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Chapter 1745 and Light and Dust

On August 15, 1939, three days after Operation Eagle Day, the Luftwaffe's attack on Britain entered the craziest moment since the implementation of the air war. Pen, fun, pavilion www. biquge。 info

On this day, the Luftwaffe poured out, and more than 4,000 warplanes, based on the European continent, rushed to the British Isles like a wave.

Because Luftwaffe Commander Goering made meticulous preparations in advance, took advantage of the superior performance of the S3 high-altitude reconnaissance plane, spent a full week conducting detailed reconnaissance and photographing of various strategic points in Britain, and designated a number of sites that must be destroyed, the British army, navy, and air force fell into an existential crisis for a time.

At seven o'clock in the morning Berlin time, shortly after dawn, the first batch of 385 fighters of the German Air Force, including 10 reconnaissance planes, 220 bombers, 120 fighters, and 35 torpedo planes, took off from various Belgian airfields and flew toward the southeastern part of Britain.

In the previous contest, the Luftwaffe's radio directional beacon navigation system was cracked by the British side, and radio stations called "Mecon" were set up in various parts of Britain, which amplified the received German radio signals and then broadcast them from Britain, thus leading German fighters astray and causing operational mistakes. After drawing lessons from the failures, the Luftwaffe adopted a brand-new navigation system -- the beam guidance device, which can emit radio beams, and German fighters can follow this mysterious shooting device to grasp the course and find targets, and carry out relatively accurate bombing on the ground.

The British coastal radar has long been destroyed in the continuous bombing, and now it is the vehicle-mounted radar exported to Britain by South China that plays a role, and the fighters owned by the Luftwaffe discovered the Luftwaffe's attempt at the first time they took off, and immediately made a targeted layout, and when the Luftwaffe was crossing the English Channel, the planes that the British were facing had taken off from the ground.

The Luftwaffe's coastal radar is also clear about the dynamics of the British Air Force, and it only needs to know from the movement of the British Air Force that the other side still has surviving radars, but helplessly, up to now, the German bombers have basically blown up the radar base stations near the British coastline, and even the iron frame on which the radar is set has been blown up, but the British can still capture the information of the Air Force in advance, so the Luftwaffe has no choice but to list the British airfield as a first-class bombing target.

Bombing Britain from the European continent, the short time spent in the air was a big problem.

Whether it is Messerschmitt BF109 or BF111 "Destroyer", the air time in the British Isles cannot exceed 40 minutes, and it is good to say that in the southern region, once the bombing of Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham and other cities in the central part of the UK, the air time will be shortened to 20 minutes, and because of the fast speed of the fighters, once the bomber group sails, the air time will be shortened accordingly.

Taking advantage of this weakness, the British Air Force first sent a small number of fighters to engage with the fighters escorted by the Luftwaffe, and then chased the Luftwaffe fighters when they needed to return home, and at the same time sent another group of fresh forces to deal with the Luftwaffe bombers.

In order to cope with the piecemeal tactics of the British, they divided the fighters into several strategic clusters, and set the time for the fighters to strike according to the time spent in the air over the British Isles, and alternately covered the bombers.

Therefore, as early as when the first batch of fighters arrived over Britain, the second batch of fighters in Belgium had already taken off, and in the skies over the English Channel, they just collided head-on with the fighters pursued by the British.

While the fighters were fighting each other, the first wave of German bombers struck eight British airfields in the southeast and five aircraft factories that were trying to resume production, while torpedo planes attacked British ships cruising in the Strait of Dover, English Channel, and the North Sea, serving as early warning equipment, resulting in two destroyers being torpedoed and sunk, and four wooden fishing boats being shattered and capsized by a dense rain of bullets fired from the noses of torpedo planes.

At half past seven in the morning, the second wave of German strike planes took off from the airfield on the border between France and Belgium and flew again to the British mainland.

The second wave of aircraft bombarded major cities in the southeast of Britain, focusing on striking government buildings, military factories, power stations, waterworks, oil refineries, stations along the railway, bridges, warehouses and barracks in London, Maidstone, Dover, Margate, Medway, Grace and other towns, so as to strike at the British people's will to resist and destroy the British army's sources of war materials.

The third and fourth waves took off from northern and central France at 8:30 a.m. and pounced on Britain at 8:30 a.m. respectively.

The objective of this wave of aircraft is to bomb Brighton, Portsmouth, Southampton, Bonemouth, Plymouth, and other port cities in southern Britain, and to bomb as many ships anchored in the harbor as possible, so as to create conditions for the landing of the Army and Navy after the Air Force has full control of air supremacy in the English Channel.

The German bombers took off and landed, while the pilots of the fighters worked much harder, and the bombers generally went back and forth twice, and the fighters had to fly and land at least three times. The Germans had radar that could detect the movements of British fighters, and the British knew the direction of German fighters well, so the result was fierce air battles one after another, and the Luftwaffe, which had a numerical advantage, gradually controlled air supremacy in southern Britain.

