章 93: 93
The fate of a country that loses a war is harsh.
This is especially true if it is the country that started the war first.
Italy ceded all northern territories ceded from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, including Trentino-Alto Adige and the Istrian Peninsula, to Germany.
Italians living in areas that were now German territory were given a choice. Should I stay in this country or leave my hometown and go to Italy?
They were free to choose, but when it was emphasized that if they wanted to stay in their hometown, they had to learn German and take regular exams, many Italians packed up and left their hometown with their families.
Learning German is usually not an easy task, but considering the treatment I would receive in Germany, I guess I decided that it would be better to emigrate.
On the other hand, Italians who had been living in these areas since before World War I chose to remain in their hometowns.
Although they were familiar with the German language, for them it was just a return to life before World War I.
The only difference is that they are citizens of the Third Reich, not Austria-Hungary.
Albania and Ethiopia gained independence, and the Italian Navy, which had little opportunity to be active during the war with Germany, received two state-of-the-art Littorio-class battleships, Littorio and Vittorio Veneto, which were built only two months ago, four Condottieri-class light cruisers, and Some destroyers were delivered to the German Navy.
In return, the compensation Italy had to pay was reduced to 2.5 billion marks within 20 years, and it was also allowed to retain Libya, Eritrea, and Somaliland.
It's a better ending compared to the original history, where we formed an alliance with Germany, started a war, and lost the entire colony.
Nevertheless, despair did not leave the faces of the Italian delegation. It is obvious that these people do not know the actual history that I know.
It would be shocking to see that Italy is a mess in its original history.
As soon as I finished signing the armistice agreement document, the tension eased and a sense of accomplishment and relief flooded me.
"The war is finally over. Congratulations, Prime Minister. With this, Europe has regained peace!"
"… .It is truly something to be happy about."
After I finished signing, I smiled and held Badoglio's hand and shook it. Badoglio shook my hand with a complicated face.
"Now, let's go to the banquet hall. "I have food specially prepared for you."
"?"
The Italian delegation who moved to the negotiation hall became as hard as a rock when they saw the identity of the food placed on the dinner table.
The dish that stands out the most among the numerous delicacies from the mountains and seas on the table.
That dish is... .
"It's Hawaiian pizza!"
Voila.
"Ha, Hawaiian pizza… .?"
The Italian negotiating team blinked and could not speak. You might have thought that the only ingredients on pizza were tomato sauce, cheese, basil, and at most olives or salami, but you never thought that pineapple would suddenly be added on top.
"Ho, is this Hawaiian food by any chance…?" .?"
"iced coffee. You might think that because of the name. Don't misunderstand. This is a dish that came out of my head. "The reason I named it Hawaii was because I liked the sound."
Many people misunderstand because of the name, but Hawaiian pizza has nothing to do with Hawaii. Rather, it is related to Germany.
Greek-Canadian Sam Panopoulos, the founder of Hawaiian pizza, was inspired by 'Toast Hawaii' shown on TV by German chef Clemens Wilmenroth in 1955, and created Hawaiian pizza and introduced it to the world in 1962.
In other words, the origin of Hawaiian pizza is German cuisine!
"Come on, try it while it's hot. "Originally, when pizza cools, the cheese hardens and becomes tasteless."
"Thank you."
Badoglio and the Italians seemed genuinely shocked, beyond being shocked, but when I offered them Hawaiian pizza, they forced a smile and took the pizza to their mouths.
And take a bite.
"How does it taste? "Is it worth eating?"
"Uh, um… Yes, it's delicious… ."
"That's a good thing. This dish was specially designed for today, but I was worried that it might not suit my taste! "Come on, have some more!"
Göring and Ribbentrop stared pitifully at the Italian delegation who ate Hawaiian pizza with solemn faces at the advice that was not my recommendation. Kaitel completely turned his head.
Hawaiian pizza is delicious.
