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The severed hand, clutching the fragments of Jonathan's collar, slowly and strangely opened, its last trace of color disappearing amidst the smoke and fire of the hadron cannon scattering and soaring into the sky.
Chapter 349, Section 445: Joy Turns to Sorrow
The lion and serpent flag over Lüneburg was driven away, and Royal Air Force fighters followed the US ground troops into the city.
Of the three cities involved in the Battle of Hamburg, two are now under the control of the North Union's White Star, leaving only the Britannian troops in Lübeck still holding out with their backs to the wall.
There weren't many people left in Lüneburg. The Imperial soldiers who remained, plus the wounded and sick who couldn't be taken away, numbered just over a thousand. They were driven by the soldiers to the sides of the road, walking dejectedly beside the tanks and vehicles entering the city.
I think not a single soldier was not cursing – the British and American tank units in Lüneburg had fought them to a bloody pulp here, then rushed towards Hamburg only to retreat in disarray.
Today, when they raised the white flag, the fields outside the city were littered with M4 Sherman and Churchill infantry tanks that had not been towed away, along with piles of assault guns and KMF wreckage—some of which were comrades who had failed to advance into Hamburg, and others who had died in the recent fierce offensive by the US forces.
After so many days and nights traveling through District 45, I've given up all hope of even the battlefield. As for the prisoner-of-war camp?
To their relief, the U.S. military detained all their seriously wounded soldiers and crammed the others who were still relatively healthy onto the railway bound for Western Europe—well, like ranchers stuffing cattle and horses into boxcars for sale.
The carriage was stuffy and dark, and it was difficult for any light to get in. Fortunately, the five or six-hour train journey was not too bumpy—but this was also the last time without any bumps.
Their special train stopped at a somewhat dilapidated central train station in the city. American soldiers then pushed open the rear carriage doors and dragged them out one by one. More than a thousand figures, crammed into the carriages and reeking of sweat and blood, were thus escorted through the city center.
The men, women, and children on both sides stared indignantly at these alien visitors who had lost their backbone. One young man accidentally dropped the gray cheese in his hand onto the prisoners' path. He was about to pick it up but was stopped by the guards, so he could only angrily kick the cheese, which was covered in sand, far away.
The men in black didn't understand why they were doing this. After walking for a long time, they finally reached an intersection and saw a group of big boys dressed in US military uniforms, but with horizontal red, white, and blue stripes of cloth wrapped around their arms, standing guard in front of a city street sign—Groningen.
……
Just as a theater stage has a division of labor between the front and back of the stage, the Netherlands and Belgium, who joined the Northern Alliance to fight side by side, were given a hard requirement from Britain and the United States: you don’t have to contribute a lot of manpower and resources, but you must be responsible for guarding the enemy prisoners of war brought from the front.
To be fair, building and managing a prisoner-of-war camp capable of holding 50,000 people in a place 200 kilometers away from the front lines in Hamburg is not too difficult, but the premise is that the recent wounds of the windmill country cannot be touched.
This brings us back to Operation Market Garden that year. While Allied paratroopers were landing in the Netherlands, employees of the Dutch National Railways, struggling under Nazi control, also went on strike at almost the same time. And with the failure of the Allied parachute operation, Nazi retaliation against civilians followed.
Under strict control of supplies, there was no fuel for heating, and each person could only get 200 grams of bread per week. Overnight, the rich land of the windmills seemed to have been thrown into Leningrad in 1942 by the Nazis, a place of starvation and snowstorms.
The difference lies in the fact that while the dutiful Soviet soldiers and civilians breathed their last and fainted before the sunken hull of the Aurora and the still-flying red flag, the Dutch masses, who had long since succumbed to the allure of the swastika, were forced, in the shadows of cities and towns and by the candlelight of the black market, to hand over tens or even hundreds of pounds of money for a kilogram of wheat that was within their grasp.
