Survive as a World War II Soldier - Chapter 100



Only Noblemtl

#100

“Well done, Mary.”

“Really?”

Mary, who had an uneasy expression on her face as if she sensed that people’s reactions were strange, tilted her head at my compliment and asked back.

“Yeah. You did very well.”

“But other people’s reactions···.”

I tried to comfort Mary, who was worried that something was strange.

“Ugh. Really. You asked me to do that?”

Anna, who had come closer without me noticing, sighed and continued to complain.

“No, if Nana Franklin did it, it would be considered a real diplomatic faux pas, but Mary is fine.”

“Dad, why am I okay?”

“You’re young. When you grow up, you can’t tell the truth, but you’re still young, so it’s okay. Look, even Prime Minister Churchill laughed heartily and said that was true.”

Mary, who had been listening to my explanation quietly, asked with shining eyes.

“Is being young a weapon?”

“Huh? That’s right. In some cases, even age can be a weapon.”

“Ah. If I do it, I’ll get in trouble, but it’s like Arthur won’t get in trouble?”

“okay.”

Anna’s expression was not good as she seemed very worried about Mary’s appearance.

But I rather admired Mary’s ability to get to the point.

“As expected, our daughter is smart.”

And I had no idea what problems that would cause.

Because there were more urgent things to do at the time.

After handing Mary over to Anna, I headed straight to the White House.

Mary’s ‘Mr. Gallipoli’ remark may have seemed like a childish remark on the surface, but it was actually intentional.

First of all, Churchill’s visit to the United States was not what we wanted.

“You’re coming? Here?”

The fact that they had to cross the Atlantic Ocean in winter and that there was a risk of a major accident due to a U-boat attack was not a big problem.

An even bigger problem was that the ‘British Prime Minister’ was coming.

The mere fact that Churchill had left London and come all the way to Washington made it clear that we were going to lose the negotiations.

If the other party comes all the way across the cold Atlantic to Washington to beg us, and asks why we are leaving in a state of defeat…

“What? Churchill is here?”

“The British Prime Minister came all the way here?”

“Oh my goodness. It looks like we’re really doing well.”

“That’s right. I can’t believe this day has come.”

This was true even during World War I, and even now, America is still a bundle of inferiority complexes.

In the 1920s, the pride of Americans, which had been soaring since their victory in the Great War, had long since collapsed and disappeared without a trace.

Isn’t Britain a country that is particularly full of love and hate?

The fact that even the Prime Minister came to ask for their help in such a situation was enough to ease the hearts of the Americans.

And this is,

“It’s not bad for us either.”

For us, who wanted to declare war as soon as possible, get involved in the war, and sort out this mess, it was a petition for the Ungamcheong to be filed.

“I don’t like it when it looks too easy, but it seems like they’re just waiting for you to give it to me after you’ve crossed the Atlantic.”

At that moment, the person who came to mind was Mary.

Roosevelt had an idea for me···.

“Puhaha. That’s really good.”

Wouldn’t Churchill be angry?

To be honest, it’s not a lie, but more than that, you’re really angry at what a ten-year-old says?

Even Churchill wouldn’t be that stupid.

Second, Churchill’s pride needed to be broken.

Churchill’s stubbornness was famous.

Just looking at Gallipoli, the naval leadership was so opposed to it, but they pushed through and it ended up like that.

“And now look what they did to the French Navy.”

“That’s true. They put the fleet that could have come to the Allied side into the hands of the Germans.”

Even Churchill’s mistakes did not end there.

“What I’m saying is that we need to sing the Gallipoli song to prevent that author from interfering with military power and making absurd claims.”

“That’s true. We can’t let the supplies and reinforcements we provided be wasted on something so innocent.”

A second goal was to make Gallipoli famous and thereby publicize Churchill’s military incompetence.

As a result, Churchill met Roosevelt and greeted him with a very angry face.

“Your granddaughter is very reckless.”

“Is that so? Maybe because he’s young, he still can’t lie.”

