Great time travel
Chapter 643 1 Different Battles
Chapter 3, Different World War II
The Kremlin's request for the olive branch of peace tentatively extended by the British side is simple and arrogant:
They demand all of Europe!
Well, to be exact, the whole of continental Europe except the British Isles.
——In the face of British Foreign Secretary Anthony Eden's harsh inquiries, Uncle Joseph (Stalin) politely stated that the current goal of the Bolsheviks is "only" the entire European continent!The British Isles are not yet within target range.
Therefore, as long as the fat man at [-] Downing Street no longer tries to interfere in any affairs of the European continent, the Soviet Union and the United Kingdom can still live in peace.
To be more specific, Stalin made the following package of demands on the British side:
First, withdraw all British troops in France within a time limit, and no longer provide any support to the French fascist puppet government;
Second, withdraw the British troops who invaded Norway within a time limit, and recognize the newly established Norwegian red regime;
Third, withdraw the British troops who invaded Greece within a time limit, and recognize the newly established Greek red regime;
Fourth, resolve the Italian issue peacefully. The occupying forces of various countries will withdraw from Italy, and the future will be decided by the Italian people through a referendum;
——Because the Soviet Union occupied the densely populated and economically developed North Italy, a series of historical cities such as Florence, Milan, and Venice were in its hands, and the population was far greater than that of southern Italy controlled by the US and British coalition forces.So if there is a referendum, it will definitely be the result of the Communist Party of Italy coming to power...
Fifth, a "symbolic" compensation of [-] million pounds, as compensation for left-wing organizations in countries such as France, the Netherlands, Greece and Belgium.
……
To put it crudely, it is: the British barbarians get out of the European continent quickly, and go back to your small island to play with yourself!Only in this way can you spare your death, um, don't forget to leave the compensation when you leave, when you broke in and destroyed a lot of flowers and plants before!
This attitude of treating the British Empire as nothing made Churchill jump three feet high and almost hit the ceiling.After yelling hysterically and venting his anger, the fat man completely stopped thinking about compromising with the Russian Bolsheviks, and decided to grit his teeth and fight to the end.
Therefore, on the day when the second Dunkirk evacuation ended successfully, Churchill delivered a speech in Parliament, publicly advocating war against the Soviet Union:
"...with the clutches of Nazi Germany threatening Britain, I have made it clear to Parliament that I will devote nothing but blood, toil, tears, and sweat to lead our country through such an ordeal, through protracted struggle and suffering.
And now, Britain is once again at its most dangerous moment, girls!Gentlemen!I have to continue to ask you to continue to dedicate your blood, toil, tears and sweat, as in the past, to fight desperately against the evil red dictator in the East for our freedom and survival. What is the policy?My answer is: fighting on land, sea, and air.To fight with all our might, with all the strength God has given us, against the darkest, most murderous organization in human history.That's our policy.
If you ask what is our goal?I can answer it in one word, victory.To win, whatever the cost--to win, against all horrors--to win, however long and hard the road.Because you can't survive without winning.
We must be soberly aware that without victory, there would be no British Empire, without victory, there would be no British Empire, and without victory, there would be no strong demands and impulses for centuries: human beings should strive towards their own goals. step forward.
I take up my task with high spirits and confidence.I am sure that, united, our cause will not be frustrated.
In this moment of crisis, I feel I have the right to ask for support from all sides.I want to say: Come on, let us work together and move forward side by side! "
Although Churchill's speech seemed to be as strong as ever with fighting spirit and passion, the applause in the House of Commons was rare.
——No matter how bold the language is, it cannot cover up the paleness of reality, and no matter how enthusiastic the incitement is, it cannot rekindle the withered heart.
In the all-round brutal war that lasted for six years, the British Empire not only exhausted all its human, material and financial resources, but also It has been drained of all its energy, strength and perseverance.
A whole generation of lads fell in the field, women were drafted into the army, and the blood of the Anglo-Saxons was drained.
The British have had enough of endless wars, enough of ubiquitous want, and don't want to live this nightmare anymore.
As long as the homeland on the British Isle can be restored to its original state, the rest of the glory of the empire and the balance of power on the mainland will all go to hell!
In the end, the proposal to declare war on the Soviet Union was rejected. On the contrary, someone threw out a proposal to end the wartime state, and it was greeted with cheers.
Faced with waves of opposition from the parliament, Prime Minister Churchill's face was extremely livid.If he really has sufficient prestige, he may already be thinking about whether to learn from the two sages of Cromwell and Napoleon at this time, and send troops to dissolve the parliament by force.
But sadly, he didn't.British soldiers didn't like Churchill, but resented him for a series of failures.
——From the decline of the first-class power before the war to the state of the United States, and at the same time face the terror of the Soviet Union at the forefront.
Churchill, the prime minister, is really to blame for tossing the British Empire to such a miserable state.
Once the wartime state is over and the national defense law becomes invalid, the countdown to his resignation as the wartime prime minister may also enter the countdown.
At this time, Prime Minister Churchill, who was isolated and helpless, found that he seemed to have only the last straw left.
So, he turned his head and turned his expectant gaze to the west, the "arsenal of democratic countries" on the other side of the Atlantic...
However, are the Yankees in the United States really willing to pay their own blood and money for the European hegemony of the British Empire?
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Across the Ocean, USA
Since the outbreak of the Pacific War, the United States has been involved in the vortex of the Second World War, and it has been four years before and after.
Because the flames of war have never reached the United States, compared with European countries full of death and scarcity, the lives of Americans during the war are much better.Broadway in New York is still feasting, and the beach in Florida is still bustling.
But no matter what, the protracted war consumption has had a certain impact on the lives of ordinary Americans.Gasoline rationing has made it impossible for Americans to drive comfortably.And the market control during the war made the market only have some green frozen chicken and potatoes, the candy that children like is always hard to find, and butter, beef jerky and fruit are also available from time to time-it is no problem to eat enough , but don't even think about eating well.Unless you have a special relationship, it is difficult to buy high-end food such as oysters and lobsters, even if you put out more dollar bills.
Because the army conscripted too many young men, in order to make up for the shortage of labor, more and more women appeared in the factories.President Roosevelt's wife made many public speeches during the war, calling on women to come out of their homes and contribute to the family and the country with both hands.
Generally speaking, Americans at this time have no obvious war weariness, and they still wholeheartedly support the country to win the anti-fascist war.
But what if the enemy is no longer fascist?
washington, white house
Although it was late at night, Secretary of State Cordell Hull came outside the door of the Oval Office with a folder.
Looking at the orange light coming from the crack of the door, he coughed lightly, and then knocked on the door.
"...Come in, Mr. Hale!"
What came from the door was no longer the kind voice of the "giant in the wheelchair", but another slightly unfamiliar answer.
That's right, the most famous American leader in the [-]th century, the master of hope for modern humans, President Franklin Roosevelt, who was crippled but physically strong, died of illness not long ago.Sitting in this office now is President Truman.
A lucky guy who hastily rose to power as vice president, a hard right-wing conservative, and a young man with a good face.
In general, President Truman did not understand the grand global strategic plan formulated by President Roosevelt, and he did not like the government team left by President Roosevelt, but because of his shallow foundation and lack of popularity, he had to hold his nose and continue. Reluctantly cooperate with you "former court officials".
Then, in the process of cooperation, various contradictions and conflicts have been constantly arising because of the divergent views of each other.
If it was an era of peace, such bumps and bumps would be nothing.But in the current era of war, it seems very fatal-millions of US troops are fighting to the death in various battlefields around the world, and any wrong judgment by the White House may ruin thousands of young lives!
In the recent period, due to various disagreements between President Truman and the entire ruling team, a series of strategic decisions of the White House have been messed up, and many plans no longer know how to implement them.For example, after the German Nazis were completely wiped out, the Soviet Union should have been urged to declare war on Japan as soon as possible... But if it followed President Truman's ideas and insisted on going its own way, the Soviet Union would probably declare war on the United States!
Oh, God!He really seems to see Britain as a close ally that needs to be supported at all costs!
As for the great significance of dismantling the British and French colonial system to the United States of America, Truman has forgotten it. Even though many people tried to persuade him and analyzed the pros and cons, he still insisted that the White House should stand with [-] Downing Street. Together with the Kremlin!
It's not even just a verbal expression of attitude, but to make Eisenhower's army take action on the front line of Rome!
Hell, what good is it to America to help the British maintain their colonies and go to war with the USSR in Europe for the British?
Although they express hostility and vigilance against the Bolshevik "red plague", in fact, except for President Truman, most people in the White House understand that after defeating the Axis powers, the next real enemy of the United States of America is Britain , um, and maybe France.
