Chapter 85: 85
June 12, 1940
Rome, Italy
"I can't believe France collapsed so quickly..."
"Maybe it would be better now?"
Italy was put on high alert when the French army, which boasted the world's strongest army, collapsed like a sand castle and raised the white flag in just four weeks.
Mussolini's arrogance in wanting to secure spoils by going into war without proper preparation for modern warfare, relying only on the British Empire, was now driving the country to destruction.
Four days ago, the German army in the direction of Austria launched a counteroffensive and drove the Italian army out of its territory.
The Italian army, which had been pushed back to its homeland without any gains, hastily formed a defensive line, but was skeptical about whether it would be able to properly block the onslaught of the German army, which had defeated the world-class French army.
Mussolini loudly declared that the German army would not be able to cross the rugged Alps no matter how hard they flew or crawled, but no one but his enthusiastic supporters believed what he said.
The opponent is Germany, which followed Poland and destroyed France. There is no way that Germany would not be able to cross the Alps, which Hannibal also crossed.
"What happened to the ceasefire request?"
"Are you asking that now? "I was rejected a long time ago!"
Mussolini, who was loud on the outside, also tried to negotiate with Germany behind the scenes, but Mussolini's request for a ceasefire was flatly rejected.
Count Ciano, Mussolini's son-in-law and foreign minister of the Kingdom of Italy, made excuses while trying to avoid the stinging glares of the fascist committee members who were glaring at him.
"It was a request for a ceasefire that made no sense. There was no way Germany would accept returning to the pre-war border without any compensation."
"Did you knowingly tell this to Germany? Doesn't that make more sense to me?"
"I was against it too, but Duce was so stubborn that there was nothing I could do."
"While we're at it, let's ask a question. "What are you doing these days, Duce?"
asked Dino Grandi, Chairman of the Supreme Council of the National Fascist Party.
These days, when the war situation is difficult, the leader who should appear more often to reassure the people is nowhere to be seen. Does this make sense?
Ciano hesitated, then caught Grandi's gaze and confessed the truth.
"You're addicted to cognac, brandy, and morphine every day."
"her! "This is so...!"
Mussolini, who loudly boasted in front of the people that he had not been defeated, spent every day in his living room, spending time with alcohol, drugs, and women.
As I drank alcohol every day, I often got things done haphazardly and would often get angry or cause trouble by breaking things.
Ciano felt sorry for the poor appearance of his father-in-law, Duce, whom he had once admired, but at the same time, he felt pitiful.
"You know it too. "His power is running out."
"His Majesty the King has already changed his mind towards Duce."
Even King Vittorio Emanuele III, who had supported Mussolini despite feeling burdened by him, withdrew his trust in Mussolini as the war situation worsened and a full-scale invasion by the German army was imminent.
Mussolini didn't seem to know that fact yet, but he would find out sooner or later.
That the whole world has already turned their backs on him.
***
June 13, 1940
New Fuhrer's Residence in Berlin, Germany
The German people gave me a warm welcome when I returned from France.
Even when I conquered Poland, people were happy, giving me joy and praise. But this time it was on a different level than before.
All the citizens of Berlin left their homes, workplaces, and schools and took to the streets to welcome me back from France.
The streets were filled with waves of people, leaving no room for movement.
As the private train carrying me and my staff headed to Berlin, everyone we met on the road showed respect by raising their right arms as if they had made a promise.
When the train arrived at Berlin Station, the passengers and soldiers on the stopped train all gave Roman salutes and shouted Heil Hitler.
From the moment I got off the train and was about to transfer to the courtesy Mercedes Benz 770K, people started flocking.
"He is the Fuhrer! "The President is back!"
"Sieg Heil! Sieg Heil!"
"Heil Hitler!!!"
The Berlin police, Wehrmacht, SA, and SS were mobilized to form a cordon, but the number of people was so large that they were pushed back.
People's shouts of Sieg Heil, Heil Hitler became huge shouts that reverberated throughout Berlin.
When my Mercedes Benz 770K passed by, people cheered loudly and threw flowers.
Onlookers crowded every window of the building and threw confetti.
I once saw a video on the National Geographic Channel showing German citizens welcoming Hitler back to Berlin after France's surrender.
I never thought I would be standing at that very scene as the main character.
"Thank you, everyone! thank you so much!"
To reciprocate the cheers of the citizens, I stretched out my arm and touched the hands of the people who were reaching out towards me.
If my sleeve even brushed against me, people would scream and rejoice as if they had no time left even if they died.
I am not bragging, but I am convinced that no one has received such sincere praise and respect from the German people since Frederick the Great and Bismarck.
I once read an article that said that if Hitler had died or retired immediately after completing the invasion of France, he would have remained 'the greatest German of all time' despite his many previous misdeeds.
As I said, even if we had not lost the war, the Germans' evaluation of Hitler would have been 180 degrees different from what I know.
