"Gibraltar?" Pétain exclaimed. Any country interested in the Mediterranean knows what Gibraltar means. France is certainly no exception. It is one of the busiest straits in the world, with hundreds of merchant ships passing through it every day. Every European country wants to control the Strait of Gibraltar, but for hundreds of years the owner of the Strait of Gibraltar has been the British Empire, which is known as the Empire on which the sun never sets. Countless countries have tried to challenge this situation, but unfortunately, they have all failed. Through Lin Wei's words, Pétain can obviously know that Germany is now preparing to be the next challenger.
But what Petain didn't know was that although Gibraltar Fortress was easy to defend and difficult to attack, for Germany now, as long as it spent a lot of effort, it could completely eliminate the defenders there. As long as it was captured, the British colonies and the The connection between the mainland will be cut off, and the strong limbs of the British Empire will become strong on the outside and dry on the inside due to insufficient blood supply. Judging from the strength that Germany has accumulated now, it can complete this matter on its own. Why does it need France to help send troops? Thinking of this, Marshal Pétain asked cautiously, "General Lampard, although the Fortress of Gibraltar is easy to defend and difficult to attack, it is just a trivial matter for Germany. Why do we, a defeated country, need to send troops?"
Listening to Marshal Pétain's sour words, Lin Wei not only burst into laughter, but seeing that Marshal Pétain had not yet recovered from the impact of France's defeat by Germany, Lin Wei asked with a smile, "Marshal Pétain, how many soldiers were killed in France?" "
"The total number is approximately more than 70,000, including the number of casualties in the Dunkirk area!" Although he didn't know what the other party meant, Pétain gave his own answer.
"We in Germany have killed more than 60,000 people!" Lin Wei told Marshal Pétain about Germany's losses in the Battle of France. Looking at Marshal Pétain who was a little surprised, Lin Wei said, "In terms of the combat effectiveness of the army, your French army is not as good as The German army is poor, but there is a problem with your strategy!" Looking at Petain who was explaining to him, Lin Wei stopped him with a smile, "Marshal Petain, you want to talk about France's mistakes in the Maginot Line? You are wrong Yes, France did not make a mistake. Even if you attack Germany when Germany attacks Poland, you will not succeed. The manpower and resources used by our Siegfried Line are more than twice that of the Maginot Line. Thirty divisions The garrison is enough to withstand the attack of the French army. In other words, your French staff is not as pedantic as the British propaganda, but you are simply unable to make preparations to check and balance Germany!"
"But in the end we failed!" Marshal Pétain said lonely.
"That's because you and the British are two countries after all, and it's impossible to look at the problem from exactly the same perspective!" Lin Wei made his own conclusion for the unsuccessful alliance between Britain and France, but then he started to say, "Now How many powerful countries are there on the European continent? As long as Germany and France join forces, other countries are not our opponents at all. The French Army can use the Battle of Gibraltar to declare that it has returned to the status of a European power, and in doing so, it can also make The German people’s dissatisfaction with the conditions of this armistice agreement must be lowered to a lower limit!”
Pétain seemed to be somewhat interested. If France could unite with Germany to send troops to Gibraltar, sending a small number of troops would not cause a big burden for France, and the benefits would be too great. France only needs to express its attitude. , and sending a small number of troops together can have a great impact. Moreover, the place of attack was a British colony. Since France began peace talks with Germany, the idea that Britain would sell out France in exchange for its own security immediately spread throughout France. Now almost everyone believes this argument. If France seizes this opportunity, firstly, it can expand the influence of France after its defeat, so that other countries will not despise France because of France's defeat. Secondly, it can calm the anti-British sentiment among the French people.
After weighing the pros and cons, Marshal Pétain had already made a decision in his mind, "Okay, the French government is willing to teach the shameless British a lesson and make them pay the price for betraying their allies!"
"Germany has never been in the habit of betraying its allies!" Lin Wei said with a pun.