Of course, Roosevelt pretended not to know, saying that there was nothing wrong with his granddaughter only telling the truth.

“Ahem.”

“And honestly, wouldn’t that help?”

That wasn’t a wrong statement.

Mary’s attack was significant to us, but it was also significant to Churchill.

Regardless of Churchill’s feelings or pride as the person concerned, he laughed heartily at Mary’s foolish words.

“Yes, I am Gallipoli.”

Churchill’s laughing manner had a positive effect in many ways.

The response from the UK in particular was quite good.

“You laughed it off when you heard the word Gallipoli in front of him? That Churchill?”

“Oh. Well, I guess I’ve become a bit more mature as I get older.”

Although Churchill became Prime Minister during the war, he had a strong image as a stubborn man.

But Churchill’s response to the criticism by laughing heartily went a long way toward renewing his image.

“Still, it’s great to see you putting aside your pride and working so hard for our country···.”

“The Prime Minister is working so hard, so should we just sit back and do nothing?”

It is also somewhat in the future that those who remain in Britain will once again pledge to fight to the death.

But, like a politician on par with Roosevelt, Churchill nodded, anticipating the future that was just around the corner.

“Yeah, that might help.”

Of course, the expression wasn’t very good.

So Churchill solved it, but there was someone Roosevelt had forgotten…

“Oh my god. How could this be?”

It was none other than Eleanor, who was very angry.

“How can I not talk to a guest who comes to my house not just for a short while but stays for several days?”

Eleanor grumbled as she watched Roosevelt sweating and panicking.

“How many days are you staying?”

“Well, let’s discuss it soon and then leave, okay?”

“Three days? Five days?”

“Well, to be exact···.”

Eleanor let out a long sigh at Roosevelt’s answer that he didn’t know.

“But how long would someone as high as the Prime Minister stay abroad? A week at most.”

But Eleanor’s expectations are shattered.

This was because Churchill stayed at the White House for a full three weeks and was on the list of long-term guests.

##

A few days later, Churchill visited Parliament and began a speech appealing for support.

“While we were working for peace, they were planning war.

As a result, we once again face a cruel ordeal.”

Churchill paused for a moment, looked at the members of parliament looking at him, and then shouted in a strong tone.

“But the pain and trials that lie ahead of us are not greater than our endurance. We will never give up or be defeated. I propose that we leave the past to history and write the history of the future together.”

When Churchill finished his speech, the assembled members of the House of Commons and the Senate applauded.

Roosevelt then addressed the nation via radio.

“Let’s say there’s a fire in the neighbor’s house, and I have a long garden hose. What do you do? Do you say, ‘This hose cost me $15, so pay me $15 and get it?’”

Roosevelt paused for a moment, shook his head slightly, and opened his mouth.

“No. Instead of $15, I’ll lend you the hose and return it when the fire is out.”

Roosevelt’s words, “If the fire next door doesn’t go out, it will eventually spread to our house,” were enough to move people.

“Gentlemen, we in the United States must stand up to Nazi Germany, which dreams of world conquest. We must become the arsenal of democracy to help Britain.”

There was much talk about whether to get involved in the war, but there was no disagreement about supporting Britain.

Thanks to this, the Lend-Lease Act, known as the Lend-Lease Act, passed Congress without much opposition.

A law banning the export of weapons and other war materials was also passed.

But that wasn’t the end of it.

“Is this all?”

“Not yet. I have to make it now.”

The British, including Churchill, seemed to think of us Americans as some kind of magic wand.

Unfortunately, however, it still took time for our country, the United States, to become an arsenal of democracy.

Fortunately, there were supplies that had been produced in advance and could be provided immediately.

“If you’re looking for food, New York State has it in stock.”

They say that even if they don’t sell there, the factories are stockpiled with Spam and various processed foods that are made and stored there.

“And the tanks, rifles, and ammunition are available for immediate shipment. If the budget is right, production preparations can be made right away…”

Everyone was amazed at my answer that I had planned everything out and was just waiting for the starting signal.

