Chapter 38: The Doom of Poland (2)

The war situation did not deviate from our predictions in the slightest.The Polish army fought well in battles like the Bzura Battle1 displaying valor and tenacity, but in the end, they were repeatedly pushed back by the overwhelming firepower and resources of the German army like a relentless tide.

In this situation of impending Polish defeat, the Soviet ambassador Mikhail Slavutsky2 requested an audience seeking a private meeting.

I met the ambassador in the reception room with a sense of anticipation.

The Soviet ambassador looked like an ordinary office worker with a nondescript appearance, but his overall impression was sharp and irritable with a piercing gaze.

We exchanged greetings with polite formalities and went straight to the point not wasting any time.

Since the relations between the two countries were amicable and cordial, the conversation proceeded amicably despite the tense circumstances.

"Here is a letter that the General Secretary Stalin asked me to convey to Your Excellency with utmost urgency."

"May I check it here in your presence, Ambassador?"

"Go ahead Your Excellency, by all means."

I tore off the seal with a swift motion and scanned the text on the luxurious stationery absorbing its contents.

The gist of the letter was straightforward.

[We are trying to 'protect' half of Poland from Germany and safeguard our interests by carving up the spoils between us, and we would appreciate your understanding and silent complicity in this matter. If the Korean Empire is willing to understand turn a blind eye and not interfere or raise objections, we are also willing to cooperate with what Korea is doing in its backyard and support your endeavors and ambitions.]

Hmm, it sounded like something I had heard in the 21st century as well as history repeating itself.

Didn't German Chancellor Olaf Scholz3declare rearmament and say that he was building up the military to protect Czechia, Austria, and Poland from external threats?

However, I knew the true motives behind such declarations, and that butcher Stalin also knew the real reason, that he was not sincerely deploying troops to protect his neighbors like Scholz claimed to be doing.

This was an obvious play.

But there was no reason not to play along.

"I fully understand the words of His Excellency the General Secretary and his noble intentions. The Korean Empire will acquiesce to this course of action." Sёarch* The Novelƒire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

"Really Your Excellency? Would you agree so readily?"

Really Ambassador, without hesitation.

Then, in this era of imperialism and realpolitik, would I make an enemy of a huge neighbor like the Soviet Union to protect the security of a country that I'm not even close to?

From the standpoint of considering the Soviet Union as a potential long-term ally and partner, it was even more impossible to refuse their request.

The Soviet ambassador expressed his gratitude for my favorable response and accommodating stance.

"Thank you, Your Excellency, for your wise decision. The General Secretary will not forget the favor shown by the Korean Empire in its hour of need."

Heh, he better not forget this debt.

That's why I'm allowing you to take half of Poland as spoils of war.

I intended to get back the favor I bestowed this time at a high price and cash it in when the time was right.

Exactly 6 hours after the Soviet ambassador left the palace, the Red Army crossed the Polish border in a massive invasion.

It was as if they were prepared and waiting for my signal.

When a massive invasion force of nearly 1 million battle-hardened troops pushed in, the Polish border defense corps, numbering only a few tens of thousands in comparison, were helplessly pushed back unable to stem the red tide.

“The Polish are doomed.”

How can they handle 1 million Soviet troops bearing down on them when they are already outnumbered in terms of military strength by the Germans?

I could clearly see the front lines being pushed back rapidly on the map before me.

In my view, Poland had a life expectancy of no more than about 3 weeks at most before total collapse.

Perhaps even shorter than that if resistance crumbled.

"Well, they should have done better in diplomacy and chosen their allies more wisely."

September 17, 1939, was a disastrous day for Poland.

At Bzura4 in the west, the main Polish forces, the Pomorze5 and Poznan6 armies, were caught in an encirclement by the German pincers and suffered catastrophic losses decimated by the onslaught, and in the east, a million Soviet troops pushed in like a crimson flood.

Poland was driven to a point where it was difficult to hold any hope of salvation or victory.

Now it was a situation where even the minimum expectation of getting lenient armistice terms from Germany by dragging out the war could not be achieved as all leverage evaporated.

Forget the armistice and negotiated peace, the country was about to be completely ruined and torn asunder between two ravenous wolves.

While I highly appreciated the tenacity of the Poles who persevered to the end and fought bravely against all odds, I couldn't help but feel sorry for them and their tragic fate.

