Ideally, after achieving a series of goals, the European forces, led by Germany and France, would be able to make full use of the advantages of the continent.

Suppressing the North Sea, the English Channel and other British-controlled waters with a huge air force, blocking the shipping route between the British Isles and the Atlantic Ocean, plunging the British mainland, which is heavily dependent on overseas supplies, into a dilemma of lack of resources, forcing the British top to sue for peace.

During this period, the oil fields of Romania and Russia, and the grain of Hungary and Ukraine will keep the German, French, and Czech industrial machinery running at full capacity, and relatively more efficient administrative means will be able to eliminate a certain amount of waste.

This wartime system, which would maximize the industrial power of the whole of Europe while ensuring an adequate standard of living for the European people, was theoretically terrifying.

But there is also a variable, that is, will the United States intervene in Europe? If so, what is its demand.

The Democratic Party's series of intervention and control policies have caused the United States in recent years to drift away from the laissez-faire capitalist system, the federal government has a tendency to shift from small government to large government, and the United States has become more and more authoritarian in order to free itself from the shackles of economic crisis.

The United States and Canada have a combined population of 150 million, steel production of no less than 60 million tons, and hundreds of large slipways and docks.

If it is evaluated in the idea of a total war, it can even form an army of tens of millions within five years.

Variables are only variables after all, and this does not hinder the current actions of the German Society.

The Germans are more optimistic that after the Americans have seen their own powerful national defense capabilities, the bottom line for the European issue should be the inviolability of the British Isles.

It just so happens that it can also take the opportunity to use methods including but not limited to garrisons and military aid to export influence, and dismantle the colonial system of the British Empire and take it all over.

May 23, 15:37 p.m., Paris.

The temperate oceanic climate has four distinct seasons and even precipitation, but in the summer, Paris can experience sudden changes from time to time.

On this day, the heavy rain lasted for a noon day, and then gradually decreased.

In the square and on the road outside the Prime Minister's Office, countless people gathered here in the rain, crowded with people, embraced with umbrellas, and the banners with appeals were wet in the rain.

"Suspension of hostilities!"

"Truce! Armistice! ”

"This is not a reasonable war, correct the mistake immediately!"

The military and police officers present were stern and nervous to maintain order, for fear that one would accidentally anger the citizens of Paris, knowing that they were really ruthless people who dared to fight hard.

In previous years, when the far-right factions were at their most rampant, they were thwarted by the Popular Front formed by PR, PS, PCF. Over time, however, political discord led to the existence of the Popular Front.

The PR, the bourgeois party of the French Radical Party, continues to support restrictions on the German Society, and it continues to this day.

Now, even the PS and the PCF have many differences, especially now that the German army is rolling in, should they be regarded as enemies from the standpoint of the state and the nation, or should they be regarded as friends?

In order to eliminate differences and avoid internal strife, they simply proposed a compromise solution: in any case, negotiate peace first, end the blockade and restrictions on German society, and re-establish friendly diplomatic relations.

Reynolds will only be prime minister for a few months, but he has to face the stormy situation.

As a conservative politician and maverick center-right figure in the Third Republic, the current leadership led by Renault was not favored from the beginning because he was unable to control the excessive issuance of currency because of the continuation of the previous conservative policies.

He was also a nationalist with a strong sense of pride in France, resolutely opposed the overt and covert ideological offensive of the German Society, and never allowed ▇▇▇▇ doctrine to become too strong.

At the same time, he was also diplomatically inclined to cooperate with the British in dealing with the great threat from the nascent.

It is clear that the Reynaud government will not be able to gain broad acceptance among its own population in this turbulent period of crisis.

As if the magic flute had been sounded, the far-right forces that had been repeatedly attacked in the previous two years and had almost disappeared came out one after another.

So at this time, other marchers kept coming from the neighborhood, and clashes ensued.

"You shameless traitors! Now the Germans are advancing on French soil, and you are here demanding peace. ”

"We must fight to the end, France will never give up resistance like this, do you still want Alsace and Lorraine to be separated?"

Suddenly, the military and police were like a great enemy.

The lieutenant colonel of the gendarme, who personally pressed the formation, looked solemn, and the face of a Paris municipal police inspector next to him was even pale.

