In the eyes of politicians, whether it is equipment or soldiers' lives, they are only a cold number in the end, and they will not hesitate to squander in order to achieve this strategic goal, but the word "morale" is not something that can be consumed at will, and as a democratically elected president, he attaches great importance to this issue, Roosevelt pondered for a moment, and did not simply say yes or no, and this kind of decision should not be made by him, but only asked: "Can this make a difference?" ”

Arnold shook his head: "Actually, it's not much, if you change it to 20 times, the survival rate is nearly 4%, but it will feel much better, experts have calculated that if the loss rate is increased by 3 points, from 15% to 18% - that is, the loss in the first week of this month, the survival probability of 20 missions is less than 2%. ”

Roosevelt was stunned: "This can't be done, the sacrifice is too great, what good advice do you have for this?" ”

"Three of a kind. First, to suspend daytime bombardment until an effective response to damage reduction is found; Second, change the bombing area and shift the focus of bombing from Germany to Western Europe and Italy; Third, follow the example of the Navy to introduce an escort mechanism, not for a short period of time but for a full escort, and to use stronger and more durable bombers. ”

"The first cannot be considered for the time being, if we stop bombing, it will be tantamount to our defeat in this battle, and it will give the enemy a chance to breathe; The second can be considered, and the blow to Western Europe needs to be further demonstrated, but the Italian direction can be considered as the focus of our next phase; Of course I agree with the third one, but can it be done at present? ”

Speaking of the last technical question. Arnold's head hurt first:

The Army Aviation first proposed the use of P-38s to escort the aircraft, but the British Royal Air Force expressed its unequivocal opposition - according to the experience of the British Air Battle, twin-engine heavy fighters such as the Bf-110 and P-38 were too maneuverable to serve as escort fighters. Maneuverable, agile single-engine fighters must be used; Later, the Army Airlines selected the P-47, and the maximum range of the P-47 with the addition of auxiliary fuel tanks exceeded 2,500 kilometers, which could barely provide escort for bombers, but it was still beyond the reach of the German mainland, especially the targets in the core area. As for the new generation of bombers, the B-29, although it is almost finalized, it still needs to go through final tests, and production is even more troublesome - Boeing's plant in Kansas focuses on the production of B-25 bombers. Therefore, the Army Airlines intends to transfer the production of the B-29 to Boeing's Langton plant in Washington, but the plant was originally going to produce the Boeing PBB-1 twin-engine water patrol bomber for the Navy, so it needs to convince the Navy to cancel the PBB-1 program and let the Langton plant switch to B-29 production. This kind of cross-service coordination is not so convenient. And it will take some time to go from production to large enough to be ready for the army, so Arnold estimates that if all goes well, a large fleet of B-29s may not be available until at least the end of 1943. Of course, Arnold also had selfish motives in the case of the president, who had served as Minister of the Navy. There is a close relationship with the top of the Navy. Some things may not be convenient to say through the bureaucracy of the Joint Chiefs, but doing the work through the president may be a different way.

Speaking of inter-service exchanges, Roosevelt's eyes suddenly lit up: "Air Force planes can't work, why don't you try Navy planes?" -- As far as I know, the Navy's F4U carrier-based fighter has a range of more than 2,500 kilometers, and its structure is sturdy and has a low failure rate, and it has always accompanied and escorted carrier-based bombers and torpedo attack planes during aircraft carrier operations. ”

Hear about the adoption of naval aircraft. Arnold's eyes became a little strange, but he finally agreed to go and investigate. Adoption will be considered if appropriate. Roosevelt knew that the planes between the army and the navy had never been universal, but this time the army aviation was unprecedentedly prepared to consider it, which shows that the loss of the Eighth Air Force is indeed a bit scary, and it has hurt to the bones of the top brass of the army aviation.

"As for the production of the B-29, I will communicate with Admiral Kim once and try to get you a new bomber before this fall."

While he was talking, Hopkins suddenly knocked on the door with Admiral King, Marshall, and Stimson, and Roosevelt saw that they were all gloomy and uncertain, and his heart suddenly became uneasy, and asked Hopkins, "Harry, what's wrong?" ”

"Something big happened, and the British messed things up again...... The latest telegram from London said that the Germans had suddenly landed early this morning local time in the ports of El Alamein and Matroux ......"

