220

Episode 220: What will you toast for (11)

January 27, 1943

Soviet Kuybyshev

The world was noisy with Germany's revelation of the Katyn massacre, but the Soviet Union, the actual culprit of the incident, remained quiet.

This was natural in the Soviet Union, where foreign news that could be obtained even in peacetime was extremely limited due to strict information control.

And even if the Katyn massacre had become known even within the Soviet Union, Soviet people, who were already accustomed to secret police visits, gulags, firing squads, and purges, would not have been surprised or outraged by this.

Especially during wartime, when it becomes difficult for everyone to make a living.

The revelation of the Katyn massacre further reduced the Soviet Union's position in the international community, but Kuybyshev's Stalin did not care.

Britain and the United States, who wanted the Soviet Union to continue to block Germany, were afraid that mentioning the Katyn massacre would incur a backlash from the Soviet Union, so they left it undisclosed.

Stalin, who gained confidence as the United States and Britain showed passive support, focused his attention on the debate over the target of the offensive.

Stalin insisted on Moscow, while the generals insisted on Rostov and Voronezh.

"Comrade Secretary General. According to what we have already confirmed through aerial reconnaissance, Moscow's defense line is not at a level where anything can be done. In order to break through the defense line here, we must give up the entire northern front and gather all the relevant troops."

"The fascists will naturally expect that if we counterattack, we will target Moscow."

"The most likely success is to target the south, where they don't expect it."

The military, which would normally have bowed its head in intimidation to Stalin's threats, now responded strongly to Stalin's words.

It was difficult to accept it any longer since the operations and troops that had already been ruined by Stalin's interference were not at a level that could be overcome.

The fact that this was the last Soviet offensive also fueled the generals' sense of crisis.

In the end, it was Stalin who backed down first. Stalin, who was losing confidence in his own judgment due to his successive defeats, reluctantly nodded his head in agreement to the military's strong refusal.

"I understand. "I will follow the opinions of my comrades this time."

"Thank you for your understanding, Comrade Secretary."

The Red Army's final offensive was thus aimed at the south.

Rostov, Taganrog, Voroshilovgrad, and Voronezh in the south were the minimum or maximum targets to be recaptured by the Red Army in this offensive.

If the enemy's resistance was unexpectedly weak or there was room to continue the offensive, an attack was planned to reach Mariupol and Donetsk, but no one expected that they would be able to go this far.

In any case, now that the goal was clearly set, it was time to make every effort to ensure the success of the offensive.

Stavka made a desperate effort for what would be the last offensive of the war.

Anyone who could run with a gun was conscripted, and women's volunteerism, which had been taboo until now, was also actively encouraged.

In today's Soviet Union, distinctions between race and gender were a luxury.

In order to supply troops and materials to the front lines, manpower was replaced and railroads were built.

There were many casualties every day due to German air raids and the harsh cold that even the Russians found difficult, but the authorities did not care.

It is only natural for people to die during war.

And shouldn't all the people sacrifice themselves for victory?

Even if 10 people die, if the railway can be extended by more than 1m, it is worth it.

People mobilized for construction had to use dynamite to dig out the frozen ground.

Even with this, there were many cases where the ground was not dug as much as desired, and conversely, it attracted the attention of the German army and became the cause of air raids, but there was no other way in front of General Dong.

In this way, trains transported supplies and troops on the railway completed with the blood of the people.

"Comrade Secretary General. A request from the Polish government-in-exile in London to determine the whereabouts of Polish military prisoners-"

"Ignore it. It seems they never get tired of it. "They're like little pigs."

When Litvinov mentioned the Polish government-in-exile, Stalin reacted sharply.

"No. Just take this opportunity to break off the relationship."

"yes?"

Litvinov was astonished at Stalin's casual severance of diplomatic relations.

"Because of the fascists, we were forced to join hands with Polish pigs, but it didn't do us any good. So, let's take this opportunity to end the relationship altogether."

"B-but England and America won't be happy."

"Comrade Litvinov, do you still not know? Britain and the United States have already tolerated us. They know that we are more important than the Poles. And think about it. Do you think the Poles will believe you if you lie anyway? But if you tell the truth, you will only get criticized more. So the answer is to cut ties completely."

It was an extremely difficult task for Litvinov, who had to explain the severance of diplomatic relations between the Soviet and Polish governments to the American and British ambassadors, but Stalin did not mind as he had appointed him again as People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs anyway.

"How much more support did the US and UK say they can provide?"

"······For now, support will continue, but it is said that it will be difficult to increase it further. "They say it's because public opinion is still lingering over the spy case and the Katyn incident has worsened public opinion."

"This is the choice of a capitalist who is always cautious."

Stalin clicked his tongue. If Churchill and Roosevelt, who had secretly continued to support both large and small issues despite the public's knowledge, had heard them, they would have burst into anger, but since they were not here, there was no reason to hesitate.