By the night of 15 July, all the airfields in the southern part of Britain had been destroyed, and the fighters were forced to retreat to the central part of the United Kingdom, where they relied on radar instructions to meet the enemy.

On the 15th alone, 221 British fighters were shot down and 74 were wounded, and the number of German fighters that had been carefully prepared for the war was only half of the damage caused by Britain.

At the same time, under the bombardment of German warplanes, a total of one cruiser, five destroyers, and more than 20 auxiliary ships were destroyed among the ships anchored in various ports, either broken and completely disintegrated, or broken in two and sunk into the port, and the British Royal Navy had to urgently withdraw from the English Channel and retreat to the Irish Sea.

On this day, almost the eyes of the whole world were fixed on the British Isles, and as the German government continued to publish new war reports, the losses of the British air force, army, and navy were quickly put in front of the eyes of the people of the world by the media. Especially when the photos of Buckingham Palace, Westminster Palace, Whitehall, the City of the City, the Tower of London, and Big Ben in London, the capital of the United Kingdom, were released, almost the whole world unanimously agreed: Once the German army launched a sea crossing operation, the fall of Britain was almost inevitable!

......

In the wee hours of the morning, in the dead of night.

In Madagascar, all the ships in the berths of the military port of Tuamasina fell into a deep sleep, except for the constant sound of the sea crashing against the coastal reef.

On the ocean outside the harbor, the shadows of ships can be seen from time to time, and the silhouettes of cruisers and destroyers can be seen from time to time, passing through the darkness. According to the regulations, the fleet must keep half of its warships in a cruising state in order to respond to a crisis that could occur at any time.

A kilometre from the base of the military port is a Victorian-style villa, which was the residence of a Chinese plantation owner, but is now a secret meeting place for French admirals.

In the brightly lit hall, the Chief of Staff of the Indian Ocean Fleet of the French Navy, Afron. Major General Leiboelle took a greedy sip of a glass of wine in his hand, and then said loudly with a flushed face: "Ladies and gentlemen, as expected, in today's air battle in Britain, the British were completely defeated, and under the bombardment of Germany, they had no ability to resist, and the air supremacy of their territory was completely in the hands of the Germans.

"Although thousands of miles away, we can fully imagine that once we surrender to the British, our fleet will not only be sent to the Seychelles to engage in an unprecedentedly fierce battle with the powerful *** navy, which has just defeated the British Navy's Eastern Fleet at the beginning of the year, and survive by chance, but will also be quickly transferred north to the English Channel to guard against a possible landing operation by Germany. If the Germans have landed successfully, then we will have to cut off the Germans' sea transportation lines at the risk of bombers dropping strings of bombers, and our only fate will be total annihilation! ”

"Yes, judging from the development of the situation, this is by no means unfounded!"

Fleet Operations Staff Officer. Brigadier General Sanleko held a cigar in his hand, took a long puff of his cigarette, and said with resentment: "The fleet is on its way to destruction, and if we don't reverse this situation in time, it won't be long before we can only meet in heaven!" Alas, Commander Laborde was so authoritarian that he didn't listen to us at all! In the past few days, he has even sent people to monitor our movements...... I've had enough of him! ”

Admiral Esteva, the plenipotentiary representative of South China who was invited to attend the gathering, saw that his mood was almost brewing, stood up and toasted a glass of wine to everyone, and after drinking it all, he said:

"Generals, it's not that I'm alarmist, just now the two generals Leboelle and Sanleko said that the consequences are still relatively light. There is reason to fear that if Laborde hooks up with the British, everyone here will be purged in order to secure control of the fleet...... Whether it's Commander Laborde, or the British who ultimately benefit, they need to keep the fleet firmly in their hands!

"By all indications, Commander Laborde has decided to stand out from the crowd, and Chancellor Petain and His Excellency Darlan, Minister of the Navy and Commander-in-Chief of the Navy, have lost effective control of the fleet, and judging by what Admiral Laborde said and done, he is inclined to become the leader of a third power in France with the support of the British, and to lay the ladder for him to rise to the rank and fortune with the blood of his fellow naval colleagues! At this time, it is time for everyone to make a decision! ”

"That's right, the situation is indeed critical!" Fleet Communications Staff Officer Andrew. Brigadier General Yamena put down the teacup in his hand that exuded *** incense, and said solemnly:

"Fortunately, the Fleet's communications department has not received a reply from the British until now, and we have listened to the Governor's Palace's telecommunications signal and found no anomalies, which proves that the personnel sent by Laborde have not yet contacted the British, and we still have time to react.

