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.
Regardless of what Marshal von Blomberg thought, Lin Wei decided that it was best not to fall out with General Franco of Spain until it was absolutely necessary. Lin Wei's idea was very simple. Germany should not waste even a little bit of its military power. To occupy other countries, the only life-or-death enemy is the Soviet Union. In the future war with the Soviet Union, Germany must go all out once the war begins, and cannot not even do basic national mobilization as it did in history.
For this reason, Lin Wei is willing to give General Franco a chance, and it is also the last chance. At Lin Wei's request, Göring let the world see the efficiency of a dictatorship. Half an hour later, several Junkers transport planes landed on the simple runway that had been built. (Have you ever seen a concrete road that took half a day to build? I have! Although it is not long, only more than two hundred meters! Someone came to my hometown to travel, so it was so fast!)
Lin Wei, who got off the train, didn't even have time to say a word to the German soldiers in the exercise, so he hurriedly boarded the Junkers transport plane with a few people. At this time, the German Wehrmacht was stepping up its exercises in Madrid and notifying the Spanish government of Bavaria, Germany. The state prime minister has already entered the skies over Spain and hopes that Spain will prepare early.
More than an hour later, these Junkers carrying Lin Wei and his party stopped at the Madrid airport. Every minute of time now is extremely precious and cannot be wasted. Maybe the naval battle has already begun by this time. There has been no movement from the German and French coalition forces on land, so how could Lin Wei not be worried. Lin Wei, who got off the plane, quickly glanced at the people picking him up, wondering if there were any acquaintances he knew. However, after a few glances, he saw that they were all Spanish politicians. Lin Wei, who didn't care about Spanish politics at all, Wei has no interest in arguing with politicians. After dealing with it for a few words, we immediately broke away from the contact.
"I must see Franco immediately, Robert C. Crawford. If possible, you need to find General Lano!" At this time, Lin Wei thought of General Lano who held the fifth column in his hand. Lin Wei Although Wei met General Lano for a short time, he also knew that General Lano should not have a good impression of the British and should not be bribed by the British.
"Leader, most of the generals hold neutral opinions now. Although General Lano has a good relationship with us, he is alone. In the previous meetings, General Lano's opinions have been rejected!" Robert. C. Crawford said with a frown.
Lin Wei suddenly turned around and said in a cold voice, "What I mean is, if Franco is stubborn, overthrow him and let our friend General Llano continue to lead Spain! Do you understand?"
"Yes..." Robert C. Crawford trembled.
In addition to Lin Wei at the airport, he immediately got into a car with a German swastika flag. This car was sent by the German Embassy in Spain to pick up Lin Wei: "Go to General Franco's official residence of the head of state!" He just got in the car. Lin Wei said immediately before taking a breath.
"But..., but..."
"Nothing more, sir!" Lin Wei interrupted, "Follow my orders!"
"Yes, General!" The driver chose to give in under Lin Wei's cold eyes and followed Lin Wei's wishes and drove to Franco's official residence.
The smoke of gunfire has gradually faded away in Madrid. Compared with when Lin Wei fought here four years ago, the faces of the people in Madrid no longer have the panic and hesitation at that time. Although Franco's victory made some Spaniards beat their chests, but for For ordinary people, as long as they can survive, that is their greatest wish. Franco obviously has the ability to lead Spain. Although police patrols can still be seen here from time to time, it is much better than the precarious days.
Most people think that Franco's official residence must be in the center of Madrid, which is correct, but the place Franco most likes to stay is in a small manor in Pador around Madrid. In order to come here often, Franco Brother also built a road specially.
This small manor was not luxurious, but it was very quiet. No one knew that Spanish General Franco, who seemed so scary to outsiders, would actually like quiet places. If you tell me, you will definitely be shocked.
The car drove quickly through the countryside, kicking up a cloud of dust. But compared to Lin Wei's anxious mood at this time, all this seemed a bit darkly humorous. The war provoked by Germany has spread throughout Western Europe. It is simply impossible for Spain to be alone. As Lin Wei once said, there are some things that are special? Le attaches great importance to it, but William II does not think so. Now that's it, can Franco get Hit? Le's respect, but in the eyes of William II, he, the head of state, is really not on the stage.
Soon, Lin Wei and his party arrived outside Pador's manor. Several Spanish soldiers patrolled alertly. When they saw Lin Wei's arrival, they immediately shouted, "Who are you? Is this a restricted area?"
"Restricted area? What a big scene!" Lin Wei snorted, "I am the leader of the German Armed SS. Now I want to see General Franco. Can I?"
"Is it Lampard?" To Lin Wei's expectation, the voice that spoke turned out to be General Lano, whom Lin Wei had been looking for, and it seemed that General Lano had expected that he would come. In an instant, Lin Wei's evaluation of General Lanuo rose to a new level.
"Yes, General Lanuo, I haven't seen you for a few years, but the general is still very strong and not old at all! It's really enviable!" Lin Wei complimented.
