After being discovered by the Germans, the retreat of the Anglo-French forces was greatly affected.

The German government, which reacted, immediately ordered the armored forces to continue the attack, and at the same time, the Luftwaffe led by Goering continued to harass the port of Dunkirk and attacked the British and French ships that stayed in Dunkirk.

On 11 July, after a short break, German panzers resumed a large-scale offensive on Lille.

British and French forces and the Germans launched a fierce offensive near Lille, with casualties on both sides exceeding 50,000 and more than 200 planes crashed that day.

Due to the renewed German offensive, the number of soldiers retreating from Dunkirk also re-entered the trough, with less than 13,000 troops successfully evacuated throughout the day.

On the way to the evacuation, more than 15 large transport vessels and dozens of small civilian vessels were blown up.

After two days of fierce fighting, only about 100,000 British and French troops on the line from Dunkirk to Lille remained.

The number of soldiers who successfully withdrew from the previous army of more than 400,000 was as high as 287,000, which is already quite an exaggerated figure.

The safety of these 100,000 people is in danger, and the British Cabinet Government has decided after studying and deciding to carry out a final battle for these 100,000 people.

The establishment of the 4 corps of the new First Army was the same, consisting of 4 infantry divisions, 2 artillery divisions and 2 mechanized divisions, and the establishment of cavalry was abandoned.

This is something that has been promised, and Arthur will naturally not regret it.

On July 13, 1936, the British Navy launched its final evacuation operation.

After sending off the expeditionary force, Arthur convened a meeting of the Ministry of Defense to discuss the next battle plan against the island nation.

The withdrawal of more than 70,000 men at one time was a very difficult challenge for the British Empire.

At the same time, the Philippines and Kalimantan have also sent 200,000 soldiers each, and they are constantly gathering towards the port.

The evacuation of more than 330,000 soldiers in just 14 days and under the noses of the Germans is an absolute miracle in the history of human warfare.

Except for the second line of defense from Amiens to Reims, and up to the third line in Paris, there would be no armed forces capable of resisting the German attack.

Coupled with the 50,000 soldiers withdrawn on the 13th, the entire Dunkirk retreat saved the lives of more than 330,000 British and French soldiers, which is very meaningful to the overall strategy of Britain and France.

It can be seen from the map that, in addition to Sedan, the so-called first line of defense of the French, that is, the Franco-Belgian border, has been completely broken by the Germans.

The first is the general military mobilization in Australasia, as reported by the Minister of Defence Thomas.

The evacuation mobilized all British and French ships, and even some Dutch civilian ships joined the evacuated forces.

The goal of this evacuation is very exaggerated, after leaving 30,000 people on the line from Dunkirk to Lille, the remaining 70,000 people are all in the evacuation plan.

In the establishment of our new army, after discussions between the Ministry of Defense and its subordinate departments, it was decided to adopt the latest mixed formation.

On the night of the 13th, on this ominous day that Westerners regarded, under the protection of the British Navy and the all-out efforts of the British and French Air Force, more than 50,000 soldiers were finally successfully evacuated.

So the next day, July 15, the Australasian Expeditionary Force, consisting of the 3rd, 6th, and 8th Armies, totaling 200,000 troops, marched mightily towards the ports.

"Your Majesty, so far, we have mobilized more than 420,000 soldiers. At present, these 420,000 soldiers have been initially organized into the new First Army, which has a total of 10th, 11th, 12th, and 13th armies.

It was also on this night that the German army officially broke through Lille and had achieved a complete siege of Dunkirk.

But there was no way, if we didn't give it a go, and when the Germans captured Lille, none of the 100,000 troops could be saved.

But miracle to miracle, the successive failures of Lille and Dunkirk already represent a rather serious crisis for the French.

On July 14, 1936, the day after the evacuation of Dunkirk was completed, the British ambassador William and the French ambassador Cassel urgently asked Arthur to see Arthur and asked Australasia to immediately send troops to support France.

Infantry divisions and artillery divisions were organized in the same way as regular troops, with 16,000 infantry each, and the new First Army had a total of 64,000 infantry per corps.

And in the weaving of 2 mechanized divisions, we took the weaving of 1 main battle tank division and 1 mechanic. The main battle tank divisions will be fully equipped with our main battle tanks, and a small number with tracked artillery.

