Survive as a World War II Soldier - Chapter 144



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#144

Arthur III’s headache will be gone, the navy at its peak fighting power will be fighting like never before, and it seems that the Chinese side doesn’t have to worry too much, seeing as Elliot is doing it.

It seemed likely that the Pacific front, like Europe, could end faster than the original history.

And the most certain basis for making such a judgment was the reckless actions of the Japanese military, which did not differ much from the original history.

“Where did you crawl to?”

“Troops are moving towards the Owen Stanley Range.”

“Are you saying you will go over there and come to Port Moresby?”

“Hey, even so, do you think you’ll go over there?”

Immediately after the Battle of the Coral Sea, most American soldiers were incredulous at the movements of the Japanese army, saying they could not believe that the Japanese could go that crazy.

“Even the natives say it’s crazy.”

“Japan is an island country, so maybe they are more accustomed to jungles like that than we are?”

“That’s right. Even so, they wouldn’t have just pushed the soldiers in there.”

“Yes, there must be something we don’t know.”

At first, everyone was really anxious, wondering if Japan had acquired some great weapon or method that we didn’t know about and was trying to do something like that.

But what could there be? There must be a samurai spirit that has no answer.

“They’re the kind of guys who charge into tanks naked, so they must have had similar thoughts when they entered the mountains.”

The solution wasn’t difficult. If we just leave it alone, Mother Nature will take care of it. So what are we to do?

“Still, just in case there are any who succeed in crossing the mountain range, we just need to properly build a defensive line near the exit.”

Even that wasn’t the only stupid thing the Japanese did.

The Imphal Operation, which was said to have been so distorted by history that it might not happen, also happened as planned, just at a different time.

“Oh, the Japanese army has appeared in India.”

“what?”

“We have advanced beyond the jungle.”

Everyone looked flustered, as they had never thought they would have to cross the jungle again. But I wasn’t worried at all.

‘It’s Operation Imphal.’

So, what are you worried about when you have before you the greatest achievement of the dark independence activist Renya Mudguchi, a name that no Korean can ever forget?

I was just curious about this.

‘Did he say that nonsense again this time?’

The Japanese are herbivores, so even if there is no food, they can just eat grass on the side of the road and advance.

“If you crossed the jungle, there’s no way you’ll be okay.”

“That’s true. How are we going to supply supplies there? No matter how crippled those Tommy guys are, there’s no way we could lose against them.”

And although they were surprised by the unexpected appearance of the Japanese army, no one worried about defeat.

But the results when we opened the lid were very different from what we expected.

##

The original Imphal operation was, strictly speaking, a battle that took place on the border between Burma and India.

The name of the operation was derived from the Indian border city of Imphal, which was the target of the Japanese army.

So then why did the Japanese target Imphal?

The first was to crush the guerrillas in the Indochina Peninsula and solidify their control.

“Aung San? Didn’t you say he was a person who fought for independence?”

“But why did you join hands with the British again?”

“that is···.”

The thought of how much the locals must have made to make those who had been pro-Japanese change their minds so quickly rose to the surface, but Joichiro Sanada barely managed to bite his lips and hold it in.

Meanwhile, another person quickly opened his mouth.

“Burma is supported by Britain, and Vietnam by the United States. In order to eradicate the Burmese guerrillas, wouldn’t it be right to completely eliminate Britain’s support route?”

That’s right. Imphal continued to serve as a strategic stronghold supporting guerrillas including Aung San even after the Burma Route, the supply route to China, was cut off.

The second reason was India.

“It is said that India’s will for independence is stronger than ever.”

“But can you trust that author, Chandra Bose?”

There were already more than a few people, including Aung San, who had been pro-Japanese but had turned around and become guerrillas. In response to the question of what difference it would make if Chandra Bose was involved in such a situation, Kawabe opened his mouth with a confident expression.

“It is said that the great famine in Bengal, right next to Manipur, where Imphal is located, was so severe that it is difficult to trace its origins.”

“okay?”

“Yes. I hear that’s why there’s so much resentment against Britain.”

But it wasn’t without its problems.

“What if Chandra Bose, like Aung San, only uses us and betrays us?”

Kawabe shrugged his shoulders and answered someone’s concern.

“What does it matter?”

“What does that mean?”

“Isn’t what we want to achieve through Indian independence the weakening of the Allied powers, especially Britain?”

If you think about making it our land like Myanmar, you may have to worry about Chandra Bose’s betrayal in the future, but if you simply think about making India independent from Britain and establishing a pro-Japanese government, you don’t have to worry too much about the future.

“That is true. And I know Chandra Bose well. He is not like opportunists like Aung San.”

Especially when Tojo, who was close to Chandra Doss, made this affirmation, no one objected any more.

The third, of course, was the ever-present battle of wits with the Navy.

Because the Navy had suffered such a crushing defeat, the Army’s minor defeats and mistakes were not even noticed. Thanks to this, the Army was able to overlook the defeat in New Guinea.

“It definitely takes a major to suppress those Navy guys.”

“Yes, that’s right. We need to make up for the damage caused by the Navy guys’ mess.”

So, they tried to attack Port Moresby independently, but failed. In that situation, Renya Mutoguchi’s proposal to attack India was a perfect fit for the tastes of the Army General Headquarters, including Tojo.

Except for one thing, the possibility of it being realized is extremely low. But who on earth would think of such a thing as the Japanese?

##

“Should we cooperate with Japan?”

“Yeah. Do you think we’ll ever be able to gain independence from those damned British bastards if this isn’t our chance?”

“but···.”

The conference room suddenly became noisy at Chandra Bose’s words.

