Survive as a World War II Soldier - Chapter 136



Only Noblemtl

#136

The two worked so well together that it took a while for them to realize that one was talking in French and the other was talking in English.

My worries that the two would grab each other by the collar and fight were for naught.

Born into a wealthy Southern family, Patton’s attitude toward life seemed to have much in common with that of the French.

“I think it was more their longing for Paris that brought them together.”

“I think it’s because they’re all united by tanks. Didn’t Lieutenant General Patton go to the French tank school during the war?”

“Oh, oh. That’s right.”

“That de Gaulle was also a tank commander.”

“With that height?”

It was a surprising fact.

I wondered how they managed to squeeze into a French tank, which had a particularly low overall height compared to ours.

“Will that height fit in the tram?”

“Well, I guess it will fit if I fold it.”

As you can see, there were quite a few people who had similar doubts to me.

“I felt it last time too, but unlike the Tommy kids, the French guys are really easy to communicate with and are the best. In particular, General de Gaulle is very···.”

Seeing Patton giving a thumbs up and saying he was the best made me feel even more anxious.

Of course, there were reports that the consumption of stomach medicine and headache medicine by the Free French and our American staff had skyrocketed to astonishing levels, but these were very minor problems.

Thus, on November 1, exactly three weeks after the Normandy landings, Operation Dragoon was launched under the command of de Gaulle and Patton.

“Where did de Gaulle go?”

Of course, Britain did not hide its discomfort when it heard the news, and there was one reason.

“Why on earth did de Gaulle go there···.”

It was not the Dragoon Operation that was displeasing, but the fact that de Gaulle had joined it.

“He said he would give a speech to the French people in Marseille.”

“Do you know what that means now?”

Churchill was furious, saying that it was very dangerous to give wings to de Gaulle. He would show signs of a dictator or something.

It was ridiculous. No, who was the guy who had been sucking and sucking De Gaulle up until now? Now he’s dangerous? A dictator?

“Well, weren’t you a supporter of de Gaulle?”

When asked whether he had supported de Gaulle, unlike us who had supported Giraud as the next French leader, Churchill did not disappoint expectations.

The way he looked at me with a puzzled expression as if he was hearing it for the first time in his life made me think that a politician is a politician.

“What are you talking about? We, outsiders, should help the French people to elect their legitimate leaders through proper procedures…”

“Well, that’s for later, we need the help of the French people right now.”

“but···.”

“Mr. Prime Minister, I will only speak once, so listen carefully. I am not a politician, but a soldier. As the Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces, politics is not my concern. What is important to me is the battle against the Germans, victory, and the soldiers under my command. So, I would like you, Mr. Prime Minister, and the President and the National Assembly to take care of politics.”

To be honest, it was a ridiculous excuse.

Even a division commander, who is the commander of a single division, cannot avoid considering political aspects, so the commander-in-chief of the Allied Forces, which is not a single army, is saying, “I don’t know about politics?”

Even the US military’s motto is, isn’t it civilian control?

This time Churchill looked at me with a bewildered expression.

Contrary to my claim that I don’t know anything about politics, my statement was extremely political.

-Let the politicians do the politics, I’m too busy thinking about battle.-

-Politics for politicians, war for soldiers-

-Politics that holds back the military that is busy going forward? Is this really right?-

My statement that I don’t know about the political factors and that I am simply making the best choice to win the battle was more refreshing than anything else to the general public.

To them, combat and politics seemed like different issues.

“Yeah, it’s all the politicians’ fault.”

“So. What about diplomacy, what about the country’s prestige….”

“What are you talking about? The soldiers are the ones risking their lives fighting, but you’re just making a fuss behind their backs.”

“This time again, General MacArthur’s rejection of the enemy was not intentional···.”

“The Congress brats···.”

And aren’t politicians the ones who get cursed at no matter what?

Even across the Atlantic in America, and in London where I am, everyone began to curse with one accord.

And unfortunately for Churchill, there was someone who took advantage of my remarks and drove him further into a corner: none other than Montgomery.

“We are doing our best every day. But those across the sea in London who have only heard about the battle through texts and pictures do not appreciate our hardships and efforts. I wonder if they even know what kind of situation our soldiers are really in.”

So, Montgomery, who was in danger of being labeled a lying shepherd after bragging that one night would be enough for Caen, decided to overcome the crisis by sacrificing Churchill.

“Before asking us why we couldn’t take Caen, shouldn’t we first reflect on how inadequate our support for our soldiers is? In Africa, I had to suffer from insufficient supplies and the impatient demands of the home country. And even now, these difficulties have not improved at all.”

The British army’s failure was blamed not on the incompetence of Montgomery or his subordinate commanders, but on politicians at home who failed to properly support them.

By this time, public sentiment in London was on the verge of boiling over.

Churchill, who had been severely beaten by Montgomery, the axe he had trusted, no longer had the presence of mind to interfere with our and de Gaulle’s actions.

And while Churchill was racking his brain trying to win over the people, de Gaulle was flying high.

##

Boom, bang.

The ceaseless barrage of cannon fire and bomber strikes completely broke the Germans’ morale before the American troops even landed.

The lessons learned during Normandy made this operation much easier.

The pre-landing special operation using airborne troops was carried out without any particular problems, and on the day of the landing, the naval gunfire from the naval battleships and the support from the Army Air Corps were close to perfect.

“Are they German soldiers?”

