Survive as a World War II Soldier - Chapter 125



Only Noblemtl

#125

So, it was not a simple matter of whether to recognize the Provisional Government of Korea as a nation and accept it as a member of the Allied Powers.

First of all, there were too many people who opposed it, or didn’t like it even if they didn’t oppose it openly. In fact, the only one who supported it was us, the United States.

No, there were quite a few people who opposed it even within the United States.

A representative figure is Secretary of State Hull.

“I understand that they played a significant role in the Pacific War. Well, they participated in the Tokyo air raid, and there are quite a few Koreans in the current Luzon defense war and among the Philippine guerrillas. But I don’t know if that’s enough to actively support their independence.”

“Look at the location.”

“Yes, it’s good. Between China, Japan, and Russia. It’s amazing how they got the location so well.”

“The Philippines is independent. Isn’t it? We can’t let other countries keep their colonies while we make ours independent. Isn’t that what we all agreed on?”

“Japan will be defeated anyway, so they won’t be able to say anything, but the Soviet Union···.”

“The Lend-Lease program we are currently pouring into the Soviet Union. Do you really think we will get the money for it?”

“Hmm. So since we won’t be receiving the money anyway, let’s receive our influence in Joseon instead?”

“Yes. The war with Germany is at its most intense right now anyway. The air raids continue, and when the Western Front opens, the pressure on the Soviet Union will also decrease.”

Hull nodded in agreement when I said that now was the most difficult and challenging time for the Soviet Union.

Isn’t diplomacy between countries originally about taking advantage of the other party when they are having the hardest time?

“Then now is the best opportunity.”

Right now, we are having a hard time just blocking Germany, so we are signing a non-aggression pact with Japan and asking them not to fight each other, but the situation will change in just a little while.

In the original history, the United States, which wanted to end the war quickly, actively requested the Soviet Union to intervene in the Pacific War.

But now things were completely different.

“It is possible to completely destroy Japan without the support of the Soviet Union or any other Allied powers. Isn’t that right, Admiral King?”

“I agree with General MacArthur. What we need is time, not help or interference from other countries.”

Hull nodded at the King’s firm words.

“Then I guess we should take the Joseon Provisional Government personnel with us. And China···”

“I’ll just send you an invitation. Whether you come or not depends on your ability, right?”

Everyone nodded at Marshall’s words about still disliking China.

In this way, the decision was made to pass over China at the Casablanca Conference. Later, when Chiang Kai-shek heard the results of the conference, he was furious and expressed his anger.

Anyway, the negotiations with the Soviet Union went exactly as we expected.

The Soviet Union did not particularly oppose the independence of the Korean Peninsula, but it was sensitive about where the northern border of an independent Korea would be drawn.

“Isn’t it a well-known fact that Manchukuo was a puppet state established by occupying the lands of Joseon and Qing?”

“No, there is no reason why that land should become the land of a unified Korea···”

“Here it is.”

An Chang-ho, who had heard about it from me in advance, unpacked the bundle he had been carrying and put it away.

“If you look here, you can see the Baekdu Mountain boundary monument erected in 1712 when the Qing Dynasty and our Joseon agreed on the border···.”

“And here about the Gwanggaeto Stele···.”

“If this record is anything to go by….”

Everyone looked fed up, saying that they didn’t know what kind of history books and records were coming out one after another, saying that the country had fallen, and that it had fallen several decades ago, and that they were living in a neighboring country.

“I really don’t know what kind of country Joseon is.”

“First of all, the thing that keeps records is the best in the world.”

“is it so?”

“I heard that the records written by those who fought in the Spanish Civil War alone amount to dozens of volumes.”

For reference, the records on German aircraft were obtained by our Army Air Corps and were used very effectively.

Some accounts were more detailed than Elliot’s.

In any case, it was Britain that became a strong ally in negotiations with the Soviet Union. Britain, which was extremely fearful of Russia’s expansion of power, both in the past and present, did not hide its intention to expand the territory of Joseon in any way possible to block Russia’s southward advance.