***
The troops stationed in Albania and Ethiopia decided to immediately withdraw from the two countries and hand over their weapons to the armies of the two independent countries in exchange for compensation.
Observers will be sent from the military of Germany and its allies - Slovakia and Scandinavia - to oversee the process.
This was to prevent the Italians from burying their weapons in the sea or massacring the residents as a way to vent their anger during the war.
The Italian army has been evaluated as more gentlemanly than the German and Japanese armies, but strictly speaking, that is also wrong.
Since the evil acts committed against British or American soldiers were rare, they were treated leniently by the Allied powers after the war, but Italian troops committed numerous massacres in Libya, Ethiopia, and the Balkan Peninsula.
I have to keep a close eye on them because they might use some excuse to make a fuss about not giving me their dog.
Italy, which had strengthened its ties with Germany, soon signed a peace treaty with Yugoslavia. Instead of immediately stopping the war, exchanging prisoners, and resuming economic exchanges, Zadar became part of Yugoslavia.
The Yugoslav government widely publicized the news of Zadar's acquisition, but considering that the Yugoslav army suffered more than 7,000 casualties during the short war, it was only a traumatic victory.
Among the 160,000 captured Italian soldiers, he instructed Keitel to immediately release the wounded, but decided to hold the other prisoners for a while.
Just as the Soviet Union actively used German prisoners of war to rebuild its cities in history, we also plan to use Italian prisoners of war to rebuild Austrian cities destroyed by air raids.
They destroyed it, so they should take responsibility for it.
Coincidentally, Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia and King Jogu I of Albania, who lost their country to Italy, both went into exile in England. However, when Italy became an ally with England, their position became very difficult.
The British government did not expel them or repatriate them to Italy, but it did put the brakes on the actions of the government-in-exile, such as banning anti-Italian propaganda activities and imposing surveillance.
It was sad that their country was taken away, and when they began to receive blatantly poor treatment even in the place where they were living in exile, the two despaired and even considered moving to the United States.
Meanwhile, as the war ended with Germany's victory, they were able to return to their homeland.
Before returning to their homeland, the two stopped by Germany and thanked me for liberating their country.
In particular, Selassie of Ethiopia, who suffered the most damage from Italy, was especially grateful to me.
"Thank you, Fuhrer! Thanks to you, my country and my people were liberated from slavery and could become free again!"
"I just did the natural thing for the suffering Ethiopian people."
It is also a reward for saving our country from the brink of destruction by sending his SS unit to the Korean War.
Selassie held my hand and shook it repeatedly, promising that he would build a square and street named after me in the capital, Addis Ababa, as soon as he returned to his country.
There's no need to do that.
I declined, saying it was burdensome, but Selassie didn't even listen. That was all there was to say thank you, and then a serious and confidential conversation continued.
People usually think of Ethiopia as one of the world's poorest countries, but in fact, Ethiopia is a country buried in numerous resources, including gold, iron ore, natural gas, and tantalum.
It's just that the country doesn't have the money to utilize the minerals.
I asked for the right for German companies to enter Ethiopia and mine minerals in exchange for helping modernize the Ethiopian military, and the emperor readily accepted my request.
Mussolini, who started the war, is still under arrest, and Balbo and Graziani, who led the German attack as the vanguard, are under home arrest like Mussolini.
Some generals suggested that we should ask the Italian government to hand over their new soldiers and punish them, but I refused.
Although the war was lost, there were still quite a few Mussolini followers in Italy, and the Italian government could not have been positive about extraditing its defeated generals to Germany.
Conversely, if they ask you to hand over compensation in exchange for the extradition of new soldiers, what should you say? Even rats can bite people if they are cornered, but if you push Italy too hard, you might end up in trouble. Therefore, dismissed.
The Italian issue is over at this point, and it is time to move on to the next issue.
A much more important issue than 'mere' Italy.
