Chapter 62: The Commander’s Anger (Part 2)
Although the situation on the Pacific side is not very good, the situation on the Atlantic side is even more worrying. It is so worrying that people will lose their hair.
——After several twists and turns, repeated reversals, and repeated defeats, in April this year, the French Red and White Civil War, which lasted for more than a year, finally ended with the victory of the Red elements. After paying an extremely heavy price, the red camp completely occupied the European continent of France and drove all foreign intervention forces and the remnants of the French White Army into the sea. De Gaulle and Marshal Pétain were driven to Corsica together. Keep company.
The British Army suffered more than 100,000 deaths on the French battlefield. In addition, it seriously dragged down Spain and Portugal who participated in the intervention: In retaliation for the intervention of the Spanish and Portuguese in the French Civil War, a Soviet Red Army and an entire European socialist army The international column formed by the camp has crossed the Pyrenees and marched into the Iberian Peninsula. The remnants of the left-wing republics from the Spanish Civil War era also took the opportunity to launch rebellions in Catalonia and the Basque Country. Head of state Franco, who had just lost most of his regular troops in France, was almost in a state of collapse.
Facing the increasingly discolored European continent, British Prime Minister Churchill repeatedly begged the United States to declare war on the Soviet Union as soon as possible and allow hundreds of thousands of American troops stationed in southern Italy to join this "holy war" against the "red devil". However, the White House This is still undecided - after all, Truman is not Tojo Hideki. He can continue to gamble on the fate of the country when the country is already trapped in a war quagmire, and jump into another bigger fire pit recklessly.
The only thing worth celebrating is that Switzerland, which had always claimed to be a permanently neutral country, also declared war on the Soviet Union last month and joined the anti-Soviet alliance led by the United Kingdom. The reason for Switzerland's participation in the war was that the Soviet government requested Nazi gold from Swiss banks based on captured documents and the confessions of German prisoners, but was strongly rejected by the Swiss. So Stalin did not hesitate to launch "Soviet punishment" against the Swiss mountain people...
——As we all know, throughout World War II, Switzerland, which claimed to be a permanently neutral country, had always had close relations with Nazi Germany. Not only were Swiss banks laundering money for Germany and acting as payment channels, but Switzerland itself was also making a huge contribution to Hitler's war. From 1941 to 1942, 60% of the Swiss arms industry, 50% of the optical industry, and 40% of the machinery output were produced for the Germans, and the rewards they received were gold plundered by Germany from all over Europe, and even Until a month before Germany surrendered, the Swiss were still selling submachine guns to Germany!
In order to win over Switzerland as a "quasi-ally", Nazi Germany stored most of the wealth it plundered in Swiss banks. The gold alone amounted to nearly a thousand tons. During World War II, the occupied countries in Europe accumulated over many years. Almost all the wealth was taken away by the Germans. At least the treasury gold of various countries was moved back to their hometowns by the Nazi Germans, and then flowed into Swiss banks for various reasons.
In addition, Switzerland also benefited from the deaths of Jews during World War II and acted as an accomplice of Nazi Germany in the persecution of Jews. Even before the outbreak of World War II, Switzerland had openly refused entry to German Jews, and then expanded its policy. to Jews throughout Europe. Because many Jewish wealthy people previously deposited their property in Swiss banks to avoid being swallowed up by Nazi Germany. Unexpectedly, the Swiss government took the opportunity to join forces with the Nazis and send these Jewish depositors to death camps! After they died in the gas chambers of the Nazi concentration camps, their property in Swiss banks was naturally accepted by the Swiss. A large part of the gold and silver jewelry that Nazi Germany obtained from the dead in concentration camps was melted down, cast into gold bars and silver ingots, and deposited in Swiss banks. In addition, there are a large number of precious works of art snatched from museums and private collectors in various European countries...
Of course, after receiving so many benefits from Nazi Germany, the Swiss also had to do things for Nazi Germany, mainly to help Hitler obtain foreign exchange and purchase important materials for the Nazis to sustain the war on the world market, such as chromium, a metal that was indispensable for the manufacture of armor-piercing bombs at that time. Tungsten for tank armor strength and more. In fact, without Switzerland as a foreign exchange channel, Nazi Germany, which was isolated from the world, would not have been able to sustain the war for a long time.
