Survive as a World War II Soldier - Chapter 97



Only Noblemtl

#097

“So the next election is a presidential election?”

“Oh. Right. Then shouldn’t we look into the vice presidential candidates?”

This was the response of Truman and New York Mayor Guardia to my words that we should do what we do well.

“Look at this New York State.”

“Yes, you go to the White House and make the whole country like New York.”

Although Roosevelt’s New Deal policies helped alleviate the hardships of Americans during the Great Depression, it was generally accepted in history that it was World War II that actually ended the Great Depression.

And this was not wrong even in the current situation in which I was involved.

The unemployment rate, which had seemed to be improving at one point, began to soar again, and the recession, which seemed to be going away, was not going away but was coming back.

But if we limit it to New York State, the story is a little different.

Some states, including the South, were still struggling, and Hoovertown, a place filled with slums, was still there, but New York was different.

The last of the Hoover Valley was demolished in preparation for the 1938 National Athletic Meet.

And the New York fair that started not long ago was also generating great excitement.

New York was in full recovery, and my and Guardia’s approval ratings were, well, nothing to say.

So, Truman and Guardia are what I do best,

“Politics and administration are the governor’s specialties!”

“And isn’t the highest peak the president?”

But Donovan, who was nearby, thought a little differently.

“I don’t know if that’s the case during normal times, but it’s different during wartime. Aren’t you thinking of returning to active duty?”

It was Wilbur whose eyes sparkled at Donovan’s words.

“So, are you thinking of an expeditionary force commander like General Pershing during the last war?”

Those who had served in the battlefield with me for a long time, like Donovan and Wilbur, knew my abilities as a soldier better than anyone.

“But would it be a burden for Marshall or the next president to accept?”

“That’s right. It’s a good thing that the governor is gone, and Tommy and Baguette won’t be able to say anything….”

They expressed their concerns, saying that although he was the one who looked the best in military uniform, he was not the type of person who would just say, “Let me do it,” and drop off his hat.

That wasn’t all.

“Are you thinking of becoming a conman?”

The person who was spouting such nonsense was a seal pup.

King added his explanation in a cynical voice.

“Isn’t what you’re best at in the world, fooling innocent people and making a killing? Arthur is the most notable victim.”

“How much have I done for you, hyung···.”

“Oh my. You’re trying to trick me by giving me a little bit of money when I was living comfortably…”

Arthur III, who had approached without notice, began to speak tremblingly.

“You, the guys under me are really···”

Do you grind your teeth just by mentioning my name? No, why are you saying that it’s my fault that you seals have jaw problems?

“The position of Public Relations Officer is vacant, but···.”

Marshall wasn’t normal either.

“Isn’t your specialty dealing with reporters?”

Marshall, who had been chuckling at my bewildered gaze, opened his mouth again.

“If it were up to me, my senior, if you would take on the role of commander of the European Expeditionary Forces···.”

“I think I said that it wasn’t my job and that there was someone else who was better suited to the job.”

At my words, Marshall pointed to himself with sparkling eyes.

“Me?”

After all, it is basic for all soldiers to want to go to the battlefield. Even after becoming the Chief of Staff, Marshall showed no signs of having any lingering desire to go to Europe.

“Even a joke is fine.”

Marshall sighed with a regretful face at my reply of not even dreaming.

“Yes, well. How could I disobey you, Senior?”

And finally, we face the final boss.

He trembled at my words and burst into laughter.

“So you should do what you want to do, and leave this poor disabled person to fend for himself one more time?”

“What do you mean, ‘a piece of shit’?”

“Well, then? What kind of president would want to have you as Secretary of War?”

“That’s true, then.”

While war broke out in Europe, Americans’ immediate focus was on the presidential election scheduled for next year.

And at the center of it all was me.

Not only the Democratic Party, but also the Republican Party believed that if I ran for president, I would be elected for sure.