General Lano smiled slightly, ignored Lin Wei's compliment, and said, "I know what you are here for. General Franco is inside. Come in with me!"
"Thank you, General Lanuo!" Lin Wei bowed slightly and performed the basic etiquette, and then the group of people arrived at the manor with General Lanuo.
Entering the manor, General Franco, wearing a beige military uniform, appeared in front of Lin Wei. He was lying on a lounge chair under the shade of a tree, waiting for Lin Wei leisurely. Yes, he was waiting. Lin Wei knew as soon as he saw Franco's current posture that he must be waiting for him. What confuses Lin Wei most now is, how did he know he was coming
"You? Waiting for me?" Lin Wei said doubtfully.
Franco looked at Lin Wei with a smile and confirmed Lin Wei's guess, "Of course!"
"Why?" The question Lin Wei wanted to know most now was why Franco insisted on not allowing the German army to enter Spain at the risk of being invaded.
"Why?" Franco smiled bitterly, "Do you think I don't know that many Falangist generals have been bribed by the British? But what can I do? The British are not something I can resist, and Spain today is not one of the four It was Spain a hundred years ago. In fact, I also want to take this opportunity to regain Gibraltar, but I understand better that Germany is not something Spain can resist. If you force Spain to fight with the United Kingdom, I can only stand on the side of my motherland. Got it!"
"We do not regard Spain as a puppet country! General, please believe in Germany!" Lin Wei said earnestly, "We have a very good relationship with the Falange, but our National Socialist Party is also German. Now the interests of our two countries If there is a conflict, we should mediate rather than confront! Besides, Spain is far from our opponent in Germany, not to mention we have the help of France!"
"Are you threatening me?" Franco said coldly.
"If the general insists on understanding it this way, there is no way!" Lin Wei made it clear without hesitation, "Germany must completely defeat Britain in order to avenge the last war, and the Strait of Gibraltar must be removed from the control of the British. If the general insists on stopping it, Germany will have no choice but to give up its desire to persuade, and the friendship between the National Socialist Party and the Falangist Party will have to end unpleasantly!"
"Is Germany unwilling to change its will?" General Franco said forcefully, "The 500,000 Spanish National Army are not easy to mess with. With my order, they will cross the border and fight with your Sixth Army. Fight!"
"The Sixth Army is just one of the ten German armies!" Lin Weigang wanted to continue to persuade, but felt that something was not quite right. General Franco's attitude is so tough that there is no need to talk about the issue between Germany and Spain. However, the current atmosphere is a bit strange. Lin Wei and Franco obviously have a very tough attitude, so why are they still quarreling? If Lin Wei negotiated just for the future war with the Soviet Union and was unwilling to waste Germany's precious military power stationed in Spain, what was Franco's intention
"There's something fishy about this old fox! I'll blow him up!" Lin Wei's expression changed erratically, and finally turned silent, making it impossible to see the slightest expression. He ordered coldly, "Robert C. Crawford , inform General von Reichenau, commander of the Sixth Army, that Franco has agreed to our request!"
"Yes, leader!" Robert C. Crawford accepted Lin Wei's order like a machine, reflexively. Let the German soldiers next to you generate electricity for the Sixth Army.
"Wait, what are you doing?" General Franco was obviously panicked at this time. If the Spanish National Army and the German and French allied forces on the border started fighting, things would get out of hand. Churchill might have to accept it right away. A fuhrer in exile.
"What do I want to do?" Lin Wei casually took out a piece of paper from Robert C. Crawford's briefcase, wrote down a few German words, and said easily, "These words mean, finally Ultimatum!"
"Ultimatum, do you think national affairs are child's play?" Franco was dumbfounded. In his opinion, Lin Wei was simply crazy.
"I'm sorry, General Franco. Your Majesty has already decided that if General Franco insists on taking unfriendly actions against Germany, Germany must defend its own interests!" Lin Wei had a business-like expression. Such routine regulations Lin Wei had seen a lot of language over the years and had already memorized it, so he spoke some diplomatic words with familiarity and gave Ribbentrop a sigh of relief.
"But as far as I know, your Majesty is already preparing for peace talks with Britain!" General Franco said easily.
"It's just a smoke bomb. We can destroy Britain. Why do we need peace talks? Who will negotiate peace with all the advantages?" Lin Wei said indifferently. Lin Wei certainly knows about the peace talks. On June 28, Wilhelm II received a secret telegram from the Pope—Mussolini and Churchill also received similar telegrams. The telegram stated that he was willing to mediate for a "fair and honorable peace" and announced that before embarking on this step, he wished to know privately how the proposal would be received. The King of Sweden also actively proposed peace talks to both London and Berlin. William II ostensibly agreed to the request of the Pope and the King of Sweden, but everyone knew that this was not medieval Europe, and the Pope was no longer a holy and unattainable person. The reason why William II agreed to the peace talks was, firstly, to give the two people an explanation, and secondly, to paralyze the British. Whether Churchill agreed or not, the war between Germany and Britain would continue.
