37 battlefield changes

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But it would be a joke to calculate the endurance of the opposing generals, and accurately judge how long the enemy will endure after the ultimatum.

Li Le not only "speculated" the exact outbreak time of the Battle of Oran, but also accurately reached the time point of 17:54 in the afternoon of the same day.

Because Li Le had not yet changed any decision that was enough to determine the direction of the war, the British H Fleet came to the waters near Oran in full accordance with the prior historical script.

"Rest easy! The Führer has already received definite information, and the other side will not open fire before 17 o'clock in the afternoon! Believe me! The German SS officer said confidently.

He did not believe yesterday that the Führer would be able to make such an accurate judgment, but when the British fleet arrived at 9 o'clock this morning, he had already decided to worship the Führer as a god.

"How is this possible! You know, the British ultimatum has passed! You haven't done anything other than sent a very formal telegram asking for support. "The French officers were about to be driven crazy by what they saw.

He was not a strategist, and he certainly didn't know when the British would open fire. He could only wait anxiously, grasping the last straw given by the Germans.

General Surr waited with the same anxiety, the British fleet was quite large this time, and certainly not something that the French could face alone.

The entire British H Fleet included the battleships Warrior and Resolute, the battlecruiser HMS Hood, the aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal, as well as 2 cruisers and 11 destroyers.

The French Navy's French battleships in the port of Kebir are only two battleships Brittany and Provence, as well as the battlecruiser Dunkirk, which can be regarded as combat power.

On the other hand, even if the French had as many fleets as the British, they did not have the courage to fight the British fleet head-on.

A hundred years of maritime supremacy allowed the British to discount the backbone of the French and German navies, which was the advantage of the British navy, and it was quite enormous.

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On the other hand, the Italian fleet was also taken aback by the size of the British fleet, even though it was known that there were two battleships and one battlecruiser Hood, but when it came to the real face, the Italian naval commanders were still very nervous.

"Will the French really flank the British with us?" The commander of the Italian fleet asked hesitantly as he looked at the German officer beside him.

His fear was also very obvious, if the French had the wrong brain, surrendered to the British, and fought a decisive battle with the Italian navy with their backs to the seaport - then the Italian navy would be completely finished.

"We still have a killer weapon, what are you afraid of?" The German officer put down his binoculars and pretended to speak.

In fact, the distance between them and the British fleet was so far that they could not see each other with a telescope.

And the first task of their fleet was not to go up to a decisive battle with the British fleet, but to prepare to enter later and "grab the head".

However, the commander of the Italian Navy still felt that this combat operation was very dangerous, and people had to make their own decisions carefully.

He had all the belongings of the Italian Navy in his hands, and if something happened, even if Mussolini hanged him, it would be useless.

In fact, he had no hope at all for the so-called flanking attack of the French, and his best hope was for the French fleet to stand on the sidelines and not interfere.

The Italian commander knew that he had prepared a killer plan in advance, and if it weren't for these killer features, he might have ordered the fleet to turn around and retreat long ago.

In his opinion, it would be safer to sell the French fleet directly than to help the French fight a war of attrition.

If the French fleet could sink or seriously damage some of the British ships in the course of the resistance, it would be a satisfying situation for the Italian navy.

As for such a thing as saving the French fleet, the commander of the Italian Navy felt that he really had nothing to do with it.

Time unconsciously, in the process of everyone's nervousness, it has reached the more tangled position of 17 o'clock.

The French in the harbor were already waiting to the brink of collapse, knowing that the battle could start at any moment, but all they could do was wait anxiously.

Two battleships and one battlecruiser were already loaded with shells and awaited the battle that belonged to them.

And in the same way, the British Navy's H fleet, cruising on the sea, can't wait.

The spies they planted in Italy had already confirmed the fateful news at this time: the main force of the Italian fleet had left the military port, and it was unknown where the other side was.

Commander of the H Fleet, James? Somerville had ordered the Ark Royal to take off two reconnaissance planes to alert the Italian Navy to where it might be, but to no avail.

In his opinion, since he had given the French fleet an ultimatum at 9 a.m., it was highly likely that the French would really defect to the Axis powers and call in the Italian fleet.

"Can't wait any longer! We are in danger right now! Somerville said to his lieutenant with a frown.

Unbeknownst to Le, his mobilization of the Italian fleet eventually aroused the vigilance of the British, and changed some important decisions in the Battle of Oran.

If he had known that such a slight change would cause a butterfly effect, he would not have been sure that the naval battle would break out at 17:54.

The British Navy began to prepare for its own artillery bombardment, and Somerville gave the order to his fleet to fire the shelling punctually at 17:30.

At the same time, the Italian fleet began to outflank along the Spanish coastline, making a detour in preparation to block the retreat of the British fleet.

If they pick up combat effectiveness, they actually have a certain gap with the British fleet, and even in the quality of the battleships, the Italians do not have much advantage.

They relied only on the pre-prepared killer weapon and the cooperation of the French fleet.

"Boom!" At 17:31, the battlecruiser Hood finally broke its silence and fired the first shell at the French battleship in the harbor with its terrible 381 mm guns.

After a long distance, the shell landed on the water in the harbor of Kebir, splashing a column of water dozens of stories high.

Everyone became nervous, and at the same time, everyone's hanging hearts finally let go. The process of waiting for the war to start is painful, but when the actual fight starts, it is more relaxed.

Since the battle has already broken out, there is not so much to look forward to, and the rest is simple, just fight back and pray.

"Boom!" On the battleship Warrior, the same 15-inch cannon fired flames, and a shell also fell into the French port of Kebir, hitting the sea not far from the French battleship.

Apparently the British were adapting their shots, attacking fixed targets, and the battleships on the sea were very accurate, thanks to the expensive and huge sighting systems on the ships.

Of course, part of the credit goes to the British reconnaissance plane, which was correcting its shooting over French ports.

The French, as in history, did not sit idly by, but began to return fire fiercely with their own cannons at the British battleships.

It's a pity that their return fire accuracy is not as high as that of the British, after all, the gap between the French Navy and the British Navy is not small when it comes to training.

"The British opened fire! The British opened fire! Inside the harbor, the French soldiers screamed loudly, still unable to believe what they were seeing.

A few weeks ago, they had been identified allies with the British, but now the British were attacking their harbors and warships.

"Fire back! These damn Brits! "M? let Sur know that this time the British are really going to attack themselves.

He had many options to choose from, such as surrendering to the British, or choosing to believe in the promises of the Germans, believing that German support would come as scheduled.

Now it seems that he has to rely on himself to get through the difficulties in front of him.

After his country had been defeated by the Germans, he had to endure the betrayal of his former allies, and alone, like Joan of Arc, he fought on his faith.

"The Germans and Italians are unreliable! All they think about every day is the annexation of our French warships! "M?let Sur curse hatefully.

He looked at the shells that landed next to his battleship and added: "The British are also a pack of wolves!" They have forgotten even basic morality! ”

The British apparently cared more about the French battleships, and the shells focused on the French battleship Brittany. The battleship did not hold out long before being hit in the side by a British shell.

Although the huge explosion did not really destroy the French battleship, it also shocked the French sailors into a cold sweat.

Because of the proximity of the explosion, the steel plates on the side of the Brittany were somewhat deformed, but the arrogant French were still firing fiercely, firing fiercely in the direction of the British fleet.

Although these shells did not cause any real damage to the British, they showed the attitude of the French navy, who were a pack of arrogant Gallic roosters who would not bow to anyone.

At 17:34, the advancing Italian naval fleet received the exact news of the outbreak of the Battle of Oran.

At this time, they are still a long way from the battlefield.