< World War II - The Price of Freedom (1) >
April 8, 1941
Eastern India, Burma (present-day Myanmar)
The civil unrest in India, which had lasted for ten months, was languishing without achieving significant success.
The initial vigor of the unrest started by Chandra Bose was strong, but it was his misfortune that his opponent was General Claude Auchinleck.
General Auchinleck, who had served in India continuously since World War I, was a man of considerably flexible thinking, and he treated the Indians well, considering the situation of the British Army in India, which had a high proportion of Indian soldiers.
General Auchinleck, who did not treat them with contempt just because they were colonials and had beco familiar with them over his long service, was naturally well-regarded by the locals, and he knew how to actively utilize this.
Instead of panicking and reacting emotionally to the initial unrest, Auchinleck cautiously assessed the sentint of the locals and focused thoroughly on the defense and maintenance of public security in major cities and strongpoints.
And his response bore fruit; the Free India Army's plan to cause chaos in the British Army with simultaneous uprisings in various places and then inflict damage through guerrilla warfare completely failed.
In the original history, Auchinleck had fought on equal terms with Roml on the African Front, only to be dismissed due to Churchill's impatience. But in India, relatively far from Churchill's interference, his true worth was revealed as he fought as he wished.
And as the conflict turned into a prolonged war, it was not Auchinleck but the Free India Army that found itself in trouble.
“Netaji (Leader).
We are now almost out of ammunition.”
“…Is the struggle for India's independence to collapse so in vain?”
Chandra Bose fell into despair.
His sponsor, France, which had started the war by landing a critical blow on Britain, had ironically fallen as a defeated nation in less than a year, providing almost no help beyond the support received before the uprising.
The Empire of Japan, which had spoken as if it would help imdiately if an uprising occurred under the banner of the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere, was instead focused on devouring their colonies while Europe was engulfed in the flas of war.
In the end, despite an uprising that lasted nearly ten months, the Free India Army failed to seize any major cities. Even when they provoked the British Army, the response to the Free India Army waned day by day because Auchinleck strictly forbade any unnecessary hostile acts against the locals.
After all, most of the soldiers in the Indian garrison following Auchinleck’s orders were also Indians. The mont Auchinleck took control of them, the Free India Army was bound to be in a difficult situation.
As Auchinleck responded thodically, without falling for provocations and without touching the locals, Chandra Bose grew impatient and publicly requested Gandhi's support via a radio broadcast.
However, Mahatma Gandhi, the spiritual pillar of India, did not respond to Bose, who was engaged in combat with the Indian garrison composed of fellow Indians.
At that point, the defeat of the Free India Army was sealed.
Jawaharlal Nehru, who clearly desired India's independence but was an openly pro-British figure, did not condemn the Provisional Governnt of Free India, but he did not actively support it either.
As it dawned on them that the two bigwigs of the Indian National Congress did not support the Free India Army's uprising, on top of having to fight with already poor equipnt, the support of the Indian people for the Free India Army was decisively shaken.
Ultimately, the Free India Army lost most of its territory, except for a part of Eastern India and Burma directly managed by Chandra Bose.
In other areas, only sporadic and weak resistance remained.
anwhile, reinforcents from the British mainland arrived in India one after another, and even the remaining pockets of resistance in various places began to be mopped up.
“Netaji, what will you do?”
“…Can the price we paid for freedom ever be rewarded?”
Ethiopia, a colony of Italy, gained its independence not by its own strength but through the Allied Powers, and was now said to have entered the war as a proud mber of the Allies.
The Soviet Union, which Chandra Bose thought would be a future source of strength, had little interest in India.
Germany, which he believed would beco Britain's enemy, had changed its leader while crying for freedom, only to join hands with Britain.
What is the difference between the freedom they cry for and our freedom?
Chandra Bose glanced down out the window with a gloomy face.
Outside the window, countless of his supporters were waiting.
“…There is no choice but to establish a defense line and ask the Empire of Japan for help again.”
Fortunately, Japan was said to have secured the Indochina Peninsula without much trouble.
In that case, they would surely help India now.
That was the expectation of the Free India Army.
Having co this far, all that was left for him was to fight.
Chandra Bose opened the door and stood before the crowd.
Looking at the Indians who fervently followed him, calling him ‘Netaji,’ Bose opened his mouth.
“Give your blood!”
As the Indians fell silent in an instant, Chandra Bose’s shout rang out again.
“And I shall give you freedom!”
-
The Empire of Japan had surprisingly succeeded in securing the entire Indochina Peninsula in an instant.
Perhaps the Vietnase locals welcod them, mistakenly thinking they would be liberated from France.
In any case, I don't know what kind of trick the Empire of Japan pulled, but thanks to their unexpectedly easy securing of Vietnam, Britain, which had succeeded in pushing the Free India Army into Burma, was now facing a crisis of its own.