All of this continued until April 1945, at the end of the European theater, when the Allied forces gradually entered the Netherlands and reached an agreement with the German soldiers who were still stationed there and had not yet surrendered: as long as the Germans did not attack the bombers that were airdropping supplies to the Dutch people, the Allies would not drop bombs on the Germans.
It's hard to imagine such a scene. Beside the mills of the land of windmills, amidst the fertile soil of the Netherlands, starving Dutch civilians frantically chased after American air fortresses and British Lancasters, praying that they would be hurled chests of potatoes, cheese, and meat right in front of them.
"After the food was thrown into the open ground in Rotterdam, despite a large number of police officers maintaining order, the starving disaster victims surged towards the food like a tidal wave, fighting and even fighting each other..."
Tens of thousands of starving Dutch people did not live to see Hitler commit suicide. Naturally, it would be disastrous to bring up such old stories before their wounds have healed...
When Dutch and Belgian government officials announced the establishment of prisoner-of-war camps to the public, they were nearly swallowed up by the latter's raging anger.
"We survived this damn war, and we were full of hope as we were about to put the windmill frame back on, only to have it taken by the old men in the city hall and used as a cage to hold the enemy, leaving us with a stack of American food stamps."
……
Fortunately, with the help of enlightened Dutch youths to appease them, and with this series of good news coming from the front lines, the men in black in the POW camp outside Groningen were not strangled to death one by one by the civilians on the barbed wire fence of the POW camp.
The prisoner-of-war camp was built on the banks of the mouth of the Ems River, and before the arrival of the more than 1,000 people from Lüneburg, there were already nearly 40,000 people crammed into the place.
There were two layers of barbed wire inside and out, and at intervals there was a watchtower made of wooden planks. The barracks not only had temporary tents, but also wooden huts a few feet off the ground. There was only one chamber pot for relieving oneself, which was placed in front of everyone's pillow.
A water tower and a washroom stood at opposite ends of the camp. Every morning, the prisoners of war would strip naked and line up to come across the water from the tower. All this was simply to avoid getting lice. Fortunately, the Dutch had considered that there were a significant number of female soldiers in the Britannian army, and reasonably used the enclosed washroom for the female soldiers to wash. Even so, they still forced the female soldiers to shave their heads.
At night, in addition to the patrol teams, the estuary was also filled with torpedo boats piloted by Royal Dutch Navy sailors, moving back and forth with their lights on.
The Dutch probably never imagined that they would one day have to learn the same things the Nazis used.
The food was equally disgusting; perfectly good potatoes would be fought over by the men in the barracks—more often than not, it was spoiled pastries and sour cheese brought by Dutch soldiers from Groningen.
Think back to how they treated captured EU soldiers. Leaving aside how well-equipped the POW camps were, the mere fact that they could smell real meat every day was a basic necessity.
In their eyes, even if there's no need for strenuous labor yet, this is already considered shameless behavior. "Refusing to surrender is like getting shot, it's like living next door to Satan here."
Today, more than a thousand people were brought in, but before they could eat anything, they had to taste something even more bitter.
Looking out over the coastline on both sides of the POW camp, one after another, row after row of US escort destroyers that had completed their supply transport were neatly anchored in front of the seawall, awaiting orders from the North American leadership and Western European countries to launch an attack.
The midday sun of summer shone on the steel edges of every warship, its gleaming light outlining the scene on the Normandy beaches in 1944—when German soldiers defending the beaches stood with their hands raised on the sea cliffs, gazing at the hundreds of Allied ships that were like metal walls blocking the coast of Western Europe, there was no more despairing defeat.
They watched quietly as the escort destroyers sailed in the estuary, and as an aircraft carrier, accompanied by several transport ships, drifted westward from the eastern coast of Germany on the distant North Sea.
"When will we meet again, good luck, Big E?" With Lüneburg recaptured, General Eisenhower finally had time to come to Wilhelmshaven and personally watch the Enterprise written on the stern of the ship depart westward.
Now the Northern Alliance no longer needs to worry about losing the Jutland Peninsula. The US Navy has done its best to send eight Essex-class aircraft carriers to the North Sea before the two Midway-class carriers were exhausted. Moreover, the Royal Navy is also recovering its strength. In comparison, there is no need for the Enterprise to stay on the front line for the time being.
