Chapter 372 Japan's Strategic Issues

The "Intra-EU Meeting" on June 27 was a success as expected. All countries participating in the meeting agreed to join the European Customs Union (if they did not agree, they would not come), and a "Geneva Declaration of Solidarity" was issued after the meeting, officially announcing the formation of the "European Customs Union".

On the second day of the "Intra-EU Meeting", the League of Nations held an Executive Yuan meeting (equivalent to a Security Council meeting) to discuss the abolition of the Treaty of Versailles, the Treaty of Saint-Germain, Resolutions of the Treaties of Sèvres, Lausanne, Trianon and Bessarabia.

Since the British delegation did not attend the conference (the British delegation left Switzerland before the Geneva Peace Conference because of opposition to the Pétain government's representation of France), the League of Nations Executive Council unanimously passed a resolution "abolition of the treaty".

On the day the "Abolition Resolution" was passed, the U.S. delegation issued a strongly worded statement, declaring that the abolition of the "Treaty of Trianon" was a serious violation of international law and an invalid resolution. The United States firmly opposed it!

Moreover, the U.S. government also believes that the territorial and sovereign integrity of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia is inviolable. Any attempt to separate the provinces of Croatia and Slovenia from Yugoslavia is a violation of international law. The U.S. government firmly opposes and lodges a strong protest!

After the protest, the U.S. delegation left angrily—in fact, the delegation disbanded. Hopkins returned to the United States to help Roosevelt manipulate the election; Secretary of State Hull went to England to discuss countermeasures with Churchill; and Donovan Then he visited Yugoslavia in the name of the special envoy of the US President, and met with the young and vigorous underage King Peter II to stir up trouble.

In Geneva, diplomatic mediation in all aspects is still intensifying. For Germany, the purpose of initiating the Geneva Peace Conference was not only to abrogate several treaties that had long been ineffective and to "deliver the baby" of the European Community, but also to promote the signing of a non-aggression pact between Japan and the Soviet Union, and to bring Japan into Join the "Iron Alliance" (referring to the German-Italian Alliance).

June 28, the same day the US delegation left Geneva. In the White Crane Hotel where representatives from the United States and the Soviet Union met secretly before, Adolf Hitler came forward to bring together the main members of the Italian and Japanese delegations.

In a large room hung with a world map, a long table and wooden chairs with ornately carved patterns. Hessmann, wearing a straight marshal's military uniform, held a baton in his hand and drew a circle on the map of Southeast Asia.

Then he said: "Here, here, and here, what we Europeans call the Indochina Peninsula and the Spice Islands, has a land area of ​​about 4.57 million square kilometers, which is almost the size of half of Europe. It is also rich in resources, including oil, Rubber, rice, iron ore, coal and various non-ferrous metals, all the resources Japan needs to become a world empire are here!

Compared with Japan's so-called 'Manchuria Lifeline', this place is not only richer and vaster, but also almost undefended except for the Philippines. The European powers that own these areas were defeated by our German Empire in May this year. "

Hersman looked at some roebuck-headed Matsuoka Yosuke and said: "You don't need a strong army to conquer these areas, because there are not many Europeans setting up defenses there, and the local natives are already ready to overthrow the European colonization." Rule and welcome yellow brothers like you.

In the face of such historical opportunities, do you Japanese still need to worry about the direction of the country's expansion? Do you understand what strategy is? "

Hersman almost said in a scolding tone: "Do you Japanese have the ability to build a naval fleet that can deter the United States and at the same time build an army that can defeat the Soviet Union and their allies in East Asia? This is How much steel, how much oil, how much aluminum and how much copper do you have? "What we in Germany can't even imagine?"

After being slapped with a lesson by Hirschman, Matsuoka Yosuke and Oshima Hiroshi, a German fan, both looked embarrassed - in fact, one of them knows beauty and the other knows Europe, so they know that the sky is high and the sky is high. Japan's national power is certainly stronger than that of its old neighbors in East Asia, but compared with Germany, the Soviet Union, and the United States, it is nothing worth mentioning.

It is already the limit to build a navy that is the third in the world (by my own opinion) with such a negligible national strength. It is completely a dream to build an army that can compete with the Soviet Red Army. The several frictions and subsequent tense confrontations that occurred during the drastic changes in the East Asian continent in 1939 have already illustrated the problem (at this time and space, because Hitler was "Dear Comrade Hitler", the Soviet Union could put more power in the Far East).