However, Hitler was overly confident in his own abilities and suffered a series of negative news, such as the invasion of the Soviet Union and the declaration of war against the United States, and he met a miserable end by destroying all of his achievements and accomplishments with his own hands.
As I saw people cheering for me, I made a firm determination.
I will never walk down the same path as Hitler.
I will not let hatred and curses come out of their mouths.
"For that to happen, I'll have to work hard today as well."
As soon as I entered the official residence after the grand welcome ceremony, I immersed myself in work.
Even if you put off work until tomorrow and enjoy the afterglow of victory a little longer, no one will point a finger, but in times like these, you need to discipline yourself.
It is not too late to hold a party after Italy's surrender.
Contrary to history, the French military government was not established and the French government was allowed to remain in Paris rather than Vichy.
Instead, the French government was subject to the intervention and surveillance of the German General Headquarters and had to dedicate the Palace of Versailles as the headquarters of the German forces in France.
Blomberg, who had fully recovered from his wounds a month earlier, was appointed commander-in-chief of German forces in France.
Blomberg is said to have burst into tears upon hearing the news that he had been appointed commander-in-chief of German forces in France.
Following Blomberg and Fritsch, Rundstedt, the most senior member of the Wehrmacht, was promoted to marshal and appointed commander-in-chief of German forces in Belgium and the Netherlands.
In addition to Rundstedt, Keitel, Brauchitsch, Reichenau, Kleist, Bock, Lev, Guderian, Manstein, and Kesselring were promoted to field marshals, and Rommel was promoted to general.
During the invasion of France, Walter Model, who was assigned to Army Group C under Eglsee and Lev, which successfully repelled the Italian offensive in Austria, also received the rank of captain.
Now that the business is over, the only thing left is to prepare for the invasion of Italy.
"Is there any need to bring in French and Norwegian contingents? "I think the Austrian army alone will be enough to push through to Rome."
"According to Eggler's report, the Italian army's morale is already at its lowest point. "I think it would be a good idea to build a prisoner of war camp in advance in case the enemy surrenders in large numbers like the French army."
The faces of the generals planning the strategy were filled with composure, perhaps due to their pride in having won France's surrender and the fact that their opponent was Italy.
I also killed the boss mob, so there's no way I should be worried about the experience point-consuming junk mobs.
"Conceit leads to failure, and if you let your guard down you can get yourself seriously hurt, so it is right to prepare thoroughly. That way, they won't dare to climb up again. Marshal Weber?"
"Yes, Mr. President."
Walter Weber, who had now been promoted to marshal, immediately answered my call.
"I think the time has come to use the heavy bombers created by our engineers. What do you think, Marshal?"
"I also have the same thoughts as you, Mr. President."
Weber, who rarely had a chance to go out due to the army's activities, smiled broadly and rubbed his hands.
If we don't use the heavy bombers we worked so hard to build in times like this, when will we ever use them?
Just as you have to cut a radish when you draw a knife, once you have made a weapon, you have to use it at least once.
***
June 18, 1940
Italian Army Headquarters in Trento, Italy
"... Therefore, even if the German army cannot launch an offensive, it is predicted that it will take approximately three weeks."
Rodolfo Graziani, who took over as Commander-in-Chief of the German Front in place of Balbo, who had been dismissed after incurring Mussolini's wrath due to his preposterous remarks, remained silent even after the staff briefing was over.
He crossed his arms, closed his eyes, and thought deeply about something.
"Your Excellency Marshal?"
"I heard everything you said. "I have something to think about for a moment."
Graziani opened his closed eyes and closely examined the Italian defense line marked on the map.
Graziani, who was staring intently at the friendly defense line connected by the symbol between the dotted and solid lines, asked.
"How far has the construction of the defense line progressed?"
"We have only reached half of our goal yet."
Graziani let out a tsk sound and slumped down in his chair.
"The enemy is the German army. They advanced to Paris in just four weeks. Three weeks until they go on the offensive? "Are you serious?"
"Yes, that's right..."
Graziani, who was glaring at the staff with disapproving eyes, hit the table with his baton, causing the cards on the map to become disorganized.
Startled by the unexpected noise, the eyes of the staff and signal soldiers all turned to Graziani.
"No matter how late, the Germans will attack within two weeks! But 3 weeks, what kind of confidence do you have to say something like that?!"
In fact, Graziani didn't know much about the German military.
However, the lightning-fast mobility that the German army showed in Poland and France was enough to make even the arrogant Graziani nervous.
He undoubtedly expected that the Germans would attack sooner or later.
It's as if the staff are letting down their guard instead of being prepared. This is so pathetic!
The staff's ability was a problem, but a bigger problem was the preparedness of the Italian military.
Although troops and materials are being poured into building defense lines as soon as they arrive, progress has been slow. Even though it was slow, it was too slow.
Even if soldiers focus on building a defense line by reducing their sleeping time, it is impossible to achieve the target within two weeks. If you were very lucky, 60% was the limit.