***
July 25, 1940
Kaiser Wilhelm Institute Berlin, Germany
When I entered the laboratory, Einstein was waiting for me along with his scientific colleagues. All of them were core members of the scientists who participated in 'Uranfrocht'.
Uranprojekt.
Nazi Germany's nuclear weapons development plan.
The Nazis despised nuclear physics, calling it an inferior Jewish discipline, but paradoxically, they began developing nuclear weapons to utilize the enormous amount of energy generated by nuclear fission as a weapon.
No matter how much it is called a 'Jewish study,' if you look at its results alone, there is nothing that attracts me more than this.
How crazy is it that a bomb is so powerful that existing conventional weapons look like slingshots and rocks? This is especially true for Nazis who have always been fascinated by large and powerful weapons.
However, development was slow due to continuous sabotage by the Allies, lack of ability of scientists involved in nuclear development, and depletion of resources, and in the end, the Nazis were defeated without even getting close to nuclear weapons.
But who am I?
Even though he is trapped in Hitler's body, isn't his spirit like that of Lee Gyu-tae, a citizen of the Republic of Korea?
In order to prevent the Holocaust, I actively rejected and worked to eradicate the anti-Semitism that was rampant throughout Germany, and thanks to this, scientists who would have settled in Germany in the United States and England and participated in the Manhattan Project voluntarily came to Germany. It remained.
As a result, Uranfroyott was able to operate from the winter of 1937.
When I entered the conference room, no one said anything, but the scientists all stood up.
I was used to seeing generals in grey-green military uniforms standing up, but I was not used to seeing scientists in white coats standing up, so I was a little embarrassed.
"There's no need to stand up. "Everyone is comfortable."
When I held out my hand and signaled them to sit down, the scholars sat down in their chairs without hesitation.
Five sturdy SS soldiers dressed in black uniforms stood at attention, contrasting with the scholars in white gowns.
I deployed them to guard the scholars, but the scholars seemed uncomfortable with the presence of SS soldiers.
They seemed to think that they were beings that were watching over them, not to protect them from someone else's threat. Actually, that wasn't entirely wrong.
"You guys can go out. great job."
When the order to leave was given, the SS escort left immediately.
I instructed Krause and Günsche not to let anyone in while the meeting was in progress.
After all the security forces were sent out, only the scientists and I were left in the conference room. First, I approached a scholar with a thick mustache.
"Nice to meet you, Dr. Einstein."
"It is an honor, Mr. President."
Albert Einstein smiled slightly and shook my hand.
He had sent me a heartfelt letter telling his story, and I had sent him a letter inviting him to participate in Uranfroyd and received a confirmation, but this was the first time we had met face to face.
"It's been a while, Dr. Heiselberg. "It's been three years since we met."
"That's right, Mr. President. "You remembered."
He and Werner Heisenberg, who sat next to Einstein, had met once for a meeting when Uranfroyd was just starting out.
Like Einstein, all the remaining scientists were people I met for the first time today.
I looked at the faces of each and every scholar attending the conference.
Otto Hahn, Max Planck, Walter Bode, Johann von Neumann (who did not immigrate to the United States and therefore did not change his name to 'John'), Klaus Clusius, Max Born, etc... ..
All of them are giants who have made a big mark in the history of modern science.
Among them were some who were not German, most notably Teller Ede, known under the name Edward Teller, Leo Szilard and von Neumann, famous under the name Leo Gillard, who were Hungarians born during the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and Niels Bohr. He was Danish.
Among the scholars there were women. In the original history, the main character was Lise Meitner, who was stripped of her professorship because she was Jewish and went into exile in Sweden.
She sat quietly between von Neumann and her nephew, Otto Frisch.
The purpose of meeting with them today was to report on the status of Uranfroyet's progress and listen to the difficulties and suggestions that arose during the research.
Einstein spoke to me about the progress of the research on behalf of the scholars participating in Uranfroend.
"What the President said before, that plutonium is more efficient than uranium 235 and the plan to use graphite as a moderator in addition to heavy water, has been confirmed to be true. "We are currently producing a graphite reactor and we expect production to be completed soon."
