Chapter 477 Anglo-French Rivalry

"I still have a veto opinion on this matter!" When Cunningham said goodbye to Somerville, he couldn't help but say, "Personally, I still think that the navy that Darlan has devoted his life to cultivating will never turn to anyone else, neither the Germans nor us." ”

There were many people who held this opinion, and when Churchill first proposed this plan, it was rejected by military advisers. But no one can resist assuring that the French will not change their minds.

"Soldiers need to obey politics!" Somerville was also a little helpless, and on the 28th, as the deputy commander of the navy, he received an order to lead a team to attack the French port of Kebir. This is obviously not a good errand. Even Churchill later recognized it as a hateful and painful decision, but at the same time he argued that Great Britain could mercilessly attack yesterday's closest friend in order to take the indisputable control of the sea into his own hands.

Just as a person's possibility of breaking the law can never be judged by his offense. Even if a person has thoughts about a beautiful woman, it is not necessarily the same as a despicable act. But for the sake of the peace of the homeland, the British mercilessly eliminated all hidden dangers, and first cut the chicken-chicken of the lost French. The impact was not limited to World War II, but long afterward.

If the French had kept a strong fleet, they would have been able to earn him a certain position with dignity even after defeat, or after the war. But the British pushed the hopes of the French into the abyss. The British needed to eliminate not only the present threat, but also the French, with their powerful fleets, if the British were greatly reduced after the war.

You know, the enemies of the British in their quest for world domination were not only the Germans, but also the French.

Politics is originally a century of strategy, and there is no human nature of many individuals to speak of. Of course, this palace-like politics that intrigues with some people in the same position is another concept. At least the insidiousness and brutality of Churchill and others were for the sake of the country.

To do so is not only to make us treacherous, but also to be foolish. This will make all the French hold on to us, and the French will resist to the death. Cunningham apparently still adhered to the overt chivalry of the British, and was somewhat unacceptable to stick a knife in the ribs of an ally. He also knew the situation of the French Navy very well in his heart, although the Mediterranean fleet of the British was not strong, but he knew the fleets of the French and Italians very well, and he studied a lot about Darlan.

But it was too late. The wartime cabinet did not want to pin this luck on personal morality, and the final order came quickly, and the only thing left was obedience. Again, the ships in Britain have sunk on their own, and many things are irretrievable.

"When the time comes, neither will our losses. Be careful! In the end, Cunningham also said a word, and watched Somerville board the Hood.

This time, in order to deal with the French, the British sent the battlecruiser HMS Hood and the aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal, and added one more battleship than in history, followed by 3 cruisers and 14 destroyers.

In the early hours of July 3, the British fleet had outflanked the port of Kebir. The port of Kebir, also translated as the port of Mürskebir, is a military port located just a few miles away from the port of Oran in Algeria. Plus the Nagato-class battleships bought from the umbrella company, where five capital battleships gathered. The Dakar and Casablanca were also docked with the two Richelieu-class battleships, both of which were not yet completed, and one was also targeted by the British.

"My supreme British government, judging by past experience, cannot believe the promises made by Germany and Italy. They were bound to seize the French ships at the moment of need, in order to deal with the British. We will resolutely carry out the decision of the supreme British Crown Government, and use all necessary force to prevent our fleet from falling into the hands of the German and Italian armies. "The British blocked the port and issued an ultimatum. The content is actually very simple: either throw yourself to the British and fight the Germans with the British; Either sink within six hours.

At this time, most of France was in German hands, and the Vichy government had signed an armistice with the Germans. How could the French Navy continue to attack the Germans at this time?

Self-sinking? Let's judge ourselves, just judge ourselves? It took the French a decade or two to accumulate the foundation of the world's fourth naval power, so should the British abandon it with a word? Since ancient times, only with strength can there be a right to speak. Even if they fail, the powerful losers are respected just as well. If the French had really lost this fleet, without the Germans, even those overseas colonies would not have been able to sustain themselves.

The British also had this plan, and if they could not maintain the colonies, they could cut off the French from sending resources to Germany and weaken France's own nutritional supply. And the French colonies, without the care of the fleet, are likely to be taken over by the British.