Thanks to this, there is fierce competition within the Democratic Party for the vice presidential position.

“You’ve done enough as the governor of New York, so isn’t it time you moved here?”

“well.”

Roosevelt sighed and glared at me as I shrugged my shoulders.

“Ha. Well, maybe this isn’t the right place for you yet.”

“That’s right. The president can’t go to the front lines.”

“Hi. Well, do you think the minister can go?”

“I heard you used to be a good baker?”

When I said that there was an excellent excuse to inspect the front lines, Roosevelt burst into laughter.

“Damn. So you’re saying I have to run for a third term.”

“Yes. I’m sure you can do it.”

It was something he said knowing that he could easily win a fourth term, let alone a third, but Roosevelt didn’t seem to like it.

Why are lasers coming out of my eyes soon?

“There are no restrictions in the Constitution anyway.”

“But no one broke the tradition established by Washington.”

“So, does that mean that everything that’s old is a tradition? If it doesn’t fit the times, it’s not a tradition, it’s a bad custom, an obsolete practice.”

“How foolish of you, Mr. West Point’s tradition destroyer.”

Roosevelt waved his hand and let out a deep sigh, saying that there was still time left and that they would talk in detail later.

“To be honest, I want to get involved right now, but I don’t have a reason. I don’t have a reason.”

“yes.”

Honestly, why did Britain and France continue to be dragged into Hitler’s lies?

It was because he wanted to prevent war even at the risk of death.

Knowledge is power, you know? No, in this case it was the exact opposite.

They say ignorance is bliss, but if I didn’t know, I would have crashed into something big…

“If that had been the case, we would have prevented not only Czechoslovakia but even Poland from ending up like that.”

“What can I do? I got scared before we even started fighting.”

“Right. So how can we win?”

Britain and France assumed that Germany would remember and fear the horrors of the previous war as much as they did.

“Do you think those guys are really trying to start a war?”

“That Hitler guy is just a talker.”

“Yes, the Germans would never want war.”

But there was something they failed to consider: even a mouse will bite a cat when cornered.

The situation was completely different for those who enjoyed their rights as a victorious nation after the war and for Germany, which suffered under the yoke of being a defeated nation.

“Either way or way.”

“Yeah, life is suffering anyway.”

Above all, the German people had a great and trustworthy Führer.

No, perhaps they decided to forget the shackles and pain of reality that had bound them by believing Hitler’s sweet words.

“Trust me. Trust the Germanic power that flows through your veins.”

“The defeat in the last war was not because of our mistakes, but because of those wicked Jews and others.”

Aren’t people originally beings who only hear what they want to hear and believe what they want to believe?

As a result, the Germans were blinded by the benefits that victory would bring rather than by the fear of war.

The result was the current situation where the Czech Republic and Poland have disappeared.

“If we want to prevent the worst, we need to attack Germany now, but will France do that?”

“No. That can’t be.”

If France had had that courage, the current war would not be called a fake war.

Shortly after Germany invaded Poland, Britain and France declared war.

And the French army deployed its troops along the border with Germany.

But that was all.

Despite the mutual defense treaty with Poland, France did not move any further.

“France, which borders Germany, is in the same state right now. So when will we be able to get involved in the war?”

I gave the answer to Roosevelt’s question.

“After getting hit once.”

“Ha, so that was only possible after U-boats occupied the Atlantic Ocean.”

“It’s disappointing that you think it’ll only work on your side.”

Roosevelt’s eyes narrowed at my words.

“It’s Japan···.”

Roosevelt looked half incredulous when I said that the Japanese would dare attack us.

“Wouldn’t it be strange if those who joined hands with Hitler were sane?”

“Hmm. I see.”

Roosevelt, who had been nodding his head, opened his mouth again.

“So are you saying we should just sit around and wait until they come for us?”

Ultimately, the biggest problem was people’s fear.

It wasn’t that I didn’t understand.

