บท 53: 53
war (3)
While Germany was preparing for a decisive battle next year, England and France were not just sitting idle.
"Poland collapsed in less than a month. "Poland, with its 950,000-strong army!"
"I knew the German army was not an ordinary army, but I never thought it would be this powerful."
The world was shocked and terrified by the sight of the German army destroying Poland, a powerhouse in Eastern Europe, in just four weeks.
In particular, the shock to Britain and France, which had to fight against them, was even greater.
"The performance of the German Army's 2nd Panzer, LT-35, and LT-38 tanks is not a major problem. "The real problem is Panzer 4."
"Any tank the Polish army had was inferior to the German Panzer IV. "There are cases where we were lucky enough to succeed in defeating the enemy by targeting the side or rear, but in most cases, we were defeated without even being able to properly hit the enemy."
"According to the testimony of Polish soldiers, one Panzer 4 destroyed four tanks in a surprise attack. All the shells fired by the Polish Army's Vickers tank ricocheted. Even the shells that hit the side."
"It's not made from dragon scales, so is that even possible?"
The performance of the 4th Panzer in Poland was enough to make the leaders of both armies nervous. If you just listen to the testimonies, it was a performance that was nothing short of monstrous.
"From what we found, the front armor of the hull is 80mm, the front armor of the turret is 50mm, the sides of the hull are 30mm, and the rear of the hull is 20mm. "With the Boyz anti-tank rifle that our troops have, you can only inflict damage if you approach at a distance of 90 meters and aim at the rear."
"Huh, this is true."
"You have to approach up to 90m? Should I aim for the rear too? "The soldiers will do well!"
The Boise anti-tank rifle used by the British and French troops was capable of penetrating 23mm of vertical armor at a distance of 90m.
In other words, it was said that the teeth did not work against Panzer 4 from the front and sides.
If you target the machine gun seat and the driver's observation window on the front of the tank, you can reduce a significant portion of the tank's combat power, but even the higher-ups knew that this was not normal.
You should be able to inflict damage to your enemies without having to target their weak points!
The British Army's 2-pounder anti-tank gun and the French Army's Hotchkiss 25mm anti-tank gun had bright prospects.
If you aim at the side, theoretically you can penetrate from a distance of 1km, and if you focus on targeting only the turret from the front, you can penetrate at 500m.
The British army judged that the performance of its own anti-tank guns was sufficient and decided to focus on anti-tank rifles, which were somewhat less powerful.
Unlike anti-tank guns that require at least four people to operate, anti-tank rifles can be easily operated by a single infantryman.
The British military leadership paid attention to this.
"Anti-tank rifles are much cheaper than anti-tank guns, so we can produce more of them. "One or two soldiers are sufficient for operation."
"We don't know when the Germans will attack, so we need to produce as many anti-tank rifles as possible and give them to our soldiers!"
The British army decided that arming infantry with anti-tank rifles was a better option than with anti-tank guns, which were expensive and required a large number of personnel, and immediately began developing a new anti-tank rifle.
The conditions set by the British military leadership were that it should be able to penetrate 30mm armor plate at a minimum of 200m and that it should not weigh more than 20kg so that infantrymen could carry it.
As a result of the hard work of engineers who have been faithful slaves of high-ranking people since ancient times, the result was produced in three months.
It's called the Kings Anti-Tank Rifle.
"Using the newly developed 14×120mm armor-piercing shell, it can penetrate 35mm of vertical armor at 200m and weighs 'only' 22kg!"
"Oooh."
It's a little disappointing that the weight has increased by about 2kg compared to the target of 20kg, but it's still something. Approximately 22kg is the weight that one infantryman can carry, and its penetration power is superior to that of the Boyds anti-tank rifle.
The British military, satisfied with the performance of the new weapon, immediately began mass production.
The French army's response was slightly different from the British army.
Since anti-tank rifles were imported from Britain and used anyway, the French military focused on improving the performance of tanks instead of anti-tank rifles.
The French army's strongest tanks are the Somua S35 cavalry tank and the Char B1 bis infantry tank. Both had good defense, but firepower was a problem.
"The Shar B1 still has a 75mm main gun mounted on the hull, but the problem is the Somua S35."
The turret installed on the Somua S35 is the same as the turret mounted on the Shar B1, and is equipped with one 47mm SA35 tank gun.
"The performance of the 47mm tank gun is not bad, but it cannot penetrate the 80mm frontal armor of the 4th Tank. Even the turret can only be penetrated within 400m.
