"Since the High Seas Fleet is going to fight a shipwreck, the Italians should not be idle either. We need them to contain the Magifin fleet and the Thomas fleet that live in the Atlantic. We have to get them to make sure that they stay in France and Spain honestly. At a meeting, Schell made this request to Tirpitz. In Scheer's view, this request was decisive for the outcome of the Battle of the North Sea.

"Scheer, this guy really makes a request. Doesn't that make us desperate too? When he saw the telegram forwarded from China, Tycho was quite helpless about this request, because he could not defeat his opponent, but now he could not go out even more. Thomas's fleet was in Lisbon, and the fast fleet went out as a result of being targeted. If the Allied Mediterranean Fleet attacked, Magiffen would definitely rush to Portugal to join Thomas, and then he would have to go back obediently.

"Why don't we send the fleet to Gibraltar and make a move to enter the Atlantic at any time, so that the British can honestly stay in Lisbon?" Tycho said this to Count Spee.

"This only works for a short time. But the battle in the North Sea will be long-term, and if it were only a feint, I am afraid that it would not really be able to retain the British, and even they would rather endure short-term huge losses on the route to support the North Sea, if this is the case, unless we fight our opponents with all our might, then they can completely ignore us. "The survival of the High Seas Fleet is at stake, and Count Spee does not approve of such a mere plan to scare people. He would rather command the fleet and fight the other side to lose both sides, and then exchange it for a few months of superiority for the high seas fleet. "What if we fail? As long as General Scheer achieves a decisive victory in the North Sea. Our qiē is worth it. Count Spee stressed more than once.

"Hehe, why did the Germans send us to death?" Tycho said in his heart. In the current Mediterranean fleet, the Italian Navy can be described as a dominant power. Although they lost all their dreadnoughts, the Italians still had 1 Caesar the Great Super Dreadnought and 4 Caraccino-class battleships. It is a well-deserved boss, although everyone is an ally, but the Italians do not have the consciousness to put the whole fleet on board for the victory of the Germans! Not only did the Italians not want to, but the Spaniards, who had just joined the Central Powers, also did not want to send three hard-won Spanish-class fast battleships to the guns of the Allied fleet. As for the Austrians and Turks, well. Although they agreed with Count Spee's construction, it was useless!

"I don't think that the German High Seas Fleet has the ability to decide a war. In the last battle on British soil, the two sides were only tied. Although the Americans are a little less primary, I think it is feasible for your country to occupy the top. But the complete crushing of the Grand Fleet is unrealistic. And for the sake of this result, which only gives the high seas fleet an advantage, and puts our fleet in an extremely dangerous state. It shouldn't be. The Mediterranean Sea and the North Sea are two equally important battlefields. Once the Mediterranean Fleet is badly damaged, how can we threaten the transport lines of the Entente? And if the Entente transport lines are smooth, where are our chances of winning? Tycho retorted unceremoniously.

"Even if the High Seas Fleet wins a big victory, will the German Navy have stronger warships to deal with these guys armed with 16-inch guns in the face of the British Admiral-class battleships and the Americans' Colorado-class battleships that will be commissioned next year? At that time, we will only be able to rely on the maneuverability of the fast fleet to threaten the opposing side's transport lines, so I also do not agree to throw our precious fleet into such a desperate operation. Later, the Houthis also expressed concern about Count Spee's plan.

"We have to think of a way to contain our opponents and at the same time keep us safe!" In the end, Admiral Tycho, who served as commander of the Allied Mediterranean Fleet, set such a tone for future meetings! Italian and Spanish naval officials present expressed their support. And the faces of the Germans are black! "It's almost like that, absolutely not cooperative, right? Cowardly Italians! Earl Spee glared at each other with fiery eyes.

"What we're thinking about now is how to design a fleet that can both delay Thomas. At the same time, a plan that guarantees the security of the fleet. Tycho eventually set the tone for the plan. Of course, this plan itself has a rather contradictory reverse, in the eyes of the navy, if it cannot hit the other side's sore spots, it will naturally not be able to contain the other side, and if the Entente can even give up the transport fleet at sea, then the Allied Mediterranean Fleet really has no good way to contain the opponent except for a big fight.

As a result, at this time, at another meeting of the German leadership, the army generals raised the question that the land fighting in North Africa was almost over, and that the Allies had almost all of North Africa under their control. So were these troops, originally used on the North African front, transferred to the northern Spanish front to fight the French, or were they transferred to the western front to augment the forces of northeastern France? It was convenient to transfer to Spain, but many mechanized units were not suitable for the terrain of the border areas between Spain and France. And if you are transferred back to Germany, this time and consumption are a bit large. This in itself was an unhurried issue, but Tirpitz's words immediately became an important topic for the day's meeting.