"Gentlemen, if Laborde had been promised by the British to speak openly to the officers and men of the navy, it would have been difficult for us to save ourselves, for for the hypocritical promises of the British are still very attractive to many, especially with the Yankees standing behind them!"

"But—"

Rear Admiral Maldini, commander of fleet aviation, said with some caution: "Now that Laborde has the allegiance of a number of admirals, the marines in his hands, and the colonial army of Madagascar in the hands of his ally, Governor Armand, how can we persuade him to change his mind?" ”

"Don't worry too much about this!"

Admiral Esteva, the representative of South China, said: "Actually, we represent the core strength of the Indian Ocean Fleet here!" As long as everyone is determined and works together, Laborde doesn't have many hole cards in his hand..... The colonial army consisted of only 2,000 Malagasy natives and 4,000 Senegalese soldiers, plus more than 200 officers of French origin. ”

Deputy Commander of the Fleet Provan. Lieutenant General Grillio asked, "Your Excellency, do you want us to speak out against Laborde?" The French Navy has never had a tradition of betrayal, and if this precedent is set, how can we lead our troops to fight in the future, and let our subordinates admonish us? ”

"Betrayal!?"

Esteva shook his head vigorously: "Is the Vichy government, led by Marshal Pétain, openly surrendering to Germany?" Was de Gaulle, who was promoted by Marshal Petain, but who raised the banner of 'Free France' in London, considered a betrayal? Was Laborde's attempt to stand on his own feet against the orders of Marshal Petain and Admiral Darlan? Now, what you need is not these hypocrisy, but to save yourself from the tragic fate that is about to be!

"There has always been only one voice allowed in the army, and some time ago, your opinions were at odds with Laborde, and Laborde was under pressure to do anything to you, but as long as the British have the backing and his strength is strengthened, you may be imprisoned at any time. Have you ever thought about the family waiting for you to go back at Nanhua's house? Have you ever thought about the families of those admirals?

"Since ancient times, history has been written by the victors. Our powerful South China Army is currently advancing towards Karachi, and within a week it is expected to take the largest port city in western India and within a month to take control of Mumbai and the Persian Gulf. If you lead your ships north, it will greatly speed up our conquest of India and the Persian Gulf, and at that time, both the Persian Gulf and the Kempard Gulf will become an incomparably safe inland sea because of the powerful air force of South China.

"Let's not forget that our government has solemnly promised that once the fleet returns to the north, every admiral here will be paid millions of dollars, and he can choose to continue serving in the navy, or he can invest in a factory, become an industrialist, and with this huge amount of money, start a business house and lay the foundation of a business empire. It can be said that as long as you choose to join the South China Navy, glory and wealth will be at your fingertips, on the contrary, if you join the British Navy, you will get nothing but become miserable cannon fodder. ”

Everyone was breathing heavily.

The current French navy is struggling to survive between Germany and England, and in fact, most of the admirals have lost their so-called national pride and pride, and they do not attach so much importance to what is traditional to keep.

If you think of the people at the top of the pyramid in the Vichy government, groveling before the Germans, and then looking at De Gaulle walking between the royal family and the British government in London, begging his father to tell his grandmother, just to be recognized by the Allies, you will know that the French have long lost face, and now they can only be moved by interests.

Admiral Laborde, the commander of the fleet, had a very good idea, he succeeded in ascending to the throne with the help of the British, and became the savior of the country and the nation, even if he failed, he could hide in the French colonies in the Americas, and taste the taste of the emperor under the protection of Britain and the United States, but he could pay too little benefit to his generals, and he was unwilling to share power, and he only thought of himself from beginning to end, so it is no wonder that the generals deviated from Germany!

Seeing that everyone was a little moved, Esteva decided to add a surprise message: "Everyone, Marine Corps Commander Montini. Colonel Varga, in fact, has already stood with us, and because of his very special status, it is difficult to meet with you, but he promises that once you make a choice, he will definitely help you.

"Tell you the truth, about Admiral Labor's trip to Antananarivo to meet with Governor Armand is Montini. Colonel Varga revealed, so we can hold this gathering today with confidence. Half of the 3,000 officers and men of the Marine Corps are tired of fighting, and the remaining half hate to work with the British, who betrayed France, but now the future of France and our fleet is uncertain, and they cannot choose their own fate, so they can only give the opportunity to choose in the hands of all of you!

"At present, there are many people in the fleet who share the same idea as the Marine Corps, but so far, there has not been a leader or a leading group...... I think as long as you stand up and raise your arms and shout, you will inevitably respond to the tide, such a good opportunity, I really don't want you to let it go so easily......"

Provence. Vice Admiral Grillio asked, "I wonder if the South China side will keep their promise after we pass with the fleet, and what if they break their promise?" ”

Esteva said with a smile: "It's normal for people to be worried, but I don't think it's necessary! Take me as an example, when I was deceived by the Kinsor guy, my heart was full of resentment, and I complained many times about the betrayal of that guy, but after living in South China for a while, especially visiting the estates, trading houses and factories of French immigrants, and spending a few months in the shipyards with workers with dual French and South Chinese citizenship, I suddenly became interested in what was happening on that land.

