Survive as a World War II Soldier - Chapter 108



Only Noblemtl

##108

Nazi Germany’s drive to control Europe and target the British mainland had been dampened.

It was thanks to Britain’s solid control of the Luftwaffe in the air war.

As a result, Churchill, who had more free time, could have come here and made a fuss about this and that.

In any case, Britain, now that it had some free time, became somewhat greedy. It was none other than expressing a strong will to never give up its Asian colonies.

To this end, Churchill dispatched a fleet to Singapore under the command of Admiral Tom Phillis.

They even went so far as to promote it on a large scale.

“In order to block Japan’s ambitions in East Asia, a fleet including the new battleship Prince of Wales was dispatched to Singapore.”

It was intended to show that the spirit of the British Empire, the land on which the sun never sets, was not yet dead, and to raise the morale of the people.

Of course, there was a bit of wordplay hidden in there.

“A fleet? But why only the Prince of Wales?”

“The original plan was for the Illustrious-class aircraft carrier Indomitable to join.”

However, the captain of the aircraft carrier Indomitable attempted to land instead of setting sail, and as a result failed to join the fleet.

“It is impossible to set sail like this.”

“I have to go to Virginia for repairs.”

While the Indomitable was under repair in Norfolk, Virginia, the Prince of Wales sailed alone around the Cape of Good Hope and on to Asia.

Arriving in Singapore, Prince of Wales met the battlecruiser Repulse and four destroyers to form the Z Fleet.

“What can I do with this?”

“But that’s what it is.”

Admiral Tom Phillies knew that his fleet was severely under-equipped. Without carriers, air superiority was out of the question.

“Wouldn’t it be okay if we got support from the Air Force?”

Unfortunately, however, the Air Force was in no condition to assist the Navy. The British Air Force in Malaya was busy fighting the Japanese with its aging aircraft.

“Since when have we entrusted our safety to the Air Force?”

“That’s true. There’s no way our battleships can’t stop attacks by Japanese aircraft.”

Of course, some people raised concerns about the dangers of going on an operation without air cover, with anxious faces.

“But on the Philippines side, by airplane···.”

“Isn’t that a small minesweeper? It’s different from battleships like ours.”

There was a reason why Admiral Phillis underestimated Japan’s air power.

The first was that the opponent was Japan, and the second was the lessons learned in the Mediterranean.

In the Maltese waters, which were covered by German and Italian aircraft, the British forces had suffered some casualties, but had successfully carried out the operation.

“There have been battleships that were hit by aircraft while standing still and then sank, but there hasn’t been a single ‘battleship’ that was sunk by an air raid while on an operational mission.”

The others nodded at Admiral Phyllis’s words.

“The Admiral is right. Moreover, in the case of aircraft, the range and operational radius are limited due to their flight distance, so air strikes will not be easy.”

“yes.”

Thus, the Z Fleet sortied to intercept the Japanese invasion fleet in the South China Sea north of Malaya.

And then he never came back.

The flagships of the fleet, Prince of Wales and Repulse, were attacked by torpedo bombers and were able to see firsthand that the Japanese oxygen torpedoes were far more powerful than they had expected.

The aftermath of the sinking of both battleships was significant.

“Let’s say Repulse, but the Prince of Wales sank?”

The Japanese were making a big fuss about the sinking of the two battleships, calling it the Battle of the Malay Sea, but the British knew full well that the incident was not a naval battle.

“What kind of naval battle is this if you can’t even fire a single cannon at an enemy ship? This is just a sinking, a sinking.”

“Isn’t Wales a new type of battleship with air defense capabilities?”

“What on earth did that supposedly state-of-the-art air defense fire control system do?”

In particular, the sinking of the new battleship Prince of Wales was a huge shock.

“If this continues, won’t India really be attacked?”

“Haa. What is this···.”

“We must make the remaining ships retreat. India is in danger.”

The fear that India, a land that could never be given up even if everything else was lost, could be exposed to danger gripped Britain.

As a result, the Eastern Fleet decided to withdraw its remaining ships to Sri Lanka and the Dutch East Indies.

While Britain was shocked and horrified, Japan on the other side was jubilant.

“Still, wouldn’t it be possible to say that the Navy’s image has been established to this extent?”

“What do you mean? We should take advantage of this momentum and destroy even the Americans.”

The one who was most pleased with the outcome of the Battle of the Malay Sea was Admiral Yamamoto.

“I was right.”

“That’s right. The Admiral’s foresight shone through.”

After Churchill publicly announced that he would send warships to Singapore to stop the Japanese, Admiral Yamamoto insisted that efforts should be made to strengthen the air force.

At his insistence, the reinforced bomber force had been trained in low-altitude torpedo attacks.

This Battle of the Malay Sea was exactly what they showed.

“The American battleships are slower than the British ones, so we can catch them much easier.”

“Yes, if we capture the Pacific Fleet this time, they won’t be able to do anything, right?”

“yes.”

What can those stuck in Luzon do?

If we take over Southeast Asia and complete the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere, who would dare to oppose the Japanese Empire?

No one was afraid of the American fleet rushing toward them.

As the naval forces under Admiral Yamamoto were burning with enthusiasm for victory, the Japanese archipelago was also burning fiercely.

“Wow!”

“The Imperial Army has defeated the British!”

“Behold the glorious victory of the Malay Sea Battle!”

Although news of victories from the Malay Peninsula and the South Pacific islands continued to arrive after the bombing of Tokyo, it was not enough to dispel people’s anxiety and fear.

However, the news of victory in the naval battle with the British fleet was different.

“Even Britain can’t beat us.”

“Yeah, the last bombing was just bad luck.”

