French Navy Minister Admiral Darlan tried his best to order the French naval fleet outside French territory to strictly guard against sneak attacks by the British navy, because with the reconciliation between Germany and France, the war between Germany and Britain continued. The relationship between France and Britain has become a little subtle. When France and Germany were negotiating, Churchill did not dare to conclude that the French would be detrimental to Britain. At least the allies in the two wars still made Churchill feel trustful, but the political situation in France The changes were unexpected, and Churchill didn't understand. I don't know when such a powerful anti-British force appeared in France, and Marshal Pétain was among them.
It seems that overnight, France's deep hatred of Britain was channeled out by pro-German forces. The speed was so fast that Churchill was unable to remedy it. He could only watch this country, which was a close ally of Britain a month ago, become Today's life and death enemy. France and Germany were getting closer, forcing Churchill to decide on the de facto ballista project. The ballista plan had actually been formulated long before France showed its defeat. This was not a warning against France. As the British Prime Minister, Churchill must take into account the interests of the United Kingdom.
The target of Operation Ballista was first the French fleet docked in Portsmouth and Plymouth, England. This was actually very simple. After the British Navy suffered an unprecedented defeat, Churchill had decided to detain the warships here to supplement the strength of the Royal Navy. Moreover, in Churchill's view, compared to the French fleets in other areas, the fleet docked at the British military port seemed to be able to win through peaceful means.
In the two military ports, the atmosphere gradually became weird. On July 2, that is, an hour before Churchill announced the plan for Operation Ballista, the commander of the French fleet docked in Portsmouth and Plymouth saw a man who claimed to be the German Military Intelligence Agency. He was worried about his fate. The commander did not drive the German out, and his momentary hesitation finally saved the fate of the French fleet. When he learned that the British were preparing to seize warships belonging to the French Navy, he immediately informed the French Minister of Navy, Admiral Darlan, of the situation here.
Admiral Darlan, who learned of the emergency, immediately ordered that the French fleets docked in Portsmouth and Plymouth, England, must escape British control and reported the situation to Pétain. And Lin Wei is preparing to go to Spain.
"Has the ballista operation started? This is really good news!" Lin Wei thought unscrupulously. Lin Wei had no reason to be unhappy. The conflict between France and Britain finally began, which Lin Wei had been longing for. The most important significance of this conflict between France and Britain was that France could finally continue to fight against Well-meaning British people shut up. The pro-German forces will definitely increase greatly. Compared with France's fair and just defeat to Germany in the war, the British's behavior can be described as despicable and shameless. (Germany did not launch a sneak attack on France, nor was it an undeclared war. When it attacked Poland, France had already declared war on Germany, although it was a sit-down war!)
Seeing Marshal Pétain who was already a little anxious, Lin Wei also expressed his position: "Marshal Pétain, I really didn't expect that Churchill would actually do this. If the intelligence is true, this plan must have been It has been planned for a long time! In order to save our great ally France, I ask the German Air Force to join this operation!" Lin Wei bowed slightly and expressed his attitude, and by the way, he was grateful that it had dropped to freezing point. The relationship between Britain and France was severely sprinkled with salt.
"These despicable British people!" Pétain shouted angrily, "One day, we will land on the British Isles and occupy Britain!"
"That day will not be far away!" Lin Wei added, "If you don't mind, I will contact the Air Force now! Robert C. Crawford!" Lin Wei shouted.
"Leader, I'm here." Robert C. Crawford, who was outside, came in immediately.
Lin Wei walked slowly towards Robert C. Crawford and said, "Contact Air Marshal Göring, our French allies are in trouble!" Lin Wei, who was chatting and laughing, approached Robert C. Crawford and whispered, " Spread the news and let the French people know about this!"
"Yes, leader! Robert C. Crawford will fulfill your order!" After speaking, Robert C. Crawford strode out.
"Marshal Pétain! Look at how simple it is. I believe that the French navy will turn danger into disaster. As I once said, as long as Germany and France stand together, there is nothing in the world that can scare us. ?" Lin Wei smiled and then said, "Marshal Pétain, I'm going to Spain! If there's nothing else, I'll leave first! General Wei Gang has already arrived there. If I'm still in Paris, what's wrong with Wei Gang? The general is so disrespectful!" With Pétain's approval, Lin Wei walked out of the office that was supposed to be the French President openly after finishing his performance. Then we boarded the train to the Spanish border.
The power of rumors is huge. In just one hour, the French navy's encounter at the British naval port had spread throughout Paris. There are those who condemn the shameless behavior of the British, and there are those who support the government's declaration of war on Britain. Those who have been speaking for Britain seem to disappear without a trace in an instant. The friendly message to Britain had disappeared from France.
The ballista operation had just begun. The British battleships were almost destroyed by Germany in World War I. However, the battleship Rodney and Nelson could still barely form combat effectiveness after emergency repairs. It was enough to deal with the two battleships in the French fleet docked in the English ports of Portsmouth and Plymouth. Moreover, the battleships of the French fleet are still separated in the two ports, and the British can defeat them one by one.