In this era, the gentlemen of England had the largest colony in the whole world.1/4 of the world's population are subjects of the British Empire, and 1/5 of the earth's land area is covered by the British Empire.Spread from the British Isles to Gambia, Newfoundland, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Singapore, Burma, India, Uganda, Kenya, South Africa, Nigeria, Malta and countless islands, the British Empire has 24 time zones on the earth Therefore, it is known as the "Empire on which the sun never sets".The international order under British hegemony has been dubbed "Pax Britannia," giving a clear idea of the global reach of this vast empire.In contrast, the great conquerors of the past, whether they are Alexander the Great, Caesar or Genghis Khan, can only look up and down.
British economist Jevons once described the economic influence of the British Empire triumphantly: "...the plains of North America and Russia are our cornfields, Canada and the Baltic Sea are our lumber fields, and Australia is our land." Our pastures in Peru, our silver mines in Peru, our gold mines in South Africa and Australia, our tea bases in India and China, our sugar cane, coffee and spices in the East Indies, our cotton plantations in the American South... "Even after entering the 20th century, the raw material production bases of various new core strategic resources, such as petroleum, iron, aluminum, lead, zinc, copper, nickel, rubber, etc., were mostly controlled by the British Empire.
The raw materials from the various colonies of the British Empire were continuously transported to various factories on the British Isle, and the vast territories all over the world provided a unique trading market for its industrial products.If it is not completely dismantled, the hegemony of the United States of America is impossible to talk about.
As for the real full-scale struggle with the Soviets, at least it should be after the two old colonial empires of Britain and France were dismantled, right?
Hull very much understood and supported the above point of view, and President Roosevelt's shadow and think tank Harry Hopkins also thought so.
But President Truman didn’t think so. He seemed to really think that the United States was already the leader of the camp of democracy and freedom, and he needed to fully assist the British in fighting the Bolshevik “red plague” that swept across Europe... This kind of thinking is actually correct, but the problem is So ahead of its time!
In order to make it easier for the United States of America to accept the legacy of the British Empire more completely in the future, this English-speaking colonial empire should not collapse now, but the United States cannot help too much, otherwise once the British Empire is revived, wouldn’t it be Became asking for trouble?
Due to the conflict between the two viewpoints, the European policy of the White House has almost been paralyzed during this period, and various quarrels have been fought one after another, which is really a headache...Of course, Secretary of State Hull also has to admit that, The strategic plan left by President Roosevelt was far from perfect, and even went bankrupt many times.In particular, the various misjudgments of the Soviet Union and Japan were even more serious and outrageous.
Although many intelligence analysts couldn't understand this, and even yelled "It's not me that's wrong! It's the world that's wrong!" or rolled their eyes and muttered "Reality is more outrageous than fiction"... But reality is reality , No matter how you refuse to admit it, it is useless.
Sighing again, pushing the above complicated thoughts out of his mind, Secretary of State Cordell Hull pushed open the door, walked in, closed the door, and then saw President Truman and Harry Hopkins special assistant standing In front of a map of Europe, they are gesticulating and arguing about something.
"...Look how horrible! From Amsterdam to Brussels, then Paris and Orleans, then Tours and Nantes, and probably Lyons and Marseilles! The torrent of Bolshevik armor cuts through butter like a knife , pierced through the whole of France in just two months!
Then, in Northern Europe, the Soviets not only occupied Finland, but also brazenly invaded the Kingdom of Sweden, which had remained neutral before, and turned it into an evil red regime.How is such an outrageous and unreasonable aggression different from Hitler's previous invasion of Poland and the Czech Republic?
Now, the Soviets have extended their clutches to Norway again, and the entire Scandinavian peninsula is about to be dyed red! "
President Truman drew a few thick arrows on the map with a red pencil, and then said emotionally, "...the British have lost the war to contain the Bolsheviks. Now it is our turn to fulfill our ally duties, Save liberty and democracy in the civilized world of Europe!"
"...Ahem, Mr. President, with all due respect, the Soviet Union and the United Kingdom have not yet declared war on each other, so legally speaking, the fighting that broke out in the Low Countries and France in the past few months can only be regarded as a partial armed conflict... The United States has no ally obligations to fulfill..."
Hopkins coughed and said, his face was extremely haggard——President Roosevelt’s think tank has been in poor health for many years, and he has been fighting with serious illnesses. Since [-], doctors have been predicting that he will die every month. There were only a few weeks of life left, but he always stood up again. Until now, when President Roosevelt had passed away, he still continued to hold on to his sick body and run state affairs with the successor President Truman.
Although President Truman didn't like Hopkins' left-leaning liberal ideas, he still had to admit his ability and resourcefulness.
"...a 'local armed conflict' where even atomic bombs were dropped?" Truman snorted mockingly, and at the same time turned his head by chance, only then did he notice that there was another person in the office—for some reason, never After entering the door, Secretary of State Hull stood silently in front of the wall for a long time, as if he was organizing his words, and it seemed that some things he wanted to talk about were beyond his ability to think.
"...Why don't you speak? Is there something troublesome? Mr. Hull." President Truman asked.
"... there is indeed a trouble." Hull tried his best to choose his words, "...Churchill suffered a serious setback in Parliament. In response to the continued Russian advance, he not only sought our support, but also proposed several proposals. Absurd proposals, such as the establishment of a German government-in-exile..."
"...German government-in-exile? What is Prime Minister Churchill thinking?" President Truman was slightly taken aback when he heard the words, and then he turned back to his seat and said with a serious expression: "...can you explain it to me in detail? What's the matter?"
Then, listening to Secretary Hull's stammering description, both Truman and Hopkins opened their mouths wider and wider.
——There is no other reason, Prime Minister Churchill's brain hole this time is really too big!
Obviously, the pressing red iron flow on the European continent and the brewing trend of cabinet overthrow in the British island seem to have given this fat man a sign of insanity. There are several unbelievable "anti-Soviet strategies":
The first is to restore King Vittorio Emanuele III of Italy to the throne, establish an "orthodox kingdom government" in the half of Rome controlled by the US military or Naples in the south, and use the traditional influence of the royal family to communicate with the North. Italy's red regime vie for hearts and minds.
The second is to try to confuse General Franco of Spain to join the war, sending Spanish troops into the French battlefield to resist the advance of the Soviet Red Army.
If it is said that although these two suggestions make people feel uncomfortable after eating flies, they are barely in the category of normal thinking logic, then the next suggestion is simply babbling - in Berlin was captured by the Soviet Red Army, Nazi Germany On the eve of the destruction, Goebbels, Goering and a series of Nazi backbones fled to the Netherlands, and were captured by the British army. Dönitz also surrendered to the British army on the high seas in a submarine. These people are currently prisoners of war in the UK Camp reunion.Churchill, who was in a hurry to go to the doctor, now has his idea on them. He is going to release these people after obtaining the consent of the United States. He will form a German government-in-exile in London and lead the "anti-Soviet guerrillas" in Germany!
Even the candidate for the new head of state of the German government-in-exile, Prime Minister Churchill, has been pre-arranged-Hess, the deputy head of Nazi Germany, flew to the UK four years ago in an attempt to negotiate peace and was detained, and he is still in their prison.Compared with other notorious Nazi leaders, Hess' resume is relatively clean, and now he is just pushed to the position of the new head of the German government-in-exile...
This idea that broke through the human imagination... How should I put it?Indeed, the German Third Reich has only been destroyed for a few months now, and there are still many Nazi remnants left in various parts of Europe.If the United States and Britain change their course and support them in restoring the German regime, and provide arms and funds to the Nazi remnants in Germany through various espionage channels, then it will indeed cause a lot of trouble for the Soviets.
But the problem is, if this happens, all the anti-fascist war propaganda of the Allies in the past years will all become a complete joke-do you really think that as long as Hitler is removed, the remaining German Nazis will not be fascists?No matter how much you can fool the public, you can't play like this!
Thinking of this, Hopkins couldn't help but glanced at a "Captain America" comic that was thrown beside the sofa: In this popular and popular comic, Hitler is certainly the image of the big devil, but Goebbels, Goebbels, Goebbels Lin, these guys, aren't they monsters crawling out of hell?
"...A bunch of ridiculous ideas to the extreme! Churchill is crazy! We can't follow him crazy!"
Even President Truman, who was the most anti-communist among the three, vetoed Churchill's crazy idea of "supporting the Nazis", and by the way, all other ideas were also vetoed.However, before Secretary of State Hull and Hopkins breathed a sigh of relief, Truman changed the subject again, "...But, it is urgent to curb the expansion of Soviet power and help our British allies! Is there any good countermeasure?"
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How to contain the Soviet Union with nuclear weapons?How to help the precarious British Empire?
These two problems really gave Hopkins a headache for the self-proclaimed smart man, especially when he couldn't directly fight Su.
Indeed, the current strategic situation in Europe is really too bad for the United States. Most of the best part of Europe has been cut off by the Soviet Union, swallowing up the fattest war dividends in one go.Only the tasteless tasteless piece of southern Italy and a few islands in southern Greece were left to the US and British coalition forces. Although France was still in a civil war, after the Soviet armored group entered Paris, the outcome was already a foregone conclusion.
