Chapter 30: D-Day (13)
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In the dim and swaying carriage, the heads of the three major armies of the British Empire were surrounded by layers of American commandos, and the scene was as embarrassing as it was. Pen × fun × Pavilion www. biquge。 info
Any one of them, who is usually not a scene of hugging each other in front of him, is now being pointed at a gun by an American GI who does not even have the rank of sergeant. So although it was already about 2 o'clock in the morning, the three of them were still not tired, carefully thinking about what went wrong today.
Fortunately, Evler knew that they were not small, and did not dare to treat them excessively, neither tied nor gagged, but just let the soldiers watch closely, and in his opinion, if he used the same method to deal with prisoners against a few generals in his 60s, it would be a laugh off his teeth.
"We are too gullible to believe him...... "Brooke said with remorse, "there is not a good thing in politicians!" ”
Portale gritted his teeth and said, "If he falls into my hands, I will hang him by plane!" ”
"Forget it...... Let's figure out how to get out. ”
"Don't worry, sir, we won't be safe, we're ordered to protect you, but if you want to escape, ...... You'll have to run past the bullets first. ”
Hearing such a vicious threat from the sergeant major opposite, the three of them closed their mouths in unison, thinking about what to do next.
There was one thing they had agreed upon by making eye contact: Winston must have been heading for the ships, and perhaps pledging himself onto the ships as if he were a man—so that the naval aviation would not attack the fleet. Even though the convoy made a lot of turns, they could still accurately tell if the vehicle was speeding west or north. The destination is Liverpool, the port where the Royal Navy is currently stationed.
Pound took the lead in outlining a plan of action in his mind: Starting from Liverpool, as long as the British air force did not make a difficulty, the fleet could move slowly, go around Northern Ireland, evade the reconnaissance of German reconnaissance planes in the direction of Iceland, and then follow the Anglo-Canadian route between Ireland and Newfoundland. As for evading submarines, there are certain methods, of course, unconventional methods -- let the cruisers escort the two aircraft carriers, protect the aircraft carriers with their bodies, and move forward at the highest speed, ignoring any submarine risks and avoiding any anti-submarine routes, only changing the course after a certain period of time, but generally moving in a straight line.
This desperate assault was summed up by the transport fleet, and it was concluded that if the heart was hard enough to ignore other losses, it would be possible to preserve the vital forces to the greatest extent possible - because the submarines could not keep up with the speed of the transport planes as they advanced at full speed. So later the Germans replaced high-speed submarines - XXI type, but now it is a real aircraft carrier fleet, the fastest speed can soar to more than 30 knots, and the loss of 2-3 cruisers, these aircraft carriers are relatively safe. Take 10,000 steps back and say, these two armored aircraft carriers have been strengthened in defense when they were designed, and it will not be a big problem to eat 1-2 torpedoes, as long as they hold out to Canada, everything can be done.
As soon as he thought of this, he became anxious: the two aircraft carriers were told and explained by the Germans that they must get their hands on, and they were even more important than the other battleships on the slipway. Relying on this little wealth, the British Empire not only won more ideal armistice conditions, but also obtained the guarantee of keeping Northwest India and South Africa. The Japanese offer was a bit high, but it was not unacceptable—so the Germans said they could help to lower the price again, as long as the British were willing to cooperate in handing over the fleet. And it is not permanent, Germany will still return it after the war (no compensation for losses).
He was determined that he would keep these two warships no matter what, and not let Churchill take them to Canada, and that taking away the aircraft carriers would not be more than two warships for the Americans, but it would attract the endless anger of the Germans on the mainland, and he might even lose a corner of India that had been preserved with great difficulty. Moreover, he believed that according to the urine nature of the Americans, they would never come to the rescue of Great Britain after getting the aircraft carrier -- the last Iceland rescue battle completely saw the faces of these nouveau riche. Nimitz may have been a good man, but he had to listen to him.
At about 6 o'clock in the morning, the sky had just cleared, and the coup convoy finally arrived at the dock in a hurry.
