The sound of Christmas carols still echoes in the ears, and the crowing of the rooster reminds people that a new day has arrived.

"Merry Christmas!" Whether it is the British in the shadow of war, the Germans who are accustomed to victory and are eagerly awaiting the end of the war with a historic victory, or the United States, Canada and other countries far away from the battlefield, the most important thing for people to get up is to warm greetings to each other.

"Merry Christmas, British!" A German private did not rush to brush his teeth and wash his face after coming out of the barracks, but shouted to the other side of the strait, and the German soldiers around him immediately burst into laughter, and many people followed his example and shouted loudly to the other side.

"The snow has stopped!" After getting up, Chen Tian was pleasantly surprised to find that the wind and snow outside the window had stopped, and the world wrapped in silver makeup became so clear in front of people's eyes. For him and the German army, it was undoubtedly the best Christmas present.

When Chen Tian came to the restaurant in a happy mood, his generals were already happily waiting there.

"Your Highness......" Hoffman, who looked excited, was about to say something, but Chen Tian signaled that he had something to say.

He put his right hand on his heart, straightened his chest, and said to the generals seriously and solemnly, "Everyone, the heavens have favored us!" The rest is up to us! We are the Royal Beast Legion, let the world tremble under our name! ”

"Royal Beast Army, fearless and courageous!" Everyone present stood up and shouted the slogan of the 8th Army in unison. For them, the real battle is finally coming.

"The ministries began to assemble at the predetermined port!" With a wave of his hand, Chen Tian gave the final order to prepare before the battle.

"Yes!" The generals didn't care about the breakfast in front of them, and they left the cafeteria one after another to go to their respective troops. Previously, for the sake of secrecy, the landing force of the 8th Army was stationed on the line of Saint-Brieuc and Saint-Mano in France, while the 5th Army of Hindenburg was stationed on the line of Dunkirk, France and Ostend, Belgium, which were not equal to their embarkation locations. The troops would also be massively mobilized before the landing in order to confuse the British as to the place of the landing. Therefore, after the end of the French War, Germany invested a lot of manpower in restoring and perfecting the railway lines along the French coast, so that the German troops could be quickly mobilized and assembled.

The real assembly point of the 8th Army, known as the "Royal Beast Army", was the Normandy area of France, and the German transport ships responsible for transporting the landing force would carry the 200,000 soldiers and most of the equipment of this army group in Caen and Le Havre.

The 5th Army, led by the veteran Hindenburg, was assembled in Calais, France.

Chentian's infantry will carry enough ammunition and dry rations for two days of combat, each light machine gun will be allocated an average of 5,000 rounds of ammunition after landing, and the heavy machine gun will be 8,000 rounds, and each gun will be equipped with about 600 shells, which is the supply of ordinary German artillery for one and a half to two days under normal conditions, and each tank, armored car, motorcycle, and truck will have an additional 3 ammunition bases in addition to the ammunition they originally carried, and fuel will allow these mechanized equipment to advance to at least 50 miles from the beach.

Of course, all this is on the premise that all the ships carrying the first wave of landing troops and supplies are safely carrying men and equipment to the beach, and if some transport ships are sunk on the way, the rationing of the landing force will naturally be affected. In the best case, Tatsuten and his troops can hold on to the beach for 2-3 days, but if the British launch a series of fierce attacks, the consumption of ammunition will be accelerated, and the time that the landing force can hold will be reduced accordingly.

The German soldiers stepped on the heavy snow and boarded the train one after another to their respective assembly points, accompanied by tanks, armored vehicles, artillery and other heavy equipment and various supplies.

Compared to the sunny weather on both sides of the English Channel, the snow is still flying in the Atlantic Ocean at this time.

On the conning tower of the German submarine U-039, Dönitz stands silently in the wind and snow. The telescope on his chest had accumulated a thin layer of snow, and he had no need to use the telescope when he looked at the sea in front of him, which was extremely low-visage.

"It seems that God has not been watching over us all along!" Dönitz was frustrated to himself that in such a state of sea, even if the British special fleet passed several miles past him, the white snowflakes and the howling wind would work together to prevent him from discovering the fleet. As a result, the distance between the warning submarines would be shortened, and the warning range would be reduced, and the return of the British fleet to home would be undesirable for the German navy.

"Have U-053 and U-062 arrived at their intended location?" Dönitz shouted to his communications officer that the two were the submarines that had been sent to the Iceland-Britain route to be on guard.

The communications officer did not give good news, "Not yet!" It is estimated that the wind and waves over there are relatively large, and their speed is not as fast as expected! ”

"Stay tuned!" Dönitz didn't believe in the ethereal hunch, but he felt that it would be a very difficult search battle.

Coincidentally, Shepper was also worried about the prospects of this operation, as the snow and waves had kept his reconnaissance plane out for several days, and his raiding fleet was like a person with deep myopia having his eyes removed, waiting for the other party to come close.

