a reckless statement, but Prime Minister Churchill looks at the world very calmly. If Germany is allowed to defeat the Soviet Union, Germany, which has absorbed the manpower, resources, and territory of the defeated Soviet Union, will be reborn as a superpower that no country in the world can stop.

If that happens, Europe will be completely under German control. Forever. To prevent that, we must fight before Germany grows further and while we still have the strength to fight."

Eden's offer to Badoglio was clearly sweet.

Not only will they restore all lost territory, but they will also cede Austria and Bavaria to Italy, as well as Croatia and Montenegro, making them Italian territories.

However, Badoglio was not fooled by the British coaxing.

Don't you know what happened to the two countries that believed in Britain's boasts and entered the war?

Italy has already shed a lot of blood in previous wars and the country has finally calmed down, but if war starts again, we don't know what will happen then.

If we win the war, it will be a different story, but if we lose again, the republicans and communist parties who call for the abolition of the monarchy will never remain silent.

No, before that, it was doubtful whether Italy itself would even exist.

"I refuse."

"Why?"

"Are you asking because you don't know? This country is no longer rich enough to go to war again. Even now, the entire country is tightening its belt to pay the compensation owed to Germany. Do you think Germany will leave our country alone if we go to war again and lose? And the entire military has already been destroyed and reduced to the level of a militia. How can we fight against the German army, which is armed with cutting-edge weapons?"

"Didn't I tell you? When it comes to weapons and ammunition, support is provided from the British Empire-"

"It's not like we're going to be providing weapons that the entire Italian army can use. And, our people do not want any more war. I don't want to see Rome burn to ashes. Do you understand?"

***

When Badoglio rejected his offer, Churchill attempted to contact the imprisoned Mussolini with Plan B.

Although he was blamed for the defeat in the war and was punished and exiled from his position as prime minister, there are still quite a few Mussolini supporters in Italy.

If they incite these people to put Mussolini back in power or at least cause unrest in Italy, how can Germany stay silent?

At the very least, they will be careful and tie three more divisions to Italy.

It would be better if we attempted military intervention in Italy!

however,

"It is said that the security of the Italian army is so tight that it is impossible to approach."

"… .How do I bribe the guard and try to make contact?"

"It's impossible. "It is said that the Italian military and police forces deployed to monitor Mussolini are all under direct orders from the King, so it is impossible to buy them."

Churchill's Plan B was abandoned before it was even attempted.

Vittorio Emanuele III and Badoglio strictly monitored Mussolini's contact with the outside world to prevent him from escaping and inciting his supporters to stage a coup.

Mussolini, who went from being a dictator ruling all of Italy to being a lion in a zoo cage, was spending every day addicted to women, alcohol, and morphine.

Britain's plan to attract Italy and hold German troops in the Mediterranean ended in failure before it even got started.

But Churchill was not discouraged. In any case, the reason they tempted Italy was not because they wanted Italy's combat power, but because they needed a meat shield to disperse the German army's power a little.

This is because a powerful ally that could not be compared to Italy or the like soon emerged.

***

"Thank you, President. "If it had not been for American support, the British Empire would still have been in despair."

-What are you saying? How could we not help in protecting the order of the free world?

Roosevelt laughed heartily at Churchill's thank you.

Roosevelt was in a good mood recently.

In the Battle of Midway, the United States achieved a complete victory over the Japanese Navy, sinking four aircraft carriers - Akagi, Hiryu, Soryu, and Kaga - and one cruiser.

The U.S. Navy suffered significant damage, with the aircraft carrier Yorktown and one destroyer being sunk, but just looking at the numbers, the Japanese military's damage was much greater than the U.S. military's.

As a result, the United States succeeded in stopping Japan's upward trend and maintaining its maritime supremacy in the Pacific.

Japan, which lost its enormous power of four aircraft carriers at once, lost its momentum, and the battlefield, which had been dominated by Japan's unilateral advantage after the Pearl Harbor attack, finally became a tie.

Roosevelt, who had some time to catch his breath, promised more support to Churchill.

Although he was still unable to bring up the idea of ​​fighting Germany due to domestic public opinion, Congress, and the military, Roosevelt soothed his disappointment by providing domestically produced weapons, ammunition, food, and fuel to Britain.

In response to a question from the National Assembly asking why so much was being given, the witty reply was that it was only to support Britain in its fight against Japan.

Allied Britain said it would use it to fight Japan, but no member of the National Assembly had anything to say about it.

And of course, the supplies Britain received from the United States were not only used in the war against Japan.

Thanks to the generous donations from the United States, Britain was able to arm not only its own army but also the Free French, Belgian, Dutch, Czechoslovakian, and Polish troops living in exile in their countries with American weapons.

