Britain now has an army of nearly 2 million, more than 8,000 aircraft and more than 3,000 tanks. In addition www.biquge.info Britain also built a large number of batteries along the English Channel and deployed hundreds of large-caliber coastal defense guns. Such a large military force was theoretically foolproof to defend the British mainland.

But the problem is that Britain is an island country that is not self-sufficient in resources after all, except for a few minerals such as coal, iron ore, tin, etc., most of the other oil and non-ferrous metals need to be imported.

In addition, the UK is not self-sufficient in food and agricultural products needed by industry, and needs to be imported to solve the problem. Although under the leadership of Sir Woolton, Minister of Agriculture in the wartime Cabinet, Britain implemented a strict national food rationing system from 8 January 1940 onwards, and also vigorously promoted agricultural production. Although the problem of feeding the British people has been basically solved, food and agricultural products imported from overseas are still indispensable. If imports are completely cut off, then feeding the 46 million British people will always be a problem.

And compared with eating, Britain's industrial production and combat operations will face greater problems -- people who eat less food should lose weight, but can a tank run with less fuel? Can a plane fly a little less fuel? Can special steel with a little less non-ferrous metal still be bulletproof and resistant to high temperatures? Without aluminum alloy and various rare metals that can improve the high temperature resistance and corrosion resistance of the engine, even if it is barely built, it can only be a living target for German aircraft.

Since the Americans had suspended Lend-Lease supplies to Britain since mid-December, the Germans' broken engagement escalated as the main forces of the High Seas Fleet broke through the Danish Channel into the Atlantic. As a result, imports from the UK have been reduced to a negligible level over the past two months. Britain's army, industrial production, and the most basic livelihoods are all guaranteed by consuming stocks.

Britain's own stocks of strategic materials, including oil, steel, food, copper, aluminum, various rare metal ores, and other miscellaneous things, although there are more than 10 million tons. But for the attrition of a world war, it is actually not much.

The British War Cabinet assessed in late December '41 that if the United States could not reinstate the Lend-Lease Act and use Iceland as a transit point to supply supplies to Britain. The UK can only survive on stocks for 6-18 months...... Most of the supplies can last for 18 months, but the huge reserves of aluminum, copper and various rare metals consumed are only enough for 6 months at most!

So as long as the United States did throw the Lend-Lease Act into the wastebasket, it was only a matter of time before the British Empire was trapped by Germany.

"Don't worry about supplies."

Prime Minister Churchill extinguished the cigar in his hand, then lit another cigar for himself, took a puff, and then confidently said: "The Americans are more anxious about this issue than we are." President Roosevelt cut off aid for the time being because he knew that we had stocks that would last for a while.

President Roosevelt assured me that the supply disruption would last only until April, and that the battleships Indiana and Massachusetts would return to normal when they were commissioned. Because by that time, the United States will have 3 super-battleships that can fight Germany in the Atlantic.

In addition, in the Pacific and Indian Ocean directions, the United States will not only not interrupt supplies, but will also increase its support. So we don't have to worry at all that the United States will abandon us...... Because the Americans simply could not afford the consequences of the surrender of Britain. ”

It's true! If Britain did surrender, the King George V, Lion and Avant-garde battleships that were now in service or under construction would have become part of the "Combined European Fleet". Moreover, Britain's aviation technology and electronic technology will be used by Germany, and Germany will have a great technological advantage over the United States in the aerospace and electronics industries. Finally, the UK is one of the world's leading industrialized countries. Together with British industry, Germany-led Europe is no longer at a disadvantage to the United States in terms of industrial production.

"Moreover, Moscow could not afford the consequences of the surrender of Britain either!" Churchill laughed mockingly, "If we surrender, the Soviet Union will be left on the entire European continent without obeying the will of Berlin." What reason did Hitler and Hersmann have not to destroy the Soviet Union? The heir to the throne of the Russian Empire is the crown princess of the German Empire! ”

The Prime Minister of the British Empire said firmly: "Ladies and gentlemen, now we need not worry about supplies and possible landing battles. Because that's what the United States and the Soviet Union need to worry about, they won't watch us fail, and that's a huge disaster for them too. If the British Empire falls now, in a year or two, the Soviet Union will fall, and then it will be the turn of the United States. ”

Regarding the build-up of German troops in France and northern Belgium, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill said that he was neither in a hurry nor worried. And 2,500 kilometers away, Comrade Stalin, the head of the Kremlin, has a little bit of the meaning that the prime minister is not in a hurry and the secretary is in a hurry.

