Chapter five hundred and thirty eight worry-free teammates
Berlin
The guy dreaming about Franco is simply dreaming about Hitler. After reading Franco's conditions, Hitler almost lost interest in talking.
Franco's strength was not directly proportional to his ambition. They wanted too much, but were willing to pay too little. Hitler put down the document and kept tapping his fingers on the table.
Hitler's idea was very simple. Use Spain's geographical advantage to block the Strait of Gibraltar, so that it would be difficult for Britain to support Egypt from home. After taking Egypt, Britain's connection with its Asian colonies was basically severed, and Britain could only bypass it.
Only by passing through Africa can we get supplies from various places, and our own wolves can slowly harvest those ships in the Atlantic Ocean. The plan to trap the British is basically a success.
Hitler closed his eyes and thought for a while before telling Franco that Germany was willing to consider his request, but he needed some sincerity from him.
On September 23, 1941, Spain announced that it would change from a neutral country to a non-belligerent country and send troops to Tangier, which was under international condominium control at the time. Since then, it has taken over half of the Strait of Gibraltar.
Hitler was overjoyed after receiving the news. He happily told the people next to him that Franco had not forgotten our help to them in the Spanish Civil War. Next, as long as he takes down the damn British fortress, he will be on both sides of the Strait of Gibraltar.
Just erect the fort.
The Fortress of Gibraltar is a fortress built by the British since their occupation after defeating Spain in 1704. More than two hundred years of operation have made it extremely strong and full of turrets, and the British naval advantage is also used here to the maximum extent. In order to capture it, it is actually
It's really not easy.
madrid
A middle-aged man in a black suit took out a document and handed it to Franco in military uniform and said, Prime Minister Franco, Britain and the United States are extremely worried about your country's sudden attack on Tangier. The current situation in Spain is not good.
As friends, we suggest that your country should not get involved in the struggle for European hegemony, but should concentrate on solving domestic problems.
British and American
Franco looked at the middle-aged man opposite him with suspicion. He was the ambassador of the United States to Spain, but now he actually said that he also represented the United Kingdom. Could it be that the United States and the United Kingdom had come together?
Although Franco was very worried about the situation at home, the conditions offered by Hitler were indeed good, especially the Strait of Gibraltar, which was a golden strait. Franco had actually been jealous of it for a long time. The reason why Franco took action was because
He originally planned to take advantage of the chaos and completely capture Gibraltar, and in Franco's eyes, the outcome of the European war for hegemony was already obvious. Hitler at this time was even stronger than Napoleon back then, and Britain was beaten to the point of being unable to retreat.
If there are no accidents, Germany will definitely win.
But something unexpected happened.
The United States is going to join the war. Franco feels his teeth aching when he thinks about that behemoth on the other side of the Atlantic. It is a country whose industrial strength is still higher than Germany even after Germany occupied most of Europe. It is said that the steel production has reached 77%.
It has tens of millions of tons, and it also has a navy as powerful as the United Kingdom. Although it has little combat experience, if you think about the last war, you will know that it has this experience. What the United States is least afraid of is a war of attrition.
...
Is Germany going to fail again like last time? Franco began to feel a little unsure. Spain was really too weak at this time, with rebel guerrillas everywhere, a depressed economy, food shortages, backward industry, and unemployment.
Being so high up makes me burst into tears just thinking about it.
Seeing that Franco had been shaken by him, the middle-aged man took the opportunity and said that we believe that there should be a green country without war in Europe. We can promise not to take any unfriendly actions against your country. In addition, we will give
Your country has a large amount of materials to facilitate your country's internal reconstruction.
Supplies are what Spain needs most right now.
Franco asked, "I don't know what supplies you are willing to provide."
The middle-aged man pointed to the document and said, as the document says, we are willing to directly supply your country with enough oil and other materials that your country needs. In addition, we can assist your country with 500,000 tons of oil and 500,000 tons within three months.
of wheat, 500,000 tons of chemical fertilizers...
