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Episode 265: The Road to Destruction (7)

The artillery fire stopped and tanks charged with infantry. The British army resisted using the remains of collapsed buildings as shields, but although they were able to slow the German advance, they could not stop it.

Soldiers with anti-tank guns or bazookas hidden inside buildings or in alleys destroyed several tanks by aiming and shooting at the sides as the tanks passed, but they immediately became a hive for the infantry following the tanks.

There were frequent cases of being discovered by infantry before firing.

-Kaang!

"W-what the fuck?!"

The armor-piercing shell clearly hit the side of the Tiger's turret, but the 2-pounder's gunner was confused when the shell bounced off without penetrating.

The distance to the enemy is only 70m. I thought this distance would be enough to break through, but... … .

While the anti-tank artillerymen panicked as they saw the enemy without any hits, the Tiger leisurely fired at the barricade in front.

Knowing that light anti-tank guns could not even make a dent in the Tiger, the tankers left the flanks alone and focused on the enemies in front.

The infantry would take care of the enemies on the flanks anyway.

The Panzergrenadiers following the Tiger ran up and threw grenades. The British soldiers who were running away from the grenades were felled by the assault rifles fired by the Panzergrenadiers.

"Run, fuck! "What nonsense is it, fighting against those monsters!"

"surrender! surrender!"

Soldiers who lost their will to fight threw away orders and everything and ran away or raised white flags.

The British army, in dire need, even brought out relics from World War I that had been kept for display.

When the Mk V, which had been roaming the battlefields of France and Belgium, clattered and rolled, the Tiger tank crews exclaimed in surprise.

They didn't know they would be fighting the same guy their father and uncles fought on the battlefield.

It didn't take long for the exclamations to turn into sneers.

The tank commander, who came to his senses, instructed the gunner to aim at the tank, and the gunner aimed the 88 at the front of the enemy.

The British relic fired and hit the Tiger's front armor, but did no damage to the tank, leaving only soot on the surface.

"launch!"

The shell loaded in the chamber was not an armor-piercing shell but a grenade, but even this had excessive firepower against the Mk V.

The delayed 88mm grenade penetrated the front of the Mk V and completely destroyed its interior.

The tank crews burst into laughter as they saw the Mk V, with both left and right tracks cut off and the entire fighting compartment blown away by the impact of the explosion.

In the city of Glasgow, which was in chaos due to a melee, a group of soldiers dressed as the Free Polish Army hurriedly moved.

Soldiers wearing the Polish army's symbol, Zapka, were lucky enough to reach the target, the Glasgow City Hall building, without being stopped.

"Is this really the right place?"

"If the information found from SD is true, then yes. "Otherwise we'll all lose."

"It's going to spin, really."

Even as Voekersham said that, he silently moved on.

Skorzeny was more worried about dying from a shell fired by our troops than about dying from the British army.

It was okay to be killed by the enemy, but dying from a cannonball fired by our own troops seemed like such a miserable death.

Is there a more miserable death for a soldier than being killed by one of his own allies?

For that reason, Skorzeny wore a German military uniform under his Polish military uniform, just in case.

The same was true for all of his subordinates who participated in this operation.

"stop! "Which unit is this?"

As expected, British defense forces were deployed around the destination.

However, the number was smaller than expected. Skorzeny was internally delighted when he saw the British army, which was not even at the level of a platoon.

According to the pre-determined scenario, Voekersham stepped forward and answered the questions of the British military police. He said, patting the chapka on his head with his hand.

"Don't you know it when you see it? "We are Polish soldiers."

As Voekersham was conversing with the British soldiers in fluent English, a blind cannonball fell not far away, creating a loud explosion.

When the British military police fell to their knees in surprise, Skorzeny decided that this was an opportunity and shouted.

"Now! "Start shooting!"

At the same time as Skorzeny's order, soldiers of the Friedental Task Force disguised as Free Polish Army pulled the triggers of their submachine guns in unison.

