"Great Britain could not hesitate any longer. Pen × fun × Pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 infoWe must not sit idly by and watch Swedish iron ore flow into Germany at a rate of 40,000 tons a day, and then be cast in a smelting furnace as ammunition to harvest the lives of Saxon youth! Nor can we again allow German warships to enter the North Atlantic and disrupt British maritime transport with the most dangerous maneuvers. We must move immediately to occupy Norway by force. Otherwise, once Hitler had struck first, Britain would have a high probability of losing the Atlantic War because of the loss of Norway. ”

In the Prime Minister's Office in Downing Street, London, Admiral Winston Churchill was solemnly warning his colleagues in front of him. His face sank like water, and his light blue eyes bloomed with a faint sense of domineering, as if he was not a civilian government official in charge of naval administration and organization at all, but a national commander who monopolized the military and diplomatic power. Intimidated by Churchill's momentum, War Secretary Grisha and Air Force Commander Hugh Dowding were silent and speechless, and even Chamberlain, who was sitting at the head of the conference table, looked equally solemn, completely ignoring Churchill's transgression.

"Your Excellency Churchill, is the Royal Navy ready for an attack on Norway?" Chamberlain asked slowly.

Churchill nodded, his spirit of determination did not resemble that of a 65-year-old man: "Since last month's full conversion of merchant ships to the American flag, the pressure on the Royal Navy to escort ships has dropped significantly. After many dispatches, we have now reassembled a fleet in our own waters that is strong enough to counter the Germans. It contained the battlecruiser USS Hood, 4 battleships Rodney, Warrior, Malaya, and Royal Oak, 3 aircraft carriers Ark Royal, Glory, and Eagle, as well as 10 cruisers and 35 destroyers. There were also 42 submarines that could be used in Norwegian waters to fight Germany, and their eyes and torpedoes were important assistance to the main fleet. ”

Hearing Churchill's words, the hearts of Chamberlain and others could not help but be filled with sadness and bitterness. The Royal Navy, which once dominated the world for more than three centuries, can only assemble such a shabby lineup today. However, the reality is so ruthless and cruel. After World War I, Britain experienced a serious decline and regression in both national strength and diplomatic structure: not only did the size of its navy shrink to only 40% of what it did in 1919, but three of its four major maritime allies - the United States, Japan, France, and Italy -- broke up with Britain one after another, and no longer helped Britain to safeguard its maritime trade and colonial interests. Among them, Japan and Italy have turned against Britain one after another, always thinking about the British colonial territories in South Asia and North Africa!

Under these circumstances, even if the British Navy was severely damaged after the Battle of Scapa Flow, it had to hold on to its rights and glory as an "empire on which the sun never sets" around the world, and continued to disperse its already seriously stretched naval forces to all corners of the world. Among them, Britain deployed 2 battleships in the Mediterranean Sea (Barham, Revenge) and joined the French Navy to guard the Italians; The battleship Ramiris and the Prestige cruiser were also left in the Atlantic Ocean as a slight deterrent to the German raiders.

Although the Far East was beyond its reach, the British also tried to leave a small fleet in Singapore, which was complemented by the navies of the Australian and New Zealand Dominions, in order to contain the Japanese on the flanks. After all, whether it was Egypt, Singapore, or the sea routes that sent blood to the British mainland, whether it was Egypt, Singapore, or the colonies of the world, Britain could not afford to lose. If these key overseas interests are lost, Britain will lose its basic conditions as a global power, both economically and politically!

At this time, the battleship Queen Elizabeth was still undergoing two major changes in the shipyard, including the replacement of the power system, the improvement of horizontal protection, the installation of anti-aircraft anti-aircraft guns, and the complete renovation of fire control and other seven or eight major items, even if the factory implemented three shifts around the clock, the ship could not be expected to return to the ocean in the first half of 1940. The ships that Churchill had just mentioned were all the mobile forces that the British Navy could muster at the moment.

If Britain can survive this force at this juncture, then by the second half of 1940, when Britain has commissioned a large number of new ships that have been commissioned after the expiration of the London Naval Treaty, the majesty of the empire on which the sun never sets will be somewhat prolonged. And if this fleet is broken by the German navy, the empty frame of the world empire of Britain will collapse in an instant; Not only will the colonies around the world be crumbling, but Britain itself will also be threatened more than it was in Napoleon's time!