Berlin
Why do you ask us to provide 12 380mm cannons first? Hitler looked at the Spanish envoy opposite in disbelief.
It's not a request, it's a request. Our country is surrounded by the sea on three sides. If we don't have enough self-protection capabilities, even Prime Minister Franco will have a hard time convincing the country. After all, your country also knows the domestic situation. In addition, our country also requests that your country provide sufficient supplies.
In order to convince the opposition forces in our country. Also, these cannons are for conquering the Fortress of Gibraltar. The British have been operating there for hundreds of years and the defense is strong. Without such cannons, we would not be able to capture the fortress. The Spanish envoy looked sincere.
said.
Hitler rolled his eyes and pulled him down. Franco was a totalitarian ruler like himself, and he was still opposing forces. Haven't your opposition forces already turned into guerrillas? And let's not talk about how expensive a cannon of this caliber is.
What if I give it to Spain and Spain puts forward other conditions?
Hitler shook his head and refused and said that Germany can provide enough artillery pieces below 100 mm to your country, and 380mm artillery pieces are extremely precious even to Germany.
We can't talk any more.
At this time, Italy had agreed to Germany's conditions and was ready to sign the Axis Alliance at any time. Hitler thought about it and decided that he wanted to talk to Franco in person, so the two agreed to negotiate in Henday, a small town on the French border.
Ondée, October 1, 1941
In the car, Franco said to the people accompanying him that this is the most important negotiation in my life...I will use all means to deal with it...
At the beginning of the meeting, Hitler was still very satisfied. Franco respected him very much and kept mentioning the help Germany provided during the Spanish Civil War. But when the key issues were mentioned, he immediately began to think about the left and right.
He did.
Hitler said impatiently that we hope your country can give an accurate time to join the war. We can agree to the other 12 cannons, but the users of these coastal defense guns should include our German instructors. In addition, there must be German instructors in the Gibraltar Strait.
garrison.
Franco shook his head and said, distinguished head of state, we are very happy that Germany can take into account the special situation of our country. As you know, our domestic situation is very difficult. I must first get some supplies to appease the country.
Hitler asked how many do you want?
Franco the Lion opened his mouth and said 800,000 tons of oil, 800,000 tons of wheat, 100,000 tons of cotton, 30,000 tons of rubber, 600,000 tons of chemical fertilizers...
Listening to the long list, Hitler, who was used to being domineering in international affairs, almost wanted to pry open Franco's head. He immediately threatened that if this happened, Germany might be forced to directly enter Spain to capture the Strait of Gibraltar.
.
Franco shook his head and said, I'm afraid the German army will face many guerrillas that are not controlled by the government. I believe this is not what Germany wants.
Hitler closed his eyes and felt that the negotiation was as painful as pulling out a few of his teeth, and he really did not want to force Spain to side with Britain and the United States.
Hitler put down his pen and said, well, I'll give you 100,000 tons of wheat. How about you declare war on Britain first to show your sincerity?
Hitler thought about dragging Franco on board first.
Franco shook his head again and said that it would be winter soon, and this time was not suitable for fighting.
Hitler took a breath and said, "We, Italy and Japan are about to establish a military alliance. Are you interested in joining?"
Franco shook his head again and said, "I think a neutral Spain should be more beneficial to Germany now. We can import some supplies on behalf of Germany, right?"
Hitler couldn't talk anymore, so he stood up and left unceremoniously to express his dissatisfaction.
Just when Hitler and Franco broke up, Mussolini in Italy had a new idea. He compared himself with Germany and felt that his current record was too poor. If he continued like this,
It would be difficult to obtain sufficient benefits in the future, so Mussolini looked to the Balkan Peninsula next to him.
As early as the last war, the Balkan Peninsula was known as the powder keg of Europe. It is full of small countries, has many ethnic groups, and is rich in resources. It is an important stage for competition among major European powers. As early as 1939, Italy sent troops to annex Albania.
