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As soon as the Norwegian government's request to dispatch troops arrived, I gave the order to Leder to dispatch.
He also instructed the German ambassador to Denmark to request the Danish government to grant permission for German troops to pass through Denmark. As politely as possible!
The older brother of King Haakon VII of Norway and King Christian
When Denmark allowed German troops to pass through its territory, Britain attacked Denmark as well.
To be precise, they captured Danish-flagged ships on the high seas and incorporated them into the British Navy, and if they wanted to return them, they requested the Danish government to revoke the German military's permission to transit through their territory.
When the Danish government ignored Britain's absurd request, Britain sent the Whitley bomber to bomb Copenhagen.
The damage from the air raid was not significant, but it was enough to anger the Danes.
On April 12, Denmark declared war on Britain.
Sweden, perhaps gaining confidence after seeing Denmark, declared war on Britain the next day.
As a result, all three countries, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, entered a state of war with Britain.
In just a few days, we gained three allies and the British Empire gained three enemies.
It's sloped, it's sloped.
"I think we've finally found a bit of balance. Until the day before yesterday, it was 2:3, but now it is 5:3, so if you count the number of pages, there are more of us, hehe."
Of course, there was a difference in military power that was difficult to measure with numbers alone.
Right now, France alone has a military power that is much more powerful than the military power of all other allies except Germany combined.
Still, Britain's indiscriminate attacks significantly changed world public opinion.
Until now, the atmosphere had been to criticize Germany for invading Poland, but after the three Scandinavian countries entered the war due to Britain's reckless actions, voices criticizing Britain became louder.
Not only media outlets from around the world, but also prominent US media outlets, including the Washington Post, New York Times, and Time, criticized Britain's preemptive strike against Scandinavia in strong terms, and even the White House issued a statement condemning Britain (at the end, if desired, the US would support peace). He added that he would mediate the negotiations).
Even media outlets in the UK are responding by asking whether this was even necessary.
In Paris, France, protesters started a riot calling for anti-war protests, and in the process of suppressing it, about 10 people were killed or injured.
This is why the internal enemy is scarier than the external enemy.
Goebbels did not waste the golden opportunity created by Churchill, the eternal X-man of the British Empire. He immediately gathered reporters and began a full-fledged agitation.
-Free citizens of Germany and around the world! Have you seen it? This is the reality of Britain, which claims to protect world order!
The British government not only coldly rejected the Germans' earnest proposals for peace, but also attacked a neutral country and killed tens of thousands of innocent citizens! Look at the crying victims who lost their families and homes overnight! Listen! The screams of parents who lost their children and children who lost their parents!
How is this a civilized country? This is not something a civilized nation would do! This war will remain as a war in which Britain, which has been disguising itself as an advanced country, proves itself to be a barbarian country!
I sat on the sofa in my office, drinking cold carbonated lemonade and listening to Goebbels' tirade.
As expected, this guy is a racist and a lecher who hates women, but when it comes to propaganda, he is the best in human history, the GOAT.
-Lastly, I would like to ask the citizens of Britain and France, the enemies of our Germany. Which side do you consider yourself to be on? Surely you think your country is on the side of justice.
However, I wonder if your thoughts have not changed after seeing this.
Do you still consider yourself a messenger of justice? If you really think so, don't sit back and wait for the war to end on your own! Kick down the door right now and shout:
We want peace. No more war.
Please take my words to heart. If you truly believe in and follow justice, achieve it with your own strength! Bring down the warmongers who are sitting on the throne of power, repeating orders for slaughter and driving you to death, and shout for peace! The world is waiting for you to take peace and freedom into your own hands!
Without realizing it, I almost raised my right hand and shouted Sieg Heil.
Goebbels, you scary guy.
I can't tell you how fortunate I am that this guy was born in Germany. If he had been born in England or France, he wouldn't be smiling like this.
He would undoubtedly have captivated people by portraying Britain's attack on Scandinavia not as a cowardly invasion but as an unavoidable tragedy to protect human peace.
Goebbels' speech received great response around the world.
Major media outlets around the world are rushing to publish his speech on the front page of their newspapers, while Goebbels' speech is praised in the three Scandinavian countries as a rare and famous speech comparable to my speech against racism.
