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Episode 234: What we will fight for (8)

May 9, 1943

Gibraltar

The war situation was the worst.

The cowardly Jerrys dropped a huge bomb they called the Leger, completely destroying the entire area of ​​Gibraltar.

Many soldiers were buried in entire bunkers and fortresses without even firing a single gun, and even if they barely survived, they were completely cut off and isolated from the outside world.

The only way for them to survive was for our forces outside to repel the enemy forces and remove the hundreds of tons of concrete and rock fragments blocking the entrance, but that seemed rather unlikely.

The soldiers who were lucky enough to avoid being buried engaged the enemy at their respective positions.

German mountain divisions and Spanish infantry divisions fought the British army, climbing up the rugged slopes like a swarm of ants.

-Quaang!

When the grenade thrown by the British soldiers inside the torch exploded, a couple of Spanish soldiers fell out.

British soldiers stationed in Tochka fired Vickers machine guns and threw grenades at every opportunity to block the Spanish army's approach.

"ammunition! Bring more ammo!"

The machine gunner shouted anxiously as the ammunition showed signs of running out. But the answer that came back was full of despair.

"There is no ammo! "That's the end!"

"What!?"

The entrance to the ammunition depot collapsed due to the He 177's bombardment, so the British troops had to engage the enemy with only the ammunition they had brought with them.

Eventually, when the bullets ran out, the machine gunner engaged the enemy with a Lee-Enfield rifle.

The Vickers machine gun and Lee-Enfield use the same 7.7mm bullet, but the difference between multiple rounds and single rounds was very large.

The Spanish army, seeing with their own eyes that the enemy was running out of ammunition, attacked even more fiercely than before.

-Too-ta-ta-ta-ta!!

"Wow!"

"Get down!"

While the Spanish MG34 was hindering the British attack, a soldier carrying an explosive backpack quietly approached Tochka.

The soldier detonated the backpack and threw it into the Tochka.

British soldiers, who were lying prone under fierce machine gun fire, were startled when they saw the backpack.

The soldier, who was a machine gunner, grabbed the backpack and threw it outside, but because he threw it too high, the backpack hit the roof of the Tochka and rolled into the road.

When the backpack exploded, Tochka's three British soldiers were torn apart and stuck to the walls, ceiling, and floor inside Tochka.

After removing the obstacle, the Spanish army began its advance again.

Due to terrain problems, the German army deployed captured French tanks instead of its main medium tanks, such as the Panzer IV or Panther.

Although French tanks were considered to have inferior performance compared to German tanks, their smaller chassis was an advantage in mountainous terrain where tank maneuverability was limited.

The British troops stationed in Gibraltar also had anti-tank weapons, but all they had were anti-tank rifles and 2-pounders, which had limited penetration power.

-Kang!

"It bounced again!"

"Just shut up and keep shooting!"

The British anti-tank artillerymen tried their best to fire shells, but the Somua S35 narrowed the distance to the enemy by deflecting all armor-piercing shells coming from the front.

Soon, the tank's 47mm gun burst into flames and hit the 2-pounder's gun mantlet.

The anti-tank artillerymen collapsed and the German mountaineers advanced over the pieces of anti-tank artillery pieces.

"We can't contact the 11th Company!"

"A retreat request has been received from the 3rd Infantry Battalion!"

The atmosphere at the British military headquarters in the rear could be summarized in two words: shock and fear.

Colonel James Hull, who suddenly took command of the entire garrison in Gibraltar due to the deaths, disappearances, and loss of communication in the upper echelons, devoted himself to command, even skipping meals, in order to somehow maintain the command system and maintain the crumbling defense line despite the flood of reports. did.

"How many mortar shells are left?"

"600 rounds is all."

"600 rounds? "Is that all there is to it?"

"Everything else is buried in the ground. Because the ground is unstable, there is a risk that the entire cave will collapse if it is blown up... … "

The British army in Gibraltar had stockpiled a huge amount of bullets and shells to prepare for a Spanish attack, allowing them to fight without resupply for three months.

However, because most of the ammunition depots were buried due to the German army's seismic bomb attack, the amount of ammunition they could use was only 9% of the original amount.

Today in London, the Gibraltar defenders were ordered to hold out for just the next two days.

Two days. If they last just 48 hours, reinforcements from Malta will arrive to help them.

However, the situation of the Gibraltar defenders was such that it was difficult to last even a day, let alone two days.

