El Alamein's Brilliant Victory! 》

"The British Army Opens the Door to Victory!" 》

"The Great Turning Point - Fox Hunting Success!" 》

WHEN THE NEWS OF THE VICTORY IN THE BATTLE OF EL ALAMEIN CAME BACK TO THE BRITISH MAINLAND, THE BRITISH MEDIA WAS BOILING, AND AFTER MORE THAN TWO YEARS OF GRIEVANCES, THEY FINALLY FOUND THE FEELING OF GAOCHAO, AND IT ERUPTED IN AN INSTANT.

Anyway, under the vigorous advocacy of the British media, the Battle of El Alamein has the potential to become a second Waterloo. It seems that the victory in this battle announced the defeat of Germany, and it seems that after this the sun never sets on the empire will regain its glory.

Especially at about the same time, there was also a "good news" from the USSR - the Soviet Red Army abandoned Kyiv, and the great Kievan Rus' was occupied by the German Nazis. This is simply too pleasant for the patriotic British people, who are thinking: "The world is finally back to normal!" ”

Why? The reason is simple, in the eyes of the British who feel good about themselves, the British Empire is the boss of the world, the mainstay. What Russians are nothing more than a bunch of savage turtles, and under normal conditions they should be beaten to the point of urine.

It's just that in the past two years, to the great disappointment of the patriotic British people, the British Empire has not shown any mainstay and people. The meaning of the Lord's light was violently cut by Germany and Italy, and that was called an embarrassment. It's really a phoenix with falling feathers that is not as good as a chicken!

On the contrary, the Russians performed quite well, not only withstanding the onslaught of the Germans, but also winning successive battles, which was really blind. Anyway, Russia's excellent performance made the British people very uncomfortable, and the sour taste was stronger than the old vinegar.

And now, everything is finally back to normal. The warriors of the British Empire showed normal performance. And the embarrassed Russians were forced to abandon Kievan Rus'. What does this mean? It shows that the British Empire is still the best in the world. And the Russians will soon collapse!

To be honest, the British people love the tune too much. In particular, the newspapers were constantly analyzing that the Soviet Union would collapse like an avalanche again, that the Germans would soon attack Moscow and Leningrad, and that without the help of the British, the Russians would immediately take pills.

"Continuing to intensify propaganda, now is the most important moment in the struggle for the commanding heights of public opinion, and it is necessary to make the whole world think that the British Empire is the people. Main. By the only leader of the world! It is necessary to deal a heavy blow to the arrogance of the Bolsheviks and lay a good foundation for the future battle against them! ”

Churchill was also a little excited. He has also been forced for more than two years, and now he can finally vomit out the turbidity in his chest. And El Alamein's victory is also really representative, which means that the empire has regained its foothold in North Africa, and the situation will only get better as the United States enters the war!

"How is Operation Torch ready?" The old smoker asked with some urgency.

"There are a lot of problems, and the navy does not have much confidence in conducting such a large-scale amphibious landing operation."

It is true that the British have no confidence in the Americans, and they always think that this little cousin is too limited in combat effectiveness. An amphibious landing operation across the Atlantic on such a large scale is, to be honest, unthinkable. If it weren't for the strong insistence of the two heads of state, both the Royal Navy and the U.S. Navy would have wanted to pick on the shots.

Let's put it this way. At that time, Patton was probably the only one who was interested in the confidence of Operation Torch, and this old cavalryman who only wanted to fight was eager to row a raft to North Africa to fight the Germans.

Of course. Compared with history, the preparation period of Operation Torch has been greatly shortened, the main reason is that although the United States entered the war a year late, the preparations for war are still carried out step by step.

It's just that Roosevelt's main concern at that time was not the success or failure of Operation Torch, but more of a test and test, just a test of the combat effectiveness of the US military. Roosevelt was well aware that the key to the European theater was not in North Africa, not even in the English Channel, or in France and Italy. Now the key to the European battlefield is the Soviet Union on the Eastern Front, if the Soviet Union does not contain millions of German troops, whether it is Britain or the United States, it will be crushed into slag by the German army's tidal offensive.

