Chapter 700: Dark Clouds
“President Roosevelt, I think you must explain our country’s recent series of almost insane military actions abroad,” a congressman said, staring at Roosevelt and rebuking him. “Who authorized you to use the strategic bombers in the Middle East to carry out an air raid on Romania? Less than ten planes returned to Soviet territory, and no more than five were able to return to the Middle East! Who will bear the responsibility for this loss?”
A general from the Army Air Corps sighed beside him. He had recently had to personally sign the death notices for over 2,000 airmen. The entrance to an Army Air Corps recruitment office was now crowded with the families of the fallen, demanding an explanation. Some less-than-friendly factions had even incited reporters to start covering the story. Roosevelt’s current situation was very precarious.
And this American president, sitting in his wheelchair, looked up, squinted his eyes at the impertinent congressman, sighed, and shook his head, as if the other man were a complete idiot, not even worth an explanation. This action made the congressman even more furious, but his face turned red and he couldn’t utter another word.
“Everything President Roosevelt has done is the best possible outcome discussed with the military. Failure is not something any of us want to see, but if we don’t make an effort, the future of humanity will be dark,” a general standing behind Roosevelt said calmly to the congressman. “If you are still an American, please be careful of your attitude! According to the wartime act, I have the right to order an investigation into you!”
On this general’s shoulder shone the star of a brigadier general. As a military officer who supported Roosevelt’s tough policies against Japan and Germany, this 48-year-old general was the famous Dwight D. Eisenhower. However, at this time he had not yet reached the position of a five-star general and was just an unknown junior general in the U.S. Army.
His rank was even much lower than that of Patton, who would later be under his command. But this general had recently published a precise paper on the relationship between the United States and the Axis powers, which had attracted the attention of the American high command. This paper clearly pointed out that once the Axis powers became a global alliance, the United States would be marginalized and would eventually, in the future, drift towards the Axis, becoming a part of the new world order under German rule without a fight.
This article had earned him Roosevelt’s high appreciation. Not long ago, using the power of the American Jews and his own personal influence, Roosevelt had nominated him for promotion to major general. The nomination had been approved, but tomorrow was the actual date of his promotion.
“Ah, you’ve arrived, General Eisenhower,” Roosevelt said. He clearly admired this general who, like himself, could see the awkward predicament of America’s future. Although Patton and Nimitz were both very good at fighting tough battles, when it came to the strategic level, Roosevelt rarely found resonance among the American high command, and therefore he especially cherished this general before him who could understand him.
And another general he greatly admired had now been promoted to brigadier general and had become his personal chief military advisor. This person was also famous: Omar Bradley, the general who often covered Patton’s rear. The United States had now fully entered a state of war. One could say that the whole world was against America. Japan and Germany were attacking the United States from both the east and the west, forcing the American fleet to deal with threats from two directions at once.
“More than half of the congressmen have already accepted the fact of declaring war on Germany. What’s the use of you saying these things here? You should be thinking about how to make a fortune from the war; that’s what a businessman like you should be doing!” Eisenhower was a few years younger than Rommel and could definitely be considered a representative of the younger generation of generals. He didn’t have to be careful about his tone. After all, they were not in the same system, and there was no need to care about such things.
A month ago, the Japanese soldiers on the island of Kauai had finally ended their war of aggression by all committing suicide. More than 10,000 Japanese soldiers, starving to the point of collapse, had launched a desperate charge against the landing American forces. But unfortunately, the Americans who met them had not the slightest bit of Bushido spirit. They opened fire fiercely, repaying the Japanese’s pitiful idea of a bayonet charge with bullets.
And so, the Americans had retaken their island in the center of the Pacific, but a few days later they were plunged into a new crisis. The Japanese Navy’s Combined Fleet had chased General Spruance’s carrier squadron all the way from the Philippine Sea back to the outskirts of Kauai. The second battle for Kauai had begun.
However, compared to the last time, the strategic deployment of the Americans on the Hawaiian Islands was countless times stronger. At least 400 improved P-40 fighters were deployed on Oahu. To take on this large number of U.S. Army Air Corps aircraft would definitely break the teeth of the Japanese Navy’s air arm.
Of course, the Japanese side was not unprepared either. Yamamoto Isoroku knew that it was no longer possible to win a decisive victory relying solely on his navy’s fighters. So he and the generals of the Army Ministry had, for the first time, walked the path of cooperation. They had brought in a full 70,000 Japanese infantry, along with some heavy equipment and large-caliber support artillery, hoping to use the infantry to quickly resolve the American army on the Hawaiian Islands.