“There’s a huge difference in level between you and the guys I’ve fought so far?”

“Then that’s good.”

“Let’s go quickly!”

The condition of the German troops stationed there was not good at all.

After Normandy, all of the German military’s attention and elite forces were concentrated in the north.

The reserves left in the south could not stop de Gaulle and Patton, who had their eyes on Paris.

The soldiers who successfully landed easily began to raise their voices one after another.

“Take up your weapons, citizens!

Get in line! Forward, forward!

“Let us wet our furrows with their dirty blood!”

La Marseillaise

The song composed by the engineer officer Roger de Lille in the late 18th century in preparation for the war with Austria quickly became a hit with the soldiers.

Bright and easy melody. More than anything, the radical lyrics that penetrated the hearts of the soldiers were the secret to their popularity.

In fact, the rolling French pronunciation was enough to satisfy the vanity of American country bumpkins.

“This song will make Parisian women fall for it?”

“Okay, okay.”

Whatever the reason, La Marseillaise, the most popular singer of the late 19th century during the French Revolution, began to set the South of France on fire once again.

“Take up your weapons, citizens!

Get in line! Forward, forward!

“Let us wet our furrows with the dirty blood of the Germans!”

“Forward, forward!”

“Forward, forward!”

From village children to old people and young women.

The sight of people singing along to La Marseillaise and shedding tears moved even the hearts of American soldiers.

“Wow, it really feels like we’re fighting for freedom.”

“Hey, do you see that woman?”

“Whew.”

“Hey, I saw it.”

“Are you crazy? Look at your face and tell me. It’s me.”

Many followed along like children following a piper as soldiers advanced, singing La Marseillaise.

“The resistance fighters joined today too?”

“Yes. Didn’t I tell you? About the resistance spirit of our French people.”

The resistance fighters who helped fight the Germans through large-scale uprisings began to join the Free French Forces and be organized into regular troops.

“Finally, Marseille.”

Just two days after landing on the Côte d’Azur, Patton and de Gaulle had Marseilles within sight.

“The German army is preparing to retreat.”

“Hoo.”

“There is intelligence that a defensive line will be established in Dijon.”

“I guess they plan to use the Ron River as a defensive line.”

The idea was to gather together, form a defensive line, and block the route to Paris rather than being defeated individually.

“iced coffee.””

On a hill overlooking Marseille, de Gaulle was overcome with emotion.

If we were to declare the recapture of Paris while singing La Marseillaise in the Place de Marseille…

It was vivid to my mind, as if I was picturing tens of thousands of people shouting my name and shedding tears of joy.

“If only it could be like that···.”

The fist I had been clenching naturally gained strength.

The countless humiliations I had suffered simply because I had lost my country and was powerless flashed through my mind.

and,

“To that damn Churchill author···.”

When I thought about myself shouting loudly, I felt as if my insides were opening up.

And at that moment, a voice was heard that shattered his dreams.

“Let’s leave that to the follow-up unit.”

“Huh? What is that?”

Patton’s words were that he would not occupy Marseille.

“Is that kind of port our only goal?”

“···”

Patton shouted at de Gaulle, who was looking at him with a bewildered face.

“Paris! Isn’t Paris our goal?”

“!”

Patton’s shouts brought de Gaulle to tears.

“Ah, ah. It is a great fortune for me and for France to have you as a friend. George. You are not an American.”

De Gaulle shouted, hugging Patton tightly as he looked at him with an expression that said, “What nonsense are you talking about?”

“You are an honorary Frenchman!”

De Gaulle turned around, pulling Patton out of his arms, who was blinking with a dumbfounded expression.

“Everyone! Let’s go to Paris. Paris is waiting for us. We will liberate Paris!”

The soldiers who were looking at them blinked at de Gaulle’s sudden shout. Some French people understood de Gaulle’s words and looked moved, but they were only a very small number.

Most American soldiers were bewildered, not knowing what de Gaulle meant in French.

“what?”

“I don’t know.”

This was especially so because the faces of the officers who had roughly matched his remarks looked not so good.

“Who doesn’t know that Paris is the ultimate goal?”

“So. With Marseille in front, what is Paris…?”

The survival instinct of the officers who had experienced all sorts of hardships under Patton began to shine.

“No way, no way···.”

“Hey. First, we need to occupy Marseilles to supply supplies and such…”

But as always, Seolma caught the guy really well.

Patton approached De Gaulle, who was flustered because he shouted with a desperate determination but did not get the reaction he expected, with a sly grin.

“Hey, buddy. Our kids are idiots. There are a lot of them who can’t even spell their own names. Do you think they’ll understand your French?”

“!”

De Gaulle’s new model, which had just received its second shock after Paris, briefly faltered.

De Gaulle stepped forward with a solemn expression and clenched fists.

“Brave men who have crossed the Atlantic to come to a foreign land, who have come here for freedom and to help our France, let us go to Paris. The French people, struggling under the oppression of the Germans, are waiting for your help. People! Let us go to Paris. Paris is waiting for us. We will liberate Paris!”

As soon as de Gaulle’s speech, which will forever be remembered as the only speech in English, ended, a thunderous cheer erupted.

“fly!”

“Paris, Paris!”

Later, for Hollywood filmmakers, it was the Paris Race.

In de Gaulle’s memoirs, it is depicted as an adventure story.

It was the beginning of an incident that produced numerous victims.

Black Orchestra