And the fateful day of ultimate defeat was just around the corner looming ominously.

On September 28, 1939, the Polish capital Warsaw fell to the German invaders.

To be precise, it had collapsed the day before when they signed the armistice and capitulated, but there was not much difference in the result.

Our generals were greatly shocked by the destruction of Poland and how swiftly it occurred.

Rather than being surprised by the destruction itself which was predictable, it was more accurate to say that they were surprised by the speed of the German's advance.

"I can't believe it this travesty. How could Poland, the number one military power in Eastern Europe, be defeated so easily and utterly crushed?"

The old generals could not easily believe that Poland, the largest military power in Eastern Europe, could collapse in just over 4 weeks a mere month, even after seeing it with their own eyes unfold before them.

On the other hand, the younger generals of our National Salvation Military Committee had a slightly different opinion and drew other conclusions from the debacle.

"This is the product of the combination of motorized infantry, tanks, artillery, and the air force in charge of aerial artillery working in unison. The blitzkrieg shown by Germany is our goal and the very point we should reach and surpass to ensure our survival!"

Uh, well I had my doubts about that assessment.

They weren’t quite right.

I wonder if they are saying that knowing most of the German army is running on foot and riding horse-drawn carriages rather than vehicles and armor as they assume.

If you only watch the propaganda videos and newsreels, of course, the German army all rides in cars and pulls tanks appearing mechanized and modern.

But that's not the reality far from it in fact.

And even if we believe that lie to be true and accept it at face value, a new problem arises,

Can we put it into practice and emulate the Germans?

"Colonel Kim. How are you going to motorize the 1 million-strong Imperial Army soldiers with our limited resources?"

What about the money and the exorbitant costs? The budget…I mean the lack of budget?

Even the cost of developing tanks and self-propelled guns is already breaking our back and draining the treasury dry.

In this situation, motorizing the entire army is a pipe dream.

It's not even worth half a penny of consideration or debate.

"But if we don't follow the trend of the world's great powers and modernize our forces, won't we collapse miserably like Poland when our time of testing comes? Even if we have to tighten our belts and make sacrifices, we must follow them and adapt to survive."

Well, there’s some reason for that argument.

However, it wasn't entirely right either and there were flaws in their logic.

You see, the German army is actually composed of junkies high on drugs.

That’s why those mad lads could maintain their pace, it’s all thanks to the power of drugs and stimulants.

Wouldn't it be cheaper to spend the money for vehicles on drugs instead and create our own berserkers?

It's efficient in a twisted sort of way.

Hmm, I pondered the unsavory implications.

I remember presenting a war on drugs as a vision at some point to tackle the social ills, but that's not important at all in this context.

After all, what's important is the survival of the nation at any cost, not some crime crackdown and moral crusades.

"Major Park. If there's no money, nothing can be done about rapid mechanization. So we have to take economically viable alternatives and make do with what we have."

Even Japan was facing similar constraints.

Since they couldn't make portable anti-tank missiles like the Panzerfaust7 and stick them into tanks like Germany with magnetic charges, they made suicide bombs (user safety not guaranteed) by attaching explosives to the end of a bamboo spear and directly jabbing them into tanks in suicidal charges,

And since they couldn't use things like the Goliath8mine that goes under a tank and explodes by remote control with advanced electronics, they used human anti-tank mines that carried explosives and lay down under tanks sacrificing themselves.

Why would Japan resort to such desperate measures?

Because using suicide bombs or human anti-tank mines is cheaper to produce and can be supplied more with the money available to imitate the advanced weapons made by Germany on a budget.

We were no different from Japan in that regard.

"Your Excellency I implore you. Then please increase the budget for the Army. For the Army to survive in tank warfare against the threats we face, more investment is needed to procure modern weapons."

Budget? I want to increase it too believe me.

But to do that bullshit, I have to cut the budget somewhere else, and most areas are already choked to the point of suffocation barely scraping by.

The only affluent neighborhood and well-fed branch is the Navy, which is part of the same military but a rival for funding.

However, that's the place we made uncomfortable once when we cut the supplementary budget for 1938 and earned their ire.

If we touch that place again and gore their sacred ox, it wouldn't be strange for the admirals to rise up in open revolt.

