I became Stalin chapter 67

67

“Mine? You mean it was blocked by mines?”

“Yes, General. A message arrived saying that most ports not currently occupied by Germany were blocked by mines.”

Germany succeeded in literally blocking Britain with its brilliant idea. Dropping mines by aircraft was something no one had thought of yet, and it has just been reported.

“Huh… .”

Interim Lieutenant General Eisenhower, commander of the 1st British Expeditionary Force, sighed deeply. Marshall trusted him and sent him as an advance force to save Britain from a crisis, but this happened without ever stepping on British soil.

“When do you think the clearing will be completed?”

He asked the British side, who was panicking over the radio, but in the end, the answer he got was ‘I don’t know’.

Eisenhower had little ties to the navy, but even if minesweepers tried to clear mines, it was thought that Krixmarine’s ships and Luftwaffe’s aircraft would be able to interfere with minesweeping and mine mines.

like it has been so far.

“Isn’t there anywhere we can land?”

Even after asking, I realized that I was asking myself a stupid question. What will you do when you land? It would be enough if the German army sealed off the port or beach with mines again. German reconnaissance planes often appeared, like flocks of eagles hunting for corpses, circling near the American fleet and fleeing.

Perhaps the movement of the American fleet has already been captured. Wherever they go, the Luftwaffe’s aircraft will be able to come and mine before arriving in the sluggish ships.

‘Or even an airstrike… Fast.’

Just like the dirty jabs did at Pearl Harbor. Germany, the predecessor of the cowardly refurbishment, is probably waiting for these 20,000 recruits to be air raids.

It was impossible to defeat the British Expeditionary Force in Nazi Germany with only two new divisions, without subsequent supplies and additional reinforcements, especially without the air force. I should have been grateful that I wasn’t buried in the Atlantic Ocean at all.

‘In the beginning, the two divisions that started now and reached the front of the UK are not troops to directly fight and win… .’

I’m sorry, but these were kind of throwaways. A role to buy time so that Britain is not completely pushed back until a newly formed force arrives from the mainland United States.

“Given enough time, if we have time, we can trample them down!”

Chief of Staff Marshall said so. After the German attack on Panama and the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, he worked day and night to rearm. Hundreds of thousands and millions of young people are sent conscription warrants, munitions are produced, and in a huge business that expands the organization.

Thanks to the advantage of being on a separate continent, the United States invested heavily in naval power, making it the world’s second-largest naval power after Britain, but its army was mediocre.

Of course, it could have gotten bigger.

“The U.S. military is only a handful right now, but it could grow to millions or more in the next year or so.”

Eisenhower himself knew it well. The European countries he knew were basically unable to compete with the United States in weight class.

Modern warfare is basically a battle of national power. In terms of national power, the European powers Britain, France, Germany and the United States are already several times different.

But if you turn to England… Will they have a future year? No, can we survive until next year? Until we’re rearmed and rushing in?

* * *

[Liverpool… I can’t stand it!]

British government officials said:

Not only did the Germans advance so rapidly, but Britain was in a chronic food shortage due to the blockade of U-boats since the start of the war. Rural areas that produce their own food have the talent to survive to some extent, but large cities that rely entirely on external sources of food cannot afford to do so.

The Germans blocked the land route to Liverpool, blocked supplies from land, and now the sea.

For a population of hundreds of thousands, less than a few days’ worth of food was left. The citizens who originally lived in the city, the soldiers who came for defense, and even the refugees who followed the soldiers.

Although the population has increased beyond where they originally lived, the roads for food and supplies have been completely blocked.

[Even with the minimum distribution… In a week, we are now in a situation where we have to boil our boots. No, you can’t resist the Germans before that. Even if you use anti-aircraft shells sparingly, it is not enough to prevent several airstrikes.]

“I understand the situation, but… How can we help a car whose access by sea is blocked?”

[…] … .]

Eisenhower had a headache. They made a report to the upper management, but they did not seem to have a sharp number.

The soldiers were tired of sailing and were groaning with motion sickness, and even if they alighted them, they would be isolated and doomed to starvation in the same way.

No matter how much supplies Marshall extracts from the mainland, what’s the use if they can’t get to where they are needed right now?

[Maybe we should withdraw. General Eisenhower, you wait for orders.]

The command seemed to be considering an all-out withdrawal somehow. Even though it was not a full-scale withdrawal, there was not much that was developed.

Eisenhower was a soldier who had to obey orders, but those orders seemed unacceptable. Eisenhower responded sternly to a phone call from a superior asking him seriously.

“Sir, if we fail to protect Britain now, we will have to carry out an amphibious operation in the future, not in the form occupied by the allies, but in the land occupied by the enemy at all. Please keep that in mind!”

