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Chapter 1758 The Task of the Navy

In the past three months, the international situation has undergone tremendous changes. Pen, fun, pavilion www. biquge。 info

As early as the Yugoslav campaign, the German offensive on Greece was launched almost simultaneously. With lightning speed, the Germans broke through the carefully managed lines of the Greek army, including the Metaxus Line, which was comparable to the Maginot Line, and divided and surrounded the Greek army.

In just 23 days, the German army occupied Athens, the capital of Greece, the Greek king and his ministers fled to Egypt, and more than 100,000 Greek troops retreated to the Middle East and North Africa on British warships.

On 3 October, the Germans used airborne troops to closely coordinate with the Italian Navy to occupy Crete and the island of Cyprus, further expanding their dominant position in the Mediterranean. In the face of the provocation of the Italian Navy, the Royal Navy fleet, which was humiliated twice by the *** Navy, had to retreat to the coast of North Africa and use land-based fighters to protect its own security.

After the Balkan War, the Allies began to divide Yugoslavia and Greece.

On 18 October, the Axis powers signed an agreement in Berlin that formally recognized the interests of Germany, Italy, Bulgaria, Romania and Greece in Yugoslavia and Greece, in which Germany incorporated most of northern Yugoslavia and Slovenia into German territory, Italy occupied the northwestern narrow strip of land linking with Albania, Hungary cut off the northeastern corner, Romania occupied part of eastern Yugoslavia, and the southeastern part became Bulgaria's trophy.

On the territory of Yugoslavia, Croatia was established as an independent state under the dual control of Germany and Italy, and the rest of the territory was occupied by German troops and Greece for the duration of the war.

Looking at the African battlefield again, starting in July, after more than five consecutive months of operations, the Italian army was defeated in successive battles, and when it had several times the enemy's superior strength, it was treated as a monkey by the British army, and successively lost more than 300,000 troops, while their opponents lost less than 2,000 men in total.

At this point, Italy lost all its colonies in East Africa, Libya in North Africa was also besieged by the British army, and Mussolini's dream of establishing an African empire was completely shattered.

In order to keep the oil fields of Libya, where oil had been extracted, Mussolini had to fly to Berlin on his own initiative and urgently ask Hitler for help.

Hitler had long waited for Mussolini to speak, and for this purpose he also specially formed the North African Corps, and without saying a word, he immediately sent Rommel to lead his troops to fight in North Africa.

It has to be said that Rommel was indeed able to fight well, and after arriving in North Africa, he quickly reversed the unfavorable situation, occupied the strategic places of Argera and Cyrenaica, and recovered Benghazi...... In November, after confirming his foothold, Rommel personally led two tank divisions and one infantry division to attack two severely weakened divisions and one brigade of the British army, and advanced out of the border of Libya and Egypt to capture Selum.

The German-Italian attack was unexpected by the British high command, and the British army was defeated in successive battles and retreated to the Egyptian border within two weeks, and finally withstood the German attack by a division and a half in Tubrug.

By early December, coalition forces were still besieging Tubrug.

Due to the long supply routes, the supply of fuel, water, and food to the German and Italian forces was extremely difficult, and Rommel's daughter-in-law could not cook without rice, and the two sides temporarily fell into a standoff.

......

Generally speaking, at the end of the 39th year, the international situation continued to develop in a direction unfavorable to the allies.

Due to the loss of Malaya, Burma, India, and Persia, the British replenishment was stretched thin. In this case, Roosevelt took the initiative to reject Churchill's kindness and give up the possession of New Zealand, but Roosevelt solemnly promised Churchill that the Philippines and Australia would be the final bottom line, and once the Japanese army crossed this bottom line, the United States would declare war on the United States, and before that, the United States would do its best to help the Commonwealth countries arm themselves and defend the peace and stability of the free world.

See how Britain was able to hold its ground under the indiscriminate bombardment of the Axis powers.

Around the time of the fall of France, all the countries of the Commonwealth passed emergency decrees, giving governments very broad powers to mobilize people and resources.

New Zealand has implemented conscription for domestic and foreign war needs, and Canada has also implemented conscription for domestic defense needs. When Italy entered the war in June, the Caribbean countries and New Zealand reinforcements that were urgently on their way to the Middle East in the Indian and Atlantic oceans were all transferred to the British Isles, where they remained in the summer and autumn when Britain was at its most dangerous.

In Britain, more than 500,000 Indian troops were still serving there, and they were integrated into various combat units on the southern coastline of Britain to guard against a possible German landing operation.

As an independent country of the British Commonwealth, although the Australian government is dissatisfied with the discrimination against Australians during the outbreak of the plague in the United Kingdom last year, the main body of its population is British, and still serves the British king as the head of state, so Australia, which still has a population of more than 3 million, has also urgently formed an army of 500,000, and men between the ages of 16 and 40 are among the recruits, some of them stay on the mainland, some of them are sent to the British Isles by water, and the last part is continuously transferred to the Middle East. to strengthen the defenses there. Australia's air force was also transferred to fight in the Middle East.