"Really?" Franco turned his eyes around, not knowing what he was thinking, and finally said, "Spain can actually make a deal with Germany!"
"What deal?" Lin Wei secretly thought, the fox's tail finally showed up, I don't believe you really dare to go to war with Germany and France.
"Spain will not participate in the war with the United Kingdom unless you can log in to the British mainland!" Franco said, "But I know that Germany's enemies are far from the British. In the future war with the Soviet Union, Spain will We can provide some help, of course, provided that Britain has been defeated and Germany will not face a two-front war! Can you guarantee this?"
"No problem!" Lin Wei said, "Even if the general doesn't say it, Germany will do it, but when will Spain declare war on Britain?"
"After Germany lands!" Franco promised, "As long as Germany can successfully land, Spain is willing to contribute its own strength to the Axis Powers in return for the help of Germany and Italy!"
"So, the general has agreed to Germany's request?" Lin Wei asked doubtfully. ,
"I don't agree, but if Germany insists on coming in, Spain cannot resist it!" Franco said. Lin Wei understood what General Franco meant as soon as he thought about it. It was nothing more than letting the German armed forces invade and show the British that Spain was innocent. You can really think of it.
"Okay!" Lin Wei ordered, "Notify Prince Eugen's division to cross the border!"
Franco nodded and said, "German armed invasion is not something Spain can resist. We order the troops not to resist!"
Admiral Darlan, commander-in-chief of the French Navy, ordered the French ships stationed in Toulon and Algiers to sail to Mirskbil at full speed to support the operation. At the same time, Holland and others who participated in the talks were trying to find a better solution. In the afternoon, General Jean-Soueur met with Holland and proposed a gentleman's agreement. But at this time, London received a deciphered code: 6 Glorious-class light cruisers stationed in Algiers had set sail for Mirskbil at full speed, and 4 of Oran's submarines had already sailed out of the port to occupy attack positions. Once the British fleet attacked the French fleet, it quickly counterattacked. The British Admiralty ordered Vice Admiral Somerville to act quickly, and Captain Holland returned to the British ship without success. At 17:56 shortly after his return, the Hood opened fire first, and then the 15-inch heavy guns of Fleet H began to fire at the French fleet. This was the first time that Britain fired at the French army since the Battle of Waterloo.
At this time, the "Dunkirk", "Brittany", "Strasbourg", and "Province" were docked along the breakwater from the northwest to the southeast of the Mirsk Biel harbor. "S" and "Commander Taster", while the destroyers were docked inside the port. Both battlecruisers and old-fashioned battleships have their sterns close to the breakwater, which means that the two battlecruisers cannot use their bow main guns when they are attacked, which means they have no ability to fight back! In addition, there are local coastal batteries equipped with 6.1-inch, 7.6-inch and 9.4-inch shore guns. There are 52 fighter jets at the nearby airport, while the bomber base is slightly further away. Not far away, Oran is anchored with 10 small destroyers (600-ton class), 6 submarines and 13 various small ships.
Shortly after Fleet H appeared on the horizon at 7 o'clock that morning, French ships had already discovered the British ships. General Sule understood that the British fleet had bad intentions. At 7:50, the French warships began to ring the ship's bell. The fastest responder was the "Provence". At 8:00, the anti-aircraft artillery on the ship was ready for battle. No. 5 main The turret and 340mm gun control system personnel entered. At 8:20, the No. 4 main turret at the rear of the ship had prepared four salvos for each gun in the turret. At 8:55, the boiler was started. At 9:20, the lookout was carried out. Personnel and ammunition replenishment unit personnel also entered combat positions. At 9:30, the main anchor began to be stowed, and other ships and combat positions also began to prepare for combat. The main engines of each ship also started to start. At about 12 noon, each ship completed With the preparation for combat, you can be ready to leave port for combat at any time. At 12:30, five "Swordfish" bombers took off from the British aircraft carrier Ark Royal and went to lay waterproof mines at the exit of the port to prevent possible French fleet escapes. At 13:30, Fleet H entered the attack position and was ready to fire at any time. At almost the same time, General Suhr observed on the flagship that British bombers were laying mines at the port exit.
When the war was about to break out, General Jeansur received a second telegram from Admiral Darlan, Commander-in-Chief of the French Navy: "The Italian Navy has rushed to Mirskbil, and this time the Italian Navy will help the French Navy fight!"
General Jeansur smiled after seeing the telegram and said to himself: "After the naval battle off Belgium, the British Royal Navy has lost most of its battleships. Except for the battleships Rodney and Nelson in the mainland, only the Mediterranean Fleet is left. Barham and Warrior, if this naval battle succeeds, the British will no longer be called a naval power. Although the powerful George V-class battleships are being built, can they survive the German attack? Buying time for the construction of that battleship, only God knows!"