"hmm."
The German scientists who participated in Uranfroend concluded, through a faulty experiment, that graphite could not be used as a moderator and only heavy water should be used.
I pointed out their mistakes, and even the scholars who were skeptical at first changed their attitude towards me after learning about the results of the experiment.
"How did the President know something that we didn't even know about?"
"This is information obtained by SD agents who infiltrated the UK. "Please understand that I cannot tell you how I obtained it."
"Is that so?"
Einstein looked disappointed, but did not inquire further about the source of the information.
I was the one who delivered them some of the representative knowledge needed for nuclear development, but since I was an ordinary person and not a scientist, I had nothing to say when asked where the knowledge came from.
You can't answer that I came from the future and told you what I saw in books and on the Internet.
Therefore, in order to prevent the source of my knowledge from being revealed, I would block similar questions by saying the following.
Einstein reported on the results of an experiment using a 1.5m-sized cyclotron (a particle accelerator that accelerates ions using high-frequency electrodes and magnetic fields) built last month, where he had difficulty, where he found a solution, and what parts were used. He explained for three hours why we should focus on studying.
For three hours, he calmly continued his explanation without any difficulties. I felt that geniuses are different, but at the same time, I also felt that it was disappointing. It's a pity that if I had been a science major rather than a liberal arts major, I would have been able to understand the current explanation better.
At the end of the long, complex, yet solemn report, I applauded heartily. Einstein sat down with an embarrassed expression.
"That was a great explanation. But I have a question... . Would it be okay?"
"Please tell me."
"How many more years do you think it will take for Uranfroyott to bear fruit?"
To be honest, I have no interest in scientific principles or discoveries. My only concern is when the nuclear bomb will be completed.
Einstein's thick mustache twitched at my question. He seemed to hesitate for a moment, then exchanged glances with Heisenberg.
"To put it bluntly, at the current rate of progress, it will take at least five more years. "It may be later than that."
"Five years."
At least 5 years... .
At least this is how much the development period was shortened thanks to the 4,000 tons of natural uranium secured from Belgium.
Nuclear development costs an astronomical amount of money, incomparable to developing tanks or fighter jets.
Even in the United States, which is famous for making money, it took six years of development, 130,000 workers, and a huge cost of $2 billion ($33 billion in 21st century values, or 39.96 trillion won in Korean money) to bring the Manhattan Project to fruition. We barely made nuclear weapons.
It was nuclear weapons that were managed to be developed at a cost and manpower so great that even the United States of America was burdened with it.
In comparison, for Germany, which has a smaller economy than the United States, it was natural that it would take longer than that.
Todt and Speer did not oppose Uranfroedt, but expressed concern that the cost of nuclear development was too high, and Schacht even frothed at the mouth. What kind of waste is this when the war is over?
Even though it is not enough to focus on economic recovery, a huge amount of budget is being poured into uncertain experiments that do not know when the results will come out, so it would seem to Schacht, an economist, to be a ridiculous act.
But even though the war was over, I still had some anxiety.
Anxiety about whether war might break out again at any time.
France and Italy have retired, but Britain is still hanging on, and so is the Soviet Union. And the United States, the greatest risk, is also alive and well.
Now that the war is over, we can live comfortably, but what if those three countries suddenly attack? Fighting against any one of the three countries is difficult, but will Germany be able to survive if it has to deal with all three countries at the same time?
Therefore, I wanted to obtain nuclear weapons as a last resort in case of emergency.
If there were a super-powerful bomb capable of blowing up any city, whether New York, London, or Moscow, with a single blow, no country would dare think of going to war.
If you want peace, prepare for war (Si vis pacem, para bellum). These are the words of the Roman strategist Publius Flavius Vegetius Renatus.
If you want to live a long life, you have to prepare in advance. You can't live long with just the illusion that war won't happen.
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