Without frontline missions, there are naturally rear-area missions. Every precious moment of the Hamburg defense is seen by Congress and the Pentagon as a priceless treasure to motivate citizens to enlist and buy bonds. With the added bonus of a decorated warship, why not?
“General.” Just then, Bradley found him.
"You're finally here, Brad." Ike was so excited that he didn't even take out his cigarette. "There's something we need to talk about. Do you know how terrible the consequences can be, even for a general, to act arbitrarily without consulting his superiors?"
“I know what you mean.” Bradley nodded calmly. Just two days earlier, when Eisenhower was sick and resting, he had issued an order in Eisenhower’s name without consulting him: canceling the plan to send five infantry divisions and three marine divisions to Hanover and ordering them to stand by in Munich, which is only a mountain away from Italy.
……
“If we take back Lübeck now, you know what that will mean,” Ike said, somewhat angrily.
“But I believe that even if Zhukov and Marshal Rokossovsky were in your position, they wouldn’t choose to do that.” Bradley paused. “Both the Ardennes Offensive and the Soviets’ recent experience have taught us that advancing to reclaim territory now is not something to be rushed into.”
Just as Eisenhower was wondering what Bradley was talking about, the PDA in his pocket rang, a call from headquarters.
"Please answer this as soon as possible, dear General."
……
When the winter snow of 1944 fell on the Ardennes Forest, the leisurely soldiers seemed to have forgotten that the Iron Cross on the other side of the front line were ruthless gamblers whose tanks always launched counterattacks without feeling any pain.
This led to the most intense battle for the US military in the European Bulge.
When the world's flag was raised again over Lüneburg, the cheering soldiers seemed to have forgotten that the Lion and Serpent flag on the other side of the battle line was not a weak nation waiting to be defeated; their warriors still numbered many, many more.
So, while everyone’s eyes were fixed on the city of Hamburg, and everyone’s attention was focused on the Baltic Sea, the peace that Bavaria, 400 kilometers to the south, had been enjoying since the Soviet withdrawal from Germany was suddenly shattered by air raid sirens and countless Britannian warplanes roaring in.
"Calling! This is the 442nd Infantry Regiment! Calling all North Union forces in Bavaria! Nuremberg is under attack! Repeat! Nuremberg is under massive attack by Britannian forces! Requesting support!"
Chapter 350, Section 446: Postscript to the War
Standing on this mountain peak, if it weren't for the sun, one probably wouldn't be able to tell north from south, and wouldn't be able to distinguish between Dresden and Nuremberg.
Both prosperous and solemn city-states were ravaged by bombing during the World War, and the two rivers that flowed through the center of the city were blocked by the ruins. War always repeats similar tragedies on every inch of the earth.
Fortunately, the presence of Britannian military bombing planes and the busy KMF aircraft allowed people on the ground to discern where these men in black were heading.
The Hamburg front had been in a slump for a long time, but finally a steady stream of new troops and recruits to fill the gaps arrived in the 45th district. Others took over the positions on the Czechoslovakian front, and Duke Sasler's 45th Army and Colonel Karonville were no longer sitting idly in Dresden.
Smoke billowed from the ruins of Nuremberg in the distance, and the Duke and Colonel each held a pair of binoculars. The earth was eerily "quiet"—the retaliatory fire of American artillery and the engines of tanks had been drowned out by the advance of hundreds of Imperial soldiers.
After waiting for a long time, they finally saw some vehicles coming towards them on the road below the mountain. They weren't painted with white stars or olive green paint, but they were indeed heavy trucks carrying a full load of American soldiers—it seems that despite the fierce offensive, quite a few Americans actually surrendered.
"Have you had a feeling lately, Colonel?" Sasler suddenly seemed to remember something. "It's been a long time since we've been back to Berlin. It's been Her Highness Elizabeth all alone discussing countermeasures with the generals in the north."