“Honestly, there wasn’t much damage, was there?”

“yes.”

The light battleship Ryuho, which was in Kure, was severely damaged after receiving a direct hit on the deck,

“I heard that the broken Ryuho will be repaired soon?”

“okay?”

“The Americans are advertising this deal with complete lies. How can a wrecked ship be repaired so quickly?”

“Well, that’s true.”

In order to somehow minimize the US losses, the Japanese Navy was doing its best, even working through the night, to ensure the quick return of the Ryuho.

But under bright light there are dark shadows.

“This is an achievement that properly demonstrated the power of our Navy to the Army guys.”

“Yes. Now, if we just capture the US Pacific Fleet…”

“It’s the end. No matter how much those damn dogs fly around, what can we do without our navy?”

Unlike the Navy, which celebrated with joy, the Army’s intentions were somewhat more complicated.

“It’s good that we defeated the British, but I’m worried that the seals are too arrogant.”

“Yes, isn’t their role to transport supplies and troops on time so that our imperial army can fight properly?”

Army Minister Hideki Tojo’s brow furrowed as he listened to his subordinates expressing their concerns and complaints.

##

Washington, DC, White House.

“Bok-sun-ga?”

“huh?”

“No, I think it’s revenge for the last time our Mary teased me by calling me Mr. Gallipoli.”

“Yeah, I told you Gallipoli was too much.”

I burst out in laughter at the sight of Roosevelt laughing the loudest and then walking away, saying, “Didn’t I stop him?”

“Well, well. I understand that you two are shocked by the absurd news, but do you think they really would have offered their warship to Poseidon to take revenge on us?”

“If it’s that small, then there’s more to it.”

“Okay, okay.”

Those who knew Churchill nodded their heads in agreement with our two firm answers.

But the Navy paid no attention to this situation.

“We have aircraft carriers, so we will be different from the British Z Fleet.”

“Yes, they’re not the only ones with air forces. We have them too.”

The seals were not particularly intimidated by the bad news that arrived from England.

“I heard that although the Prince of Wales was a new ship, there were quite a few parts that were broken at the time.”

“Yes, in particular, they said that the anti-aircraft fire control system, which is the core of the anti-aircraft defense, was down.”

Even Arthur III came forward and raised his voice, saying that our Pacific Fleet was different from the British Eastern Fleet.

“Okay, then I will believe you.”

Roosevelt nodded in agreement. After all, he was a veteran of the Navy, having served as Assistant Secretary of the Navy.

And I couldn’t just focus on the Pacific Ocean forever.

With the sinking of the Z Fleet, Churchill’s plan to show the world that the British Empire was still alive and to boost the morale of his people was lost to the sea.

As a result, the level of British nitpicking was rising.

“When exactly is the US Army going to enter the war?”

“We have reached our limit. This is how Nazi Germany and its allies can take over the world…”

“I hope the United States makes a decision···.”

Even the British guys were whining and bringing their friends one after another.

Governments-in-exile from several countries that had fallen to Nazi Germany, including France, the Netherlands, and Poland, were now based in London.

And they were just as eager for our American Army to join the war as the British.

“The US Army only declares war and does not move.”

“Europe is desperately looking to America for salvation.”

“When will the saviors of the oppressed Europeans arrive?”

“Who on earth was preventing the dispatch of troops?”

“Has the hero of 20 years ago lost his spirit?”

They didn’t even hesitate to wage a war of public opinion.

“In any case, since we have declared war and decided to get involved in the war, we cannot just leave Europe alone.”

“Yes, especially since the atrocities of Nazi Germany are known, we cannot join hands with them.”

That’s right.

Hatred and discrimination against Jews were, frankly, a common occurrence in any European country.

It was the same for us in the United States.

But the behavior of Nazi Germany was too brutal and inhumane to be dismissed as something that always happened or could happen.

But I couldn’t just cross the Atlantic.

I had to work hard to secure adequate training time to counter those who wanted to join the war as soon as possible.

“We can dispatch them after the training is conducted as planned.”

“It’s not like we can get to the battlefield and do some adaptation training like in World War I.”

World War I was still a time of leisure.

I too was able to go through a few weeks of adjustment after setting foot in Europe and gain some practical experience through a few small operations before being deployed on a large-scale operation.

However, those who were active at that time were already old, and above all, the training that had been given at that time had long since become outdated doctrine.

“Just giving a civilian a gun doesn’t make them a soldier. In order to deploy a proper army, you have to train them as planned.”

That’s why I had to resist the urge of those who demanded that an expeditionary force be dispatched as soon as possible.

I didn’t want to experience the unfortunate incident of accepting new recruits who didn’t even know how to load bullets like last time.

And this was a consensus shared by all current senior Army generals, including Marshall and McNair.

“So how much more time do you think we’ll need?”

It was Secretary of State Hull who asked us the question with a blank face.

“Even if I can’t do it, at least a year···.”

“Wouldn’t it be enough to do Arkansas right now, Louisiana right now, and the Carolinas?”

“That’s not enough. Those guys who are harassing the minister. Let’s have them come with me to observe the Louisiana maneuvers. When they go and see how dumb our Army is, they won’t be able to argue with me anymore when I tell them they can’t go right away.”

At my words, Hull let out a sigh and closed his eyes tightly.

Until then, it was something I said half-jokingly.

This was because the course of the Arkansas Maneuver Exercise, which was a prequel to the Louisiana Maneuver Exercise, a large-scale exercise mobilizing 400,000 people, was not so bad.

How many things have I prepared over the past twenty years?

Although the butterfly effects that resulted from that gave me a headache, I still thought that the army that I had raised so well was trustworthy.

The US Army’s Best Weapon