As the US-made Thompson submachine guns and MP28s issued for camouflage made a rattling sound and spewed out bullets, the British military police quickly turned into a beehive.

"let's go! "Arrest Churchill!"

***

Churchill was startled by the direct gunshot.

The soldier who had said he was going to check what happened came running in a huff and shouted.

"dismissal! "It's an enemy attack!"

"what?"

"It's the Germans! Damn it, the jerrys got here!"

"What is that... … ."

Churchill's mind seemed to go blank. He was already prepared to die, but he never dreamed that the German army would raid this place at this time.

"dismissal! "You must evacuate quickly!"

The soldier, who seemed to have forgotten Churchill's decision, advised him to evacuate. Churchill burst into empty laughter.

"I decided to die here. "Didn't I tell you?"

The soldier seemed to hesitate for a moment, then bowed his head to Churchill and ran to help his comrades who were fighting the Germans. A scream was heard between the gunshots.

Churchill became impatient. The Germans had at least a few minutes to reach this point. In the meantime, quickly… … .

"I'm done here too."

Churchill threw his finished cigar into a corner and began putting bullets into his revolver. Thinking that this was the last time, his hands were shaking and he couldn't reload properly.

It can't be like this. Haven't you decided to die? Churchill steeled his resolve and put his bullet in. His gunshots got louder.

It is said that Soviet General Zhukov remained in the Kremlin with his soldiers under Stalin's orders and fought against the Germans until the end, before dying a heroic death.

Churchill hated everything related to communism, but if nothing else, I envied his end.

Would you rather fight your enemy rather than commit suicide yourself? If you're lucky, you might be able to pick out one Jerry and send it to him. Churchill hesitated.

If he committed suicide, his body would be discovered by the Germans and become a subject of ridicule.

But at least if he dies while fighting, people will remember that he died fighting bravely against the Jerrys, not that he was scared and committed suicide.

A body that has decided to die anyway. What to fear now?

Churchill made up his mind and stood up, holding a loaded revolver. Even if he died, he planned to take Jerry with him as a companion on the way to the underworld.

The idea was to show the Nazis, and everyone who studies history, that the Prime Minister of the British Empire did not just die.

"come! this-"

The moment he stepped out of the conference room door, an explosion occurred and a powerful shock wave hit him.

***

"Völkersham. "Is he alive?"

"yes. As you can see, it is alive."

Voekersham smiled, raising his arm, which had its torn military uniform on.

Skorzeny picked up the grenade fragment stuck in his cheek and pulled it out with his fingers.

He almost died when the cornered British soldiers attempted suicide.

If he hadn't picked up the fallen Tommy and used him as a shield in a split second, he might have been struggling by now, spitting out his internal organs.

Skorzeny spat.

"Sigh. You idiot. "If you want to die, die alone."

"But didn't things become easier thanks to him?"

An SS sergeant with tanned eyebrows grinned and pointed at the corpses strewn everywhere. More than 10 soldiers were killed at once because of one person who rashly attempted suicide.

The Friedental task force that infiltrated the basement was also caught in the explosion and almost died, but looking at the result, it was a fortune.

There were a few British soldiers still alive, but I thought they would die soon if left as is.

The condition of some of the dogs was so dire that it would have been more humane to kill them.

Skorzeny approached the British captain, who was gasping for breath as his intestines protruded from his torn stomach.

When he aimed the Luger at his head, the captain closed his eyes as if he sensed his fate. A gunshot rang out and the captain's head turned to the side.

"Find Churchill. "Tommies might come rushing in, so hurry up."

"yes!"

"uh? SS Lieutenant Colonel Skorzeny! "Look at this guy."

Less than a minute after the search order was given, one of the unit members rushed to find him. After a month, Skorzeny ran to the unit member who was looking for him.

"what? I found it?"

Instead of answering, the unit member pointed with his hand at Churchill, who was lying on the floor. A bulging stomach and saggy chin.

Anyone could see that it was Churchill.

"They don't look alike, do they?"

"If you look at the outfit, it's definitely Churchill. "Is he dead?"

