December 1942 was destined to be a turbulent and frequent month of major events. Pen? Interesting? Pavilion wWw. ｂiquge。 ｉｎfo

On December 5, the red flag at the port of New York Harbor on the east coast of the United States was crowded.

Representatives of the U.S. military, members of the German Embassy in the United States, German-Americans, and onlookers gathered at the port to welcome the arrival of the German marines.

The troop carrier came to the shore and lowered the gangway and the treads.

Members of the 1st Division of the German Marine Corps, as well as members of the 1st Army of the German Marine Corps, disembarked one after another and set foot in port.

"Look at their uniforms."

As soon as the soldiers of the Marine Corps appeared, the blue, black, grass green, and white marine camouflage uniforms on their bodies sparked a heated discussion among the crowd.

Marine camouflage, a new 1943 soft hat of the same color, black lace-up high-top military boots, and the tall posture of the Marines immediately doubled the noise decibel count on the dock.

The layman looks at the bustle, and the insider looks at the doorway.

The U.S. military personnel present exchanged words with each other, not from a trendy point of view, but from a practical point of view to evaluate the camouflage color of the German army's uniforms.

Amid the crowd's onlookers and cheers, Marines and officers jumped into ready-to-use Dodge trucks and were pulled to Yankee Stadium in McComberstein Park, the Bronx borough of New York City.

Marines marched into the stadium in a procession, and the trendy camouflage style sparked a heated discussion among the audience again.

After the Marine Corps soldiers finished their formation, US President Roosevelt and downwards, the US Secretary of Defense, the Chief of the Naval Staff, and others spoke one after another to welcome the arrival of the German Marine Corps.

After a round of speeches, the commander of the 1st Army of the German Marine Corps, Lieutenant General Ludwig von Stein (played by reader Ludwig von Stein), took the podium.

"Distinguished Mr. President, distinguished guests. In future wars, my men and I will fight side by side as the most trusted comrades of the American military. I firmly believe that with the great national power of the United States of America, a good people, and a strong army, even without our assistance, it will be able to defeat the enemy on its own and make the Japanese pay the price of blood for their crimes against humanity.

There is no doubt about this, and our arrival is more of an expression of our attitude towards Japan as an anti-human country, and it is also a responsibility to let the light and justice shine on the world.

Christmas is just around the corner, and after this year, there are many more Christmases.

Some of us may be lucky enough to go home for Christmas and come back here for the Victory Celebration. The other part will become the heroic souls who will be commemorated and remembered by all of us at the victory celebration. Here, I want them to say in advance, Merry Christmas・・・・・・"

For the next few days, the continental United States was basked with the shock of the German Expeditionary Force and the festive preparations for Christmas.

On December 10, Sweden, known as the first power in northern Europe, held another world-class ceremony that attracted worldwide attention.

In 1940 and 1941, the Nobel Prize for Explosives was suspended due to war.

In 1942, with a major turning point in the war, the Nobel Prize for Explosives was reopened.

By December, the final winners were decided.

At this Nobel Prize for Explosives Award ceremony, among the various awards for the Explosives Award, the most eye-catching is naturally the Literature Award.

Although the list of winners has not yet been announced, it is known that the winning work of this year's Dynamite Literature Award can only be "Rabe's Diary".

"Dr. John Rabe, with his fragile body against the barbaric powers, recorded the harrowing experiences of war refugees, exposed their sin to the sun, and was punished."

After the Swedish Academy of Letters read out the reasons for the award for Rabe's Diary, the audience stood up and applauded as a tribute to Dr. Johann Rabe.

Dr. Rabe stood up and walked onto the podium to deliver his acceptance speech to the crowd and to denounce Japan's anti-human government・・・・・・

However, in the eyes of later generations, the greatest event in history in December 1942 was the arrival of a future German Führer in India at the same time as a future US president.

On the afternoon of December 10, the day of the Nobel Prize for Explosives, a huge fleet appeared outside the port of Mumbai in western India.

The convoy docked at the port of Mumbai to unload its cargo, and the German 1st Aircraft Carrier Group continued southward to Ceylon (Sri Lanka) and Calcutta in eastern and southeastern India.

Along the way, Major Lorenz and others were apprehensive, but their feelings were wasted.

Except for appearing in the cafeteria during meal time, Chen Dao basically hid in his bedroom and studied "Three Kingdoms" hard, and there was no abnormal behavior.

The only anomaly was that every day, when everyone had a group meal, Major Lorenz and the others would find that the sallow color on Chen Dao's face would deepen by a point, and he would look very unhealthy.

After resting overnight in the port of Mumbai, the next day they boarded a British military train and sailed across the Indian peninsula to Calcutta, an important port city in northeastern India, where they would meet Sir Wavell, the British Governor-General in India.

Shortly after the train departed, Eisenhower walked into Chen Dao's carriage with Lieutenant General Fredendal, commander of the Second Army.

Eisenhower had made a phone call before he came, and Chen Dao had already been prepared, and after a few words of greeting, the three of them sat down at a round table.

"General Rosen, I think it is necessary for us to make a collusion on the future war plan, I hope it doesn't disturb your rest, your face is not good, is it sick?"

In the face of Eisenhower's concern, Chen Dao shook his head: "I am not sick, but I am not very suitable for the life of drifting at sea. How could your government suddenly think of sending troops into India to fight? ”

Eisenhower seemed to anticipate that Chen Dao would raise this question, and replied unhurriedly: "It has been a year since the outbreak of the war, and our country is ready for a counteroffensive and has preliminarily completed the expansion of its army. The islands in the Pacific are limited in size, and there is no room for our largest army to operate, and the lines of transport are under serious threat from the Japanese Combined Fleet. After discussion, we decided to open up the Indian theater of operations, so that the problem was solved. ”

While Eisenhower spoke, Lieutenant General Fredendahl, who was sitting next to him, looked Chen Dao up and down.

