With the German army's major victory in the Battle of Poland, the British finally made up their mind to deploy all the Second Army of the British Expeditionary Force, which had not been shipped to France, to the European continent.
Previously, the British Chief of Staff Lord Gott, who served as the commander of the expeditionary force, had led Sir John Dill's First Army to France in advance.
Since the initiative in the war was still in the hands of the United Kingdom at that time, it was completely impossible for the German army on the Western Front to pose any threat to France. Therefore, the follow-up force of the British Expeditionary Force, the Second Army under Lieutenant General Alan Brooke, was not in a hurry.
Slowly delaying the trip, I have not yet left for France.
But now, the Polish campaign has ended, and a large number of German troops have returned to the Western Front. The pressure on the British and French allied forces has suddenly increased. Since the German troops on the Western Front have become more and more numerous, the British Expeditionary Force should also rush to France as soon as possible to increase its own forces.
troops.
"Dong dong dong!" Accompanied by the rhythmic knocking on the door, Major General Montgomery, who had just assumed the command of the 3rd Division with the title of "Steel Division" in the 2nd British Expeditionary Force, came to the home of Lieutenant General Alan Brooke.
Office door: "Commander, I am Montgomery, commander of the 3rd Division. I heard you asked me to come over?"
"Come in." Brooke put down the document in his hand and looked solemnly at Major General Montgomery, who was striding over.
Among the division commanders under his command, the one whom Brooke valued most was Montgomery, the steady Major General who was about to go to fight with him in France.
In terms of experience alone, Montgomery participated in the last world war, graduated with honors from the Camberley Staff College, and later led troops to put down the riots in Ireland and Palestine. Montgomery also had experience as a chief instructor at the Quetta Staff College.
Definitely one of the few experienced army generals in Britain today.
"Monty, you are finally here. I have many things here that I want to discuss with you." As soon as they met, Brooke called Montgomery's nickname very affectionately.
The most well-trained elite in Brooke's hands was Montgomery's 3rd Division. The troops in his hands were good at fighting, and Montgomery's status among the division commanders under the Second Army was naturally higher.
After all, if a war breaks out in the future, Brooke will have to rely on Montgomery's "Steel Division" to act as the main force. It is extremely important to listen carefully to the opinions of the commander of this division.
"General!" After receiving Brooke's respect, Montgomery felt very satisfied: "Whatever you want to hear, I will tell you everything."
"Okay!" Brooke gestured to Montgomery to sit down and said sincerely: "The war is coming, but I always feel that I am getting more and more unsure. To be honest, I really want to hear your objective opinion on the future war.
Opinion, do you have any thoughts on the possible upcoming war between Britain, France and Germany?"
This solicitation for opinions left Montgomery stunned for a while. He originally thought that Brooke wanted to ask him about some tactical issues such as the morale of junior officers and the combat readiness of the troops. Unexpectedly, what Brooke wanted to ask was actually such a big-picture question.
.
"It's not optimistic..." After thinking again and again, Montgomery confided this worry that he had thought about repeatedly: "In the past ten years, our army has become more and more dull and rigid, and it has become more and more like a military force.
An old man with a glorious past. However, those blind pride and arrogance are still growing in this group."
"But the Germans are different! They are arming themselves and tempering themselves all the time. The Polish army is so brave, but they only used it for less than a month, and they defeated the Polish army and destroyed it!
"As a thoughtful senior commander, he covered his forehead and elaborated painfully: "The Germans have become stronger and braver than in the last war. But our majestic British Empire army is addicted to the past.
The sweet dreams are fading day by day!"
"Monty, do you still remember the battle more than 20 years ago?" Brooke patted Montgomery on the shoulder.
Montgomery raised his head and looked at Brooke with fiery eyes: "Remember! It was a passionate era!"
In order to deal with Germany, Britain gave up the "glorious isolation" foreign policy it had pursued since the 19th century in World War I, and after 1907, it formed allies with France and Russia in the "Triple Entente".
For this reason, more than 500,000 officers and soldiers of the British Empire fell into eternal sleep in a foreign country. Montgomery was also seriously injured and almost died.
It was not until 22 years ago that Britain finally defeated the German submarine force and maintained its control of the sea.
However, the British Empire finally won! Even though the victory was miserable, it still won in the end. The German emperor who attempted to challenge Britain abdicated, lost almost all of his colonies, and signed the Treaty of Versailles, which was humiliating and humiliating to the country.
Putting politics aside, in that battle, the British people indeed fought like a superpower and defended the glory of the British Empire!
"Many young people are so passionate when they enter this army..." Brooke sighed heavily: "However, in the past 20 years, our army has become a pure bargaining chip in the hands of politicians.
They used it as a bargaining chip, and they treated it as a bunch of beautiful decorations across the English Channel! Our soldiers stayed away from the war, but looked down on the Allies who fought bloody battles on the battlefield. While watching the struggles of their allies indifferently, they
Their blood has long since gone cold. After a few years, they have become just a bunch of mediocre people in military uniforms!"
Slamming his fist heavily on the table, Montgomery gritted his teeth and said: "To say something that shouldn't be said, in the past few years, certain policies of the empire have cooled down the boiling blood of the soldiers, causing the beating pulse to gradually slow down, and the blood is full of enthusiasm.
There’s nowhere to throw it!”
"Huh...Prime Minister Chamberlain's 'smart' policy" Unexpectedly, Brooke, a dignified military commander, actually dared to snort without hesitation.
Looking at Montgomery who was hesitant to speak, Brooke smiled faintly: "What, am I wrong? Chamberlain betrayed his trust and humiliated his country, and got to this point. He has an unshirkable responsibility!"
"There are many people who have this idea. In today's Britain, only Mr. Churchill, the Lord of the Admiralty, can lead us back to our original glory and passion!" Brooke's eyes were bright: "With the fall of Poland, World War II
It has arrived. Troubled times require strong ministers. The weak Mr. Chamberlain can no longer keep up with the pace of the times. The only one who can use his ability to bring victory to the British Empire is Churchill, and it must be Churchill..."
World War II? Montgomery was silent. Perhaps, he will witness a war of unprecedented scale next. Living in troubled times, is this luck or misfortune...