"I'll check."

The purpose of the Friedental Task Force was to capture Churchill, but if that was not possible, they were ordered to kill him, so the mission was already completed.

The unit member who discovered Churchill put his ear to Churchill's chest. And I checked his pulse.

"… … It's alive. "I'm fainted now."

"Good!"

Skorzeny clenched his fists. Now, promotions and medals were as good as earned.

Since he was the first to accomplish a mission that no one else in German history had ever accomplished, the capture of the British Prime Minister, the reward would be enormous.

"SS Lieutenant Colonel Skorzeny!"

"What else?"

"The tigers have arrived."

Skorzeny came out of the basement and went upstairs. He saw our army's König Stiger approaching the city hall with a large number of infantry.

When the troops guarding the entrance to the basement smiled and waved their hands, the approaching infantrymen were taken aback.

"Those Cheads probably thought they were number one, right?"

"I guess so, I guess?"

Skorzeny put the bloody Juno in his mouth with a smile on his face. The taste of cigarettes felt sweeter today.

"Send a radio message to Berlin. "The eagle has landed."

***

August 14, 1943

New Fuhrer's Residence in Berlin, Germany

Churchill, captured by the Friedental Task Force, soon regained consciousness.

As soon as the guy realized that he was a prisoner, he fainted immediately.

The military doctor who treated Churchill said that although he suffered minor shrapnel wounds, burns, and fractures, his condition was not life-threatening.

Churchill was immediately shipped to Germany by transport. He completely restrained his limbs to prevent him from committing suicide and brought heavily armed soldiers with him.

The world was shocked by the news that British Prime Minister Winston Churchill did not die heroically and became a prisoner of Germany.

Skorzeny, who had become famous for capturing Tito, has now become widely known beyond Germany and around the world through the success of the operation to capture Churchill.

German newspapers nicknamed Friedenthal's task force 'the fearless men with iron hearts' and Skorzeny the nickname 'the most dangerous man in Europe'.

Skorzeny, who successfully carried out the operation, was awarded a second-class distinction and the Knight's Cross of Diamonds and Blades.

There is a provision that states that a medal of the previous level must be awarded in order to receive a medal of the next level, but in consideration of Skorzeny's achievements, it was decided to make an exception for him.

Naturally, it was decided that all personnel involved in the operation would be awarded a 1st class special promotion and the Knight's Cross.

Because Churchill was taken prisoner, his position as British Prime Minister was returned to Deputy Prime Minister Attlee in Canada.

On the same day, Elizabeth, the eldest daughter of the deceased George VI, ascended to the title of King of England at the age of 17.

The irony of history was that her home country, England, fell into German hands.

Even though Churchill was taken prisoner, the Allied forces remaining in Britain continued to resist, refusing to surrender.

Either way, the friendly army's advance continued, and the Allied forces were pushed back like skate blades on ice.

The task of completely driving them out of the British Isles is now counting down the days.

"… … Therefore, it is expected that the control of the entire island of Britain will be completed in a week, or even five days."

"hmm. Good. "That was a great explanation."

Keitel looked confused and nodded repeatedly.

After taking control of the British Isles, there will be no ground battles with the U.S. military, so it will mainly be naval battles and checks in the air.

Even if the U.S.-led Allied Forces attempted an amphibious assault on the British Isles or the coast of North Africa, they would not be able to advance and would only repeat the same steps.

But as long as the United States refuses to strengthen to the end, we must continue the war whether we like it or not.

There is no way we will lose the war at this point, but the longer the war lasts, the slower the recovery of the German economy will be, so it cannot be said to be a very ideal situation.

"I wouldn't want anything if the U.S. presidential election were moved a year earlier."

The current US president is Wallace, but because his predecessor, Roosevelt, caused so much trouble, the chances of the Democratic Party winning next year's presidential election were slim.

It is said that the Republican Party is in a festive mood every day because a landslide victory in next year's presidential election is a given.