Moreover, the Polish Campaign and the Western Front Campaign that occurred later also made the Japanese Army see its own shortcomings. Their weapons and equipment and combat command capabilities were inferior to those of the Polish Army, and the quality of their individual soldiers was just higher. Those Class A divisions that the Japanese Army is proud of are just the most ordinary infantry divisions in Europe. If we really want to fight a war with the Soviet Union that will determine the fate of the country, we will definitely die in an ugly way.

Seeing that the Japanese were silent, Hessman raised his voice and said: "You can only choose one direction of expansion in Southeast Asia and East Asia! If you want to expand in East Asia, then you should not join the Iron Alliance. , go directly to Washington and sell the combined fleet for American tanks and trucks, but don’t expect the United States to ally with you, because they don’t dare to confront us, Germany, and the Soviet Union at the same time.”

Matsuoka Yosuke and Oshima Hiro looked at each other. Although what Hersman said was unpleasant, it was all true. Britain and the United States have been encouraging Japan to move westward and northward these days. They can talk about oil, steel, aircraft, and artillery, but they are unwilling to relent on the issue of alliance.

Doesn’t this mean that Britain and the United States are also afraid of the Soviet Union? Britain and the United States are both afraid...why isn't Japan afraid?

"Your Excellency, Marshal, the Five Prime Ministers Council of our empire has made a decision, confirming that going south is the first national policy." Matsuoka Yosuke saw that Hessman had finished speaking, and quickly informed him of Japan's latest national policy changes.

First national policy? Hessman thought to himself, then there is a second national policy? Do these Japanese devils understand the principle of concentrating troops in a war?

Hersmann exchanged glances with Hitler and Italian leader Mussolini, and saw both men nodding. So he said: "Since going south is your first national policy, and you are also willing to join the Iron Alliance and fight with Germany and Italy. Then we have no reason to refuse. We will also support you in the "Japan-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact" fight for the maximum rights and interests on the issue.”

His tone suddenly became serious, and he said to the two Japanese representatives: "But there is one more thing that needs to be agreed in advance. Before the start of major military operations by Germany, Japan, and Italy in the future, a joint chiefs of staff meeting of the three countries must be convened for communication and coordination. Operations can only be carried out after obtaining the consent of the other two countries. If joint operations are involved, a joint command should be established for unified command... This agreement will be included in the "Germany-Japan-Italy Steel Alliance Treaty". No problem with that?"

Hirschman actually did this for the benefit of the Japanese. Historically, Japan's strategy in World War II was quite bad. Whether it was on the Chinese battlefield or other battlefields, it was basically making "terrible strategic mistakes." Even the most praised "Pearl Harbor Incident" was actually a huge strategic mistake - not that the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor and the war against the United States were necessarily wrong.

But the strategic goal of launching this crazy sneak attack was completely wrong-the Japanese launched the war not to win the war, but to seize territory. This is not to say that turf grabbing should not be done, but that turf grabbing should serve the purpose of winning the war.

When Japan launched the surprise attack, they did not seriously consider how to defeat the United States. They only planned to have absolute freedom of action within 6 months. In fact, they have indeed had absolute superiority at sea for a long time. Neither the U.S. Pacific Fleet nor the British navy in India are opponents of the Japanese navy.

But Japan has never considered using such advantages to win the war. In fact, there is a route to win the war!

If not for the failed Battle of Midway, they could have maintained their maritime superiority for at least 12 months. Such a long time is enough for the Japanese to organize a huge expeditionary force to liberate India, and then join forces with Germany in the Middle East.

In this way, Japan obtained India's rich supplies (India can lead the magical country of the Road Party everywhere), and also dealt a heavy blow to the United Kingdom in the Three Kingdoms Alliance of the United States, the United States, and the Soviet Union. It could also help Germany solve the two major bottlenecks of oil and non-ferrous metals. At the same time, It can also obtain advanced technology and weapons and equipment from Germany to deal with the U.S. counterattack.

This should be the only correct route for Japan to achieve victory after the Pearl Harbor incident, but Japan's expansion in the south stopped in Myanmar. The reason why Japan did not enter India, the key point of the British Empire, was actually because of insufficient troops!

In the early days of the Pacific War, the ground forces of the Japanese Southern Army responsible for the southward march had only 12 divisions and 3 brigades (two of which were mixed brigades) plus 1 mixed regiment and 1 detachment.

After occupying the entire Southeast Asia, the Japanese could no longer mobilize enough troops to attack India. At the same time, they also deployed one million and hundreds of thousands of troops on the East Asian continent to fight China or to defend against the Soviet Union, which would not attack at all...

That's why Hersman proposed the organization of a "Trilateral Joint Chiefs of Staff Meeting" at the Geneva meeting.