French Foreign Minister Ryder rolled his eyes and said, "Marshal Pétain, this is a good opportunity. We can use a military victory to change France's situation, and even provide some information for the meeting five days later." Convenience and thus the end of damned parliamentaryism!”
Pétain thought about it and already had a candidate in mind, "General Wei Gang will lead the troops of two French divisions to participate in this attack. General Wei Gang has also been greatly questioned now. I hope that through this A victory that rids France of the mistrust it suffers from!"
"This is great!" Lin Wei immediately expressed his appreciation for the move. Someone rushed to mention the sacrifice of Germany. This was what Lin Wei wanted to see most. Moreover, France hopes to use this offensive to restore its reputation. This is a matter of whether you are willing to fight or suffer, and Germany does not owe France anything.
At the current position, it was time for the German and French generals to meet. Lin Wei immediately called the commander of the 7th Prince Eugen Division, Arthur Philippe, and Pétain also notified General Weygand. Soon, Two more generals appeared in the small room. General Wei Gang and Arthur Philip briefly shook hands. Although they were not enthusiastic, at least Lin Wei did not see the sparks in their eyes, "This It's a good start!" Lin Wei thought to himself.
"Lieutenant General Arthur Philip is an Austrian! Now he is the division commander of the Prince Eugen Division!" Lin Wei introduced, "Most of the people in the Prince Eugen Division are Austrians. As we all know, Austrians are naturally good at mountain warfare! Wei General Gang, no need to introduce you, your information is in our database for hundreds of pieces of paper!"
"I will be the commander of this attack on Gibraltar Fortress!" Lin Wei said coldly, "I will not deliberately let the French army die, but General Weygand, I do not want there to be any conflict between French soldiers and German soldiers. An unpleasant thing, and the German Air Force will not participate in the war this time. According to what our intelligence department learned, the British airport at the Fortress of Gibraltar has long been empty. They have transported all the planes to the local guards. This time The battle is pure land combat!”
Having said this, Lin Wei glanced at Lieutenant General Arthur Philip, who was in his forties, and sighed, "Although Germany and Austria were artificially divided, we still fought side by side in the last war. We fought for The cause of the Allies has shed blood, and I believe that Austria is also ready for revenge at any time. The task of attacking Gibraltar this time will be left to your Prince Eugen Division!"
A hint of melancholy flashed through Lieutenant General Arthur Phillip's eyes. Lin Wei's words obviously touched Lieutenant General Arthur Phillip's already somewhat cold heart. Like others, Lieutenant General Arthur Phillip responded to the call of the motherland. He set foot on the battlefield in 1916, but as the situation became increasingly unfavorable to the Allies, Lieutenant General Arthur Philip still watched his country lose. Now, everything is different, and Lieutenant General Arthur Philip finally waited. When it's time for revenge, just like other German veterans.
The brief melancholy was immediately replaced by the desire for revenge. The formation of Prince Eugen's division was still short. During the Battle of Dunkirk, Lieutenant General Arthur Philip was unwilling to compete with other troops for tasks because he knew that with Compared with the Imperial Division and the Viking Division, which had already participated in the Polish campaign, the Prinz Eugen Division was still very immature. It could not base its honor on the unnecessary casualties of its soldiers. For this reason, when the SS discussed the battle, Lieutenant General Arthur Philip spent most of the time just as an audience.
But now, everything is different. Although the war is short-lived, it is faster than the effects of training. Some of the immature soldiers seem to have grown up all of a sudden, and their childish faces have become resolute. The moment Lieutenant General Arthur Phillip has been waiting for has finally arrived.
"When do we enter Spain!" Lieutenant General Arthur Phillip asked.