All of the Republican candidates who decided to run in next year's presidential election unanimously promised to end the war in Europe, so unless something unexpected happened, the signing of a peace treaty with the United States was scheduled.

Perhaps that is why Wallace refused to sign a peace treaty until the end and did not make any comments.

"I don't know why you're showing off your pride so much when it's a fight you're sure to lose anyway, and all you have to do is put your stamp on it."

"I know yeah. "I don't know if he's stubborn because he doesn't want to be recorded as America's first president to lose the war."

Although it was disappointing in many ways, I did not feel rushed. Because I had faith that time would solve everything and had faith in our scientists working in the Algerian desert.

***

As Vader's Spitfire took off, the remaining maintenance men on base lined up and gave a final salute. Vader also returned them with a salute.

Now their mission is over. In two or three hours the Germans would reach the base and they would become German prisoners.

Vader and his men did not refuse orders from superiors to attack enemy bomber formations and flew sorties for the honor of themselves and the RAF in which they served.

Everyone, including Vader, knew that this mission was a suicide mission from which survival was impossible.

Before the sortie, Vader gathered the pilots together and spoke frankly.

If they go on a sortie this time, it will be difficult to land on the ground alive.

"Those who want to leave can leave. "I can't burn it all because I don't have enough fuel anyway."

Of the 12 pilots remaining at the base, five were missing. Since there were only 6 planes available for sortie, Vader accepted one more applicant.

Another second lieutenant, who had just graduated from the military academy, raised his hand.

While flying in the sky, six Spitfires encountered a P-38 Lightning squadron belonging to the U.S. Army Air Corps.

Shortly after joining the Lightning squadron, they soon encountered their target, Luftwaffe bombers.

Even without any special instructions, the pilots went into battle for their respective missions. Three minutes after the fight began, Vader shot down an Fw190.

Focke-Wulf, whose wings were cut off by three 20mm cannon shells, spun like a top and plummeted to the ground.

A pilot attempted to escape from a crashing enemy aircraft. Vader fired a barrage of bullets at the escaping pilot's parachute.

There was a hole in the parachute, and the pilot fell.

"How does it taste? "Jerry."

Today, it seemed like an invisible god was helping him fly. Vader shot down one additional Fokewulf.

He then slipped through a gap in the enemy fighter squadron and targeted the He 111, which was caught off guard by its escorts.

-Ta-ta-ta-ta-ta!

The He 111's defensive machine gunner fiercely resisted, firing his machine gun. Vader, who was moving to avoid the enemy machine gunner's attack, was attacked by an Fw190 that appeared from the right.

I narrowly avoided being shot down, but the fragments from the canopy breaking dug into my cheek. Blood flowed from the place where the fragments were stuck.

"Shit."

Fuel leaked through a hole in the fuel tank, and the machine gun on the right wing jammed, preventing bullets from coming out.

I knew it. How come things are going well? Vader burst into laughter.

The Fw190 that attacked Vader was shot down by a Lightning driven by an American captain. However, the Lightning was soon attacked by another enemy aircraft and ran away until it was eventually shot down.

Now he was the only Spitfire left in the sky. The Lightning squadron also seemed to be slowly withdrawing, as if it could not bear any more losses.

Vader checked the fuel gauge on the dashboard. Although he didn't have enough to return to base, he still had enough left to land safely if he stopped the fight and fled.

With Vader's skills, it would not be impossible to shake off the enemy plane and escape.

But Vader didn't do that. He did not run away and continued to charge at the enemy plane. Like a wild beast that has lost its mind.

The cannonball fired by Vader lodged in Heinkel's fuselage. A thin line of smoke came from the hole where the cannonball passed.

A few more rounds in the same area could have finished off the bandit, but the autocannon no longer worked. The machine gun shells had run out.

The fuel was also about to run out. Vader looked back and forth between the dashboard and the enemy bomber in front of him and gritted his teeth.

And the aircraft descended. I felt the Earth's gravity pulling my whole body.

Let's fly. Let's fly. Let's fly.

only once.

Let's fly one more time.

Let's fly one more time.