"As long as we can reduce the loss of our ships, you can do anything. Pen "Fun" Pavilion www.biquge.info" Chamberlain opened his mouth solemnly, and clearly expressed his strong attitude towards Churchill. Today, the British prime minister, who once grovelled at the Munich Conference, has broken off any illusions in Hitler; He had only one goal at the moment, and that was "to live the day when Hitlerism was destroyed and Europe was liberated." In order to achieve this desire, it is imperative to make changes to some inherent things.

Chancellor of the Exchequer, Sir John Simon, and War Secretary Leslie Berisha, among others, looked at each other and finally read the look of compromise in each other's eyes. Although this is contrary to the civilized gentlemanly demeanor that Britain has always advertised, it has the real possibility of improving the situation. And these government ministers, at this time, and Churchill are also grasshoppers on the same rope, if they can reduce the amount of losses of merchant ships, their own position can be strengthened enough with the increase of the prestige of the government. What's more, what area of Britain today is inseparable from the import of foreign goods? production, transportation, agriculture, military industry...... All aspects rely on external blood transfusions to survive, and the effect of reducing the losses of merchant ships can be directly mapped to the departments that they are responsible for.

Driven by the common interest, Sir Simon, who had been a messenger of justice, acquiesced to Churchill's proposal. The rest of them also nodded quietly, not caring about the so-called moral norms. In fact, there is a precedent for this situation in British history: when Germany declared war on France in August 1914, there was a fierce dispute in Britain over whether to join the Franco-Russian side in declaring war on Germany. At that time, most cabinet ministers and members of the House of Commons opposed Britain's participation in the European continental war, believing that Britain's intervention in the war between Germany and Austria and France and Russia for no reason was really a move to abandon traditional honor.

However, when Foreign Secretary Gray announced the possibility of Germany winning the war and dominating the continent, everyone was alarmed by the possibility of a second Napoleon, and there was no more criticism of Britain's entry into the Entente. The self-proclaimed gentlemen of the British have already demonstrated their hypocrite nature to the world with what they have done, and as long as there are enough external interests, the Virgin's House can immediately turn into a half-closed door.

After his proposal was approved, Churchill did not show a corresponding relaxed look. His eyes were solemn, and he spoke again: "Gentlemen, in fact, the strategy that the Navy is preparing to adopt just now can only make a limited improvement in the current situation. In order to reduce the losses of merchant ships to an inconsequential level, it is necessary to start from the roots. At present, we have a huge gap in the number of escort ships, and we will not be able to make a fundamental change in the next two or three years, so we are left with only one option, which is to lock the German Navy shark back into the North Sea cage. ”

Sir Halifax, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, frowned, "But how do we do this?" In the last war, we reluctantly established the northern blockade line with the help of absolute superiority in the number of ships. Even so, the smuggling of German submarines could not be effectively solved. Today, however, the Royal Navy's home fleet is nowhere near as it was 25 years ago. To make matters worse, almost all the major warships of the German Navy were suitable for ocean-going operations, even destroyers! In this case, the Royal Navy's need to prevent a well-balanced fleet from breaking out of the North Sea has skyrocketed, and I am very cautiously skeptical. ”

"Problems that are difficult to solve militarily are not insurmountable strategically. If we had conquered Constantinople in 1915, the world war would not have lasted 4 long years at all, and the Bolshevik devil would have been locked in a bottle forever! Churchill's eyes were piercing, and his determined demeanor did not look at all like that of an old man over 65 years old. Churchill straightened up and walked to the map by the wall and slapped it with his fat palm: "We need to occupy Norway and then turn this Nordic country into a fortified eastern fortress of Britain." ”

"The occupation of Norway would usher in a fundamental shift in the British maritime strategy vis-à-vis Germany. The Germans are surrounded on both sides of our flanks, and their access to the North Sea will be made more difficult with the establishment of our air and naval bases in Norway. At that time, we will not need to use too many capital warships, but only need to have enough aircraft, submarines, torpedo boats, and mines to complete the blockade of the North Sea exit from the east and west directions. If the Germans wanted to attack forcibly, they would have to pay a heavy price, and this would undoubtedly help the Royal Navy regain the disadvantage of fighting against Germany and gain the initiative in the war that had been lost for a long time. ”

"There's never been a better time for Britain to make a move into Norway. The Soviet attack on Finland at this time undoubtedly gave Britain an excellent excuse to send troops into northern Europe. As soon as our army sets foot on Norwegian soil, it is up to His Excellency the Minister of War, Beckisha, to come to the aid of the Finns or to gain control of Norway. In addition, we can cut off Germany's sources of iron ore in Northern Europe and reduce their war potential at the root. Churchill said cleanly. At this time, he was no longer a simple naval minister, but a real head of state who focused on the overall situation.

Churchill finished talking about his strategy, only to find that several of his colleagues in front of him had all fallen silent. After a while, Foreign Secretary Halifax slowly spoke: "Your Excellency Churchill, will this damage Britain's reputation internationally?" As soon as our army disarmed the Norwegian army, it grossly trampled on the neutrality of this country. This behavior did not differ in essence from what Hitler's bandits did in Austria and Czechoslovakia. At that time, both the Netherlands and Belgium will become wary and fearful of us, and will be even more reluctant to join our side in the war against Germany. And the attitude of American public opinion towards Britain will also deteriorate, and as a result, it will affect the purchase orders for materials that we have won with great difficulty. ”

"Your fears, Sir, are well founded. At the moment, however, there is no time for us to hesitate. Hitler could not fail to lose sight of the importance of Norway, and he would certainly find a way to keep Norway in his hands. Thinking about what happened to the Czechs and Poland, I am 100% sure that this corporal will not hesitate to attack Norway! Churchill spoke calmly, but his next words sent shudders to all the British dignitaries present, "What would happen if Germany had taken Norway first?" The German Navy will use the 2,000 km coastline of Norway as a new forward base, and we will no longer be able to prevent them from entering the Atlantic Ocean for hunting! (To be continued.) )