Chapter 260

< World War II - Imphal (1) >

May 16, 1942

Capital of Germany, Berlin - Government Building

Since we are at war with Japan, World War II hasn't nominally ended, and Germany is still in a state of war.

However, Germany has completely entered an atmosphere of peace.

In fact, our government is discharging the soldiers who suffered on the Eastern Front and activating the social adaptation programs for veterans that we've been diligently preparing.

There are the resettlement and large-scale employment programs near Danzig and Posen that we prepared earlier, and we also need to proceed with paying part of the reparations as pensions to the discharged soldiers as previously announced.

Besides that, there's the Job Placement Program prepared with the Ministry of Labour, and the Medical Plan prepared with the Ministry of Health for soldiers suffering from injuries or PTSD.

Helping Poland and Belarus form a federation, and taking back Upper Silesia in exchange for forgiving some of the weapon payments provided to Poland, also concluded smoothly.

This time, there was no expulsion of the Poles living in Upper Silesia. Those who wanted to leave left, and those who wanted to stay stayed.

It was possible because the national sentiment between Germany and Poland had improved a lot in the meantime.

It's all good, but as soon as the Eastern Front ended, opinions began to surface that we should annex the Elsass region, which chose independence over remaining in France or being annexed by Germany after a national referendum.

It's not like we're Hitler; an Anschluss right after the war ends, what kind of nonsense is this!

Annexing a perfectly fine independent nation that gained independence through a national referendum just because it's a nation of Germans… how am I supposed to stop this again…

I managed to settle things for now by persuading Hungary, Romania, and Turkey, but we also have to resolve the Yugoslavia issue, which is currently burning brightly, before it gets any bigger.

"The Eastern Front has ended, but…"

I lamented as I looked at the paperwork piled up like a mountain on my desk.

"Why does it feel like my workload has increased?"

"That's because Germany keeps running even while you were focusing on the Eastern Front."

Claudia replied casually, dropping a newspaper onto my desk.

Thud!

"What do you think, Minister?"

"…Hmm…"

I kept silent for a moment.

Claudia, wearing a radiant smile, asked again.

"What do you think, as a high-ranking official of the government?"

"…They look like a handsome couple."

Claudia smiled brightly.

"What do you think, husband?"

"I-I'm sorry…"

I raised both hands and covered my face.

I returned filled with a sense of relief that it was finally over, and I was so glad to see Claudia after such a long time that I hugged and kissed her without realizing it, but…

That exact moment was captured in a photograph, and it ended up becoming a photograph symbolizing the end of the Eastern Front.

…That photograph will probably be milked for decades to come. In textbooks, and so on…

Claudia subtly averted her gaze and muttered.

"I should teach Lucia later. Your dad pounced on your mom in front of everyone and made us a public spectacle-"

"N-No, isn't that distorting it too much?"

When I couldn't hide my dumbfoundedness, Claudia finally chuckled.

"Proper exaggeration is the basics of the press, you know. Why are you acting like an amateur?"

"Sigh…"

"Jokes aside. Still, while you were away, Minister, I did my best in my own way to handle that."

"Haha… I am always grateful, Vice-Chancellor.

If it weren't for you, Vice-Chancellor, I would be dead by now."

"It's my job. It's something I do because I like it, and it's also a way of providing proof of my worth."

As I smiled awkwardly at her answer and turned my eyes back to the paperwork, she bent down, brought her face close to mine, and whispered.

"Besides, it's also helping the man to whom I've given half my life."

Captivating my gaze completely from right in front of me, Claudia smiled, her eyes curving softly.

Ah, truly. I am the happiest man in the world.

Just as I thought that and leaned in for a kiss, Claudia noticed sharply and stepped back.

"Ah…"

When I let out an unconscious sigh, Claudia chuckled.

"Get to work, Minister. Your wife is a little sulky out of embarrassment that her face was plastered all over the newspaper thanks to someone."

"Ugh… Vice-Chancellor, what can I do to lift my wife's mood?"

"Hmm…"

Claudia put on a facial expression as if she was deep in thought, then spoke playfully as if it was merely a pretense.

"Who knows? Figure it out."

With that, Claudia flashed a grin, turned around, and walked out of my office.

"Ah…"

It's entirely my fault. Please, just tell me…

-

May 20, 1942

Capital of Germany, Berlin - Government Building

While frantically handling work without a moment to spare, I was finally able to check the list of units to be dispatched to Asia.

In particular, if General Walther Model, who would take on the role of commander, refused, I intended to accept it without complaint, but as always, he did not reject the Fatherland's call.

…I'm the only bad guy here.

Still, the organization of the Asian Expeditionary Force is going smoothly.

