Capítulo 213: 213
Episode 213: What will you toast for (4)
December 3, 1942
New Fuhrer's Residence in Berlin, Germany
"Ayit sitpal."
The moment I heard the news, curses came out of my mouth without me knowing.
I have had a premonition for a long time that something like today would happen someday. But when reality hit me, my vision became blurry and my breathing became difficult.
It's not just an optical illusion that makes the whole world look yellow.
"What is America's reaction?"
"They are criticizing us in a harsh tone."
"Yes, I guess so."
Their country's destroyer and merchant ship were sunk, so of course they would be angry. If anything, it's even weirder if you stay still.
Roosevelt, who was already a German hater, directly addressed the nation, condemning Germany's 'despicable act of aggression' and claiming it was an intentional provocation against the United States. There was no need to say anything about Churchill's reaction.
"Ribbentrop!"
"yes."
"Publish a statement immediately. This accident was not completely intentional, but was a tragedy caused by a misunderstanding. Of course, don't forget to talk about apology and compensation. Do you understand?"
"We will follow headquarters."
The most urgent thing now is to end this incident as positively as possible.
Since we are currently at war with Japan, there is little chance that the United States will join the war until Japan surrenders, but what will happen after Japan surrenders is unknown.
Even before Japan's surrender, tensions could not be relaxed. Even in actual history, the United States was slowly preparing to intervene in the war even before the Pearl Harbor attack, and even if there had been no Pearl Harbor attack, the United States would have ultimately entered the war.
Of course, there would not have been national anger and blind support for the war like there was during the Pearl Harbor attack, and the ending of the war would have been very different from history.
"Mr. President. "It is important to express our intention to apologize to the American people, but we cannot allow the current situation to continue."
Dönitz said. Looking at his eyes, it seemed like he came out with a lot of intention today.
"We must express an apology, but make it clear that the United States is also responsible for what happened."
"But Admiral."
"Of course, I know that the President is concerned about America's participation in the war. However, if he allows overt support from the United States, he will never be able to force Britain to surrender. "The British are already disguising their own merchant ships as American ships, so how will they get out if we make it clear that they will never attack American merchant ships?"
"Admiral Dönitz is right."
Here, Goering also provided support fire.
"Despite being a neutral country, the United States attaches its own destroyers as escorts to British ships for the purpose of protecting its merchant fleet. This is a clear violation of the agreement. "You must point this out."
Goering was also strongly dissatisfied with the United States violating its neutrality obligations and openly siding with Britain.
It was the same for me, but realistically there was no other way, so I had no choice but to endure it.
There is no way to make the United States a pro-German country, nor is there a national power that can compete with the United States, so what can we do?
"The Americans are so busy fighting Japan that they will not declare war unless we do so first. So I don't think we need to take a too low-key stance."
"The more we take a low-key stance, the more arrogant the Americans will become. Germany alone is already the most powerful country in Europe. "We finally took control of Moscow, which everyone thought was impossible, but the United States should be afraid of us, and we should not continue to be afraid of the United States."
I understand what you're saying, but even if other countries don't know, America should be scared, right? You still don't know why we lost in World War I?
But Dönitz and Goering had a point.
The United States is blatantly taking Britain's side and is steadily providing war materials that Britain needs, but if it continues to neglect this, the war situation will remain the same even after 5 or 10 years.
It would be a different story if Uranfrocht came to fruition, but it is impossible to devise a strategy that depends on only Uranfroyet and the fate of the country.
And if possible, I want to end the war without using nuclear bombs.
Although we urgently put out the fire, we also need to make our position clear to the American people.
If you just keep burying it like now, nothing will change.
"Okay. "It's not like we can just keep bending."
***
December 6, 1942
Washington DC White House, USA
Americans were outraged when U-boats sank U.S. Navy destroyers and merchant ships.
A demonstration condemning Germany's atrocities was held in front of the German embassy, and Roosevelt, who had been secretly encouraging anti-German sentiment in order to support Britain more directly, gleefully criticized Germany.
However, Germany immediately issued an apology, promised compensation for the damage, and promised to prevent a recurrence, and the anti-German public opinion that had flared up for a while quieted down again.
