After nightfall, it rained heavily in Dover and the surrounding area, and this climatic condition had a great impact on the night march, and the High Command accepted the advice of the Landing Cluster Command and changed the original plan accordingly.

However, the overall strategic framework remains the same, and the high command's intention to pursue a quick victory has not changed. As judged by the British, Guderian and Bock did not attempt to attack overnight, although the number of landing troops had reached the standard for the start of the campaign, but there was still a lot of finishing work to be completed in the previous battle, the troops needed to be recuperated and replenished, and the subsequent landing teams had to be placed and grouped, and these tasks could not be completed in a day, and until midnight the port areas of Dover and Folkestone were still a mess.

A new change took place in the command system of the German army, and Rundstead and his staff joined the Landing Group Command. The High Command has given this command a new structure, and it is of the utmost importance to maintain a unified command authority, especially before a new campaign is about to begin, and it is necessary to ensure the uniqueness and effectiveness of the order, which has a bearing on the victory or defeat of the entire landing force, and both the command and the front-line officers have a clear understanding of this.

A completely new command group had been established, and the High Command had given the landing force the designation of Army Group E, and now Rundstead and Bock each led the formation of an army group. Bock nominally continued to hold the supreme command of the landing German troops, and had the authority to deal with any problems that arose in the course of the campaign, and to manage the combat operations of all German landing forces. However, on the whole, it is still necessary to obey the command of the high command and ensure that the campaign is carried out within the framework predetermined by the high command. The High Command did not appoint a specific commander of the army group, a position that was said to have been reserved for the Great Führer, and no one could prevent him from taking the honor of English Conqueror.

The mood of the German high command at this time was a mixture of joy and worry, and the rain arrived a day earlier than the German army's scheduled time, disrupting the original order of action of the landing plan. However, due to the excellent preparation of the German army, reality showed. The heavy rain did not hinder the movement of the landing force much. The High Command's expectations can continue according to the original framework, but the timing may change, for example, some scheduled peripheral occupation operations can no longer be completed according to the original timetable.

One thing is for sure, the heavy rain also caused a lot of trouble for the British army, which lacked motor transport vehicles and struggled to move through the rain. The only thing that still worked effectively in the British transport system was their railway network, because the German landing could also be used, and the Luftwaffe's destruction of the British rail network was limited to a few secondary hubs along the coast, and the inland and London transport network remained intact.

To the surprise of the German High Command, the British did not seem to be as panicked as they had expected, and they acted as if they did not care about the German landing. Up to now. The British government still shows no signs of evacuating from the capital, and a large number of high-ranking dignitaries, including the royal family, remain in the city and have not left.

Churchill continued to send reinforcements to London, the defenders continued to expand their defensive positions on the basis of the permanent fortifications outside the city, reliable information, and the British government was also preparing to organize citizens to build and dig a system of trenches on the outskirts of the city, all of which showed that Churchill was determined to defend the imperial capital, and he was ready to fight a protracted trench defense war with the Germans outside London.

Although it is not clear where Churchill got his confidence and self-confidence, the British did show a lot more than the French, which made the Germans very happy.

Except for the trench warfare part. The rest was very good news for the Germans, and the main concern of the High Command was that the British would abandon London and move north, or even flee overseas to form a government-in-exile, although it was not an intractable problem for Xu Jun. But it's always a headache. Being able to nip the trouble in its infancy was the most appropriate solution, and now the British clearly offered the Germans this opportunity.

In the original plan of the high command, the Germans were supposed to launch the next phase of the operation on the night of the 22nd. The two armies, each from Dover and Folkestone, marched in unison, preparing to advance twenty kilometres inland in one night. Take the two major cities of Canterbury and Ashford by road, and try to take them before dawn.

Lieutenant General Mason, who surrendered, and some of his subordinate officers showed great cooperation, they provided the Germans with all the information they knew, these officers were different from those captured in Dunkirk, they had lost their way out at this time, what happened in Dover would eventually be revealed, the Germans had no obligation to cover up the scandal for them, so only the Germans won the war, the current British government fell, and Churchill and his henchmen completely disappeared from British politics, These people have the hope of regaining their careers and prospects in the new government that Germany has set up, otherwise they will have to live the rest of their lives in exile abroad, in a country that does not have an extradition treaty with Britain.

Canterbury was now an undefended city, and although there were a number of army outposts and civic garrisons around him, these troops were not even a dog in the face of the Germans. The presence of heavy artillery units in Canterbury may have hindered the attack, but the disparity in numbers was still beyond the reach of the British.

Ashford is also an important rail junction, with direct connections to London from there. Of course, this is only a conjecture, the British will definitely block the railway network between Kent and the London metropolitan area, but mastering Ashford is strategic for controlling the southern part of the United Kingdom, this hub is right in the middle of the southern railway network, and the capture of this hub will make it easy for the German army to use the British rail network to transport troops and supplies to the entire southern coastal area.

At the same time, it is also the main artery of the German army's logistics supply when launching the Battle of London in the future, the efficiency of rail transportation is much higher than that of road transportation, and it will not be affected by the weather and terrain, as long as the appropriate troops are sent to protect it, the safety of material transportation and supply can be guaranteed, and this supply line will be the guarantee of the final victory of the German army.

According to the original plan of the high command, after the capture of these two cities, the Germans would continue to work hard, and the two army groups continued to advance inland during the day on the 23rd. Rendezvous at Maidstone at noon, and spend an afternoon closing the southern gate of London, breaking through and occupying it.

