Survive as a World War II Soldier - Chapter 103



Only Noblemtl

#103

“If we get pushed around by those bastards again, we’re in trouble.”

“I know very well.”

Navy Minister Koshiro Oikawa nodded at Isoroku Yamamoto’s answer.

In fact, the Navy opposed war with the United States until the end, but it was no use.

After realizing that there was no way to avoid it, the Army, as always, was foaming at the mouth about any solution the Navy came up with.

but,

“Fortunately, this time the Emperor has taken our side. We must not allow Him to be disappointed.”

“That is a matter of course.”

A war started by those damn army guys on their own.

On the surface, it seemed like things were going well, but when I looked inside, all I could do was sigh.

“China will soon fall into our hands?”

Their words might have been right when they were eating the Chinese food. However, Oikawa saw through the army guys’ bluff.

“If everything will be resolved by taking over China as they promise, there would be no reason to aim for the Indochina Peninsula. Right?”

“Yes. Who doesn’t know that China’s resistance is tremendous?”

It wasn’t just China, even Joseon, which had long been part of the imperial territory, was not properly managed by the land dogs.

Just by looking at the terror of the Bulyeongseon people who explode whenever they forget, you can see how lacking the Land Dogs are.

“Fortunately, I hear that anti-war sentiment is very strong in the United States these days.”

“Yes. We are very fortunate.”

Oikawa found the civilian control that the United States had long cherished as a principle to be ridiculous.

How can we properly fight a war if we entrust the command to civilians who know nothing about the military?

But unlike the ignorant land dog, he was a knowledgeable naval officer and did not ignore the power of the United States.

“The reason Russia ended the war with us so easily a long time ago was because Korea was not very attractive to them.”

“Yes. I guess the same goes for France’s lack of response this time.”

“Yes, but there’s no guarantee that the US will do the same.”

“But wouldn’t it make a difference if we showed how strong we are and that it would be difficult for Europe to properly focus on fighting us?”

“Yeah. That’s it.”

The bald-faced Dojo kept spouting nonsense about not losing even if they fought the United States, but Oikawa thought differently.

“If you can win without fighting, isn’t that the ultimate victory?”

“Are you saying this?”

The Japanese Navy’s plan was simple.

War with the United States is inevitable, but why is there a need to fight on such a large scale?

Anyway, the American mainland was a land they could neither eat nor needed to eat.

What Japan needed was Southeast Asia to complete the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere.

“We must take the Philippines before the Americans come. Then we can make a treaty like the one we made in Portsmouth in 1905.”

“Yes. I will do my best.”

##

Washington at that time.

Churchill returned to his home in London after a huge shitstorm, but the aftereffects were still there.

“I don’t think it’ll be possible to make it on time.”

“shit.”

According to intelligence, the Japanese military’s movements were unusual.

Even without intelligence, there was no one in this Army Staff who did not know that the Japanese were going to attack the Philippines.

Those guys who don’t even have that much brain power were kicked out a long time ago.

In any case, there was no problem in creating the Far East Command to prepare for this and promoting Eisenhower to wartime lieutenant general and appointing him as its commander.

And the 41st Division was designated as the Philippine support force, and preparations for dispatch were made at a rapid pace···.

The British guys were no help at all, but the seal guys were no help at all either.

“It has long been known that Hawaii’s defenses are weak…”

“Why did I just ignore something I’ve known for a long time and only bring it up now···.”

“Then we should solve it now, or just leave it alone?”

The negotiations with Japan ended shortly after they began, and the seals were jumping around like wild boars who had been hit with a prepayment.

Although it is lacking, the Philippines is definitely better than its original history.

The air power, and the generals who are formulating defense plans there.

In comparison, the Navy···.

“Do you know that pulling out a boat is like riding a tram?”

“Shouldn’t you have at least laid down some more anti-aircraft guns? Oh, oh. You couldn’t do it because of the Washington Disarmament Treaty?”

What, you think the Philippines, which is under our military jurisdiction, wasn’t subject to that damn treaty?

“Isn’t it a skill to somehow find a solution in it? Could it be that the Navy has really been sitting still all this time?”

“···”

I couldn’t help but sigh as I saw Arthur III and the King’s faces distort.

“Yeah, we were just playing around because we were incompetent. Damn it.”

As Arthur III answered with a grin, I shook my head and looked at the king.

“Right now, we are short-handed. You know how vast the Pacific Ocean is, and how many islands there are to protect.”

“So you can’t assign a fleet to transport us?”

“I’m sorry.”

The entire US Navy in the Atlantic and Pacific combined could not possibly lose to Japan.

But unlike Japan, which was huddled together in the Pacific, our US Navy was more present in the Atlantic.

Naturally, the relatively weak Pacific Fleet also had to defend its naval bases, including Hawaii.

But, isn’t it impossible to just send them on a passenger ship without an escort ship?

“shit.”

If only it weren’t for that fucking Churchill and the British mess…

“Instead of waiting for the Japanese to attack, we could have declared war and launched a preemptive strike.”

“Arthur. If your words spread in this atmosphere, even you would be stoned.”

Arthur III glared at me in horror at my words.

“That’s not the problem right now. If we make a mistake, we could end up in a situation where we can’t declare war even if we’re attacked.”

Something special was needed.

But before I could come up with a plausible idea, the Japanese made their move first.

##

“Squadron Leader.”

“Look to the northwest.”

“oh my god.”

June 8, 1941.

Eisenhower jumped to his feet as he listened to a reconnaissance unit report that they had spotted a large force of Japanese fighters and bombers that appeared to have taken off from Formosa.

“Their targets are, after all, air force bases and naval bases… Sir?”

