PS: This chapter is 4000 words, and there is only 1 chapter today. In addition, let's have fun - a bunch of Germans piloted warships stolen from France, falsely claiming that the Greek fleet was visiting Bulgaria, and then flying the Romanian flag after passing through the strait to fight against the Soviets. What is the responsibility of the Germans?

In the afternoon, the Anglo-American Joint Chiefs of Staff (which was the highest joint military command organ of Britain and the United States in Washington in early 1942) held a tight and urgent meeting at the request of Roosevelt, and the atmosphere of the meeting was very dull, because before the meeting received a briefing from the British, the British landing fleet in the Mediterranean direction was also ambushed by submarines, and the losses were slightly smaller than those of the United States, but more than 1,000 people were killed, and 11 transport ships loaded with supplies and munitions were sunk, and the British warships suffered little losses. Only two escort aircraft carriers, the Avenger and the Daredevil, were torpedoed and sunk. But secret information came from the Italian side that the Italian fleet was ready to make an emergency sortie, and the number of German-Italian planes deployed in Sicily had increased to 600 (this is, of course, Hoffmann's bluffing, the real number is less than 260).

"There are all kinds of signs that Operation Torch has been severely tested, and now is the time for us to make a decision...... "Out of national dignity, Roosevelt did not want to talk about the defeat of the South Pacific campaign as soon as he came up.

"Prime Minister Churchill offered two proposals: first, to continue the landing operation after excluding the interference of German and Italian submarine forces; Second, adjust the direction of landing. Transfer the landing destination to Egypt. British Admiral Charles-Little said, "If the second plan is implemented." Taking into account the problem of replenishment of the fleet, a short stop in South Africa was possible on the way. ”

"It's definitely not okay to go ahead with the landing." Marshall said with a calm face, "It is extremely unwise to continue to ram the muzzle of the gun on the premise that the Germans are already prepared, it will be the larger Battle of Dieppe, but is it possible to land directly on the French mainland?" ”

British Field Marshal John-Dill shook his head and said: "After the complete fall of the Pétain regime to the Germans, the French mainland and the colonies were no longer defended against the German army, and the fleet could not be transferred as fast as the Germans could move troops by rail." ”

"There's another way...... U.S. Secretary of the Army, Stimson, said slowly. Pull the troops back to the UK first, and then think about the next move. ”

This is certainly safer and more secure, but obviously a little negative. All the generals who came from military backgrounds were not optimistic: after countless efforts, months of preparation, and such a large number of troops and fleets, and now they were retracted only because of the threat of a few German submarines? Not to mention that the leaders of the two countries can't afford to lose this person, how to inform and convey it to the soldiers below is also very tricky.

"Unless we can find a way to get the French and Germans to fight first, and then we take the opportunity to land. Otherwise, it will be difficult to land in the legal area. "The representative of the British Navy, Vice Admiral A-T-Harris, knew that the American side had been doing the work of the North African upper echelons. There are high hopes and a great desire for assistance. But he thought that this was obviously impossible, and the North African army had not yet taken a position on the question of its position in the future war, let alone to fight the Germans on the side of Britain and the United States. Of course, there is a well-known reason that no one is willing to say explicitly - for the French, there is less resistance from the Americans alone, and with the British as a-stirring stick, I am afraid that simple problems will be complicated.

"There is new information from the French side that Hitler released the prisoners of war faster than the French expected. By 15 November, the vast majority of the first 500,000 captives would be released, and the Pétain regime was already re-preparing to train five or seven divisions from the captives. In addition to 2-3 divisions in mainland France, 4 divisions will be deployed in North Africa, and even the only armored division will be placed in North Africa. Marshall sighed, "Their sights are clear, Vichy France, oh no, it can't be called Vichy now, because Pétain's government has moved the capital back to Paris, and their next move will be even more thought-provoking, and maybe they will go to Dakar (the British and American Free France have seized the French colonies in West Africa)." ”

The congregationists frowned, expecting that at least the French colonial authorities would be on the side of Britain and the United States, but now it seems that the French should think deeply about the signal sent by the French, that the rapprochement between France and Germany will be far faster than the rapprochement between Britain and France, and that it will be even more difficult to clear out the North African colonies once they are taken over by the Germans. The North African Army's counteroffensive against Free France in Central and West Africa must have been welcomed by the German side.

