Capítulo 97: 97
December 6, 1940
New Fuhrer's Residence in Berlin, Germany
Although he didn't say anything, it was easy to guess why Dogo had come to see me.
Most likely, they came to see me because of China.
Sure enough, my guess turned out to be true about a minute after the meeting began.
Togo said that Japan was shocked that I accepted China's request and exported weapons.
When you say shock, you use all kinds of expressions that don't make any sense. If you look at what they're doing, it's like they're the ones who fought against the Nazis and are talking like victims who were hurt by their lover's affair.
To put it bluntly, they are world-class people.
"As requested by Germany, the Empire delivered various equipment, including the Great Barrier Movement Boat, to Germany. But how can something like this happen, selling weapons to an enemy of the empire?"
The large ship and related blueprints that were supposed to be imported from Japan were safely received and are now crossing the Indian Ocean. The Crix Marine succeeded in increasing its size with ships salvaged from France and Italy, but since there were almost no landing craft usable in actual combat, I decided to import anti-launch craft from Japan and study them. In addition, an amphibious armored vehicle similar to the American LVT (although it has not yet been given a formal name) is also being developed.
From Japan's perspective, it may seem shameful that we sold weapons to an enemy country after giving them what they asked for, but I also had something to say about that.
"In that matter, we, Germany, have paid a reasonable price, so it is over. And although China has a hostile relationship with Japan, it is an important trading partner for Germany. Above all, China trades not only with Germany but also with the UK and the US, so I don't know why they only apply strict standards to Germany. "Do you think Germany is easy on your country?"
"It seems like the leap is a bit severe. The reason the Empire protests against Germany is not because it trades with China, but because it sells weapons to them. Doesn't the Fuhrer know that the weapons sold by Germany to China are used by the imperial soldiers? And the President previously told me that he would bring Falkenhausen from China, but it turns out that he is still in China after more than three years. "The Empire is very uncomfortable in this regard as well."
"I didn't tell you about the Falkenhausen thing. He deliberately ignored my instructions and stayed in China. As a warning to him for disobeying orders, I directed the Gestapo to detain his family in Germany. Still, he did not respond to my instructions. What more can I do here? Should I execute my family?"
It is true that Falkenhausen's family was detained on my orders. To this day, they remain in a villa in Silesia under strict surveillance by the Gestapo. That too in a villa heavily guarded by the hotel chef, 10 employees, and heavily armed soldiers.
"And I have a question to ask the Ambassador. I don't understand how your country is so angry at us for selling weapons to China, but so lenient towards Poland, which actually attacked us first. When we were at war with Poland, you Japanese unilaterally took Poland's side and hurled all kinds of criticism at Germany. "Do you have anything to say about that?"
"Hmm, hmm."
Dogo, who came to protest why weapons were sold to China, averted his gaze and cleared his throat when I brought up the Polish issue.
Surprisingly, Japan and Poland were on very good terms during World War II. Poland was one of the few anti-Axis countries that recognized Manchukuo, a puppet state established by Japan in Manchuria, as an official state, and even after Poland fell due to German invasion, Japan preserved the Polish embassy in Tokyo and maintained diplomatic relations with the Polish government in exile. maintained. Even when the Polish government in exile declared war on Japan after the outbreak of the Pacific War, the Polish government ignored the declaration of war, thinking that it was due to British coercion.
The reason why Chiune Sugihara, famous for saving Jews from the Nazis, contacted agents of the Polish government-in-exile was based on this secret relationship between Japan and Poland.
Here too, Japan issued a statement condemning my invasion of Poland and exchanged information with the Polish government in exile in London. However, I did not mention that Japan was secretly communicating with the Polish government-in-exile. Isn't that how we can steal information without the Polish guys knowing?
Thanks to Japan's extremely weak encryption system, SD is collecting valuable information on the Japanese and Polish governments-in-exile every week. What's even more shocking is that both of these guys don't know that their information is being leaked to us.
They're such lovely assholes.
"I thought if Germany could be friendly with Japan, that would be the case. But it seems that your thoughts on returning home are different from mine. "But don't you think it's funny that you're talking about betrayal now?"
"… ..I have nothing to say. Well, one thing you should know is that I personally think that Germany is a more important partner for the Empire than Poland."
"exactly? "Thank you for that."
Huh, where are you saying nonsense that doesn't work? You know that your little bastards got into trouble with Polish guys more than once, right?