In addition to transactions between governments, Swiss banks also preserved the personal property of many high-ranking Nazi officials. When Germany was about to be defeated, many Nazi leaders transferred their ill-gotten wealth to the vaults of Swiss banks in an attempt to rely on the protection of Switzerland's "Bank Secrecy Act" to escape the seizure of the victorious countries after the war. As a result, the Swiss people devoured everything in one bite, just like they did to Jewish savers, and their mouths were really full of oil.
In the history of another time and space, Switzerland took advantage of the outbreak of the Cold War and the confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union to easily survive after World War II, escape the prosecution of the victims, cleanse itself, and be able to enjoy this huge amount of ill-gotten wealth with peace of mind. , becoming a famous wealthy country in the world.
But in this time and space, with the establishment of the French red regime and the occupation of northern Italy by the Soviet army, the entire Switzerland has been surrounded by the socialist camp. There is no longer room for transfer, leverage, or even the ability to communicate with the outside world and gain access to There are no ports of assistance left.
Despite this, with the territory surrounded on all sides and the Soviet troops overwhelming the battle, and faced with the ultimatum from the Soviet Union and the entire socialist camp, the Swiss still gritted their teeth and chose to rebuff it flatly: First of all, before this, Switzerland had openly cooperated with the United Kingdom and the United Kingdom. The anti-Soviet armies of Spain and other countries stood together, provided logistical support to the interventionist forces on the French battlefield, and even organized a "volunteer force" to enter France to participate in the war. They had already developed a deep hatred for the European socialist camp. Even if we turn around and kneel down now, we may not be able to gain understanding. On the contrary, we may lose the support of Britain and the United States, which will make the gain more than the loss.
Secondly, the Soviets made very demanding demands. They not only required Switzerland to hand over thousands of tons of gold that had been hidden when the fascist regimes in Nazi Germany and Italy collapsed, but also required Switzerland to hand over all the secret accounts of Nazi officials and hidden property that originally belonged to the Jews. And officials sent to the Soviet Union thoroughly disclosed all accounts to facilitate auditing and auditing to ensure that Swiss banks would not commit fraud. In addition, a large additional fine, which could drain the Swiss treasury dry, had to be paid for the reconstruction of European socialist countries, and the Soviet Union had to station troops in Switzerland for supervision.
In short, after such a series of combinations, the various money laundering and reselling activities operated by Switzerland during World War II were all in vain, and they even had to pay a lot of money back. It was equivalent to defeat without a fight and falling directly to the defeated country. position - how can Swiss bankers tolerate this?
——In fact, for Stalin (Sophie, to be precise), who now owns the two great artifacts of the Japanese government’s money printing machine and the [era vending machine], and has everything he wants, this little bit of Swiss gold , to describe it as a piece of cake is putting it mildly. But for Switzerland, the "white nail" that is deeply rooted in the belly of the socialist camp, it must be pulled out, otherwise God knows what trouble will be caused in the future.
As for the special status of a permanently neutral country? Hey, hey, you claim to be neutral but can you really be neutral? We have to be willing to admit this!
You can't just claim to be a neutral country, and everyone has to give face and not hit you - it has never been that cheap since ancient times!
On the other hand, the Swiss, who are greedy for the ill-gotten gains of the Nazis, do not know whether they are self-deception or greedy. Anyway, they firmly believe that although the "Red Devil" is very powerful in Europe today, it will certainly not last long. When the United States frees up its hands from the Pacific battlefield and organizes 10 million Freedom King divisions to land in Europe, both Soviet Maoists and red elements from various countries will be quickly crushed by the huge US military.
Although Switzerland is not a large country, all its people are soldiers. It has a tradition of sending mercenaries since ancient times, and it is located in the natural dangers of the Alps. As long as it is willing to pay a certain price, it can withstand the siege of the Soviet Red Army and red elements from various countries in a short period of time. , persist until the moment when the situation in Europe reverses.
Therefore, the Swiss, who wanted money rather than their lives, categorically rejected the Soviet ultimatum and bravely embarked on the road to death in a one-on-one challenge to the entire European continent...
Churchill and Truman naturally expressed great appreciation for this heroic feat of the Swiss, mobilizing newspapers and radio stations to praise it, hoping that they could live up to expectations and take on the great task of fighting the ghost of the Bolsheviks in Europe, recreating the Swiss mercenaries and sharpshooters in the Middle Ages. The heroic demeanor of William Tell...huh? What representation and assistance is available? This is so difficult to do. Switzerland is a landlocked country, and it is currently surrounded by pro-Soviet forces on all sides. Even if the United States and Britain want to transport something across, they can't find a way! Naturally, it can only be based on spiritual support.