"Well, that's enough. After this offensive is over, we plan to negotiate with the fascists. Churchill may cause an uproar, but we can't consider the circumstances of other countries when our noses are three feet tall. "Isn't that right?"

***

January 28, 1943

New Fuhrer's Residence in Berlin, Germany

Today, I met King Christian X of Denmark for the first time in a long time.

"Welcome to Berlin, the capital of the Third Reich, Your Majesty."

"This is the Presidential Residence that I have only heard about. "I think the President would be envious of living in such a spacious and luxurious place."

"Ha ha ha ha ha!"

"First of all, on behalf of the Danish people, I would like to thank you for protecting our country. Thanks to the German Air Force and Navy, Jim and his people can sleep with their legs stretched out every day."

It is the responsibility of the Danish Air Force to protect Danish airspace, but due to the size limitations of the Danish Air Force, the German Air Force was stationed in Denmark to protect Denmark from RAF bombings.

Kryxmarine also worked with the Danish Navy and prepared for the possible landing of British troops.

And speaking of which, Denmark saw a very high possibility of British troops landing.

They even went as far as considering laying mines on their coasts in preparation for the landing of British troops.

In fact, Denmark requested our cooperation regarding this plan, and Yodel even went on an emergency business trip to Copenhagen to dissuade Denmark.

As long as the German Air Force and Navy are strong, it is highly unlikely that the British army will land in Denmark, and the landmines littering the coast will only make traffic between Denmark and Norway inconvenient.

Even in the actual history of the destruction of the German Air Force and Navy, the Allies did not even attempt, let alone land in Denmark, until the end of the war.

They simply controlled the Norwegian garrison from moving across the sea to Denmark.

Anyway, Denmark was full of fear and hatred towards England to that extent.

A week ago, a Mosquito bomber that bombed the Esbjerg port was shot down by anti-aircraft fire and its pilots were taken prisoner. When a Krixmarine officer heard the news and went to the scene, angry Danish soldiers and residents had beaten the pilots to death.

"Thanks to Germany's help, our military has made great progress compared to three years ago."

Yes. In order to develop the Danish Air Force, which was still at a nascent level, Germany sold aircraft - some of them for free - sent instructors, and provided all sorts of conveniences so that Danish pilots could train on German soil.

The same goes for the army. If it weren't for Germany's devoted support, the Danish army would still be in the same state it was three years ago.

This may sound too condescending, but it's true. And it's condescending.

"But unfortunately, Denmark is still in crisis."

"You're in crisis? "Did something happen?"

"That's because our Danish territories, Iceland and Greenland, are still in the hands of the wicked British bastards."

"ah… "

This old man, you're talking about obvious facts needlessly.

Denmark's territories, the Faroe Islands, Iceland, and Greenland, are currently occupied by Britain.

The troops stationed in Iceland and Greenland are waging a guerrilla war against the British and Canadian troops, but in the case of the troops stationed in Greenland, the results are minimal because the size of the troops stationed in Greenland is so small compared to the size of the land, and in the case of the troops stationed in Iceland, there are limitations in men and materials. The position gradually decreased.

All heavy equipment such as tanks, armored vehicles, and aircraft were destroyed, and the surviving troops to this day are said to be barely more than one company, including both German and Danish troops, so it was virtually over.

I slowly got a sense of what King Christian X wanted to say.

"It's a selfish question, but I'd like to hear the Fuhrer's answer about when Germany plans to launch a general offensive against Britain."

When are you going to punish the UK? I feel dizzy.

"It is realistically impossible to attack Britain while the Eastern Front is not completed."

"So you're saying there are no plans to attack Britain until the war with the Soviet Union is over?"

"The plan itself is in place. However, in order to completely conquer Britain, it will be a large-scale operation mobilizing the army, navy, and air force, and unless the eastern front is concluded, deploying such a large army to the western front will be burdensome in many ways."

"Right."

King Christian

"So, when do you plan to negotiate with the Soviet Union?"

"I plan to do it right away, even tomorrow if possible. "But I don't know if they will accept our terms."

Christian X's request was simple and uncomplicated. Let's attack Britain as soon as we finish the Eastern Front. Even though I didn't have to say it, I was planning on doing the same, so I didn't feel that his request was excessive or bothersome.

And I also had something to ask of Denmark.

"I hope Denmark will also increase its troops to attack Britain."

A significant loss of troops was expected just by landing on the British mainland, so even one soldier was regrettable. And honestly, since we helped Denmark this much, there was a certain feeling of compensation that Denmark should also help Germany a little more.

After thinking for a while, King Christian

You may ask why there are only 4 divisions, but let's remember that Denmark's population is less than 4 million.

For reference, Denmark, which declared its participation in the war after the outbreak of the German-Soviet War, issued a national mobilization order and expanded the size of its army to six divisions.

