Chapter four hundred and eighty-four fellow villagers, which one?
——London Parliament
Churchill stood on the stage of the parliament and looked at the many members of the parliament. At this time, most of the members already knew that the Dunkirk evacuation failed. Only less than 70,000 people were rescued. In order to rescue these 70,000 troops
, the navy alone lost no less than 20 warships of various types, hundreds of other ships, and more than 300 aircraft. No one knew whether the price was worth it. They looked at Churchill and waited.
Churchill gave them an answer.
The corners of Churchill's mouth curved slightly, and he said to everyone proudly and relaxedly, "Gentlemen, allow me to tell you some good news. Just yesterday, our retreat at Dunkirk ended successfully, and our retreat at Hitler's
70,000 soldiers were rescued from the fangs. It can be said that these 70,000 people represent that Hitler’s ambition has not succeeded. He thought he could eliminate us, but we slapped him with facts and dreamed! Of course, we should also know
, in France, nearly three million troops are being defeated, but we in Britain will not give up!"
As he spoke, Churchill waved his arms to strengthen his tone and said, "We will fight to the end. We will fight in France, we will fight in the ocean, and we will fight with increasing confidence and stronger strength.
We will fight in the air, we will defend our homeland at all costs, we will fight on the beaches, we will fight on the enemy's landing points, we will fight in the fields and in the streets, we will fight in the mountains. We will never surrender, even if our island or
Most of the island was conquered and starved - of course I never believed this would happen - and our imperial subjects overseas, armed and protected by the British fleet, would continue to fight until the New World
When God sees fit, use all his power to save and liberate this old world. Long live Britain! Long live freedom!!"
The British have their own pride. Since defeating the Spanish Armada, Britain has dominated the oceans for 350 years. Every country is looking up to the British flag. The British territory is within the range of British naval guns. In this way
The arrogance of the British made everyone unwilling to admit that Britain was defeated. All the members of Parliament applauded together, and some people clapped the table and shouted, Churchill looked at such a scene and let out a long breath in his heart.
After that, the next step is to reorganize the army and prepare for war.
Britain was very miserable at this time. Originally, Churchill and others had imagined that the war would happen on the European continent, maybe in France, maybe in Belgium, maybe in Germany, but it would never happen in the UK.
Therefore, the British mainland has almost no military power. Most of its military power has been scattered in various colonies around the world. The main force of the navy in the British Isles is still intact, but it was sunk during the transportation process.
They were all ships such as frigates and minesweepers. Cruisers were rarely hit. The main battleships were all on the periphery to defend the main force of the German navy, so they were not bitten by Dönitz's wolves. The Air Force probably had
There are more than a thousand aircraft of various types, and many radar stations have been built. These radars are the biggest reliance of the British Air Force.
As for the army, there should have been 22 infantry divisions and 1 armored division. But now, including those who have retreated, there is only less than one-fifth of the combat strength left. The total strength is less than 100,000, and the artillery strength has dropped to
The original one-sixth, transportation vehicles were extremely scarce, but a week ago, Churchill ordered Secretary of War Anthony Eden to form a Home Defense Volunteer Force, later known as the British Home Guard. The British were very supportive of this decision and enlisted to join
The number of soldiers in the army was much larger than the government originally estimated. At this time, more than 500,000 people had joined the army, and the number was still increasing by tens of thousands every day. However, although these people were large in number, they were extremely short of equipment. Not only
There are no military uniforms, and even the hats cannot be matched. They can only use epaulettes to prove their identity. There are even fewer weapons. Not to mention artillery and armor, even light weapons are not available. Many people carry personal belongings brought from home.
Arms, some people were holding broadswords and halberds from unknown eras. People who didn’t know thought they were back in the Middle Ages, and some were pretending to be holding wooden rifles and paper bayonets, like this
If the guerrillas who had been fighting in the Eastern battlefield for three years saw this scene, they would definitely have a deep understanding - well, fellow villagers, which camp is this? The equipment is not good! Isn't it the main force?