According to the available information, Maidstone's British garrison would not exceed two infantry regiments, and with a lack of artillery and anti-tank weapons, it was no match for the huge Army Group E, and the battle would be overwhelming. The opinion of the high command was that the integrity of the city was completely disregarded, which meant that the German units could use firepower to completely flatten the defensive area. The opinion of the High Command and the command of the landing army group was unanimous that there was no need for the Germans to spend too much time and troops on the city. The significance of the city to the Germans was limited to an important link in the supply line. As the southern gateway to London, the Southern Railway's longitudinal line ends here, and the city's suburbs are only a short fifty kilometres from the city centre of the London metropolitan area.

For the speed of the German advance, this was only two hours at most. According to the scheduled plan, the German army will enter the suburbs of London on the night of the 23rd. According to earlier weather forecasts, the weather in southern Britain would begin to deteriorate that afternoon, and the Germans completed all the blockade work during the day on the 24th, trapping the British in their capital and waiting for the weather to improve. Then start a full-scale offensive.

Everything looked perfect, but the day after the landing went wrong, the rain fell a day earlier than scheduled, and the German plan had to be postponed by twelve hours. Anyway, the offensive on the night of the 22nd could not be completed. Guderian didn't have any temper about this, and he and Bock could only stay in the headquarters, and with a group of staff officers, they could figure out an appropriate line of attack for the next day's daytime operations. Regain some of your time.

Although the Germans will not be able to operate tonight, it does not mean that they will obediently stay where they are and do nothing, which is not in line with Guderian's character. A group of elite infantry and paratroopers was selected. They formed several reconnaissance teams and set out overnight to carry out armed reconnaissance in the direction of Canterbury, and their task was to ascertain the specific situation of the road, clear the British strongholds and checkpoints along the road, and prepare the ground for the next day's offensive.

Paratrooper Sergeant Hoffman waited anxiously at the door of the warehouse that had been used as the Ordnance Repair Station, he still had a lot of work to do, but now he was being told to wait another fifteen minutes, as the weapons for their squad were being put to the finishing touches.

The paratrooper sergeant led four of his men to drive a British Tilley, because of the limited time and the weather, they could not change the car to the German paintwork, but finally managed to erase the original British logo, painted the huge Iron Cross emblem on both sides of the door and the front radiator cover, and painted a Luftwaffe Eagle logo on the canvas rain curtain at the tail. Although the drawing method is relatively abstract, the basic outline is roughly expressed.

The paratroopers are very fond of this kind of small motor vehicle between a sedan and a pickup truck, the wide compartment behind can stack a lot of things, and it can also carry the wounded at critical moments, except for a slight lack of cross-country ability, it can be regarded as a very good military vehicle.

Hoffman had no choice but to wait obediently for the ordnance officer of the repair company to prepare the weapons that were replenished to the reconnaissance team, and the whole company was busy preparing for departure at this time, and after the problem here was solved, he had to go to the logistics department to get some spare batteries and spare parts for the radio.

"For God's sake, can you be a little faster, comrade." Hoffman looked at his wrist again, and it was less than an hour before the last sortie on the command.

"It's going to be good soon, these are the two machine guns specially approved for your team above, look at the numbers on them, and sign this list." The head of the repair station was an old lieutenant, a pure technocrist, who handed several forms to Hoffman.

"Every weapon that goes out of us has a complete file, and we are responsible for our own products. But don't use it too hard, there are only six spare barrels, and we don't have any more. Now everyone is stockpiling gun barrels, but the ordnance warehouse is still taking inventory, so don't think about taking anything out of it tonight. Sign your name here and here. When you're done, you can take the gun away immediately. You can ask your men to take those fifteen pistols first, we have just degreased them, and the firing pin has been replaced, and they are brand new, Belgian originals, very good weapons. ”

"There are still twenty submachine guns on the list, I don't know if there are any extra replacement magazines." Hoffman put the form on the desk next to him and pulled his pen from his chest pocket.

"The troops are all preparing for battle, and now they lack nothing but bullets. Your paratroopers should be supplied by the Air Force, and we will have to repay the Air Force for these supplies at that time. The troops are stockpiling ammunition and weapons, and the Panzergrenadiers are in high demand, so I can only give you forty more spare magazines, some of which have been repaired, but you have to trust our technology, and there will be no problems at all. But if you want extra gear, it's not impossible, it's all about how much you're willing to pay. The lieutenant wiped his snow-white mustache and said to Hoffman mysteriously.

"Is there anything special, this time our combat mission is very heavy." Hoffman lowered his voice to the lieutenant.

"I have some private collections, but you know the current market."

"I'll pay in cash." Hoffman pulled a roll of Mark notes from the inner pocket of his coat.

"Alright, you come inside with me." The old lieutenant looked left and right for a moment, then turned around and walked into the warehouse, anyway, it was useless to be in a hurry now, and the paratrooper sergeant followed the lieutenant into the warehouse.

The head of the repair station took the paratrooper sergeant to a 251 half-track transporter, climbed into the compartment with great difficulty, and with great difficulty opened the tailgate of the half-track.

"Oh God." Looking at the various weapons displayed on display on the interior panels of the carriage, Hoffman felt as if he had arrived in heaven.

"This is Spain's latest Atlas automatic pistol, a replica of the Mauser pistol, but the performance is good, thirty rounds in bursts, and the firepower is fierce. Let's take a look at this American-made Model 1911, the caliber is powerful and powerful, and it can take down a strong man like you with one shot, which was obtained from the French, almost never used, and is worthy of a hundred rounds of ammunition. You can come back to me when you're done, and we can also provide maintenance and repair services. ”。 (To be continued......)