At first, the French rushed to the battle without much preparation. But Meng Xiang was ready early. The day that he had been in contact with Darlang gave him this free news a little earlier.

Although Darlan was suspicious, he had no good impression of the British, so he naturally guarded against it. He except ordered the commander of the French navy Jean. Admiral Sur was ready to destroy the fleet and prevent it from falling into the hands of others, and the original historical order to disarm was changed to a limited amount of armament behind it, and the vigilance was strengthened.

But with the arrival of the British, coupled with the self-sinking of the fleet stationed in the British, confirmed the authenticity of that information, and also angered the French. Angry French officials issued a call to the troops: "All French naval forces in the Mediterranean are put on combat readiness!"

"Our army has not changed its original intentions, and the French battleships are determined to take on all new military shocks." Jean Sur also informed the British of his decision.

Smoke rose in the military port, gun clothing was removed, ammunition was transported from the warehouses to the gun emplacements, and the French began to prepare for battle.

The British refused to stare dryly, and the planes on the aircraft carrier Ark Royal suddenly came out and began to lay mines in the harbor. Faced with the strength of the British aircraft carriers, the French were powerless to parry. But at this time, Somerville still wants to settle this matter peacefully, and it is very embarrassing for anyone to stand up for this matter. The planes of the British were only laying mines, and had not yet instigated an attack.

However, this situation did not last long, and soon Somerville received a warning from the British naval headquarters: "Solve the problem as soon as possible, otherwise it will not be possible to send French reinforcements."

Somerville had to give the French one last chance: before 16:30, the French had to make their final choice.

This was an hour earlier than in history, because of the reminder of the day, the French made more preparations, and if they delayed the attack, the British would have suffered even greater losses. At this time, on the deck of the French battleship, the sailors were already in place, and the officers were also urgently planting defenses. They are also holding on to a fluke, and their allies who have fought side by side will bring their problems to the negotiating table.

But Somerville's flagship "Hood" fired the first shot on time, and its 15-inch caliber shells rained down on the flagship of the French, "Brittany", and all their illusions were shattered. The saluting faces of the soldiers were numb, their expressions were depressed, their eyes were full of sorrow, they were complaining, they were cursing. They had just been shocked by the surrender of their homeland to the Germans, and then they had to face the defection of their allies.

Many of them could not stand such an impact, and their combat effectiveness plummeted.

"Boom!" The arsenal of the battleship "Brittany", which received intensive care from the very beginning, was hit and exploded, and was destroyed. There was a huge influx of seawater, and it began to sink rapidly.

Everyone abandoned the ship and escaped, and no one wanted to die. But the explosives depot was blown up, and the whole ship sank very quickly, and by the time it was submerged, three-quarters of the sailors on board had not had time to escape. But at this time, the French army, which had lost their fighting spirit and was in a state of confusion, had no heart to rescue their comrades, and the French, who were lost in the water, refused to accept the help of the British after the battle.

The sailors who abandoned ship struggled in the sea and swam to the shore. There is pungent diesel fuel floating on the surface of the sea, and many people accidentally choke on diesel fuel into their lungs when they breathe. Many people were drowned in this way, and some people also committed suicide when the country was obsessed and hopeless.

The British were convinced that the mines in the harbor would prevent the French from escaping, but the French battle cruiser "Slatsburg" began a bold escape operation. Under the cover of thick smoke, the captain of the ship, with his superb piloting skills, sailed through the harbor with extensive wreckage, sailed out of the mine-filled waters, and drove the "Strasbourg" out to sea.

Even though it was still discovered by British planes, and 6 torpedo bombers flew on board the Ark Royal to intercept it, although the "Slatsburg" was torpedoed and suffered heavy damage, it was escorted by 5 destroyers, deployed dense fire and air defense, and finally struggled to escape.

The battle continues.

"Those damn British! They have betrayed us, they have betrayed the Covenant, they have betrayed our friendship! Soldiers, we need to let them know that there is a price to be paid for mutiny! Roar with cannons! The 91st of the French Navy, who had risen to the rank of captain of the French Navy, was standing on the deck of the "Dunkirk" at this time, raising his arms and shouting, continuing to boost the morale of the French soldiers.