Since these were all allies who would fight together under the Union Jack in the event of a war with Germany, Churchill did not spare support despite the opposition of his country's generals.

Although the current situation in which the Soviet Union was struggling was disturbing, Britain's war preparations were progressing steadily.

The only thing Britain lacked was the number of allies and a justification for starting a war.

If you don't have a reason, create one. The process is not important.

People will tolerate any process as long as the results are good.

Churchill, who lived under the principle that no matter what, as long as the result is good, then everything is good, decided to send a transport ship to the Soviet Union to create a justification for war.

Transport ships full of supplies to help the Soviet army.

In principle, the reason for sending transport ships to the Soviet Union was to help China in its fight against Japan.

Burma, the land route connecting Britain and China, has been occupied by the Japanese army, and the amount of goods that can be transported by plane from India to China across the Himalayan Mountains is extremely limited.

Crucially, the Indian Ocean is infested with Japanese submarines.

Therefore, Britain decided to supply supplies to China through the Soviet Union.

Since we are sending supplies to help our ally China, there is no reason to point out this.

Even if only half of the supplies arriving in the Soviet Union were supplied to China, no one in Britain would notice this.

Because you don't even know if it's happening in the first place.

However, the Soviet Union, to which Britain sends supplies, is at war with Germany.

And to reach the Soviet Union, British transport ships had to pass through the Norwegian Sea and the Barents Sea, which were teeming with German U-boats and Norwegian Navy submarines.

Is there any way that they would be kind enough to send transport ships to the Soviet Union, which is at war with its own country?

***

June 20, 1942

New Fuhrer's Residence in Berlin, Germany

Vlasov looked a little thinner than I remembered, and had a rough beard on his chin.

Vlasov, who was 190cm tall, stood up straight and rolled his eyes left and right as if he were a private who had just arrived at his unit.

It was clear that the question of why he was here as a prisoner of war and the splendid interior of the Presidential Residence stimulated his curiosity.

"Welcome to Berlin, General Vlasov."

When I approached him and offered him my hand, Vlasov was surprised, but gave it to me cautiously.

"Thank you for inviting me… .. Mr. President."

The previous speech was in Russian, but the last speech by His Excellency the Fuhrer was in German.

I guess he sensed that I was friendly towards him and thought he should respond accordingly.

As I shook his hand, I looked out of the corner of my eye at the military uniform Vlasov was wearing.

He was still wearing his Soviet military uniform, and it was clean and spotless, so he seemed to have been treated fairly well by Lev (maybe because I asked him to bring him to Berlin).

"I know a little about you. "He was reputed to be a very capable soldier."

"That's too much praise."

"Have you by any chance eaten?"

Vlasov shook his head.

"no wonder. Since we're running out of time, let's talk slowly while eating. "There is plenty of time."

I walked down the hallway side by side with him and had a short conversation. Mostly, when I spoke, he would respond.

"I heard the general's name before the war and recognized him personally. "I heard that his father lived in a foundation and his circumstances were not good, so he had a hard time from a young age."

"How did you know that?"

Vlasov seemed genuinely surprised to hear what I said. He would never have imagined that even if he knew his name, he would also know his family history.

"ha ha ha. "We must not look down on Germany's intelligence capabilities."

Looking at Vlasov's expression, it was clear that he was thinking, 'Germany's intelligence power is this much?'

Actually, I read it on the Internet.

Delicious food was already laid out on the table.

When Vlasov saw the sumptuous dinner, half of which consisted of Russian cuisine, he swallowed his mouth without realizing it.

The sound was so loud that I almost laughed without realizing it.

"I thought German cuisine might not suit your taste, so I also prepared Russian cuisine. Of course, it will be different from what we used to eat in Russia, but our chefs are also skilled in their own way, so it won't be so bad that you can't eat it."

"ah… . How would a soldier eat food? "I have never seen such a sumptuous dinner, even when I was in the Soviet Union."

"Thank goodness. "Now, you must be hungry, so eat quickly."

Even though eating may seem very trivial on the outside, it is a very important act that is more important than eating to win people's favor.

It's not for nothing that stories about winning people's favor with delicious or rare dishes often appear in history.

Vlasov was at a loss as to what to eat first among the numerous dishes, and chose borscht as the first dish.

At first, I cautiously ate one or two spoonfuls at a time, but in less than a minute, I was scraping the bottom of the bowl.

After the borscht, I spread a lot of pate and butter made from foie gras on blin, a traditional Russian food, and stuffed it into my mouth, followed by meatballs and schnitzel with gravy sauce.

We just ate in silence for the first 30 minutes, and then we started talking as our stomachs began to fill.