Even 100% isn't enough, so 60% is the maximum. It's going to spin, really.
"······I'm tired. "I need to take a nap."
"Yes, old. Rest in peace, Excellency Marshal."
I had been working my head non-stop since morning, and I had spent too much of my energy answering Duce's phone call asking if the defense preparations were going smoothly, using euphemisms.
But when I lay down to sleep, I couldn't sleep. Graziani's mind was filled with worries about the German army.
At the same time, I also had this thought.
If Duce had known that Hitler's Germany was this much of a monster, Italy would not have gotten involved in the war. Perhaps it would have formed an alliance with Germany and become a victorious nation by now.
I wonder if Duce, who was defeated by Germany in Ethiopia and Austria, would have obediently tried to join hands with Hitler.
The hands of the clock had already passed 0 o'clock. From now on it was the 19th.
***
June 19, 1940
Italian defense line near the German-Italian border
-puck!
"Ah, fuck...what kind of bastard are you!?"
"It's me, you bastard."
"omg! So, platoon leader...!"
The sentry, who was angry because his sleep was interrupted, was startled when he received the gaze of Lieutenant Roberto Mikel, who was glaring at him as if he were going to kill him.
"Didn't I tell you what I would do if I was caught sleeping during the night shift?"
"I did it, I did it..."
"By the way, does someone who knows that sleep? Fuck, are you playing with me now, this dog? "
"sorry!"
"What are you sorry for? uh?"
"Sleeping without permission while working..."
"Sleeping without permission? This guy is still out of his mind. Can I sleep with permission? Who sleeps while working? "Oh, you bastard."
Roberto, a native of Naples, was notorious among his platoon members for his rough temperament and thick swearing typical of southern Italians.
When he cast Galgum, the sentry was unable to come to his senses.
Even the soldiers who prided themselves on having lived a difficult life had no choice but to raise both hands and feet in the face of Roberto's thirst.
"Anyway, we'll see in the morning. If you get caught while sleeping again later, be really prepared. okay?"
"I'll keep that in mind."
Roberto was walking around the trench with two soldiers, checking to see if any soldiers were falling asleep or chatting while on duty.
Including the sentry who was caught while sleeping, four people have already been caught by Antonio.
"It's crazy, really. Sleeping peacefully not in the rear, but on the front line. "Is this how we can go to war?"
Roberto, who was recognized as an exemplary officer by his superiors and was the first among his classmates at the military academy to be promoted to lieutenant, was a thorough principled man and was met with resentment from the soldiers.
Although he knew that he was not loved by the soldiers, he never once regretted his actions or thought about changing them.
This is because he firmly believed that only thorough discipline and training could save lives on the battlefield.
"Oh my, Lieutenant Mikel. "Are you on patrol?"
Lieutenant Pablo Baresi, who was polishing his pistol in front of the fire, saw Roberto returning from patrol and saluted him.
Roberto waved his hand with a straight face.
"I told you not to use that tone of voice because I find it disgusting."
"Is that so?"
Pablo was Roberto's military academy classmate. Unlike Roberto, who was a lieutenant, Pablo still wore the rank of lieutenant.
No matter how much they were classmates, Roberto was clearly his superior, so it was right for Pablo to use the honorific title, but the two talked to each other like they did during military academy.
"How many people were caught this time?"
"4 people."
"There are fewer today than I thought."
"It's not a small number, it took 4 people? "It's normal for there to be no one."
"But what can I do? You must be tired because you were sent to construction work as soon as you opened your eyes. Sleep time has already decreased. "Please understand."
"Whoa."
Instead of answering, Roberto poured coffee into a tin cup. The coffee had a bitter taste because no sugar was added.
The season was summer, but in the Alps, covered with permanent snow, the weather was like midwinter, so a cup of warm coffee was a great help in thawing my frozen body.
Unlike Roberto, who was strict and cold, Pablo had a generous personality and would end with a mild admonition even if soldiers were caught sleeping on duty.
Because of this, many soldiers liked Pablo, but Roberto did not like that about Pablo.
"We are at war now. Besides, this isn't the rear, it's the front, the front! "I don't know when a battle will break out, so why should I take it easy?"
"That's right. Still, if you stick to the principles too much, you'll all get tired, right? I need to release it in moderation. "Is everything solved by tightening it?"
"As expected, you are too withdrawn. That's why..."
The moment Roberto, who was frustrated with Pablo's attitude, was about to shout, a gunshot hit his eardrums.
The ground shook and the coffee in the kettle spilled out.
"W-What?!"
Unlike Pablo, who was embarrassed, Roberto intuitively recognized what this was.
He put his helmet on his head and ran to his private room.
"Pablo, quickly! "It's enemy artillery fire!"
The moment Pablo entered the private room, a shell landed at close range, scattering fragments.
The German offensive began much earlier than the Italians expected.
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