I also often wake up from nightmares. At least the situation was better for me and the Rainbow Division.

In other words, the story was that veterans from other divisions had suffered worse nightmares than I had.

It was terrifying to stand on such a battlefield again.

“You want me to send my child there?”

“Are you crazy? War!”

For those in their 40s and 50s, the backbone of today’s society, war was a nightmare they couldn’t even think about. Of course, there would be no one who would want to send their children there.

“So I wanted to make an anti-war film.”

“An anti-war film that eliminates the fear of war?”

“Yeah. You have to know how cruel war is.”

At my words, Roosevelt blinked with a blank expression.

“Did I hear that wrong? Didn’t you say it was a twist movie?”

“Yeah. A twist movie. That way, we can show the brutality of the battlefield.”

I began to explain slowly to Roosevelt, who still did not understand what I was saying.

“I heard that the documentary footage of the Spanish Civil War was so popular?”

“That’s it···.”

I’ve seen it a few times too.

A Stuka flies gracefully, dropping bombs, clouds of smoke and dust rising.

A hail of shells fired by dozens of tanks facing each other.

There was something that was clearly not in the footage showing the battlefield.

“There wasn’t a single bloody, injured person, or dying person in the video. I know. It was a video with a clear purpose.”

The reason Elliot took such a video and sent it was none other than to secure a budget.

‘Have you seen that? That killer new weapon. But Germany has it and we don’t. So buy it for us!!!’

Naturally, I cut out all the content that people might find objectionable.

“But is war always such a wonderful thing?”

“No way. But how can you change people’s minds with an anti-war film that shows the cruelty of war? You know how strong the anti-war sentiment is even now.”

I smiled at Roosevelt.

“Have you heard that some of those who went to Spain did not return and instead went to the wrong place?”

“Oh. Are you talking about the guys who went to the Philippines?”

“okay.”

“What does that have to do with a twist movie?”

I heard that over 300 people were upset and decided to go to the Philippines because they could not leave Japan alone.

It was not simply that he was moved by the activities of the Korean Volunteer Army and their will for independence.

“Oh my god, is this really something a human would do?”

“The Germans are crazy, but these guys are not human either.”

In the Spanish Civil War, the Germans tested new weapons and various strategies to utilize them.

And among them was large-scale strategic bombing.

The tragedy that occurred during that process was Guernica.

The Condor Legion operation on April 26, 1937, which wiped an entire village off the map with a massive air raid, had a huge impact on many people.

“The Germans are devils.”

“I cannot forgive the fascists.”

And before the shock could even subside, terrible news arrived from Asia: the Nanjing Massacre.

“This is what the Japanese army did in Nanjing, China.”

“Oh my god, is this something a person would do?”

“Those guys···.”

At that time, Nanjing, the capital of the Republic of China, had a significant number of foreigners from various countries, and news of what happened through them was relayed to foreign countries.

Spain was originally in the midst of a civil war and had no interest in external affairs.

However, thanks to the existence of the Korean Volunteer Army, they were able to take an interest in Asia, and the Nanjing Massacre also became widely known, unlike the original history.

And this was the main reason why more than 300 Americans went to the Philippines to shout out for humanity.

“We must protect humanity from the demons.”

Weren’t they originally great people who had been obsessed with ‘heroism’ since they went to Spain as volunteers, and were willing to sacrifice their entire bodies for humanity?

“So, are you saying that you want to change people’s fear and rejection of war into fear and rejection of Japan and the Nazis?”

“okay.”

Roosevelt scratched his chin at my words.

“I think we need to plan carefully. It’s not possible to do it with just one movie.”

“That’s obvious.”

Roosevelt nodded when I told him that the plan was already in place and that it was just a matter of putting it into action.

“By the way, Doug.”

“huh?”

“Wouldn’t it be better to be a White House Press Secretary than a Secretary of War?”

“It looks like this is only your second drink, are you already drunk?”

From anti-Germany to anti-Japan