However, Germany also seemed to have a lot in mind, and did not hide its discomfort, saying that the United States was violating its neutrality policy and that the United States was only exporting materials to the United Kingdom despite Germany's continued requests.
However, Hitler cleverly pointed out this fact, but instead of warning the United States, he included a request to export materials to Germany as well in his apology.
He also appealed for sympathy by mentioning the stories of his people suffering from the British maritime blockade.
Hitler's strategy worked well with the public, and opinions began to emerge that exports should be resumed not only to Britain but also to Germany.
Pro-German fascist groups, such as the American Silver Army and the German-American League, have already begun agitating for Germany to export food and resources in the same way as Britain. What about Jews and blacks?
Henry Ford and Charles Lindbergh even issued a statement in front of reporters requesting that they be sent to Germany for the sake of friendship between the United States and Germany.
The insectivores of society. Do they think this country they live in is Germany?
"If you think about the next election, it is not a very wise choice to continue to pretend with Germany like we are now."
"We are still at war with Japan. He arranged for the strengthening of Britain and Germany and focused on Japan-"
"Hitler had previously sent friendly gestures to the United States. "How about taking this opportunity to begin to improve relations with Germany in earnest?"
Even from the White House, there were voices calling for a closer relationship with Germany.
You live comfortably in this world. Hitler, how do you know what kind of ambitions he harbors?
"dismissal. Thinking about it calmly, it is not a wise choice to continue fighting with Germany like this. "You have to take into account the fact that the war with Japan is not over."
When even Marshall, whom he trusted, spoke bitterly, Roosevelt looked blatantly disappointed.
But Marshall was Marshall.
"This does not contain any intention, it just informs you of the stark reality."
"You know that, General Marshall. But are you saying we should just watch Germany dominate Europe like this?"
"Of course not. However, America's enemy now is Japan."
Even if his opponent was the president, Marshall had to say something to clear his mind, and when he came out with only facts, Roosevelt had nothing more to say. This was also true of Secretary of State Cordell Hull.
"It makes sense to definitely eliminate Japan first and then deal with Germany. Voters will hope so too. As you know, Excellency, public opinion is not in favor of war with Germany. In fact, it's the opposite. "Nevertheless, there is a risk of backlash if a war with Germany is pursued."
"Grunt."
The talk about what kind of threat Germany, which dominated Europe, would be to the United States, which Roosevelt always talked about, did not work because it had been a long time since he had become immune to it.
"I understand. However, the escort to England itself can never be withdrawn. If even this is withdrawn, Britain will raise the white flag in less than three months. "If Britain strengthens, the Soviet Union will also strengthen."
However, Roosevelt also had a stubborn personality.
He also had no intention of withdrawing his support for Britain. There is also a ban on exports of goods to Germany.
Secretary of the Navy Frank Knox, who had strongly advocated support for the British Navy and participation in the war since the outbreak of World War II, supported Roosevelt's policy.
However, Navy Chief of Staff Admiral Ernest King had a different idea.
"dismissal. In this case, the same thing will happen over and over again. Not only can we leave the public with the perception that we intentionally ignored the warning when Germany has already warned us, but we also need to focus all of our naval power on the Pacific in order to get Japan to surrender as soon as possible."
Roosevelt's face fell again at King's remarks, but King was not the type of person to be that scared. He was quite the opposite.
"Hitler had already made it clear before Pearl Harbor that he had no intention of being hostile to the United States. In fact, they even told us that Japan would attack Pearl Harbor. Of course we didn't make the best use of it."
"But Admiral King, that's-"
"dismissal. I'm sorry, but the country we're fighting with right now is Japan, not Germany. My mission is to catch the assholes as quickly as possible and send the soldiers home safely. "I think it is unnecessary to waste energy fighting with Germany, which has no intention of being hostile to us, when we should be focusing our efforts on the Pacific."
"Keuhumhum."
Roosevelt also did not hide his discomfort with King's quick remark.
Afterwards, the meeting continued, but ultimately ended with only the differences in the two sides' positions confirmed.
After the meeting, Roosevelt instructed his secretary to bring him some cold water.
When the cold water was delivered, he drank it in one go and put the glass down loudly on the table to express his discomfort.
"Whoa."
I'm going around.
I wonder how everyone is so peaceful.