The British began to prepare for battle. They kept looking to the east, waiting for the German attack. Since Britain is an island country, the German army must land if they want to attack. Although the British have built a lot of defenses over the years, after all, over the years
There was no war, and the fortifications in many places had lagged behind the times. Churchill immediately ordered to start renovating them. The British staff believed that Germany would land from the south and east of England, so they transferred the main forces to these places and from the original
A large number of naval guns were removed from old warships and used as coastal defense guns. These guns ranged from 102 mm to 356 mm, but there were very few supporting shells. Some coastal positions were also equipped with torpedo launchers. They were also used at various possible landing sites.
A large number of mines were laid on the position, barbed wire fences, steel frames and anti-tank trenches were built. Due to the short time, many fake fortifications were built in order to deceive the Germans. They used sewer pipes to pretend to be artillery and also built fake bunkers.
, and even took out a large number of dummies from fashion stores to pretend to be troops. Such combat readiness made Churchill almost lose his hair. The only good news is that it seems that it will take some time for Hitler to completely solve the French problem. He can
Use this time to make some preparations - such as looking for foreign aid.
——The White House
Roosevelt looked at the map and shook his head and said, "So, the French are finished?"
U.S. Army Chief of Staff Marshall nodded and said, "Yes, the British have retreated. It is only a matter of time before the French fail. It is said that Hitler has already begun planning to attack Britain."
"Germany cannot be allowed to get Britain. If Germany gets France and then Britain, then it will get most of Europe. Even if we persuade the Soviet Union to go to war with Germany, it will be difficult for us to win. A unified
Europe is not in the interest of the United States." Roosevelt said seriously, "Has the British ambassador already arrived?"
"Yes, he is already outside. He seems to be ready to ask for help from us. What I should remind you is that most of the citizens and parliamentarians are not willing to get involved in the war in Europe. In the last war, we
After paying too much and receiving too little, the citizens hoped to increase their income and employment rather than go to Europe to participate in the war." Roosevelt's good aide, Secretary of State Cordell Hull said.
"Well, I understand that although we can't go against the people's ideas, we can guide them, right? Maybe we should revise our neutrality act." Roosevelt said indifferently. In his heart, the people's hearts can be
Controlled, this is indeed the case.
Since ancient times, public opinion has been a false proposition. The so-called public opinion in ancient China should be accurately said to be the will of scholar-bureaucrats and landlords. In modern Western countries, the so-called public opinion is more appropriate to refer to the will of capitalists. After all, all public opinions
Words are in the hands of these people. Whoever can control public opinion controls public opinion. Roosevelt has already thought of how to make the capitalists act according to their own ideas. After all, capitalists are profit-seeking.
When the British Ambassador Bart outside saw Roosevelt, he immediately reached out and said, "Dear President Roosevelt, I am so happy to meet you."
Roosevelt shook hands and said, "I already know some of your reasons for coming. The United States is a peace-loving and freedom-loving country. Let's not waste time. The war in Europe has affected the hearts of every peace-loving person. I want to know now
The situation in the UK.”
Bart shook his head and said, "Although we successfully rescued tens of thousands of troops from Dunkirk, the loss is really nothing. Now we are reorganizing the army. We British can protect ourselves, but the manufacturing of weapons
It takes time, so we're here to get help."
Roosevelt smiled and nodded and said, "Of course that's no problem, but you know our neutrality act. We can't sell weapons to you directly."
As early as 1935, on the eve of Italy's invasion of Ethiopia, the U.S. Congress passed the Neutrality Act, which declared: "Any transfer of arms, ammunition, and means of warfare from any place in the United States or other territories of the United States to the ports of belligerents shall
or transported to any neutral port for transshipment to a belligerent country or for use by a belligerent country is illegal." This means that the United States will not be allowed to sell weapons to belligerent countries. In fact, such bills are not uncommon around the world, and some neutral countries will have such bills, but
As a major country, the United States passed such a bill. It is worth pondering. This bill was amended a year later, stating that as long as the president declares a state of war anywhere except the Americas, the sale of weapons will be prohibited, but oil and steel will not be sold.
