The performance of the Germans is indeed amazing, not only the countries of Europe and Asia are shocked and inexplicable, even Chen Feng, the traveler, is also surprised by the Germany of this matter, it is too sharp, although due to the huge inertia of history, Dunkirk still let Britain and France withdraw more than 300,000 troops. But the Germans soon realized their mistake, and under Hitler's command, the German army swept through France, and then deployed its troops on the eastern shore of the English Channel, ready to launch a full-scale attack on Britain, who was isolated abroad.

The German tanks charged again, this time targeting the British Empire, which had dominated the world for more than 200 years, but this time it was not Guderian's panzer group that was the main force, but Goering's German Air Force.

In fact, at the beginning, Hitler was ready to use the German navy as the main force of this operation, and planned to force the English Channel with the support of the air force, but the Germans also knew that although the British army was rubbish, the British navy was the best navy in the world, and even the great German navy was no match for the British navy.

In addition, Germany was limited in the development of the navy after the First World War, even civilian ships were also restricted, in terms of the water surface power of the whole Germany, far from the opponent of the powerful British Navy, so the strength of the English Channel, landing on the British mainland to fight there were insurmountable difficulties such as ship preparation, logistics supply and weather, etc., and finally Hitler decided to force Britain to surrender by simply attacking by air.

Hitler was well aware of the weaknesses of the British, and as an island nation, Britain had many of the usual drawbacks of island nations, such as lack of resources and small land area. When the invincible British Empire changed from being a blockader to being a blockad, the situation was precarious. Hitler believed that Britain would soon succumb if he insisted on a non-stop bombing of all British military installations.

On April 15, 1940, under Hitler's orders, the Luftwaffe launched a brutal bombing campaign against the British mainland. In order to carry out air offensive operations, the Luftwaffe concentrated three air groups, with 2,669 combat aircraft and 13 divisions, 168 transport ships, 1,910 barges, 419 tugboats, and 1,600 motor boats.

Given that the German combat aircraft were far superior to the British, both in quantity and quality. And. Since the beginning of the war, the Luftwaffe's successive bombardments have been almost invincible. Therefore, all countries in the world are not optimistic about the British side, believing that the British Ministry may hold out for more than a month.

Germany's destruction of France and the bombing of Britain shocked the world, but also created opportunities for several small Asian countries, including Thailand, which Japan saw as a potential ally.

Speaking of Thailand, everyone should be familiar with it. The country of Buddhism and the country of ladyboys is the most intuitive impression of Thailand. Thailand is a country that has developed very well since the beginning of the 20th century. At a time when other countries in Asia were becoming colonies of Western powers. There are only two countries in Asia that can stand, and one of them is Thailand.

However, the Thais are not without any losses, in Chulalongkorn the Great. That is, during the reign of King Rama V, Thailand was coerced by France to cede a large number of territories such as Laos and Northern Cambodia to French Indochina.

The rise of nationalism after Thailand's constitutional revolution in 1932 led to the direct rule of the army after 1938, and its soldiers appeared on the political scene one after another, when Phibun, a general of the army, was supported by the army faction after 1933, and stood out as prime minister in 1938.

When he was studying in France, he was deeply influenced by German fascism and National Socialism, so his attitude was inclined to Japanese militarism, and at that time, there was a trend of thought in the Thai army and society to resist Britain and France, called the Lost Land Recovery Movement, the purpose of which was to recover the land ceded to the colonial powers in the 19th century, and Phibun mainly relied on the support of this force to maintain the legitimacy of the regime.

The defeat of France in Europe was so ecstatic to the whole of Thailand that a large number of Thai troops began to secretly assemble in preparation for an attack on the French troops stationed in French Indochina if necessary, all of which were watched by the Japanese.

Japan, which felt a deep lack of allies, saw Thailand as a potential ally early on, partly because of the geographical distance between Thailand and Japan, which would not lead to conflict because it was too close, nor too far away to alienate it. On the other hand, because of Japan's victory in the Russo-Japanese War, Thailand, which was oppressed by the white people, was spiritually inspired, so I had a good impression of Japan under the idea of being an Asian.

Thailand believes that Thailand and Japan share the same stance against white Europeans and Americans, so they have adopted a different view of Japan's actions than those of Europe and the United States, and have become more tolerant than those of Europe and the United States. For example, when the League of Nations condemned Japan for the Manchurian Incident, the only country that abstained was Thailand, which really surprised the countries of the world.