Let's put it this way, Roosevelt knew very well that with the current strength of the British army and the American army, it was completely impossible to fight with the main force of the German army, and look at how hard the British fought a group of half-baked Afrika Korps and spaghetti men in the North African theater, and it was another fiasco in the minutes of the European continent.

So Roosevelt's idea was simple, in the current situation, the existence of the Russians was of great significance, and if you want to win this war, you must not make the mistakes of the First World War.

What was wrong in World War I? Naturally, Russia and Germany will negotiate peace. The Bolsheviks had a "criminal record", and once they compromised with Germany, or if Germany compromised with them, causing the Germans to turn around and jerk Britain and the United States, it would be really unbearable.

Therefore, even if Roosevelt did not like the Soviet Union, he thought that the Soviet Union was self-sufficient. by the world's greatest enemy. But it was still of great significance to draw the USSR into the Union. In his own words: "The anti-fascist alliance of the USSR is incomplete without it." ”

Churchill did not object to this, in fact, he always wanted to pull the Soviet Union into the gang, but the Soviet Union has never been interested in this. And now, the abandonment of Kiev seems to him to be a good time for engagement. Because in Qiu Fatzi's view, the Soviets must be reluctant to give up Kiev, which shows that they are under a lot of pressure, and if Britain and the United States lend a hand at this time, there is no reason for the Soviet Union not to take the bait.

The day after the Red Army abandoned Kiev, Qiu Fatzi and Roosevelt telegraphed Trotsky to once again advocate the establishment of an anti-fascist alliance. Even Roosevelt directly let off the wind: "It's time to include the USSR in Lend-Lease!" ”

Obviously, the temptation is still great. However, as we all know, Trotsky was not in charge of the Soviet Union alone, and under the collective leadership system, Trotsky had to listen to a wide range of other dissenting opinions, didn't he?

"The sincerity of Britain and the United States is still very strong, and the formation of an alliance will also help to unite anti-fascist friends around the world, which will be advantageous for the earlier defeat of the Axis powers." Trotsky spoke carefully, he knew it. It's not that easy to pass. The annoying Li Xiaofeng seized every opportunity to stir up the situation.

It was only to Trotsky's surprise that he was surprised. Li Xiaofeng did not mean to stir up the situation, he watched very calmly as Trotsky kept repeating how much there was to benefit and how much it meant to form an alliance, as calm as a passerby.

But the calmer a certain immortal became, the more uncertain Trotsky became, and the more careful he became, until at last he suggested: "Shall we send a special representative to discuss this matter with Britain and the Americans?" It's not a bad thing to get in touch with it! ”

Finally, Li Xiaofeng, who had been silent for a long time, spoke, and he said bluntly: "Then I am willing to go." I'm good at it! ”

Trotsky's face turned black immediately, and he was still afraid of this, and it was unreliable to let an oppositionist, who had always opposed an alliance with Britain and the United States, act as a special representative to discuss the alliance!

Anyway, Trotsky clearly wanted to refuse, but without waiting for him to speak, Li Xiaofeng once again emphasized: "The main purpose of this contact is to find out the sincerity of Britain and the United States, as well as their cards, which determines that only comrades engaged in intelligence work are suitable for this work." After finding out the actual attitude of Britain and the United States, we can move on to the next step of substantive negotiations step by step. In politics. Of all the comrades in the bureau, I am afraid that I am the only one who is suitable for this! ”

Okay. Trotsky understood what a certain immortal meant, and a certain immortal was nothing more than to see how much benefit Britain and the United States could give. If the benefits are enough, then he is not against joining the EU. On the contrary, there are not many substantial benefits, so let's go it alone.