The Mechanic will be heavily equipped with mechanized equipment such as trucks and motorcycles, as well as tracked vehicles, a small number of light tanks, and tracked guns. Secretary of Defense Thomas reported in detail.

Arthur nodded, having no objection to the formation of the new First Army.

In fact, the so-called establishment of the new First Army was the result of the reform of the Ministry of Defense after deliberations at Arthur's suggestion.

Through Germany's excellent record in Europe, countries all over the world have understood two facts, that is, the weakening of cavalry and the rise of tanks.

Although it is not denied that cavalry still has a certain role in some special terrain, in the frontal battlefield, cavalry is often only slaughtered when facing tanks.

Of course, perhaps there will be other outcomes in the face of a country like the island nation that is famous for its iron tanks.

But Australasia did not lack iron ore, and even light tanks and armor could completely withstand cavalry units.

Not to mention medium and heavy main battle tanks, with strong firepower and excellent armor protection, even if they stand and let the cavalry troops fight, the cavalry has no way.

In addition to the fact that the cavalry was weakened and tanks were on the rise, the German approach to infantry and tank coordination in blitzkrieg warfare was also of great interest to Australasia.

In World War I, there was no such thing as a step-to-tan coordination method of warfare. Because the tank nesting rate in World War I was too high, the tank was motionless on the battlefield, and the infantry behind the tank became a live target.

But now, more than 20 years later, the tank technology of various countries has improved significantly. One of the more striking points is that the failure rate of tanks has been greatly reduced, and it has become one of the main forces of various countries.

The reason why Germany slaughtered all sides in Europe was that in addition to the German army's ability to launch an attack without fear of death, the impact of German armored forces on other countries was also a very important reason.

In addition to the fear of the French before the war and their dependence on the Maginot Line, the reason why France was at a disadvantage in the war with Germany was that France did not attach much importance to armored forces, and the number of armored troops was far less exaggerated than that of Germany.

Actually, it's not surprising to think about it. France was clearly the country that suffered more damage in World War I than England.

The First World War brought great pain to the French, and the American flu in the late First World War brought the French people more grief.

It took more than a decade to get out of the shadow brought about by World War I and the pandemic in the United States, and the economic crisis broke out again.

France's newly restored economy and industry were once again dealt a heavy blow, and the French were completely devastated and no longer had any hope of becoming a world hegemon.

Even the European hegemon, which the French have always boasted of, has a lot of moisture.

If the French are really the rightful hegemon of Europe, why did France take the initiative to build the Maginot Line, instead of once again fearing the defeat of Germany?

France spent a large budget on the Maginot Line, and naturally its investment in the army and navy was reduced.

Since the outbreak of the war, France has not been able to have large-scale armored forces, which is why the French army has been losing in the face of the German army.

If it weren't for the British Air Force's timely support for France, the number of French planes alone would obviously not be a match for Germany and Italy.

And the impact of the loss of air supremacy in World War II naturally does not need to be said.

On July 17, 1936, the first shipment of Australasian supplies to Britain and France successfully arrived in the southern French port of Marseille.

Britain and France still attached great importance to this batch of materials, because this batch of materials not only had 400,000 rifles, 2,225 artillery pieces and 120 tanks, but also had 220 aircraft, 550 trucks and 1,200 motorcycles.

Of course, Britain and France certainly did not receive this batch of weapons and equipment for free.

According to the agreement between Arthur and the British and French ambassadors, this batch of weapons and equipment was freely distributed by Britain and France. Britain and France will also pay Australasia for the purchase of weapons at a price 20 per cent below the current market price, in proportion to their respective acquisitions.

Although Britain and France were given a 20% discount, Australasia will definitely not lose, and will even make a lot of money.

You know, the price of weapons is now at least 30% higher than in peacetime when Australasia produced this batch of weapons and equipment.

This is also because the war did not last long, and the figures for the consumption of weapons and equipment in various countries were not large.

As the war continues, the vacancies and demand for weapons and equipment in various countries are increasing, and the weapons and equipment will become more and more valuable at that time.

Of course, no matter what the circumstances, Australasia will not lose.

With the exception of rifles, machine guns, and artillery for Britain and France, which were all newly produced, tanks and aircraft were all outdated from Australasian stocks.

Of course, compared with the most advanced tanks and aircraft in Britain and France, it is actually the first-class technology in Europe at present, and it can be used to fight this war.

These tanks and planes were the solution to the urgent needs of Britain and France.

