214

Episode 214: What will you toast for (5)

As the United States rarely engages in direct combat with Germany - the Navy had several engagements with U-boats over the escort of merchant ships - it mainly learned about German tactics and equipment through Britain, the Soviet Union, and military attachés dispatched to those countries. collected information about

As a result of analyzing the collected information and the German-made equipment obtained from Britain and the Soviet Union, what can be seen is that many of them are several levels above that of the U.S. military.

"The German army has introduced a large number of new submachine guns, which they call 'assault rifles,' so the firepower of each infantryman is very superior."

"The British military estimates that the firepower of one German squad is equivalent to that of one British platoon."

The US military also has an outstanding rifle called the M1 Garand, but it does not match the firepower of the StG39.

The bazooka given to the infantry by the U.S. military had less recoil and a higher accuracy rate than the Panzerfaust used by the German military, but it lacked penetration power.

When it comes to fighter jets and tanks, the gap widens even further.

Arnold was shot by an American P-51 Mustang used by the RAF when it was attacked by a German Bf109 over France. He expressed concern about being pushed out by the Fw190.

"What's even more problematic is that these two are considered old-fashioned among Germans."

The Bf109G and Fw190D were formidable opponents, but the German Air Force was already operating fighters superior to them.

The number was expected to increase further in the future. The good news is that the new fighter P-47 Thunderbolt, which is expected to be able to fight on equal footing with the Bf109 and Fw190, has begun to be deployed to the US and British forces.

"The M4 Sherman used by our military is on the same level as the Panzer 4, even if it hits well."

"It becomes difficult to respond to heavy tanks such as Panther and Tiger unless you target the flanks at close range. The German military even recently developed a new heavy tank called Tiger II."

The U.S. military was very satisfied with the performance of its M4 Sherman.

It was inevitable that among the tanks used by the Japanese army, the main enemy of the U.S. military, there was no tank that could compete with the M4 Sherman.

The most powerful tank was the modified Type 3 tank equipped with a Type 1 tank gun, and even this could be disposed of on the M3 Lee Line.

Even the M3 Stuart, a light tank, had a chance of winning if it was shot first.

However, compared to the Japanese tanks, which were little more than tin toys, German tanks were as different as heaven and earth.

The No. 4 Tank, which is the same as the M4 Sherman, was being treated as an antique in the German military, and the Panther and Tiger replaced the No. 4 and rapidly increased its share of armored forces.

The U.S. military already has the M6 ​​heavy tank, but mass production was put on hold due to questions being raised about its effectiveness.

However, as the German army's heavy tanks showed great success in actual combat, opinions began to emerge within the U.S. Army that heavy tanks should be mass-produced.

"McNair. "What is your opinion?"

"These are useless words."

However, Leslie McNair, commander-in-chief of the U.S. Army Ground Forces and a strong influence on the development of weapons used by the Army, dismissed the idea that we should also have heavy tanks as nonsense.

"The reason is?"

"First of all, the M6 ​​heavy tank is a product with many flaws. Reliability hasn't been resolved yet, and it's too heavy. The M4 weighs just over 30 tons, while the M6 ​​weighs 57 tons. This means that in order to transport one M6, you have to give up two M4s."

One of the reasons McNair opposed the mass production of the M6 ​​was that the weight that could be unloaded by port cranes was limited to around 40 tons.

McNair's argument was that it was much more profitable to mass-produce the M6 ​​and transport it by producing more M4 Shermans and distributing them to the front lines in large quantities.

However, this did not mean that McNair did not feel the need for a new tank.

The M4 Sherman is sufficient as a tank for the short-legged, but the M4 Sherman alone is not enough to deal with German tanks, which are expected to face confrontation in the future.

Didn't the British army already show that it was unreasonable at Dieppe?

Therefore, mass production of the M4 Sherman equipped with a 76mm gun, which has higher penetration than the 75mm gun, was being discussed, and the development of a new tank to replace the M4 Sherman was also underway.

The opinion that mass-produced heavy tanks should be mass-produced was too early and did not fit the current situation of the military, so it was put on hold, but it did not deny the need for new tanks with heavy armor and high firepower.

"If you say that, it's probably true."