Unfortunately, just when Churchill's calculations were ringing, a troublemaker appeared, and the Luftwaffe suddenly dispatched in large numbers, targeting all British ports near the English Channel. Goering's majesty allowed the air force to quickly assemble in an unprecedented situation. On the radar of the British mainland, a large area of German aircraft appeared. Let Churchill immediately mobilize the Royal Air Force to intercept. At the same time, plans for ballista operations in mainland Britain were postponed, although plans for operations in other areas continued.
After learning that the German Air Force was dispatched in large numbers, the British soldiers who had already suffered two major defeats in the Battle of France and the Battle off the coast of Belgium immediately remembered their tragic experience when facing Stuka dive bombers. For today's British soldiers , the Stuka dive bomber was nothing short of a nightmare for them. After learning the news, the two battleships immediately returned to the heavily guarded British military port.
"Now, let's return to France!" Seeing the British warships that had surrounded him leave. The commander of the French fleet breathed a sigh of relief and shouted an order. All the warships rushed out of the port at full speed as if they had been ordered. The commander looked back at the British and secretly said, "We will come back, but by then we will be the enemy!"
When the French navy had left the military port far away, Churchill, who felt that something was wrong, finally understood that all this was a collaboration between Germany and France. Thinking of the French navy and the German navy together, Churchill felt cold sweat break out and ordered The air force spared no effort to sink the French fleet that had just escaped British control. The Royal Air Force was dispatched urgently, and the air battle began in the English Channel. For the Royal Air Force that left its homeland, it was definitely not a pleasant thing to face the German Air Force, which was several times their number and had caused panic in the UK.
The German Air Force had a large number of people. Facing the Royal Air Force, which had several times fewer aircraft than its own, it immediately began to attack like a tiger descending the mountain. The two sides held their first dialogue after the Battle of Dunkirk here. Fighters flew up and down, and suddenly The battle started in the airspace on the sea from left to right. The French fleet used this time to accelerate towards the French mainland.
The air battle lasted for more than 20 minutes. Seeing that there was nothing they could do, the Royal Air Force here gave up Churchill's order and returned to the British mainland.
The ballista operation has been ordered by Churchill to various British fleets around the world, and things have progressed in an unpredictable direction. Even Churchill himself didn't know whether the British Royal Navy could successfully control the French fleet with its current strength after being severely damaged. But in this case, Churchill still ordered action, because Churchill understood it deeply. After the armistice between France and Germany, the situation in Britain has become very dangerous. The combined strength of the German and French navies has exceeded the strength of the British Royal Navy.
Failure to take action means waiting for death. If the ballista operation succeeds, Britain will still be able to fight. Unwilling to sit still and wait for death, Churchill chose the second path without hesitation, which might give Britain a glimmer of hope of victory. But Churchill may have forgotten that the current British Navy is no longer the navy that people looked up to during World War I. The British Royal Navy, which gave up the two-power standard, was severely damaged by the German Navy in World War I and was unable to stop Germany's actions in a short time. The great empire that has dominated the world's oceans for hundreds of years has completely exposed its weak side to the world.
In the early morning of July 3, 1940, the Italian submarine "Marconi" on patrol east of the Strait of Gibraltar suddenly discovered a huge fleet approaching the sea not far away. Needless to say, this must be the Allied fleet! The latest Marconi-class submarine immediately accelerated its approach, but the British fleet was too fast and could only attack the old V-class destroyer "Vortigern", which was closest and performing anti-submarine missions on the periphery of the fleet, but the torpedoes It did not hit the target, and then the huge fleet disappeared into the darkness of the night.
This is the British Fleet H sailing out of the port of Gibraltar. Due to the rapid defeat of the British and French armies on the European continent, the British Admiralty anticipated that they would most likely have to assume the combat mission in the Western Mediterranean alone, so the Mediterranean Fleet was divided into two. The Western Mediterranean operations were assembled in Gibraltar. The code-named "H" fleet is responsible for the Eastern Mediterranean and is stationed in Alexandria. The strength of the H fleet cannot be underestimated. The fleet includes the battleships "Warrior" and "Resolution", the aircraft carrier "Ark Royal" and 11 destroyers, including The "Ark Royal" aircraft carrier also carries an air attack force including 24 "Sea Gull" fighter jets and 30 slow "Swordfish" torpedo bombers. In addition to the home fleet in Scapa Flow, they are The main force and the most powerful fleet outside the Eastern Mediterranean Fleet.
Vice Admiral Somerville sent Colonel C.S. Holland, former British naval attache in Paris and personal friend of General Marcel-Bruno Jeansur, commander of the French Squadron, to deliver the message, while he led the fleet to remain outside the port. attack position.
Admiral Darlan, on behalf of the Admiralty and the Council of Ministers, had instructed General Jean-Surr to take a hard line and promised that "all the French fleets in the Mediterranean will be concentrated on you." He did send as many ships as possible to support. All General Jeansur himself had to do was try his best to delay.