Even at this moment, Japanese and Polish intelligence agents in Germany were under Gestapo surveillance. If I move just one finger, they will be tied limb by limb and thrown alive into the Rhine. Let them live because there is still a lot of information to dig up, not not kill them because you can never kill them.
I wish you knew that fact.
***
Even at this meeting, Togo failed to achieve anything and returned to the embassy.
I expected that Japan would soon issue a statement criticizing me, but Japan's reaction was 180 degrees different from what I expected. Instead of issuing a statement of condemnation, Japan has proposed strengthening cooperation.
what? I couldn't help but be somewhat taken aback by Japan's reaction, which was completely different from what I expected. It was so unexpected that I had no idea how to respond.
"I don't really understand why Japan appears like that. "Does anyone have any guesses?"
"Isn't it because there's nothing really to be gained by criticizing us?"
Ribbentrop's conjecture.
"That makes sense. But somehow I don't think that's the whole reason."
"I think it's because Germany's position has changed compared to a year ago. Just a year ago, how many people would have thought that they could fight and win against YoungPro? Moreover, what about Japan? "Now that we are ruling over all of Europe, they seem to have changed their attitude."
Göring's conjecture. From a realistic perspective, this statement was the most credible.
Even after conquering Poland, Japan did not take sides between Germany and France and tended to wait and see the situation. Even if they succeeded in conquering Poland, even Germany, the world's greatest enemy, would not be able to do anything like Britain and France... .
However, when the British Empire collapsed and Germany quickly emerged as the loser of Europe, they probably decided that it was in their own interest to be friendly with Germany.
Those who were causing trouble three days ago for selling some weapons to China are now flattering us to become friends. They are like the guys who had the guts to demand that the Korean Peninsula, Taiwan, and Manchuria be left behind even before Hiroshima and Nagasaki were nuked.
If it were actually Hitler, I would have accepted the offer to get some help during the invasion of the Soviet Union, but for me, who had no intention of going to war with the Soviet Union for Lebensraum, it was just laughable.
I ignored Japan's proposal and hastened the withdrawal of the Germans from Japan. There is still one year left until the outbreak of the Pacific War, so we must completely withdraw from Japan until then.
In China, which is at war, all personnel except the military advisors have been withdrawn, and work is underway to evacuate Germans from Southeast Asia and Oceania, in addition to Japan, to their home countries. The problem was that businessmen and businessmen who stayed in the area were not responding to the evacuation order due to economic losses.
"It will cost the government a considerable amount of money to compensate for all business losses caused by the evacuation order."
Schacht expressed concern that providing compensation to each company and individual would be a significant financial burden.
I'm stuck with that damn money problem again. But I can't just leave it alone. It was a very difficult problem.
"I can't help it. "The government has no choice but to say they will compensate and bring them in."
Money is money, but protecting the people is the job of the country. Can it be called a country if it ignores this? Look at the South Korean embassy in China that ignored Jang Moo-hwan, a South Korean prisoner of war who managed to escape from North Korea after going through hardships. Can this be called a country?
"Instead, tell them that compensation will only be given to those who complied with the evacuation order before December 1941, and that compensation will not be given if the deadline is exceeded. "It is the state's duty to protect its citizens, but there is no need to take care of those who refuse the state's protection."
"All right."
***
December 14, 1940
Hubei Province, China
"They are running away."
"You cowards. I'm running away like a dog. "
The tank commander, Lieutenant Keichichi Nakano, whistled and enjoyed the victory.
The Type 3 tank he rode on was a symbol of victory for the Japanese army and a grim reaper for the National Revolutionary Army. Every time a Type 3 tank appeared, the Japanese army cheered everyone from officers to soldiers, while the National Revolutionary Army screamed. As soon as the Type 3 tank appeared, the morale of the soldiers could be seen rising.
Nakano's original dream was to become a fighter pilot. He was good at studying from a young age and succeeded in entering the Akeno Army Flight School, but he dropped out of school because he was tired of the strict rules and the constant assaults from his seniors. Nakano, who had given up his piloting career, entered the Army Tank School at the recommendation of his relative.
At the Army Tank School, assaults under the pretense of capturing military discipline were common, but the rules were not as strict as those at the aviation school. After graduating from the Army Tank School at the top of his class, Nakano was immediately put on a transport ship bound for China and sent into battle.