As expected, a group fight with fists and kicks broke out in just a dozen seconds.

"Too bad it can't go on like this!"

"Lieutenant Colonel, we ......"

"Bang!"

A gunshot rang out like a sharp arrow, piercing the crowded square.

The gendarmes and policemen present all changed their faces in an instant - God, this is the end of it!

The lieutenant colonel stared intently in the direction where the gunfire was coming from, where the two groups of people fought fiercely, and I am afraid that some guy with ulterior motives did not hesitate to shoot in order to provoke a larger conflict.

"Sir, what are we going to do?!" A captain a few steps away asked eagerly.

The military and police were not ordered to suppress it, they were only there to maintain order, and no one dared to order a forceful crackdown on their own initiative, and there have been countless examples of such consequences in the history of Paris.

"Retreat twenty meters back and ask them to stop the conflict."

"Yes!"

For the next 10 minutes, the military and police stationed around the prime minister's office watched the exchange of fire between the two sides.

The shouts coming from the loudspeakers were simply ignored, or their voices were easily drowned out by the sound of gunfire and shouting.

Stray bullets flew from time to time, even shattering the glass windows of the official residence, and there was a crisp "whoosh" sound that made people's hearts tighten.

Angry citizens rushed into a nearby gun shop, picked up their guns and ran outside, leaving behind a bewildered salesman.

Automatic pistols, shotguns, shotguns, rifles, gun racks were swept away.

Some of the students were relatively more rational and polite, and in a fit of rage, they threw their pens or watches at the cash register before picking up their guns and leaving.

"Bang! Bang! ”

In a nearby residential building, some people even shot at gunpoint from their balconies.

The situation was completely out of control, the gunfire was incessant, and the French troops who rushed to reinforce were helpless.

The light rain was still dripping, and the blood was diluted by the rain, but soon more red blood was thickened again.

Over time, some buses and trolleybuses were driven to the main roads in an organized manner, and then they were overturned in concert, blocking the roads one after the other.

On the north bank of the Seine, the Place de la Concorde, where Louis XVI's head landed many years ago, has become one of the gathering places for armed citizens.

Citizens with military experience were elected as team leaders, and they were organized in squadrons to guard important junctions and buildings.

Overnight, Paris felt like it had gone back to 70 years ago.

At 8:33 a.m. the next day, several Renault R35 light tanks of the 2nd French Reserve Infantry Division managed to pass the Madeleine Chapel and turn onto the Royal Road leading to the Place de la Concorde.

Here, two buses and three cars are lying across the road, and more than a dozen citizens with guns are guarding the place.

The French tanks tried to push through the barricades, but were soon surrounded by a swarm of armed citizens.

The driver pressed the brake pedal to the bottom and did not dare to move. It didn't take long for the hatch to be lifted, and the four tank crews were dragged out one by one.

The situation here is relatively harmonious, and near the Arc de Triomphe in the south, fierce battles of thousands of men have been going on for half a day and a night.

Huang Chengcheng's bullet casings can be seen everywhere, and if you are not careful, you may step on the bullet casings and slip, and there are dozens of corpses lying on the ground that have not had time to clean up.

The remaining 100-odd or so Fire Cross and French activists were confined to two apartment buildings and the surrounding park, but remained stubbornly resistant.

The army infantry who rushed to the scene were at a loss, neither advancing nor retreating, and it seemed that they could only watch the exchange of fire between the two sides.

However, the situation soon turned into a three-way scuffle, the exact cause of which is unknown, and the army units claimed to have been attacked several times before they had to return fire.

"Did we already have to leave Paris before the Germans arrived?"

"Pierre, do you know what you're talking about? It's incredibly funny and ridiculous. ”

"No, the government can't evacuate, otherwise it's all over, and we don't have any more land to maneuver."

"Yes, if we give up resistance directly, we will be criminals in the history of France, you, you, you, and me, all of them!"

In the glittering Chancellery, the ministers of the Renault government are arguing loudly.

There are really not many options for these Third Republic bigwigs.

The Maginot Line, which had high hopes, was not working, the front line was on the verge of collapse, and the hundreds of thousands of Anglo-French troops on the Belgian and Dutch lines, although they had retreated in full force, were very slow by the continuous air raids and German pursuits.

