"Eisenhower? Captain? ”

On the issue of the Asian theater of operations, he was forced back by the Chinese and could not reach an agreement, Churchill actually did not feel so angry, he just felt a little faceless, and at the same time felt a little wary of the Chinese's ambitions. However, when he learned from Roosevelt that the Chinese actually wanted to meddle in the selection of the Allied commander in the European theater, he was really angry. When did the Chinese dare to put their hands into Europe? Although they only recommended an American, the significance of this is not trivial.

"Yes," Roosevelt knew he was doing to further deepen the tension between Britain and China, and to delay the start of cooperation between China and Britain in Southeast Asia. But Marshall and Hull told him that the Chinese performance showed that they were not in a hurry. This means that the Chinese are still confident that they will continue to resist Japanese aggression in East Asia after the Japanese defeat the British. In that case, why should he help the Chinese carry it? And most importantly, Marshall also thought that the recommendation of the Chinese was very discerning, and Eisenhower was the most suitable candidate for Allied commander in Europe in the American army.

"A colonel, who serves as the commander-in-chief of our Allied forces, and at the same time commands the armies of Britain and the United States, and even includes France, the Netherlands, etc.? God, I now find that these Chinese are getting more and more at joking. Are they all fools? Roosevelt knew about Eisenhower, Marshall and others, and they also knew that Eisenhower had been highly praised by the Chinese military when he was in China, so it was not surprising that he had once again received the support of the Chinese government. But Churchill didn't know who Eisenhower was. As soon as he heard that the other party was just a colonel, he only felt as if he had been deeply insulted.

"Mr. President, I firmly oppose this nomination by the Chinese. They simply do not understand the situation in Europe, what qualifications do they have to give an opinion? Churchill said directly to Roosevelt.

"Mr. Prime Minister. You haven't met Colonel Eisenhower yet...... Ah, no, he's a brigadier general now. Roosevelt was also a little embarrassed. Even a brigadier general is not good at being the commander-in-chief of the Allied forces in Europe. Marshall's nomination was really hard for him. In particular, the Chinese also intervened in the middle, which made him even more embarrassed.

"What about the brigadier general?" Sure enough, Churchill became more and more angry, "Mr. President, you are not going to listen to this stupid and ridiculous advice of the Chinese, are you?" We're going to have a joint command, and that command could be in the millions of troops in the future. Are you going to have these millions of soldiers tell people later that they fought under the command of a brigadier general? ”

"But...... We need to be a good coordinator. Roosevelt said, "Brigadier General Eisenhower is definitely a suitable person." ”

"The United States has a large number of good generals." Churchill said: "Except for this brigadier general, who is valued by the Chinese, don't you have anyone else, at least to make us feel that it is not so difficult to accept?" ”

"Of course not. It's just ...... "If you don't agree, how can I tell Marshall?" I actually agreed to this nomination. Roosevelt thought bitterly.

"It's just that you are still willing to choose the colonel who is valued by the Chinese, right?" Churchill was also a little angry with Roosevelt. "But I want to say 'no' to you, Mr. President! I will not accept the proposal of the Chinese on any matter concerning European affairs. They are not qualified to come up with anything on this. …… Of course. If your country really can't find a general who can be the commander-in-chief of the Allied forces. Then I can propose to you a candidate: our commander of the South East Military Region of England, Bernard . Toil. General Montgomery! He once commanded the Dunkirk retreat, and his excellence is unquestionable. ”

“…… I forgive you for not agreeing to that. Roosevelt suddenly felt that he might have been fooled, and that it was the Chinese who had fallen for it. Perhaps, the other party just wanted him to contradict Churchill in the selection of Allied commanders. Otherwise, the European theater has nothing to do with China. Who do they recommend in a hurry? It's a pity that he told Churchill about this as soon as he came up, and he planned to take the opportunity to recommend Eisenhower to Churchill...... You see, even the Chinese think that our new brigadier general is good enough. Unexpectedly, Churchill didn't plan to give him a chance at all, but instead recommended Montgomery. Of course, he knew the British general. But the United States sent troops across the Atlantic to help the British, and they also had to risk being attacked by German submarines to transport a large amount of supplies to support the British resistance in Europe, and without their support, the British might not have been defeated for long. In that case, why should they be under the command of the British? Are they cheap?

"Mr. Prime Minister, we hope that the commander-in-chief of the Allied forces in Europe will be an American."