"Is... that strange, Your Excellency?"
"Think back to more than six months ago?" The Duke put down his binoculars. "From the Berlin breakout to the expeditionary force holding out against the Soviet offensive, you were always there at the heart of the expeditionary force, shining brightly. And now you and I are here."
"But the expeditionary force has never encountered the same crisis as Berlin four months ago, which means that Her Highness has more people with military talent by her side." Karonville smiled with satisfaction. "In this way, I will indeed fade out of the public eye, but isn't this a huge asset for the thousands of soldiers of the expeditionary force? It is unacceptable for Your Highness to engage in favoritism and corruption to enrich yourself."
……
As darkness fell and no important news came from the front lines, the two decided to head to Berlin to speak with the princess.
Strangely, when they stepped into the Capitol Building, which serves as its headquarters, and passed through several corridors, none of the guards who usually stood guard were to be seen today.
Even Her Highness the Princess wasn't here; nobody knew where she had gone. After asking around, they finally found a communications officer in a corner who was temporarily in contact with Her Highness the Princess alone.
……
"Your Highness, the military researchers at Oranienburg have sent word that they've made a breakthrough in their research on the engine for the British Phoenix jet. This will affect future improvements to armed transport aircraft, and they'd like to discuss it with you in person..."
"I'm very sorry, I don't want to see them right now..."
……
"Your Highness, the troops who captured Bornholm Island have completed their landing report and survey of the Swedish coastal waters. Would you like to review them?"
"Let's do it another day... Let the soldiers get some rest first..."
……
Elizabeth sat alone on the bank of the Spree River, her shoulders and arms drooping. Once again, the commander of a million soldiers stared blankly at the flowing water like a student who had failed an exam.
Half an hour ago, she paced for a long time among the tombstones behind her; a few hours ago, she went to the front line in the north with thousands of new recruits who came from the original world to reorganize, and personally watched as one ordinary soldier after another was buried.
She felt guilty, and the story goes back to more than half a month before the fall of Lüneburg.
After the plan to advance into Hamburg failed, Elizabeth realized that it was pointless to simply increase troops in this direction and that she had to open up the situation from another direction.
This is what happened over the next two weeks. Five army groups, totaling 500,000 men, suffered a crushing defeat, yet they still had to continue fighting the equally matched American forces with an average shortage of over 30%, ensuring that the enemy's attention was entirely focused on the Hamburg direction, until reinforcements arrived from the mainland, allowing the other units to successfully launch a surprise attack on the southern German states.
This was indeed a highly strategic deception plan, but the cost was exorbitant. The veterans accumulated by the five army groups were being lost one after another on the battlefield. The generals' heartache was a minor matter; the most critical issue was that, to avoid capture and leakage of secrets, none of these soldiers were informed of the specific operational objectives. This was an extreme test of morale and the loyalty of the officers and soldiers.
If the organization of all five army groups were to collapse, it would undoubtedly be a huge disaster. That is why Elizabeth made a special trip to see Schneizel before the operation.
"Why did you come to see me in such a hurry?" Who would have thought that the first thing the emperor asked was such a question tinged with doubt.
"Even if you just give me 100,000 new recruits, I really need them right now!"
“Since you took over District 45, when have you ever needed soldiers?” Schneizel remained remarkably nonchalant in the face of Elizabeth’s desperate pleas. “My dear sister, when did you develop this habit of going back on your word? The Chinese Federation has turned against us now; we must consider the bigger picture.”
The day before the expeditionary force attempted to storm Hamburg, Schneizel made a pact with Elizabeth. A month later, Schneizel would preside over a military parade in the imperial capital, Pendraken, to publicly announce the existence of District 45 to the entire Empire. He would then send a massive amount of reinforcements from the mainland to District 45 for her to command at will.
During this month, Elizabeth is not allowed to make any requests to him for troops, otherwise Schneizel has the right to reduce the number of reinforcements by at least fifty percent, and the 150 million men in need of filling the vacancies in her existing 25 army groups and legions will not receive any support from the Imperial homeland.