This reason was strong enough that even Trotsky could not say anything, but nodded in agreement, but he still admonished Li Xiaofeng: "Comrade Andrei, the significance of your trip is extraordinary, please take into account the overall situation!" ”

Did Li Xiaofeng take the overall situation into account? Naturally, there is, but the overall situation he takes into account is the overall situation of the Soviet Union, not the overall situation of Britain and the United States. It is impossible to expect him to make greater concessions to Britain and the United States.

In fact, when Churchill learned that the special representative sent by the Soviet Union was someone, there was also something unpleasant. He preferred to deal with Trotsky, Sverdlov or other career diplomats than with a sinister intelligence chief. In particular, this guy has always been known for being anti-British.

However, it was not up to him to decide who to negotiate with, so he responded positively to the Soviet proposal and expressed his welcome to a certain immortal. As for the US side, it naturally has no opinion, and even hopes that this meeting will be as soon as possible.

But I really can't do it soon, because there are a few very troublesome problems that need to be solved. The first is where to meet, and the second is who to meet. Churchill wanted the meeting to take place in London, Li Xiaofeng wanted the meeting to take place in Iceland, and Roosevelt wanted Washington to be the main venue.

Don't underestimate the location issue, it's a big deal. This is actually a question of the leadership of the future alliance, and whoever is the host will naturally be closer to the position of the leading big brother. And it is obvious that even the good relationship between Churchill and Roosevelt will not give in on this issue, let alone a certain immortal who has always been very face-saving.

Who will be the host is only one of them, and another sensitive issue is who Li Xiaofeng will hold talks with. Note that neither Roosevelt nor Churchill were the head of state, while a certain immortal was a politician. The elder of the bureau, but after all, he was not the head of state of the Soviet Union, and according to the principle of diplomatic reciprocity, it was inconvenient for Roosevelt and Churchill to hold talks directly with him.

And let the US Secretary of State or the British Foreign Secretary meet with Li Xiaofeng, Li Xiaofeng is not happy, although he is half a head lower than Trotsky, but it is by no means a secretary of state and foreign secretary can be dismissed. To put it bluntly, he has a major say in the issue of the alliance, and even whether this alliance can be made depends on his face. And the Secretary of State and the Foreign Secretary have that say?

Anyway, this status issue is quite embarrassing, and it seems that no matter how you get it, everyone feels embarrassed. Seeing that this problem has become an obstacle to the road, Li Xiaofeng made a key suggestion: "Since there are so many problems that cannot be solved as a formal meeting, how about an informal meeting?" ”

This suggestion immediately broke the deadlock, and it was indeed difficult to get a formal meeting, and it was necessary to compete for the host and whether the status was equal. Then let's not be so formal, let's have an informal meeting! Anyway, this meeting was just a face-to-face meeting.

According to Li Xiaofeng's proposal, the debate over who will be the host could also be ended, since it is an informal meeting. Then don't go to formal occasions. Everyone just finds a secluded place to meet. So where is this location? On the Atlantic.

The three decided to meet in a safe area of the Atlantic Ocean with their warships. This is secure, confidential, and uninterrupted. So in January 1943, Li Xiaofeng went to sea on the heavy cruiser of the Red Navy, the Moscow Komsomol.

Five days later, the fleets of the three families met in the waters off Bermuda. Roosevelt was still on the heavy cruiser Augusta, and Churchill was on the heavy cruiser London. All three chose heavy cruisers instead of capital ships such as battleships.

Of course, this is also said, why not take a battleship or a battle cruiser? With the naval strength of these three countries, there is no problem at all, and diplomatic occasions are just to support the scene. The reason why it is not done. The reason on the Anglo-American side was to prepare for the upcoming Operation Torch, and the precious battleships were undergoing the final maintenance and overhaul before the war, and it was impossible to interrupt for a ceremonial event.