Of course, if you look at reality, there is nothing wrong with what they say. We are at war with Japan, but not with Germany.
From a common sense perspective, it makes sense to focus more on Japan at war.
That made me even more angry. Because I can't refute it.
However, in terms of risk, Germany was dozens of times more dangerous than Japan.
Despite four years of war, Japan could not even defeat China (although there were several opportunities along the way).
Although the Allied Forces in Southeast Asia suffered a humiliating defeat due to a lightning surprise attack by the Japanese army, this was only because Japan used a cowardly method of surprise, and Britain, the Netherlands, and France all had only second-class troops in their colonies due to the war with Germany. The fact that there was no choice but to deploy it played a big role (that was Roosevelt's opinion).
And the United States achieved consecutive victories at Midway and Guadalcanal, and the battle in the Pacific War now shifted from Japan to the United States.
No matter how hard Japan tries, it will eventually be swallowed up and sink under the waves of the American flag. He predicted that no matter how long Japan could hold out, it would not last longer than four years.
But Germany is different from Japan.
Unlike Japan, which had ample opportunity to continuously grow as a victor in World War I, Germany was a defeated country and had only the optimal conditions for its collapse, such as loss of colonies and territory, restrictions on military spending, and astronomical compensation payments, rather than growth.
Nevertheless, Germany started war 20 years after the Treaty of Versailles was signed. Within a year of starting the war, all of Europe, excluding Britain and the Soviet Union, had been taken over, and now even Moscow had been captured.
'And now they're trying to bring Britain into submission as well.'
They still don't know the seriousness of the situation. What kind of disaster would hit the world if Germany, which brought Russia to its knees, also conquered England?
Between the United States and Europe, there is a huge shield called the Atlantic Ocean, and beyond the Atlantic Ocean, there is a shield as strong as the Atlantic Ocean called Great Britain.
However, if Britain falls to Germany, Germany will be able to freely advance into the Atlantic Ocean, which will naturally threaten America's right to survive.
Germany has already revealed its ambition to advance into the Atlantic Ocean by taking control of the Portuguese Azores Islands in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.
Yet people are ignoring future dangers simply because the United States and Germany are not at war.
Do they really not know the horrors of Germany? Or do you think Hitler is someone you can talk to and that he will keep his promises?
What do Britain, France, and Czechoslovakia, who believed in Hitler's promises, look like now?
The Czech Republic was annexed, France was reduced to a puppet state, and Britain was suffering from Nazi bombings every day.
There is no guarantee that the United States will not follow in the same footsteps as them.
Think about it with common sense.
Germany, which has taken control of Europe, will either stop being greedy and try to stay quiet, or will it become intoxicated with its own power and try to conquer the world.
Throughout history, Germany has always been in the latter position.
Even though the Soviet Union has not surrendered and Britain has its last breath, and this is the only time to suppress Germany's expansion, they are talking leisurely about thinking about defeating Japan first.
Isn't the future too dark when the front and back are blocked like this?
***
"It seems like Mr. President is very worried about the German issue."
"I understand what your concerns are, but I think it is still too early. "It is too early to worry about Germany while Japan remains."
Henry Arnold, commander of the U.S. Army Air Corps, also expressed agreement with Marshall's words.
They were not completely unable to understand Roosevelt's concerns. I just thought there was an order to everything.
I agree that Germany is a much more dangerous opponent than Japan. But should we focus more on being more wary of Germany rather than fighting Japan? This is a bit...
'Don't you know what's more urgent?'
No matter how threatening Germany is, the country currently at war with the United States is Japan.
Therefore, it is right to finish the war with Japan first and then take measures against Germany.
Even if there is a big fire in your neighbor's house, it makes sense to start by putting out a small fire in your own front yard.
However, in Marshall's view, Roosevelt seemed to be so worried about Germany that his judgment about what was a priority was clouded.
However, Marshall did not simply underestimate Germany.
It may be surprising for Roosevelt to know, but Marshall was also clearly aware that Germany would become the greatest threat to the United States in the future, and this was also a view shared by other generals, including Arnold and King.
They simply did not say it out loud for fear that Roosevelt's focus would fuel slightly deviant judgments, and they were also doing all they could in their current position.
Estado de energía semanal
-- Ranking de
Poder 
-- Piedra de
Poder