However, no matter how dissatisfied with the rapid expansion of Soviet power, the White House bureaucrats and Wall Street plutocrats have nothing to play.
Unlike the history of another world, the Soviet Union in this world was much stronger and richer in World War II.Except for a small amount of purely symbolic "friendship donations", Uncle Joseph (referring to Stalin) did not need to rely on American aid to fight the war.During the war, the United States and the Soviet Union did maintain trade ties, but the quantity and scale were insignificant. It was impossible for the White House to use American aid supplies as a bargaining chip to take advantage of Russia.
As for the matter of aiding the anti-Soviet forces in European countries, the White House has actually been doing it in recent months, but unfortunately there are very few results.At present, the whole of Europe is trembling under the shock of the torrent of steel from the Soviet Union, and the mushroom cloud rising off the coast of the Netherlands makes everyone tremble even more.
In fact, according to Hopkins' thinking, Churchill insisted on fighting against the Soviet Union with arms after he had already learned that the Soviet Union possessed atomic bombs.Unlike the United States, there is no vast Atlantic as a barrier between the British mainland and the Soviet Red Army, and the narrow English Channel is not useful at all.In case Uncle Joseph was in a bad mood one day, he drank a few more sips of vodka, then slapped his forehead, and ordered to drop a bunch of nuclear bombs directly to the UK... Ulla!All troubles are solved!There is no more British Empire!
——Not long ago, Hopkins just read the report sent by the US medical team from the British naval base Scapa Flow, describing the tragedy of radiation sickness caused by the atomic bomb explosion: experts said that this disease is fundamental Without specific medicines, even the best doctors in the United States could only watch the officers and soldiers of the Royal Navy slowly rot their skin, rot their internal organs, and finally die miserably with rot and pus all over their bodies.
I don't know whether it is brave or crazy to confront an opponent with such nuclear weapons, especially when the British do not have an atomic bomb in their hands-anyway, the United States of America will never use the newly developed The nuclear bomb handed over to them.
To be honest, Hopkins really had a hard time understanding how the impoverished and backward Russians in his impression made such a high-tech thing as the atomic bomb—indeed, the basic principle of making the atomic bomb is not a secret. It can be found in pre-war publications.
However, the key technical obstacle in making an atomic bomb never lies in the design and manufacture of the atomic bomb itself, but in how to separate a sufficient amount of enriched uranium. Can make a nuclear bomb.
But the problem is that with the technical conditions of the World War II era, it is impossible to accumulate so much nuclear material. The "Manhattan Project" carried out by the United States lasted three years, hired 20 workers, and cost a total of 20 billion U.S. dollars (the U.S. dollars at that time were much more valuable than the green bills in the future, the cost of a submachine gun was only ten dollars, and the total savings of the Kuomintang government after the end of the Anti-Japanese War was only [-] million U.S. dollars). In the end, only three nuclear bombs were built... One of them was used for test explosion in July, and now there are only two left.
As for the atomic bombs that the Soviets dropped on the heads of the British, there are now two, and they don't know how many are still in stock.
Of course, the two atomic bombs that exploded off the coast of the Netherlands may be the entire Soviet nuclear arsenal.The current Stalin may be holding a non-existent atomic bomb and scaring people under the false pretense.But who would dare to gamble on such a thing that if the judgment is wrong, the country will be destroyed?
Well, Churchill seems to really bet on it, but the United States of America really doesn't need to go crazy with him, and even the British are about to abandon him.
It is difficult to contain the nuclear-armed Soviet Union, but how to help the down-and-out British is even more troublesome-this is not just a problem that can be solved by aiding dozens or hundreds of ships of supplies, but it is necessary to help the British stabilize the country. Live in the territory of colonial empires, even if only temporarily.
For the British Empire, the vast colonies all over the world are not only the source of infinite wealth, but also the source of all troubles. In the twentieth century, when nationalism was awakening sharply, every corner of the world was filled with increasingly fierce anti-colonial movements .
And the dumping and exploitation of the suzerain country have also caused serious disasters to colonial and semi-colonial countries-for details, you can refer to the realistic novel "Overcharged by Three or Five Bucks" in the Republic of China... This is the case with semi-colonial China that cannot be fully controlled, India The colonies in China, Burma, South Africa, and West Africa were expropriated to appalling levels by the British colonists, and various flames of resistance came and went and never went out.
In the era of World War II when the British Empire was extremely weakened, these flames that had been smoldering for a long time burst out like a volcanic eruption!
Looking at the deplorable situation of the British colonies on the world map, Hopkins felt that this was as hopeless as himself who was terminally ill.
Myanmar and Malaya have been occupied by Japan for several years, and most of Australia has also been planted with the sun flag.After MacArthur escaped from the Philippines, he continued to fight with the Japanese in Australia for several years. His morale became lower and lower, and his territory became smaller and smaller. Now there are only a few strongholds left, such as Melbourne, the southernmost point of the Australian mainland. If there are a few more defeats, I am afraid that I will flee to New Zealand or Tasmania.
And India, the brightest jewel in the crown of the British Empire, has become a big battlefield where heroes compete for the throne.Although the Japanese army only occupied the island of Sri Lanka, Subhas Chandra Bose, the rebel leader of the Congress Party who was sent to the Indian subcontinent by them, successfully detonated the anti-British uprising throughout India.Hyderabad, Kashmir and other land states have established themselves one after another. The Sikhs who are good at fighting have rebuilt their Khalistan Kingdom in Punjab. Even weak chickens like Nepal, Afghanistan, and Iran can't help but extend their black hands to the rich Indian subcontinent .
——The Soviet Union in this world does not need a channel to transport American aid into the country, so Britain and the Soviet Union did not join hands to carve up Iran during World War II.On the contrary, with the acquiescence of the Soviet Union, Shah Reza of Iran even sent troops to the East in an attempt to get a share of the collapse of the Indian colony.
Since the Royal Navy was still unable to completely defeat the Japanese Combined Fleet and regain the dominance of the Indian Ocean, and had no spare power to send a large number of reinforcements to India, the British colonial rule in India was also faltering like a candle in the wind.Even South Africa has other ideas.
Looking at the world, the British colonies where the ruling order is still relatively stable, only Black Africa, North Africa, and the Middle East are left.But the former's tropical plantations were of limited significance for sustaining the war, and the latter had nothing but sand and oil.However, the Soviet Union and the United States are not short of oil, and even have enough to supply Europe. Japan, which occupied the Dutch East Indies colony, has no shortage of oil. The rest of the colored people are too poor and backward to use much oil...
In short, asking the U.S. military to help Britain suppress colonial resistance is simply a thankless task that may even lead to a bad reputation.And no matter how you look at it, there is no need to do it.More critically, doesn't the United States of America itself have trouble to deal with?
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"...Mr. President, before considering how to contain the Soviet Union and aid Britain, let us first think about how to defeat Japan!"
After hearing the answer that Hopkins held back for a long time, President Truman couldn't help feeling depressed.
oh!Nasty Japanese!
It not only dragged the United States into the war, but also messed up the overall strategic plan of the United States of America!
——Since participating in this world war, the reason why the United States of America has been unable to invest large forces in Europe and let the Soviet Union dominate Europe has been formed. In addition to political considerations, it is also constrained by another key factor: that It is the Pacific battlefield to compete with the Japanese Empire!
Since the attack on Pearl Harbor, defeating Japan and forcing it to surrender unconditionally has become the strongest wish of all Americans.
And this is also the direct goal of the United States' participation in the war. Abandoning and ignoring this goal is absolutely politically incorrect!
Even in the honor of the President of the United States, it cannot violate the aspirations of the general public.
President Roosevelt, who successfully broke the rules and was re-elected for four terms, could not do it, let alone President Truman.
Although as early as the end of 1941, when the United States had just entered the war, President Roosevelt gave a speech in which he persuaded members of Congress not to focus only on Japan, the clown-like opponent, but to Europe, and launched the " Europe before Asia” strategic policy.
But the problem is that President Roosevelt obviously underestimated the difficulty and ferocity of Japan's "clown-like opponent" - the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, the Battle of the Philippines, the sweep across Southeast Asia, the fall of New Guinea, the assault on the Indian Ocean, and the landing in Australia... Another dazzling sun flag rose on the map, and the swords of the Japanese samurai slashed from the northern hemisphere to the southern hemisphere, smashing the faces of the navy and army of the United States of America to pieces.