“But look at Burma.”

“Yes. Aung San had the same thoughts as us and joined hands with the Japanese, but he regretted it.”

“That’s right. If you think about what the Japanese have done in the occupied territories…”

Chandra Bose’s face lit up at the suggestion of some who suggested that the British might be better.

“Do you know anything about the situation in Bengal?”

“Is it Bengali?”

“People are starving to death there. The British are better? I absolutely cannot agree with that.”

“But it’s not all Britain’s fault.”

“Yes. The storms and pests that came last winter···.”

“Yes, let’s say it’s a natural disaster. What about the hoarding of Bihari merchants?”

“···”

The great famine that has now struck Bengal was not a problem that occurred in a short period of time.

The superficial reason was that the natural disaster that occurred the previous winter caused a famine, but the damage to the local people was also due to the hoarding by unscrupulous merchants.

In particular, most of these unscrupulous traders were not local Bengalis but Bihar immigrants, and they were none other than British stooges.

“Who brought those bastards here? Wasn’t it the British?”

The Bihari immigrants, who were deliberately brought in by the British for colonial rule, did not consider the local Bengalis as equals to them.

The famine became increasingly serious as the backward administration of 20th century India collaborated with it.

What put an end to this situation was none other than war. As neighboring Burma fell into Japanese hands, refugees poured into Bengal.

“This is heaven helping us.”

They say a crisis is an opportunity.

I feel sorry for the dying Bengalis, but in Chandra Bose’s mind, this was nothing less than his last chance.

“Look at Aung San. Wasn’t he the one who joined hands with Japan when he fought against Britain to call for Burmese independence?”

However, after Burma fell into Japanese hands, Britain reached out to Aung San, whom it had even issued an arrest warrant for.

Aung San, who had successfully used Japan and Britain to obtain a promise of independence for his country, was a role model he wanted to emulate.

“What can’t we do? We can use both Japan and England.”

And now it was time to join hands with Japan to drive out the British.

“But I heard that the situation in Japan is not good.”

“Yes, they say we continue to lose to the US Navy in the Pacific···.”

Chandra sighed at the sight of his subordinates unable to shake off their worries.

“That’s why we need to join hands with Japan even more.”

“yes?”

“If they are pitiful, wouldn’t it be more advantageous for us? And is a war decided by a few battles?”

According to Tojo, the Japanese Navy was a group of greedy and incompetent writers.

So, it would have been a huge blow to the US Navy. But the Japanese Army was different.

“That’s the Navy’s job, but the Army is on a winning streak. I heard they’ll soon be able to take over mainland China, too?”

“Do you believe that?”

“I don’t know about mainland China, but we definitely have Indochina next to us.”

Of course, there were guerrillas swarming everywhere, but he still believed that there was still time before Japan collapsed.

“Isn’t it possible to join hands with Japan now and then, like Aung San, join hands with Britain again when the time is right?”

“Well, that’s true.”

The reason they were able to make such a judgment was because they had a clear role model who had walked the path they had envisioned.

And Chandra Bose’s gamble paid off.

##

“What? Who came from where?”

The British troops guarding Kohima were caught off guard by the sudden appearance of Japanese troops breaking through the jungle.

“Where on earth did those guys come from?”

“Could it be that jungle?”

It was a ridiculous thought, but somehow, looking at the Japanese military’s actions, it seemed to be correct.

“It seems like they aren’t a proper army.”

“okay?”

“Yes, they are dropping their weapons and picking up ours.”

The British army, which had been surprised by the unexpected appearance of the Japanese army and had withdrawn to a nearby highland, soon regained stability.

This was because after calming down and reconnoitering the Japanese army, they concluded that they would not be defeated.

“Okay, everyone, eat a good meal and then go down and dig a trench.”

“All right.”

So the next day, the British army dug trenches and began fighting against the Japanese.

It was the beginning of what would later be known as the Battle of Tennis Courts.

After a fierce battle, it was the British who took the lead.

But the Japanese army was not the only enemy facing them.

“They say the Indians have revolted.”

“what?”

The Japanese army appearing through the jungle was not a big problem.

The British forces were pushed back in the early stages of the battle because they were confused by the unexpected attack, not because the Japanese forces were strong.

Because the Japanese army, which had fought the first battle against Mother Nature without proper supplies, was not normal.

But the large-scale uprising in Bengal was different.

“Either way or way.”

“My whole family died because of those fucking British bastards.”

“Let us achieve independence.”

Bengal was just behind Manipur, where Imphal was located. The British forces on the border were trapped between the Japanese and the Indian rebels.

“British bastards, back off!”

“India belongs to Indians.”

“Lying Britain, get out!”

“We want independence.”

As word spread that the Bengal uprising was successful, people began to spring up all over India, raising the banner of independence.

So, we won the battle against the Japanese army, but it ended up being the same as losing the war.

The goal of the Imphal Operation, which was to create chaos in India and give the British a hard time, was accomplished quite successfully.

Of course, we too could not escape the aftermath.

“I think we should hurry up and bomb the Japanese mainland first.”

“Yes. If we leave it like this, it’s obvious that the Japanese will gain momentum again.”

After beating Japan up in the Pacific, the British ended up boosting Japan’s morale.

“And to send reinforcements to India···.”

“Ha, where are the troops to send there? Let’s talk about the scale of the bombing operation again.”

With the Army, Navy, and even the State Department all racking their brains, the only ones who seemed excited were the Army Air Corps guys.

And I didn’t know it then.

How strong will the aftermath of the Indian crisis be?

Arthur III’s Reward