Due to the loss of most of the troops and ammunition in the early air raids, holes were created throughout the defense line.

The German and Spanish troops who had infiltrated the hole continued to advance steadily, supported by tanks and aircraft that the British army did not have.

The depletion of troops and ammunition was severe, and even food and medicine were in short supply.

The food currently secured was enough for ten days, assuming that all Gibraltar defenders ate only one meal a day, and only three days' worth of medicine remained.

The German-Spanish allied forces launched a fierce attack on the British army and at the same time sent out a broadcast urging the British army to surrender.

-You guys fought as hard as you could and did your duty. Your troops are surrounded, and the outcome of the battle is decided. Even if you put down your weapons and raise a white flag now, no one will be able to point a finger at you. So he recommends surrendering with honor. The Defense Forces will treat you with respect as prisoners of war and will not spare any support necessary.

Colonel Hull also wanted to surrender if he could. He had sworn that he would die fighting fiercely for the glory of his country, the British Empire, but when he thought of his death, he thought of the family he left behind in his hometown of Aylesbury.

His youngest son, who is only two years old, does not even know his father's face. If he dies here now, his youngest son will only see his father's face through pictures for the rest of his life.

What plunged him further into despair was a telegram from the Mediterranean Fleet headquarters in Malta.

One of the two transport ships carrying troops that landed in Gibraltar and fought the Jerrys on the ground was sunk by a U-boat attack.

Here, the Spanish Navy and French Navy were approaching the Mediterranean Fleet, so their arrival would be delayed. Approximately 12 hours to a day.

The time the Gibraltar defenders had to endure increased from two days to three days.

This might be at least four or five days.

When Colonel Hull's body stumbled while reading the telegram, the soldier on duty hurriedly helped him up.

"Colonel! Are you okay?"

Hull could not bear to speak. He told the soldiers struggling in the battlefield with bullets flying back and forth to hold out for just two days. What should he say?

Oh, I just received a telegram from Malta saying it will be a little later than scheduled. About three days? But it might be four days. Anyway, just endure it, right?

I'm sure the soldiers will understand.

"Colonel?"

"… … "Everyone, please listen to me carefully."

Hull made up his mind. He had already done his best on behalf of his missing superiors, and his soldiers also fought as best as they could.

Just telling them to hold on was not only irresponsible, it was tantamount to a crime.

"From now on, all equipment, ammunition, and confidential documents will be destroyed."

His subordinates thought Hull's instructions were intended to prepare them for the worst. Until I heard his next instructions.

"After the destruction process is completed, we formally surrender. Everyone hurry up."

"… … !?"

"Colonel! that-"

To the embarrassed Major, Hull raised his hand to stop him from speaking.

"This is an order I gave, so I will take full responsibility. You say I forced you to do nothing. Do you understand?"

"… … ."

"That's not possible, Colonel."

The person who broke the silence in the situation room was a captain who lost the ring finger and little finger of his left hand in an air raid on the first day of battle.

Hull said, glaring at him.

"Why not, Captain?"

"Why should you take all the responsibility, Colonel? As a soldier, I cannot understand this."

"We are also officers. "It is right that everyone, not just one person, is equally responsible."

They just didn't express it until now, but they all felt skeptical about the situation without a solution.

Germany proposed unconditional peace to Britain, but Churchill and the government unconditionally denounce Germany's offer as a shameless lie and insist only on resistance.

While high-ranking people play politics in safe air-raid shelters, citizens are dying from being hit by rockets.

Even Spain and Türkiye, which had maintained neutrality, turned their backs on Britain. What does this mean? Isn't this proof that Britain's defeat is all too certain?

We are tired of being loyal to a government that calls for war instead of negotiation even when defeat is certain. It would be true patriotism to surrender and save the lives of innocent soldiers.

May 9, 1943, 6:32 p.m.

The troops stationed in Gibraltar, who destroyed all confidential documents and supplies, formally declared surrender.

Almost 240 years after British occupation during the War of the Spanish Succession in 1704, Gibraltar became Spanish territory again.

***

May 12, 1943

Breslau, Germany

Gibraltar fell to German-Spanish forces.

The British Mediterranean Fleet heading to Gibraltar suffered from active interference by the German, Spanish, and French navies, but upon hearing the news that the Gibraltar garrison had fallen, it turned its bow back to Malta.

This was three days ago, and today Cyprus is completely occupied.