The Type 97 Chi-Ha, which he previously rode, was the most powerful tank in the Japanese army's arsenal, but compared to the Type 3 tank, it was a light tank. The thicker armor, decent mobility, and spacious interior space than the Chi-ha were enough to impress the Japanese tank crews, whose daily lives were confined to a narrow vehicle body.
"As expected, Germany's technological prowess is unique. Isn't that right?"
"yes. Germans certainly make things amazingly well."
The watch Nakano was wearing was also something his father bought in Germany. Even though five years have passed, the watch has never broken down.
"It seems like they all ran away, and they are slowly withdrawing..."
Nakano, who was considering withdrawing because he could not see the National Revolutionary Army, stopped when a friendly tank on his left was hit by a shell. A metallic sound of steel breaking was heard, and three seconds later an explosion occurred and flames erupted from inside the tank.
"Kwaaaah!!!"
Tank soldiers with colorful flower decorations on their bodies screamed and escaped from the burning tank. The soldiers, who were intoxicated with victory and shouting hurray, froze at the sudden situation.
"Damn, didn't they all run away?"
Nakano cursed and pushed himself into the cupola. The shells clearly came from the front. Judging from the fact that it destroyed a Type 3 tank in one blow, it was clearly an anti-tank gun or field artillery. Nakano and his men turned on their eyes to find the enemy who had fired the shell.
"found!"
Nakano saw something covered in camouflage. It was most likely an enemy anti-tank gun.
"The enemy is at 2 o'clock. Load armor-piercing shells and turn the turret!"
"All right!"
While the gunner was rotating the turret, Nakano radioed his tanks to pay attention to the 2 o'clock direction.
"Huh?"
Nakano, who had not taken his eyes off the target, was surprised to see the target backing up. In order for an anti-tank gun to move, several people had to cling to it and push it back, but the fact that it moved alone was proof that it was not a towed artillery like an anti-tank gun.
'Are you saying it was a tank and not an anti-tank gun?'
By the time the gunner had finished turning the turret, the enemy had already left Nakano's sight. Unfortunately, there was a hill between him and the enemy, so there was a blind spot in the tank gun's firing range. Nakano, who had lost sight of the enemy, was furious.
But there was not just one enemy. While everyone's eyes were elsewhere, a National Revolutionary Army tank appeared from another direction and fired at the Japanese Army's Type 3 tanks. A loud gunshot rang out, followed by heavy drinking.
-Car number 4 was hit!
Nakano was taken aback as two tanks were destroyed in an instant. It's also shocking that he destroyed a Type 3 tank, which was thought to be invincible, with one blow, but it wasn't just one tank.
"Car number 2, aim for the newly appeared enemy! "I will aim for the enemy at 2 o'clock."
-reception!
"Driver, move forward! "Go over the hill!"
"yes!"
Nakano decided to advance instead of retreat. Unless the exact identity of the enemy was known, retreating was a wise choice, but Nakano, who had already lost two tanks, had no other option but to attack.
If he had ordered a retreat, he would have been branded a coward who gave up fighting the enemy even after losing two tanks, and would have been subject to all sorts of criticism. In the worst case, he could have been ordered to commit seppuku. Therefore, he had no choice but to fight to survive.
As the tank crossed the berm, Nakano immediately discovered where the enemy was hiding. Just 50 meters away, an enemy tank was aiming its main gun at Nakano's tank.
The enemy tank fired first before the gunner could press the trigger. As a heavy impact was delivered, sparks and debris flew indiscriminately.
"Ugh!"
The driver, radio operator, and gunner were killed, and the ammunition operator fainted after hitting his head on the inner wall of the tank. Fortunately, Nakano survived with only shrapnel wounds to his forehead and shoulder.
Instead of abandoning the tank and escaping, he pushed the out-of-breath gunner and operated the turret himself. The chamber was already loaded with shells.
"done."
As the enemy tank was caught in the cracked scope, Nakano smiled in remorse. And then, without delay, he pressed the trigger.
-Rattle
"what is this!?"
When I pressed the trigger, instead of the tank gun firing, only the sound of metal rubbing was heard. Embarrassed, Nakano pressed the trigger again, but this time there was no sound.
Due to the impact of the attack, the main gun broke down and could not fire.
"Holy shit… ."
That became Nakano's last will. The National Revolutionary Army's Type 50 tank fired again, completely suffocating the Type 3 tank.
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