In particular, the two earth-shattering Noumea sea battles almost wiped out the main force of the US Pacific Fleet each time.And the stunning performance of the two super battleships Yamato and Musashi of the Japanese Navy has caused naval and ship experts all over the world to lose their glasses - the shipboard radar seems to be able to scan up to nearly a thousand kilometers range!The alloy armor is so thick that even 42-inch armor-piercing bullets and submarine-launched torpedoes can't penetrate it!The "uranium alloy armor-piercing projectile" used by the main gun is not only hard, but also spontaneously ignites after hitting... What's more unscientific is that they are obviously two super battleships with a wide body and a fat body, but they can run at a super high speed of [-] knots , even faster than many torpedoes!Are you a battleship or a racing boat? !
In order to kill these two demonic Japanese battleships, the US Navy has exhausted their minds, and all kinds of brainstorming ideas emerge in endlessly.
From pigeon bombs to giant ship collisions, from frogman sneak attacks to saturation bombing... Unfortunately, so far, all attempts have failed.On the contrary, in the recent period of time, the Japanese have launched two new battleships of the same level into service, named Mino and Shinano...
—As the number of Superbow-class Japanese battleships doubled, so did the nightmare for the US Navy's Pacific Fleet.
All in all, after two defeats that nearly wiped out the entire army, coupled with a series of piecemeal attacks before and after, the backbone of the U.S. Navy has basically been broken. Generally speaking, the loss of warships and aircraft has never been the key point, but the casualties of 20 well-trained and experienced naval officers and soldiers are the most painful and difficult to make up for the United States. There is no way to display the power of a warship with only a passion for it. At least a middle-level education and long-term rigorous training are required to be considered qualified sailors.The modern navy has even higher requirements for the quality of officers.
In other words, in the hands of a group of rookies, even the most powerful warship can hardly exert 100% of its strength.
As a result, due to the exhaustion of qualified sailors and captains, the human resources of the U.S. Navy were almost exhausted, and even the most critical battleships and aircraft carriers could only be operated by sailors recruited from merchant ships.As for secondary ships such as destroyers and landing ships, there are countless novices and landlubbers, all kinds of strange accidents and mistakes emerge one after another, and their performance on the battlefield is even more contemptuous.
What's more terrible is that the repeated defeats on the Pacific battlefield not only humiliated the U.S. Navy in front of world public opinion, but also completely bankrupted President Roosevelt's strategic attempt of "first Europe and then Asia".Although the United States also implemented very strict wartime news control, no matter when there are people with good news, rumors that the Japanese army will land in Hawaii or that Japanese battleships are bombarding the ports on the west coast are still circulating in the society.
Next, even Capitol Hill was stunned by such a disastrous defeat.On the plus side, the members of the Senate and the House of Representatives have not lost their fighting spirit, but they are passionately demanding revenge, and have approved a large sum of money for the Navy's reconstruction plan; To ensure the absolute security of the United States, it is necessary to vigorously strengthen the coastal defenses of the west coast of the United States, and it has received widespread response from the people.In desperation, President Roosevelt had no choice but to change the strategy of "first Europe and then Asia" based on the post-war vision to "first Asia and then Europe" in the face of the actual war situation. , was pinched and turned into the country, turning into immobile coastal forts, air defense shelters and land fortresses.At the same time, in order to be able to deal with the combined Japanese fleet, especially those two abhorrent cutting-edge battleships, astronomical and precious resources were invested in the naval reconstruction plan of the Pacific Fleet... and then they were all thrown into the bottom of the sea again .
In addition, it is not only the navy in the Pacific battlefield that consumes resources, but the US Army in the Pacific battlefield is also not a fuel-efficient lamp.Due to the almost blank industrial strength of Australia, in order for General MacArthur's troops to continue to resist the Japanese invasion in Australia, every liter of gasoline, every plane, and every tank he needed had to travel thousands of miles. Shipped from the mainland of the United States-except for wheat, mutton and Australian boys who are not afraid of death, Australia can hardly provide anything MacArthur wants.If it were China's Eighth Route Army guerrillas, they might be able to persist in fighting under such conditions, but MacArthur could not do such a thing, and could only rely on the transportation and supplies of the United States.
——There are two ways to get from the arsenal in the United States to the front line of Australia. Either go around the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa and take the southern Indian Ocean; Under the threat of German U-boats and the Japanese Combined Fleet, no matter which one has become an out-and-out route of death, an average of at least twenty "free ships" are captured on these two routes every month or sink!
However, in order to win this war, the Pentagon still continued to transfuse blood into the Australian battlefield regardless of sacrifice and loss.
However, even though so much capital has been spent regardless of the cost, it has an absolute advantage on paper.But even so, the U.S. military still couldn't defeat the Japanese!It just barely stopped the decline at the beginning of the war and entered the stage of strategic stalemate!The Combined Fleet of the Japanese Navy, this devilishly tenacious and cunning opponent, still suffered no decisive defeat.Its power is still strong, and it is waiting for an opportunity to fight back!
The U.S. Pacific Fleet obviously has an absolute advantage in numbers, but it has been repeatedly beaten by the Japanese Navy's combined fleet for four consecutive years. It was defeated again and again. 20 soldiers were buried under the blue waves, and their morale fell to the bottom. They could only barely hold the front line of New Zealand. , Let the Pentagon have a headache.
The huge power of the United States is therefore firmly contained in the mainland and the Pacific Ocean, and it is basically unable to launch any large-scale offensive in Europe.
In this way, after four years of participating in the war, the Americans found that their record was really bleak.Except for some achievements in North Africa, defeating the "Desert Fox" Rommel with the British, and annihilating the African Army of Germany and Italy, he has never defeated any enemy head-on: the German Nazis were defeated by the Soviet Red Army Killed, the Italians gave up resistance because of their own coup d'état, and the Japanese are still jumping happily...
As a result, the self-esteem and morale of Americans were severely damaged. Quite a few Americans began to feel frustrated that although their country has huge productivity and mobilization capabilities, the combat effectiveness of the US military is really disappointing... A huge amount of money was spent on research data Although the atomic bomb was produced in [-], the U.S. Air Force could not find a bomber capable of flying directly from Hawaii to Tokyo, so there was no way to drop it on the Japanese archipelago.
And it would be too wasteful to use the precious atomic bombs to destroy the Japanese army’s frontline island bases—the atomic bombs are not Chinese cabbage, there are only two left after the test explosion, and the cost of each one is more than one Japanese island Well, the next one doesn't know that it will take years of monkeys and horses and months to make it!
In short, when the Pacific battlefield is deadlocked and the European battlefield cannot open the situation, even if President Truman is a die-hard conservative (in fact, he is only on the right compared to Roosevelt, and he is far behind McCarthy in the future), he dare not fight in the war. Before solving the Japanese situation, they will directly confront the Soviet Union's steel torrent in Europe.The U.S. Army, which lacks self-confidence, also does not have the courage and self-confidence to stand up to the Soviets.
Under such circumstances, although he was very reluctant, President Truman also had to admit that he really had to temporarily abandon Europe, first Asia and then Europe, and made defeating Japan and controlling and seizing the Asia-Pacific region his primary goal. can't explain at all...
What's worse is that the Japanese fascists have not yet been defeated, but the Allied forces are already fighting each other and killing each other.If the United States really jumped on the British chariot, leading to a full-scale war between the Western camp headed by Britain and the United States and the Eastern camp headed by the Soviet Union, and even forcing the Soviet Union to form an alliance with Japan, then defeating Japan will wash away the shame of the attack on Pearl Harbor , I am afraid that it will really become a dream that will never be realized.
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"...Okay! I understand, Mr. Hopkins, the European affairs can only be left to him for the time being, and the key now is to defeat the Japanese!"
After a moment of silence, President Truman heaved a long sigh, got up and rolled up the map of Europe hanging on the wall, then took out a military map of the Pacific battlefield from a drawer, and spread it out on the desk.Compared with the familiar Europe, the Pacific theater seemed vast and boundless, and there were strings of unfamiliar island names everywhere. President Truman couldn't help frowning for a while, feeling dazzled and dizzy.
"...how are you preparing for the next counterattack on the Pacific battlefield? Can MacArthur persist in Australia?"
After looking at the map for a while, Truman turned to Hopkins and asked, "...I have been focusing on the situation in Europe for the past two days..."
"...MacArthur just won a battle near Melbourne, Mr. President, and he said that as long as the logistics are sufficient, he can continue to fight."
Hopkins stepped forward, pointed to the map of the Pacific theater and said, "...The Pacific Fleet also sent a telegram, claiming that they are ready to make up for it, and it is expected to launch the third Nouméa naval battle early next month! The minimum goal is Try to sink one or two decisive Japanese battleships..."
"...Those two demonic Japanese battleships? Uh, no, it's four now..."
Truman scratched his hair, "...Hey, it has been four years since the war started! Mr. Hopkins, this decisive battle is of great importance, please ask someone to make an evaluation as soon as possible. If it is necessary and possible to use those two bombs Don’t be stingy about the atomic bomb. Any weapon is made for use, and the United States needs a victory so much! No matter how much we pay, we must also break the myth that the Japanese combined fleet is invincible..."
