At that time, the soldiers lacked organization, and when their hearts were occupied by fear and panic, they could not be called soldiers. At this time, they were no different from ordinary people. The same panic, the same panic, the same panic as ordinary people.
After the Lys River defense line collapsed, General Bock immediately implemented the planned plan, allowing General von Reichenau's Sixth Army to storm the junction of the positions of the Belgian army and the British Expeditionary Force. In an effort to isolate the Belgian army from the British and French coalition forces, the established encirclement was set up on the edge of the English Channel, 70 kilometers away from the Dunkirk area. The main purpose of von Kuechler's Eighteenth Army was to completely drive out the junction between the British Expeditionary Force and the Royal Belgian Army, so as to create a situation where the Sixth Army faced the Royal Belgian Army alone. According to the plan of General Bock, commander of Army Group B, the fourteen divisions of General von Reichenau, commander of Sixth Army, were enough to annihilate the army of the Kingdom of Belgium.
The current task of the various units of the Sixth Army is not to push the Belgian army into a desperate situation, because this may cause the Belgians to fight to the death. General von Reichenau's plan is to maintain contact and always keep a close eye on the Belgian army. The army maintains a certain amount of pressure, preventing them from stopping to reorganize their defenses and keeping their Sixth Army in pursuit. Although this will greatly delay the battle, it is the best way to preserve strength and strive for victory. Method.
Furthermore, in the opinion of General von Reichenau, the current army of the Kingdom of Belgium may still have some illusions about the British Expeditionary Force and the French army, thinking that the allies will definitely be able to rescue them. Therefore, General von Reichenau wanted to separate the Belgian army from the British Expeditionary Force as much as possible. When the Belgian army was chased to the seaside by the Sixth Army, it faced the rough English Channel. The end of the defenseless Belgian army had come. Admiral von Reichenau did not think that the British navy would come to rescue the Belgians. Now their own troops did not know how to escape.
Because of these reasons, Admiral von Reichenau's pursuit was more like a formation march than a pursuit battle. Sitting on the armored command vehicle, General von Reichenau was in high spirits. If two days ago, General von Reichenau was still thinking about how to break the deadlock and who would attack the armies of the three countries first, then now General Reichenau seemed to have seen the end of the Belgian army. The Belgian army that had left the British and French coalition forces would never be its opponent. General von Reichenau was very sure of this.
Looking at the chasing soldiers around them, they had smiles on their faces, and they didn't look like they were in a war-torn battlefield at all. Or the soldiers who have seen victory in sight don't care about this little bit of fatigue at all. They greeted each other in dialects from different regions. One thing they had in common was that they were full of confidence in the coming victory. The relaxed atmosphere of the soldiers also affected General von Reichenau, the commander of the group army. The relaxed mood made General von Reichenau feel strong confidence when issuing orders; "Send power to General Kesselring of the Second Air Force. The army of the Kingdom of Belgium has been defeated and is fleeing across the English Channel. We need the assistance of the air force to blow up the last bit of faith in the Belgian army!"
Admiral von Reichenau's joking telegram allowed the radio operator to express his own opinion very rarely, "Dear General, this is a perfect telegram. I am very honored to take on this job!"
On the other side of the battlefield, although von Kuchler's Eighteenth Army was not as powerful as the Sixth Army, it could only drive the British Expeditionary Force at the junction farther away. For von Kuchler For a general, it's not particularly difficult. Moreover, at this time, the SS Skeleton Armored Division was cooperating with them.
After the Totenkopf division led by Theodor Eicke successfully crossed the Riis River, General Bock immediately assigned it to General von Küchler's Eighteenth Army in order to take advantage of the powerful armored strength of the SS Totenkopf division. , and drove out the British Expeditionary Force entrenched here. If the British Expeditionary Force here is stubborn and resists to the end, then annihilate them.
The core of blitzkrieg is to conduct a three-dimensional attack on the opponent in various existing ways before the opponent deploys its main force and makes full use of its strategic resources, that is, to defeat it with a rapid offensive. Its basic method is to concentrate a large number of highly mobile forces (mainly armored forces and air force) to carry out a powerful first assault, and then quickly penetrate into the depths of the enemy, divide and encircle the enemy's forces, and encircle the enemy's main force group. Although this theory is not fully used in small-scale and very dense defenses, the combat effectiveness of armored divisions is still not comparable to that of ordinary infantry divisions.
No matter how reasonable an infantry division's defense is, it is impossible for a line of defense to cover everything due to the limitations of the terrain and various conditions. The offensive side that takes the initiative can naturally make correct arrangements based on the omissions in the defense line. To achieve your goal.
For the armored division, the distance of a few dozen kilometers from the Belgian army on the Reese River to the junction with the British Expeditionary Force is far from being called a long journey. It can be said that the SS Skeleton Division did not fight there at all. The Skeleton Division felt a little tired. It could even be said that the Skeleton Division had just warmed up and prepared for an all-out attack when the Belgian army collapsed. The morale of the soldiers of the Skeleton Division was even higher. The Skeleton Division, which was now in high morale, immediately rushed towards the British Expeditionary Force.
