The British and French forces formulated a strategic defense plan called Plan B. Plan B required that as soon as the German army launched an offensive, the French First and Seventh Armies and the British Expeditionary Force would enter Belgium, occupy the line from Antwerp to Namur, and cooperate with the Bibi Army. On the right, the French Ninth Army was deployed along the Meuse River from Namur to the French border.
In March 1940, several changes were made to Plan B, known as the Breda variant. The Breda variant requires the French Seventh Army to advance on the left wing toward Breda in the southern Netherlands, forming a front line integrating the British and French forces, the Dutch Army, and the Belgian Army. The French Second Army defended the Maginot Line to the south. Just deploy five divisions to garrison in the Ardennes Mountains. Because the Ardennes were considered insurmountable. The troops stationed in the Ardennes were equipped with neither anti-tank nor anti-aircraft weapons. This happened to fall into Manstein's trap.
Now everyone in Europe knows that the German Empire has been rearmed, and the last war was far from solving the problem. Germany's aggressiveness and England and France's successive concessions made Europe as a whole begin to think about its future.
Among them, King Leopold III of Belgium and Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands were particularly troubled. On the one hand, Germany's aggressiveness made them instinctively feel the danger. On the other hand, England and France were retreating step by step, leaving a legacy for the entire Europe. This gave the impression that Britain and France simply did not dare to fight head-on with the German Empire.
The experience of the Kingdom of Norway has once again sounded the alarm in the hearts of Belgium and the Netherlands. At this time, they are weighing the pros and cons in their hearts, hoping to stand in the right position in this big storm. Of course, the leaders of the two countries would not simply draw conclusions based on what they saw with their eyes like ordinary civilians. In fact, they all knew that the reason why the Kingdom of Norway was invaded was entirely because it became a conflict between Britain, France and Germany. The victim of time. The Germans want to protect their maritime lines of communication, and the British want to cut them off. Therefore, Norway has become an irreplaceable battlefield for several major powers.
Now Leopold III and Queen Wilhelmina are thinking about how to prevent their country from being involved in the war and prevent their country from becoming a battlefield like Norway.
Today, Queen Wilhelmina will receive an important guest at her beloved Royal Palace. This person is the former German Emperor Wilhelm II. William II came specially from his castle.
Apeldoorn, located in the heart of the Netherlands, has a vast forest, and the royal family's former summer residence, "Royal Palace", is located in this forest. Apelton has a history of more than 1,200 years. If you want to find its past appearance, you have to go around Radhuis Square.
The Royal Palace is located near Apeldoorn. After William II arrived here and was allowed to receive him, he took a leisurely stroll in this villa, which is known as the favorite of the Dutch royal family, and walked to the outdoor garden. The Baroque-style garden is completely surrounded by stairs, pergolas, sculptures and vases. The flowers and plants here are carefully cultivated, and the beautiful scenery presented every spring and summer caught William II's eyes, even if he was not When he came to this place for the first time, William II couldn't help but admit that the Palais Royal was indeed a breathtaking building that had been decorated in the French Empire style.
Under the guidance of his entourage, William II came to Wilhelmina's office in the Luo Palace, which was actually a studio. Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands has been passionate about painting since she was a child, and painting has become an indispensable part of her life. As the summer residence of the royal family, Wilhelmina had her own studio here.
"Wilhelmina, I haven't seen you for such a long time, but you are still so charming! If I remember correctly, you must be sixty years old now!" As soon as William II entered the door, he saw Queen Wilhelmina painting there. Immediately complimented.
Queen Wilhelmina put down her paintbrush, looked at William II, and suddenly smiled sarcastically, "Your Majesty, you are already eighty years old, and aren't you in such good health? Besides! Your Majesty's German Empire is now in full swing. Even the British and French didn’t dare to resist and could only tremble behind the Maginot Line!”
"Your Majesty?" William II said with a self-deprecating smile, "Wilhelmina, do you still think I can control Germany now?" Before Wilhelmina could speak, William II began to talk to himself again. ,; "Britain and France should have known that the war had already started since the last war when they put forward so many harsh conditions on Germany!"