Britain and the Netherlands, quite perplexed, asked Belgium for help, but Belgium refused to send troops to Asia, giving the gem of an excuse that dispatching troops was difficult due to maintaining public security in Paris and the African colonies.
So typical of Belgium, the damn bastards.
Even Ethiopia is sending troops to Asia…
The Republic of China is struggling desperately to protect its current territory, but it's uncertain how long the isolated Fujian and Zhejiang will hold out.
In the midst of this, we received a surprising report from Falkenhausen, who is stationed in China.
It was confird that at least one-third of the equipnt we provided to the Republic of China in exchange for our purchase of tungsten was not given to the Nationalist Army but was presud to have been sold to various warlords. Even so Japanese Army units were found to be using equipnt provided by us in combat.
Erich Kordt and I could only be appalled.
I knew the Republic of China was a ss, a complete ss, but to think there are guys who would even sell off the weapons they received as support in such a desperate situation to the Japanese Army?
The Axis Powers, with only Japan left, were a ss, but the Allied Powers were just as much of a ss.
Once the war with the Soviet Union is sohow over, Germany will eventually have to intervene on the Asian Front to end the war. I never imagined that the Republic of China, which I thought would be a more important partner than Britain on the Asian Front, would betray us like this.
It would be great if Arica would at least enter the war…
In Arica, President Wendell Willkie has completely taken over the governnt from Roosevelt, but the division within the Republican Party is said to be significant, and they still haven't escaped the aftereffects of the Great Depression, with constant riots by workers.
In the original history's Arica, Secretary of State Cordell Hull would have sent the Hull Note at the end of this year, and Japan would have launched the attack on Pearl Harbor, but now that he has handed over the administration, Cordell Hull is not the Secretary of State.
Japan also gained the confidence to launch the attack on Pearl Harbor after seeing Germany sweep across all of Europe, so it is utterly impossible to predict how things will turn out now.
The one silver lining is that the Republican Party has adopted the motto of economic revitalization through export and is actively encouraging exports to the countries at war in Europe.
It's not the Lend-Lease I had hoped for, but for Germany, which has a little more budget leeway thanks to the reparations, even this is appreciated.
April 1941.
In the original history, this was a ti when even the German-Soviet War had not yet begun, but the war between the Allied Powers and the Soviet Union is now reaching its peak.
The Republic of China, which would have been resisting quite successfully in the original history, is already in a near-death state, and Japan has secured all of the Southern Resource Area while Britain was caught off guard by the surprise attack.
The unpredictable war continues on and on.
-
April 10, 1941
Helsinki, the capital of Finland
“Thank you for coming all this way, Minister of Defense.
I am Kyösti Kallio, the President of Finland.”
“A pleasure to et you! I am Risto Heikki Ryti, the Pri Minister of Finland.”
“It is truly an honor for to finally et you, Mr. President, Mr.
Pri Minister.”
Finnish President Kyösti Kallio and Pri Minister Risto Ryti ca out to the airport to welco personally.
As I shook their hands warmly, I was a little surprised by the lack of strength in President Kallio’s thin hand. They said his health was poor, and it seems to be serious.
“It has been a while, Minister of Defense.”
“Haha, it has been a while, Foreign Minister.”
Väinö Tanner of the Finnish Social Democratic Party, who had personally co to Germany to persuade and plead for help, was now the Foreign Minister of Finland.
“Now, shall we go?”
I received quite generous treatnt, riding in the sa car as President Kallio, but he made my heart sink as he struggled even to get into the car, needing his aide’s support.
Shouldn't this man be quitting work and recuperating instead of coming out to greet ?
As we drove through Helsinki, I could frequently see places all over the city that were still in the middle of restoration.
“The damage to Helsinki is not insignificant.”
“It is what happened because we were powerless.”
President Kallio, replying thus, smiled bitterly.
“But if it weren't for the help of Germany and the Allied Powers, the damage would have been much more severe.”
“…”
“It was the Minister, who was then the Vice-Chancellor, who seriously considered our sowhat impolite request and made the German governnt accept it.”
President Kallio, with his completely white hair and long mustache, said this and looked at with eyes full of deep gratitude.
I know him, but I do not know him.
The leader of Finland whom Dietrich Schacht, living in this era, knows; an old man serving as president during the most difficult of tis.
But as a modern person, he is a leader of a small nation with a pitiful history, whose na I had never even heard.
As a modern person, my perception of Finland is barely that much.
I'm a little curious about what fate he originally t, but I suppose I will never know.
Deciding to support Finland during the civil war had made contemplate a great deal, and in the end, it was a decision that benefited Germany as Finland has properly tied down the Soviet Union until now.
