"Now we need a day to replenish fuel and maintain equipment. Tomorrow morning, we will forcefully cross the Somme River!" Guderian seems to have made up his mind. He will soon have three more armored divisions. Although it is not the return of He directly commands, but so far Guderian and Paul & Hausser have cooperated quite well. Guderian is not worried about the cooperation between the two armies.
"Okay!" Paul Hausser agreed with Guderian's decision and ordered loudly, "Boys, we will forcefully cross the Somme tomorrow, so be prepared!"
"Hi, Hitler? Le!" the SS replied to his commander in a unique way, so in the noisy bustle, everyone began to make their own preparations, and the maintenance personnel continued to inspect the tanks to keep them in the best condition. In this state, the tank crews took advantage of this short period of time to recharge their batteries. Even Guderian and Paul Hausser were hurriedly making plans to cross the river and contact the Air Force's dive bomber formation.
But now Paris, the capital of France, has fallen into huge chaos, even more chaotic than the Battle of Verdun in the last war. The reason was that the news that the French Ninth Army had been defeated reached Paris. This news was simply a bolt from the blue. Countless Parisian people took to the streets in hesitation and helplessness. They don’t know where their road is, and they don’t know where their tomorrow will be? Everyone is full of fear and hopes that their military and government can stand up and say some words of comfort to them.
Their government failed to appease these fearful people at this time, because they also fell into chaos. The German armored group unexpectedly crossed the Ardennes, quickly captured the Sedan Fortress, and forcibly crossed the Maas River. All this was beyond the expectations of the French government and staff.
Because the main force of the British and French coalition forces was still fighting in Belgium, the Battle of Eben Emel Fortress convinced everyone that Germany's main attack would start from Belgium. Unexpectedly, the French were wrong. The success of this surprise attack, the capture of the bridges and the fierce offensive of General von Lechnau's Sixth Army convinced the French High Command that the main edge of the German offensive was on the right flank. As a result, until the evening of May 15, Belgian, British and French troops still stood on the defense line of the Dyer River from Antwerp to Namur. This was exactly what the German High Command wanted. Because this would create conditions for Germany to annihilate the Allied forces on a large scale.
Just when the French Ninth Army was defeated, French President Reno grabbed his phone and called Daladier, asking him if he knew if Gamelin had any countermeasures? Daladi's reply was: "Gamolin is helpless!". Obviously, the progress of the German army far exceeded the progress of 1914. These senior French military officials, who were accustomed to positional warfare in World War I, were helpless and could not think of a corresponding solution.
The cabinet met in chaos, boxes of files were thrown from the windows and set on fire in the courtyard below. Members of Congress are running around spreading all kinds of exaggerated lies. As if the German army would soon arrive in Paris, the chaos in the government departments led to chaos among the Parisian people. Countless people began to pack their things and prepare to leave Paris and flee to the south.
At this time, Paul Reno thought of his ally, the war-minded British Prime Minister Churchill who had just come to power. The situation faced by Churchill at this time was very serious. The Germans' march on the European continent was very smooth and overwhelming. Not only were the Dutch and Belgians unable to stop it, but even the French army, which had always been regarded as the most powerful in Europe, was defeated. German armored groups and bomber groups swarmed in, crossing the Ardennes Mountains and the Meuse River from Belgium. On May 14, they broke through the French defensive positions in Sedan and Dinant, and pushed the French Second Army and the Ninth Army into the air. The group army was defeated and defeated. This victory of the German army not only threatened the Allied rear that was firmly contained in the north, but also turned the hugely expensive and supposedly impregnable Maginot Line of defense on the German-French border in the southeast into waste. On the evening of May 14, the Dutch army surrendered to the Germans. The situation is very critical.
At this time, Churchill received a telegram from French President Paul Reynaud.