Queen Wilhelmina did not say anything. She also knew that her relative had always been brooding about the failure of the last war. After the war, she was also very dissatisfied with the harsh conditions proposed by Britain and France. Queen Wilhelmina also knew that it was not William II's fault. At that time, the entire Germany chose war. As the emperor of the German Empire, William II had no other choice. choose.
But now Queen Wilhelmina wants to know, now that the German Empire is ready for revenge, what will be the fate of the Netherlands in this upcoming war? Whether she wants to be neutral like in the last war, or whether she will inevitably be involved, this is what Queen Wilhelmina is most concerned about now.
Thinking of this, Queen Wilhelmina was not going to waste time and asked her question directly, "William, to be honest, I want to know if the Netherlands can guarantee its neutral position in this war between you and Britain and France!" I don’t want to see my country in the flames of war!” Wilhelmina asked without any mincing words. As for her own question, does William II know? Queen Wilhelmina has no such worries at all. As the former emperor of the German Empire, , William II must have his own news channels, and a large part of the German Juncker landowners also have a strong support for the former emperor. These are no secrets.
This question was very pointed. William II thought about it for a long time, and finally said honestly, "Wilhelmina, to be honest, there is very little hope that the Netherlands can remain neutral this time. After all, I am not ruling Germany now, and the current successors are not." I will definitely learn from my mistakes last time and will not consider the positions of the Netherlands and Belgium to avoid repeating the same mistakes. Like last time, it delayed precious attack time, allowed Britain and France to recover, and ultimately lost the entire war."
"Huh..." Queen Wilhelmina exhaled deeply. She understood what the mistake William II was referring to in the last war was that Germany was worried about the expansion of the war, so it only attacked France through Belgium. If at the same time, By declaring war on the Netherlands, the German army can obtain a wider attack space and quickly attack France. In this way, the outcome of the war may be completely different.
"If that time comes, I will definitely protect my country and let them resist to the end!" After thinking for a long time, Queen Wilhelmina said decisively.
"Wilhelmina, don't be impulsive!" William II saw Queen Wilhelmina's determination to resist to the end, and quickly advised, "Do you think the Netherlands has Poland's million-strong army? Or does it have the military industry potential and weapons and equipment of Czechoslovakia? ? None of these are available in the Netherlands. I have lived in the Netherlands for twenty years. Don’t you know how many troops the Netherlands can organize? Do you expect the British and French to help you? "
Several questions from William II overwhelmed Queen Wilhelmina. Yes, our country does not have the military strength of Poland and Czechoslovakia. Poland’s millions of troops were quickly annihilated by Germany and the Soviet Union. Czechoslovakia, known as the seventh most powerful country in Europe, was also sold by the British in order to please the Germans. gift, can the Netherlands withstand the German army
"Wilhelmina, I don't know which route this plan will attack from, but if I guess right, it should be a variant of Schlieffen's plan. By then, the pressure on the Netherlands and Belgium will be the greatest, so I I hope you can ensure the safety of the people in your country!"
William II said hesitantly, "I don't know what the outcome of this war will be, but, Wilhelmina, you have to know that as far as I know, just when Germany was defeated last time, the situation in Germany was The Klandlords have already determined to prepare for revenge and have started preparations long ago, so the Germany you see has been preparing for this war for twenty years! If it really starts, the war will be extremely cruel! "
"Twenty years?" Queen Wilhelmina exclaimed, "Does Germany really not be able to endure the humiliation of the Treaty of Versailles and must take revenge?"
"Yes!" William II said bluntly, "Even if I am in power in Germany, I will do this. We will take back any shame imposed on the German Empire!"
"Hey..." Queen Wilhelmina sighed and said, "William, you have to understand that the resources of this world have been allocated. Although Germany is very powerful now, it is not the opponent of Britain and France combined!"
Although William II knew it, he would never admit it. If he admitted it, it would mean that the last war was a wrong decision. William II did not want to see things develop into this situation, but he had to make the topic clear, that is, to persuade Queen Wilhelmina to give up the idea of going to war with Germany, because only in this way can the Netherlands avoid the war to the greatest extent. destroy.
After thinking for a long time, William II finally said, "Wilhelmina, I hope that when war comes, you can persuade the Dutch army not to resist!"
"This is impossible!" Queen Wilhelmina flatly refused, "Once the war comes, as long as the German army invades my country, it will be regarded as an invader! I will never order no resistance!"