"Does the food suit your taste?"

"yes. "This is my first time eating such delicious and luxurious food."

"That's the highest compliment for a chef. Anyway, I'm glad it suits your taste. "By the way, I have a lot of things I want to talk about, is that okay?"

"of course."

"exactly? Well then, we can get straight to the point. Let me ask you a question. General, what do you think about today's Russia, the Soviet Union and its system? "I want to hear the general's honest thoughts, so tell me as it is."

Vlasov looked worried after hearing my question. An expression that asks if it is okay to tell the truth, or if this is a test for oneself.

If it were a test, it could be a test, but it would be more accurate to call it verification.

I already know what kind of person this person is from reading books and the internet.

"If I were to say it the way I thought… . "I think it is a system that has great ideals, but the method of implementing them is far from common sense."

After all, people with extraordinary brains are different. I can't believe that the word "fuckass system" can be expressed so eloquently.

I truly admire Vlasov's ability to choose words.

"Right. "This is a secret, but I also believe that there is no ideology as ideal as communism."

"Are you serious?"

This time, not only Vlasov but also the interpreter's mouth dropped open in surprise at my remarks. I smiled and nodded.

"exactly. "Why are you surprised?"

"I had no idea such words would come out of His Excellency the Fuhrer's mouth."

"What's so surprising about this? It's true, right? The idea that everyone is treated equally and lives equally well. What idea could be more perfect than this?

only… The problem is that the reality is horribly different from the high ideals. "There is no ideology with a greater gap between ideals and reality than communism."

Only then did the interpreter look relieved and translate what I said into Russian for Vlasov to hear.

"The Communist Party came to power by promising the people bread and freedom, but this was a blatant lie. As soon as the Communist Party came to power, they branded all those who did not sympathize with them as reactionaries and killed them indiscriminately.

Think about it. How many innocent people were indiscriminately massacred by Stalin and the Communist Party across vast Russia. Not only the 'anti-social classes' such as capitalists, religious people, and rich farmers, but also ethnic minorities such as Ukrainians, Lithuanians, Latvians, Estonians, Cossacks, Chechens, Kazakhs, and Georgians were ruthlessly oppressed. Just because they might be a threat to the order they have built.

Massacres and oppression of minorities occurred frequently in Russia during the Tsarist era, but they were not this widespread and cruel. "Do you know what happened in Ukraine?"

"I know."

Vlasov nodded.

"You must have thought that this was a problem. But like everyone else, I just kept quiet because of the NKVD's concerns. Isn't that right?"

"… … "It's not wrong."

"The war has already completely turned to our side in Germany. Even at this very moment, thousands of prisoners are being taken every day on the front lines. As the number of prisoners increases, the number of people who cooperate with Germany will increase. "I guess they too are sick of the Stalin system."

"… .."

"Say it bluntly. "The reason I called the general here is because, unlike people who are anxious to take care of themselves, I thought that a general who gave up his own safety for his subordinates could be entrusted with the leadership of the anti-communist Russian army that is currently being planned."

"Anti-communist Russian troops?"

"exactly. I plan to create an anti-communist Russian army by selecting prisoners of war captured by the Wehrmacht who are opposed to communism and willing to cooperate with Germany. "I hope the general will take over as commander-in-chief of that unit."

I told them that thousands of prisoners had already submitted applications for conversion, been released, and registered with the Russian Refugee Office.

And also about the Russian fascist party. Vlasov remained silent while listening to me.

"Of course, it will not be an easy choice for you who have family in the Soviet Union. I understand. But think carefully. Will you follow Georgia's human butchery, or will you fight for the Russian people suffering under the communist rule?

Whatever choice you make, it is entirely up to you. I would be perfectly happy if the general accepted my offer, but there would be no disadvantage to him if he refused. I promise. And there will be no change in the treatment of the soldiers who surrendered along with the general."

"… … All right."

I told Vlasov to let me know whenever he made up his mind, and gave him an apartment on the outskirts of Berlin as a place to stay.

It was the apartment used when members of the black orchestra met, now reduced to ashes and scattered somewhere in the Baltic Sea.

After sending Vlasov away, Krause asked me:

"Mr. President. Would he really accept His Excellency the President's proposal?"

"of course. "I'm 100% sure."

"Why? It doesn't seem particularly likely to me... ."

"You are so clueless. Didn't you hear what he had to say about the communist system? Vlasov has long since left his mind about the Communist Party and Stalin. Why would he continue to follow the men who put him and his men at risk? "Sooner or later, he will appear before me on his own feet."

Knowing Vlasov's actions in original history, I felt relaxed.

Until two days later, a red light turned on in my head.