The Kremlin's request for the olive branch of peace tentatively extended by the British side is simple and arrogant:
They demand all of Europe!
Well, to be exact, the whole of continental Europe except the British Isles.
——In the face of British Foreign Secretary Anthony Eden's harsh inquiries, Uncle Joseph (Stalin) politely stated that the current goal of the Bolsheviks is "only" the entire European continent!The British Isles are not yet within target range.
Therefore, as long as the fat man at [-] Downing Street no longer tries to interfere in any affairs of the European continent, the Soviet Union and the United Kingdom can still live in peace.
To be more specific, Stalin made the following package of demands on the British side:
First, withdraw all British troops in France within a time limit, and no longer provide any support to the French fascist puppet government;
Second, withdraw the British troops who invaded Norway within a time limit, and recognize the newly established Norwegian red regime;
Third, withdraw the British troops who invaded Greece within a time limit, and recognize the newly established Greek red regime;
Fourth, resolve the Italian issue peacefully. The occupying forces of various countries will withdraw from Italy, and the future will be decided by the Italian people through a referendum;
——Because the Soviet Union occupied the densely populated and economically developed North Italy, a series of historical cities such as Florence, Milan, and Venice were in its hands, and the population was far greater than that of southern Italy controlled by the US and British coalition forces.So if there is a referendum, it will definitely be the result of the Communist Party of Italy coming to power...
Fifth, a "symbolic" compensation of [-] million pounds, as compensation for left-wing organizations in countries such as France, the Netherlands, Greece and Belgium.
……
To put it crudely, it is: the British barbarians get out of the European continent quickly, and go back to your small island to play with yourself!Only in this way can you spare your death, um, don't forget to leave the compensation when you leave, when you broke in and destroyed a lot of flowers and plants before!
This attitude of treating the British Empire as nothing made Churchill jump three feet high and almost hit the ceiling.After yelling hysterically and venting his anger, the fat man completely stopped thinking about compromising with the Russian Bolsheviks, and decided to grit his teeth and fight to the end.
Therefore, on the day when the second Dunkirk evacuation ended successfully, Churchill delivered a speech in Parliament, publicly advocating war against the Soviet Union:
"...with the clutches of Nazi Germany threatening Britain, I have made it clear to Parliament that I will devote nothing but blood, toil, tears, and sweat to lead our country through such an ordeal, through protracted struggle and suffering.
And now, Britain is once again at its most dangerous moment, girls!Gentlemen!I have to continue to ask you to continue to dedicate your blood, toil, tears and sweat, as in the past, to fight desperately against the evil red dictator in the East for our freedom and survival. What is the policy?My answer is: fighting on land, sea, and air.To fight with all our might, with all the strength God has given us, against the darkest, most murderous organization in human history.That's our policy.
If you ask what is our goal?I can answer it in one word, victory.To win, whatever the cost--to win, against all horrors--to win, however long and hard the road.Because you can't survive without winning.
We must be soberly aware that without victory, there would be no British Empire, without victory, there would be no British Empire, and without victory, there would be no strong demands and impulses for centuries: human beings should strive towards their own goals. step forward.
I take up my task with high spirits and confidence.I am sure that, united, our cause will not be frustrated.
In this moment of crisis, I feel I have the right to ask for support from all sides.I want to say: Come on, let us work together and move forward side by side! "
Although Churchill's speech seemed to be as strong as ever with fighting spirit and passion, the applause in the House of Commons was rare.
——No matter how bold the language is, it cannot cover up the paleness of reality, and no matter how enthusiastic the incitement is, it cannot rekindle the withered heart.
In the all-round brutal war that lasted for six years, the British Empire not only exhausted all its human, material and financial resources, but also It has been drained of all its energy, strength and perseverance.
A whole generation of lads fell in the field, women were drafted into the army, and the blood of the Anglo-Saxons was drained.
The British have had enough of endless wars, enough of ubiquitous want, and don't want to live this nightmare anymore.
As long as the homeland on the British Isle can be restored to its original state, the rest of the glory of the empire and the balance of power on the mainland will all go to hell!
In the end, the proposal to declare war on the Soviet Union was rejected. On the contrary, someone threw out a proposal to end the wartime state, and it was greeted with cheers.
Faced with waves of opposition from the parliament, Prime Minister Churchill's face was extremely livid.If he really has sufficient prestige, he may already be thinking about whether to learn from the two sages of Cromwell and Napoleon at this time, and send troops to dissolve the parliament by force.
But sadly, he didn't.British soldiers didn't like Churchill, but resented him for a series of failures.
——From the decline of the first-class power before the war to the state of the United States, and at the same time face the terror of the Soviet Union at the forefront.
Churchill, the prime minister, is really to blame for tossing the British Empire to such a miserable state.
Once the wartime state is over and the national defense law becomes invalid, the countdown to his resignation as the wartime prime minister may also enter the countdown.
At this time, Prime Minister Churchill, who was isolated and helpless, found that he seemed to have only the last straw left.
So, he turned his head and turned his expectant gaze to the west, the "arsenal of democratic countries" on the other side of the Atlantic...
However, are the Yankees in the United States really willing to pay their own blood and money for the European hegemony of the British Empire?
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Across the Ocean, USA
Since the outbreak of the Pacific War, the United States has been involved in the vortex of the Second World War, and it has been four years before and after.
Because the flames of war have never reached the United States, compared with European countries full of death and scarcity, the lives of Americans during the war are much better.Broadway in New York is still feasting, and the beach in Florida is still bustling.
But no matter what, the protracted war consumption has had a certain impact on the lives of ordinary Americans.Gasoline rationing has made it impossible for Americans to drive comfortably.And the market control during the war made the market only have some green frozen chicken and potatoes, the candy that children like is always hard to find, and butter, beef jerky and fruit are also available from time to time-it is no problem to eat enough , but don't even think about eating well.Unless you have a special relationship, it is difficult to buy high-end food such as oysters and lobsters, even if you put out more dollar bills.
Because the army conscripted too many young men, in order to make up for the shortage of labor, more and more women appeared in the factories.President Roosevelt's wife made many public speeches during the war, calling on women to come out of their homes and contribute to the family and the country with both hands.
Generally speaking, Americans at this time have no obvious war weariness, and they still wholeheartedly support the country to win the anti-fascist war.
But what if the enemy is no longer fascist?
washington, white house
Although it was late at night, Secretary of State Cordell Hull came outside the door of the Oval Office with a folder.
Looking at the orange light coming from the crack of the door, he coughed lightly, and then knocked on the door.
"...Come in, Mr. Hale!"
What came from the door was no longer the kind voice of the "giant in the wheelchair", but another slightly unfamiliar answer.
That's right, the most famous American leader in the [-]th century, the master of hope for modern humans, President Franklin Roosevelt, who was crippled but physically strong, died of illness not long ago.Sitting in this office now is President Truman.
A lucky guy who hastily rose to power as vice president, a hard right-wing conservative, and a young man with a good face.
In general, President Truman did not understand the grand global strategic plan formulated by President Roosevelt, and he did not like the government team left by President Roosevelt, but because of his shallow foundation and lack of popularity, he had to hold his nose and continue. Reluctantly cooperate with you "former court officials".
Then, in the process of cooperation, various contradictions and conflicts have been constantly arising because of the divergent views of each other.
If it was an era of peace, such bumps and bumps would be nothing.But in the current era of war, it seems very fatal-millions of US troops are fighting to the death in various battlefields around the world, and any wrong judgment by the White House may ruin thousands of young lives!
In the recent period, due to various disagreements between President Truman and the entire ruling team, a series of strategic decisions of the White House have been messed up, and many plans no longer know how to implement them.For example, after the German Nazis were completely wiped out, the Soviet Union should have been urged to declare war on Japan as soon as possible... But if it followed President Truman's ideas and insisted on going its own way, the Soviet Union would probably declare war on the United States!
Oh, God!He really seems to see Britain as a close ally that needs to be supported at all costs!
As for the great significance of dismantling the British and French colonial system to the United States of America, Truman has forgotten it. Even though many people tried to persuade him and analyzed the pros and cons, he still insisted that the White House should stand with [-] Downing Street. Together with the Kremlin!
It's not even just a verbal expression of attitude, but to make Eisenhower's army take action on the front line of Rome!
Hell, what good is it to America to help the British maintain their colonies and go to war with the USSR in Europe for the British?
Although they express hostility and vigilance against the Bolshevik "red plague", in fact, except for President Truman, most people in the White House understand that after defeating the Axis powers, the next real enemy of the United States of America is Britain , um, and maybe France.