In addition, Belgium and the Netherlands received olive branches from the Germans, and various industrial groups, especially those closely related to the military industry, received orders from the Germans. And as long as they were obedient, the release of prisoners of war could be handled in the same way as the French. "Hitler's military coercion against them has been greatly weakened, but the political cajoling has deepened." The Belgian and Dutch authorities are taking this very seriously, and the population is looking forward to the early return of the captives' relatives - this atmosphere is not good for us. ”

The dialogue reached a stalemate: the U-turn and attack on France was obviously unanimously rejected by both sides, because the landing operation involved specific preparations, and it was not possible to reorganize the landing immediately in a different direction, not to mention what would happen after the landing, nor what the attitude of France, the Netherlands, and Belgium would be towards Britain and the United States, and it was not clear which port or which beachhead on the European continent could land; The proposal to return home (whether to England or the United States) was also rejected by the soldiers, because it would damage the morale of the troops, and the transfer of targets at the beginning of the departure can also tell that this is the reason for the temporary adjustment of the troops' strategy, and now it is estimated that the officers of the troops have already given clear goals on the landing area, landing objectives and steps, and the more senior officers have even made mobilization speeches to the young men, saying that the retreat is only afraid of making people dissatisfied.

"There is another way...... Admiral Kim said with a gloomy face, "to Australia and Southeast Asia...... Where we have suffered a setback. Support is urgently needed. ”

Admiral Kim did not try to hide the defeat in the South Pacific Campaign, but instead gave a detailed account of the situation, out of concern about the development of the situation in Asia. Three of the four U.S. generals agreed to support the Asian direction with the troops they planned to use in the North African direction, and the remaining one also expressed their willingness to increase their support after the North African landings. But all the British objected to this, and although the reasons they came up with were strange, Roosevelt heard them very clearly: the other side tried to state all kinds of difficulties for only one purpose, and the British did not want to follow the United States in throwing more money into Southeast Asia -- in the British mind, the Asian theater was contracted by the Americans, and the British just had to wait for the harvest -- at least they did not want to invest in it until the European victory was achieved. Australia and New Zealand are British Dominions. But the British were sure that the American side would not easily lose this counteroffensive base, and they were not prepared to pay more.

Roosevelt did not express his position, because he knew that if the debate continued, he would fall into a general review of the "Europe first, then Asia" strategy: In the United States, including the Navy, many members of the two houses, and some army generals (such as MacArthur) who had feelings for Asia, they were all resolutely opposed to the "Europe first, then Asia" strategy. The reason and idea were very simple and simple -- the Germans did not do anything to the Americans, and the Japanese not only attacked Pearl Harbor but also took the Philippines from the Americans, and this was the fundamental enemy of the United States, so it was necessary to defeat Japan first. As for Europe. Let the British and Russians deal with it first, the United States will have a big deal to send some arms - the more Europeans die, the better!

If it was placed before the South Pacific Campaign, the army and navy were optimistic about the development of the war, believing that Japan was no longer worried, and it would not hurt that the president was willing to invest a little more strength in Europe, but now the navy's Pacific Fleet has been beaten so badly by the Japanese, losing three fleets of TF16, 17, and 64 overnight, and losing one 1st Marine Division. This kind of war situation not only makes people angry, but also makes people worry -- will the Japanese have to attack Australia and New Zealand inch by inch? And then there's the super-battleship -- all the survivors who have seen the Yamato tell about their impressions of the ship: the 18-inch guns. At least 60,000 tons of displacement, impregnable defense (the surviving carrier-based pilots reported to the country that the Yamato was attacked in at least three waves, ate 12 torpedoes and more than 20 500-pound bombs, and as a result, came unscathed and ran steadily above 25 knots) what kind of damage would be caused. Based on this judgment, everyone agreed that the investment in Asia was too small, and that it would have to be increased, and that it could be drawn from Europe if necessary.