Churchill did not dwell too much on the frustrating and lost fleet lineup, but immediately got to the point: "Given that the southern part of Norway is within the strike range of German land-based aviation, and the direct landing of land forces would be unimaginably risky, the plan of our army is to go ashore in central and northern Norway, and then proceed to the next step according to the situation." “

"If Germany is caught off guard by the landing of our army in Norway and fails to launch an army in the first place to counteract, then our army will take advantage of the situation to move south to control the whole territory of Norway. And if Germany reacts quickly, we will retreat and occupy the area north of the 60th parallel of Norway and confront the Germans in Bergen. In this way, even if Germany controlled the southern coastline of Norway, we would still be able to blockade it with cheap planes, submarines, mines, and torpedo boats by occupying the eastern shore of the North Sea exit. ”

Looking at the dividing line that Churchill had drawn on the map with a wooden pole, Chamberlain nodded slowly. To be sure, Churchill's plan was quite realistic: the British did not blindly seek control of all of Norway, but from the outset they were prepared to fight a protracted war against the Germans in the rugged mountains of Norway.

As long as Germany could not control Bergen on the other side of Scapa Bay, their warships would always face significant risks in and out of the North Sea, and Britain would still be able to stabilize Atlantic shipping. If you look at the map, you can find that the north-central part of Norway is close to Britain and far from Germany, and the British army, navy and air force all enjoy a comprehensive first-mover advantage over Germany in battle: British Air Force bombers can even cover Narvik, Norway's northernmost port. This will undoubtedly significantly improve the chances of victory for the British army, and make the Rice Banner's grip on North Scandinavia more secure.

"What about the readiness of the Air Force and Army? I remember that the French were also going to send troops to participate in this campaign, and at the end of the year they were still arguing with us over the escort of troop carriers, and now they have reached an agreement with us? Chamberlain suddenly thought of something, and asked Grisha and Wood.

War Secretary Grisha's face moved slightly, and before he could speak, Churchill had already angrily snatched his line: "The French are a bunch of cowardly rats, who have completely lost the majesty of the Napoleonic Empire and 1914." The gang was always worried about the safety of their troop carriers, and even offered to use two-thirds of the French fleet to escort them, but they just didn't understand that a quick surprise action was more useful than sending 100 warships to escort them! Today, the capture of Norway is urgent, how can we continue to accompany these cowering cowards and waste the opportunity to send troops? The first phase of the campaign will be under the full responsibility of the British Army. Wait until our two brigades have initially taken control of the situation in Norway, and then call the French, who can only burrow into the ground to defend, to fight. ”

Admiral Dowding, commander of the Air Force, lifted his military hat on his head, took Churchill's words and said: "The strength of the Air Force on the home side has increased to 57 squadrons, including 30 fighter squadrons and 14 bomber squadrons. In recent months, all pilots have been trained to fly over the ocean, where there is no reference, and the bomber units have not relaxed for a moment in their bombing exercises against moving targets at sea. If a German aircraft carrier is discovered in the North Sea or the Norwegian Sea, the air force will be the strongest support for the fleet as long as the weather conditions allow. ”

Hearing Dowding's words, Chamberlain's heavy spirit finally regained some confidence. It is true that the Royal Navy is far less powerful today than it was decades ago, but the rise of the Royal Air Force has effectively filled some of the gaps in this regard: the invincible battleship Bismarck was severely damaged by the 13th Air Group stationed in Scotland, which effectively contained the German Navy's strategy of breaking diplomatic relations in the Atlantic. Today, British combat aircraft are coming off the production line at a rate of more than 1,000 per month; It is expected that it will not be long before this branch of the army, commanded by Admiral Dowding, will become another solid pillar of British national security.

"While we still have some unfinished preparations, such as spying on the Norwegian army's deployment and finding supporters to act as proxies in its country, time can no longer silence us. Our troops were preparing to launch operations on 19 January: first laying mines in the Norwegian Trench near Jutland, and then landing in Narvik, Trondheim, and Bergen the next day. If the Norwegian army opens fire to resist, they will be crushed immediately with powerful naval and air fire! Churchill's eyes sparkled, and he did not feel the slightest guilt for trampling on the neutrality of other countries.

He paused and said again: "Of course, our external propaganda is still to use Norway to help Finland. As to why our troops entered the ports of central Norway and led to an exchange of fire, it is believed that His Excellency the Prime Minister and Sir Halifax (Foreign Secretary) will not order the troops to stop for the sake of it. ”

Chamberlain nodded calmly. Today, Britain no longer cares about putting on a gentleman's image internationally; This kind of false way only needs to find a plausible excuse, and it is enough to deal with the past with a scoundrel posture. Although Chamberlain hated Hitler's deception of him, he deeply recognized Hitler's words: The victor will not hold him accountable! (To be continued.) )