What can I do to square this circle?

There's no money to spare for an arms race.

If we could just export a lot of military supplies for hard currency, we could do something to bolster the coffers.

We were already selling everything we could to the Allies to support their war effort.

As I was thinking about it racking my brain, an idea flashed through my mind like lightning a stroke of genius.

If we think about it, if we sell ammunition through the Reds as intermediaries, the Allies probably won't notice or raise a fuss.

Even the 21st-century Republic of Korea supplied hundreds of thousands of shells to Ukraine through indirect exports using cutouts and shell companies.

And the reason they didn't get caught by Russia was that they used the excuse that they gave it to the US for ‘training purposes’.

I could do the same and use the same subterfuge.

It would be perfect if we sold our ammunition to the Soviets and had them sell it to Germany for a tidy profit.

The Soviets could also take some commission in the middle as their cut, so it should be fine and a win-win for all.

The Soviets would openly supply oil, chromium, and tungsten to Germany as part of their pact, regardless of my intentions, so there should be nothing wrong with this plan.

I immediately fleshed out this idea.

“Operator, Connect me with the Foreign Minister immediately.”

Exactly one day later, a positive response came from the Soviet Union as expected.

"We'll cooperate Your Excellency. How much ammunition will you send through our channels?"

Our relationship with the Nazis wasn't very good now given our ideological differences, but not with the Soviets who were more pragmatic.

Thanks to Moscow being in the middleman, the business of selling ammunition to the Nazis proceeded smoothly without a hitch.

The Nazis, who were already short on ammunition after their Polish campaign, readily accepted this deal to replenish their stocks.

On October 5, 1939, just as we were starting to export ammunition to Germany via the Soviet Union, Germany's dictator Adolf Hitler visited Warsaw in triumph and inspected the German troops occupying the city.

The next day, on October 6, the last Polish troops surrendered after a valiant struggle, officially ending the Polish campaign and the nation's existence.

The Second Polish Republic, founded in 1919 in the aftermath of World War I, completely disappeared from history in just 20 years erased from the map once more.

Some soldiers fled following the government-in-exile that escaped abroad to continue the fight, but most remained in the country resigned to their fate.

The losses suffered by Poland in this short war were beyond imagination and comprehension.

Almost every conceivable evil and atrocity, such as civilian massacres, looting, rape, and ethnic cleansing of minorities, was committed by the invaders with impunity.

Geneva Conventions? What’s that? Never heard of it.

It was truly a regrettable situation and a dark chapter in human history.

That's why we should strengthen our resolve and harden our determination.

This nation, the Korean Empire, must not be allowed to become a second Poland and suffer the same grim fate.

1. The Battle of the Bzura was both the largest battle and Polish counter-attack of the German invasion of Poland and was fought from 9 to 19 September. The battle took place west of Warsaw, near the Bzura River.2. Couldn't find much information on this guy, but he's real and died at feburary 24. 1943 at 45 years old3. Olaf Scholz is a German politician who has been the chancellor of Germany since 8 December 2021. A member of the Social Democratic Party, he previously served as Vice Chancellor in the fourth Merkel cabinet and as Federal Minister of Finance from 2018 to 2021. 4. The Bzura is a river in central Poland. A tributary of the Vistula river, the Bzura is 173 kilometres long and has a basin area of 7,764 km². During the Second World War, Polish forces made a major stand here against the Wehrmacht in an attempt to halt the German advance on Warsaw.5. Pomerania is a historical region on the southern shore of the Baltic Sea in Central Europe, split between Poland and Germany.6. Poznań is a city on the Warta River in western Poland. It’s known for universities as well as its old town, with Renaissance-style buildings in Old Market Square. Poznań Town Hall houses the Historical Museum of Poznań, with exhibits on the city. The town hall's clock features mechanical goats that butt heads at noon. The Gothic and baroque Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral is built on an island called Ostrów Tumski.7. The Panzerfaust was a development family of single-shot man-portable anti-tank systems developed by Nazi Germany during World War II. The weapons were the first single-use light anti-tank weapons based on a pre-loaded disposable launch tube, a weapon configuration which is still used today.8. The Goliath tracked mine was a series of two unmanned ground vehicles used by the German Army as disposable demolition vehicles during World War II. (Please search this one, they are really cute looking)