In this era, the gentlemen of England had the largest colony in the whole world.1/4 of the world's population are subjects of the British Empire, and 1/5 of the earth's land area is covered by the British Empire.Spread from the British Isles to Gambia, Newfoundland, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Singapore, Burma, India, Uganda, Kenya, South Africa, Nigeria, Malta and countless islands, the British Empire has 24 time zones on the earth Therefore, it is known as the "Empire on which the sun never sets".The international order under British hegemony has been dubbed "Pax Britannia," giving a clear idea of the global reach of this vast empire.In contrast, the great conquerors of the past, whether they are Alexander the Great, Caesar or Genghis Khan, can only look up and down.
British economist Jevons once described the economic influence of the British Empire triumphantly: "...the plains of North America and Russia are our cornfields, Canada and the Baltic Sea are our lumber fields, and Australia is our land." Our pastures in Peru, our silver mines in Peru, our gold mines in South Africa and Australia, our tea bases in India and China, our sugar cane, coffee and spices in the East Indies, our cotton plantations in the American South... "Even after entering the 20th century, the raw material production bases of various new core strategic resources, such as petroleum, iron, aluminum, lead, zinc, copper, nickel, rubber, etc., were mostly controlled by the British Empire.
The raw materials from the various colonies of the British Empire were continuously transported to various factories on the British Isle, and the vast territories all over the world provided a unique trading market for its industrial products.If it is not completely dismantled, the hegemony of the United States of America is impossible to talk about.
As for the real full-scale struggle with the Soviets, at least it should be after the two old colonial empires of Britain and France were dismantled, right?
Hull very much understood and supported the above point of view, and President Roosevelt's shadow and think tank Harry Hopkins also thought so.
But President Truman didn’t think so. He seemed to really think that the United States was already the leader of the camp of democracy and freedom, and he needed to fully assist the British in fighting the Bolshevik “red plague” that swept across Europe... This kind of thinking is actually correct, but the problem is So ahead of its time!
In order to make it easier for the United States of America to accept the legacy of the British Empire more completely in the future, this English-speaking colonial empire should not collapse now, but the United States cannot help too much, otherwise once the British Empire is revived, wouldn’t it be Became asking for trouble?
Due to the conflict between the two viewpoints, the European policy of the White House has almost been paralyzed during this period, and various quarrels have been fought one after another, which is really a headache...Of course, Secretary of State Hull also has to admit that, The strategic plan left by President Roosevelt was far from perfect, and even went bankrupt many times.In particular, the various misjudgments of the Soviet Union and Japan were even more serious and outrageous.
Although many intelligence analysts couldn't understand this, and even yelled "It's not me that's wrong! It's the world that's wrong!" or rolled their eyes and muttered "Reality is more outrageous than fiction"... But reality is reality , No matter how you refuse to admit it, it is useless.
Sighing again, pushing the above complicated thoughts out of his mind, Secretary of State Cordell Hull pushed open the door, walked in, closed the door, and then saw President Truman and Harry Hopkins special assistant standing In front of a map of Europe, they are gesticulating and arguing about something.
"...Look how horrible! From Amsterdam to Brussels, then Paris and Orleans, then Tours and Nantes, and probably Lyons and Marseilles! The torrent of Bolshevik armor cuts through butter like a knife , pierced through the whole of France in just two months!
Then, in Northern Europe, the Soviets not only occupied Finland, but also brazenly invaded the Kingdom of Sweden, which had remained neutral before, and turned it into an evil red regime.How is such an outrageous and unreasonable aggression different from Hitler's previous invasion of Poland and the Czech Republic?
Now, the Soviets have extended their clutches to Norway again, and the entire Scandinavian peninsula is about to be dyed red! "
President Truman drew a few thick arrows on the map with a red pencil, and then said emotionally, "...the British have lost the war to contain the Bolsheviks. Now it is our turn to fulfill our ally duties, Save liberty and democracy in the civilized world of Europe!"
"...Ahem, Mr. President, with all due respect, the Soviet Union and the United Kingdom have not yet declared war on each other, so legally speaking, the fighting that broke out in the Low Countries and France in the past few months can only be regarded as a partial armed conflict... The United States has no ally obligations to fulfill..."
Hopkins coughed and said, his face was extremely haggard——President Roosevelt’s think tank has been in poor health for many years, and he has been fighting with serious illnesses. Since [-], doctors have been predicting that he will die every month. There were only a few weeks of life left, but he always stood up again. Until now, when President Roosevelt had passed away, he still continued to hold on to his sick body and run state affairs with the successor President Truman.
Although President Truman didn't like Hopkins' left-leaning liberal ideas, he still had to admit his ability and resourcefulness.
"...a 'local armed conflict' where even atomic bombs were dropped?" Truman snorted mockingly, and at the same time turned his head by chance, only then did he notice that there was another person in the office—for some reason, never After entering the door, Secretary of State Hull stood silently in front of the wall for a long time, as if he was organizing his words, and it seemed that some things he wanted to talk about were beyond his ability to think.
"...Why don't you speak? Is there something troublesome? Mr. Hull." President Truman asked.
"... there is indeed a trouble." Hull tried his best to choose his words, "...Churchill suffered a serious setback in Parliament. In response to the continued Russian advance, he not only sought our support, but also proposed several proposals. Absurd proposals, such as the establishment of a German government-in-exile..."
"...German government-in-exile? What is Prime Minister Churchill thinking?" President Truman was slightly taken aback when he heard the words, and then he turned back to his seat and said with a serious expression: "...can you explain it to me in detail? What's the matter?"
Then, listening to Secretary Hull's stammering description, both Truman and Hopkins opened their mouths wider and wider.
——There is no other reason, Prime Minister Churchill's brain hole this time is really too big!
Obviously, the pressing red iron flow on the European continent and the brewing trend of cabinet overthrow in the British island seem to have given this fat man a sign of insanity. There are several unbelievable "anti-Soviet strategies":
The first is to restore King Vittorio Emanuele III of Italy to the throne, establish an "orthodox kingdom government" in the half of Rome controlled by the US military or Naples in the south, and use the traditional influence of the royal family to communicate with the North. Italy's red regime vie for hearts and minds.
The second is to try to confuse General Franco of Spain to join the war, sending Spanish troops into the French battlefield to resist the advance of the Soviet Red Army.
If it is said that although these two suggestions make people feel uncomfortable after eating flies, they are barely in the category of normal thinking logic, then the next suggestion is simply babbling - in Berlin was captured by the Soviet Red Army, Nazi Germany On the eve of the destruction, Goebbels, Goering and a series of Nazi backbones fled to the Netherlands, and were captured by the British army. Dönitz also surrendered to the British army on the high seas in a submarine. These people are currently prisoners of war in the UK Camp reunion.Churchill, who was in a hurry to go to the doctor, now has his idea on them. He is going to release these people after obtaining the consent of the United States. He will form a German government-in-exile in London and lead the "anti-Soviet guerrillas" in Germany!
Even the candidate for the new head of state of the German government-in-exile, Prime Minister Churchill, has been pre-arranged-Hess, the deputy head of Nazi Germany, flew to the UK four years ago in an attempt to negotiate peace and was detained, and he is still in their prison.Compared with other notorious Nazi leaders, Hess' resume is relatively clean, and now he is just pushed to the position of the new head of the German government-in-exile...
This idea that broke through the human imagination... How should I put it?Indeed, the German Third Reich has only been destroyed for a few months now, and there are still many Nazi remnants left in various parts of Europe.If the United States and Britain change their course and support them in restoring the German regime, and provide arms and funds to the Nazi remnants in Germany through various espionage channels, then it will indeed cause a lot of trouble for the Soviets.
But the problem is, if this happens, all the anti-fascist war propaganda of the Allies in the past years will all become a complete joke-do you really think that as long as Hitler is removed, the remaining German Nazis will not be fascists?No matter how much you can fool the public, you can't play like this!
Thinking of this, Hopkins couldn't help but glanced at a "Captain America" comic that was thrown beside the sofa: In this popular and popular comic, Hitler is certainly the image of the big devil, but Goebbels, Goebbels, Goebbels Lin, these guys, aren't they monsters crawling out of hell?
"...A bunch of ridiculous ideas to the extreme! Churchill is crazy! We can't follow him crazy!"
Even President Truman, who was the most anti-communist among the three, vetoed Churchill's crazy idea of "supporting the Nazis", and by the way, all other ideas were also vetoed.However, before Secretary of State Hull and Hopkins breathed a sigh of relief, Truman changed the subject again, "...But, it is urgent to curb the expansion of Soviet power and help our British allies! Is there any good countermeasure?"
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How to contain the Soviet Union with nuclear weapons?How to help the precarious British Empire?
These two problems really gave Hopkins a headache for the self-proclaimed smart man, especially when he couldn't directly fight Su.
Indeed, the current strategic situation in Europe is really too bad for the United States. Most of the best part of Europe has been cut off by the Soviet Union, swallowing up the fattest war dividends in one go.Only the tasteless tasteless piece of southern Italy and a few islands in southern Greece were left to the US and British coalition forces. Although France was still in a civil war, after the Soviet armored group entered Paris, the outcome was already a foregone conclusion.
