Chapter 1376: The Eve of War 2

"The selfishness of the British? What do you mean? Roosevelt was a little puzzled. If it is said that the British deliberately left a considerable part of their strength to ensure the security of their homeland, this is understandable, but this point is well known to everyone, and Li Mei does not need to deliberately say it, is there some other hidden secret?

"The British duly increased their power in India. Australian and New Zealand troops were also transferred to India. The same is true on the part of the Air Force. After the end of the Iran War, Britain's presence in India increased more rapidly, especially after we decided to move most of the Pacific Fleet to Europe first. As far as we can see, the British have at least 12 wings of air force in India. And there is a possibility of more in the future. Marshall whispered.

"Huh?!" Roosevelt was stunned for a moment, and then a mouthful of old blood almost didn't spurt out! Now that the other party is about to hit the door, the British still have this idea? Is this to say that the British are confident or stupid? If Germany occupied France, its next target would be Britain, across the sea. Isn't the British government worried that it will be forced to run to Canada to form a government-in-exile?! As for the block colony? Roosevelt was so angry that he couldn't figure it out. He was now a little envious of the Kaiser, because Germany had a very high position in the Central Powers, and the Kaiser could control the entire Allied bloc according to the will of Germany. And on the side of the Entente, each of the three great powers has its own little abacus. Especially the British, who still can't recognize their position, are they really the British Empire before World War 1, the United States or the United States before World War 1?

Roosevelt decided to write a personal letter to advise the British Empire's interests to come first. To be honest, Roosevelt was not very optimistic about Churchill, and the other side was too tough to know how to be flexible. He didn't know what the interests of the alliance were, and he valued the British too much on their own one-third of an acre, such a person was not a good ally, and if it weren't for Churchill's very resolute attitude towards Germany, the Americans might have to support his opponents!

"By the way, is there any news over there? Will the aid and support promised by Huaxia be kept? At this moment, Roosevelt suddenly remembered that they had a quasi-ally! Although this quasi-ally is also a competitor of the United States in the future. But at the moment, Roosevelt clearly wanted to rely on his strength to tide over the situation.

"Huaxia's attitude is not bad, and they have conscientiously fulfilled all the obligations agreed in advance. All the supplies and equipment that could be paid immediately were handed over to us on time. But judging by the current needs, these supplies and weapons are still not enough. We were able to place additional orders, but the British were afraid that there were some problems with their solvency, and the simultaneous arms build-up and the massive purchase of equipment seemed to overwhelm the British purse, so some of the subsequent deals between the two sides did not go very well. Moreover, Huaxia still remembered that the British withdrew from the battlefield first during the Iran War, so they refused to accept credit from the British. Marshall replied.

"Hmm. That's right. We need Parliament to pass a bill to help Britain through this in order to help them weather this. Huaxia does not allow the British to take credit, so we can give the British much-needed financial support. Of course, this money was not given for nothing, and the British needed to defer payment for other goods. Roosevelt thought for a while and said that Roosevelt had originally planned to let Britain sell some military bases or islands, but considering that the war had not yet started to scrape flesh from its allies, the impact was very bad, and the British who did not hit the southern wall and did not look back may not accept this suggestion. Sooner or later, they will agree. Roosevelt said in his heart.

While the Americans were stepping up their war readiness, the British were not idle. In a way, the British are more in crisis and prepared. "Don't think that the English Channel can guarantee the security of the British mainland, this is history, the German planes can cross this narrow ditch to attack the heart of the British Empire, and the German High Seas Fleet is enough to inflict fatal damage on the Empire's sea lines of communication, and we are even more dependent on sea transport than France, so we must do our best to prepare for war. In particular, we must pay close attention to the reserve of various materials and raw materials! Churchill said at a cabinet meeting.

The British have more say in the difficulties and understanding of the war than the Americans, after all, Britain fought with the Allies at sea and on land for 5 years in World War 1! The 5-year war was not just a test for the troops at the front. It is also a test of a country's national strength and government efficiency. The fact that the British were able to hold out for five years shows that they have a lot of experience in both general and protracted warfare. In order to cope with the consumption of materials in the protracted war and the strangulation of the lines of communication by German submarines, the British established a relatively complete national reserve system as early as the end of the First World War. From all kinds of daily necessities, grains, meat and vegetables used by ordinary people to raw materials such as fuel and rubber needed by the army. In addition, there are various ores and spare machinery necessary for the start of industrial operation. The British made plans in separate categories and then hoarded supplies according to those plans. And when the clouds of war are looming day by day. The combat readiness of the British reached a peak. More than 70 percent of the British Empire's transport ships were preparing for the war. And the amount of material reserves has also reached a peak.

And in addition to the reserves of war consumables, such as supplies, the British are also "stockpiling" another more important resource, that is, "manpower"! This reserve not only refers to the redeployment of troops and labour from the British Empire's colonies and dominions around the world, but also includes the sending of many elderly and children unfit for war to safe areas in the colonies and dominions. The German war readiness revealed a military force beyond the imagination of the British, and there were only two ways in front of the British Empire, one of which was to fight to the end. The other way is to throw in the towel. And the latter is unacceptable to the British, who established the "Peace of Britain"! Although the current Britain is twilight, Yu Wei is still there!

