Churchill's last words were like a heavy hammer, striking hard at the bottom of the hearts of the still hesitant cabinet members. Pen & Fun & Pavilion www.biquge.info

Indeed, with the tragic devastation of the Royal Navy at Scarpa Bay, the tide of Great Britain's naval war took a turn for the worse. And a series of new tactics and new equipment used by the German Navy have made this seemingly majestic world empire feel a serious crisis. They were shocked to find that the German ants, who were defeated 20 years ago and whose fleet lineup was once so shabby that they could crush it with half a little finger, had magically built the world's most modern and powerful navy under their noses in just over a decade.

Königsberg-class heavy cruisers, Deutschland-class pocket battleships, Z-class super destroyers, Zeppelin-class fleet carriers...... The combat effectiveness of each class of its ships is much stronger than that of British ships of the same type. And the Bismarck-class heavy battleship can only be described as an exaggeration: the Hood, which the Royal Navy is most proud of, is completely a white goose and a phoenix in front of this junior who is 19 years younger than her, and it can't be matched at all!

Three months earlier, the main German fleet had stirred up a storm in the North Atlantic. Britain lost a total of the USS Fury and 4 cruisers before it was suspected of sinking 1 light aircraft carrier and 1 heavy cruiser. As for the number of merchant ships sunk by the British, it is even more difficult to recall. If these fierce gods were able to enter and exit the Atlantic with impunity, it would be disastrous for Britain. As soon as the tonnage of seaborne sea fell below the critical point, the British war industry would be suffocated and paralyzed; At that time, with only the pitiful resources of the British Island, Germany would be able to beat Britain until it ran out of ammunition and food, and was forced to beg for peace with Berlin with only a little consumption!

If the capture of Norway could be used to halt the advance of the German navy, it would obviously be an ideal situation. As for morality and justice, they all have to stand aside in the face of the urgent demands of war. Suddenly, Halifax and others really understood why Germany 25 years ago could not get along with Belgium, a small and harmless country, which did not matter whether it was a national enemy or a hate, only a naked appeal for the final victory.

Seeing that there were no objections to this question, a slight smile finally appeared on Churchill's solemn face. He exhaled slightly, and added: "In this operation to occupy Norway, I think we should pull the French up. Although they did not have the same strong desire to contain the German navy as Britain, they had a great interest in controlling the Nordic aid to Finland. This will undoubtedly be an effective aid to our actions. ”

With Chamberlain's approval, the British occupation of Norway was immediately put on the agenda. The military began to gather all the information about the Nordic country, and based on this vast amount of information about the military, geography, climate, transportation, etc., it developed a number of combat plans. At the same time, Foreign Minister Halifax and War Secretary Berisha also rushed to Paris to discuss with the French about the Nordic war.

Churchill's attitude towards the French is estimated to have gone no erroneous. The French authorities showed great interest in the occupation of Norway, even more so than when the British expeditionary force had arrived in France before. French Prime Minister Daladier had the naïve idea that a single powerful landing operation in Norway would force Germany to turn all its attention in that direction, thus making Norway the main battlefield of the current war. In this way, mainland France would not have been devastated as it had been in the First World War.

Daladier's idealized expectation of the situation was unanimously approved by more than a dozen French cabinet ministers.

At this time, the Franco-German border had been silent for three whole months, and the Germans had no intention of taking action, which was clearly the result of the Germans' hesitation in front of the iron wall in fear of the impregnability of the Maginot Line. That being the case, France's actions in northern Europe would certainly have caught Germany's attention and made them even less interested in launching an attack on the Western Front. And the French military also welcomed a long period of large-scale fighting in this part of Norway. Because, in the mountainous country of Norway, almost everywhere is conducive to defensive warfare, and the French Army, after 20 years of targeted training after the war, is now known as a defensive warfare expert.

Due to their respective needs, Britain and France soon agreed on the Nordic question. The two sides will form a joint force to land in Norway under the name of the "Volunteer Army to Resist the Soviet Union and Aid Finland." In addition to capturing Narvik, a key northern port that would choke the source of German iron ore, the coalition was preparing to land at Trondheim and Bergen in southern Norway in order to advance inland and capture the Norwegian capital, Oslo, at any time. In Churchill's view, the coalition forces did not even need to occupy the whole of Norway, as long as they could hold on to the coastal area on the eastern shore of the North Sea, they could establish a blockade of the east and west sides of the North Sea exit, and fundamentally solve the threat of German warships to the Atlantic route.

To be sure, Churchill's prediction of France's attitude, and his proposal to bring the latter in, was a strategic move. However, the admiralty, who had been dismissed by the defeat in the Battle of the Dardanelles, made a similar mistake to that of the past, that is, the lack of corresponding foresight at the level of implementation.

Although the French agreed in principle to send troops to Norway, when it came time to draw up concrete plans, there was a bitter disagreement with the British. The French prepared three divisions in order to establish defenses while occupying important points in Norway to defend themselves against a possible German counterattack; With so many troops being delivered only by transport ships, their safety during shipping is of paramount importance.

The French said, "We're going out to fight the Germans, so why don't you Britain show us the way back?" Now the German navy is in full swing, not only are submarines frequently entering and leaving the Norwegian waterways, but the main force of its fleet may also attack north at any time. Therefore, the British fleet had to dispatch sufficient escort forces. Otherwise, once a transport ship is sunk, and the whole regiment and brigade are soaked in the icy waters of the middle of winter, they will all have to go to God in ten minutes!

The British, however, did not agree to the French demands. The British said that this operation was not your French troops, and the British Army would also send 2 fully equipped infantry brigades. The density of escort warships on both sides is the same, and under the premise of secrecy of the operation, it is only necessary to guard against German submarines that may encounter the transport fleet. As for the valuable fleet, it is used as a mobile force to deal with various contingencies. The two sides quarreled violently, and the time for action that Churchill had repeatedly stressed passed through his fingers in the constant negotiation of meetings. (To be continued.) )