In order to retreat the more than 300,000 troops, the British and French had lost more than 500 aircraft on the line from Dunkirk to Lille.

Although both countries are constantly producing weapons and equipment at home, it is clear that it will take a long time for a powerful country to completely transition from a state of peace to a state of war.

At least the economic transition between Britain and France is obviously much slower than that of Australasia.

Australasia was already ready for war, so to speak, in a semi-war state.

After Arthur declared war, all walks of life in Australasia mobilized and quickly shifted towards a state of war.

Some garment factories in Sydney and Melbourne have been called up on a temporary basis and quickly converted into workshops for the production of military uniforms.

Some boot manufacturers, under the call of the government, have also modified their production lines and transformed into manufacturers of military boots.

Arthur's appeal at home made Australasia's transition to the state of war very smooth and swift.

But Britain and France obviously do not have a figure like Arthur to coordinate the dispatch and call on the people and enterprises across the country.

Even now, there are still quite a few voices of the Lords and factions in Britain and France. If it weren't for the fact that a substantial war had broken out with Germany, and the people had begun to change to the main war faction, I am afraid that these main peace factions would have done something to make the country less stable.

Back to the Australasian side.

More than 20 days have passed since the landing battle began on 26 June.

On July 3, a week after the landing began, Filipino and Kalimantan forces finally withstood the pressure of the island's forces, steadily occupied the beach, and advanced towards Naha, the largest city in the Ryukyu region.

In the course of a week, the Philippine and Kalimantan armies suffered a large number of casualties, with the death toll exceeding 70,000 and the total casualties approaching 200,000.

But what can be clearly felt is that after the baptism of this war, the combat effectiveness of the Philippine and Kalimantan armies has been significantly strengthened.

If another landing battle were to be carried out with the current army, the casualties of this army should be reduced by some and the landing battle would be completed in less time.

Now that the tempering of the army has been preliminarily completed, Commander Christie naturally has no reason to delay any longer.

On July 23, 1936, under the orders of the commander of the 9th Army, Christie, Australasia officially began a full-scale attack on the Ryukyus.

Although the aerial bombardment is more intense than ever, the islanders are used to it. After all, they are facing only the armies of the Philippines and Kalimantan, and the pressure on the ground forces is minimal.

What Commander Christie needs is exactly the paralyzing carelessness of the islanders.

At 8 p.m. on July 23, more than 100 Sop-34 transport planes were transporting thousands of Australasian soldiers towards Naha, an important city in the Ryukyu Islands, as well as ports north of Naha.

After more than a week of war, Australasia also made a preliminary figure out the deployment of the island's army on the Ryukyu Islands.

The two most important areas of the Ryukyu Islands are Naha and the port.

The frontal battlefield was defended by about two divisions, with most of the divisions stationed near Naha and the port.

Although the defense was quite tight, the two divisions stationed in Naha and the port were actually two C divisions that did not have much combat effectiveness.

It was the landing battle that decided the life and death of the Ryukyu Islands, and it was the two Division A and Division B that were really capable of fighting in the landing battle to guard against the Australasian army.

In addition to transporting more than 6,000 soldiers, this airborne will also transport a certain amount of artillery and machine guns to help these more than 6,000 soldiers form certain defensive positions according to the terrain after successfully attacking cities and ports.

Apari in the Philippines is located at a distance of 1100 km from the Ryukyu Islands. This also means that the time required for a round trip by the SOP-34 transport aircraft is at least more than six hours.

In these more than six hours, the task of attacking cities and ports and organizing defensive lines to hold positions can only be completed by these more than 6,000 soldiers.

Of course, as long as they can hold on, after more than six hours, the second group of more than 6,000 soldiers will arrive smoothly to help the first batch of soldiers to strengthen their defensive positions and even repel the islanders.

As long as they can successfully attack the cities and ports of the Ryukyu Islands, the nearly 100,000-strong island army stationed in the Ryukyu Islands will have nowhere to flee and then be annihilated by the Australasian army.

Although the two C divisions did not have much effect, the Ryukyu Islands still had a A division and a B division.

The elimination of these two divisions is a blow to the confidence of the army of the island nation, and it can also effectively deal with the living forces of the island nation.

Even if the island nation can mobilize more troops in the future, the combat effectiveness of these armies is destined to be incomparable with the A division and the B division.

I'll leave it for now.

(End of chapter)