"Thank you for your understanding."

Although he had a very stubborn side, Marshall trusted McNair, who was meticulous in everything and sincere in his work.

He made a remarkable contribution to assisting Marshall in drawing up plans for large-scale reinforcement, reorganization, training, and supply of the U.S. military, so no one in the Army could ignore his words. Even Marshall.

There's a lot to do. Marshall had a lot of work to do to drive the Japanese army out of the South Pacific, Southeast Asia, and China, and to plant the American flag at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo.

Is that it? Even if Japan collapses, there is Germany in Europe. The Germany that Roosevelt feared and loathed the most.

If the United States wanted to win the future match against Germany, it could not afford to waste even a minute.

***

December 9, 1942

New Fuhrer's Residence in Berlin, Germany

Thanks to the mention of quick recognition, apology, and compensation for damages, anti-German public opinion in the United States did not expand further.

However, the United States has made it clear that it has no intention of withdrawing protection for British-bound merchant ships. At the same time, it was stated that there were no plans to lift export controls to Germany.

The Navy, led by Dönitz, made an uproar, saying that since the United States had ignored our favor first, it should be treated accordingly.

"This is tantamount to a blatant declaration that we will take Britain's side!"

"The Yankees are blatantly mocking us!"

"Now that we are a neutral country, we must attack and sink any ship heading to England."

"Are you planning to make the whole world an enemy of Germany? If the United States takes action sincerely, the Third Reich will end! "It will disappear from the map in less than 20 years, let alone a thousand years!"

"But Mr. President. If we continue like this, we will never be able to defeat England. If American ships were allowed to pass to England, the war would last ten years, twenty years, forever. "We should rather completely blockade the British coast and force the enemy to surrender, even at the risk of America's participation in the war."

Dönitz also did not back down and fought back. Here, even Raeder and Goering came forward in solidarity.

"I do not doubt Mr. President's statement that the national power of the United States is greater than that of Germany. But if we continue to make concessions to the United States, the war will never end. The U.S. Navy is already attacking U-boats, which has resulted in casualties. "It is as if the United States and Germany have already entered a state of war."

"It was the United States that violated neutrality first, so the justification lies with Germany. And since we are at war with Japan, Roosevelt will not be able to rashly decide to enter the war."

"I'll think about it. "Everyone, please leave for a while."

If the United States' actions are tolerated as they say, the strategy of blockading Britain with U-boats and killing it becomes a waste of time.

Of course, it would be burdensome for Britain to continue the war, but unlike Britain, which has the strong backing of the United States, Germany, which has to solve everything on its own, finds the only way to survive is to end the war as quickly as possible.

In the end, we must choose whether to blockade Britain, even at the risk of America's participation in the war, or maintain the status quo and wait for Britain to come to the negotiation table.

······Neither option seems particularly good.

Is there another way? Let's think about it, think about it.

There must be a way. Even if the sky falls, there is a hole to emerge from.

······okay. I guess I'll have to use that method.

"Mr. President? "Have you come up with any good ideas?"

Krause asked.

"okay. "I don't know if it's a good way."

"What method is that?"

"You will find out soon. Tell everyone to come back in. "I have something important to say."

***

"Are you talking about a public meeting?"

"exactly."

The best solution I came up with was a public meeting.

"I am proposing a meeting publicly so that not only Roosevelt and Churchill, but also the British and Americans, can find out. He suggested to Churchill that they should stop fighting and reconcile, and to Roosevelt that they resolve their misunderstandings. How do you feel?"

"Don't you know that Churchill is not someone you can communicate with? Will Churchill accept the offer?"

Goering asked doubtfully.

"Of course I know. Why don't I know? The same goes for Roosevelt. "If he, who hates Germany to his core, would have listened to me, he wouldn't have come to this point."

"But why...?"

"The key is not whether they accept our offer. "It will make me look like I really want peace in the eyes of the British and Americans."

This time, he is repeating his offer of peace talks to England after conquering Poland. It's louder and louder than before.

***

December 13, 1942

War Office, London, England

Three days ago, Hitler's statement issued through the mouth of Goebbels shocked people around the world.

Hitler proposed open talks to Churchill and Roosevelt.