I wonder if they'll build a statue later if they keep doing this.
While Goebbels was furiously agitating the people of the world, the Wehrmacht safely landed in Norway and headed north.
Before the Wehrmacht arrived, the Norwegian Army attempted to retake Narvik on its own but failed.
The Norwegian army's crisis did not end here. On April 11, Trondheim and Bergen came under indiscriminate attack by the Royal Air Force and Navy.
Because the entire country was put on alert due to the Narvik attack, Trondheim had relatively few casualties, but Bergen was an exception.
Bergen was severely attacked because of its proximity to England.
There were 20,000 confirmed casualties, and to make matters worse, the Royal Marines and French Navy land forces landed and occupied the port.
While the Norwegian army and citizens desperately tried to block the English army's entry into the city, a large fleet consisting of Bismarck, Scharnhorst, Gneisenau, Graf Zeppelin, and six destroyers headed toward Bergen.
***
April 13, 1940
North Sea
The first engagement between the British Navy and the Crix Marine began with a battle between ship-based aircraft.
Ten minutes after the presence of the British fleet was detected on the Kryx Marine's radar, Ar196 discovered the British fleet and reported it to the fleet. Upon hearing the news, Graf Zeppelin launched its aircraft all at once.
The British Navy also noticed and quickly sent away its aircraft, thus beginning a full-scale battle.
All British aircraft were Gloucester Gladiator biplanes, while German aircraft were the Bf109 T type.
When the battle began, German Naval Air Corps pilots used the overwhelming performance of their aircraft to hunt down British fighters.
"Die, Tommy!"
"Get over it, Jerry!"
Although the skills of both pilots were similar, the difference in aircraft performance was too large.
British pilots had to work hard not to shoot down enemy planes, but to avoid being shot down.
However, no matter how desperately I tried to move the control stick this way and that, the German planes caught up to me and started firing gun shots.
"This is my second machine!"
"I caught one too!"
"It feels like hunting rabbits rather than fighting!"
Occasionally, a brave pilot overturned the performance advantage and shot down a Bf109, but most of the cases ended with the Gladiator crashing.
As fighter losses increased noticeably, the British stopped fighting and fled.
However, the German pilots, who had already enjoyed hunting down enemy planes, did not even allow their enemies to escape.
While only a third of the British soldiers escaped alive, the Germans only had two planes shot down and three suffered minor damage.
The first battle between ship-based aircraft ended in a landslide victory for the Germans.
The British fleet, finding that the German Navy was a more formidable opponent than expected, retreated.
As a result, many of the battleships possessed by the British Navy were deployed to occupy Narvik, and the British fleet in the North Sea consisted of the battlecruiser Renown and the Queen Elizabeth-class battleship Warspite.
On the other hand, the German Navy has three state-of-the-art battleships: Bismarck, Scharnhorst, and Gneisenau. Just looking at the numbers, the British army was at a 2:3 disadvantage.
The German fleet, deciding that they had won, rushed towards the British fleet at full speed.
First, Bf109 and Ju87 Stukas attacked the British fleet.
The British Navy hastily fired anti-aircraft guns in response to the attacks of German planes that rushed at them like swarms of hungry mosquitoes.
"Fuck, there are too many numbers!?"
"Shut up and just shoot!"
"3 o'clock! Hurry!"
Several enemy planes fell into the sea after being hit by 40mm Bofors anti-aircraft guns, but the German pilots were not frightened to this extent.
The British sailors were startled by the strange sound of the siren, and the Stukas dropped bombs.
A loud explosion drowned out the sound of anti-aircraft gun firing.
A huge orange ball appeared, turning into black smoke and rising into the sky.
"Good!"
"It's a success!"
In an instant, two destroyers became sacrifices to the Stukas.
The sailors who fell into the sea due to the impact of the explosion watched in amazement as the ship they were on sank to the bottom of the cold North Sea.
Because the battle was in full swing, the surviving soldiers floating on the water had no choice but to be left behind. It may be heartless to say, but right now, shooting down as many enemy planes in front of us was more important than rescuing a few of our allies.
