Sometimes, it was just a coincidence that while Mussolini was sitting in his office and scolding the streets, Churchill was also roaring in his office. Pen | fun | pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 ｉｎｆｏ

He was so angry because he had high hopes and ordered Montgomery, who had ordered him to stabilize the situation in the Middle East, sent him a telegram.

The content of the telegram was simple, as commander-in-chief of the Middle East, Montgomery was ready to withdraw 20,000 Commonwealth soldiers from the Balkans!

Montgomery wasn't Auchinleck after all, and in the end he didn't completely abandon Churchill and go his own way.

However, he did not have the courage to abandon the 40,000 Commonwealth troops who fought hard in the Balkans, and did not dare to bear the infamy of betraying his allies.

So, Montgomery, who was very smart, chose a compromise. He was prepared to use various pretexts to repatriate 20,000 troops from Greece to strengthen his defenses in the Middle East.

As for whether the Greek side will oppose it, or whether Churchill has an opinion, that is a matter that needs to be considered later.

"Auchinleck! When Auchinleck was in North Africa, he did not follow my orders and retreated from the front without authorization! "Churchill slapped the table, to John? Greer? Admiral Dill shouted.

"Who will be responsible for the consequences of your unit commander, who will be responsible for the consequences of your self-assertion and even ignoring my orders? Yes? "Churchill felt powerless and was losing control of everything.

Auchinleck's private retreat in North Africa became an important excuse for Churchill to shirk his responsibility for North Africa.

Although everyone at the top knows that there is still a capable army in the Middle East now, it is because of Auchinleck's retreat that the last spark was retained!

But Churchill did not understand this retreat, because it cost him much of his political support, as well as a large number of vital cities in Egypt, which made him even more passive in the situation.

So this time, Montgomery brought up the old story again, hoping to retreat from the Balkans, and Churchill was once again furious!

He had a premonition that this retreat would result in the loss of Greece, an ally, and the unprecedented isolation of Britain in this war -- the suppression of public opinion was enough to produce immeasurable variables, and Churchill did not like such changes.

Admiral Dill was Chief of the General Staff of the British Army, and he was currently in charge of defending the homeland against the German landings.

In fact, Admiral Deere is well aware of the problems that have arisen in the Middle East. He actually supported the decision of Auchinleck and General Montgomery, and he also believed that the British had no chance of victory in the Balkans.

Drawing lessons from France and North Africa, Admiral Deere considered it irrational to engage German armoured forces head-on.

The Balkans were too close to the German rear, and there were no problems with German logistics, and the combat effectiveness of the troops was not comparable to that of the Italians.

Now Germany did not enter the Balkans, and it can only be said that the British and Greek troops were lucky. As soon as the Germans began to enter the Balkans from the north, the entire line of defense was not enough for the Greek and British troops.

Don't look at the fact that now the British and Greeks have beaten the Italians to the ground, and they can't even take a step forward. But this victory was completely based on the defensive line against the Germans in the north, and on the basis of singing an empty city plan.

If the Germans attacked, the northern direction would collapse in an instant, and the Greek defenders and British troops on the Italian border would be encircled and eventually defeated.

Having lost the main forces, Greece simply could not continue to maintain its own defensive line. By that time, the 40,000 British Expeditionary Force would have no other way to go but to serve in German prisoner of war camps.

"Mr. Prime Minister! Although retreating from the Balkans, it is not a good option. However, we no longer have any extra troops, and we are wasting them there! Admiral Dill spoke, admonishing an exasperated Churchill.

His meaning is evident in the words that follow: "If we cannot reinforce the Balkans, and fight there a war sufficient to slow down the German offensive, sooner or later we will lose the Balkans, sir!" ”

Churchill, of course, could not continue to reinforce the Balkans, and the only way to do that there now was to transport troops from the Middle East, through Crete and the Aegean Sea, into Greece.

It's a pity that the generals who advocated retreat were Montgomery and Auchinleck in the Middle East, so it is unlikely that they would be able to reinforce the Balkans.

On the other hand, military people with a modicum of sanity know that the Middle East has been almost hollowed out in the face of Rommel's aggressiveness.