"Dear Prime Minister, the German army is advancing much faster than expected, making our various deployments completely useless. The joint attack of German tanks and bombers is to relieve the pressure that France is now experiencing. , I hope that the British can dispatch ten squadrons of air force to reinforce us and regain air supremacy!" Churchill looked at this telegram and was at a loss. Churchill did not understand why France, known as the first army in Europe, could not withstand it so quickly. . Although he didn't want to believe it was true, he had the French President's telegram in his hand, so he couldn't help but not believe it. It took Churchill a long time to calm down, think about it and make a decision.
Since France's current occupation is very unfavorable, Churchill's decision is to prepare to agree to the French's request to send ten air force squadrons, but whether six of the squadrons will ultimately be sent will depend on the development of the war situation. Because in case France really cannot withstand the German attack, Churchill must reserve some air force for Britain, because after France falls, it will immediately come to Britain. Churchill must leave enough air force for Britain to withstand the German air force's attack.
Now Churchill was very distressed, because he had a premonition that France would eventually be defeated, and Britain would soon lose its last major ally. Soon there will be no rivals for Germany on the European continent. By the time Germany is integrating European data to develop its navy, Britain's natural barrier, the English Channel, will sooner or later be unable to stop Germany's powerful army.
At this time, Churchill realized what he had to do. He must go to France to see what France is like now and cheer up his allies. Furthermore, Churchill set his sights on the United States thousands of miles away. Churchill He believed that his personal relationship with Roosevelt was still good, and the two had been exchanging letters since 1939. Now that the European continent and the Far East are in a mess, Churchill doesn't believe that Roosevelt can't see the danger, but is just unable to intervene due to the isolation of the United States. In Churchill's view, if France fell, Britain's only ally would be the United States.
Therefore, before taking the plane to France, that is, on the afternoon of May 15, Churchill drafted an urgent telegram to President Roosevelt for help. Although this move was approved by the cabinet, in order to maintain the informal nature of the contact, the signature was still "former naval personnel." The telegram said:
"Although I have changed positions, I believe you are unwilling to interrupt our close personal correspondence. As you must be aware, the situation has deteriorated rapidly. The enemy has clearly gained the upper hand in the air and their new technology is A deep impression was made on the minds of the French. I personally think that the ground war has just begun, and I would like to see the masses participating in the war. Until now, Hitler is still fighting with special tank troops and air forces. Those small countries are simply Like matchsticks, they were smashed one by one. Although it is not yet certain, we must expect that Mussolini will also hastily step in to participate in the plunder of civilized countries. We predict that in the near future, , we will be attacked here by air attacks, paratroopers and airlift troops. We are prepared for this. If necessary, we will continue to fight alone, and we are not afraid of fighting alone.
"But, Mr. President, I believe you will realize that the voice and strength of the United States may not have much effect if suppressed for too long. You will soon see a completely conquered and Naziized Europe." Appearing in front of us, this pressure may be unbearable for us. What I ask now is: you declare a state of non-belligerence, which means that you will do everything you can to help us except actually sending armed forces to the war." Churchill then proposed that the United States borrow "forty or fifty older destroyers to make up the difference between our existing ships and the large number of new ones we have begun building since the beginning of the war." In addition, it is hoped that the United States will provide hundreds of the latest combat aircraft and a batch of much-needed air defense equipment, ammunition and steel. Churchill also said: "As long as we can still pay in dollars, we will continue to use dollars to buy; but I have reason to believe that even if we cannot pay, you will still provide us with supplies."
After sending this telegram, Churchill secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Churchill believed that his friend would see the current situation clearly and make his own judgment, but Churchill must immediately start solving the problem at hand. That is to go to France in person to cheer up France, which is now in a mess, and let the French know that their British allies have not abandoned them.
In France, the phenomenon of terror was not limited to the government, but perhaps worst of all, to the army. In northern France, it spread like wildfire through the various headquarters. On May 19, Lord Galt began to consider retreating to the coast, and not without reason. On this day, an anonymous staff officer recorded the following in his diary: “This unorthodox mobile warfare has paralyzed the French General Staff. Textbooks describe this kind of mobility. It is completely inapplicable to the current situation, and these French generals who drew up plans for the coalition still have 1914-style minds and are completely unable to cope with this new situation."