But on the next agenda, Britain and we were enemies, and the Soviet Union became our ally.

The adage that today’s friend is tomorrow’s enemy, and today’s enemy is tomorrow’s friend was a perfect fit.

“But if we continue to support independentists in this way, won’t the world order be thrown into disarray?”

India.

In order to protect India, a land that could never be taken away, Britain desperately wanted other countries’ colonies to return to the way they were before the war.

Except Japan. We have to take everything we can from them.

That is, they also wanted the colonies in Southeast Asia that the Netherlands, France, and others had to return to the state they were in before the war.

why?

“If that place becomes independent, wouldn’t India, right next door, also be in an uproar demanding independence? We can never give up on India.”

Algeria, a land that France could not give up, was in Africa. It was far from Southeast Asia and was just across the Mediterranean Sea from the French mainland, so unlike France, which could easily give up Southeast Asia, India was right next door.

Even after Myanmar fell to Japan, there were even people who wanted to join hands with Japan and fight a war of independence, so Britain was quick to react when even intellectuals from the colonies appeared.

however,

“How can you pick up spilled water?”

The Soviet Union did not sympathize with such a Britain. Not only did it not have colonies in the first place, but nine out of ten people in those colonies who were said to be fighting for independence were socialists.

Of course, from the Soviet Union’s point of view, it had to be ‘Fight for independence.’

The only problem was that his nose was now three years old and he could not provide financial or material support like before.

“You’re saying that you’ll provide support from the United States?”

There are times when I feel so grateful.

When the Soviet Union and the United States joined hands, Britain alone was in a difficult position. France and other countries were allies in name only, but they were governments in exile who had lost their homeland, no different from Joseon.

Thus, decisions regarding Asia along the Pacific coast, whether Northeast Asia or Southeast Asia, ended up being made according to the tastes of the United States and the Soviet Union.

Of course, considering the severely upset mood of Britain, the United States had no choice but to make some concessions, and those were related to the direction of the Western Front.

“Wouldn’t it be better to attack Sicily and Italy first, as Britain claims?”

“ha.”

Honestly, aren’t the British bastards like pasta to the Allied forces?

What’s better than pasta is the quality of our soldiers and the weapons we’re given?

Other than that, the level of the leadership is…

But I couldn’t help but groan when I heard that I had to give in to such stubbornness from the British.

“Do you know what their military acumen and operational planning capabilities are?”

“Yes, I know. But since Britain has made many concessions in Asia, shouldn’t we make some concessions as well?”

In this area, Britain and the Soviet Union again came together.

To be precise, the Soviet Union was of the view that it would be good if the Western Front were reopened as soon as possible, regardless of whether it was Italy, as Britain claimed, or France, as we claimed.

“Those bastards must have some ulterior motive behind their claim to Italy.”

“I guess so. But there’s nothing we can do about it. Unless we’re fighting this war alone.”

##

“It was agreed that the United States would open a front in Sicily and Italy.”

“Okay. Any contact with Italy?”

The officer answered Churchill’s question with confidence.

“After conquering Sicily, we will land on the Italian mainland and immediately receive the support of Emperor Victor Emmanuel III.”

“okay?”

“Yes, Mussolini is said to be in a very bad state at the moment. Crown Prince Umberto is scheduled to lead the army to join our Allied forces.”

Churchill and other British people must have been extremely shocked by this meeting.

I thought that America, although independent from their own hands, was nothing more than a second-rate power, a fool who would wander around without knowing what was going on without their help.

Those who said that America was enough and had no interest in other countries or the world were the United States, and such America was always a mutual aid society among the fools that Britain could trust and seek out.

But the attitude the United States displayed at this meeting was very different from the America they had known so far.

They are also shaking hands with the Soviet Union without hesitation and are actively seeking to expand their influence in the Asia-Pacific region.

“Could it be that we raised a tiger cub?”

