After the defeat, the British fleet was eager to flee westward, because they knew that as long as they reached the Strait of Gibraltar, the British army would have a chance to change their fate.
In cooperation with the British fleet in Gibraltar, they even had a chance to defeat the Italian fleet and German submarines.
However, the British fleet was severely weakened after a series of battles in a short period of time. The speed of their warships was no longer as fast as before. In this case, Italian and German warships and submarines were chasing after them, and the British felt endless
pressure.
"Our current situation is very dangerous. Let everyone be prepared to sacrifice for the British Empire at any time." Sir Forbes said melancholy to the staff beside him.
"Sir, don't we have any other options?" a staff officer replied.
He looked very frightened because he didn't want to die yet. Next month would be the wedding between him and his fiancée. He remembered the plot in the movie: the fiancé died in the war and the woman remarried, and she was miserable from now on.
He loved his fiancée so much that he was not afraid of death, but couldn't die, so he asked Sir Forbes such a question.
"What do you mean? Staff officer, as a Royal Navy soldier, shouldn't you be ready to sacrifice for the empire at any time?" Sir Forbes asked slightly angrily. As a fleet commander, Sir Forbes still has the qualities of a soldier.
At least he is not afraid of death in battle, and of course he will not allow his subordinates to surrender, at least that's what he thinks so far.
"Stop your thoughts, staff officer," Forbes continued.
"Has the telegram to the Gibraltar fleet been sent? Have they responded? How long will it take for reinforcements to arrive?" On the other side, Forbes asked the staff three questions, and his tone revealed his uneasiness. My people
"The telegram was sent half an hour ago, but there is still no reply." The staff officer replied. Sir Forbes was silent. He began to understand that he might not have reinforcements. In order to preserve its strength and deal with possible German landing operations in the future, the British Royal Navy should not
Possibly at the expense of the Gibraltar fleet to cover and support their retreat.
"Hey." Sir Forbes sighed and walked to the window and stopped talking. Perhaps guessing what Forbes was thinking, the staff officer stepped forward and said: "These people are really ruthless. Seeing us being chased and seeing us in danger,
But not even a single soldier was sent. This is simply trapping us in an unkind and unjust place." Sir Forbes did not speak. He just glanced at him and continued to look out the window. Seeing this, the staff officer continued: "The British government
If we are trapped in injustice, we cannot be blamed for being unkind. I think it is better to find another way out than to work for such a government!"
Forbes' eyes changed, and he looked at the staff officer with a look of disbelief. He didn't expect the staff officer to say such things. In his impression, the staff officer was not such a greedy person. But he felt relieved after a while.
In this desperate situation, people's desire to survive is very strong, and they will do anything to survive.
"Staff, I can understand how you feel, but the Royal Navy is not allowed to surrender to the enemy. What's more, we are not without the strength to fight. We will definitely be able to draw a few backers before we die in battle," Forbes said slowly.
arrived, his tone full of determination. "But General, have you ever thought about your parents, wife and children, what they would do without you?" The staff officer did not give up and continued. Forbes was silent, remembering that he was not satisfied yet.
The 2-year-old son, if he died in the battle, he would never be seen again. He was struggling internally, thinking about what he should do.
Finally, after a long ideological struggle, Forbes said: "Maybe rules are meant to be broken. It seems that today we should set a precedent for the Royal Navy." "Listen, I order the Royal Navy to stop advancing immediately.
We changed direction and moved slowly towards the German and Italian navies, lowered the battle flag at the same time, and announced our withdrawal from the battle via the dedicated maritime rescue channel of medium frequency 2182 kHz and maritime VHF channel 16, informing the German and Italian troops that we were about to surrender.
"
In the naval battles of World War II, especially the naval battles within visual range, warships that did not raise the battle flag were not allowed to carry out any armed attacks even during wartime; in other words, if warships wanted to carry out any armed attacks, they must
Raise the battle flag. But there are exceptions. The best example is the British "Q ship" during World War I. It usually disguised itself as a merchant ship. When an enemy submarine took the bait and came to investigate, it immediately raised the battle flag and attacked with artillery hidden on the side.
.So when a warship surrenders and lowers its battle flag and accepts hostile naval vessels for boarding in accordance with relevant international law, it can be regarded as surrender.?
According to the provisions of the "Hague Convention X: Concerning the Application of the Principles of the Geneva Convention of July 6, 1906 to Naval Warfare", warship personnel who withdraw from combat will be protected.
After a while, the Italian fleet caught up. Seeing the condition of the British fleet, Commander Leifer of the Italian fleet was overjoyed. "Haha, the British army surrendered. This is a great achievement. Come and prepare a small boat for me. I will
To board the Ark Royal in person."
"By the way, send me a report to President Mussolini immediately, telling him that the British navy has surrendered." Leifer continued, his eyes full of joy, as if he had long forgotten the previous scene of being hit by a British bomber.
Leifer took several staff officers and translators and got on the boat and headed for Ark Royal.
Leifer boarded the aircraft carrier Ark Royal with excitement. This battleship had been a headache for Leifer when he fought against the British many times. But this time, Leifer finally fought in a "big battle"
Then I got my wish and boarded its deck, stepping on it for the first time.
At the same time, Germany also sent negotiators to Ark Royal to negotiate with the British, but the Germans only played a supporting role. Head of State Reinhard ordered the German representatives to hand over the initiative to Italy, which made them feel proud.
Think of it as repaying Italy for consuming a lot of the British Navy's manpower for the German Navy.
Sir Forbes personally came to the bow of the ship to greet the negotiators. Although he was the one who ordered the surrender, there was no shame on his face for being the defeated and surrendering party. On the contrary, Sir Forbes had a smile of relief on his face. He understood that he had finally emerged from the war.
Freed from the war.
Subsequently, the three parties walked into the conference room located in the center of the ship to discuss matters related to the surrender of the British Navy. Sir Forbes said straight to the point: "Our request is very simple. We only need you to guarantee our freedom and safety in life."
Dignity, you cannot abuse us or force us to work. In addition, you also need to provide us with adequate food and a comfortable living environment. And all our combat supplies belong to you." Leifer said to Forbes.
Refreshed, they did not make too many demands: "I agree to your conditions." Then they conducted a simple handover ceremony at sea. At this point, the British naval fleet that attacked Oran Port was completely wiped out.
