Survive as a World War II Soldier - Chapter 149



Only Krnovel

#149

Montgomery was initially somewhat taken aback by the statement that they would never give up their airborne troops.

“Are you saying that we should carry out Operation Market with only our British troops now?”

“Yes. You were the one who decided to do it despite our objections.”

“but···.”

At first, Montgomery was worried that this might be the case due to our strong rejection, but his expression soon changed to one of confidence.

“Okay, but let’s make this clear. After this operation is over, don’t expect to get anything in return for giving up some supplies.”

“Ha. I don’t have any thoughts, so don’t worry and just hope the operation is successful. Honestly, not only I, but my staff are still against it.”

Even the fact that Montgomery, who had just glanced at me and left, was able to carry out the operation on Britain’s own was all thanks to me.

The airborne troops that Britain has in its hands are all the ones I protected.

We didn’t go to Rome. We didn’t go to Dieppe. Even in Normandy, the British had it easy.

For that reason, Montgomery confidently carried out the operation thanks to the ample supply of fit and functioning airborne troops.

And I···.

“Didn’t you say we should use it as bait because it would fail?”

“Yeah. I told you it would fail.”

“For something like that, don’t you think you’re helping too sincerely?”

My eyes widened at the adjutant’s words.

“I?”

“Yes. I heard you messed with the British Airborne Troops’ communications system yesterday too.”

“After hearing the story, the kids are really out of their minds···.”

“So how can I just sit still?”

So when I saw Montgomery or Churchill, I didn’t want to care what the Tommy boys did in Holland.

Our American troops have already withdrawn, and as we withdrew, other quick-witted Allied forces, such as Free Poland, also withdrew.

The only people going to this market garden were the British military and people from Commonwealth countries like Canada and Australia.

However, since I was the Commander-in-Chief of the Allied Forces, it was not that I did not receive any reports at all. However, as I was looking at them, there were more than a few that were out of order.

“You don’t like Churchill or Montgomery, what crime did the ordinary soldiers under them commit?”

“That’s true. Every time they do something stupid, it’s the ones below them who die.”

So, even though I knew it would fail, I couldn’t help but get involved in this and that in the hopes of reducing the number of deaths.

Even if you were dropped into the middle of enemy territory and had to endure it, what would happen if you couldn’t even communicate properly with your allies?

There were countless other things I wanted to point out.

Starting with the division commanders being people with no experience commanding airborne troops…

“But even if I get more involved now, I won’t hear anything good.”

“That’s true.”

“And do they listen to the advice you give them?”

How did I come to the point where I was verbally defeated by Patton… It was so bitter, it was heartbreaking.

Anyway, Operation Market Garden, which started with many twists and turns, surprisingly had good results in the beginning.

In the first landing operation, all troops landed safely at the landing point, and losses from enemy aircraft and anti-aircraft guns were extremely minimal.

The 6th Airborne Division and the 3rd Commando Unit took on the role of the 82nd Airborne Division in the original history.

Unlike its history, where losses were so great after Normandy that it was temporarily disbanded and then re-formed, the 6th Airborne Division quickly recruited new men for Market Garden. And the 3rd Commando Unit that was sent to support them was a British special forces unit that survived the destruction of Dieppe.

And they did their job well. On the first day, the British forces captured most of the bridges they had targeted.

“Failure? Look. Look at the achievements our military has made today.”

Montgomery bragged as if the operation had been a great success, but that evening was the last time he would brag like that.

Even though I gave them some advice to try to do less stupid things, the Tommy kids didn’t listen to my advice.

The results began to emerge one by one.

“What? There’s no communication?”

“yes.”

“But why are we talking about that in London?”

When they were told to check the communication network, they said they would do it on their own, but when they heard the news that the 1st Airborne Division was unable to contact their superiors, everyone couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

“It can only communicate with London.”

“Hi.”

Ultimately, the 1st Airborne Division had to communicate via the mainland, which naturally became a huge headache in a combat situation where every second counted.

Even that is intermittently possible, so they say they exchange doves···.

“Are you kidding me? Pigeon? Huh?”

That wasn’t all.

“You can’t communicate with the aircraft?”

“That jeep with the communications equipment attached was damaged.”