The surviving soldiers, who were ignored by allied ships due to the chaos of the battle, were floating aimlessly on the cold North Sea, shivering from the cold.
The Gladiators took off again and fought tenaciously against the German planes, but this only increased the German pilots' performance.
All of the aircraft that survived were shot down, and the distance to the German fleet narrowed.
Two battleships of the British fleet, Warspite and Renown, also suffered damage in engagements with enemy aircraft.
Renown's engine compartment was hit by a torpedo, and Warspite was hit by a shell dropped by a Stuka, completely destroying one turret equipped with a 15-inch .42 caliber gun.
Thanks to damage control by skilled crews, both ships were still capable of fighting.
However, speed dropped sharply, and the most important firepower of a battleship was weakened, which was also a very big problem.
***
"Report on the port side! Enemy large ship Hamyoung! Distance 25,000!"
Lütjens felt like his heart was about to burst.
This is the first actual battle aboard the Bismarck, and as if heaven had helped, the British fleet in front only has two battleships.
There is an aircraft carrier and several destroyers, but an aircraft carrier that has lost its planes is just a target floating in the sea, and destroyers are no match for battleships.
It was as if God had laid it out for us to run wild.
A new radar created by Japanese engineers was also of great help.
The radar discovered the enemy fleet before the Ar196 launched from Graf Zeppelin, allowing the crew to enter combat readiness.
Just by giving a command, the main gun could fire immediately. Like Lütjens, the Bismarck's captain, Colonel Lindemann, had a mixture of excitement and tension on his face.
How long have I been waiting for this moment?
The moment to show those abominable Tommys the true value of Crixmarine has finally come.
"Distance 23,000!"
"The enemy is retreating!"
The fact that they are retreating instead of charging clearly means that they are no match for this side or that there is a problem with the ship. A smile spread across Lütjens's lips.
The nearest British battleship seemed to be the Queen Elizabeth class battleship. The thing behind it is probably a Linnaun-class battlecruiser.
They were suitable as Bismarck's first prey.
Would it be honorable if the first battle of a huge battleship named after the greatest man in German history was a small destroyer?
"Target, Queen Elizabeth class battleship! launch!"
A thunderous roar burst from Lütjens' mouth.
When Bismarck's No. 1 and No. 2 turrets burst into flames almost simultaneously, a massive roar struck the air, and the shock wave created a huge crack in the sea.
Seagulls flying near Bismarck were hit by a shock wave and fell into the sea, but no one paid any attention.
From the admiral to the lowest ranking sailors, everyone's attention was focused on the enemy beyond the sea.
Warspite was terribly unlucky.
The Warspite, which was hit in the side by Bismarck's first shot, spewed out huge flames.
"Report on the port side! "It's a hit!"
"good! Keep shooting!"
Hitting the enemy battleship with the first shot could truly be considered a miracle.
Lindemann, as excited as Lütjens, clenched his fists.
The Warspite's main gun also hurriedly fired fire, but like the Bismarck, it was unable to hit with the first shot and only created several huge water columns.
The fourth shell fired finally reached Bismarck. However, Bismarck fired her main guns as if nothing had happened.
The power of the 380mm triple-barreled main gun achieved by giving up rapid-fire capability was truly beyond imagination.
Adding to the crew's skill level, which had been strengthened through hellish training, Bismarck unilaterally beat Warspite.
Renown also fired at Bismarck, but his opponent was different.
Scharnhorst and Gneisenau, who followed closely behind Bismarck, also joined the bombardment.
"It continues to be a hit!"
"The training is rewarding. very good!"
Lindemann laughed like the devil at his subordinate's report, which seemed to be very excited.
It seemed that the crew's skill level was lacking, so it was rewarding to push the crew hard after receiving advice that was not advice from the President, who said that they should focus more on training.
Who hasn't done that?
The more you sweat in training, the less blood you will shed in combat.
Even Lütjens, who had been chasing a sailor for laughing during training, shook his fist with a smile on his face, as if he was satisfied with the current situation.
"This is the power of the German Navy! "The German Navy!"