"Our Iowa will have to wait a few months before it can be commissioned, but even this class is still difficult to deal with the Japanese super-battleship, so support is urgently needed, otherwise Australia and New Zealand will also be threatened by Japan." What Admiral King did not say was that, out of the stimulus of the Yamato, the Navy had requested that the original mothballed "Montana" class battleship plan be re-executed, and President Roosevelt had basically expressed his approval and instructed to build at least four ships (because the hull was too wide to pass through the canal, two ships each in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans were prepared).

"In view of the weakness of the German navy, it has been cowering in the port and not daring to make a move." The British delegates exchanged glances, and they knew that the Americans were making conditions, so they said unhurriedly, "We are willing to send a fleet to the Far East to assist our American friends in encircling and suppressing this huge ship -- just as we did with the Bismarck." ”

"What fleet do you intend to commit to your country?"

"Considering the defense and firepower of the Japanese super battleships, we are ready to commit 4 George V-class battleships. In addition, considering that your country has no aircraft carriers available for the time being, we are willing to lease the three Tejas class aircraft carriers to your navy (the Radiance, the Victory, and the Dreadful) for use, but the relevant carrier-based aircraft need to be solved by your country. ”

The British are worthy of being a-stirring stick in international politics for many years, and not only is their ability to grasp the overall situation first-class, but the price they put forward has obviously scratched the itch of the Americans.

"Good!" Admiral Kim stood up excitedly, 1 George V will definitely not be able to deal with the Japanese super battleship, but there are 4 George V in hand, plus the United States' own 4 South Dakota-class battleships, and the lineup of the Japanese Yamato plus 2 Nagato-class battleships has been steadily determined, and the other party is willing to provide 3 aircraft carriers, although the aircraft carrier of this class is a little less, but it is a regular aircraft carrier with a heavy armored defense, which finally solves the urgent need of the navy.

In fact, Roosevelt had anticipated Churchill's request to land in Egypt before the meeting, and he also agreed.

Sure enough, Stimson, who understood Roosevelt's intentions, spoke: "If this is the case, I think it is also possible to consider landing in the Egyptian direction, but some technical problems need to be solved first." ”

The so-called solution of the technical problem, that is, the rhythm of the expression of agreement, the British representatives all showed a look of "deep understanding", waiting for the Americans to speak.

After arguing for most of the afternoon, the two sides finally agreed: in view of the significant changes in the hostile situation, the parties agreed to postpone the "Torch Plan" for the time being, but the work against the French continued to intensify; The fleet, originally intended for use in the direction of North Africa, was to move south, intending to arrive in South Africa by 28 November, and then rest and replenish in South Africa; The fleet would then leave South Africa and head north around December 10, aiming to land in Egypt via the Suez Canal by January 1, 1943, and eliminate the Guderian group by strengthening the forces and equipment in North Africa. The joint meeting of the chiefs of staff of the two sides will use this month and a half to agree on a follow-up battle plan.

The British generously said that in order to confuse the German-Italian Mediterranean fleet and planes as much as possible, the British fleet currently in the Mediterranean only retreated slightly, but did not leave, until the US fleet passed through West Africa, and then moved forward, and if the opportunity was right, they could also wait for the opportunity to destroy part of the German and Italian naval and air forces. At the same time, they promised that the units supporting the US Navy would depart as soon as possible and strive to leave within three days.

After receiving the news that the submarine force reported that the US fleet was turning southward, Hoffman wiped the cold sweat from his forehead: "It's so dangerous, the deterrence was finally successful, and the torch was not lit......" In fact, the troops sent by Hoffman to North Africa were the last bit of reserve and mobile troops he held in his hands, and if there were any mistakes on other fronts at this moment, he would not be able to take out troops to take them on. However, the American was a little more afraid of death than he thought, and rushed directly without being stunned.

As for the British and American warships turning south, he could guess with his toes what they were going to do, wasn't it just relying on their naval superiority to land in Egypt to strengthen Montgomery's troops? Don't be crazy, I've got a punch - the Combined Fleet is coming soon! (To be continued.) )