On the afternoon of 8 August, the Queen Mary arrived at the port of Daliverpool. Pen ~ Fun ~ Pavilion www.biquge.info After two years, John once again set foot on the land of Britain. Although judging by the ruins and wreckage of facilities near the port, the German Stuka did not spare it, but a large number of British people spontaneously came to greet His Majesty the King and Queen.

On the docks, John and the others met Major General Carl Sparts, who had been sent to London as a military observer half a month earlier.

"Good afternoon, gentlemen, and welcome to Britain." Spatz was delighted to meet his colleagues in a foreign country in the midst of war, "We've got to hurry, there's a welcome dinner in Whitehall, and you'll regret missing it when you hear drinks are open." Keep in mind that restaurants in London now only serve alcohol two days a week, and the number of drinks is strictly limited. ”

Finally, Spatz spoke specifically to his old classmate, Colonel Thomson. At the General Staff, Thomson was a notoriously "wine lover."

"Oh, shit! Carl, you didn't tell me about this before! Colonel Thomson exclaimed angrily, "The sinister Kraut (sauerkraut is a slurious term for Germans) in American slang. That's why Thomson called him that because of his German roots), you must have done it on purpose. ”

Seeing Thomson's angry look, Spatz smiled extraordinarily happily: "Don't worry, old man. I know of a Scotsman-owned inn where the owner secretly kept a batch of 1927 Highland Knights (a long-established Scotch whisky brand). As long as you have dollars, I think he'll be happy to do some private deals. ”

When he said this, not only Thomson, but other people were also moved. Even John, who doesn't like high-alcohol very much, considered buying a few bottles as a souvenir. Vintage whisky brought back from war-torn Britain is quite collectible, isn't it?

After the pleasantries, Spatz beckoned John to get them into his car. On the way to London, he gave a brief overview of the current situation in the UK.

"From the first one, the Germans bombed more and more frequently. Now the newspaper announcement is like a NFL (NFL (American Professional Football League) battle report, yesterday's "score" was 90:44, the RAF scored 90 and lost 44 of its own. However, the British played a trick and did not take into account the 24 planes they lost on the ground at the airport. ”

"That doesn't sound good." Sixty-eight aircraft were lost in one day, which John estimated to be about the equivalent of a week's replenishment for the Royal Air Force.

"It's not good, but it's not too bad." Spatz replied: "General Dowding [Commander of the Royal Air Force Fighter Command] was an excellent commander who made good use of those chain radar stations on the east and south coasts (the British military called them Radio Direction Finders, or RDFs). When the Germans were still 100 miles away from Britain, they would be detected by radar, and the RAF fighters would have enough warning time to make targeted tactical arrangements. ”

"You mean RDF, so this thing really works?" Thomson is no stranger to radar, and not so long ago the British wanted to exchange this technical information for a batch of fighters. Prior to departure, Thomson's Ordnance Service was in the process of evaluating the information.

However, as far as John knew, there was little interest in the Army, but rather a lot of interest from the Navy. The Navy has long had projects to develop shipborne radars to improve the combat capabilities of warships at night and in foggy weather. At present, the radar installed on the large ships of the US Navy is still a big step behind the British in terms of technology.

"So far, it's working pretty well." Before coming to the UK, Spatz was the head of the armament division of the Army Aviation Command, and he had his own understanding of radar, a new piece of equipment that changed the entire pattern of air combat. "Radar can indeed bring some advantages to air operations, but the key depends on the specific tactical arrangement. Dowding has done a good job of this, he is cautious and knows how to avoid unnecessary losses. ”

In the evening, John and the others arrived in London. Because of the large number of people in the delegation, except for a few "important figures" in the White House and Congress, most of the others were arranged to stay in hotels near the embassy.

John and a few Admiralty officers lived in a small three-story cottage with a nice garden. Spatz told them that it was the "private residence" of an embassy staff member. The embassy took into account that they would have more or less access to some military secrets and that it was not appropriate to live in a crowded hotel, so it temporarily lent them to live. Spatz himself and other officers of the Mission also lived here.

As soon as he got out of the car, John was happy. He had been here and was the residence of his old friend, Thomas Hitchcock, an embassy assistant. It was here that Thomas and he met last time with the vice president of sales at Rolls-Royce.

It is no wonder that, except for Thomas, a "playboy" from a wealthy family, ordinary embassy staff who would buy such a large private house in London. I just don't know if the Rolls-Royce in his collection is still in the garage, and I can ask him to borrow it for two days when I go back.

After a brief freshening, John and the others went to the state banquet hall in the "Whitehall".

What is now referred to as "Whitehall" usually refers to a street south of Trafalgar Square, connecting the British Parliament House to Downing Street. Because the British Ministry of Defense, Foreign Office, Home Office, Admiralty and other government agencies are also on this street, "Whitehall" has become synonymous with the British executive branch.

There used to be an English royal palace called "Whitehall", from which Charles I was guillotined. However, as early as 1698, the palace was destroyed by fire. John: The state banquet where they are now going is the only part of it that remains.

The last time John passed by the State Banquet Hall, it was across the road from the Household Guards camp. At the entrance to the camp, a group of royal cavalry wearing red cloaks, golden peaked helmets, and black riding boots, on beautiful thorough-blooded horses, stood guard there. It is now home to an anti-aircraft artillery regiment that protects the political heart of the British Empire.

Clearly, however, British politicians are not too comfortable with such protection. A little south of the Prime Minister's Mansion is the entrance to an underground command post. During the "Eagle Day," Churchill hid in this underground air-raid bunker and communicated with the outside world through 10 color telephones to direct operations.

The welcome banquet that night was far from sumptuous, but Churchill and Deputy Prime Minister and Labour Party leader Attlee still tried their best to show the enthusiasm of the host, and the overall atmosphere of the banquet was still very good.

Of course, this kind of occasion is a stage for politicians to perform, and "little people" like John are only for the audience. But it doesn't matter, Randolph is there too. Through him, John learned a lot about the recent situation of the expert group led by Leith, and it was not in vain.