However, no matter how dissatisfied with the rapid expansion of Soviet power, the White House bureaucrats and Wall Street plutocrats have nothing to play.
Unlike the history of another world, the Soviet Union in this world was much stronger and richer in World War II.Except for a small amount of purely symbolic "friendship donations", Uncle Joseph (referring to Stalin) did not need to rely on American aid to fight the war.During the war, the United States and the Soviet Union did maintain trade ties, but the quantity and scale were insignificant. It was impossible for the White House to use American aid supplies as a bargaining chip to take advantage of Russia.
As for the matter of aiding the anti-Soviet forces in European countries, the White House has actually been doing it in recent months, but unfortunately there are very few results.At present, the whole of Europe is trembling under the shock of the torrent of steel from the Soviet Union, and the mushroom cloud rising off the coast of the Netherlands makes everyone tremble even more.
In fact, according to Hopkins' thinking, Churchill insisted on fighting against the Soviet Union with arms after he had already learned that the Soviet Union possessed atomic bombs.Unlike the United States, there is no vast Atlantic as a barrier between the British mainland and the Soviet Red Army, and the narrow English Channel is not useful at all.In case Uncle Joseph was in a bad mood one day, he drank a few more sips of vodka, then slapped his forehead, and ordered to drop a bunch of nuclear bombs directly to the UK... Ulla!All troubles are solved!There is no more British Empire!
——Not long ago, Hopkins just read the report sent by the US medical team from the British naval base Scapa Flow, describing the tragedy of radiation sickness caused by the atomic bomb explosion: experts said that this disease is fundamental Without specific medicines, even the best doctors in the United States could only watch the officers and soldiers of the Royal Navy slowly rot their skin, rot their internal organs, and finally die miserably with rot and pus all over their bodies.
I don't know whether it is brave or crazy to confront an opponent with such nuclear weapons, especially when the British do not have an atomic bomb in their hands-anyway, the United States of America will never use the newly developed The nuclear bomb handed over to them.
To be honest, Hopkins really had a hard time understanding how the impoverished and backward Russians in his impression made such a high-tech thing as the atomic bomb—indeed, the basic principle of making the atomic bomb is not a secret. It can be found in pre-war publications.
However, the key technical obstacle in making an atomic bomb never lies in the design and manufacture of the atomic bomb itself, but in how to separate a sufficient amount of enriched uranium. Can make a nuclear bomb.
But the problem is that with the technical conditions of the World War II era, it is impossible to accumulate so much nuclear material. The "Manhattan Project" carried out by the United States lasted three years, hired 20 workers, and cost a total of 20 billion U.S. dollars (the U.S. dollars at that time were much more valuable than the green bills in the future, the cost of a submachine gun was only ten dollars, and the total savings of the Kuomintang government after the end of the Anti-Japanese War was only [-] million U.S. dollars). In the end, only three nuclear bombs were built... One of them was used for test explosion in July, and now there are only two left.
As for the atomic bombs that the Soviets dropped on the heads of the British, there are now two, and they don't know how many are still in stock.
Of course, the two atomic bombs that exploded off the coast of the Netherlands may be the entire Soviet nuclear arsenal.The current Stalin may be holding a non-existent atomic bomb and scaring people under the false pretense.But who would dare to gamble on such a thing that if the judgment is wrong, the country will be destroyed?
Well, Churchill seems to really bet on it, but the United States of America really doesn't need to go crazy with him, and even the British are about to abandon him.
It is difficult to contain the nuclear-armed Soviet Union, but how to help the down-and-out British is even more troublesome-this is not just a problem that can be solved by aiding dozens or hundreds of ships of supplies, but it is necessary to help the British stabilize the country. Live in the territory of colonial empires, even if only temporarily.
For the British Empire, the vast colonies all over the world are not only the source of infinite wealth, but also the source of all troubles. In the twentieth century, when nationalism was awakening sharply, every corner of the world was filled with increasingly fierce anti-colonial movements .
And the dumping and exploitation of the suzerain country have also caused serious disasters to colonial and semi-colonial countries-for details, you can refer to the realistic novel "Overcharged by Three or Five Bucks" in the Republic of China... This is the case with semi-colonial China that cannot be fully controlled, India The colonies in China, Burma, South Africa, and West Africa were expropriated to appalling levels by the British colonists, and various flames of resistance came and went and never went out.
In the era of World War II when the British Empire was extremely weakened, these flames that had been smoldering for a long time burst out like a volcanic eruption!
Looking at the deplorable situation of the British colonies on the world map, Hopkins felt that this was as hopeless as himself who was terminally ill.
Myanmar and Malaya have been occupied by Japan for several years, and most of Australia has also been planted with the sun flag.After MacArthur escaped from the Philippines, he continued to fight with the Japanese in Australia for several years. His morale became lower and lower, and his territory became smaller and smaller. Now there are only a few strongholds left, such as Melbourne, the southernmost point of the Australian mainland. If there are a few more defeats, I am afraid that I will flee to New Zealand or Tasmania.
And India, the brightest jewel in the crown of the British Empire, has become a big battlefield where heroes compete for the throne.Although the Japanese army only occupied the island of Sri Lanka, Subhas Chandra Bose, the rebel leader of the Congress Party who was sent to the Indian subcontinent by them, successfully detonated the anti-British uprising throughout India.Hyderabad, Kashmir and other land states have established themselves one after another. The Sikhs who are good at fighting have rebuilt their Khalistan Kingdom in Punjab. Even weak chickens like Nepal, Afghanistan, and Iran can't help but extend their black hands to the rich Indian subcontinent .
——The Soviet Union in this world does not need a channel to transport American aid into the country, so Britain and the Soviet Union did not join hands to carve up Iran during World War II.On the contrary, with the acquiescence of the Soviet Union, Shah Reza of Iran even sent troops to the East in an attempt to get a share of the collapse of the Indian colony.
Since the Royal Navy was still unable to completely defeat the Japanese Combined Fleet and regain the dominance of the Indian Ocean, and had no spare power to send a large number of reinforcements to India, the British colonial rule in India was also faltering like a candle in the wind.Even South Africa has other ideas.
Looking at the world, the British colonies where the ruling order is still relatively stable, only Black Africa, North Africa, and the Middle East are left.But the former's tropical plantations were of limited significance for sustaining the war, and the latter had nothing but sand and oil.However, the Soviet Union and the United States are not short of oil, and even have enough to supply Europe. Japan, which occupied the Dutch East Indies colony, has no shortage of oil. The rest of the colored people are too poor and backward to use much oil...
In short, asking the U.S. military to help Britain suppress colonial resistance is simply a thankless task that may even lead to a bad reputation.And no matter how you look at it, there is no need to do it.More critically, doesn't the United States of America itself have trouble to deal with?
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"...Mr. President, before considering how to contain the Soviet Union and aid Britain, let us first think about how to defeat Japan!"
After hearing the answer that Hopkins held back for a long time, President Truman couldn't help feeling depressed.
oh!Nasty Japanese!
It not only dragged the United States into the war, but also messed up the overall strategic plan of the United States of America!
——Since participating in this world war, the reason why the United States of America has been unable to invest large forces in Europe and let the Soviet Union dominate Europe has been formed. In addition to political considerations, it is also constrained by another key factor: that It is the Pacific battlefield to compete with the Japanese Empire!
Since the attack on Pearl Harbor, defeating Japan and forcing it to surrender unconditionally has become the strongest wish of all Americans.
And this is also the direct goal of the United States' participation in the war. Abandoning and ignoring this goal is absolutely politically incorrect!
Even in the honor of the President of the United States, it cannot violate the aspirations of the general public.
President Roosevelt, who successfully broke the rules and was re-elected for four terms, could not do it, let alone President Truman.
Although as early as the end of 1941, when the United States had just entered the war, President Roosevelt gave a speech in which he persuaded members of Congress not to focus only on Japan, the clown-like opponent, but to Europe, and launched the " Europe before Asia” strategic policy.
But the problem is that President Roosevelt obviously underestimated the difficulty and ferocity of Japan's "clown-like opponent" - the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, the Battle of the Philippines, the sweep across Southeast Asia, the fall of New Guinea, the assault on the Indian Ocean, and the landing in Australia... Another dazzling sun flag rose on the map, and the swords of the Japanese samurai slashed from the northern hemisphere to the southern hemisphere, smashing the faces of the navy and army of the United States of America to pieces.