The accession of the United States gave Britain great confidence, and at the same time, it was believed that with the support of the United States, the British could play some small games of their own, such as deploying some of the forces originally used for domestic defense and support to France to India. Churchill was not only a strong-willed leader, but also had some vision. He once said to his friend: "Whatever the outcome of this war, the British Empire will lose Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa forever." The only place we can hope to keep is India, which will be the last capital of the British Empire and the hope of rising again! So the second most important region of the British Empire is India! Had it not been for the Germans' attempt to seize India, the war could have been avoided. ”

Churchill knew the reality very well that the First World War had brought Britain down from the pinnacle of world power. The Dominions and the more powerful colonies that were once dependent on Britain will choose a way forward for the future. And the British were a little weak. So Britain's best option was to concentrate on keeping the colonies that were most important to Britain, and which were most likely to be defended. And this colony is India. India has a vast land area and was an important source of raw materials and a dumping ground for commodities in the British Empire. Although the population is large, it will be more troublesome to rule. But the multi-ethnic nature of India itself also allows the British to pull part and fight part. Of course, there is another willingness that Britain cannot ignore, and that is in a secret meeting between the United States and Britain. The Americans have made it clear that they will continue to help the British keep the colony of India after the end of World War II! And who this secret covenant is aimed at, I'm afraid Sima Zhao's heart is known to everyone! Naturally, it is to block the road of China's westward expansion!

However, as a country that had fallen from the pinnacle of power, the British had difficulty counterbalancing the influence of the Americans in the Entente system. In addition to the fact that the British Air Force can maintain its independence, both in the army and in the navy. Britain must all hug the thighs of the Americans. Especially the latter. The British did not fail to develop a corresponding naval plan, but then in their negotiations with the Americans, they eventually lost because of the conflict of interests with the United States. As a sea power, the British are very sensitive to their own sea transportation routes. The safety of maritime transport is the number one concern in the UK. And at the recent high-level meetings of the Entente, the British demanded an active strike on the German high seas fleet. As soon as the German fleet sailed out of the Mediterranean, then it was time to look for opportunities for a decisive battle to solve the threat once and for all. At the same time, the U.S. Navy is also required to be able to deploy more than 70 percent of the Navy's capital ships in Britain and France.

However, his proposal was rejected by Vice Admiral Nimitz, a representative of the US Navy. In addition to the lack of hardware conditions, the Americans want stability. They hope to crush their opponents slowly but surely with their superiority in national power. The Americans are convinced that they have an advantage in industry and technology. Time is on its side, and as long as France does not collapse, then being on the defensive at sea is naturally the best option. Of course, there is another reason that Britain and France are still too strong now, if they can be weakened through war, let them completely become the little brother of the United States. Then, in the future competition with China, the United States will undoubtedly be in an advantageous position. Therefore, the United States, proceeding from its own interests, still hopes that the war can drag on for a while and then end. This, of course, is what the Americans think. It doesn't mean that things will go the way he envisioned!

As the focus of the German offensive, the French also began to prepare for war, and after the baptism of the First World War, the French had a more conservative view of the war. They have lost the pride and ambition of recovering their land during the 1st World War. After all, the reality is cruel, and the United States, Britain and France were unable to get down to the Allies in the end. After the Allies had reaped a great deal of benefits from the collapse of Russia and the Balkan states, the Entente, which had just recovered from the economic crisis, was not fit for an offensive operation. Although the French considered themselves to be on a technical level not inferior to Germany, in the face of overall strength, the French chose to go on the defensive.

The strong Maginot Line, combined with strong mobile troops and airfields dotted in the rear, formed a thick and tight defense system in the north of France, and France in this plane was much stronger than the historical France, first of all, they had a clear understanding of the outbreak of war. Know that the history of this war is inevitable. 1 Post-war Germany aspired to dominate all of Europe. There will definitely not be an unyielding France left. In terms of tactics, after the baptism of World War I and the two subsequent local wars, France had a certain understanding of the Germans' operational thinking, and the air-ground coordinated operations quickly broke through and interspersed. Then dividing and encircling was the only way for the Germans. In response to this situation, the French also formulated corresponding countermeasures, the combination of static defense and mobile forces effectively contained the breakthrough and penetration of the other side, only from a technical point of view, the French defense line in the north is indeed strong. Even the Germans admit that it will take quite a while to break through from the front.

The French also had hope for their own defense. But not so long ago, the Americans gave France a wake-up call, what if the Germans landed from the south of France? And this short sentence scared the French half to death, although the south of France is indeed a plateau and mountain, but the transportation is also very developed. Moreover, the so-called Central Plateau is really not high in other countries, and the focus of France's defense is on the north, and at this time, if the Germans concentrate on the sea, land and air force to attack the south, the French really have no good way.

At this time, General Charles de Gaulle once again stepped forward, and the same general, who had been sent to Africa, took on the task of taking on the task of forming an armored corps with a direct air force to deal with the Allied landings in southern France. And after receiving a reminder from the Americans, and then at the Entente meeting, the French put forward the idea of what if the German fleet went out of the Mediterranean, entered the Bay of Biscay under the cover of the Spanish Air Force, and then covered the landing of the German Army on the west coast of France. The United States and Britain were a little dumbfounded. Although France and Spain are hindered by the Ibilis Mountains, there is also a passage in between, and as long as the Germans gain a foothold on the west coast of France, the impact on the war situation will be very great.

"The Germans would not have done this, at least they did not risk a landing battle in the Atlantic until the air situation became clear, and the huge landing fleet would be directly threatened by the combined fleet of the Entente. If they were going to let tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands, of German troops fall into the sea to feed the fish, we could help him. The American said half-jokingly, half-seriously.

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