Now, however, Paris has been plunged into civil strife, which can be described as a disaster, and chaos is both in front and forth.

The Minister of the Interior said in a deep voice: "Now, at least two divisions of German tanks are on their way to Paris, maybe they will arrive the day after tomorrow, do you want to go to prison and then be tried in ▇▇▇?" ”

In this case, everyone had to start thinking carefully about the question of where to go next-

Does it make sense to continue resisting? If it makes sense, then should Paris be evacuated?

However, time waits for no one, and there is not much time left for them to discuss.

"French tank!"

"Fire!"

"We can't punch it, it's a heavy tank!"

The 5th Panzer Division had advanced to the Reims line, where it encountered the French Charr B1Bis heavy tanks for the first time.

[Picture]

At a distance of 600 meters, the 37mm cap-piercing shell fired by the Type 3C was easily blocked by its thick 60mm frontal armor.

“Biang——”

Several shells hit the B1Bis in the lead, and sparks flew everywhere, and the scene was gorgeous, but the shells either slipped and jumped away or smashed into pieces.

The first attack was ineffective, and the counterattack from the opponent immediately drew at the German tank.

"Boom!"

The B1bis heavy tank's notoriously accurate hydraulic steering system and optical sights gave it excellent shooting accuracy, and the 47mm guns on the turret and the 75mm guns on the hull fired heavily at the German tanks in a trapezoidal formation.

Three heavy tanks took turns firing, and in the blink of an eye, several No. III tanks were destroyed, and the hull was smashed open by 75mm armor-piercing shells, and then a large hole was torn open in the armor plate.

The vanguard of the invincible 5th Panzer Division was unwilling to give up, and then they tried to make a detour to the left and right.

However, the three heavy tanks were not alone, as some French infantry units also set up positions in the villages behind them, with four 25mm anti-tank guns in place.

After paying for the losses of five III Cs and two Sdkfz222s destroyed, the vanguard of the 5th Panzer Division returned in vain.

"Can't be stopped by them, contact the Air Force immediately!" The division commander ordered.

But the problem is that as they penetrate deep into the heart of France, the air force of the German Society Air Force has become shorter and shorter, and the advantage of air supremacy has become less and less.

After a few hours, the Air Force only sent a few fighter jets to dive and strafe, almost to no avail.

Just as the officers of the 5th Panzer Division were planning to send an engineer detachment to carry out close blasting at night, the rearguard unit came back with good news - the 4th Motorized Infantry Regiment of the 11th Motorized Infantry Division caught up with them, followed by a self-propelled artillery company.

This self-propelled artillery battery is equipped with an unusual vehicle - it is based on the chassis of Tank IV, with a fixed convertible fighting compartment, and is equipped with a 105mm cannon howitzer of the SK26 type, nicknamed "Big Max".

[Picture]

Unlike the only two prototypes in history, it was born earlier and produced in small quantities, but the engine position was not changed, so the shape is slightly different.

Designed to deal with the Maginot Line, the Big Max was designed to protect it from medium-caliber artillery while allowing it to accurately bombard strong points of fire with powerful cannon howitzers.

But now, it seems that it is also a good option for dealing with tanks?

As for the 11th Motorized Rifle Regiment, it may seem like a mediocre unit, but its commander has a lot of background.

Erwin glanced at the map, then picked up the binoculars again, "Now that the 5th Panzer Division doesn't have to worry about the lack of infantry cover, we should be able to break through to the west of Reims and cut the railway line." ”

As the sun set, the smoke of the previous encounter had dissipated, but this calm was soon shattered again.

Mortar shells fell around the unknown village amid the roar of artillery, and the French soldiers hurriedly lay in their bunkers.

German scouts used tracer rounds to fire at the Charles 1Bis to target their own self-propelled guns.

At a distance of 1,300m, the French tanks were the first to fire, but this time it was the turn of the French tank crews to helplessly witness the shells ricocheting off the opponent's armor.

"Boom!"

Big Max No. 306 was the first to return fire, and a 105mm armor-piercing high-explosive shell flew out of the slender barrel at high speed!

(End of chapter)