Honestly, even with a month-long rest and preparation period, I had concerns about how many people in the German Army, having just finished the Eastern Front, would be willing to go all the way to Asia…

Unexpectedly, the 200,000 volunteer slots filled up quickly.

…No, that's what I thought.

Until I discovered two familiar names on the list.

I narrowed my eyes and glared at Manstein, who was beaming right in front of me.

"…Chief of the General Staff?"

"Yes, Minister of Defense! Speak!"

"…Are these really volunteers?"

As far as I knew, Clemens definitely said he would get discharged right after the war ended and settle down in Posen with Karina Juhlińska, right?

Roger also said he had done enough field duty and now wanted to work at the Berlin General Staff…

Manstein smiled shamelessly.

"Of course, Minister! The officer corps was requisitioned from those who decided to remain in the Army, and for the enlisted men, we are only dispatching volunteers or those whose service periods haven't ended yet."

"…"

If that is a fact, I don't have any justification to stop it, but I have a strong premonition.

If I put my signature here without thinking right now…

I'd get shot by a furious Clemens, or kicked, or resented by Roger…

"…As far as I know, Colonel Fleck was going to apply for a discharge…"

"He canceled it himself."

"…Really?"

"Of course, would I lie about this! Lieutenant Colonel Michael is also going because Colonel Fleck personally designated him as his Chief of Staff to take along!"

"I-I see…"

"Do you not trust me, Minister? I, Erich von Manstein! As an honorable Chief of the General Staff from Prussia, I am a man who does not speak falsehoods!"

Saying such things with a facial expression that seemed to scream 'I didn't lie' didn't inspire any trust at all.

"Mmmmmm…"

As I was still hesitating, Manstein began to blabber again with a smile plastered all over his face.

"I understand your mood of worrying about your friends, Minister! How! Ev! Er! I, Manstein, have no doubt that a Minister who clearly distinguishes between public and private matters and shows respect for the military's opinion would not make a choice that forces the Army High Command and the General Staff to completely rebuild this Expeditionary Force from scratch! Isn't that right, Minister? You, who always emphasized that above all else, trust and respect are the most important-"

"Aaaah, I got it!"

Exhausted by his mind-numbing tirade, I immediately signed it.

If Clemens himself canceled his discharge application and demanded the requisition of Roger, what am I supposed to do?

…I should have a drink with them before they leave. If this turns out to be a lie, he'll pay.

"Thank you, Minister! I, Erich von Manstein, believed that you would not reject my painstaking efforts-"

"That's enough of that. What is the operation plan in Asia?"

Manstein quickly transformed from an obnoxious flatterer into the face of a great general.

"First, we will move to India via Suez, and together with the local Allied Forces, we plan to drive out the Japanese Army on the Burma front."

"According to British intel, the Japanese Army's offensive on the Burma front is imminent. Considering the time it takes for us to prepare, depart, and travel, by the time we arrive, the battle will have already ended or will be currently underway."

From Japan's stance, it's only natural.

The Burma front was constantly pushed back in priority due to securing the East Indies and Indochina, and the capture of the Philippines, but for them, it's a front they absolutely must secure.

Now that the German Army, having ended its war with the Soviet Union, will be arriving, from Japan's perspective, they must be gripped by the desperation to make India fall before then to prevent the German Army's arrival.

…I don't have much worry.

Regardless of Japan's wishful thinking, there's no way that vast continent of India will be secured so instantly, and over there is the famous Imphal, so if the offensive Japan launches is the same as the one in the original history, well…

Honestly, in Burma, our armored unit won't have much to do.

The battlefield is a filthy jungle, so it's not an environment where the Tiger can perform great feats, so the Leopard light tanks we already sent to Ethiopia might be worth expecting something from.

Would limited utilization be possible with something like the Panzer IV and Panther?

Unlike the one from the original history, which was in the heavy tank weight class despite being a medium tank in name only, our Panther is a proper medium tank.

"Ahem, then we'll have to modify the Burma front plan slightly. Anyway, once we take down Burma, we plan to advance straight into Siam (Thailand), overthrow Japan's only remaining ally, and reclaim Indochina (Vietnam) right away."

"Hmm, is it difficult to enter China directly through Burma? The situation in the Republic of China is quite dire."

"According to General Falkenhausen's report, it would be too much for an armored unit.

Still, once Burma is completely recaptured by the Allied Forces, we should at least be able to facilitate the resumption of support to them via the Burma Road."

"For now, we'll have to be satisfied with that.

Then, are we penetrating into southern China after retaking Indochina?"