"Sir, the officer on duty on the periphery of the docks has called and said that the Prime Minister, Marshal Pound, Marshal Brooke, and Marshal Potel have all arrived."
Admiral Fraser, commander of the Royal Navy's Home Fleet, who had received the details from Attlee, nodded and asked, "Is there anyone else?" Like American soldiers or something? ”
"Yes...... A large number of American soldiers, all with guns, have the commanders been hijacked? ”
Fraser shook his head slightly: "Don't worry about this, pay attention to vigilance, let people over, don't let the other party board the ship......"
"Yes!"
The officer on duty was just about to leave, but Fraser stopped him again: "If our men are going to board the ship, they can!" ”
"Understood!"
"Marshal, what will you say, do you know?" Churchill stood beside Pound and said, half-flattering, half-pleading, "I can't let these aircraft carriers painstakingly built by the British Empire fall into the hands of the Germans, I will take them to Canada, and the Imperial Navy's flag will always be hoisted on them!" ”
Pound ignored him.
Portale and Marshal Brooke looked at the fat man with disdain—they had been fooled too many times.
"I know you want to hand over the aircraft carrier to Hitler in exchange for favorable terms, but how much damage have the Germans done to us in the past 5 years? General Cunningham died at the hands of the Germans, and I will never forget it! I fully understand that the situation now compels that someone must be at odds with the invaders on British soil. But Great Britain also needs people who will stay the course, who will stand up to aggression and defend their liberty - and I am willing to play that role! Churchill continued to plead, thought for a moment and added, "You know Hitler's credibility, and he has never spoken and counted, and my holding of the Royal Navy fleet is a strong check on him, so that he cannot treat Great Britain excessively, and we must have the strength to deter aggression." ”
"I'll give it a try, Fraser doesn't necessarily listen to me."
"No, I'm sure you can do it, your prestige in the Navy is unmatched." Churchill breathed a sigh of relief, as long as Pound agreed to help, it would be easy to control the scene when the commandos went up.
"Then are you going to take us hostage to Canada?"
"No, no, no, I'll send you back to London in person, and I'll apologize to you in person." Churchill said, "I want the Royal Navy so much that I hope you will forgive an ex-Navy officer for an offense......"
Pound snorted, his face relaxed. He took two steps forward and stood at the front of the crowd, Churchill stood behind and did not move, and Evler whispered to the two soldiers to follow to prevent an accident.
Pound didn't go any further, but took off his hat, revealing his silver hair, and asked Potter for a hat for the Royal Air Force (Field Marshal Brooke's army did not have a royal one), and with great difficulty but meticulously raised the flag—a flag that only the Royal Navy understood, those two military hats, which were the flag in his hand.
"I am Dudley Pound, Marshal of the Royal Navy of the British Empire, and I command you all to stand in line and salute!"
"Sir, the marshal told us all to line up and salute."
"As instructed, line up as fast as you can, stand up and salute!" Although Fraser did not understand what the old marshal wanted to do, he did not hesitate to give the order.
"Wow!" The sailors ran to the deck, stood one by one, lined up in a neat line behind the railing, and saluted in unison under the command of the officers.
Churchill breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the sailors standing up and saluting - it was the most correct decision to bring Marshal Pound here.
"Raise the flag, play music!" Pound continued to order.
“……
Thou shalt rise majestic,
The offense of the foreigners only makes it more frightened,
Fear, fear, fear,
Make them even more frightened!
Storm, thunder, heaven and earth weeping,
Our people stand like oaks,
The foundation is firmly loyal to you,
Rule, Britannia!
Britannia rules the seas,
Britons will never be slaves! ”
Accompanied by the majestic British Royal Navy military anthem - "Rule! Britannia! A dazzling flag rose to the top of the flagpole, and everyone, including Churchill, saluted the naval flag.
Pound nodded in satisfaction, then waved the flag again.
"Now I give you one last ......order as a marshal," and when the order was given, a strong wind blew, and the hat in Pound's hand was not grasped, and the bones were blown away, and Marshal Pound immediately trotted to catch it.
Evler thought he was chasing a hat......