In particular, the two earth-shattering Noumea sea battles almost wiped out the main force of the US Pacific Fleet each time.And the stunning performance of the two super battleships Yamato and Musashi of the Japanese Navy has caused naval and ship experts all over the world to lose their glasses - the shipboard radar seems to be able to scan up to nearly a thousand kilometers range!The alloy armor is so thick that even 42-inch armor-piercing bullets and submarine-launched torpedoes can't penetrate it!The "uranium alloy armor-piercing projectile" used by the main gun is not only hard, but also spontaneously ignites after hitting... What's more unscientific is that they are obviously two super battleships with a wide body and a fat body, but they can run at a super high speed of [-] knots , even faster than many torpedoes!Are you a battleship or a racing boat? !
In order to kill these two demonic Japanese battleships, the US Navy has exhausted their minds, and all kinds of brainstorming ideas emerge in endlessly.
From pigeon bombs to giant ship collisions, from frogman sneak attacks to saturation bombing... Unfortunately, so far, all attempts have failed.On the contrary, in the recent period of time, the Japanese have launched two new battleships of the same level into service, named Mino and Shinano...
—As the number of Superbow-class Japanese battleships doubled, so did the nightmare for the US Navy's Pacific Fleet.
All in all, after two defeats that nearly wiped out the entire army, coupled with a series of piecemeal attacks before and after, the backbone of the U.S. Navy has basically been broken. Generally speaking, the loss of warships and aircraft has never been the key point, but the casualties of 20 well-trained and experienced naval officers and soldiers are the most painful and difficult to make up for the United States. There is no way to display the power of a warship with only a passion for it. At least a middle-level education and long-term rigorous training are required to be considered qualified sailors.The modern navy has even higher requirements for the quality of officers.
In other words, in the hands of a group of rookies, even the most powerful warship can hardly exert 100% of its strength.
As a result, due to the exhaustion of qualified sailors and captains, the human resources of the U.S. Navy were almost exhausted, and even the most critical battleships and aircraft carriers could only be operated by sailors recruited from merchant ships.As for secondary ships such as destroyers and landing ships, there are countless novices and landlubbers, all kinds of strange accidents and mistakes emerge one after another, and their performance on the battlefield is even more contemptuous.
What's more terrible is that the repeated defeats on the Pacific battlefield not only humiliated the U.S. Navy in front of world public opinion, but also completely bankrupted President Roosevelt's strategic attempt of "first Europe and then Asia".Although the United States also implemented very strict wartime news control, no matter when there are people with good news, rumors that the Japanese army will land in Hawaii or that Japanese battleships are bombarding the ports on the west coast are still circulating in the society.
Next, even Capitol Hill was stunned by such a disastrous defeat.On the plus side, the members of the Senate and the House of Representatives have not lost their fighting spirit, but they are passionately demanding revenge, and have approved a large sum of money for the Navy's reconstruction plan; To ensure the absolute security of the United States, it is necessary to vigorously strengthen the coastal defenses of the west coast of the United States, and it has received widespread response from the people.In desperation, President Roosevelt had no choice but to change the strategy of "first Europe and then Asia" based on the post-war vision to "first Asia and then Europe" in the face of the actual war situation. , was pinched and turned into the country, turning into immobile coastal forts, air defense shelters and land fortresses.At the same time, in order to be able to deal with the combined Japanese fleet, especially those two abhorrent cutting-edge battleships, astronomical and precious resources were invested in the naval reconstruction plan of the Pacific Fleet... and then they were all thrown into the bottom of the sea again .
In addition, it is not only the navy in the Pacific battlefield that consumes resources, but the US Army in the Pacific battlefield is also not a fuel-efficient lamp.Due to the almost blank industrial strength of Australia, in order for General MacArthur's troops to continue to resist the Japanese invasion in Australia, every liter of gasoline, every plane, and every tank he needed had to travel thousands of miles. Shipped from the mainland of the United States-except for wheat, mutton and Australian boys who are not afraid of death, Australia can hardly provide anything MacArthur wants.If it were China's Eighth Route Army guerrillas, they might be able to persist in fighting under such conditions, but MacArthur could not do such a thing, and could only rely on the transportation and supplies of the United States.
——There are two ways to get from the arsenal in the United States to the front line of Australia. Either go around the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa and take the southern Indian Ocean; Under the threat of German U-boats and the Japanese Combined Fleet, no matter which one has become an out-and-out route of death, an average of at least twenty "free ships" are captured on these two routes every month or sink!
However, in order to win this war, the Pentagon still continued to transfuse blood into the Australian battlefield regardless of sacrifice and loss.
However, even though so much capital has been spent regardless of the cost, it has an absolute advantage on paper.But even so, the U.S. military still couldn't defeat the Japanese!It just barely stopped the decline at the beginning of the war and entered the stage of strategic stalemate!The Combined Fleet of the Japanese Navy, this devilishly tenacious and cunning opponent, still suffered no decisive defeat.Its power is still strong, and it is waiting for an opportunity to fight back!
The U.S. Pacific Fleet obviously has an absolute advantage in numbers, but it has been repeatedly beaten by the Japanese Navy's combined fleet for four consecutive years. It was defeated again and again. 20 soldiers were buried under the blue waves, and their morale fell to the bottom. They could only barely hold the front line of New Zealand. , Let the Pentagon have a headache.
The huge power of the United States is therefore firmly contained in the mainland and the Pacific Ocean, and it is basically unable to launch any large-scale offensive in Europe.
In this way, after four years of participating in the war, the Americans found that their record was really bleak.Except for some achievements in North Africa, defeating the "Desert Fox" Rommel with the British, and annihilating the African Army of Germany and Italy, he has never defeated any enemy head-on: the German Nazis were defeated by the Soviet Red Army Killed, the Italians gave up resistance because of their own coup d'état, and the Japanese are still jumping happily...
As a result, the self-esteem and morale of Americans were severely damaged. Quite a few Americans began to feel frustrated that although their country has huge productivity and mobilization capabilities, the combat effectiveness of the US military is really disappointing... A huge amount of money was spent on research data Although the atomic bomb was produced in [-], the U.S. Air Force could not find a bomber capable of flying directly from Hawaii to Tokyo, so there was no way to drop it on the Japanese archipelago.
And it would be too wasteful to use the precious atomic bombs to destroy the Japanese army’s frontline island bases—the atomic bombs are not Chinese cabbage, there are only two left after the test explosion, and the cost of each one is more than one Japanese island Well, the next one doesn't know that it will take years of monkeys and horses and months to make it!
In short, when the Pacific battlefield is deadlocked and the European battlefield cannot open the situation, even if President Truman is a die-hard conservative (in fact, he is only on the right compared to Roosevelt, and he is far behind McCarthy in the future), he dare not fight in the war. Before solving the Japanese situation, they will directly confront the Soviet Union's steel torrent in Europe.The U.S. Army, which lacks self-confidence, also does not have the courage and self-confidence to stand up to the Soviets.
Under such circumstances, although he was very reluctant, President Truman also had to admit that he really had to temporarily abandon Europe, first Asia and then Europe, and made defeating Japan and controlling and seizing the Asia-Pacific region his primary goal. can't explain at all...
What's worse is that the Japanese fascists have not yet been defeated, but the Allied forces are already fighting each other and killing each other.If the United States really jumped on the British chariot, leading to a full-scale war between the Western camp headed by Britain and the United States and the Eastern camp headed by the Soviet Union, and even forcing the Soviet Union to form an alliance with Japan, then defeating Japan will wash away the shame of the attack on Pearl Harbor , I am afraid that it will really become a dream that will never be realized.
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"...Okay! I understand, Mr. Hopkins, the European affairs can only be left to him for the time being, and the key now is to defeat the Japanese!"
After a moment of silence, President Truman heaved a long sigh, got up and rolled up the map of Europe hanging on the wall, then took out a military map of the Pacific battlefield from a drawer, and spread it out on the desk.Compared with the familiar Europe, the Pacific theater seemed vast and boundless, and there were strings of unfamiliar island names everywhere. President Truman couldn't help frowning for a while, feeling dazzled and dizzy.
"...how are you preparing for the next counterattack on the Pacific battlefield? Can MacArthur persist in Australia?"
After looking at the map for a while, Truman turned to Hopkins and asked, "...I have been focusing on the situation in Europe for the past two days..."
"...MacArthur just won a battle near Melbourne, Mr. President, and he said that as long as the logistics are sufficient, he can continue to fight."
Hopkins stepped forward, pointed to the map of the Pacific theater and said, "...The Pacific Fleet also sent a telegram, claiming that they are ready to make up for it, and it is expected to launch the third Nouméa naval battle early next month! The minimum goal is Try to sink one or two decisive Japanese battleships..."
"...Those two demonic Japanese battleships? Uh, no, it's four now..."
Truman scratched his hair, "...Hey, it has been four years since the war started! Mr. Hopkins, this decisive battle is of great importance, please ask someone to make an evaluation as soon as possible. If it is necessary and possible to use those two bombs Don’t be stingy about the atomic bomb. Any weapon is made for use, and the United States needs a victory so much! No matter how much we pay, we must also break the myth that the Japanese combined fleet is invincible..."
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