As for Li Xiaofeng, of course he wants to talk about pomp and circumstance with his personality, but the Soviet Union is not easy to talk about. The battleships that could go to the Atlantic were all German goods, and they were all old ships of the First World War, and it was even more difficult to take them to sea. And the dispatch of aircraft carriers is too exaggerated, so Li Xiaofeng can only be a short general, and choose a heavy patrol.

Of course, the Soviet Type 35 heavy cruiser lines were still beautiful, at least more beautiful than the British-style London. And the London is still a classic ship commissioned in 1929. In this respect, the Moscow Komsomol was more modern, and the industrial capabilities of the USSR were more visible.

Roosevelt was deeply touched by this, and he pointed to the London and said, "England is aging like the London." And the Russians are alive...... They will be the most dangerous adversaries of the United States in the future! ”

The three heavy cruisers quickly dropped anchor, and if you look from the air, you can see the destroyers and light cruisers in a circle around the three heavy cruisers, and the scene is truly spectacular.

The informal meeting arrangement was also very interesting, in addition to Li Xiaofeng, there was a special guest - Charles de Gaulle. The future French president also attended the meeting on a destroyer, but compared with the "atmospheric class" of the three families, he was self-sufficient. By the French leaders and destroyers the car really fell in.

Of course, what made de Gaulle indignant was that Roosevelt was very cold to him, and was hardly willing to have an in-depth exchange with him. This has seriously damaged the pride of the French, and if it were not for Churchill's constant mediation, the French would not have been able to stay for a moment.

Churchill was also quite strange, though he did not like de Gaulle's overly proud temper, and thought that France was indeed frustrated. But he felt self-conscious. It still makes sense for France to be carried out especially in the future of the torch operation. Could France have a major role to play?

Churchill's so-called major role was naturally to break the will of the French army in North Africa to resist, or simply to turn them away, if French Morocco could be dealt with without a single shot, what was it to give de Gaulle a little face?

Li Xiaofeng looked at himself with interest. Caused by the "infighting" of the world bigwigs, his attitude towards de Gaulle was neither enthusiastic nor cold, and he looked like he was doing things on a case-by-case basis. But what he didn't expect was that de Gaulle had a very good impression of him, and the future French president wrote in his diary:

"I have a sense of urgency that the Bermuda Allies don't care about self-importance. by France, even looking down on us. The Americans are more arrogant and rude like the nouveau riche, and the British, though they try their best to win us over, know exactly what they are trying to do...... During this meeting, it was the Russians who gave me an unusual feeling. Andre. Petrovich did not have the usual rudeness of the Russians, did not humble us, and showed his respect for France with absolute equality. ”

To be honest, Li Xiaofeng was inexplicable when he saw this memory later, and he didn't understand why De Gaulle thought he had respect for France. To be honest, he had a similar attitude to Roosevelt, and he was more contemptuous of Gallic chickens. It's just that Roosevelt showed this contempt completely, and he was even more subtle.

In fact, let's analyze it a little to know why de Gaulle had a better impression of a certain immortal. As a proud Frenchman, a man with an unusually strong sense of national pride, de Gaulle was actually very unexpected.

Roosevelt's indifference and contempt naturally made him very dissatisfied, and Churchill's thoughtful enthusiasm for caring for his little brother was undoubtedly a kind of pity and charity in the eyes of the French, a care of the strong for the weak.

The question is, when did de Gaulle think he needed this kind of mercy and care? He always believed that he represented France, and that France, along with Britain and the United States, was a great power of the same grade and did not need pity.

And from this point of view, although Li Xiaofeng is not close to him and does not openly despise him, he has a taste for him. De Gaulle took it for granted that this was the Russians' treatment of the self-discipline he led with normal state-to-state relations. Movement by France. And he just needs this kind of reciprocal relationship, so naturally he has a good impression of a certain immortal...... (To be continued.) )

PS: Bow and thank you xxxxxxjj, the most powerful army, = can't help it=, remonslm, drunken no maple, righteous word at the head→ bright templar and comrade Juventus!