Roosevelt was unceremoniously said to Churchill like this. This meant that he had no intention of discussing this matter with Churchill at all. And Churchill understood what he meant:

"I can agree. But I was still opposed to a colonel taking up the post of Commander-in-Chief of the Allied Forces...... It's a big joke. ”

"Well, I can ask the cabinet to find a more suitable candidate." Roosevelt was somewhat discouraged. Miscalculated, the British, although they desperately needed the support of the United States, were still unwilling to give up fighting for more interests. This Churchill was unwilling to give up Hong Kong in Asia, unwilling to let Chinese help defend against the Japanese in Malaya and Burma, and wanted to earn more in Europe...... It seems that the Chinese still see them for what they are. Until the last moment, they will never put down the shelf of the British Empire.

"I hope, however, that you, Mr. Prime Minister, would have had the time to meet with General Eisenhower...... He was really a very good general, and our successive chiefs of the Army General Staff attached great importance to his abilities. All he lacked was a chance to perform. ”

"Don't see you anymore. I believe that among the generals of Britain and the United States, the most suitable candidate will be selected. Churchill was resolute. However, he didn't know how much his refusal had brought to the Allies this time, and how long the Second World War would last; He also did not know that his refusal would make him angry more often in the days to come; He still didn't know what to say, and his refusal this time would also allow him to avoid the only experience of tears in decades...... In accordance with the original historical arrangement, in June 1944. When the Allied forces of the United States and Britain carried out the Normandy landings and were attacking France in depth, because it had been difficult for him to lose the "soft underbelly" of the Mediterranean, he suggested to Eisenhower, who was then the commander-in-chief of the Allied forces, that the Allied troops landing in southern France be transferred to the Mediterranean. Eisenhower disagreed, and he threatened the other side, saying, "If I can't do this, I will resign my prime minister from the king." However, Eisenhower still insisted on his original battle plan, not only resolutely resisting his idea of drawing troops from the European continent, but also persuaded him in turn. made him abandon his previous decision. That was the time of the encounter, Churchill, who had always refused to admit defeat, was actually made to cry by Eisenhower...... Of course, Churchill was secretly looking for a place to cry in private, but unfortunately because he was careless, he was discovered by Eisenhower's secretary. Eisenhower was then told, and the result was a strong sense of personal pride on the part of the Allied commander-in-chief. I wrote it down in my memoirs.

……

"Eisenhower had not only military knowledge and organizational talent. He is also good at accepting other people's points of view, reconciling different opinions, making people feel comfortable, and truly trusting him. And these qualities and strengths are precisely the qualities that are necessary for the commander-in-chief of our troops in Europe...... And apart from him, I don't know who else can do this better. ”

Marshall was soon informed by Roosevelt, and as a result. The Chief of the General Staff of the Army, who has always been moody, expressed extreme dissatisfaction with this:

"I can't accept Eisenhower's complete rejection just because there is a Chinese recommendation in it." I think the British prime minister did it on purpose. He preferred a British general to take up the post of commander-in-chief of the Allied forces. ”

"The British have lost too much, he has this idea. It is only natural that it is the British who hope that the Allies will lead the Allies to victory in the future. Roosevelt sighed into the phone, "I'm worried about the Chinese right now." They had no intention of cooperating with the British at all, and they did not intend to concede even a single step. This is extremely unfavorable for the war situation of the allies in Southeast Asia. ”

"And that's not even the most troublesome." Marshall sighed suddenly: "MacArthur sent another telegram to the War Department, and he insisted that we should adjust the existing strategy, change 'Europe first and then Asia' to 'Asia first and then Europe,' and ask us for more troops, equipment and supplies. ”

"That guy...... He simply wanted to get back the lost face from the Japanese. Roosevelt suddenly became angry, "The Japanese seem to be strong, and that's because their enemies are weak." Doesn't he understand this? ”

"So I think we should find something for him to do." Marshall Road.

"What's the matter?" Roosevelt asked.

"The latest news, the army of the Germans has already driven to Stalingrad and surrounded it......"

"Impossible," Roosevelt exclaimed: "How can the Germans ...... now that there are at least two or three months before the end of the Soviet winter"

"That's true. No one thought of it, but the Germans did. And the situation with the Soviets is not good." Marshall said.

"Isn't that good?" Roosevelt's heart tightened.

"Very bad." Marshall sighed, "So, we have to attack as soon as possible, at least to attract some of their forces." ”

"But you told me before that our army is not ready, and we can't send troops to Europe on a large scale now." Roosevelt said.

"So we chose another target: Libya!" Marshall said in a deep voice: "There was the most important oil base for the Germans. The Germans would have been very nervous if there was a threat, and if we were able to defeat the Italian troops that remained there, Hitler would have to move south with a portion of his forces. ”

"You mean ......"

"MacArthur! Now only he and his 30,000-strong troops could reach Egypt in the shortest possible time to support the British army there. (To be continued......)