The idea was to meet in person and talk in order to resolve the long-standing ill-feeling between Britain and Germany and to achieve world peace.

"The Soviet Union, the party that started the war, is now counting down the days to its downfall. Even though the main culprit of the war has fallen, Germany and Britain are baring their teeth of hatred towards each other and continuing their pointless fight. This is something that is not at all helpful to the peace and development of humanity.

And now even the United States is about to fall into a chain of meaningless hatred that has no value or benefit.

I would like to declare this here and now before it is too late. "Now we need to show the world that what we need is not violence, destruction, and hatred, but peace, reconciliation, and cooperation."

Unlike Britain, which was at war, the United States was officially neutral with Germany, but the emotional gulf between Germany and the United States was gradually deepening due to a series of recent events in the Atlantic.

To emphasize that he was serious about peace, Hitler offered Churchill a two-week truce and a prisoner exchange.

And he proposed to Roosevelt that he dispatch a special envoy to the United States. He even said that he was willing to go to the United States himself if the United States gave permission.

Conversely, he also said that if Roosevelt wanted to come to Germany, he would come to meet him in advance.

Hitler's declaration attracted the attention of all media outlets around the world.

Newspapers published Hitler's proposal for peace talks on the front page, and people also had heated discussions about Hitler's proposal for peace talks every day.

"Damn Hitler. "What kind of modification is this again?"

Churchill naturally did not believe Hitler. He was convinced that Hitler's remarks were a ploy to deceive the public.

"That insidious bastard couldn't have said something like that without any purpose. "He must be up to something."

"The problem is that our people don't think that way."

Attlee said. As soon as news of Nazi Germany's proposal for peace talks arrived, Britain fell into a crucible of excitement and confusion.

Amid expectations that the war might really end and speculation about how the government would react, anti-war activists became more vocal.

Finally, the opportunity to end the war with honor, something I had longed for, had arrived.

Hitler's decision to suspend the V2 air raid for five days to show that his words were sincere and not false also caused a great stir.

When the war began, people who could go out on the streets for the first time without worrying about air raids were happy and scared at the same time because they could take a walk with peace of mind.

The fear that the talks will fail and the current peace will end like a midsummer night's dream.

Those who had tasted peace hoped that the government and Churchill would at least listen to Hitler.

Ordinary citizens who normally kept their distance from protests also came forward and strongly insisted that the government accept peace talks.

Let's at least listen to what the other person is saying.

In particular, those whose children were imprisoned in German POW camps cried out in tears to find out if their children were alive or dead as soon as possible.

The police who blocked the protesters also had a hard time ignoring the desperate cries of parents who wanted to see their children's faces at least once.

Hitler must have been aiming for this.

Using peace as a bait, the people of the British Empire are divided among themselves. Churchill's teeth trembled as he thought of Hitler laughing while listening to the cries of the people.

"What are you going to do, Prime Minister?"

Eden, who had already lit his second cigarette, opened his mouth. Churchill answered as if there was no need to say anything.

"I'm not stupid enough to fall for Hitler's tricks."

"But the public's backlash will be severe."

Eden had the same opinion as Churchill, but was worried about the public's reaction.

The clever Hitler threw a bait to create the impression that he truly wanted peace, and the people, tired of war, took the bait that Hitler threw.

"How about just pretending to listen?"

"Anthony, are you out of your mind? "Do you really not know what that bastard Hitler had in mind when he proposed a meeting with us?"

"I know. i know. But there is no way. If you flatly rejected Hitler's peace talks and the people rise up, how will you handle the backlash? "First of all, we need to at least pretend to listen to what he says to calm the public's discontent."

Brooke also agreed with Ethan's opinion.

He wanted to end this profitless war quickly by strengthening his ties with Germany, but he knew that would be impossible unless dirt got into Churchill's eyes.

Therefore, he wanted at least the prisoners held in Germany to be returned. He'll at least help restore power.

But Churchill refused even this.

"There are no negotiations with Hitler. "Compromise alone cannot bring victory to the British Empire."

You're talking nonsense again. Brooke didn't even have the strength to get angry anymore.

They start a war without any justification, and they struggle because they don't want to die alone.