But there is no need to be too depressed. The Poles were able to win the Battle of Warsaw under the fierce attack of the Soviet Red Army and create the "Miracle on the Vistula." Today's Swiss may not be unable to defeat the Soviet Union's armored torrent and create a "miracle of the Alps."
※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※
Although Switzerland, a permanently neutral country, joined the war, it should be regarded as a small surprise for the United States and Britain, which were in a bad situation. But from a global strategic perspective, whether a little guy like Switzerland participates in the war or not, its actual military significance may be very limited.
Not to mention reversing the decline of the US-British camp, even if it is just to delay the Soviet Red Army for a little longer, I am afraid it will be difficult.
According to the deduction made by the US military staff, in the most optimistic case, the Swiss are expected to be able to fight for six months, while the most pessimistic estimate is that in the face of a massive siege by the Soviet Red Army, the Swiss will be able to fight in two months. Within three months, the war would be decided. Regardless of whether the war lasts for six months or three months, the United States does not have the power to send sufficient support to the Swiss before they are defeated...
For the United States of America, which aspires to dominate the world, there is still only one key to unraveling the current mess.
That is to defeat the Japanese! Defeat the Japanese at all costs! Defeat the Japanese as quickly as possible!
However, it is not easy to do this, especially when the US military in Japan has just suffered a major rout.
In any case, the most important thing right now is to quickly send more troops to the Japanese battlefield. This is a consensus that both the Pentagon and the White House can reach. However, even with the speed of the United States launching three free ships every day and its powerful transportation capacity that ranks first in the world, it can only replenish 200,000 to 300,000 new troops from the West Coast to the Japanese battlefield every month. Otherwise, this cross-Pacific Logistics and supply lines will be stretched and collapsed.
In addition, there is a more important and troublesome question: where should new soldiers come from without affecting wartime production?
——When the war entered its fourth year, the national mobilization of the United States of America had almost reached its limit. Just like the French at the end of World War I, the young and middle-aged men that can be found in the United States today are either in factories, on the front lines, or in graveyards.
It is unreliable to count on allies. The British mainland has lost all its members for a generation, and it has to rely on South Africans and Canadians to defend the capital London. Almost all white Australians have been sent to concentration camps and mass graves, and almost all men in New Zealand have been conscripted into military camps. New Zealand, with a population of only 2 million before the war, has already recruited more than 200,000 men by the Allies. , and most of them were killed, and more than 100,000 civilians died in the war. Even the Maori indigenous people were dragged to fill the holes of the Japanese army. How many more usable heads could be recovered?
So after going around in a big circle, President Truman found that he could only find a solution from the American continent. The first was to put pressure on Brazil, which had already participated in the war, so that this South American power could not continue to send only one division to North Africa to show off. It is to conscript at least hundreds of thousands of people to serve as cannon fodder in the Pacific battlefield. Secondly, let diplomats use both soft and hard tactics to find ways to "persuade" Chile, Peru and Mexico to declare war on Japan. The last step is to further explore the potential of domestic human resources, such as recruiting soldiers from Indian reservations, while increasing the proportion of black soldiers recruited.
In addition, the Japanese immigrants in the country who were detained in desert concentration camps and monitored could also be used. Previously, the U.S. government had not paid much attention to them. It formed a Japanese-American infantry regiment just for political propaganda. Although these Japanese-American American troops were actually very powerful and fought hard on the European battlefield, the number was too large. Few are better than nothing for the overall battle situation. Nowadays, even the best whites are bleeding and dying in the hundreds of thousands and millions. Naturally, we can no longer leave those Japanese immigrants to bask in the sun in the desert. It may be too risky to arm them and transfer them to Japan to deal with compatriots in their mother country. . But if we move them to North Africa and Italy and replace the white troops and black troops there, it should be more feasible...
Of course, although the above-mentioned measures seem sensible, they are ultimately unable to quench the near thirst with water far away. In the view of Chief of Staff Marshall, if the army wanted to achieve immediate results in the Pacific battlefield, the Army, which had just been severely damaged, might not be able to do anything. Just replenishing troops and ordnance supplies to the front line would take a long time. All we can do is either let the Pacific Fleet carry out a big operation, or throw another big killer weapon to Japan.
President Truman agreed in principle with the proposal to drop nuclear weapons on Japan again, but he also had his own difficulties: “…the Pentagon had previously proposed a plan to drop an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, where the die-hard Japanese Army and The central government station and the navy are also in Wu Port, not far away. As long as a nuclear explosion with a large enough yield can destroy them all, or at least cause devastating damage.