Therefore, it must be equipped with larger and stronger guns."
Among the guns possessed by the French army, the only guns with greater firepower than 47mm were those of the 75mm class or higher.
In terms of penetration power, there is a 25mm Staples gun, but it is not suitable for infantry use due to its small diameter of 25mm.
In the end, the 75mm gun was selected, but the gun was too large to be mounted on the existing turret.
"The turret is too small to mount the main gun?"
"Then just build a new turret!"
It wasn't wrong. If the existing turret is too small to mount a gun, it is natural to increase the size of the turret.
In March 1940, the new turret was completed.
It was possible to mount the 75mm main gun in the completed new turret, which was everyone's desire.
however,
"Uh... hasn't the turret gotten too big?"
"It looks like the turret is almost as big as the hull?"
The size of the new turret was much larger than expected.
Even at a glance, the French military officials who came to see the prototype expressed their bewilderment at the size, which appeared to be 1.5 times larger than the previous turret.
Isn't this too big?
"There was no choice in order to mount a 75mm main gun. "This is the size we made as small as possible, and the body of the others could not withstand it."
"Then what..."
"There is nothing we can do."
As a result of installing the new turret, the weight increased from 19.5 tons to 21 tons, but the leadership decided that it was not a big problem. Anyway, it would have been nice to have a 75mm main gun!
The new tank, named 'Somua S40', was sent to front-line troops.
At first, the soldiers were happy to receive the new tank, but their exclamations of joy soon turned into sighs of anger.
"The turret is bigger than before, but the inside is narrower! are you kidding?"
"The radio is still not working,"
"It's the same without a hatch."
Even though the combat power has increased, other problems have not changed from the previous work.
There was a cupola, but there was no hatch, so you had to enter only through the doorway at the rear of the turret, and since there was no radio, orders had to be given by hand.
The suspension, which was already famous for being weak, broke frequently, slowed down speed, and the ammunition load was reduced by more than half from 84 to 40 rounds. The increase in reload time due to the weight of ammunition was a bonus.
The only thing that makes the S40 better than the S35 is its firepower, but its many shortcomings have also increased.
"W-You want me to ride this guy and fight the Germans...?"
"I'd rather have an S35!"
Despite the screams of the tankers, the thoughts of the French military leadership remained unchanged.
After all, it was the soldiers fighting on the battlefield, not themselves.
***
October 25, 1939
Presidential Residence in Helsinki, Finland
While Britain, France, and Germany prepared for the decisive battle in their own way, Finland, located at the end of Northern Europe, was suffering from threats from the Soviet Union.
"Are you sure this is the Soviet Union's demand?"
Finland's President Kjösti Kallio felt beyond absurdity and even anger.
Prime Minister Aimo Kayander, who was also present, glared at the Soviet envoy Molotov with a gaze filled with hatred.
Molotov did not even bat an eye despite receiving two gazes filled with anger and hatred at the same time.
In fact, they even smiled as if their gaze was amusing.
"What if you are just this surprised? "Comrade Stalin requested only the minimum conditions, taking into account the circumstances of your country."
"This is the minimum requirement? "This is ridiculous!"
"This is not the winner's demand!"
Kayander could not stand it anymore and screamed. Be that as it may, there was still no change in Molotov's attitude.
Kallio pondered where the author's arrogance and leisureliness came from.
Because I was born with a lot of guts and courage?
Absolutely not.
The author is able to act so arrogantly because he believes in his own position, or more precisely, the position of his country. You're like a disgusting pig...
I wanted to punch that disgusting face right away, but the sad reality was that I couldn't.
'If this country had had a little more power, the author's attitude would have definitely been different.'
Suppressing a rising sigh, Kallio once again read the document containing the Soviet Union's demands.
– 2,300 km2 of territory, including Karelia and Lapland, will be ceded to the Soviet Union.
– Four islands in the Gulf of Finland, including Sursari Island, and the Åland Islands will be ceded to the Soviet Union.
– Finland's major ports, including Helsinki, Hanko, Turku, Kotka, and Vipuri, will be transferred to the Soviet Union for 30 years, and the stationing of Soviet troops in these areas will be approved.
Even when I read it again, it was an absurd condition.
The call to hand over Karelia and Lapland, Finland's major industrial zones and where a significant population resides, was tantamount to telling Finland to remain a village for the rest of its life.