As the car turned a corner, I could see Finns, who had filled both sides of the completely controlled road, welcoming us enthusiastically.
“Uh…”
I am an honored guest, if you can call that, but I'm just a minister, so I hadn't expected to receive such a welco. As I stood there bewildered, President Kallio opened his mouth in a low voice.
“Are you surprised?”
“Yes, a little…”
To be honest, it's a bit embarrassing to see people eagerly waving signs with words written in German like ‘Welco,’ ‘Thank you,’ or ‘Guardian of Freedom.’
“I don't know what you may think, Minister, but in Finland, your na is nearly synonymous with the hope for freedom.”
“…I see.”
To put it coldly, the freedom I cried for was ultimately just a ans to stop Hitler and the Nazis and bring a better future to Germany.
In the end, what is most important to is not even Germany, but my precious ones, including Claudia, and their future.
Offering help to Finland was partly out of a desire to help a small nation with a pitiful history, but ultimately, the judgnt that helping them would be beneficial to my purpose took precedence.
If my actions brought him and Finland a better ending as a result, that would be a happy thing, but…
If I, who instigated the tearing of Romania to shreds for the sake of necessity, beco sothing like a symbol of freedom in another country, wouldn't that be closer to deception?
President Kallio, whether he knew my thoughts or not, slowly bowed his head to .
“Thank you for giving hope to Finland.
…We have been truly saved.”
But even so, the enthusiastic welco of the Finns and the choked-up gratitude of President Kallio remained deep in my heart.
-
“We intend to secure East Karelia (Olonets) and the Kola Peninsula in cooperation with the French Army, and then maintain that front.”
Field Marshal Mannerheim, who had co from the front, declared confidently, maintaining his characteristic aristocratic arrogance.
It was rather Pri Minister Ryti who looked troubled, glancing at as he added a further explanation.
“We have held on so far, but the Finnish Army has realistically reached its limit.
While the reinforcents from the French Army are a great help, Finland’s terrain is not suitable for supplies, making a wide-ranging offensive unreasonable.”
The military commander is confident, the politician is in a bind.
Interesting.
Mannerheim acted quite stiffly toward Hitler in the original history too, didn't he?
In any case, we had no intention of making an unreasonable demand on the Finnish or French forces either.
Finland had already suffered unbearable losses for its small population, and as for the French Army, honestly, we'd be more than grateful if they just did that much.
“We understand Finland's circumstances.
We have no intention of denying Finland's contribution, just for having dispersed Soviet forces and showing an amazing casualty ratio. Simply achieving the plan you ntioned would be a great help.”
“Oh, thank you, Minister of Defense.”
After hearing Ryti's reply, I glanced at President Kallio.
“Mr. President? Are you alright?”
President Kallio, who had been sitting in his chair with his eyes closed, startled and opened them at my words.
“Ah, ah. I apologize.
I think this old man relaxed a bit too much. Heh heh, there was a ti when I worried if the day would ever co when we would drive the Soviet bastards out of Finnish land.”
Yes. With the cooperation of de Gaulle and Mannerheim, supported by the Luftwaffe, the Allied Forces drove the Soviet Army out of all of Karjala, and the Soviet Army, which had been pouring into the defenseless north, also halted its offensive.
“To see this scene where we are finally discussing victory instead of survival, I feel relieved.”
Everyone smiled gently at President Kallio’s words.
It's such a fortunate thing for him, who must have carried a heavy burden on his heart for so long.
The eting that followed proceeded smoothly without any problems.
Finland did not overestimate its capabilities, and I did not make unreasonable demands of them.
Finland set the strategic objectives of occupying the Kola Peninsula and East Karelia, but did not demand that they be ceded from the Soviet Union.
Of course, we would accommodate Finland if possible, but we couldn't give a definite answer in a situation where we didn't know how the war would progress, and Finland also knew its own stance.
It would be so nice if all the etings with the Allied Powers' high command were like this.
“Haha, it's good that the eting is going smoothly. The Minister of Defense has a schedule to et the frontline commanders in Viipuri tomorrow, so let's end it here.
A banquet has been prepared.”
“Ah, I look forward to a Finnish banquet.”
It wouldn't be a luxurious al since we're in the middle of a war, but a new food culture is always sothing to look forward to. I wonder what a Nordic-style banquet is like?
“Mr.
President. It is ti to get up.”
Pri Minister Ryti woke up President Kallio, who had fallen asleep again during the eting, but whom everyone had left alone.
“…Mr.
President?”
But the president did not get up.
“…Kallio.”
Ryti slowly brought his hand to the president's nose, and after a mont of silence, he lowered his head.
The president, who had resisted the Soviet Union as the spiritual pillar of Finland, had fallen into an eternal sleep while sitting in his chair.
As if relieved, with a peaceful smile on his face.
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