It was because Mitchell got up from his seat as if he had been waiting.

“Isn’t this something we can’t take lightly? And you’re not a major, you’re a sworn enemy. Are you going to keep lowering my rank like that?”

Eisenhower sighed as he watched Mitchell run towards his plane, his voice cracking.

“No, it’s really because we’ve become enemies…”

The bigger problem was that it wasn’t even a greeting that could be heard.

Eisenhower shook his head and asked his aide.

“So how many in total?”

“They say there are countless of them. They say the sky is completely black···.”

Eisenhower sighed at his adjutant’s answer.

It was later revealed that on June 8, the Japanese military deployed over 700 aircraft to attack the Philippines.

Waeng Waeng.

The air raid siren sounded and various aircraft began taking off from all over the place.

Just after the Philippine Air Force and volunteer air units took off, Eisenhower was met by a messenger sent by Manuel Quezon.

“It is said that the Japanese ambassador delivered a declaration of war.”

“okay?”

Eisenhower checked the declaration of war delivered by the Philippine government without thinking and a curse came out of his mouth.

“Damn. Look at these kids.”

Eisenhower crumpled the papers in his hand and looked at his aide with a fierce expression.

“In your home country?”

“I contacted you right away.”

“In Guam, Wake, or Midway?”

“yet.”

Mitchell was right.

So, no matter how much MacArthur flew and crawled, it wasn’t easy.

Is war something that can be started just by declaring war?

Even if we fight with one mind and one purpose, risking our lives, it won’t be enough…

It seemed like those fucking Japs were learning nothing but bad things from their Nazi allies.

##

“Your Majesty.”

“It’s so endless, it’s so endless.”

Mitchell returned with a tired expression and got off the plane, muttering in a tone that suggested he was fed up.

The runway was a mess.

They fought in the air and tried to stop Japs, but it was impossible to stop them all.

Thanks to this, there were clear traces of bombing here and there.

“Your Majesty.”

Mitchell was impressed by the sight of the adjutant running towards him after spotting him. No matter how much he looked at the urgent voice, it didn’t seem like it brought good news.

“You only attacked us and the British in Malaya?”

“Yes. If you look at the declaration of war···.”

Mitchell was impressed when he heard of it late, having sortied before the declaration of war sent by Japan arrived.

“Ha, these kids are all sorts of things.”

And I noticed that the atmosphere in the base was quite chaotic. There were flames burning here and there, smoke, and paper?

“no way···.”

“Yes. We distributed propaganda materials in English and Tagalog.”

“under.”

Although the Philippine Air Force was currently comprised primarily of American personnel, there was also a significant proportion of Koreans.

This was because a large number of Koreans in China came over as Chiang Kai-shek was defeated in the Sino-Japanese War.

There, the actual aces were overwhelmingly Korean, as they had been able to gain actual combat experience in the Sino-Japanese War and the Spanish Civil War.

However, the atmosphere became very strange when the Japanese pointed to the Koreans, the traitors, as the reason for their invasion of the Philippines.

“Ha. In my home country···.”

“First of all, it is said that the President plans to request Congress to declare war using his authority···.”

Mitchell muttered that it was just some sly, cunning Jabs-like trickery and walked towards Ike’s office.

“What does Admiral Hart say?”

“We’re in a difficult situation. If we retreat, they won’t attack us, but if we step forward and attack those Japs guys first, that’s a bit much.”

The US Army and Navy were completely different situations.

Most of those who fought the Japanese in the air today were from the U.S. Army Air Corps, but only a small number were active-duty.

Even Mitchell was a reservist, not an active-duty soldier.

“Manuel continues to broadcast on the radio, saying it is nonsense and black propaganda···.”

Even though they tried to stop it, bombings continued in downtown Manila.

“Actually, these leaflets are more of a problem than the bombing.”

“You really used your head well.”

“Even after the surrender of the survivors from Nanjing and Guangzhou, the Japanese did not stop massacring civilians. The current propaganda is hastily producing propaganda that it is a lie…”

I was so struck by the bullet that I was out of my mind.

“Are you still going to stop me?”

Eisenhower sighed deeply at Mitchell’s words and asked back with a sigh.

“Koreans alone are enough···.”

“Then how can we, the United States, properly declare war? Everyone is afraid because they don’t know. Why did those Japs think so? If they were really confident that they could fight us and win, they wouldn’t have sent such a ridiculous declaration of war.”

Mitchell was right.

However, Mitchell’s suggestion was not normal.

“Let’s just beat up those guys on the mainland and give them a hard time.”

“Director.”

“I know what the cowards on the mainland are afraid of. Those Japs seem too strong. They have to fight the Nazis, and they can’t take on Japs at the same time. But you know that’s not true. We’re not that weak.”

Mitchell shouted that what Americans need now is confidence.

“And the B-17 is enough to boost that confidence.”

There were currently a few B-17s in the Philippines capable of long-range bombing missions.

“It’s a close call, but it’s not a distance that you can’t go back and forth.”

“Who cares about that? There’s no escort.”

The B-17, with a range of over 6,000 km, had an operational radius of over 3,000 km.

Tokyo, the capital of Japan, is just barely within that radius from Manila.

However, the operational radius of fighter jets currently in the Philippines did not exceed 800 km.

Even in this air battle, many people bought tickets to the Dragon Palace.

“Damn it. You know what will happen if I fail, right?”

“Failure? Why do you think about that?”

Eisenhower shook his head at Mitchell’s lack of confidence in his ability to fail.

“I’ll call the camera crew.”

“okay.”

This was the beginning of what would later be called the Mitchell Task Force.

Earth Defense Force