＜ Episode 197 >
US-Canada border, Great Lakes. Near La Berendray State Park south of Cloud Bay.
“You are under attack!”
– Say it again!
A Canadian border guard with a Savage 99 scolded the radio.
“American twins are flying over our heads! A rain of shells is coming from the south! damn it! Get down!”
The border guards shouted and hit their comrades and rolled to the floor.
The fierce American shelling made the ground tremble.
At that moment, an American twin-engine attack aircraft took direction. The nose-mounted 75mm gun was clearly aimed at them.
“Damn.”
His wife and children, who would be at home, passed before the eyes of a Canadian border guard. They could just drop the gun and raise their hands, but it was negative that they would keep him alive.
“Sylvia, Alex. Michael.”
An explosion engulfed him, muttering the names of his wife and two sons.
***
“The offensive is successful. We advanced about 20 km in one day today.”
Canada was not prepared for war at all. Toronto was captured on the day of the start of the war by U.S. Marines who crossed the Ontario, and Montreal and Ottawa were bombed.
The enraged American soldiers trampled their enemies on a savage basis.
“This is just the beginning. The Canadians will start a counterattack.”
“Isn’t it impossible this year?”
“It has to be, but there’s a good chance we’ll get a massive counterattack right into the new year.”
Seeing the runway laid out by the twin-engine fighters and attack planes crammed together, Marshall took a cigarette.
He was appointed commander-in-chief of the U.S. military by the president and is conducting an invasion operation. It was an honorable position, but at the same time, a headache came over.
“It’s a mess.”
The 200,000 federal troops, the National Guard in each state, and even the militia rose up bustling with them.
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Morale was high. Angered citizens enlisted one after another, and the militia commanders of each state requested that their organizations be incorporated into the federal army or that members of the militia enlisted.
In fact, some of those organizations were deployed at the US-Mexico border.
But this was entirely due to Congress, which has refused to increase its military force by more than 200,000, even after demanding it tens of thousands of times. It is not always easy to rapidly build up an army.
In the original history, Marshall sat in the position of Chief of Staff and coordinated the rear, and ground forces were not immediately deployed.
Now it’s different. America is being forced to fight both on land and at sea at the same time. Moreover, the city on the Canadian border is Detroit, the key US arsenal. It was inevitable to advance toward Canada to ensure safety here.
To put it bluntly, the US military had supplies to export, but lacked guns to give to their own infantry. The project to replace the Springfield rifles with semi-automatic or automatic rifles has not yet been selected, and even after scraping the Federal Army’s arsenal, only 170,000 spare rifles were in stock.
But now, the number of troops belonging to the Federal Army is 4 million on paper. Except for the existing 200,000 and the National Guard troops and militia who still knew how to shoot, it was questionable whether the ceremony was just a horn and even tried a Springfield rifle.
If you get a massive counterattack here, it’s really f*cked up.
“Your Excellency talked about cooperation with the Russian army. Can’t we bring Russian troops to the mainland?”
“The situation is urgent, and the original plan was to send troops from Vladivostok to the west coast on the premise that the Pacific Ocean was open when they entered the war in Europe. Now is….”
“I’ll turn.”
If the Pacific Ocean is blocked, cooperation with Russia is inevitable even if it is an ally.
The US Navy’s Atlantic Fleet has now set out for a battle with the British Navy and set out to the North Atlantic, and the Pacific Fleet has shrunk after the attack on Pearl Harbor.
Therefore, the conclusion drawn by the current Ministry of War was simple.
‘Shut up, get rid of Canada, connect the route with Russia, and then advance to South America.’
Only after annihilating the hostile powers across the New World can they afford to intervene in Europe. If there is a need for exchanges, I would have to go to the Bering Strait, but I can’t even dream of transporting large-scale supplies or troops.
In other words, the military can use the materials originally intended to be sent to Russia…. But again, to Russia, there were almost no weapons, most of them were shoes, coats, helmets, walkie-talkies, etc. In this way, I was seriously concerned that even weapons from police boxes and guns would have to be requisitioned.
‘I can’t tell you to buy a gun because I’ll give you money when you enlist.’
In that case, it will not be disseminated.
Right now, the basic basic rifle looks like that, not to mention tanks. In the midst of budget cuts during the Great Depression, the U.S. tanks did not develop, but rather, ‘Can’t we buy and use local tanks after a war?’ The R&D budget was tight as we heard bullshit, ‘Aren’t the current tanks going to beat Mexico anyway?’ Let’s train and then put in.” A voice was heard.
Well, although Russian tanks are very good.
The only developments that have taken place are aircraft and warships. It has benefited from the armaments upgrade, and new battleships and aircraft carriers have been drawn out one after another, but many of them were damaged at Pearl Harbor.
Luckily, none of the ships suffered damage to the level of being completely sunk, and they all said that they could be used if they were repaired, but what the hell is that for a day or two? At least a few months to a year or two would have to stay in the dock.
In conclusion, the only thing the U.S. military can trust now is the Air Force. It was comforting to know that the Canadian Army would not have a proper armored force.
“Currently, we have clear air rights to Edmonton and Yukon. The advance into British Columbia is also smooth. 200 P-61s have been deployed in Cornwall, Kemptville and Brinston, and one A-38 squadron will be deployed in Toronto.”
At General Arnold’s report, Marshall nodded.