Churchill also thought he was chasing the hat......
The two guards also thought he was chasing the hat......
But Marshal Pound began to run and shout: "Pull anchor and set sail!" Get out of here! Get out of here! ”
The faces of the people behind suddenly changed greatly, and the two soldiers immediately subconsciously raised their guns: "Don't run, stop, stop, shoot......" Unexpectedly, after this shout, Marshal Pound ran faster and faster, and ran in the direction of the warship with all his strength, and the two immediately raised their Thomson submachine guns and shot - they didn't dare to aim at people, but only shot at the ground, trying to scare Pound to stop.
After a burst of strafing, a sudden change occurred: a bullet hit the granite on the ground, and the hard stone caused the bullet to bounce off Pound, right in the heart.
The old marshal staggered, staggered to his feet, and then fell to the ground.
"Marshal!" Portale and Brooke shouted first.
"Marshal !!" Fraser, who was watching from a distance on the pier, and thousands of naval officers and sailors also shouted.
"Bastard, who made you shoot!" Churchill was stunned and yelled at Evler.
The latter was also dumbfounded, and before leaving, he told his subordinates not to shoot, these are all important big people, not to mention killed, injured and not good, I didn't expect this kind of change to happen. The two people who fired the guns were also stunned, and they felt a burst of wonder when they looked at the muzzle of the gun - they were obviously shooting at the ground, and the two of them weakened their knees and knelt down involuntarily.
Churchill and Eiffler sprang down towards where Pound had fallen, Churchill's round ball of flesh running faster than Evler, shouting as they ran: "First aid kit!" First aid kit! ”
Immediately, someone woke up like a dream and tore open the first-aid kit and rushed over.
But it was too late, a wisp of blood flowed from the corner of Pound's mouth, and the fire of his life had come to an end. Even without the bullet, his brain tumor was on the verge of an attack - he had been complaining of a headache since last year, and doctors had already issued a diagnosis and recommended that he leave his post to recuperate, but the unfavorable military situation forced him to hold on. originally wanted Cunningham to take over his shift, but he didn't expect Cunningham to die first, so he had to continue to pounce on his post.
Churchill picked up Pound and exclaimed, "Marshal...... Marshal...... Hold on...... Hold on! ”
The other party shook his head with a wry smile, struggled, and said intermittently in a weak voice: "Wen ...... Winston, I'm going to go first...... Hope...... Hope you ...... You...... Remember...... You were also a member of the Royal Navy...... Not...... No matter where you go...... Emperor...... Royal Navy Permanent ...... Forever...... No...... No...... Don't fight the Royal Navy! ”
With that, he tilted his head and died in Churchill's arms.
"Pound!" Churchill let out an earth-shattering cry, then cried and fell to his knees, trembling......
Fraser, who witnessed all the changes, was furious, and he was about to go down, but was stopped by several staff officers: "Sir, you can't go down, if you go down, the situation will expand, and the Americans still have two commanders in their hands?" What to do in case you are detained. ”
"Naval Artillery Reserve ......"
"Prime Minister...... Prime minister...... Gone, gone......" Seeing the guns spinning towards the docks, Evler was terrified.
"Let's go to the airport...... Churchill walked back and forth, and several commandos hugged Pound's body tightly, and the ground was red......
"Sir, do you want to fire?" With the range of naval guns, even a 127mm high-level dual-purpose gun was enough to tear everyone on the dock to shreds.
Fraser shook his head: "Forget it, everyone has their own ambitions, let them go!" ”
"Sir!"
"There are also the prime minister and the other two chiefs inside, what should I do if I am accidentally injured by fire?"
"But, Prime Minister?"
Fraser, who knew the inside story of the "coup", shook his head: "As long as there is no re-election for a day, he will be our prime minister, even if he is guilty, it is not for you and me to deal with it, not to mention that he just wants to bring the ship to Canada - there is not an enemy at the moment." ”
"Yes, but that's all the Americans did to kill the marshal?"
"Of course not!" Fraser gritted his teeth and said, "I'll settle this matter later!" Let the Americans wait for me! ”