“As expected, it’s the US Army.”

While the staff continued to discuss various matters regarding the Lend-Lease quantity, I made only one request.

“Engine technology.”

In other words, we weren’t that far behind the British, but the engines were different.

“Not only licensed production, but also having technicians from that area come and cooperate in research and development.”

“It won’t be easy.”

“Isn’t it easy? We spread it out like that, so you’re just going to let them eat it raw?”

“Oh, no.”

“If you don’t have money to pay, you should pay with something else. Right?”

Whether it’s technology or whatever.

And anyway, with the fireball falling from the sky, it was the British who were in a hurry, not us.

“Oh, and let’s plan some training.”

“Are you talking about training?”

“okay.”

Many observers of the Spanish Civil War, including Elliott and Steven O. Fuqua, have submitted lengthy reports on new strategies.

Thanks to this, many of the things I have argued for in the past have been recognized as profound insights that foresee the future.

however,

“Isn’t it a different matter how much the officers and soldiers who are actually on the scene understand it?”

What can I say about those who rolled around with me in the Army General Staff?

But when the war started and the number of people who would be dispatched to the United States and the Pacific was less than a handful.

“You can’t make them dig like they did in World War I, you know, like Baguette and Tommy.”

If the British support stuff is produced in the factory, the seal guys will foolishly deliver it.

More important to us was to properly train our officers for the battles ahead.

“So, don’t just take the British support supplies, take the supplies for our training as well. Oh, and if possible, contact each company and tell them to bring out all the ones they’re developing.”

“Okay. Then where is the training location….”

In response to Marshall’s question, I looked at the map and marked a spot.

“What about Louisiana?”

“It won’t be bad.”

I went into World War I without any proper training, but I can’t repeat the same mistake this time.

##

There was one country that was shocked and jumped at the news that the United States was joining forces with the British to become the arsenal of democracy, and that was Japan.

“What are we going to do now?”

In response to Prime Minister Konoe’s question, Minister of War Hideki Tojo responded by asking what the problem was.

“What should I do?”

“The Americans said they can no longer export goods.”

Although they allied with Nazi Germany to check Russia, they honestly had no intention of fighting the United States.

No, neither Germany nor Japan had the slightest idea that the United States would enter the war.

“We haven’t declared war yet. And how are we going to fight the United States?”

Navy Minister Koshiro Oikawa said it was impossible, but Hideki Tojo laughed it off.

“They didn’t declare war, and they didn’t export anything either. They just gave weapons and other things to the other side.”

The other officials also nodded at his words.

“You know how hard it was for our imperial army because the Joseon people in the Philippines supported Chiang Kai-shek!”

Hideki Tojo was not wrong when he said that the Philippines and the Provisional Government of Korea were the reasons why Japan was unable to continue the overwhelming victory it had shown in the early stages of the Sino-Japanese War.

“That’s true.”

Hideki Tojo, who saw those attending the cabinet meeting nodding their heads in agreement, opened his mouth in a powerful voice.

“Ever since the Great Kanto Earthquake, or rather, the Russo-Japanese War, the United States has been interfering with our every move.”

“That doesn’t mean we can really go to war with the United States.”

Although some people raised opposing opinions, Hideki Tojo paid no attention.

“Think back to the Russo-Japanese War.”

For a moment, I looked puzzled at Tojo Hide’s words, bringing up the war in which Japan had not even received reparations due to pressure from Russia and other Western enthusiasts who were pushing forward even after winning the war.

“After the defeat in the Battle of Tsushima, didn’t Russia neatly give up the war and sign an armistice?”

“Come to think of it, the French only protested a little bit about our invasion of Indochina and that was it.”

Of course, this was because Vichy France at the time had no capacity to care about its colonies, but that didn’t matter to Japan.

“Aren’t the Philippines and Hawaii actually colonies of the United States rather than mainland China?”

“Hoo.”

Even the news that Mitchell in the Philippines was suffering from a heart condition was a blessing in Japan’s eyes.

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