"Whether you believe it or not, I have to tell you that the first batch of officers and men who chose to join the South China Navy are now doing well, they have served as fleet commanders, chief of staff, captains, first mates and other positions, and those who don't like to fight have also served as instructors in the naval academy to train naval talents for South China! The South China Navy, which was formed with the French Navy as its blood, bones and soul, is developing at an unprecedented high speed!

"The land of South China is full of vitality, which is very different from the old and rotten smell I feel on the land of France, I love that strong and powerful atmosphere, so after hesitating for half a year, I finally chose to join the South China Navy and was quickly awarded the post of deputy commander! Think about it, even an old and rotten person like me has been so reused, if you were in the past, what would it be?

"I'll talk about your future. Now Nanhua vigorously develops the navy, almost all shipyards have shipyard workers from France, almost every month there are new ships launched, up to now, Nanhua's shipbuilding industry has completed the early technology accumulation, has been able to manufacture warships below 50,000 tons, France's excellent shipbuilding technology, in Nanhua has been continued and developed.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I believe everyone knows very well the current situation of the French Navy, since the local shipyards have basically been occupied by the German army or stopped production, sinking one ship is one less, do you expect the British and the Americans? It was too late for them to replenish their own ships, it was simply impossible to supply us with warships. One day the ships are all gone, and you are unemployed, and your families are still waiting for your salary to support your family.

"Before I rushed to Europe, Chairman An Yi personally promised me that after you arrive in South China, if you are not willing to go to sea, you can choose to enter the naval academy to teach, or serve as an instructor on a training ship, and if you are still willing to serve in the front-line forces of the Navy, in the future, the South China Pacific Fleet, the Indian Ocean Fleet, the Persian Gulf, the Beibu Gulf, the South China Gulf Fleet and other special fleets will be at your disposal, and the official position is definitely not under the present.

"South China is a brand new and vibrant country with a first-class army and air force, and with a strong navy, the future is limitless. Chairman An Yi promised that if France succeeds in recovering in the future, he will allow us to leave the South China Navy and join the French Navy, so that the bloodline of the French Navy will be carried forward in its own country! ”

The generals looked at each other, and they all felt that Nanhua had done everything that could be done, which could be described as full of sincerity.

On the one hand, the British Navy does not allow a naval force that may fall to Germany at any time, on the other hand, the Germans are not worried about the strength of the French Navy, and are always trying to disarm the South China Navy in order to strengthen the German Navy, but the weak Nancy government is powerless about this, and there are many contradictions within the top management.

Provence. Lieutenant General Grillio finally said: "Well, I agree to admonish Admiral Laborde, I wonder who else wants to act with me?" ”

With a leader, things are easy to do, and the chief of staff of the fleet, who has Jewish roots, is Aphron. Major General Leiboelle raised his hand: "I do!" ”

Andrew Anderson, the communications staff officer of the fleet, who had been bought by huge sums of money long ago. Brigadier General Yamena also raised his hand: "I want to participate in the grand event!" ”

Fleet Operations Staff Officer Mellor, whose heart is full of family. Brigadier General Sanleko likewise raised his hand: "I agree!" ”

Subsequently, the commander of the fleet aviation, Rear Admiral Maldini, and the captain of the battleship "Richelieu", Rose . Rear Admiral Nadir and captain of the battleship "Lorraine" Marseille. Rear Admiral Ambervie, Fleet Flight Staff Officer Easter. Brigadier General Brück and more than 20 other generals and colonels all voted in favor.

At this point, Esteva finally put his mind at ease and smiled happily.

Esteva, who was first captured and then took refuge in South China, has a dark psychology, that is, to pull as many French naval admirals as possible to South China as colleagues, so that everyone will be traitors in the future, and the eldest brother will naturally sublimate emotionally, not to mention the second brother. He went on a mission this time, and An Yi gave a reward of five million US dollars, that is, if he can successfully pull the Indian Ocean Fleet to South China, then his personal account will be added to seven figures, becoming a huge wealth in the true sense.

No one is going to be unhappy with money, especially for the French nowadays, everything is fake, money is real, and perhaps this is also the true idea of all the people present at the conference.

A group of people then began to negotiate with each other, and finally came up with a concrete plan of action before dawn, deciding to wait for Laborde to return to the port of Tuamasina and start the operation. After taking control of Laborde, in the name of the fleet headquarters, he dispatched troops to lure the British Navy and the *** Navy to fight, and then the main force of the fleet quietly transferred from Mauritius to the Chagos Islands to the north and marched towards the South Asian subcontinent.

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