Lin Wei, who has been approaching Spain by train, is also always concerned about the war situation between France and Britain. However, so far, Lin Wei is still not optimistic about the French navy. In the battle between battleships, in addition to quality, it is better than the British Royal Navy. Too many navies will lead to results like the Battle of Belgium Offshore. In the Battle of Belgium, four German battleships faced off against seven British battleships. In terms of quality, Germany surpassed Britain by far. All the British battleships that participated in the war were from the First World War. are old battleships, while Germany's Bismarck-class and Scharnhorst-class battleships (which have enough tonnage, sufficient defense, and insufficient firepower, so they are called battlecruisers!) are battleships that are only a few years old. That situation would only arise with the help of the German Air Force, but obviously, other countries have not yet seen the role of the air force in that naval battle, oh? Perhaps Japan is an exception.
"How can we help the French?" Lin Wei fell into hard thinking. In addition to the British Navy and the French Navy, there are others in the Mediterranean? ? ? Italian Navy: "Should I inform the Italian Navy? Now the British Navy can't even deal with Italy, let alone the German Navy. They can't block it! Italy won't let me down!"
"Leader! Mussolini has informed His Majesty that the Italian Navy will join the war to help the French Navy get out of the crisis and contribute some of its strength to the allies!" While Lin Wei was still deep in thought, Robert C. Crowe, who had been following him closely, Adjutant Ford informed his leader of important news.
"What did you say?" Lin Wei said in shock, "The Italian Navy was dispatched?"
"Yes, leader!" Robert C. Crawford affirmed, "The Italian submarine Marconi once discovered the British naval fleet and may have reported it to Prime Minister Mussolini! Obviously, the Italian Army The poor performance made Mr. Prime Minister decide to regain face!" Robert C. Crawford analyzed calmly.
"How strong is the Italian Navy?" Lin Wei asked. Regarding Italy, Lin Wei could only remember its incompetence. Regarding the navy, he still needed an introduction from his adjutant.
"The strength of the Italian navy is now slightly stronger than that of France, and can compete head-on with the entire British Mediterranean fleet!" Robert C. Crawford said, "Now the Italian navy has sailed towards the French fleet in the Mirsk Biel port! As long as France can withstand the British navy's attack for one day, the Italian navy can rush to the battlefield and annihilate the British fleet!"
Robert C. Crawford surprised Lin Wei. If he thought about it carefully, all the rumors about the incompetence of the Italian army seemed to have never been mentioned about the Italian navy. Maybe this battle due to the coincidence of various factors will achieve unexpected results. score. After being happy for a moment, Lin Wei forced himself to calm down and ordered, "Send the news to the French Navy Commander-in-Chief, Admiral Darlan, and let Admiral Darlan make his own decision! I think the people in Paris may have already We know that the British want to steal the French fleet! The French will force Admiral Darlan to make a decision, join forces with Italy to destroy the British, or fight against the British alone and be destroyed!"
Lin Wei walked around in the carriage excitedly. If he attacked the Gibraltar Fortress from land to coordinate the battles between France and Italy, if this battle went well, it would be almost comparable to Dunkirk and the naval battle off Belgium. Lin Wei suddenly stopped, with blood flashing in his eyes, "General Franco, now you are not only blocking Germany's way, you are making an enemy of the entire Axis Powers!"
"By the way, let me inform Marshal Goering that I need a plane. I'm going to Madrid right now. I want to see General Franco in person!" For his own safety, Lin Wei finally chose between trains and planes. The train was overtaken, but the powerful speed of the plane was obviously suitable for efficiency at this time.
The issuance of Linwei's order left Robert C. Crawford in a hurry. He notified the French Navy Commander Admiral Darlan and the German Air Marshal Goering. Finally, Robert C. Crawford also ordered exercises on the border between France and Spain. The German Wehrmacht built an airport that could park aircraft, because Lin Wei once guaranteed to Goering that the Air Force would not need assistance in the Battle of Gibraltar, and the Air Force would be responsible for bombing the British mainland. Now Lin Wei opened his mouth to Goering. Lin's request for a plane was undoubtedly self-defeating. But now and then, Lin Wei didn't care what Golin said about him behind his back.
Lin Wei's idea was immediately known to the high command who had returned to Germany. Although he thought Lin Wei was a bit whimsical, Lin Wei, who had already arrived at the border of France and Spain, would definitely not accept his advice. After thinking for a long time, the mature and steady von Bu Marshal Lomberg decided to turn a blind eye to this matter and regard it as his junior's nonsense. Anyway, even if there was any problem, the losses would still be the French Navy and the Italian Navy, and Germany would not suffer any losses. .
For Marshal von Blomberg, in this battle, Germany's main focus should be on Fortress Gibraltar and the English Channel. As for the Mediterranean, no matter what Italy, France, and the United Kingdom do, it is best to die together. . If the British Mediterranean Fleet is annihilated, the small fleet in the British mainland can be solved by the German Navy itself.