"General, on behalf of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, he sends a telegram wishing the officers and men of our fleet a Merry Christmas on behalf of His Majesty the Emperor and all the officers and men of the army, and that we will be able to achieve a brilliant naval victory before the main force lands in England."

Sheppel took the telegram, and the last few words made him feel a lot more relieved, "Even if the British fleet is lucky enough to slip past your resistance, the Empire will not forget your professionalism in braving the wind and snow to stick to your posts at sea, and you will always be the proudest warriors of the Empire!" ”

"Because of this, we better get the Churchill fleet out and beat it up, which can be regarded as a big gift from the navy to the landing army units!" Shepar carefully folded the telegram and slipped it into his pocket, intending to store it away as a Christmas card for him and the raiding fleet.

Of course, other high-ranking generals who stuck to their posts also received Chentian's "greeting cards", some of them were greatly encouraged, and some of them were as calm as water.

"General, except for the two submarines temporarily transferred to the Iceland-Britain route, all the other submarines have entered the predetermined alert position!" The adjutant then reported a telegram from the submarine formation.

"Excellent! With such a large fleet, especially dozens of transports, I would like to see how capable he Churchill is of great ability to bring them back to England without even knowing it! ”

At this time, Churchill had been in politics for many years, and his ability to command a fleet had only decreased, but he had made great progress in strategy. He had just received a telegram from the British royal family and the Admiralty, and immediately conveyed the congratulatory message of the king and the admiralty to the officers and men of the fleet, which eased the tense atmosphere in the fleet, and the morale of the sailors was greatly increased.

Looking at the white curtain of wind and snow on the sea, Churchill's heart was both excited and apprehensive, this kind of sea condition was exactly what he wanted to see the most, according to the plan this fleet entered the area infested by German ships at night, and it was more difficult for the Germans to detect them under the cover of night. However, once this fleet was discovered by German submarines, night and wind and snow would also provide good cover for the German torpedo track, and only 30 percent of the ships in this fleet were equipped with hydrophones and depth charges before the hasty departure, and the sailors were still very new to these two weapons, and most of them had zero experience in submarine warfare.

At this time, Churchill was more like a big gambler who bet all his money on the table, either going bankrupt or fighting to become famous.

The snow in the sun reflected a blinding white glow, and Cullen and the others remained in the middle of nowhere. For these commandos who have been rubbing shoulders with death, they can finally take a good rest. First, the clear tasks they were given had been successfully completed, and second, the British troops outside were hunting them down, and all they had to do now was to stay here and rest in peace. Captain Xie Ding had already left in the night, and he went to the secret location to contact the higher order to receive instructions on what to do next.

"Send them something to eat!" Cullen handed half a plate of bread and beef to a commando and told him to bring them to the farmer's family, who were locked up in the basement. If the assault team can stay here safely until the main force lands, then there is no need to take the life of the British.

"The gap between people, why is it so big?"

Thinking of the old Englishman and his family, Halim felt very strange. The Englishman was so bad that they opened the door and complained until the commandos put their guns on their heads, and the Britons quieted down.

"So they got the punishment they deserved!" Cullen said as he shoved a piece of chicken into his mouth, the wounded spy insisted that the wounded man should eat as much as he could, and had not left the table since morning, much to the horror of his stomach.

"It seems that the British are generally not of good character, so God has made us Germans punish them!" After expressing pity for the British, Halim worried about his companion again, "By the way, the captain went to contact his superiors this time, and he should be able to know the situation of Second Lieutenant Tobias and the blocking force!" ”

"There should be no problem! If nothing else, the captain will also bring back the intended landing site of the Airborne Forces this time, and our mission is to get there and get ready! If not, we'll have to travel overnight tomorrow! ”

In contrast to the laid-back mood of the German commandos, the British Home Defense Command was busy. Early in the morning, the British spies were surprised to find that the German troops along the French coast had moved on a large scale, and this kind of large-scale movement made the British generals scratch their heads, and the only thing they could be sure of was that the German army was about to attack.

"Judging by all the previous signs, I think the Germans are ready to land on Brighton Beach!" This was the opinion of Field Marshal Haig, commander-in-chief of the British Army, and many army generals agreed.

"Don't forget, there is a German detachment and a number of steamers stationed in the port of Calais, and I think it is quite possible that the Germans will land at Dover! Moreover, the German fleet had previously shelled the fortress of Dover, and had also sent infiltration troops to carry out sabotage there. Until now, our defense in Dover has not been 100% restored to what it was before the German bombardment. Field Marshal Kitchener, Secretary of War of England, was concerned about the defence of Dover, which was the closest point of the British mainland to the French coast, and which the Germans could reach from Calais in an hour or two.