The British Expeditionary Force here immediately reported the collapse of the Belgian army to the commander of the British Expeditionary Force, General J. Gott. The British Expeditionary Force in France numbered 400,000 men. Gott's army, which was directly deployed in the Dunkirk area, had 10 divisions. The British army was equipped with more than 700 tanks, 2,400 field guns, anti-aircraft guns and anti-tank guns, and thousands of anti-tank guns, machine guns and submachine guns.
Although General Wei Gang's North-South Conference and plan are actually bankrupt, if you add the hundreds of thousands of French and Belgian troops here, the three countries still have nearly one million troops. But in late May, the British cabinet was in the dilemma of having to choose one of the two: either let the British army join forces with the French army at any cost and jointly attack the Somme River; or let the British army retreat to Dunkirk and fight against the enemy. Under bombing by planes, they retreated from the sea regardless of the inevitable loss of all artillery and other heavy weapons and equipment. The British War Cabinet adopted the decision to withdraw the British Expeditionary Force on the advice of General Gott. In this way, London plunged its ally France into the most critical moment of war. The proposal to withdraw the British Expeditionary Force was put forward by Gott as early as May 18th and 19th, that is, at the most intense moment of the battle with the German troops swooping down the coast of the Strait of La Manche. The "Gort Plan" coincided with the plans of the British War Cabinet and Churchill's views. It is true that Ironside, the Imperial Chief of Staff, initially disagreed with Gort's proposal to withdraw the British Expeditionary Force. He hurriedly flew to France, and after meeting Gott, he asked Gott to prepare an offensive campaign southward in the direction of Arras to join the French army. As we know, Gott was not enthusiastic about this. He only partially implemented this order with 2 divisions because he knew that the British cabinet supported his withdrawal.
At this time, the British Expeditionary Force had decided to retreat, and General Gott also knew that on the other side of the strait, the British Royal Navy warships were ready. Now General Gort must ensure the safety of the British Expeditionary Force. So when the British Expeditionary Force at the junction reported to General Gott that the Belgian army had collapsed and was surrounded by the German army, General Gott was not thinking about how to rescue the Belgian army. Instead, he immediately asked the British Expeditionary Force at the junction to retreat. Finally, it was not annihilated by the German armored forces.
Lin Wei, who was operating with the SS Skeleton Division, originally thought that the Skeleton Division would have to fight a tough battle with the British Expeditionary Force. After all, although the British and French armies fought very conservatively, they did not lack enough bravery. At this time, they should immediately rescue the Belgians. Unexpectedly, they retreated without even a single reaction. Lin Wei didn't know the dirty things in the British mind. Although it was strange, he still asked Theodor Ek to seize the opportunity immediately and occupy the junction area.
After arriving here, Lin Wei planned to take the guards he brought from Germany to the south to the station area of Army Group A, and then to the west to join the SS armored forces. Lin Wei knew that although he had no commanding talent, Guderian could. After he arrived in the SS armored force, he could adjust the relationship between Guderian and the SS. Although there is no conflict between the SS and Guderian now, no one can guarantee that there will be no friction in the face of huge casualties.
Lin Wei rejected the proposal of Theodore Eike, commander of the Skeleton Division, to let a battalion of soldiers protect Lin Wei. Lin Wei was not willing to do this kind of behavior that seriously damaged his own strength on the battlefield. Besides, except for ten A few kilometers away is unsafe. As long as he successfully passes there, Lin Wei will follow the defense line of Army Group A in Rundstedt in the south and return to the Guderi Armored Group. There's not much risk involved.
At this time, in the Eagle's Nest of the German base camp, Hit? Le had just received the news that Army Group B had successfully surrounded the Royal Belgian Army. Hit? Le couldn't hold back his excitement, and immediately made a long speech to the people next to him to prove that he was always right. Are people around here already used to Hit? Le was hysterical, listening to Hit with a deaf ear? Le delivered his own impromptu speech.
"Führer, Leader Lampard is calling!" Right in Hit? When Le was gushing and spitting. The radioman accidentally interrupted Hit? Le's impromptu speech.
"Read!" Hit, who was in a good mood in view of the great good news he had just learned? Le did not pursue the radioman's disrespectful behavior.
"The SS Gestapo intelligence agent in Britain received a call at noon on May 26. The British Royal Navy had concentrated almost the entire British Home Fleet and was anchored in London and three ports. In contrast to our operations in the Dunkirk area, The British Expeditionary Force has been surrounded on three sides. This Royal Navy operation may also be to rescue the British Expeditionary Force in the Dunkirk area! I hope the head of state will make the right judgment!" the radio operator said meticulously.