Lin Wei glanced at Lieutenant General Arthur Philip, then looked at Marshal Pétain, General Wei Gang, and French Foreign Minister Ryder, and sighed, "If possible, we still hope to get the Spanish leader Fo General Lango’s approval, you must know that Germany has helped Spain, and Spain and Germany have no conflict of interest! Furthermore..." He glanced at Lieutenant General Arthur Philip, "We need to transfer a few fortress guns from home. The Fortress of Gibraltar cannot be conquered by flesh and blood alone! Although the Gustav railgun is cumbersome, it is the best for dealing with such a giant fortress! Besides, I still need to wait for news from Minister Ribbentrop! "
Indeed, as a fortress that has been in operation for more than 200 years, the British built a defense system in Gibraltar that is unimaginable by the world. They dug through the mountain and buried the entire main body of the fortress deep in the granite mountain. The main turret of the surface fortress was covered with It is covered with a 3-meter-thick reinforced concrete cover plate, which is also covered with a homogeneous thick steel plate. The permanent turret, the main body of the fortress, is equipped with 20 381mm coastal guns and more than 200 heavy guns with a caliber of more than 100mm. Complex obstacles, machine gun and flamethrower bunkers, minefields and barbed wire fences were set up on various roads leading to the fortress. The entire Gibraltar garrison can reach 10,000 people after mobilization, and reserves of supplies can last them for a year. The expensive desalination device also allows the garrison to have enough fresh water.
As early as before the war, the British government spent a huge sum of 5 million pounds from its extremely limited military expenditures to start the construction of Gibraltar's fortifications, and completed this massive above-ground and underground project before the outbreak of World War II. Among them, the British army built 16 kilometers of underground tunnels alone to strengthen defenses. These underground fortifications will allow the defenders to effectively preserve their strength under fierce shelling and bombing.
The British army responsible for defending Gibraltar declared that they had no intention of sacrificing 100,000 people, and neither the Spanish, Germans, nor Italians had any idea of attacking Gibraltar. (The person guarding the Gibraltar Fortress is Lord Gott, who is actually the commander of the expeditionary force who was captured in Dunkirk. Just think of it as the same name. It’s very difficult to come up with a name!)
Although it is difficult, Lin Wei has decided that he must conquer the Fortress of Gibraltar; "Let's just think of it as a rehearsal for the battle of the Sevastopol Fortress. I would like to see it. Compared with Sevastopol, which is known as the Millennium Fortress, Fortress or Gibraltar Fortress, which one is stronger?" Lin Wei thought to himself.
In Marshal Pétain's office, the plan for Germany and France to jointly send troops to Gibraltar Fortress was finalized. Although the Prince Eugen Division of the Armed SS does not seem to have as many troops as France, which has sent two divisions, that is just the idea of the general public. Almost all high-level officials in European countries know that the establishment of the Armed SS is very large. If you If you send troops to resist the Waffen SS according to the data on paper, you may have exhausted all your troops, but they will still be fine.
French Foreign Minister Ryder immediately announced that France would join forces with Germany to send troops to the Fortress of Gibraltar. This move was welcomed by the French people, and Pétain's decision was supported by almost all French people. Lin Wei looked at the cheering French people at his residence and sneered, "Is this public opinion? There will no longer be public opinion in France soon!"
"Leader! Minister Ribbentrop has returned. He will stop in Paris and then return to Berlin!" When Lin Wei was mocking the French, his aide Robert C. Crawford came in and said.
"Oh? Invite Minister Ribbentrop here quickly!" Lin Wei immediately ordered.
The weather-beaten Ribbentrop came to Lin Wei. Ribbentrop, who was one of the most handsome in the National Socialist Party, seemed to be having a bad time during this period. He only saw Ribbentrop's face. Lin Wei had a bad premonition, but still asked cautiously, "Mr. Minister, has General Franco agreed to our plan to enter Spain and attack the Gibraltar Fortress?"
Ribbentrop shook his head bitterly, "I got nothing this time. General Franco rejected our plan! Of course, General Franco is willing to compensate Germany in other aspects, such as other mineral deposits!" It was obvious that Ribbentrop was very helpless about this trip. No matter what he said, Franco just disagreed.