The reason why Mussolini decided to send troops was that not long ago, Romania's fascist Prime Minister Antonescu had promised more than 500,000 German troops to station in Romania, and was also prepared to sign a cooperation agreement with Germany economically so that Germany could
Better to borrow Romania's resources. This greatly stimulated Mussolini. He looked around him and still felt that Greece was the most suitable. Didn't Germany promise to give Greece to itself? So he would go and get it now.
Nothing more.
Mussolini was not prepared to notify Germany in advance at all. In his heart, he was still angry at Germany for taking Romania without telling Italy, so he was also prepared to have an undeclared war, which was a fait accompli.
On October 3, 1941, Italy launched eight divisions to attack Greece without notifying Germany.
The Italian raid was very effective at first and easily penetrated the Greek defense line. However, the Greek army immediately counterattacked. In fact, in terms of the number of troops, the number of Italian troops was lower than that of Greece. In addition, Greece had a favorable geographical location and the support of the local people.
support, and continued to harass the Italian army's rear with guerrilla warfare. Ten days after the war began, Italy stopped its offensive momentum, instead switched to offense and defense, and even began to retreat.
When Hitler in Germany got the news, he felt tired... The fire in Africa had just been extinguished, and Italy was setting fire to Greece again. You can burn it, but you can't put it out yourself, so you still have to help.
, Hitler had no choice but to order the German army to prepare to enter Greece to help fight.
United States Washington
Roosevelt looked at the pieces of intelligence in front of him, took a long breath and said to Hull. It seems that the future of the world is not dark. We have won a diplomatic victory. This victory is enough to offset the British defeat in North Africa.
Hull nodded and said, Mr. President, I think so too. Spain has indeed remained neutral as we expected, so that Britain will continue to control both ends of the Mediterranean. Italy's attack on Greece means that Italy should continue to get involved in the Balkans next.
In this case, Turkey and the Soviet Union should both have ideas.
Turkey has begun to rebuild since the Kemal Revolution, but Turkey's geographical location is both good and bad. To the west is the Balkan Peninsula, to the north is the Soviet Union, and to the south is the Arab world dominated by Britain and its allies.
.In addition, Turkey also controls the transportation arteries between these groups. In peacetime, Turkey may be able to make use of this geographical location to make a fortune, but in wartime, it has become the meat of everyone's mouth.
As a result, Turkey did not want to be involved in a new war at all. After the Italian-Abyssinian War, Italy became the country that Turkey was most worried about. Then Germany annexed Czechoslovakia, and Turkey was even more afraid of it.
Turkey first placed its hope in the alliance between the Western powers and the Soviet Union, believing that this would protect its northern and southern flanks from German and Italian aggression. As a result, Britain and France were first defeated and then fled, and then the Soviet Union became half of Germany's allies.
to Poland.
Since Poland can be divided equally, then dividing Türkiye equally does not seem to be a non-negotiable matter.
What's even more terrible is that Turkey has signed many agreements with Britain and France long ago, including military ones. If Germany and Italy want to go to war with Turkey, there is really no need to make excuses. The outbreak of the Greek war has even more
It stirs Turkey's nerves.
As for the Soviet Union, the price it offered to Germany was the Balkans. It would be strange if they didn't have any ideas.
Roosevelt agreed with Hull's point of view and said that our intelligence agency has received information that Germany's intention to win over the Soviet Union to join the military alliance seems to be because the two countries have not reached an agreement on the division of power. I think our next step should be to win over the Soviet Union to become the righteous side.
strength.
Hull shook his head and said that this was very difficult. The Soviet Union was located between Japan and Germany, unless Germany or Japan took the initiative to attack the Soviet Union or Japan's main force left Manchuria.
Roosevelt squinted his eyes and said that there is already a gap between Germany and the Soviet Union. I can foresee their war. Maybe without us doing anything, Hitler himself will push the Soviet Union into our arms. To be continued...