Roosevelt had a slight impression of El Alamein and no impression of Matroux, but Admiral King's further explanation poured cold water on his head: "Port Matroux is less than 200 miles from Alexandria and only 250 miles from Cairo, and the Germans may have a full armored division, while the British have less than 30,000 troops left in Egypt, and their main forces are all around Tobruk and entangled by the German African Army." ”

"What......" Roosevelt opened his mouth wide, so shocked that he couldn't say a word, and the cup he had just raised in his hand was not steady, and he almost spilled all the coffee, but Arnold quickly helped him hold it.

"When, exactly?"

"It's just before 7 a.m. local time, about midnight Washington time." Marshall took out a telegram and reported, "Judging from the eight hours of the battle, the situation is very bad, the British have launched several counterattacks in the air and on the ground, but they have been defeated by the Germans, and now they can only count on their Alexandria fleet, but because the Germans have obtained the main force of the French fleet, the British fleet may not necessarily have the upper hand." ”

Admiral King sarcastically said: "The British have always been like this, and only when the situation deteriorates to the point that it is out of control do they remember to inform us ......"

"The most dangerous thing now is that the logistics supply line of the British Eighth Army near Tobruk has been completely cut off by the Germans, and nearly 300,000 troops will be almost completely wiped out if they lose their supplies in the desert." "And if the army group fails, so will the British in Egypt, and the Germans will have no trouble sweeping all of Egypt and taking control of the Suez Canal," said War Secretary Stimson, the Secretary of War Stimson, worriedly. ”

"This must not be allowed to happen!" Roosevelt knocked on the table hatefully, and it was obvious that he was very angry with the British, but he did not want to show this sentiment in front of a few high-ranking people—it was not conducive to unity.

At this time, Churchill's handwritten telegram also arrived, and this time it seemed that the British side was really anxious, and the telegram did not begin with a mist of confusion, but went straight to the point and said directly:

…… Your Excellency the President, Great Britain's defense in Egypt has been violently attacked by the Germans and is on the verge of total defeat, and I implore you and the United States to salvage the present precarious situation by all means, not only for Egypt and the Suez Canal, but also for the final victory of the common anti-fascist cause of the entire Allied Powers.

"What proposal or proposal did they come up with?"

"They hope that the landing force that was scheduled to leave this afternoon will speed up the ......," Marshall, "according to the original schedule, the landing force of the whole Torch plan would arrive in Egypt around January 1, 1943, and now the British want us to use high-speed warships and transport ships to take the lead in transporting 2-3 divisions to Egypt to assist in the defense, including all British troops, and hope that at least one American division will arrive in Egypt before December 20." ”

"Is it technically possible?"

"Barely feasible. If only 2-3 divisions were dispatched to accelerate on high-speed ships, we would barely be able to reach our destination on the night of the 20th, based on an average speed of 20 knots and an advance of 480 nautical miles a day. ”

"And how are they going to survive these 10 days?"

"They will do their best to shrink the defense, to ensure the safety of the canal, Alexandria, and Cairo, and at the same time to have the Eighth Army send troops back at all costs to try to block the advance route of the German landing force as soon as possible." Marshall added, "Of course, there is another way, that we don't care if the British can hold Egypt, we still prepare to land at our own pace, and if the British lose Egypt, we will take it back from Germany." ”

"I'm afraid it's ......going to be difficult," Roosevelt muttered for a moment, "I think I can agree to the request of the British side and send 2-3 divisions to support quickly—we will send 1 armored division, and the troops will follow suit, still according to the original schedule." In addition, Eisenhower must be informed to keep an eye on the battlefield and if the British have been defeated before they arrive, then do not rush in, and it is important to save us. ”

Everyone nodded, not optimistic about the prospect of Britain holding out in Egypt for 10 days.

"As for the landing force," Roosevelt thought about it...... "I intend to use the 2nd Panzer Division and let Patton lead them." ”

"This ...... Do you want to consider another one? "Stingson said embarrassedly, "He had a very unpleasant quarrel with the British side about the last landing. ”

"Nope! His character is suitable for such a hard task, give him more tanks, and the covering aircraft will not be missing. Roosevelt had the final word.

"Guys, there's something to do...... The Washington guys told us to speed up and save the British in Egypt - they were being kicked in the ass by the Germans! Barton had been complaining that the higher-ups were too cautious about changing the location of Operation Torch, and this time he was caught venting.

"Hahahaha!" There was a lot of laughter all around. (To be continued.) )