Survive as a World War II Soldier - Chapter 53



Only Noblemtl

#053

It was Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands who invited me.

Wilhelmina, who was of the same age, became queen in 1890 at the age of 10 and was now a seasoned monarch in her 38th year on the throne.

Although not as famous as Queen Victoria, Queen Wilhelmina was also quite a capable person.

It was during World War I that her abilities were clearly demonstrated.

The Netherlands, which borders Germany and is as fragile as a candle in the wind compared to France or Germany, remains neutral throughout the war.

What kind of people are Germans?

Aren’t they just crazy guys who brazenly ask for permission to go to war with another country, and then force their way in when no one listens?

The Netherlands had to constantly be on guard against an unbelievable German invasion, seeing the state of Belgium, once their fellow countryman.

Also, when the Allies blockaded Germany, they had to suffer economic hardships because they were right next door.

In the meantime, he had to fight against socialists who wanted to abolish the monarchy.

However, it was Wilhelmina who overcame all those difficulties and still reigned as Queen of the Netherlands.

Even after the war, the Netherlands was the place where the German Kaiser fled.

He steadfastly resists Allied pressure to hand over the Kaiser immediately.

“Perhaps if these Olympics had not been held here in the Netherlands, it would not have been easy for Germany to participate.”

“Ah, ah. I guess so.”

In the previous Antwerp and Paris Olympics, Germany did not even dare to participate.

Although he was a great man, he had no connection to the United States or MacArthur.

“Why on earth do you want to see me?”

“Well, the chairman has been a hot topic lately, so I guess I’m just curious?”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. There’s no reason to call it that, right?”

“Yeah. But do I need to learn etiquette or something?”

“Are you invited to dinner tonight?”

“But wouldn’t it be a bit weird to hear people call you an ignorant American bumpkin?”

Although he was somewhat of an upper-class person in America, he was no match for the royal families of Europe.

“I heard that you met the British prince when you were stationed in Germany.”

“At that time, he was my guest, so I didn’t really feel burdened. And it was a battlefield.”

It wasn’t that I was worried about meeting royalty, but rather the gossip that might come out.

Although we pretend not to, we American citizens still have a deep-rooted longing for and inferiority complex toward the nobility and royalty of Europe.

So, if I got involved with the royal family and even a random story came out, the image I had worked so hard to build up could have been completely ruined.

But when I arrived, it turned out to be a completely needless worry.

“Thank you for accepting my sudden invitation.”

“No. It is an honor to be invited, Your Majesty the Queen.”

“I am glad to see the general with such a great reputation.”

The Queen’s first greeting, an apology for the sudden invitation, certainly struck me as favorable.

I was the only one invited to the Queen’s banquet, so I didn’t have to worry too much about etiquette.

What was more irritating to me was the way she called me.

A general.

Even my aides, Bradley and Eisenhower, call me Chairman, so I call you General. Isn’t that quite meaningful?

Moreover, the Netherlands was not an Allied country in the last war. It declared neutrality and defended him until the end.

After the war, he even accepted asylum from German Emperor Wilhelm, who was labeled a war criminal by the Allies.

If such a greeting is too significant to just pass over, am I being too sensitive?

“I heard that he was so active at this Olympics that everyone knew him.”

“Ha, ha. You are too kind. It’s just that I got more attention than others because of the title of chairman.”

“Is that so? People aren’t all stupid, so it must have been worth noting. You know, I actually didn’t really like the Olympics.”

“Oh, yes.”

“It started as a pagan event···.”

Queen Wilhelmina, who was still shaking her head as if she did not like it, showed interest when I called the Olympics not a simple sports festival but a bulletless war between nations.

“But I changed my mind after hearing what you said. I was very impressed by your words that this was not a simple sports festival, but a proxy war waged with national pride at stake.”

“Is that so?”

But the story I brought out was not actually a completely new story that had not existed before.

There was already an atmosphere in which the Olympics were seen as a battle of national pride. In the United States, it was widely said that they could lose to other countries but could not lose to Germany.

It was thanks to that atmosphere that I was able to mobilize the Corps of Engineers to build a track and field stadium.

“It’s just that what athletes and politicians say is different from what soldiers like you say. You may not know, but starting from the next Olympics, the role of soldiers will be significant. In fact, our Minister of National Defense came running and started talking about creating a sports unit.”

I was a bit surprised to hear that a sports unit might be formed.

The creation of the sports corps was something that was expected. Even in the 21st century, each country had sports corps.

There are many sports in the Olympics, but not all of them always attract people’s attention.

Even in soccer, FC Korea is formed during the Olympics or World Cup season, but during normal times···.

Unpopular sports were added. In sports without even a professional league, most of the time, a few professional teams run by a few companies or local governments were the last resort for players.

In the end, it had to be seen as support at a national level to continue the tradition of elite sports.

And this was the result of a trend that had been developing since the mid-20th century.

I said it without much burden since it was something that would happen in the future anyway, but I never thought there would be a country that moves this quickly.

It was even more surprising because the Netherlands I knew was not particularly known as a sports powerhouse.

“That’s why I wanted to see you. In fact, this country, no, all of Europe, is facing a crisis.”

Queen Wilhelmina spoke with a serious expression about the crisis facing Europe.

It was none other than socialism.