The glider carrying the jeep was reportedly destroyed by the Germans.

“What about extra?”

“It’s broken.”

“I’m going crazy.”

By now, you’ll have an idea of ​​what it’s like for the paratroopers to land by parachute.

But that wasn’t all the problem.

Market Garden was a combined operation where the airborne troops who landed by parachute captured and held the bridge at a key location (Market) and the 30th Corps advanced rapidly along National Route 69 to connect the dots with a line (Garden).

What was important here was the speed of breakthrough of the 30th Corps, the main attacker of Operation Garden.

The longer they were delayed, the longer the airborne troops would have to hold out in the key area. According to the plan, the airborne troops were supposed to hold out for three days at most…

“Isn’t it the fourth day since the operation began?”

“you’re right.”

“But where?”

I was stranded in Nijmegen, let alone Arnhem.

The market was a moderate success, but the garden was anything but. The advance of the 30th Corps was slow, if not slow, than planned.

Of course, this is just a simple summary, and if you look at the actual state of the British army or the progress of the operation, there was no chaos like this.

The operational plan seemed sound, but it lacked subtlety.

Regardless of whether the communication is good or not, what’s the point of taking supplies from us like that? We can’t use them properly.

What are you talking about? The windmill, a symbol of the Netherlands, was a tool for land reclamation. The Netherlands was a country made up of reclaimed land that was created by building levees and draining seawater, and of course, most areas outside of urban areas were swampy, soft land.

A person riding a parachute can land roughly, but what happens if you land a glider with all sorts of supplies in it? The Germans will just sit there and watch. It will just get destroyed.

Later, attempts were made to supply supplies via air.

But no matter how I look at it, it seems like the supplies we drop off aren’t going to the British Army, but to Jerry.

That would be the case, because if there is communication, they will know what is needed and what is lacking and provide it accordingly.

I was dropping it off at the agreed upon spot, but there was no way to check whether it was properly received or not.

Even unlike the original history, the weather, which had been clear for three days, turned bad weather on the fourth day of the operation.

Naturally, air support had to be stopped.

Meanwhile, our American troops were not idle either. They were not only thinking about the aftermath of Market Garden, but were also doing their best to rebuild Antwerp, which was urgently needed right now.

“A defeat of this magnitude will certainly change the Germans’ judgment.”

“Yes. It is certainly possible that they will attempt to counterattack Hitler’s personality.”

“Okay. How’s the Antwerp cleanup going?”

“We will be able to open the port soon.”

“When is that soon?”

We had to remove the booby traps and mines that the Germans had laid, and rebuild the port so that it could be used as soon as possible. Fortunately, thanks to our experience with similar operations in Cherbourg and Marseille, the work was done quite quickly.

Despite the good news from Antwerp, the mood in the conference room was dark, and of course it was the British bastards.

Of course, there were no American soldiers there. But it’s not like the British soldiers deserved to die.

“What do you little Tommys say?”

“If they say they have enough control···.”

“Fucking bastards.”

What was more annoying was the British command, including Montgomery.

Even though we’ve been planning on failing, and even though we’re thinking of completely destroying that damn Montgomery after this failure, we’re still the Allies.

I am the Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces.

The British soldiers were also my subordinates, my children. What I disliked were the few who ran wild without knowing their place, not the innocent soldiers.

therefore,

“Why don’t you ask for help? Damn it.”

At my shout, a sigh escaped the lips of those gathered in the conference room as if they had made a promise.

Looking at that sight, I couldn’t help but exhale smoke from my cigarette.

Because we refused, it became a British-only operation, so we couldn’t just intervene without their request. Just in case.

“I told you so. There’s no way they’ll contact you. Can’t we just give the men a break now?”

Several units, including Patton, were on standby, ready to deploy.

If we do a diversionary operation while retreating, wouldn’t we be able to bring back at least one more person alive?

I was about to tell Patton that he was right and that he should take a break.

“Commander, we have a guest…”

I frowned for a moment at the words of the person who had come running in with a thoughtful face, but then I had to jump up as I watched the person entering the conference room. The tall man in the British naval uniform was none other than King George VI of England.

“Your Majesty the King?”

King George VI, who was supposed to be in London, came to see me without any notice.

“So far….”