"That's an option, but the terrain for entry from that direction is only slightly better than the Burma Road, making it not very suitable, and wouldn't the Japanese Army's formation be too appetizing to just handle it so plainly?"

Manstein dragged out his words, then handed me another operation plan concept.

No, what the hell is this now.

As expected of Manstein, he just won't do anything ordinary, will he…

Our dispatched unit consists of 200,000 from the German Army, 50,000 from the Air Force, and 100,000 combined from the Polish, Finnish, and Ukrainian armies. That's a total of 350,000.

Poland and Finland have already suffered severe damage, so they are participating at a level merely to leave behind the symbolic meaning that they 'fought together to the end as Allied Powers' while getting at least a small portion of their equipment payments written off, and although Ukraine sent quite a few troops, we can't have much expectation of them as a fighting force.

Even if they wanted to send more in the first place, if we are to manage supplies all the way to the distant Asian Front, having too many troops would actually become poison.

That's why the role of the Asian expeditionary force I had in mind was strictly to assist Jiang Jieshi's Republic of China forces while serving as a Military Advisory Group…

Manstein didn't seem to have any intention of being satisfied with such a role.

"To do this, we need to secure command of the sea first, but the Imperial Japanese Fleet is still alive and well.

Fortunately, the Philippines are still holding out, but…"

Whether MacArthur changed his mind, whether something shifted due to a variable in history, or whether Dönitz was simply so incredible that he dealt a severe blow to the Japanese Army.

The Philippine Defense Force did retreat to the Bataan Peninsula like in history, but surprisingly, they are putting up a good fight and holding out well against the Japanese Army.

We don't know the exact war situation, but given that none other than MacArthur is still in the Philippines, fighting hard alongside General Wainwright while encouraging the local troops, it must be true.

Manstein smiled shamelessly as always.

"Isn't it the role of the Minister and the Reichsmarine to somehow handle that? I imagine America and Britain are also slowly wanting to turn the tide of war, having been pushed on the defensive…"

You sure speak so easily since it's someone else's job.

Ultimately, I smiled dejectedly and replied.

"Fine, let's at least give it an attempt."

Besides, the newly organized US Army should slowly be heading to Hawaii under the command of Eisenhower.

Britain, which has somewhat restored the damage from the Battle of Ceylon, or America, which must be fully absorbed in the restoration of the facilities destroyed at Pearl Harbor, would both want to land at least one blow.

If only to reliably defend the Philippines and end the war quickly…

We'll have to shoot for an altered history version of Midway at least once, right?

A joint operation of the German-British-American Fleet…

How will the Imperial Japanese Navy respond?

-

May 21, 1942

Southern Burma, Rangoon

At a late hour, brilliant moonlight beamed down from the sky.

Mutaguchi Renya, a General of the Empire of Japan and Commander of the Burma Area Army, drew his military sword and raised it high.

Mutaguchi, gazing at the sword glinting in the ethereal moonlight as if bewitched, looked like a completely different person from the one who had been wasting his time flirting in brothels while the Imphal Offensive Operation was continually delayed due to various circumstances within the Empire of Japan.

Chandra Bose, Commander of the Free India Army, stared at Mutaguchi with an extremely troubled face before opening his mouth with a worried voice.

"I am glad to see you are finally showing some motivation, General, but is this operation truly feasible? What does the Empire's Imperial General Headquarters say?"

The people at the Imperial General Headquarters were busy tearing down Mutaguchi's operation plan, saying it lacked realism due to supply issues or that its conceptualization was a total mess.

However, Mutaguchi, who had been shifting his sword back and forth to reflect the moonlight for a while, opened his mouth with a resolute face.

"It has been 30 years since I committed myself to the military.

Never before has the belief of certain victory surfaced so strongly. The British Army is weak, and they will surely retreat.

The concern about supplies can be called a mere delusion."

Chandra Bose, who had been defeated by that very British Army and pushed all the way back to Burma, bit his lip.

Aung San, his comrade in Burma, had turned his back in fury over the atrocities committed by the Imperial Japanese Army led by Kimura Heitaro, but Chandra Bose could not abandon his sliver of hope and was still holding hands with Japan.

At first, Mutaguchi, who came to replace Kimura, forbade the atrocities the Imperial Japanese Army had been committing, making him rejoice that his choice was right.

However, his hope had almost faded watching Mutaguchi waste his time in brothels in such a pathetic state for months.

"…For the sake of India's freedom, I truly hope you are right, General."

From Chandra Bose's standpoint, it was a remark made half in despair, but Mutaguchi, whether he heard him or not, simply stared at the moonlight reflecting on his military sword before opening his mouth with a determined face.

"This time, it is time for Mutaguchi to step forward for the Fatherland."