Father of France

Chapter 83 Roosevelt's Death

In early April, in the northern suburbs of Munich, Bavaria, the Southern Cluster finally appeared in the largest city in southern Germany, despite the harassment from the German People's Stormtroopers along the way and the Panzerfaust rocket launchers that appeared out of nowhere.

As the French army advanced, it did not continue its sieges as it had done in Stuttgart. Instead, it negotiated with the German-defended towns if possible, and left troops to maintain a standoff if negotiations failed.

The French Third and Fourth Armies dwindled in number during these encampments along the way, with only twenty divisions eventually reaching Munich.

At this time, Munich was in a semi-encirclement. The German troops stationed in Munich were there to prevent trouble from the Munich troops, not to occupy the first city of Bavaria.

Because the most valuable assets are not here, but in Messerschmitt's aircraft manufacturing bases in Augsburg, Regensburg, Vienna and other places.

The effect of not getting bogged down in fighting the Germans was still significant. Although it wasted a lot of manpower on securing the routes along the way, it allowed the French army to achieve a very rapid advance.

Compared to General Patton's U.S. Third Army's constant display of individual heroism, the French army, despite wasting considerable manpower, found that by 1945, many of the German troops in the cities along the route were no longer capable of offensive operations.

The German army, already exhausted, could barely hold its ground. Lacking fuel and heavy weapons, they had no choice but to revert to tactics from World War I.

Without the fangs of armored troops, a blitzkrieg centered on armored forces could not be launched. The tactics of the German army in World War I would not have made the French army, which had penetrated deep into Germany, so formidable.

Upon arriving in Munich, the French army redeployed three divisions to Augsburg and Regensburg in search of German aviation factories in southern Germany.

The French Youth Division camp seemed to exist in a different world from other units; at least, other units didn't march with groups of teenagers. But then again, the Youth Division didn't really have many combat missions.

Along the way, they continuously gathered orphans caused by the war, and the number had exceeded four thousand. This was only the number they encountered and did not actively seek out during the march.

Now, whenever the entire division goes out, the tanks and armored vehicles are covered with ornaments made of children.

The war accelerated the children's growth. They collected a lot of wooden stakes, planks and other things to use as their own furniture. They would sit on the tank fences, making them look more like human armor.

At lunchtime, the German orphans lined up one by one and received their food in an orderly manner.

When Koman arrived at the open-air camp, it looked like a huge kindergarten, with wooden stakes as stools, planks as tables, and of course, many more children sitting on the ground, with some girls snuggling in the arms of boys for shelter.

Could they be having a puppy love affair? The thought flashed through his mind, and Koman called over a guard at the open-air camp to warn him, "You need to understand that although it's wartime, these teenagers and adults are completely different groups, and you need to know how serious this is. As a military police force, if you have problems in this area, it's not something that can be solved by simply taking off your uniform."

Koeman, this soldier, was still naive. He did indeed use these German orphans as human armor, hoping to make the German People's Stormtroopers, who were hiding somewhere wielding iron fists and rocket launchers, think twice before acting.

But he simply focused on this one role, and he absolutely refused to allow it to be like some war-torn regions where people are not treated as human beings.

"Sir, I knew you'd be here." Lefevere rushed over, seemingly having searched for Coman, "to see if the children's food has been skimped on?"

"Yes, no matter how much we consume, we can't deduct it from these children's expenses."

Coming back to his senses, Koeman muttered the principle that one should never let children suffer, saying, "In France, spring planting begins at the end of February and ends in April. The weather in Germany is a little colder, but it won't be delayed by more than a few days. This year, since March, Germany has been in the midst of war, so there's definitely no time for spring planting. Therefore, it's highly likely that this year's food production will be delayed, and Germany will experience a famine this year or next."

Koeman remembered that famine did break out in Europe after the war, but he forgot how severe it was, and he didn't know if the people there were as well-fed as the Indians.

At this point, Indians were a unit of measurement for Koeman; as long as the Germans were better fed than the Indians, at least they wouldn't die in the end.

Having let slip a hint that the situation would become even more serious, Koeman returned to the main point and asked, "What brings you here? Do you need something from me?"

"Martin and Alan followed the search party and found the underground factory in the Mittelvik Tunnel," Lefebvre replied, only then remembering his purpose.

"That underground factory for jet fighters? Cover it up and report to General Duval." Koeman's eyes lit up upon hearing this. Finding the jet fighter factory would fill France's biggest weakness.

Anything else you find later will be considered an unexpected bonus.