Before leaving, the Chief of the U.S. Army General Staff Admiral Marshall had invited them to dinner.

At dinner, Marshall made a special explanation that the United States was not only sending troops into the Indian battlefield not only to open up a new battlefield against Japan, but also to take advantage of the opportunity to fight side by side with Germany, Italy, and other countries to try to find out as much as possible the combat methods and weapons of the army, navy, and air forces of the two countries, as well as the command style of the famous "Your Excellency My Brother-in-law."

Even a political layman like Fredendal could tell that this was a command.

"And what about General Stilwell?" Chen Dao asked.

"He will serve as deputy commander of the Seventh Army and continue to serve as the supreme commander of the Chinese Expeditionary Force."

"Oh, that's right. I see, I haven't been to India, I don't know much about it, I just know that the Ganges is a holy river for Indians, it should have some tourist value, and after we get to Kolkata, if we have time, we can go sightseeing with the Ganges. ”

Eisenhower only saw the sincerity on Chen Dao's face, did not perceive the danger contained in it, and said politely: "If General Rosen is interested, I will definitely accompany him." ”

Chen Dao restrained his smile, pointed to the map spread out on the table, and said, "Does General Eisenhower have any plans for the next war?" ”

Eisenhower said: "Before I left, I read General Stilwell's report to China. He had a battle plan for a counteroffensive against Burma.

On the land side, the Chinese Army attacked from western and southern Yunnan in two routes with 15 to 20 elite divisions, with the main force on the western route.

The troops stationed in India attacked from India with a force of 5 to 7 divisions, as well as a combination of some paratroopers.

Another force was sent to take an amphibious landing from Rangoon to attack the Japanese army.

On the naval side, with 3 to 4 capital ships and 6 to 8 aircraft carriers as the core, with a large number of submarines, it first controlled the sea supremacy in the Bay of Bengal, then covered the landing of the army in Rangoon, and finally the three forces met in Mandalay in central Burma.

In terms of air force, our air force must have the ability to defeat one Japanese army aviation division.

In the preliminary preparations, we must try to strengthen the air transport forces of China and India, and give priority to the delivery of equipment and other necessary materials required by the Chinese troops. At the same time, it is also necessary to make preparations for the reopening of the communication line on the Indo-Burmese border after the victory of the counteroffensive. ”

"There are two roads in the army and one in the sea, which is very much like the trident of the sea emperor Poseidon. What is the approximate strength of the enemy? Chen Dao asked.

"At present, there are five divisions that have been proven, and it may be increased to ten divisions in the future, and there may be 800 aircraft on the air side, and there are uncertain numbers on the naval side."

"Japan's Combined Fleet will definitely attack with all its might in order to keep Burma, and they will not watch us open the Yunnan-Burma road."

"And what do you mean?" Eisenhower asked.

"I personally approve of this battle plan, after all, General Stilwell has been dealing with the Japanese for a long time and is relatively experienced. But there is a very important question here, what does General Wavell think? Is he in favor of or against this plan? And one of the most critical questions is, who is the commander-in-chief of the coalition forces after we arrive in Kolkata? What does he think of this plan? Chen Dao said.

Lieutenant General Fredendal said: "If there is no accident, the commander-in-chief of the coalition forces should be General Wavell, and this is India after all." ”

"I think so too." Chen Dao said.

Scratching his forehead, Chen Dao said in embarrassment: "But judging from the process of dealing with him in North Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, I don't think he is a very good commander. Whether or not this combat plan can be implemented depends ultimately on his intentions, and I can only say that I personally support this plan. ”

"As long as you can support it, General Wavell will try to convince you. As for sea supremacy, it is also necessary to rely on the German Navy and the Italian Navy. Eisenhower said.

"We, the German Navy, have long wanted to fight the Japanese Navy, and the officers and men of the Navy can't wait to win the Iron Cross, and you don't have to worry about that. Also, about the battle against Japan, we need a victory too much. Since the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, for a whole year now, they have won consecutive battles, and neither the navy nor the army has suffered a campaign-level defeat.

I came here to shatter the myth of the invincibility of the Japanese army, and I like challenging tasks the most. Chen Dao said.

Chen Dao's words pierced Eisenhower's nerves: Since the beginning of the war, the United States, whether it is the navy or the army, has lost one war after another, losing most of the Pacific Ocean.

MacArthur, an outstanding representative of the U.S. Army and former president of the West Point Military Academy, took the lead in transferring all the way from the Philippines to Australia, where he was blocked by the Japanese army and struggling to support himself.

Eisenhower sighed: "General Rosen is right, we have failed too many times in this year, and we need a victory too much. ”

After a pause of a few seconds, Eisenhower suddenly asked, "How many ground troops has your country sent to India?" ”

"There is a mountain division with me, and there will be an infantry division and an airborne division in the future, as well as some independent tank battalions and artillery and engineering units, and we will also dispatch the Flying Eagle Regiment, including at least a hundred transport aircraft, to participate in the transportation mission of the Hump route."

"There are only three divisions, and there are no armored divisions?" Fredendal asked.

"The information from the fact-finding mission that we arrived in India was that the terrain was predominantly mountainous and jungle, and the traffic conditions were terrible, making it not suitable for large-scale armoured operations. And we still have an Eastern Front to maintain, all the armored divisions are left on the Eastern Front and will not come to India. ”

The first joint military meeting between Germany and the United States took place in a harmonious setting, during which the two sides exchanged views amicably and reached a consensus.

Eisenhower and Fredendahl said goodbye and left, and after Chen Dao said goodbye to the two, he continued to study the "Three Kingdoms" to cultivate the mind・・・・・・