In Africa, troops from the Federation of South Africa, East Africa, and other parts of Africa were assembled, with the Royal African Rifles, the Royal West African Border Guards, and other British Army units as the backbone, and urgently organized into 20 infantry divisions, which fought against the Axis countries in Ethiopia, Egypt, and the Middle East, and achieved good results.

On the North American continent, the Canadian garrison has been sent to Iceland and the West Indies, and the number of Canadian troops stationed in Britain has also increased rapidly; so far, Canada has more than 200,000 troops overseas and more than 300,000 at home, the Canadian Navy has more than 180 ships in operation, and the Canadian Air Force has six squadrons serving in the British Isles.

The situation in the South Pacific Ocean is in turmoil, and the Dominions of Australia and New Zealand, which are close to the Lanyin Islands, have frequent activities of high-speed warships of Germany, Germany, and Italy, and since June, more than 20 ships of the British, Australian and New Zealand Dominions have been sunk, and many islands have been shelled by warships.

After all, compared with the multi-month journey to the western Indian Ocean, the South Pacific is closer and more convenient for replenishment. The United States and Britain are nervously watching every move of the *** Navy.

On the economic front, in anticipation of a war that could last a long time, the Churchill government stipulated that the Commonwealth and many other countries would have to accept a mutual agreement on the disposal of their gold and dollar reserves, so that all self-governing Dominions, as well as all dependencies, colonies and protectorates of the United Kingdom, would have to deposit in London a portion of their contingency reserves and excess bank funds, which were converted into pounds sterling.

Previously, the pound had been convertible since childhood, but as the war entered its second year, the British government realized the need to turn its assets abroad into chattels, store its dollar, Chinese dollar and gold income, and establish a foreign exchange management system. As a result of this agreement, the United Kingdom established the Sterling Area Dollar and Chinese Dollar Public Fund to pool US dollar and Chinese dollar revenues from the countries collectively known as the British Pound Zone.

The United Kingdom, which runs this public fund, acts as a bank to pay the United States dollars and Chinese dollars that the countries concerned need.

In terms of industry, due to the threat of the Luftwaffe, Britain itself could no longer produce weapons and equipment as it did before the war, and a large number of factories and enterprises began to develop rapidly in the overseas countries of the British Commonwealth, in addition to relocating to Scotland, Britain sent workers and technicians who played a key role to manage overseas factories, and many regions quickly drew up plans to expand production.

Canada, located on the North American continent, has the unique advantage of having access to the latest British science and technology and management personnel on the one hand, and relying on the strong industrial strength of the United States on the other hand, the rapid development of shipbuilding and military enterprises has so far been able to meet a quarter of Britain's total needs.

In South Africa, large-scale factories and enterprises have begun to be established to provide maintenance services for guns, ammunition and tanks, armoured vehicles and vehicles to all forces fighting in the Middle East, and Australia and New Zealand have also developed a large military industrial base, the former making aircraft and tanks, and the latter using their limited industrial production capacity to produce certain munitions according to local conditions. At the behest of the British government, New Zealand also made changes in agriculture, changing most of its production from butter to cheese and growing flax for the UK.

As a result of the fact that Britain had to pay these loans for supplies from overseas, the British pound sterling surplus in London had increased since the beginning of the year, and the United Kingdom's war debt increased rapidly, and last August Britain owed £476 million to overseas countries on its books, and by the end of December last year this figure had risen to £556 million. By December of this year, it had risen to £1,192 million.

......

Karachi Military Port, the first joint meeting of the Indian Ocean Fleet of the South China Navy is underway.

The division and co-optation of former French naval officers and sailors did have a noticeable effect, and only 20 percent of the total number of French officers and sailors were willing to return to the ships to continue their maritime careers at the end of the three-month vacation, and most of the French officers and sailors chose to serve in the naval academies and recruit training bases.

Provence. Admiral Grillio arranged the investment with a French agent he knew, and took his family on a tour of the charming cities of Da Nang, Hue, Vientiane, and Jingnan, and when he returned to the army after vacation, he was surprised to find that the commanders of his various fleets and the captains of the capital ships had almost changed.

Seeing so many unfamiliar faces, says Provence. It's impossible for Grillio not to be depressed, but think it's the choice of most people themselves, Provence. Grillio was relieved. Under the temptation of being promoted and raised in Nanhua and being able to stay on land and reunite with their families, it is really difficult for ordinary people to resist, and those who can insist on staying in the fleet now are undoubtedly people who truly love the navy and are willing to make it their lifelong career.