The final result, of course, was that no one expected Britannia to suffer such a crushing defeat at the gates of Hamburg. No wonder Her Highness the Princess visited the soldiers on the northern front in Germany today.
Fortunately, she remembered Marshal Auchenyi's advice, and she suppressed her anger and meekly said goodbye to Schneizel in order to get reinforcements.
“Since you have listened to me, as your elder brother, I understand you. I can also see that District 45 is very important right now. You don’t need to attend the military parade to be held in the capital. After all, a general in the field may not obey the emperor’s orders.”
Yes, losing reinforcements is a minor matter. If my brother uses this as leverage against her to fabricate some baseless accusations, then I'm afraid I'll be alienated from the generals who control the empire's heavy military forces.
……
Is everything alright once the manpower issue is resolved? Not at all. Everyone in the expeditionary force can feel that the frequency of foot combat for each ground unit is increasing.
Yes, whether in the theoretical organization of the Britannian army or in the past scenes of suppressing the rebellion in Area 11, in the EU and the Middle East, there has always been an endless rolling of wheels. Even a 100,000-strong army group can drive more than 10,000 KMFs and tanks, and it is rare to see foot soldiers rushing to catch up.
This appearance initially shocked the soldiers of the 45th District, including those from the US, USSR, and UK. The Britannian army was used to attacking with vehicles and could quickly fill the gaps in vehicles on the battlefield. However, this was based on the fact that they were still using a series of outdated military tactics such as the Big Dipper and the Crescent Moon, and a "leisurely" battlefield environment.
As time went on, by the time they reached Sector 45, the pillars hidden beneath this formidable force were already crumbling. This blood-sucking machine, where even ace pilots became expendable resources, was experiencing a relentless, day-and-night rate of vehicle loss, with KMF suffering even greater losses. Gradually, the reserve vehicles that the expeditionary force had stockpiled behind the front lines according to previous targets could no longer fill the enormous gap in casualties.
The vast number of idle vehicles stored in the Empire's homeland are firmly in the hands of Schneizel and his group. They haven't even found a single metal mine in District 45 yet, so they can't get the immigrants who came to Berlin to help build them.
Besides having soldiers without KMFs or tanks change into infantry uniforms and haphazardly hide in a hail of bullets with assault rifles, what else can be done...?
……
"The expeditionary force's formidable enemy is not under the hammer and sickle flag across the Oder River, nor under the Northern Union flag flying over Hamburg, but right here on our homeland in the Americas, right among the royal family and nobility of Pendracken..."
“Your Highness…” Elizabeth granted permission when she heard that Sassler and Caronville wanted to see her, and the three met under the dark shadow of a tree on the riverbank.
"It's been a long time since I've seen you two. I have a favor to ask." The princess sighed as she took off the royal insignia hanging from her headdress. "I have to go back to the mainland to find my guards. Tomorrow there might be a whole bunch of officers and nobles who have been listening to Schneizel and are running wild in District 45."
“But Your Highness,” Saslair carefully put away the badge, “I’ve heard about your conflict with Prince Schneizel. If you return to the capital now, the consequences…”
“I didn’t say I wanted to return to the capital, Your Grace.” Elizabeth smiled slightly, a hint of murderous intent flashing in her eyes. “The Prime Minister of Britannia has never set his sights on anything beyond the walls of Pendraken.”
Chapter 351, Section 447: Peace and Prosperity
[022 Warm Reminder: You can try listening to this chapter in conjunction with the original anime Code Geass soundtrack "All Hail Britannia!!!" (although the melody and phrasing are a bit strange, it is indeed the national anthem of the Empire in the original work emmmm)]
Ancient Roman history books often depict a scene where conquerors return in triumph, riding in triumphant chariots to participate in grand welcoming parades. Their children, either in the chariot or on horseback, enjoy the fruits of victory amidst the cheers of the crowds and the splashing flower petals on both sides of the road.
This is not only a moment for conquerors to receive countless praises, but also a moment for a civilization to pass on its martial spirit.