Chapter 380: Germany Fights Northern Europe and Attacks France

Just as Koji was concentrating on expanding its forces in the northeast, there was a major event in the European war situation, and France surrendered. Pen, fun, pavilion www. biquge。 info

Germany was the first to open the cracks, Denmark and Norway. Although it is a neutral country, it can fight if it wants. Because these two countries are located at the exit of Germany's sea lanes. It can not only ensure the safety of iron mines from Sweden, but also limit Britain and Soviet Russia.

At this time, France also believed that Germany would finish fighting Poland and the Soviet Union first.

Britain thinks that whoever Germany fights is far away from me.

Other countries: I am a neutral country, and no one will beat me.

Germany, on the other hand, said: "It is you who are neutrals."

The only difference from history is that Colonel de Gaulle yelled: retreat, create a second rear in sub-Saharan Africa! Many of France's bankers, businessmen, and elite classes believed him. Especially those who have ties to the African colonies, many of them go to Africa.

Let's start with the German attack on Denmark. In the early hours of April 9, 1940, German bombers suddenly appeared over Copenhagen. At the same time, the German troops, concentrated on the German-Danish border, suddenly launched an offensive against Denmark. The landing force of the German army also landed from several Danish islands.

At 4.20 a.m. that day, the German minister presented an ultimatum to the King of Denmark.

The aged King Christian X hastily convened a cabinet meeting, accepted the German ultimatum after a heated argument, and ordered the guards to lay down their arms. At 8 a.m. that day, the Danes heard the news on the radio: Denmark had accepted German protection.

It took only 4 hours for Germany to occupy Denmark.

At 5:20 a.m. on April 9, 1940, the German envoy in Oslo sent an ultimatum to the Norwegian government, demanding that Norway immediately accept German protection and reply within one hour. By this time, the German fleet had pressed into the main Norwegian ports.

King Haakon VII of Norway and members of the government did not give in, flatly rejected Deko's demands, and made radio broadcasts calling on the Norwegian army and people to rise up against the invaders. On 11 April, the German minister was ordered to send an urgent telegram asking for a second visit to the king, but was refused.

So the German fascists sent planes that night to bomb the residence of the king and the government. Just before the German air strike, the king and the government had been transferred, so they were unharmed.

Britain and France had declared war on Germany at the time of the German partition of Poland, and this time, they also entered the war. However, one of them had a certain illusion, because Germany had been spreading some news of peace.

The British and French forces were slow to move and did not begin to land in Narvik in northern Norway and Namsos in central Norway until 14 and 16 April. However, by this time, Norway had already lost too much, and withdrew from Norway in early June.

At the same time as Hitler's military offensive, he also cultivated a fifth column in Norway headed by former Defense Minister Quisling to sabotage Norway. They occupied the radio station and issued false orders ordering the fortresses and ships to surrender to the Germans.

On 7 June, the Norwegian king and government officials went into exile in London on a warship. After that, the Norwegian state leader moved to Ondalsnes on the west coast, and organized the scattered Norwegian army to put up a stubborn resistance.

Until June 10, the Germans occupied all of Norway. Quisling formed a puppet government.

On 10 May, it captured the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, and then France. This is the second stage.

It was also May 10, a big day in Britain, with the resignation of Neville Chamberlain and the formation of a cabinet by Churchill.

After the occupation of Denmark and the decisive victory in Norway, Germany decided that the time was ripe for an attack on Western Europe. By the beginning of May 1940, the German army had concentrated and deployed 136 divisions (including 10 tank divisions and 6 motorized divisions), more than 3,000 tanks, and more than 4,500 aircraft on the front line from the North Sea to Switzerland, organized into three army groups. The specific deployment is as follows:

Army Group A, commanded by Admiral Bock, was tasked with capturing all of the Netherlands and northern Belgium.

About 5 about 4 days, Hitler's order to stop the offensive of the A Corps, it was later analyzed that Hitler's order was given the following reasons: first, the Germans needed to preserve the strength of their armored forces. Secondly, the piecemeal counterattacks of the coalition forces, although not very effective. Thirdly, the commander of the Luftwaffe, Goering, assured that the Air Force could take on the task of destroying the coalition forces in the encirclement. Fourthly, there was a fear that the armored forces would be trapped in the river strip outside Dunkirk and would be bogged down in positional warfare. Finally, some argue that Hitler's withdrawal of some of the British troops to Britain would be politically conducive to negotiating peace with Britain.

Army Group B, commanded by Colonel-General Rundstedt, was tasked with carrying out an assault through Luxembourg and the Belgian English Channel, cutting off the Anglo-French forces in northern France and Belgium.

Army Group C, commanded by Admiral Leib, was deployed in front of the Maginot Line, tasked with carrying out feints to pin down the French forces along the line. In addition, the German strategic reserve consisted of 47 divisions, deployed in the Rhine region.

Fools can see that the ultimate goal is France.

The Benelux and British Expeditionary Forces have a total of 135 divisions (including 3 tank divisions and 3 motorized divisions), more than 3,000 tanks, more than 1,300 aircraft, and can also use more than 1,000 aircraft on the British mainland.

Ten Dutch divisions and 22 Belgian divisions were deployed near the country's eastern border. The British and French armies consisted of 103 divisions and three army groups, which were deployed in the northern provinces of France and the Maginot Line on the German-French border and the area east of it.

The first to end up was the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.

On May 10, 1940, the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg surrendered without a fight in the face of an attack by powerful German mechanized forces.

The German Army Group B launched an offensive towards the Netherlands and northern Belgium, and the airborne troops landed in its rear, seizing the opposing airfields, bridges, ferries and defensive support points.

It was the first campaign-scale airborne operation in World War II.

With simultaneous attacks on the front and rear, the Netherlands was plunged into chaos and panic at once. Seeing that defeat was assured, Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands and her ministers fled to England on a destroyer.

Before leaving, the Queen authorized the Commander-in-Chief of the Dutch Army, General Winkel, to surrender at such time as he thought fit. On May 15, the Netherlands announced their surrender.

In Belgium, German ground forces, with the cooperation of airborne troops, captured the fortress of Ebben-Emar on the Liège Line on May 11, and on May 17, occupied the Belgian capital Brussels. Of course, the remaining Belgian troops did not surrender until the 28th.

The only ones left are Britain and France.

The Anglo-French alliance also began to face a real test.

The German offensive against France had already begun.

In the early hours of May 10, Luftwaffe medium and dive bombers, under the effective cover of fighters, began bombing the French air base. The tarmac, runway, warehouse, etc., as the primary target, were bombed in turn, and a large number of French aircraft were destroyed on the ground. The Luftwaffe also attacked France's railway junctions and road systems in order to delay the French army.

What is interesting is the reaction of France. The French government and military authorities, fearing German retaliation, forbade French bombers to bomb German towns.

The French mind is still the idea of the First World War, and it is still pinning its hopes on the Maginot Line, hoping to win the battle on the defensive line. They were hoping that the Germans would stupidly run back to attack the fortress

In fact, the Germans planned to rely on air raids and effective cover for the main forces on the ground, concentrate their armored forces, and quickly penetrate the French hinterland along the Luxembourg border, through the Ardennes Forest, across the Maas River. Under the cover of the Air Force, the advance of the German Army went smoothly.

This time, the German army took modernization to the extreme, and in order to avoid eavesdropping, even the military orders of the troops were airdropped by the Luftwaffe to the commanders of the armored forces on the ground.