And this time, the Japanese Navy’s carrier fleet could be said to have come out in full force. Not only were there the four main carriers under the command of Admiral Nagumo Chuichi, but also seven or eight other converted carriers of average performance, bringing their total number of carriers to eight, nearly three times that of the American fleet. The number of carrier-based aircraft was more than 600, of which more than 200 were the new Zero fighters.
The Japanese Army this time had actually dispatched as many as four full divisions, forming a complete army group. The veteran and ruthless army general Tomoyuki Yamashita was appointed as the army group commander, with full responsibility for the land combat mission of occupying the Hawaiian Islands.
This Yamashita was the same general who, in another timeline, was known in Japan as the “Tiger of Malaya.” In this timeline, his combat record was even more brilliant. He was at the forefront of the invasion of the Philippines and the occupation of Malaya, and was therefore also known as the “Tiger of Malaya.” However, his record before being sent to the Philippines was not so glorious. He had suffered two defeats on the Chinese front and seemed to have been psychologically scarred by a few of China’s German-equipped divisions.
Clearly, being psychologically scarred by China’s German-equipped divisions had not affected his ability to fight monkeys in the Philippines. He had led the Japanese forces south and had swept from the Philippines into Malaya in one go. If it weren’t for the fact that the hard-pressed Hawaiian Islands were in desperate need of a commander, he might have been sent to the vast and resource-rich Australia.
“The second battle for the Hawaiian Islands, does the military have any confidence?” Roosevelt knew that the current situation was already very unfavorable for the United States. He desperately needed a victory to boost the morale of the Allied forces, and he really needed a victory to consolidate his position as president.
It was obvious that defeating the triumphant Rommel in the Middle East and then retaking Alexandria in one go could only be a distant dream, because the United States had so far not had a single successful case of defeating the German army on a large scale. Therefore, defeating the aggressive Japanese in the other direction had become a very natural choice. After all, not long ago, the United States had just defeated Japan once, and it had seemed very easy.
So he anxiously inquired about the preparations for this battle. If it were possible, he even wanted to go to the Hawaiian Islands himself to see if the preparations there were as perfect as the reports said.
“The telegram from Admiral Nimitz says that he will do his best to wear down the Japanese Navy’s forces in the waters near the Hawaiian Islands, especially their air arm,” Eisenhower said, taking a telegram from his pocket and handing it to President Roosevelt. “Brigadier General Bradley has just arrived on Oahu with the supply ships. He will command the troops there to hold out until the last moment. If we can achieve victory, then this battle will completely lay the foundation for us to gain the strategic initiative in the Pacific.”
“Can the army really hold off the Japanese landing? Last time they lost Kauai in no time at all,” Roosevelt asked, still a little worried.
“Mr. President, we have already done our best. I cannot guarantee to you that we will definitely hold that place, but I can guarantee to you that we will use every means possible to defend that small island,” Eisenhower replied firmly.
“Hearing you say that, I’m a little more at ease,” Roosevelt nodded, then motioned for his butler to push his wheelchair. Eisenhower followed behind, and the three of them walked slowly towards the end of the corridor.
When they reached the end, Roosevelt suddenly said, “We have doubled our military aid to the Soviet Union. At least 300 tanks and 200 planes have been sent to the Far East. I hope the Soviets won’t disappoint us this time and can buy us enough time on the Eastern Front.”
“The intelligence department shows that within the Soviet Union, a German intelligence organization called ‘Beehive’ or ‘Hive’ has been operating. Although the Soviets have tried to eliminate this spy network several times, they have not succeeded,” Eisenhower said with a sigh. “Stalin has also taken this intelligence seriously after receiving our notification. He feels that the Germans already know about the Soviet winter offensive, so he has decided to launch the attack as soon as possible to disrupt the German deployment.”
“This is a good thing. At least we can’t be led by the nose by the Germans until the very end!” Roosevelt said in a deep voice, stroking the armrest of his wheelchair. “Find a way to send another 100 tanks and 100 fighters to the Soviets to support them in organizing a new offensive on the Eastern Front as soon as possible.”
“Yes, Mr. President!” Eisenhower said, standing at attention.
Published: 2025-09-19T07:05:55.000+00:00
Last Edited: 2026-02-28T21:55:40.000+00:00
URL: https://www.patreon.com/caleredhair/posts/mtr-c700-dark-139242271
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