“You can’t give the Canadians a chance to counterattack. They are never drugs.”
The most elite of the Commonwealth forces are Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Naturally, many of these men had left their homeland and bled in Germany by the British troops, but only a small number of them were very intimidating.
“It was the White House’s call to take over the Great Lakes and connect it by land with Alaska before the end of January next year.”
The horses were the Great Lakes region and the Alaska Corridor, in effect a call for Canada to surrender within a month.
It wasn’t impossible given the fact that most of the population was concentrated near the US border, but at the same time, it was a difficult target for the US military, which was inferior to the British, let alone German and Russian forces.
“Isn’t the situation in the South that bad?”
“Panama has been attacked by Mexican forces.”
At Marshall’s words, the generals roared.
“If it happens, the navy might be destroyed individually.”
“Then isn’t that more urgent?”
“The White House decided they didn’t have enough money to attack the South or Panama yet. In fact, there was no attack through land or sea. Again, it was concluded that the British were trying to induce us to concentrate south to prevent the fall of Canada.”
And right now, the Atlantic Fleet or the Pacific Fleet lacks the capacity to support the opponent anyway. Not to mention the Pacific Fleet, the Atlantic Fleet has to deal with the Royal Navy, the German Navy, and the Italian Navy at the same time.
If I had to pick a fleet that needed support, it would be the Pacific Ocean, but the Japs will never, and even if they wake up from death, can’t crawl to the West Coast. Likewise, no matter how well Russia fights, Russia cannot invade the British mainland unless the naval problem is resolved.
Therefore, if there is a priority, the Atlantic Ocean first, and the Pacific Ocean can’t draw power to the plate that is urgent to maintain the status quo. As a result, the Panama Canal was a new sale for the time being.
***
Outside Moscow, Russia. GRU Safe House.
The door swung open. The old man sitting inside slowly turned his head.
“It has been a long time since we met in person. Marshal Philippe Pétain.”
“You have changed a lot.”
“So are you.”
Sitting in front of Pétain, I had my men put trays on the table.
It was a simple treat with only a jug of water and two cups.
“Let’s go ahead and get to the point. Do you have any plans to lead France?”
“I couldn’t stop the reds’ betrayal, I was shot by the traitor, I might have resisted if I had been awake, or I might have surrendered.”
Remembering his steps in the original history, I silently listened to his voice.
“Reds are the biggest threat to all of Europe, no, the whole world. We must drive them out.”
“Currently, refugees in France are divided into two groups. The so-called ‘Free France’ was created by gathering you, whom we rescued, and the French who escaped and escaped in this way by General Charles de Gaulle.”
“You intend to prevent us from joining there.”
“In the beginning, we also supplied supplies to Free France. But… The more you go, the more you wonder where the cause of the alliance has been abandoned, and they ask for a stake in the battle line that they won belatedly. They said they would send ground troops, so I asked them to send them, but they didn’t, and they were fighting the Chinese with the supplies we gave them from Indochina and their own troops. It was obviously sent to Indochina to contain Britain. Not China.”
“What can I do?”
“We are going to revoke the approval of Free France. Instead, Marshal Pétain, you must rally the French. Some of the French troops who managed to escape are still outside the hands of de Gaulle.”
“Where are you talking about?”
“Guiana. There are quite a few fleets and ground troops. Of course, we will need to coordinate with the United States.”
“I heard the speech. There was a surprise attack on Christmas.”
“It is difficult to ship to the Americas by sea. So, you will have to use a long-distance submarine or flying boat, so choose the one you are comfortable with.”
“I will go by plane.”
“good. It’s good because the story is fast.”
“Did I have a veto?”
“You can lead a camel to water, but you cannot make it drink.”
“It’s not like that.”
“Then what do you mean?”
“Whatever I say, you will eventually isolate free France diplomatically, and in the end, de Gaulle, the poor friend, will have to grapple with the warlords occupying Indochina rather than the head of the French Provisional Government. I couldn’t help but think about how you would dispose of my country, even for me.
“You are straightforward.”
“It is said that old men have no secrets. When I’m around this age, I can’t help but imagine cooking the whole thing on a banquet table because you were accused of collaborating with my country to the enemy.”
“It seems like a no-brainer, but whether the French will be seated at a banquet or roasted in an oven depends entirely on how helpful you are.”
In the first place, there were only two forces that could be said to have a say in the Allied Powers. USA and Russia.
Other countries, whether France, Hungary, or Yugoslavia, if we make a decision, we can never overturn that decision on our own.
It means that even if we put one or two more on the table in the name of cooperating countries, we have to go up without making a sound.
Pétain, who had guessed that even after trying to recover for a few days, threw away all his pride. Because I know that baguette pride won’t help even in the current situation.
Rather, he quickly accepted that showing how useful he is as a hunting dog is far more advantageous for the survival of the country and nation, leaving behind power, personal achievement, and safety.
Peteng laughed bitterly and helped himself. De Gaulle, there’s no way he wouldn’t have thought of that. In the first place, before the United States entered the war, the Allied Powers were Russia’s monopolistic system, and only the United States was added now.
However, he simply could not accept the reality that he was degenerating from an equal alliance to the dog of an old ally.
And it wasn’t that he didn’t understand De Gaulle’s choice at all. Because he was a bender rather than a bender from the beginning.
Unlike the old man.