"According to reliable intelligence, the German 5th Army, known as the 'German Quasi-Guards', was deployed in Dunkirk and Ostend opposite Dover! The Germans landed from there, and the convoy was less threatened by our fleet than at Brighton Beach! Lord Fisher, Lord Lord of the Admiralty and Commander of the British Home Fleet, agreed with Kitchener, but not many agreed with him on his reasoning, as long as the Germans were willing, even if they landed at Plymouth, the base of the British Home Fleet, and the few dilapidated British warships did not expect even the British themselves to be a deterrent to the German Navy.

"But the possibility of a German landing on Brighton Beach and other areas cannot be ruled out! Judging by the information we have obtained, the Germans are ready to make the acting crown prince Gianlugi. William's 5th Army was responsible for the first wave of landing offensive missions, and this army group was deployed in Saint-Brieuc and Saint-Marnot in France, and opposite them was the Tobay region of our country, although the strait between them was relatively wide, but the current was relatively gentle! "As Commander-in-Chief of the Army, Haig was the front-line commander of the defensive war at home, and he had a heavier burden on his shoulders than the Minister of Army and Navy.

"Marshal, that army group is also moving on a large scale this morning! In my personal opinion, I don't think the Germans will throw their own Acting Crown Prince on our beaches first. If the landing fails, Germany will have to choose a new heir, or hope that the poor vegetative man will wake up! ”

Fisher's words made many of the generals present suspicious, and from this point of view, it was indeed possible that the Germans had adopted a deceptive strategy in the order of the landing, but the Germans' notoriously old-fashioned character did not match this.

"We'll just have to wait and see what happens!"

After whispering to each other, Haig and Kitchener finally agreed within the army that about 600,000 troops of 22 British divisions, 3 Australian divisions, 1 Anza-New Zealand mixed division, 5 Canadian divisions, and 12 Scottish cavalry regiments deployed as mobile forces in London, Reading, and Taunton remained stationary, and all Indian soldiers were reinforced to the first line of beach defenses, where they could become cannon fodder for the German fleet.

"When the special fleet commanded by Churchill returns, our navy is fully capable of cutting off the support of the German landing force from the sea!" Fisher did not forget to cheer up the generals in his command, but after two successive large-scale naval defeats in September, the army generals doubted the strength of the navy.

"The German Navy now has three aircraft carriers!"

I don't know who said it, and Fisher's eyes immediately dimmed.

By evening, most of the German troops on the French coast had been adjusted and deployed according to the plan, and the warships and transports of the German Navy had also been mobilized on a certain scale, and the British submarines took the opportunity to make a small climax, 4 French transport ships, 2 large German minesweepers and 1 German cruiser were sunk, but the German destroyers were then colored, 2 British submarines were sunk, 2 were damaged and surfaced to surrender to the German Navy.

Standing on the beach of Omaha in Normandy, looking at the slowly sinking sunset, Chen Tian had a wonderful feeling in his heart. If it hadn't broken into this world on its own, thirty years from now there would have been a massive landing operation, with tens of thousands of Allied soldiers brave the hail of bullets and bullets to land on the beaches of Normandy. Now, the German army under his command will set out from Normandy to carry out the largest landing operation in the history of the British mainland. It is a matter of great pride that all German soldiers will rush to the beaches defended by the British and their colonial legions, and that a people will challenge a mixed army of soldiers from all continents. On the other hand, this also reflects the former glory of the British Empire, but the title of the empire on which the sun never sets will soon fade with this round of sunset.

Churchill could not see the beautiful sunset in the snowy Atlantic, but the sailors at the front of his fleet saw something that was frustrating to everyone here.

"A freighter?" Churchill's eyes widened, in the vast sea, a route is not a thin line, two ships taking the same route may not be able to see each other in this sea condition, and his fleet is more than ten nautical miles away from the route of ordinary ships, it can only be said that the freighter deviated from the normal course for some reason, or specifically to avoid the possible attack of the warship of the hostile country.

"Order the 'Knight' to go up and find out the other party's identity!" Churchill and his fleet still had some hope that things would have been much easier if it had been a British or neutral freighter.

Lieutenant Colonel Reeser and his cruiser rushed towards the freighter, but the heavy snow severely affected the sight of both sides, and it was not until they were very close to the other that Reeser could see the German flag flying high on the mast of the freighter.

"Signal it to stop for inspection!" Reeser had learned this time, and he decided to send sailors to check if there were any neutral citizens above.

When Churchill learned of this, he almost vomited blood in the anger of the Canadian, and the most reasonable course of action in this case was to sink the freighter as quickly as possible, and it was the diplomats' business to see who was on it. Before the Canadian sailors boarded the ship, the German captain had already sent his discovery and location back home, and the German Admiralty had also transmitted this information to Sheppel's raiding fleet as soon as possible.

"Ha, Churchill, so you're here!"

Sheppel's frown finally relaxed, and this was the first time he had been given the exact location of the British special fleet after the "Hill" incident.