Well, that was understandable. The Bolshevik Revolution in Russia was similar to, yet different from, the civil revolution that had taken place in France in the previous century.

And after the successful opening of the Soviet Union, the socialist fever quickly spread westward, dyeing Europe red.

In the recent German federal elections in May, the Social Democratic Party won the largest number of seats, while socialist parties such as the German Communist Party and the German People’s Party also won significant numbers of seats.

It wasn’t just Germany. Socialists were gaining ground in other countries too.

“I came to see the value of sports as a way to unite ignorant citizens against them.”

I didn’t really mean it that way, but whatever.

This interpretation that something good is good is not entirely wrong.

“So, what kind of sports should the Netherlands focus on? It would be nice if we could invest in everything like the US, but…”

I was embarrassed by the Queen’s question, who frowned and said that it would probably be impossible.

In fact, it would not be an exaggeration to say that I had already used up all the capital I could. I thought that experts who were smarter than me would take care of the rest.

And advice for the Netherlands national team, not the US.

“well.”

After thinking about it for a while, I soon realized that the advice she was giving was not simply about improving sports records.

then,

“You don’t necessarily have to win a gold medal to get people’s attention.”

“It doesn’t have to be a gold medal?”

“Isn’t it the process of taking on the challenge rather than the victory itself that interests people?”

Of course, the medal and its color are important.

But that wasn’t necessarily the only answer.

The reason Woo Sung-soon remained in people’s minds was not because they won medals.

“Hmm. That’s interesting advice.”

The queen, who had been lost in thought for a moment, looked at me with narrowed eyes and said.

“It seems like the general is more suited to be a politician than a soldier.”

“Well, I consider being a soldier to be my calling.”

“I see? I got some good advice, so I guess I should repay you… Hmm.”

He trailed off, then nodded to himself with a sly smile.

“I hope the director likes it.”

The dinner that day ended with some unknown words.

And the next day, I was able to confirm the identity of the reward she had been talking about.

##

“Are you attending the closing ceremony?”

Wilhelmina smirked as she looked at those who were looking at her with surprised eyes.

“Is that such a surprise?”

“You weren’t even happy about the Olympics being held.”

“I didn’t know it then. If the Prime Minister had explained to me more clearly what the Olympics meant to me, I would have attended the opening ceremony.”

The head maid, who had been with her for many years, looked at her grumbling with an expression that seemed to be incredulous.

Wilhelmina, who had an insolent expression on her face, smiled and looked back at the speech she had written the night before.

“I don’t know if you’ll like it.”

“Who is it?”

“Who is MacArthur?”

“Ah, ah. I guess you liked it quite a bit.”

“It wasn’t bad.”

Last night, MacArthur spoke of the socialists, but in fact the threat that worried Wilhelmina the most was Germany.

From the beginning, the reason they steadfastly protected the Kaiser despite pressure from the Allied Powers was not simply because of their duty as a neutral country or because of family ties.

It was insurance for the unexpected.

Looking back now, I think it was a completely useless thought.

In her view, the state of Germany was precarious.

It was not difficult to understand why France and Britain were gnashing their teeth and pushing Germany forward.

However, the attitude shown after the end of the last war was simply venting anger without any tolerance as a victor or vision for the future.

Last time, Germany made the absurd demand to open the road and then occupied Belgium.

‘How can we guarantee that next time we won’t end up like Belgium?’

If Germany were to run wild again, the country that would come to her aid would be the United States.

The last war, too, if the United States had not participated, would have probably dragged on and ended with a real victory for the Germans.

“The idea that sports can unite the hearts of citizens and that stories, not results, are enough was also pretty good.”

“That’s not a bad story. There are probably quite a few countries that have severe cold, not just us.”

“Not a lot, but everything.”

And what I liked most was that I was able to use this as an excuse to build relationships with people who would become key figures in the US military in the future.

Closing ceremony venue.

There was an uproar when Queen Wilhelmina, who had not attended the opening ceremony because she did not like the Olympics, showed up at the closing ceremony.

“What on earth is their plan?”

“Well, seeing the event going on, didn’t that change your mind?”

“Well, I heard you met with MacArthur yesterday···.”

“Really? Hmm.”

The closing ceremony began with people murmuring.

The event proceeded according to the order of the meal, and finally Wilhelmina stood in front of the microphone to give her closing remarks.

Reflecting her popularity, a huge cheer erupted from the audience. Wilhelmina responded with a light smile and raised her hand, then opened her mouth.

“After watching the many games played over the past 16 days, I regret not attending the opening ceremony.”

After a brief pause, allowing the people time to savor the shock, Wilhelmina continued speaking.

“I regret not having participated in the opening ceremony and encouraged the athletes who were starting the Olympics. If I had, wouldn’t there have been more faster, higher, and stronger records? Contrary to my prejudice, the Olympics were a wonderful sporting event that contributed to world peace. I couldn’t help but admire the efforts of so many people who sweated for the past 16 days. I hope to see an even better performance at the next Olympics. Thank you for your hard work, everyone.”

The players gathered at her podium cheered.

“and.”

A variety of hats flying in the sky and people running around with their arms around each other.

Everyone looked happy and joyful. Wilhelmina smiled faintly as she looked at them and said her last words.

“I would also like to express my deepest gratitude to my friend Douglas, who helped me break my old prejudices.”

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Opportunity to pay off debt