Meng Xiang turned out to be a pseudo-military fan, and only remembered that the "Dunkirk" escaped and survived, but he didn't know that the "Slatsburg" was only a "Dunkirk" class battle cruiser, not the Dunkirk, which had run aground on the shore.

At this time, the "Dunkirk" had already received several shells, and the sailors began to jump ship and escape. It was relatively easy to escape from the "Dunkirk", which ran aground in the shallows.

At this time, seeing that the enmity between Britain and France had been planted, and the remaining time was an opportunity to deepen this enmity, and it was also time for the spies to increase their military merits, Jian 91 stood up and commanded artillery fire to take revenge on the British.

On the battlefield, it is so strange, as long as someone stands up, the soldiers under the dazed can quickly assemble, twist into a rope, and burst out with amazing combat effectiveness. The two quadruple 330-mm 50-caliber eight main guns on the "Dunkirk" roared continuously, and finally a shocking loud bang broke out on one of the British cruisers.

Encouraged by this victory, the fighting spirit of the French increased considerably, and the artillery fire that returned fire became more intense. The guns of the Nagato-class battleship named Clemenceau were particularly ferocious, with 420 mm guns tearing a hole directly into the side of the Ark Royal, and a British destroyer was sunk directly by a single shot.

But the British had air superiority and were better prepared, making their attacks more effective. The Nagato-class battleship of the French was taken care of with great care, and under the attack of torpedo bombers, there was a sound in its steel skeleton, and the hull began to skew.

At this time, the "Brittany", "Provence" and "Mogado" were bombed to pieces, and even if some of the French resisted stubbornly, it would not hinder the overall situation. Historically, the fleet blocked in the harbor has not been able to escape its doom.

Sur couldn't bear to watch the soldiers die in vain, so he signaled a ceasefire.

"Yes!" Somerville promised, but made up for it: "I'll still fire unless I see the fleet sink."

The battle lasted only a dozen minutes before the French were defeated, with more than 1,600 French soldiers killed at the guns of their allies. Although the British also suffered many casualties, one cruiser and one destroyer were sunk, compared to the sinking of three battleships by the French, the crushing defeat of one stranded was already a huge victory and the completion of the set goal.

"The British attacked us, they betrayed us!" When the scarred Slatsburg was seen in the port of Toulon in the south of France the next evening, it brought news of the British mutiny.

"These unprepared, untrustworthy obscene embryos, these shameless Brits!" The French were outraged, and most of the French navy blamed the British for this action.

"Our enemy is Germany, not England. They are our allies, and if the British win the war, we will win with it, otherwise we will be defeated. There are also French people who argue in this way.

"Shit Alliance, even the Germans saved our fleet, and it was this damn Union that pointed its guns at us and wanted to wipe us out!" Immediately someone reached over with a fist. Several of the furious sailors even used knives to scrape off the word "Alliance" tattooed on their arms. Many people supported Jean Sur's decision.

"I don't regret it, even if I choose again, I still won't choose to compromise." Let Souls also be convinced that his decision was correct, "No French admiral will accept such an ultimatum, not the British general, not the American general, not anyone who commands the fleet." ”

Even the weak navy before Huaxia chose to sink itself and maintain its last dignity. The French can't afford to lose that face.

In order to save a little face, the commander-in-chief of the French Ocean Fleet publicly announced: "Dunkirk" was slightly damaged and would soon be repaired. On the third day, the British took action and sent planes to continue bombing the unfortunate battlecruiser and other ships in the harbor. Now that the French have been blamed, there is no harm in doing it more completely.

Although the "Dunkirk", which was still stranded, did not sink, it was even more seriously damaged.

In the aftermath of this incident, relations between Britain and France broke down severely. The Vichy government seized the opportunity to declare a break with the British, and almost did not declare war. But the French navy had already regarded the British as enemies.

But the trebuchet plan is not yet over, and there is still a French super-battleship "Richelieu" in Dakar, which has been 95% completed, and there is still a huge threat, and the unfinished "Jean Carr" parked in Casablanca may also be quickly loaded with weapons and attack England. Even if Britain and France are at odds, they must cut down the grass and eradicate the roots.

