The day after his arrival in London, John woke up early in the morning. Pen ~ Fun ~ Pavilion www.biquge.info According to the plan, he was going to the Home Defense Command to meet with General Alan Brooke to learn about the British home defense operational readiness. Although he was well aware that this series of plans to prevent the landing of German troops would become a pile of waste paper, because the Germans did not come at all.

But John was looking forward to this meeting with General Aranbrooke. He knew that next December, the commander of the home defense would succeed Sir John Deere, who had been ousted by Churchill for the defeat of the Greek campaign, as the British Field Marshal and Chief of the Imperial General Staff.

During World War II, Alan Brooke was one of the few figures in the British military who could withstand pressure to stop Churchill's blind command. Most of Britain's World War II generals, such as Montgomery, Alexander, and Auchinleck, grew up with his support.

What's more, the post-war influence of Alan Brooke was not confined to the military. Not only did he become a viscount, a member of the House of Lords, but he also served as the head of the royal family to Queen Elizabeth II.

In addition, he was a director of a large number of large corporations such as the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company, the National Discount Bank, the Bank of Belfast, the United Bank (one of the five largest banks in the United States), and the Hudson's Bay Company (the earliest commercial joint-stock company in North America, somewhat similar to the East India Company in the early days, and also had the character of a colonial administrator), and had great power in both the political and business circles of Western Europe and North America.

After eating the English breakfast prepared for them by Thomas's beautiful cook, John and the others took the embassy car out of the house. It's not that Thomas is reluctant to lend his Rolls-Royce to John, but because Britain now has strict oil controls. Even Thomas couldn't get enough gas for each of his cars.

When John arrived at the Home Defense Command, General Alan Brooke was in trouble.

More than 1.06 million people have signed up since War Secretary Eden announced the call for Local Defence Volunteers (LDVs) eight weeks ago. However, as the commander of the Home Defence, Alan Brooke had few weapons to offer them other than vintage rifles borrowed from museums and London's Trulley Street Theatre.

However, this group of old men who are full of patriotic enthusiasm (the average age of LDV is relatively high, and young people have gone to join the regular army) do not care about his difficulties. And many of them fought in the First World War, and there was even a lack of retired veteran generals.

No, early in the morning, seven veteran generals who had participated in the LDV joined forces to knock on the door and ask Alan Brook for weapons, uniforms and ranks. One of them was the division commander of Alan Brooke when he was a lieutenant colonel in artillery.

As a result, even though John's appointment time had long since passed, he was tragically left in the reception room, waiting for more than an hour. It wasn't until the veteran generals successfully "blackmailed" a batch of cloth (used to make LDV armbands) and a piece of land (used as an LDV training base) and left "satisfied" that John was able to enter General Aranbrooke's office.

"You may be seated, Lieutenant Colonel Vanderbilt." Alan Brook returned the salute to John and wiped the beads of sweat from his brain with a handkerchief. "I'm sorry to keep you waiting."

"It's okay, General. These seniors gave me an insight into the determination and passion of the British people to defend their homeland, which was itself part of the content of my visit. John replied humbly.

His answer pleased General Alan Brooke: "Very good viewing angle, Lieutenant Colonel. Every British, whether he is a soldier or a civilian, has the determination and courage to defend his country, and I think you will soon realize that. ”

"I'm looking forward to seeing that." John handed Alan Brooke his plan of expedition, "but determination and courage are not enough, there must be corresponding practical action." The President and General Marshall would have preferred to see tangible evidence that Britain could hold on. ”

"We'll prove it to you." Aranbrook flipped through the inspection plans he had actually received a long time ago, and asked, "So, Lieutenant Colonel, what help do you need from us?" ”

"I think today I will first understand the overall preparation of the homeland defense plan, and then go to the front-line troops in the next few days to take a look, preferably air defense or fighter units. I don't know if you have any suggestions, General? ”

The threat to the British now comes mainly from the sky, and the ultra-long-range shelling of Dover by German artillery (the German Army has placed a batch of 14-inch guns with a range of 20 miles along the coast from Buren to Calais) has so far killed four British civilians.

"I think you can meet your fellow citizens in the Eagle Squadron. They will tell you a real British. "Alan Brook made a sortie to recommend the 71st Fighter Squadron to John. Now, these American volunteer pilots, who have not participated in a single battle, are like Churchill's mascots specially prepared to win the favor of the United States. If Alan Brook hadn't played this card, John would have thought it would be strange.

"That couldn't be better, I'm sure it's going to be a very valuable visit, General." John gladly accepted General Alan Brooke's suggestion, for he had made an appointment with Donovan to go to Church-Fenton to see the American boys.

"Very well, Captain Wilson from the Adjutant's Office will assist you in the next few days. Wilson was an excellent Army officer and did very well in Dunkirk. If you have any needs, you can directly ask him, and I think you will get along very well. ”

"Thank you, General!" John knew that Alain Brook was going to "serve tea to the guests", and quickly offered to say goodbye.

After all, at a time when the German armored army could come across the sea at any time, Alan Brooke could not spend much time on his small American lieutenant colonel. Being able to meet with him in person is already a special treatment for the sake of a large amount of US military aid.

When John came out of Aaron Brook's office, the Captain Wilson was already waiting for him in the outer reception room.

"Hello! Lieutenant Colonel Vanderbilt, I'm Wilson in Adjutant's Office. Please come with me, all the information you need is ready. ”

Wilson ushered John into a small room in the confidential room, where a dozen stacks of materials were neatly stacked on a large oak square table. "The Army, Navy, and Air Force are all here for the home defense operation plans, as well as the anti-airborne and anti-infiltration plans you specifically mentioned, as well as conscription and mobilization, personnel training, civilian coordination, urban early warning and evacuation plans. If there is anything else you need, please let me know as soon as possible. ”

John looked at the materials, which were estimated to be 30 centimeters thick, and couldn't help but feel a little big. This is the result of removing the military production, logistics supply, and military intelligence that Thomson, Marin, and McClure are responsible for.

"Captain, please help me find a punch computer." John took a deep breath, it seemed that today's work was not going to be easy. Not only did he have to read so many materials, but he also had to form a written evaluation report according to his own understanding after he went back, and it would not work without using the data analysis method he was good at.