At this time, it was simply impossible to send troops to fight in distant Greek areas. Greece does not have a decent military base, and it has to rely on aid for weapons and ammunition, so how can Britain have the strength to drop countless ammunition and weapons into the Balkans?

"If Greece is defeated, we will be completely driven out of the Mediterranean...... Can you afford this responsibility? Churchill looked at Admiral Dill and asked.

Britain has been running the Mediterranean since the time of Victoria. Including areas such as the Strait of Gibraltar and Egypt. As a result, now that Britain is going to be kicked out of the Mediterranean, who dares to say that this responsibility is borne by itself?

"Mr. Prime Minister! Our army has been defeated, and in this case, whether you and His Majesty the King like it, we will have to bear the responsibility for losing some of the territory. Dill looked at Churchill and said helplessly.

From the beginning of the war to the present, all the way to the present, in this case, it is no longer the responsibility of one person.

Germany's strong rise, combined with a series of dazzling victories, has taken the whole of Europe out of the hands of the British. The defeat on the battlefield will of course pay for countless lands and the blood and sweat of the predecessors.

"20,000?" I don't know if he was asking Admiral Dill or himself, Churchill said to himself, and asked such a sentence.

"Twenty thousand!" Admiral Dill also did not know whether he was answering Churchill's question or confirming himself, and repeated the same sentence.

Finally, Churchill closed his eyes and said, "Now that you have decided to retreat, don't hide it anymore!" Withdraw as much as you can! ”

Things have come to this point, and Churchill has seen it. Hindering each other, in the end, it can undoubtedly only cheapen the Germans. At this time, it would be better for him to take a step back and meet the requirements of the army.

At least next time, he'll have more leverage to bargain with his army generals.

Hearing Churchill's decision, the chief of the General Staff of Deere was obviously stunned for a moment. However, he quickly recovered and said in agreement: "Your decision can save the lives of more soldiers!" ”

Churchill, who had participated in the First World War, sneered, looked at Admiral Diere, and said sarcastically: "It is inevitable that soldiers will die fighting for their country!" I can save their lives, and if they have shame, they should use their lives to save their motherland next time! ”

Admiral Dill was embarrassed, but didn't care. He had already achieved the results he wanted, even exceeding his expectations, and could no longer compete with Churchill for some verbal gains.

Churchill didn't really want to puff his mouth, he just wanted to lay a foreshadowing here, and wait for the next time the army asks for it, he will use this foreshadowing to clamp down on the generals.

"Withdraw as many Balkan troops as possible! Let it become a second Dunkirk there! Not only to transport our soldiers, but also to transport the Greek soldiers! After making his decision, Churchill gave orders to Diere.

His order gave Dill a headache, because there were not many British troops moving in the Mediterranean.

You know, the Suez Canal has now become a battlefield, and it is no longer possible for ships to pass through it. And the vast Mediterranean Sea is blocked by the exit on one side, and it becomes a stagnant water.

In this area, the British left only a small number of ships to transport Greek supplies and personnel to the Middle East.

The remaining ships were either sunk by the Italian Navy in the Mediterranean, or evacuated with the Mediterranean Fleet.

Relying on existing ships to rush out 20,000 or even 30,000 people is already very difficult to do. Churchill also had to help transport some of the Greek troops, which was difficult for some strongmen.

"Mr. Prime Minister, we don't have many ships there, and there is nothing the navy can do, so your request may not be fulfilled." Dear is more or less aware of some Middle East problems and complains.

Churchill also knew that his request was a bit excessive, nodded and agreed: "Try your best, find a way to do it!" Carry forward the spirit of the Dunkirk retreat and surprise the Germans! ”

After that, Churchill had no interest in continuing the discussion and ended the meeting. Because later, the special envoy sent by the President of the United States had something to interview with Churchill alone.

I don't know what it is, the other party is mysterious, and he has to see the prime minister himself before he is willing to say the purpose of his arrival.

Churchill also wanted to ask the US government for more assistance through this special envoy, so he gave the other party the opportunity to meet alone.

He made a huge list of 3,000 tanks and 5,000 planes of various types -- I don't know how much the Americans would give, but as long as the other side continued to give, Churchill was willing to accept it.

After all, the Americans wanted Churchill to stand on the stage and continue to fight against Germany's alarming expansion in Europe......