The Mittelvik Tunnel was built in 1943, during the strategic stalemate phase. After Goebbels convened the German General Mobilization Conference, Germany began to experience the explosive growth of its military-industrial complex. It was also from that time that the British and American air bomber commands finally acquired sufficient aircraft and electronic navigation technology to launch sustained attacks on the core of Germany's heavy industry. The Ruhr region, the heart of German industry, began to be exposed to Allied air strikes.

A large number of new factories and equipment have also begun to be built in the relatively safe southern Germany.

The priority of this strategic plan shifted several times between the V2 rocket, the cheaper and smaller V1 "buzz bomb," and the Me 262 jet fighter, while construction on the Mittelvik Tunnel underground facility had already begun.

To assure Speer and Himmler, who were both overseeing the project, that it would be completed on time, the project manager, Kamler, was willing to risk the lives of the imprisoned workers. There were no barracks facilities inside the tunnel; the laborers huddled in the construction area like moles, seeing the light of day at most once a week, and clean water and sanitation facilities were a luxury.

The death toll was in the thousands. To "inspire" the survivors, Kamler hanged the rebels from the tunnel vault.

The underground tunnels overseen by Kamler will simultaneously house the V2 rocket production line and Milch's Me-262 jet fighter production line.

This matter must be reported to General Duval, but that's not enough. The First Army Headquarters must also be informed. Koeman went into the division headquarters to report. "The Antioch Regiment can set off first. Of course, we need to bring enough translators. The Soviet army has already entered Austrian territory. In case any Soviet troops deviate from their course, we need to quickly clear up any misunderstandings and avoid conflict."

According to the latest news, they have already entered Austria and are preparing for the Vienna offensive. Prior to this, Austria had already declared Vienna an undefended city, so Paris has a successor.

From this perspective, it was inevitable that Vienna would fall into Soviet hands once the Soviet army defeated the intercepting German forces. From this point on, the French army would have to consider the possibility of encountering the Soviet army.

“I’ve come to request permission. The Antioch Regiment can depart immediately, but please be careful,” General Duval readily agreed. “I’ll discuss it with General Axel; perhaps the 1st Armored Division can also join the operation.”

General Duval was also very serious about the possibility of encountering the Soviet army. It wasn't that the French army was afraid of the Soviet army; on the other hand, which European country at that time was not afraid of the Soviet army on the ground?
At this moment, General Duval even hoped that the American advance could be faster, unaware of what problems General Patton was encountering.

When he was digging up the German tank production line in Stuttgart, he didn't think of the American troops. When he was avoiding German cities along the way, he didn't think of the American troops either. But now, General Duval misses the American troops terribly.

At the Allied High Command, Eisenhower stared at the enemy and friendly forces on the map. Progress was going well, but!

The French advance was unusually fast, which was unexpected.

According to intelligence, apart from fighting a battle in Stuttgart, the French army marched straight towards Munich, avoiding cities along the way.

When Eisenhower learned of this, he felt somewhat uncomfortable, wondering if this was too obvious an attempt to seize the fruits of victory.

However, for American officials in London, this matter was not important; they even saw it as an opportunity to reiterate the US position on the issue of the division of British and American occupation zones.

The United States has always believed that, given its national strength, the correct way to divide the country is by including most of the Ruhr region and its coastline.

The gloomy weather made Eisenhower's already not-so-good mood even more gloomy. Just then, Chief of Staff Volker rushed in, looked at Eisenhower, and hesitated to speak.

"I'm fine. Just say what's wrong. We're all soldiers," Eisenhower said, smoothing the wrinkles on his face, as if he thought it was his own problem.

“This is a telegram from Washington.” General Walker took a deep breath and pulled out an urgent telegram: “President Roosevelt died this afternoon in Springs, Georgia. Vice President Truman has been sworn in.”

Eisenhower reached out and took the thin piece of paper, feeling its immense weight. His gaze swept over the words on the telegram, and for a moment, the air in the tent seemed to freeze.

“Just a few hours ago, it was reportedly a brain hemorrhage,” General Volker added somberly. “Should we… announce this news? What will the soldiers do if they find out?”

With his hands folded over his desk, Eisenhower's mind went blank, and he even forgot that he was the Supreme Allied Commander.

The man who led the country through the Great Depression and war from a wheelchair, the leader whose voice was broadcast to every household on the radio, the leader who ruled for so long that many people knew of him as president, passed away so suddenly.

"It's definitely not something we can hide. It's more important for our soldiers to know this than for the reactions of Germany and Japan." Eisenhower paused for a moment before ordering, "Fly flags to half-mast throughout the army. Headquarters will issue a notice. All levels of command should pay attention to the soldiers' behavior and maintain morale. That's all for now."

(End of this chapter)