So a few days later, the same thing happened in Dakar. The British fleet, led by the aircraft carrier "Athletic", began to attack the battleship "Richelieu" parked in the harbor.

However, this time the French were well prepared and had already allowed the British to come. The "Richelieu" at anchor fought back with eight 380-mm guns, 12 twin-mounted 100-mm anti-aircraft guns and four quadruple 13.2-mm anti-aircraft machine guns also followed the trajectory of torpedo bombers in the sky. The fire that covered the sky with the anti-aircraft guns of the other ships anchored in the harbor and the Kare battery made little difference to the 450-mm torpedoes on the swordfish torpedo planes that flew from the aircraft carrier Athletic.

The British certainly did not give up, and the sudden increase in the naval power of the Germans at this time made them very worried.

At this time, the British added the Nagato-class battleships they bought, a total of 13 battleships, 3 battle cruisers, 8 aircraft carriers, 18 heavy cruisers, 38 light cruisers, and if you add 5 George V-class battleships and other ships under construction, it is definitely still the world's first naval power.

And although the Germans have not yet built Bismarck, the two Yamato-class battleships in their hands are scary enough, besides, they also have 2 German pocket battleships (one has already sunk itself), 2 Scharnhorst-class battlecruisers, 2 Nagato-class battleships purchased from the umbrella company, and they also have 2 German-class former dreadnought battleships, and 2 Bavaria-class battleships that they don't know how to get out. Although the British do not know to this day, the Germans also hid a Bavaria-class battleship and a Yamato-class battleship.

At this time, the Germans had been standing idly by in the struggle between Britain and France. The Germans could not get the fleet of the French for the time being, and even if it was destroyed, they did not feel distressed. With the provision of copycat companies, they don't need a fleet of French, they just need to scavenge more wealth, and they can also exchange more giant ships to defeat the British.

Another newly built Yamato-class battleship has been named the Ludendorff, and the new one has been named Moltke. According to the copycat, the copycat company also has a Yamato-class battleship available in the first half of next year, which the Germans have already booked, and also set aside the name of Frederick the Great.

Due to the Yamato-class battleships provided by the cottage company, the original Hindenburg class was temporarily canceled and redesigned, striving to have a larger hull and tonnage, and more fierce giant guns. Those titles of the Hindenburg-class were directly appropriated to the Yamato-class battleships, and the new giant ships, Hitler had already positioned themselves in the Adolf class.

The British did not know this, but at this time most of them still believed that the number of battleships with huge guns and thick armor determined the strength of the navy. On the bright side, the Germans already had 10 capital ships, and there were two Yamato-class super battleships that the British felt powerless. In such a situation, if they were allowed to acquire the two more "Richelieu" class battleships of the French, it would undoubtedly break the naval supremacy of the British in Europe.

As a result, the British also needed to take care of the colonies around the world, and there were relatively few warships concentrated in Europe.

Their ship production lines are running at full capacity, but that's not enough. They are more willing to exchange them for warships than the riches they have.

The British had already contacted the copycat company in the hope of getting a Yamato-class battleship. However, since the copycat company is biased towards the side of the Germans, it is natural that it is not enough to blatantly trade with the British, but it is not appropriate to refuse it openly, and can only claim that the production line is full, and if necessary, it must be compared with the year after tomorrow. They explained to the British that the Americans had ordered one and had not yet delivered it. The Vanguard ordered two more. Delivery will be available next year. If the British need it, they can talk to them.

"The Huaxia people actually want to have three? Do they have money? Britain was shocked, and then dismissive. The Americans didn't have much hope, and if the Americans got this kind of battleship, they would at least have to study it thoroughly before selling it for a high price. The Americans were not short of money, but they were gluttonous about the British colonies. The British were reluctant to deal with the Americans in this way.

And they chose Huaxia, who has always been the same as the face people, to discuss the future ownership of the two Yamato-class battleships.

The arrogant British found Lao Chiang, but Lao Chiang brushed a trick and got out and turned it to the vanguard.

"At such a low price, are you embarrassed to transfer? Still trying to threaten us? Meng Xiang snorted coldly, "Look at what they mean, they even want our Zhenyuan?" Their jaw-dropping attitude is really brain-dead! ”