George VI smiled at me, who was bewildered, and opened his mouth in a feminine tone.

“Did you have tea time? I missed tea time because I was moving.”

At George VI’s words, the aide-de-camp ran out in thought.

“It’s a battlefield, and I don’t really enjoy cars, so I’m not sure if there’s anything I like.”

“Ah, ah. I’ve heard that your enemy enjoys coffee. I brought some for him…”

At George VI’s gesture, the man standing behind him was seen handing a box to his aide.

“Please sit down.”

“I’m sorry for coming to you without an appointment. But I couldn’t just sit still.”

King George VI looked quite tired as he looked at me.

“The Prime Minister said that the operation led by General Montgomery was very successful. He said that we will soon be able to open the way to Berlin. Is that correct?”

I couldn’t possibly say no to George VI’s direct question.

Seeing me like that, George VI immediately found the answer.

“That’s not true. Wilhelmina, he was right.”

From Josh’s mutterings, which sounded like a soliloquy, I could understand why he had come here.

“Have you heard from the Queen?”

“Yes. So please don’t hide it and tell me. How is the operation going? Our troops who went to the Netherlands….”

It’s not a lie, and they’re just asking for the truth, so what’s there to hide?

So I told him the truth.

“Then the airborne troops currently in Arnhem···”

“I don’t know how many are still alive, but if the 30th Corps’ advance speed is the same as it is now….”

I couldn’t bring myself to say the following and swallowed it.

The British Airborne Division, which suffered the most casualties in the history of the war, only returned with 2,000 men out of 10,000 deployed. If you add in the casualties of the 30th Army Corps, the Free Polish Airborne Division, and the American forces, the casualties were truly enormous.

This time, it is a British-only operation, so the British army will have to bear all the damage. Especially, looking at the progress of the operation so far, it is not much different from the original history, so the results will probably be similar.

I was wondering if the Walter model didn’t come from the East to the West since it was earlier than the original history, but guess what?

They came even faster because the Western Front command was completely wiped out right after the Black Orchestra’s assassination operation just before the recapture of Paris, leaving them without anyone to deal with.

Anyway, the face of George VI, who woke up from the illusion that Churchill had told him and learned the truth, was so gruesome that it was beyond words.

“Our soldiers, those raw lives are being lost in vain. And the enemy, the US military is planning to use him to lure Germany?”

“No. It was a plan that was clearly opposed from the beginning. But wasn’t it Britain that pushed ahead with it? We simply devised the optimal response plan based on clear predictions. As His Majesty the King said, we can’t make a life that is so precious meaningless, can we?”

When did I tell you to go? You said you were going, so how can you blame us? To my retort, George VI raised both hands and washed his face dry.

“Ha. You know that? I was never meant to be a king. I had no intention of becoming one. But I was born into royalty, so I couldn’t abandon my duty.”

Well, who doesn’t know the story of George VI?

Isn’t this person the one who suffered his whole life because he met the wrong brother? Just like me. Of course, our Arthur III is a real gentleman compared to his brother.

Anyway, I couldn’t find anything to say in response, so I just listened quietly, and then George VI continued speaking in a calm tone.

“So it is now. Help me, my lord. Save our poor sons of England.”

I could not bring myself to refuse the polite request of George VI.

however,

“Montgomery didn’t ask for help. That bastard would probably complain if I saved him…”

George VI tried to calm Patton down with a gentle expression as he grumbled.

“Montgomery is at best a British general, but I am the King. Why can’t I do it?”

Only then did Patton look satisfied.

“You handle children well.”

“Well, I guess I’ll just be an enemy?”

Although my plans to use Market Garden as a springboard to lead the Battle of the Bulge had completely gone awry, I felt relieved.

The first was that I never had to see that fucking Montgomery again.

Even though it was a constitutional monarchy and the king was a puppet, it still had enough power to blow away someone like Montgomery.

The second was that it saved the lives of British soldiers who would otherwise have died for their sins of meeting the wrong people.

And Patton also looked very excited.

“This time I’m definitely going to beat that son of a bitch, Monty.”

“Can I trust you?”

“When have I ever disappointed you?”

“None.”

“You won’t be disappointed this time either.”

And Patton certainly kept his word.

Victory that seemed within reach