Similarly, Japan also has a deep affection for Thailand, and it has been almost three years since the outbreak of the Sino-Japanese War, and the lack of materials has always been a big problem for Japan. After the United States cut off the supply of Japanese military supplies for various reasons, the Thai cabinet headed by Binpun supplied Japan with a large amount of rubber and cotton produced in Thailand, and the relationship between the two countries quickly became closer, and Binpun also called on Chiang Kai-shek to cooperate with Japan to fight against white oppression, and at the same time instigated anti-British sentiment among Indians and Burmese in Thailand.

In addition, the Japanese Army General Staff Headquarters believed that Thailand's geographical location was quite important, and if it occupied this strategic location, it would not only be able to use the airfields and ports in southern Thailand to attack China's Yunnan, Guizhou, and Guangxi, but also that Thailand's resources would be an important supply for the southern part of the Japanese Empire and throughout the war.

In addition, the most important point is that if the Imperial Japanese Army were to fight south, the first priority would be to attack Burma and cut off the Yunnan-Burma Highway, an important foreign aid transportation route for China, so as to provide a buffer to protect the southern oil fields and Singapore. However, the Japanese have never regarded Thailand as an equal partner of cooperation, and although the Japanese shouted the slogan of the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere and Greater Asia, they secretly had already drawn up a military plan to occupy Thailand long before the outbreak of the Pacific War.

The dramatic turn in the tide of the war in Europe brought about great changes in the political status of French Indochina, the Dutch East Indies, and other parts of the South. This also had a bearing on the handling of the war between China and Japan, so it was natural for the Japanese government and opposition to focus their attention on the south.

The Japanese saw Germany's performance in Europe in the eyes of the Japanese, and Japanese Prime Minister Fumima Konoe wrote in a memo to the Emperor of Japan: "After the pacification of Poland, Germany, which had been in a terrible silence for several months, took Denmark and Norway in lightning speed in the 15th year of the Showa era, and then reversed the spearhead and began a powerful offensive to the west." The German offensive was able to break through the northern flank of the Maginot Line, the main French line of defense, thanks to a bold assault by the mechanized corps, closely supported by the air force. ”

The so-called Hitler's blitzkrieg swept through the Netherlands, Belgium and France like a furious wave, forcing Britain to retreat from Dunkirk, and as a result, the British Empire, which ruled over the seven seas, seemed to be in danger of being in danger in the face of the emerging Germany, the general resignation of the British Chamberlain cabinet, and the rise of the sensational hero Churchill. Despite the defeat of Dunkirk, Churchill was determined to continue the fight by virtue of the survival of the British Navy"

"The British will not last long in the face of absolute strength, so the empire must take into account the ripple effects of the total defeat of Britain and France. In particular, with regard to the army and the government, considering that with the defeat of Britain and France, Germany's strength would rapidly expand to the south; the question of the ownership of the Dutch East Indies arising from the defeat of the Dutch; and, on the question of French Indochina, Germany was bound to exert pressure on the Vichy government, and so on, and considered it necessary to take countermeasures against it. ”

As the only independent country in Asia that has not suffered aggression, Thailand is officially listed as a strategic ally by Japan, and it has sent troops to actively contact Thailand in an attempt to promote comprehensive cooperation between the two sides.

The Thai side demanded that Japan support Thailand in retaking the territories occupied by the French, but the Japanese could not give a clear answer to Thailand until they were sure how to deal with the southward or northward movements.

In order to test the attitude of Britain, France, the United States and other countries, and at the same time to test the attitude of Germany. On April 18, Japan's Foreign Minister Arita issued a statement to the effect that "once the scourge of war spreads to the Dutch East Indies, it will be inappropriate for the stability of East Asia, implying Japan's concern for the Dutch East Indies." ”

In this regard, the Dutch government, which is in exile in Britain, quickly issued a statement on the afternoon of April 18, saying that it would not accept the protection of other countries on the issue of the Dutch East Indies, and that the United States and Britain also stressed the need to maintain the status quo of the Dutch East Indies. Later, the German ambassador to Japan, Otto, also informed the Japanese government that Germany had no intention of intervening in the Dutch East Indies.

Germany's attitude was of paramount importance, and since Germany had no intention of intervening in the situation in East Asia and in Asia as a whole, this was undoubtedly good news for Japan, which quickly and unequivocally replied to Thailand that it was willing to support Thailand in regaining its lost territory, even at the expense of going to war with France.

With the support of Japan, Thailand became emboldened, although Thailand officially declared that the Thai government would maintain strict neutrality before the German attack on France, but on April 23, the Thai government formally submitted a request to the French governor in Indochina to adjust the border, asking for the return of the two provinces of Siemreap and Batanban, which had been ceded to France and India. (To be continued......)