"Why wouldn't Narvik be a target for the British?"

Kars stared at Fang Yan with a cold gaze, and his tone was questioning: "Narvik is the only export window of Swedish iron ore in winter, and its normal operation is of great significance to Germany's industrial production. In addition www.biquge.info the port was close to Britain and far from Germany, and it was difficult for our troops to reinforce the troops there, and the transport ships were vulnerable to deadly interception by British submarines and aircraft as they moved north along the Norwegian waterway. Compared to attacking Bergen, which was only 450 kilometers from Denmark, attacking Narvik would be a great way to show the benefits of Britain's geographical superiority in the air and sea, and Narvik would be the ideal target for the British if they were looking to retake Norway. ”

Fang Yan did not shy away from meeting Kars's gaze and said, "Respected General, what you said is right. From a tactical point of view, Narvik was indeed very vulnerable to the British. However, if we look at the strategic level, Bergen is almost the only option for the British. ”

Fang Yan's eyes were slightly condensed, and he stretched out his hand to show the area of Norway and Sweden on the map, and said: "One thing is for sure, Britain definitely did not ignore the role that Scandinavia in Northern Europe could play in this war. It was not only an important source of imported iron ore for Germany, but also geographically the other half of the cage that locked the German fleet in the North Sea. Today, the British Home Fleet is much weaker than it was 25 years ago, and it is even more urgent for them to seize control of the other half of the gate and close it in order to re-stabilize Britain's stormy Atlantic lifeline. Therefore, the goal of the British counterattack was also on the horizon. ”

"Bergen is located in the south-central part of the Norwegian Peninsula, across the sea from the Shetland Islands at the northeastern tip of Scotland; If our army, whether a submarine or a warship, wants to enter the Atlantic, it must first pass through the waters in front of Bergen. Only by controlling this coastal city could the British effectively tie the exit of the bag from the east and west. In contrast, no other coastal city in Norway has the geographical conditions to achieve this strategic intent of the United Kingdom. ”

Fang Yan's thinking became clearer and clearer, and his words became fluent and clear: "Kristiansand and Stavanger are too close to the German mainland, and the slim chance of victory and heavy losses in the strong attack are enough to make it difficult for Britain to retreat. Trondheim was protected by a natural waterway outside the harbor, which could only be captured safely by means of a surprise attack, and more importantly, it was far from the route through which the German fleet would attack northward, and it was difficult to effectively restrict the movement of our navy. ”

"And Narvik is more than 1,100 kilometers to the northeast than Trondheim, and is even more powerless to prevent our fleet from entering the Atlantic. Even if the British succeeded in cutting off our country's Swedish iron ore imports in winter, and had the potential to further seize Swedish mines, what they lost was the last limit on the German Navy, and our Navy could even use Trondheim as a forward base for advancing into the Atlantic! Germany's loss of iron ore from Narvik could be compensated for by the East, and what could be used to recover the collapsed Atlantic shipping of Britain? ”

As soon as these words came out, Kars's originally grim look finally changed. In the past, he and other generals and staff officers paid too much attention to the threat of the British fleet itself, but ignored the deep meaning behind the rapid response of the British fleet. Military personnel are driven by the state, and any action they make must be in the best interests of the country, and the core demand of Britain today is undoubtedly to maintain its own use of the North Atlantic, so as to accumulate the strength of the global colonies to survive the current difficulties.

In contrast, neither the attack on the transport ships carrying the German landing force and supplies, nor the decisive battle with the German fleet, could make a fundamental difference to the overall situation in Britain. Because even if the British were lucky, the German transports and the main fleet would not be wiped out: the big deal was that if the situation was not good, they would always save more than half of their troops. Finally, as long as Germany had a firm foothold in Norway and a high-speed fleet of considerable strength, Britain's line of defense to prevent Germany from breaking through into the Atlantic would be a colander full of holes, and it would be difficult to intercept them effectively. Then it will be the prelude to the death knell in Britain!

Fang Yan paused, and then spoke again: "In addition, it is not easy for the British to seize Narvik and block the supply of iron ore from Germany. They were still 750 nautical miles from their target and would not be able to reach it in two days at the earliest, while General Dieter's mountain infantry numbered 2,000 men; In the case of full combat preparation, how can the latter withstand 4~5 days relying on the terrain. Even if the British really brainstorm Narvik, we would be able to go north to reinforce while the mountain infantry was resisting, waiting for an opportunity to fight a decisive battle with the British fleet. At that time, our fleet will have the absolute initiative by virtue of its speed and air superiority, and there is a great probability that through this battle, Britain will be completely kicked out of the threshold of a maritime power! ”

Kars took a deep breath, and his gaze at Fang Yan finally revealed an awe-inspiring solemnity. With just a few words, this young man clearly conveyed the current complex and chaotic situation: this not only shows his profound interpretation of the macro national strategy, but also his understanding of specific tactics, which makes people unable to find any flaws to respond and fight back. With this performance alone, the young man in front of him has already shown his amazing potential to become the commander of the fleet. He may not be as good as an ordinary general in some professional and technical details, but this judgment of the situation is enough to make him competent for the current task of commanding the detachment.

Bo Mei smiled and watched Fang Yan see the moves under Karls's fierce attack, calmly resolving them one by one, his eyes were full of appreciation. Lindemann next to him also breathed a sigh of relief, and the corners of his mouth couldn't help but show a little smile. Thinking about it, the young man in front of him was the brigadier commander appointed by the Navy Headquarters, and if it were not for the recognition and trust of Marshal Raeder, how could he appear in front of the entire Navy Officer Corps with this new position? Speaking of Commander-in-Chief Raeder, all officers and men, including the top brass of the Navy, are respected and respected: he is today's Tirpitz, and it is impossible for the person he values to be an embroidered skin without real talent!

Lu Teyans had mixed feelings in his heart, and finally had to admit that he had underestimated this young man with a terrifying family background and interpersonal contacts. However, he did not become angry because of this, but began to really get to know each other in a new light. At present, the British fleet is still the great enemy of Germany, and defeating it is more important than anything else. Didn't even the conspiracy organization, which was not in harmony with Hitler, suspend the coup plan? In this kind of question, Lütjens was absolutely prioritizing, and no one who did not care about the big things could survive in the upper echelons of the German Navy.

"Order, the fleet turned right 6 compass points, maintained Z-shaped anti-submarine navigation, and increased the speed to 16 knots." Kars ordered slowly. He had fully agreed with Fang Yan's judgment, and the next thing to do was to launch an all-round search in the sea area where the enemy fleet might appear. (To be continued.) )