But now, with the end of the previous stage of the war, the main force of the Japanese Army has moved eastward to the Gifu and Nagoya areas, and more than half a million troops have been assembled in that plain. After the Japanese Navy's Combined Fleet ended its latest military operation, it basically withdrew from Kure Port, which was damaged by air strikes, and moved to the most intact Sasebo Military Port. And their government moved from Hiroshima to Kyoto to show its legitimacy.
If you look at the map, you will understand that the three locations of Nagoya, Kyoto and Sasebo are far apart and cannot be struck with just one nuclear bomb. Moreover, the Japanese air power has become more powerful, not to mention whether our bomber formation carrying atomic bombs can successfully break through the Japanese aircraft interception and ground anti-aircraft firepower. Even if it is possible to carry out air strikes and nuclear explosions, which of these three targets should be attacked first?
Unfortunately, the number of nuclear bombs currently available in the United States is very limited. The third batch of atomic bombs our country plans to produce is still under intense construction and may not be sent to the front line for use before this fall. Among the second batch of three atomic bombs that have been manufactured at the Oak Ridge Factory, one atomic bomb has been shipped to the United Kingdom to deter the Soviet Union, and the other atomic bomb has been shipped to South Africa and will be dropped on India. In the entire Pacific battlefield, we have only one atomic bomb that can be used at any time, and it is currently stored in Pearl Harbor. It is impossible to use it to bomb several targets at the same time..."
Pointing to a bunch of new markings drawn with colored pencils on the map of the Japanese archipelago war zone, President Truman said to Chief of Staff Marshall, "...it is still under discussion as to which target in Japan should be used to bomb this nuclear bomb. The final conclusion has not yet been reached, but don’t worry, by this fall, our army will have twelve atomic bombs ready to be deployed on the battlefield, enough to destroy the unrepentant Japanese!”
He waved his fist with a grin, "... As for the Navy... the Pacific Fleet has now completed its rest and replenishment at Pearl Harbor, and Admiral Halsey is preparing to launch a major operation within a few weeks. But unfortunately, the attack target It’s not the homeland of the Japanese Empire, but here!” The president pointed to the string of needle-like islands to the south of the Japanese archipelago on the map of the Western Pacific, “…Mariana Islands!”
"...Mariana Islands? Is this to regain Guam and Wake Island and wash away the shame of the early days of the war? Or to protect sea transportation lines?"
"... Let's do both! But the most important thing is to completely cut off the connection between Japan and the Japanese occupied areas in Nanyang."
President Truman replied, “…after the Japanese forces in the Philippines and Taiwan surrendered one after another, the current Japanese Empire has been cut into two parts, the north and the south, which are far apart from each other and difficult to communicate with each other. Only the thin line of the Mariana Islands is left. Connect them...and Admiral Halsey The plan is to cut it off, divide the enemy, and at the same time use it as bait to lure out the main force of the Japanese Navy's combined fleet as much as possible, forcing the enemy to engage in a decisive battle with our Pacific Fleet with superior strength on the ocean surface lacking the cover of shore-based aviation... ”
"...It sounds good, but even if all developments follow Halsey's judgment and he can ultimately win as predicted, he will have to spend a long time organizing the landing campaign and setting up Trap, dealing with the Japanese Navy's combined fleet. In the past few months, wouldn't Patton's army have to continue to fight alone on the Japanese battlefield and fight against the Japanese? "
Chief of Staff Marshall touched his chin and said, "...Patton's troops are currently at a disadvantage, and their morale and supply situation are also very bad."
"...Yes, I'm sorry. But don't worry too much. During the planning of the Mariana Islands naval battle, the United States will still try its best to deliver soldiers, arms and supplies to the Japanese front line. Moreover, the Japanese are not omnipotent. God, they have just recaptured so much of a completely destroyed land. Just resettling refugees and reestablishing order will empty out their inventories and put them in unprecedented trouble..."
President Truman said with confidence, "...the distance of a modern army's offensive is limited, and the latest Japanese counterattack has also reached the limit. Patton does not have to worry about being pushed into the sea. Even if the extremely exhausted Japanese army continues Attack, the result can only be another Eastern version of horse racing. The Battle of Enhe... Let us cheer up! No matter how many hardships we have to go through, the final victory will definitely belong to the United States!" Unfortunately, on the Japanese front, the "Red Japanese Army" who had just regained a large area of the country had nothing to do with it. Signs of distress...