With one turret already destroyed, Warspite entered the bombardment after being hit by the first bullet, and it was as if he was fighting with his arms and legs broken.
The crew tried their best to fire at least one more shell, but the enemy was too strong and they had no luck.
Warspite was unable to withstand the bombardment of German battleships, including Bismarck, and was eventually sunk.
Before the battleship sank completely, the surviving sailors threw themselves into the cold sea.
Only then did Bismarck stop bombardment after confirming the sinking of Warspite. But Renown was still alive.
"Whoa, Warspite has been defeated!"
"Damn you fucking Jerry!"
"Keep shooting! "You can't be pushed around!"
When Warspite was sunk, Renown's crew gritted their teeth and fought.
They all knew that it was impossible to return from here alive.
That's why they fought to the death. Even if I died, I wanted to take at least one more enemy to the underworld.
The British sailors' struggles were not in vain.
One shell fired by Renown hit Bismarck's Uda radar. The shock wave caused Lütjens to lose his balance and fall backwards.
"Wow!"
"P-report the damage! "Radar hit!"
Damn it.
Was it because he was so happy about capturing the enemy battleship? While I was distracted, my radar was hit by an enemy bullet. Of course, the radar stopped functioning.
Not only the radar but also the rangefinder was destroyed. Lütjens clicked his tongue as he looked at the embarrassed crew.
It was possible to switch to direct aiming fire using a range finder attached to the turret, but since integrated salvo fire was not possible, the accuracy rate would drop sharply.
"Retreat. "If you keep shooting, you'll just be wasting precious shells."
"I understand, Your Excellency."
Lindemann licked his lips and nodded. The only consolation was that there was no significant damage other than the destruction of the radar and rangefinder.
Additional shells from Renown flew and hit Bismarck's triple main gun turret, but were unable to penetrate the armor and ricocheted. The shell that ricocheted fell into the North Sea.
Scharnhorst and Gneisenau came to the front in place of Bismarck, whose radar was destroyed.
Renown has already been hit by a shell and is barely floating in the sea. Even without Bismarck, Renown had no chance of winning.
It was Scharnhorst who put an end to Renown.
Scharnhorst, who briefly stopped firing and moved to Bismarck's right, poured all his firepower into Renown's flank.
Although there was the hassle of having to select new shooting specifications from scratch, it was a gamble worth taking against Renun, who was completely devastated.
As Scharnhorst's 380mm main gun fired all at once, Renown exploded and split in two.
It was sinking.
"Sink the Linaun-class battlecruiser!"
"Yaaah!!!"
Bismarck's crew was madly happy. Although Bismarck did not sink, it did cause considerable damage to the enemy ship, so it had some merit.
The crew of the Courageous-class aircraft carrier Glorious, who had been running away while the battleships and destroyers was biding their time, were devastated as Warspite and Renown sank one after another.
At this moment, there were no battleships left in the British fleet.
Since all the battleships that were the biggest obstacle were sunk, the only remaining target was an aircraft carrier.
The main guns of Scharnhorst and Gneisenau simultaneously aimed at Glorious.
"Shoot!"
"Shoot!"
A column of water tens of meters high rose up around Glorious.
In the second bombardment, Glorious' flight deck was destroyed.
The deck was clean without a single aircraft carrier. This was because all of the aircraft on board had already been shot down long before they were hit by the enemy ship's main artillery shell.
Glorious, whose flight deck and bridge were hit, was unilaterally pounded by German battleships for 30 minutes before being sunk.
The three destroyers that survived to the end fled at full speed.
Fortunately for them, the German Navy gave up the chase. To be exact, it's not that I gave up the chase, it's just that I didn't feel the need to chase.
There was no need to waste precious fuel just to kill three destroyers when the great victory of two battleships and an aircraft carrier had already been sunk.
In the North Sea, where the battle took place, sailors who died from hypothermia and oil slicks from sunken warships were floating around.
A gull, which had landed in the water without knowing what to do, got caught in the oil band and cried out helplessly.
Fish that smelled the blood flowing from the charred and dismembered human corpses flocked to the scene of the battle.
A banquet of sea creatures was held under the shadow of the terrible battle that took countless lives.
The banquet continued for a long time.