"You have told General Franco that the fortress we are going to will be returned to Spain later!" Lin Wei said eagerly.
"I've said it all, but it's useless. Franco is determined not to intervene in the war between us and Britain. He said that unless I can give a reason why Germany must win, Spain will not join the war. On the contrary, Spain will join the axis immediately." Country!" said Ribbentrop.
"Hey..." Lin Wei slumped on the chair and sighed heavily. He closed his eyes and thought for a while. When he opened his eyes again, he no longer cared about Spain and said coldly, "Robert C. Crawford, immediately send a message to Your Majesty and Commander-in-Chief Marshal von Blomberg. Spain has rejected our request and asks Your Majesty to order the National Defense Forces to put pressure on the border between France and Spain as planned!"
"Yes, leader!" Robert C. Crawford said angrily.
"Mr. Minister!" Lin Wei looked at Ribbentrop and said, "Go back to Berlin, and leave the affairs here to me! By the way, we have proposed that you be the new Minister of Foreign Affairs. Mr. Niulette is already a bit old, and the Congress is all members of our party, so there shouldn’t be any problems!”
"Okay, I'll go back first!" Maybe he was in a bad mood. Even the position of foreign minister that he had always dreamed of made Ribbentrop unhappy. After saying that, Ribbentrop walked over Outside the door, the plane was already waiting for him.
Watching Ribbentrop leave, Lin Wei lay down on the chair again, "Franco, do you really not care about your friendship with Germany? In other words, do you think that the personal relationship between the National Socialist Party and the Falange Party? Can it override the relationship between countries?"
On July 2, William II ordered that General von Reichenau's Sixth Army, which was also Germany's largest army, would hold military exercises on the border between France and Spain. On the same day, Marshal Pétain persuaded French members of Congress in Congress They agreed to joint French-German action because it could restore France's status as a military power. This proposal was passed almost unanimously. After learning the result, the French people cheered Pétain's name again and unanimously believed that punishing the shameless British was in France's interest. After receiving the authorization, Pétain immediately ordered General Weygand to lead two divisions of the army to conduct joint military exercises with Germany on the border with Spain.
On the same day, he learned that British Prime Minister Churchill, who had completely sided with Germany, ordered General Ismay to carry out the ballista operation. Churchill said, "Every French fleet that we can approach will be captured, controlled, or effectively used at the same time." be rendered useless or destroyed.”
At the same time, Churchill listed in detail the military strength of the French navy in various military ports. There was one French battleship and four French cruisers in Alexandria, three of which were new cruisers equipped with eight-inch cannons. There are also some small ships. The ships were covered by a powerful British battle fleet. At Oran at the western end of the Mediterranean Sea and its nearby naval port Mirskbil are parked two of the best ships in the French fleet - the "Dunkirk" and the "Strasbourg". Scharnhorst and Granson were much better and were built to surpass them in quality. If these ships fell into German hands, they would be extremely detrimental to our merchant shipping routes. There were also two French battleships, several light cruisers, some destroyers, submarines and other ships.
There were seven cruisers at Algiers, four of them with eight-inch guns, and an aircraft carrier and two light cruisers at Martinique. At Casablanca lay the battleship Jean Bart, which had just arrived from Saint-Nazaire, but had not yet been equipped with cannon. In terms of estimates of world naval strength, this is one of the most important ships. It is not yet complete and cannot be assembled in Casablanca. Of course it's not allowed to go anywhere else. The nearly completed "Richelieu" has arrived in Dakar. This warship can sail and its fifteen-inch cannon can also fire. There were also many minor French ships anchored in various other ports.
But is everything so easy? Admiral Darlan, the French Minister of the Navy, has now obtained various clues from the rumors, and after his own consideration, he believes that Britain is likely to make a surprise attack and severely damage France. Therefore, Admiral Darlan ordered the French fleets in various regions to attack France. Strict precautions were taken against any British warships that might approach, and there were even orders to fire first at British warships that insisted on approaching.