[I understand your opinion, but… So where should our troops go?]

“… .”

This time he turned into a honey-eaten dumbass.

If you collect all the destroyers of the Atlantic Fleet, there will be dozens of them. Leaving only the destroyers to be engaged in anti-submarine missions, many problems will arise, but it will be possible to put them into the mines at risk.

The admiral of the navy who was with him nodded, saying it was probably possible.

But by that time, Liverpool will be dead.

It’s been months for old-fashioned destroyers to cross the stormy North Atlantic to get here, and months to clear mines. In the meantime, if the Krixmarine fleet comes and attacks, or is attacked by the Luftwaffe again, the time will stretch endlessly.

Hundreds of thousands of civilians and tens of thousands of troops are trapped or withered to death… Or, as the British are now prepared, they have no choice but to break into the positions the Germans have already built and break the siege.

‘What should I do?’

he didn’t know I couldn’t appeal to anyone. Although it was small, the position of commander of a group was as difficult as it was powerful.

His choices depended on the lives of tens of thousands of soldiers, hundreds of thousands of Britons, and ultimately tens of millions of British Islanders. What should I do, where should I go? No matter how much I searched for an answer, I couldn’t find it.

The only thing to know is… In this war, it seemed that the blood of the Americans would flow enormously.

The US can make excuses for being vigilant, but they have been harassing the US with unexpected numbers.

You have to be so troubled even to defend Britain, but if you land in France or Spain, how big of a challenge awaits you? What if a flood of mines hits the shore where the US forces attempt to land? then… What should I do?

[It will be difficult for Germany to send so much force to Britain because of Soviet pressure on the Eastern Front.]

The Soviets, facing the Germans from the other side of Europe, were taking advantage of the winter and advancing slowly but forward.

Soviet diplomats, however, said the front could be pushed back again next year when summer arrives and the Germans can adapt to winter.

Of course, that could be an exaggeration to get more support, but… If the US and Britain could do nothing in the West, they could have done it. If large armies of France, Italy, and Spain emptied Western Europe and rushed to the Eastern Front, the Soviets would have to shed a lot of blood.

Whoo… Eisenhower sighed again.

MacArthur, his former direct superior, said that he was leading the garrison in the Philippines in a desperate resistance to a massive Japanese invasion in the Philippines. His propaganda was portrayed as a heroic decisive battle to inspire the people in the shock of defeat, but Eisenhower, once his lieutenant, knew the situation clearly.

The US military had already lost control, and the Japanese were easily destroying the Allied forces isolated on their own land.

Although it is said that they are fighting in the Bataan Peninsula, there was no airfield essential for modern warfare. Although Marshal MacArthur was concerned about his appearance in the media, he tended to leave the operational plans to his subordinates, and the Philippine garrison, always constrained by budget, had neither the time nor the money to build facilities like airfields.

What would be different if a handful of US troops stationed in the Philippines and the Philippine Army, a third-class army, were added to it? Deploying a third-class army without tanks or artillery against the Japanese army, a strict power. Eisenhower, who had dealt with them himself, knew it very well.

“It’s like fucking isolationism… .”

The U.S. was hesitant and had a hard time losing players properly. A bold move was required. Like… Like that Soviet Stalin.

It seemed that they had already surrendered Romania, stopped Finland, and cleared the area. While America’s hands and feet are tied, the Pacific Fleet is torn apart and thousands of young people are sprinkling useless blood… .

* * *

Hope quickly turned to despair. The British government, who was preparing for a war, relieved that the sea was open, could not control the panicking citizens when supplies ran out.

The city didn’t have enough food to survive the blockade, and it didn’t have weeks, let alone months, to feed nearly a million people. The British, who had returned to the scheme of cutting off supplies and withering away Rommel and his expeditionary forces, were not at a loss.

“We must free the land through the offensive right now!”

“I don’t have enough ammunition or firearms to launch an offensive. Are we just going to bring our men to the defense of those strong Germans?”

“But if I stay here, I will starve to death. When you have the slightest bit of energy, you must overcome difficulties through the offensive!”

At the headquarters, the main battle theory prevailed. It was clear to anyone that things would not get better if we stood still. If you wait long enough, it might get better, but before that time, hundreds of thousands of people will starve to death.

“… If so, let’s evacuate as many citizens as possible. lest unarmed civilians, old or young, be drawn into the battlefield as much as women.”

“We will try to negotiate with the Germans.”

Still, there was one thing to believe. Germany thought it had already occupied Britain, and was trying to minimize the backlash by being mild to its citizens.

‘Rommel is a gentleman.’

Where there is courtesy and morality in war, Rommel will at least not slaughter unarmed civilians. British leaders believed so.

I became Stalin chapter 67

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