The Royal Navy, which failed to rescue Gibraltar, dispatched east to rescue Cyprus under orders from London, but was beaten by the German Air Force, which had tight air superiority over Cyprus, and eventually fled to Alexandria.

Although the operation in the Mediterranean ended successfully without any major damage, the Fuhrer's Residence still had a busy atmosphere.

The Mediterranean was only a secondary front to divert Britain's attention, and our real goal was to conquer the British mainland, so there was still a lot of work to do.

The SD is diligently disseminating disinformation in Britain under my orders, and the National Defense Forces and SS are concentrating on training for landing on the British mainland.

Shipyards across Germany are working around the clock to build more transport ships for Operation Sea Lion.

To solve the manpower shortage, women who had previously lived as housewives were deployed to industrial fronts, and shipyards were one of the many fronts.

From what I heard, the proportion of women currently working in shipyards is as high as 45%.

It is said that in some shipyards, there are more female workers than male workers. There were also many women who chose to enlist rather than stay in the rear. Most of them are serving in positions where they do not have to fight directly with guns, such as administrative soldiers, signal soldiers, drivers, medics, anti-aircraft artillerymen, cooks, etc., but in any case, women's service served as a good publicity stunt.

Although it was less common than in Germany, where people were anxious not to show that they were villains, draft dodgers existed even in the Third Reich, which was free from racism and eager to cosplay as the defender of Europe.

The largest proportion of military service evaders are the famous Jehovah's Witnesses, while the rest are members of the Social Democratic or Communist Party and their children, who were disbanded with the enactment of the Enabling Act, pacifists, anti-Nazis, objectors, and others. It consists of etc.

Conversely, there are also special cases.

The special cases I am talking about are those who enlist but refuse to take up arms, saying they cannot kill people. The representative example of a gun-refusal who enlisted is the American Desmond Doss, who was later made into a movie.

Those who refuse to enlist but refuse to carry guns are still easy to deal with.

There is no need to discriminate or oppress them since these are just a few unique friends who will not only carry guns but will also serve in the military.

I ordered these guys to clear the mines. If you don't want to pick up a gun to kill people, clear land mines to save people.

Then, isn't it a way to kill three birds with one stone by keeping one's beliefs, serving in the military, and receiving recognition from others?

No one could refute the logic of this miracle. Even Schacht, who was far from flattering, could not help but slap his forehead and exclaim that it was a genius idea.

I am more generous than the real Hitler, so I also gave him the option to change his class to infantry at any time if he wanted to focus on gunfighting instead of clearing mines.

As a result, we were able to witness the miracle of the end point where 20% of those who refused to join forces were converted into regular infantry. LOL.

The guys who didn't want to use guns or remove land mines wanted to become cooks, administrators, or drivers, but I cut them like a knife.

So, all the other soldiers on the front lines are assholes?

Why don't I act like I'm a rebel like you and move to a position with a relatively lower risk of death?

And what if other guys learn from you?

All cowards and military service evaders who pretended to refuse military service were sentenced to 15 years of hard labor and sent to prison.

They will spend 15 years mining coal or working in logging at a coal mine, serve all of their sentences, and even after being released, they will remain labeled as military service evaders for the rest of their lives.

In that sense, even women who were free from military service enlisted on their own and were doing their duty for their country, but Goebbels' propaganda that those who evaded military service were cowards who did not qualify as men was well received by the public.

This had the effect of enlisting at least one more person who wanted to dodge military service, but did not want to be called a scoundrel worse than a girl.

The only legal way to get out of military service is to study hard and get a doctor's license or to become a technician or become quite skilled in the industry, so that working at one's workplace in the rear will contribute more to the country than serving as an ordinary soldier at the front. only.

You don't want to go to the military? Then make an effort! Work hard and prove your worth!

"Mr. President, how are you? "Our invention."

"… … "It's beautiful."

Right here, like the Horten brothers.

The H.IX V1, designed by the Horten brothers, Walter and Raimar Horten, had a unique appearance that set it apart from all types of aircraft owned by the Luftwaffe.

"It's like seeing a stingray."

As Göring said, H.IX V1 had the shape of a stingray.

Among the German aircraft developed during World War II, only one had a stingray shape.

Ho229.

With its unique, future-oriented appearance, it is a representative figure that comes to mind when thinking of the Nazis' secret weapon. He appears frequently in games and movies.