Everyone burst into laughter at Churchill’s worried voice.

“Ha, ha. Even so, I’m still a Yankee.”

“They are no match for us, with their hundreds of years of history and tradition.”

“sure.”

“If Italy, France and other countries recover their territories and raise their voices together, then America will be like that…”

“Yes, you saw it during the last war, right?”

“Yeah. They’re big, but they’re still kids with disabilities.”

I heard that on the way here, they had some sort of incident and almost hit the warship the president was on with a torpedo?

“It is said that France’s position has been greatly weakened by this incident. We need to properly support and develop de Gaulle.”

“Okay. Let’s get the Italians involved, raise De Gaulle, and then we can do it properly, really properly, at the next meeting.”

Although Britain’s intentions in occupying Sicily and advancing into Italy were largely political, the justifications it presented to the outside world were quite plausible.

“If we capture Sicily, we will be able to bomb Romania.”

“Romania, are you talking about the Poloiesti oil fields?”

“Yes.”

Black gold, oil, is now an essential resource. Germany was getting this oil from Romania.

“No matter how good the Germans’ technology is, what good is it if there is no oil?”

“That’s true.”

So, as the original story goes, we ended up going to Sicily, not France.

The problem was the state of Sicily.

The more I checked the information collected for the conquest of Sicily, the more I sighed.

“On that small island alone, there are over 200,000 German and Italian troops.”

“So, we have a plan in place.”

I couldn’t help but feel impressed by the confident British attitude.

“We are deceiving the Germans.”

The thought of what kind of fool would be fooled by you rose to the surface. However,

“How do you say that?”

Rear Admiral John Godfrey, the British Admiralty Director, opened his mouth in response to Bradley’s question, as if he had noticed my condition.

“We need to get a corpse and send it to the German army.”

I burst out laughing.

Trying to deceive others with fake documents and fake corpses was a very classic method. It is now so out of use.

“No. The reason it didn’t work was because we didn’t do it right. Listen to our plan.”

The plan was to drop a corpse disguised as a British officer onto the beach with forged documents stating that the Allied forces’ next target was the Balkans, not Sicily.

“Although Spain claims to be neutral, you know that it is providing various information to Germany. Rather than in German-occupied areas, we plan to have it delivered by throwing it on the Spanish coast. First of all, Spain is a Catholic country and rarely performs autopsies, so it is easy to lie about the cause of death or the exact time of death.”

“He was named William Martin, and he was so common that you could find dozens of names on the Navy Register. He would have letters from his family and photos of his girlfriend, and he would have the receipt for his engagement ring and theater tickets in his pocket.”

“I prepared a chain because it is said that briefcases are usually lost even when rigor mortis occurs. I heard that bankers and jewel couriers often use it. It wouldn’t be strange for an officer delivering confidential documents to use it. Since it is a long-distance flight, it would be okay to wrap one end around the belt of a trench coat, wouldn’t it?”

After hearing their explanation, I realized, “Ah, so this is why they are British.”

“Well, give it a try.”

Since I didn’t think it would be a big deal even if I failed, I nodded absentmindedly.

“But there are more than just corpses, right? Are there also plans to infiltrate Greece and commit sabotage, such as destroying bridges and tunnels?”

“Yeah, of course.”

I ended up shaking my head at the answers from the British guys, who I didn’t really trust.

Rather than engaging in such useless activities, it seemed much more constructive to think about how to neutralize the coastal guns and Tigers that were occupying the coast.

And Marshall took pity on me and gave me a gift.

“Oh, my.”

“oh my god!”

Patton, who had seen the gift, began to sing Marshall’s praises with tears streaming down his face.

It wasn’t just Patton. I, too, couldn’t help but pat McNair on the shoulder and shower him with compliments as he brought me his gift.

“Really. That’s amazing.”

The ultimate weapon that can break through whatever magic the Jerry guys have turned Sicily into is finally in my hands.

The fight breaks out again.