"What if this army is used against the Portuguese?" Tirpitz looked at the somewhat dazed German Army soldier and asked. "The Allied fleet in the Mediterranean is not enough to deal with the Allied Atlantic Fleet, but the navy also needs ports, and the ports are on land, if we can threaten the ports of the Entente in Portugal from land, then in order to keep these ports, the Entente army will inevitably support Portugal, and Portugal itself is too small, and the width of the east and west is very small, there is almost no strategic depth at all, and more importantly, This somewhat sausage-like country had not yet built strong fortifications on its borders (the Allies had no idea that Spain would enter the war!). ）。 As for the combat effectiveness of the Portuguese Army, compared with the Germans, it can only be described as five scumbags of war! The task will definitely be quite simple! ”

Uh, we're going to work for the Navy after a long time? After listening to Tirpitz's construction, Ludendorff felt very dissatisfied! The German Army was thinking about how to bring France to its knees, how to deal with the growing number of American GIs, and how to destroy the trench defenses that looked like underground palaces. Tirpitz actually let the army attack a small and insignificant country, and the biggest beneficiary was the navy! What a depravity this is! Although the German Navy and Army did not make a conflict like the Japanese Navy in World War II in history, it is normal for them to feel unhappy.

"Actually, if we could fight the Allied army in Portugal, which had no strong fortifications, it would be a good choice. We are not afraid to fight in the field with any country. Neither the French, nor the British, nor the newly joined American cowboys were no match for the German Imperial Army in the field. If we can successfully contain some of the Allied forces in Portugal and consume them in large numbers, it will also be of great help in a frontal war, and more importantly, we can quickly draw troops from North Africa into the battlefield without spending too much time on the road. Surprisingly, Moltke was not averse to Tirpitz's plan, and even supported it. In his opinion, as long as he can consume the combat power of the Entente and can fight on the battlefield that suits him, what if he helps the navy?

"But our army in North Africa lacks heavy firepower, and their weapons and ammunition are very expensive, and it takes a lot of time to transport them from home." An officer raised his own question, even if there is an advantage in the field, but the lack of equipment is not good.

"Can we sweep along the southern coastline of Portugal first, as for the fire cover thing? Just leave it to the Navy. Moltke glanced at Tirpitz and said unhurriedly. No problem, we can provide fire support to the land forces as much as we can before the Allied Atlantic Fleets converge! And when Moltke agreed to Tirpitz's proposal, Tirpitz reciprocated and agreed to the other party's request. It agreed not only to persuade the Allied fleets in the Mediterranean to cooperate with the army attack, but also to persuade the Italian and Spanish marines to launch a landing behind enemy lines.

And when the Germans' plan was put on the table of the Italians, Tycho and others, after careful analysis, thought that this plan was much better than taking the fleet out to fight with the Allies! And from the perspective of the situation, this is indeed a good opportunity, the strength of the Thomas fleet close to himself is insufficient, and it is okay to stay in the port to protect himself, but to come out and fight with the entire Allied Mediterranean Fleet is undoubtedly looking for death! With the end of the war in North Africa, the Allied Army, which had been freed up, did have the ability to do so. Of course, the most important thing was that the Entente Atlantic Fleet was divided into two parts and that Portugal did not have the ability to repair large warships. So the plan of the Central Powers to attack Portugal went from a hypothetical idea to a reality.

Of course, what is more critical is that the Entente did not expect that the Allied Army would suddenly exert its strength in Portugal, and after Spain entered the war, on the one hand, it fought with France in the north, and on the other hand, although there was an exchange of fire with Portugal, but as a secondary aspect, it did not invest much, and Spain's combat power was not good, and the combat effectiveness under half-heartedness was even worse. So there was no need for the Entente to invest too many troops in this minor aspect. But as the situation changed, when the navy demanded a safer and more efficient way to hold back the adversary, attacking Portugal became an efficient and cheap solution.

And according to the results of consultations with other member states of the Entente. The Army transferred from North Africa to Spain under the command of Mackensen and part of the Spanish fleet launched an offensive against Portugal, while the Allied Mediterranean Fleet under the command of Tycho guaranteed at least ten days of fire support. And after ten days, the Navy can withdraw to the Mediterranean Sea depending on the situation. And the army, having captured Faro and Ragush, will move eastward. Take all of Portugal if you can.

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