The Åland Islands were also an important maritime hub, and the importance of various ports, including the capital Helsinki, goes without saying.
In return, the Soviet Union offered to cede 5,500 km2 of eastern territory to Finland, but the territory the Soviet Union proposed to cede was a useless piece of land that could be had or not, with only lakes and swamps.
"None of our people will accept your request to return home."
"That is a matter for the Finnish people to decide, and I am now asking you, President. Aren't you the president of this country? "You have to decide for yourself."
For a foreign minister of a country, his attitude was extremely arrogant.
If an ordinary diplomat had behaved like that, he would have been expelled immediately and had nothing to say.
Kallio felt not only hatred but even a murderous impulse towards his opponent, who only believed in the power of his country and acted like a nobody.
"Let me ask you something. "Why has your country suddenly made such unreasonable demands on us?"
"It's simple. "Because your country's very existence poses a great threat to the Soviet Union."
"Huh, what threat can a small country like this pose to a huge country like yours?"
"Are you asking because you really don't know? Isn't Leningrad right under the Finnish border? If your country feels bad at any time, Leningrad will become a sea of fire. "We will do whatever it takes to ensure the safety of Leningrad and the innocent people living in the city."
The talk of Leningrad's safety is only an excuse, and it may be due to the ambition to devour Finland, a weak country. Kallio gritted his teeth.
"exactly? I didn't know that the Soviet Union was such a fearful country. "I will understand from now on."
The smile disappeared from Molotov's face at Kallio's sarcasm. Looks like this attack worked.
"Just answer me. So, what are you going to do? Are you going to accept my request?"
Kallio's answer was succinct.
"No."
After hearing the president's answer, Molotov stood up as if there was no need to say anything more.
Molotov's gaze towards the two Finns was full of contempt and disgust. His twisted smile became even more distorted.
"My role is now complete. "The Red Army will say the rest."
Molotov didn't even say hello, but strode out, opened the door, and went out.
Kallio watched Molotov walking away in silence.
"What should we do now?"
In response to the Prime Minister's question, the President let out a relieved sigh.
It was a negotiation that didn't even feel like a negotiation, but anyway, the negotiation broke down, so all that was left was war.
The Soviet Union will invade before the end of this year at the latest.
"The die has already been cast. He would rather fight than become a slave without fighting."
"I will inform parliament and Mannerheim immediately."
Carl Gustav Emil Mannerheim.
Nauri is the commander-in-chief of the Finnish army and an extremely arrogant nobleman with Swedish blood.
Mannerheim, who participated in the Russo-Japanese War and World War I and made a remarkable contribution in the Finnish Civil War, making Finland what it is today, is regarded as a hero by the Finnish people, but Kallio did not like him.
As a nobleman, he was irritated by anyone who did not address him with the title of baron, and frequently clashed with the cabinet by insisting on increasing military spending despite his already meager budget.
Even when dealing with the president, Mannerheim's attitude did not change.
Mannerheim frequently submitted his resignation, saying that he could not serve as commander, and each time, Kallio had to appease Mannerheim by saying things he did not really mean.
Even if he wanted to accept his resignation, it was because there was no one else responsible for leading the Finnish army other than Mannerheim.
"Mannerheim... Yes, I have no choice but to trust him this time."
Kallio, who vividly remembered the horrors of the civil war, where the streets of Helsinki were covered in blood and gunfire rang out every night, shuddered at the horrors of the coming war.
How many more people will die and be injured this time?
"Please God help Finland this time too."
***
October 27, 1939
USSR Moscow Kremlin Palace
"They ultimately rejected our offer?"
"Yes, Comrade Secretary."
Stalin smiled as he scooped a spoonful of lingonberry jam into his mouth with a teaspoon.
"Finnish people, even though they have nothing, they chose pride in the end. "It's not like my pride feeds me."
"They are foolish bastards."
Although he was a communist to his core, Stalin, who was nostalgic for the grandeur of Russia during its imperial days, planned to use this opportunity to regain the lost status of the Russian Empire.
After defeating Poland, all that remains is a small country like Finland.
If Finland is subdued, the Baltic countries will automatically crawl into the arms of the Soviet Union.
After conquering the Baltic Sea, I plan to target either Sweden or Türkiye.
Then we will have Romania, and after Romania we will have the entire Balkans.
Stalin savored his tea while imagining the sight of the great Red Army conducting a triumphal march through the city of Helsinki.
The tea felt sweeter and more fragrant today.
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