Ever since the Japanese victory in Hawaii, Stalin had suspended his vacation in Sochi ahead of schedule, and after returning to Moscow, he held enlarged meetings of the Bolshevik Party and Government Bureau for several days to discuss the latest situation of the world revolution.

"Comrades, the world revolution has reached a critical juncture, and the war between imperialism has entered a fever pitch. This is very beneficial to the cause of the liberation of our socialist Soviet Union and mankind. ”

Stalin talked eloquently in front of a group of members of the Political Bureau and alternate members, although he said that the situation was very good, but the brows of the fatherly leader were tightly furrowed, and it seemed that he felt that the responsibility of leading all mankind in the future was extremely heavy!

Seeing Stalin's brows tightly knit, the members and alternate members of the Political Bureau present also felt the same way, and profoundly realized that the burden of leading all mankind is very heavy. Now these people have every opportunity to do a good job in the Soviet Union, and if the object of leadership is replaced by all mankind, it will be too difficult and too busy...... Didn't Marx and Engels think about such practical problems back then?

"Although the future is bright, the process is bound to be tortuous! Therefore, the whole Party, the whole army, and all the Soviets must have the determination to sacrifice everything for the cause of the liberation of all mankind! ”

When Comrade Stalin spoke, he swept his majestic gaze over the faces of everyone present, and when he noticed that all of them had solemn faces, he nodded lightly -- it seems that these leaders of the Soviet party and state were aware of the grim external situation facing the country and were not blinded by the superficially favorable situation of the imperialist war.

"The situation is very serious," said Stalin, in a calm tone, "even though all the imperialist countries are already involved in the war." But peace remained between the United States and Germany, the most powerful imperialist powers! In Britain, however, there was a tendency towards capitulationism. Olga, a remnant of the reactionary Romanov dynasty, now travels frequently between London and Berlin. There were also rumors that Britain and Germany would make peace by dynastic marriage, and that Germany would become the hegemon of Europe.

And we, the socialist Soviet Union, will also become the only country on the European continent that does not obey Germany after Britain has capitulated! Therefore, it is quite possible that we will be the next victim of German aggression and expansion. And in order to protect the 160 million Soviets from the ravages of the German Nazis, it was necessary for the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army to adopt a preemptive strategy. Give the Nazi army a devastating blow before they invade! From now on, the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army must always be ready for war against Germany. ”

What the? The USSR was about to deal a devastating blow to the Germans? Didn't you say that the United States went to the cover of the Soviet Union first? How did it become that the Soviet Union came first? The Germans look very powerful, can the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army beat them?

In the event of a devastating blow from Germany, there will be no more party and state leaders in the big guys......

Seeing that the comrades showed surprised expressions, Stalin frowned slightly, it seems that the comrades are still suspicious of fighting with Germany!

In fact, he also wants the United States to lose first, and then the Soviet Union will liberate all mankind. However, I did not expect that US imperialism was a paper tiger and was beaten so badly by little Japan. It seems that it is unlikely that the Americans will soon be able to use their main forces in Europe...... But the Soviet Union could not afford to watch Germany equalize Britain and do nothing. Because after Britain, the USSR will definitely become a new victim. Therefore, the Soviet Union had to act before Germany defeated Britain, so that it could have a better chance of winning.

Of course, the United States cannot be completely kept out of the situation, Comrade Stalin is not so easy to talk about.

Stalin said: "We are certainly not alone, we are preemptive in order to avoid fighting alone." So the United States should not want to stay out of it! He glanced at Molotov, "Now there must be a binding agreement that if Germany tries to cross the English Channel to attack Britain, the United States and the Soviet Union must go to war against Germany at the same time!" Moreover, the United States had to get the supplies promised to us to Soviet ports as soon as possible. Without those supplies, the Soviet Union would not have been able to go to war with Germany. ”

Molotov said: "Okay, Comrade Stalin, I will go to the United States right away and talk to President Roosevelt in person, believing that he will agree to all our demands." ”

"Besides," said Stalin, after a pause, "tell Roosevelt that I don't want to fight on two fronts." Therefore, since the Soviet Union decided to go to war on the Western Front, it would try to maintain stability on the Eastern Front as much as possible. Therefore, we will not go to war with Japan on the Eastern Front until we end the war on the Western Front. (To be continued.) )