Of these, two divisions, with 14,500 soldiers, are fighting on the Eastern Front, and two of the four divisions remaining on the mainland are second-tier units composed of reserve forces.

Therefore, Denmark declared that it would send all of its army's core forces.

"Instead, there is a condition. "It would be nice if we could donate the new weapons that Germany possesses so that our military can also use them..."

Even though he said he was sincere in helping Britain, King Christian

"What do you want specifically?"

"I heard that the British Air Force's fighters and bombers were no match for Germany's new jet fighters. I actually visited an airfield and saw a demonstration flight of a jet fighter, and the speed was completely different from that of a prop plane. "If the Danish Air Force also had such high-performance fighter jets, wouldn't you rely less on Germany even if Britain attacked?"

I really want your jet. Give us some of that too. This is what it means. I was thinking about Fw190 or Ta152, but was a little confused when they asked for Me262.

However, it was decided to send four large divisions to Germany, but there was no point in immediately saying no.

The king's requests did not end here. Following the Me262, Tiger was also requested. That's two companies' worth.

Perhaps out of conscience, he didn't say much about the Navy. Although the things we have requested so far are not normal.

"Let's discuss it with the generals first and then make a decision."

***

"No, Mr. President."

Göring and Gallant categorically refused.

"The Schwalbe is a state-of-the-art fighter aircraft that only Germany has. If you give that precious weapon to Denmark and it is captured by the Tommys, it will be a headache."

"There's no way Schwalbe will fly all the way to England to fight, right?"

"There's no need to give it to me because I don't have to fly all the way to England to fight."

"The Marshal of the Reich is right. The Danish Air Force is brave, but its small size makes it difficult to expect great performance. "It would be better to give them Ta152."

Gallant said that even though the Ta152 was a waste, he would still give it this much since it was an ally. Guderian also expressed his refusal, saying that there was no reason for Denmark to use the large-joint Tiger.

His argument was that one Panther company could have been given, but two Tiger companies had crossed the line.

"From Denmark's perspective, four divisions are the maximum strength, but from Germany's perspective, four divisions are one corps. "I don't think the number is large enough to spread that much."

"Since we have already promised to send troops to the President, there is no need to ask for it, so how about replacing it with something else now and promising to provide it later?"

"okay. That would be better. "That would be better."

It wasn't a big issue, but maybe I was worrying about it more than necessary, so I got a slight headache.

At this time, while soothing my headache with straight-up lemonade, I was reading a report submitted by Guderian on the production plan for the 5th Panzer, Type B Panther II, when Krause tipped me off.

"SS Captain Flutekart has arrived."

"Let me in."

After sending out Göring, Gallant, Guderian, and even Krause, I welcomed Flutekart.

History tells us that Heydrich showed questionable loyalty not only to Himmler and Göring, but even to Hitler.

He was also the most intelligent among the Nazi leaders.

According to one story, a few months before he was assassinated, Heydrich even said that Hitler should do something first to bring an early end to the Eastern Front.

That's why, while I encouraged Heydrich, I kept a lookout for him just in case.

With the Black Orchestra now gone from the execution platform, there was no one other than Heydrich who could dream of treason.

The time when I thought I needed to monitor Heydrich in earnest was after he blatantly revealed his doubts about the source of my information.

The reason I attached the flute cart to it was to monitor it more closely.

"How are Heydrich's movements?"

"Superintendent of the SS Heydrich is suspicious of His Excellency the Führer."

doubt?

"Tell me a little more detail."

"yes. Please look at this report first."

Heydrich's every move was written in detail in the report written by Plutkart himself. While I read it painstakingly, Flutekart stood at attention and did not move a muscle.

As I had felt before, Heydrich had strong doubts about the source of the information I knew.

To be honest, everyone will have some doubts because it is something that cannot happen according to common sense, but this problem does not stop at questions and tries to dig into it.

They even conducted a background investigation on me and those around me.

Heydrich himself would know that if what he was doing was discovered, it would not be something he could just ignore.

But seeing as how he wanted to continue without stopping, he wasn't just an ordinary crazy person.

"······It seems like you are trusted quite a bit, seeing as I'm even revealing such secrets to you. "It's great."

"That's too much praise, Mr. President."

"Heydrich himself said that he intends to investigate to the best of his ability."

"It didn't seem like it was just a bluff."

"Do you think he is a threat to me?"

"I don't think they will threaten you directly, but I don't know much about the people around you. And he has shown blatant hostility toward the SS Reich leaders on several occasions."

"is it."

It was not surprising or anything like that, as it actually happened that Heydrich blatantly ignored Himmler and bullied him several times.

What to do with this guy now...

It's too uncomfortable to just leave it alone, so should I just kill it now? It would be easier that way, but if you kill him without deciding on a successor and there is chaos, it will be a pain in the ass.

"······I understand first of all. I'll have to wait and see how he behaves for a while. "Let's go now."

"Yes, Mr. President."