Except, this is one of the reasons why China and Japan have not officially declared war on each other from the Northeast Incident in 1931 to the all-out war in 1937.
Bart also knew about this bill. You must know that Britain, France and Germany have declared war on each other for almost a year. Now it is said that they are not in a state of war. Even he, an old diplomat, is a little unable to say it, but he still said, "Mr. President, of course I
I know this bill, but I have to remind you that if Britain is forced to compromise under German pressure, the Soviet-German alliance will sweep the world, and the wave of fascism and redism will engulf all freedoms. Even the United States, which has a superior geographical location
It’s hard to be alone.”
Roosevelt nodded in agreement and said, "I agree with what you said, but the law is the law. Although I am the president, I cannot go beyond the law. But as far as I know, Egypt has not declared war with Germany. If the Egyptian government purchases weapons from us,
If so, I think it can pass."
Egypt, an ancient country like China, was destroyed by the Roman Empire as early as the 4th to 7th centuries AD, and was subsequently ruled by Assyria, Babylon, Persia, Macedonia, Arabia and Turkey. In 1789, Napoleon conquered
After the birth of Egypt, the French flag was planted, and Egypt even briefly became independent for several decades. However, in 1882, it was occupied by the British and became a British protectorate. Although the British recognized Egypt's independence in 1922, it still
It retains rights over Egypt's defense, diplomacy, and ethnic minorities. The Egyptian authorities are still a puppet dynasty under British control. According to the Anglo-Egyptian intergovernmental agreement, the United Kingdom can send troops to Egypt at any time to protect British interests in Egypt, so weapons are handed over to Egypt and weapons are transferred.
There is basically no difference to the UK.
Bart said happily, "It would be great if this were the case. I believe that light will always defeat darkness!"
After Bart left, Hull said to Roosevelt, "The existence of the Neutrality Act is really not conducive to the current situation. We must speed up lobbying Congress."
Roosevelt said with confidence, "The war in the East has only lasted three years, and Japan's orders have left those people half full. Now that the war in Europe has begun, aren't those people jealous? First make a budget and calculate what will happen.
If this war lasts four years like the last one, how many orders will be generated... By the way, I heard that this time the German army used a new type of submarine?"
Marshall next to him nodded and said, "Yes, our intelligence personnel are already trying to get detailed data on this kind of submarine, but it may be difficult. We don't know the ocean-going capabilities of this kind of submarine yet, but in this battle between Britain and Germany,
It can be seen that it is very difficult to counter with current anti-submarine technology."
Roosevelt waved his hand and said, "This is the nightmare of the British, but not ours. We not only need to obtain the technology and countermeasures capabilities of German submarines militarily, but more importantly, we must be prepared to benefit economically. If the Germans
By using submarines to attack British shipping, we can take the opportunity to expand our influence."
Marshall and Hull nodded in agreement. No one really regarded the British as their allies, not to mention that the two countries had not yet truly formed an alliance.
Roosevelt then said to Hull, "Speaking of the Neutrality Act, it is quite difficult for us to repeal it. I think it can be revised again. For example, we can sell arms, but we are not responsible for the transportation. What do you think?"
Marshall thought for a while and said, "This is indeed very beneficial to Britain, and it can force Germany to use breaking engagement, but for the Eastern battlefield, I am afraid it will only benefit Japan."
Roosevelt said nonchalantly, "Don't worry about China, they are very resilient, and they have been playing well recently."
Marshall corrected him and said, "Mr. President, we should notice that the Chinese red armed forces appearing on the eastern battlefield at this time are getting stronger and stronger. The battle taking place in Shandong now is their battle with the Japanese army. The government troops brokered by Chiang Kai-shek are fighting
China's north has almost no influence."
At this time, Roosevelt's secretary Meese came over with a telegram and said, "Mr. President, this telegram just came from China."
Roosevelt said "Oh" and took it over, glanced at it and handed it to Marshall and said, "You are absolutely right. We must face up to the rise of China's red forces, especially their relationship with the Soviet Union and Germany. This is extremely important to our strategic deployment.