An Yi sat on the chair, and next to him sat the commander of the navy, Lu Guang.

Due to concerns about Provence. Grillio and the others don't give themselves face, it's not good-looking, Lu Guang specially invited the boss An Yi to come to the town, and everyone gets along well in the future, forming a hierarchy and a concept of dignity and inferiority, so there is no need to trouble An Yi anymore.

An Yi's visit to Karachi this time, in addition to emboldening the journey, also went to Afghanistan to meet with Diana.

I haven't seen Xiao Nizi for half a year, Her Majesty the Queen lost her temper, and An Yi had to comfort her. The situation in Afghanistan is special, after all, this country has a certain influence among Muslims in the Middle East, according to Xu Ziliang and Jiang Yunshan, they want to retain the royal family of Afghanistan, and in the future, An Yi will act as the regent to represent the affairs of Afghanistan, and after decades of transformation, it will be downgraded to a province.

Provence. Grillio sat first on the right, and among the familiar people on the left and right, there were only Admiral Lasatyr, the former commander of the American Fleet, Vice Admiral Maldini, the commander of aviation, and the captain of the battleship "Richelieu". Vice Admiral Nadi and Chief of Staff of the Fleet. Major General Sanleko, the rest of the *** have only seen one or two sides and are not very familiar.

Seeing that everyone had arrived, An Yi discussed it with Lu Guang, and decided that Lu Lu Guang would preside over the meeting, and if there was anything wrong, An Yi would do the work.

Cheng Guang's eyes swept over the faces of a group of generals, smiled slightly, and said:

"I'm Cheng Guang, Commander of the Navy, and I'm sure all of you here are familiar with me, but I still feel the need to introduce myself again. From today onwards, many of you are going to officially integrate into the South China Navy and work with me, if there is anything you need my help with in your daily life, please feel free to bring it up. However, there are no rules, and the navy is a disciplined force after all, and what is particular about orders and prohibitions is what is emphasized, so please also meticulously and conscientiously implement the orders issued by the navy command, otherwise don't blame our military law for being ruthless. ”

The crowd was awe-inspiring, including Provence. Admiral Grillio sat up straight unconsciously.

Cheng Guang smiled and said:

"I personally regret the decision of most of my French naval colleagues who have chosen to stay on land and engage in naval education, but I would like to sincerely wish them new achievements in their new jobs and the training of many talents for our navy.

"During your break, the Navy Command, with the consent of the Military Commission, the General Staff and the General Political Department, reorganized the fleet and, on the basis of personal wishes, readjusted a number of posts. Now there may be people who are not familiar with your new colleagues, I am here to introduce you to each other, please stand up by name, so that everyone can get to know each other......"

"Provence. Admiral Gillio, Commander of the Indian Ocean Fleet! ”

Provence. When Grillio heard his name called, he quickly stood up and saluted the generals present straight before sitting down.

"Admiral Rasatyr, deputy commander of the fleet!"

Admiral Lasatl rose up in response, and the subsequent generals also moved when they heard the sound, and no one dared to drop the chain on such an occasion.

"Lieutenant General Maldini, Commander of Fleet Aviation......"

"Rize. Vice Admiral Nadi, Chief of Staff of the Fleet......"

"Mailer. Rear Admiral Sanleko, Commander of the Karachi Naval Base......"

Provence. Gillio glanced at the Chief of Staff of the Fleet with some surprise, not expecting that he would choose to stay on land.

But if you think about it carefully, it is also before. Sang Lai is just a fleet operations staff officer, with the rank of brigadier general, even if he is promoted to the rank of first rank after joining the South China Navy, he is only a rear admiral.

Among the generals, he has the least qualifications, and if he continues to serve as the chief of the general staff of the fleet, then there will be a phenomenon of a rear admiral commanding a lieutenant general or even an admiral, and obviously he does not want to fall into such an embarrassing situation, so he chooses to stay at the naval base to improve his seniority.

Cheng Guang paused for a moment, and then said, "Here are the colleagues who have joined the fleet......"

"Admiral Li Haiqing, political commissar of the fleet, he will be fully responsible for the political ideology and military education of the fleet. Admiral Li used to be the chief of the general staff of the South China Navy, and soon after the naval battle in the South China Gulf, he was transferred to the post of commander of the Second Fleet, and now he is serving as the political commissar of the Indian Ocean Fleet. ”

"Vice Admiral Zhao Lei, commander of the task force aircraft carrier fleet, has full command of the aircraft carrier formation consisting of aircraft carriers, heavy cruisers, light cruisers and destroyers! This is a powerful strategic strike force, with the goal of the first naval task force, and it is the top priority of our future naval construction! Vice Admiral Zhao has been working in the Navy General Headquarters for a long time, and has a deep understanding of the cooperation between various types of ships in the Navy, and I believe that he can do this job! ”

"Rear Admiral Zhou Zhenyuan, he is the commander of the Fourth Fleet, and Rear Admiral Zhou is the commander of the South China Bay Fleet of the Navy, which was originally expanded by the Kampong Son Bay Fleet, and his performance has always been excellent, and he deserves the position of commander of the Fourth Fleet!"