Hit? Le's originally smiling expression gradually became stiff as the telegram was read out bit by bit. By the end, everyone could see that the Führer was now in a bad mood again.
"These bastards!" Hit? Le said angrily, "Order Guderian to have the armored cluster attack Dunkirk immediately! I will make sure that none of the hundreds of thousands of troops can run back!"
"Yes, Head of State, I will generate electricity immediately!" the radio operator said tremblingly.
"Where is Lampard now? Hitt?" Le asked again.
Yodel coughed, and said slowly, "General Bock of Army Group B just called and said that Lampard is now on his way to Guderian's armored group. It is said that he is walking in a hurry and even passed through the British defense line! "
"When Lampard gets there, let him command the armored group attacking Dunkirk!" Hit? Le thought for a while and said, "Send a telegram to Göring and ask him to prevent the British Royal Navy from landing to rescue the British Expeditionary Force at all costs!"
"Understood, Führer!" Yoder said. The generals around him were silent and were all thinking about their own problems. Since the armored group stopped advancing two days ago, it was delayed for a day. At this time, no one knew that the British Expeditionary Force had prepared all the heavy equipment. In front of the defense line, can the armored cluster still make a breakthrough
In Berlin, the villa arranged by Linwei for Goering has been transformed into the headquarters of the Air Force. When the call from the base camp arrived here, Goering immediately held a meeting. The meeting started a few minutes later, because except for the surrounding SS, everything in the Air Force was about to be moved here by Goering. Here will be the final deployment of the Dunkirk air combat.
Wearing a unique military uniform designed by himself, Göring stood out in the middle of the circular conference hall. After looking around carefully for a week, he suddenly raised his fist out of habit and slammed it on the table.
"Generals," Göring said in his characteristic accent, "the dear Führer has entrusted us with the final decisive battle... and the SS. We must prove that the Reich Air Force is as unstoppable as the ground armor and can carry out the decisive battle." The British are put to death. Let the whole world know that the Luftwaffe is invincible." He began to scream, his shrill voice vibrating in the hall. The people present were obviously used to this kind of opening remarks. They listened to Goering's lectures with their eyes widened and their mouths tightly closed.
The staff officer next to him immediately stood up and said, "Your Excellency, Marshal, we plan to dispatch bombers from five air wings to bomb the Dunkirk area! In this way..."
"Stop!" Goering interrupted, "Five regiments, this is not enough at all. Listen and tell General Kesselring of the Second Air Force that his air force has now been requisitioned. What we want is this The largest bomber program in the world, we want the British to know that in addition to the armored forces, the German air force is also invincible! Do you understand?" Goering said with his eyes wide open.
"Understood, Your Majesty Marshal!" Goering's remarks were approved without any hindrance. So far, no one in the Air Force has raised any objection to Goering.
Lin Wei arrived at the armored cluster in the evening and immediately took out Hit? Le's warrant stated that he had temporarily taken over the command of the entire armored group. And immediately called everyone for a meeting. In addition to Guderian, Lin Wei also met SS division commanders such as Paul Hausser and Felix Stanel.
Seeing that everyone was here, Lin Wei immediately made a long story short, "Everyone knows that time is running out now. The British Royal Navy on the other side of the strait has concentrated all its warships and doesn't know what to do. According to our estimation, it is likely to rescue the besieged people." The British Expeditionary Force is in Dunkirk forty kilometers away, so we are now racing against time. General Guderian, I now authorize you to command all SS armored divisions. I don’t know if you can break through now. The defense line of the British Expeditionary Force, you must know that there are hundreds of thousands of troops in front of you!"
"No problem! As long as I have enough tanks, I can wipe out all the British and French forces in Dunkirk!" Guderian still maintained strong self-confidence.
"General Paul Houser, General Felix Stanel, and the generals of several other divisions!" Lin Wei turned to look at his rebellious division commanders and said, " General Guderian’s experience in armored combat is far beyond what we can match, so I hope you can temporarily follow General Guderian’s command in this battle!”
"Lampard, don't worry! A few of us know what to do that is good for Germany!" Paul & Hausser said when he saw others were silent.
Lin Wei nodded. What is needed most at this time is unity between the two armies. If the SS and the Wehrmacht still dislike each other at this critical moment, then the planning department will be hopeless this time.
At the same time, the British "Generator Plan" was also ready to be completed. While Churchill and everyone familiar with the matter were waiting anxiously, at 18:57 pm on May 26, the British Admiralty ordered the implementation to begin. In "Operation Dynamo", the only way out for the 300,000 British and French allied troops was Dunkirk and its nearby 40 kilometers of coastline. The complete breakwaters and convex piers can effectively withstand the strong winds and waves of the English Channel. If these port facilities can be fully utilized, The 300,000 British and French allied forces could safely board the ship with all their equipment in just a few days. However, for two weeks, the area has been violently bombed by the Germans. All four docks were destroyed, and the 8-kilometer long dock was blown into pieces. A ruin.