"Rear Admiral Wang Tengqi, who originally held the position of commander of the submarine fleet, was the first person we considered in the formation of the Fifth Fleet. During Rear Admiral Wang's tenure as commander of the submarine fleet, China's submarine force developed rapidly and became a strategic force that cannot be ignored in the western Pacific region. ”

"Rear Admiral Bai Yi, commander of the Sixth Fleet, was previously the commander of the North Sea Fleet! Rear Admiral Bai Yi graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy, returned to China on the eve of the Anti-Japanese War, and successively served as the captain of a gunboat, the captain of a cruiser, and was transferred to the commander of the North Sea Fleet last year! During his tenure, he worked diligently and conscientiously to train the North Sea Fleet to become an elite fleet of our navy, and was awarded many times by the headquarters! ”

"Major General Juniper, French. Rear Admiral Juniper, a former combat staff officer of the French Navy's expeditionary fleet, joined the South China Navy and served as the deputy chief of education at the Naval Command College, and now he is once again serving as the combat staff officer of the Indian Ocean Fleet. ”

Cheng Guang didn't say anything about it, Juniper was also a Jew, and he had already sworn in front of the South Chinese flag to become a South Chinese citizen, and he had undergone a series of tests of loyalty, which is why he held such an important position.

"Brigadier General Monkel, British, Fleet Intelligence Staff. He is the backbone of our intelligence system, and I believe that he will do a good job in the position of the fleet's intelligence staff officer in the future. ”

“.......”

The journey of light sources is constantly introduced to Provence. Grillio found that the arrangement of the South China side was very skillful, and the top leadership of the fleet, except for the addition of Admiral Li Haiqing, a very political commissar, basically retained the personnel of the original Indian Ocean Fleet of the French Navy, but the commanders and captains of the various detachments were all replaced by the descendants of the South China Navy, ensuring the actual control of the fleet by the South China side.

When it comes to middle-level officers, such as the first officer, second officer, chief gunner, chief engineer, sergeant major, etc., but most of them are French officers, and the most basic naval soldiers, the division is not so detailed.

Seeing that Lu Guangren had almost introduced him, An Yi coughed and said: "Everyone, I won't say much about the significance of building the navy here, I believe that from joining the navy to the present, you don't know how many times you have heard the commander indoctrinate you, and after you took the leadership position, you don't know how many times you have said it to the officers and soldiers, now I just want to talk about the important tasks that the Indian Ocean Fleet will undertake!"

"With the reconquest of Mumbai, the entire west coast of the subcontinent is actually under our control, and of course many places are newly restored, and the rule is not secure, but we are confident that we will be able to cook this pot of raw rice thoroughly in the next few months.

"According to our intelligence, after defeating the British Royal Navy fleet, the *** naval task force has bloodlessly occupied the island of French Madagascar, and now the sun flag is flying on that island. According to our top-secret information, shortly after the end of the naval battle, Nagumo Tadashi returned to Muscat with the main fleet as soon as he left some ships, but with the stalemate in the Middle East and the stationing of our army in Bandar Abbas in October, it is unlikely that the navy will be able to enter and exit the Strait of Hormuz freely, and it is of little significance to stay in the Arabian Sea!

"Many ships of the Japanese Navy Task Force have been at sea for a long time, and the loss of fighters and ammunition is relatively large, and it is urgent to replenish carrier-based aircraft and combat materials, and at the same time, some ships also need to enter the shipyard for maintenance.

"The situation in the Middle East is extremely complicated, in the past three months, eight colonial divisions have been transferred from the Lanyin Islands, and the British have also transferred a large number of troops from their Dominions and colonies to continuously strengthen the defense of the Arabian Peninsula, and the two sides have fought fiercely in northern Iraq and southern Syria.

"Our troops, gathered on the Persian front, are stockpiling weapons and ammunition, and when the time is right, they will strike a fierce blow at the Japanese army. The mission of the Indian Ocean Fleet is to completely block the Japanese army in the Middle East at a critical moment, *** the Gulf of Oman and the Strait of Hormuz, and not let go of a single live mouth! The Persian Gulf, we are bound to win, do you have confidence? ”

The generals who originally belonged to the South China Navy system all stood up, including Cheng Guang, and replied loudly: "Yes!" ”

However, the French admiral couldn't react, and only stood up after a while, looking at An Yi with some embarrassment, An Yi couldn't help laughing, smiled and waved his hand, motioned for everyone to sit down, and then began to discuss the details of the Strait of Hormuz.