Now, in the mid-summer of 1940, everyone in Germany was proud of their glorious achievements; they had no plan, let alone any desire to capitalize on the unprecedented military victory of their militarized country. All they wanted was to keep an eye on their next prey. , and then destroy it. The Greater German Reich had reached the pinnacle of its military power. Most of Europe was under his sway. His victorious army, which stretched from the Pyrenees to the Arctic Circle, and from the Atlantic to the east of the Vistula River, was now recuperating and preparing for the next move. Wilhelm II immediately announced Germany's next target, which was Britain.
The British solution is nothing more than to land directly, but at the same time, there is another option in front of the Germans. They can cross the Mediterranean with their ally Italy, take Gibraltar, the gateway to the Mediterranean, in the west, go straight from Italy's base in North Africa to Egypt in the east, cross the Suez Canal to Iran, cut off a major lifeline of the British Empire, and use this to defeat Britain. . After considering the combined strength of Germany, France, and Italy, William II decided to launch the Blue Plan and pursue two paths at the same time, striving to strangle the British as soon as possible so that the British would have no capital to continue to resist.
After experiencing a tragic defeat, Wilhelm II once again took charge of Germany and realized that this time Germany would never start a world war again by relying on its own strength. Although the German army was very powerful, it faced the world's major powers. The opposition force of Germany was still not something that Germany alone could contend with. Because of this, William II agreed to maintain relations with France and Italy, continuing and developing Hitt? le policy.
And Hit? Like Le, William II also understood that Germany's greatest danger did not come from Britain, but from the huge countries in the east. Germany's power could not compete with Britain, so it was imperative that William II find a country willing to share Germany's pressure. Marshal Pétain France, which is eager to avenge its shame after taking power, and Italy, which is bent on proving itself, are undoubtedly the best choices.
Therefore, before making up his mind to implement the blue plan, William II sent people from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to Italy and France to find out whether Italy and France would take the opportunity to share the benefits from the United Kingdom. At seven o'clock in the evening, William II convened a meeting with the generals of the German high command. When everyone arrived, William II urgently announced, "I am ready to implement the blue plan immediately. I don't know if the armies are ready now." ?”
Both Marshal von Blomberg and Marshal Göring nodded, indicating that they were ready. Only Redl shook his head and said, "Your Majesty, the Bismarck-class battleships and Scharnhorst-class battleships are seriously injured. It will take two months to fully repair them. Now they cannot attack to protect the transport ships and barges. They are close to Italy and As for the power of the French navy, I always feel that the combat effectiveness of these two countries is unbelievable!"
William II nodded, indicating that he knew the current dilemma of the German Navy. The fact that the German Navy could destroy most of the British battleships in one battle was enough to excite William II. Now, covering the army's landing in England was obviously beyond the capabilities of the German Navy. beyond ability. So William II persuaded, "Marshal Redl, the performance of the navy has been obvious to all of Germany, and we still have time!"
"The Navy can postpone its participation in the war because the Air Force needs to completely destroy the British air power, which will undoubtedly take two months!" Goering said, "The Air Force is close to destroying the British air defense line to the maximum extent possible, and the latest The aerial bombs developed can make ordinary warships retreat!"
"Guderian has selected 150,000 elite soldiers, all of whom have participated in the French campaign, and are now stepping up training to cross the sea!" Marshal von Blomberg said.
Unexpectedly, during the months of negotiating the Blue Plan, Ribbentrop hurriedly walked in and said, "Your Majesty, the special envoy to Italy has returned. Prime Minister Mussolini is very willing to help Germany share the burden." , is willing to send the Italian navy to help Germany, and has prepared 100,000 Italian troops to participate in the battle!"
"Very good!" William II smiled, "Thank you to the Italian Prime Minister for your generosity. By the way, I would like to say hello to His Majesty the King!" Mussolini rushed out so eagerly because he was worried about the possibility of reconciliation between Germany and Britain. As we all know, William II The second son's mother was a British princess, and the rumors of peace talks released by Germany some time ago only aggravated Mussolini's uneasiness, and he was deeply worried that Britain would not be able to negotiate peace with Germany. Back in Hit? When Le was still alive, Mussolini was worried about Italy's position among the Axis powers. After William II came to power, although Mussolini did not want France to escape the punishment of defeat, Germany was determined not to weaken France, so Mexico Solini had nothing to say. Italy had just lost the opportunity to weaken France, and it still had to show kindness and accept France.
With the news of peace talks between Germany and Britain some time ago, Mussolini could no longer sit still. Originally Mussolini knew that Italy was not as powerful as France. Although Germany still regarded Italy as an important ally, Mexico Solini still feels that Italy is a head lower than France. If Britain surrenders conditionally, Italy will undoubtedly move from the third to the fourth position of the Axis Powers. This is acceptable to Mussolini's army, so when Mussolini heard about the confrontation between the French navy and the British navy, At that time, Italy immediately made an astonishing move. Italy, which had been competing with France in the Mediterranean, suddenly seemed to have just remembered this friendly neighbor and took this opportunity to stand with France to fight against Britain. At the same time, it was a fait accompli that caused the war between Italy and Britain, causing Germany to cut off the idea of peace talks with Britain.
Of course, Mussolini's wishful thinking was wrong now, because William II had no intention of preparing for peace talks with Britain. From this point of view, William II and Hit? It's completely different, Hit? Le has a complicated feeling for Britain, so he always hopes that the British can recognize Germany's status in Europe. However, William II, who was defeated by Britain once, has no feelings for Britain. If he does, he will destroy Britain. Therefore, Mussolini's worries are undoubtedly unnecessary.
Although if the British Empire is defeated and falls apart, the only ones that will be cheaper are the United States and Japan. However, Germany can no longer control so much. The threat from the Soviet Union in the east is getting bigger and bigger. Reality dictates that Germany must eliminate the threat from the West. Being able to give the Soviet Union a go, if the British's will to resist is not completely crushed, Germany will once again fall into a two-front war. Germany twice fought on two fronts in its own hands? William II feels horrible just thinking about it.
"Your Majesty!" Goebbels, who had just come in, said, "The British Navy and the French Navy have started a war. According to the news just received, the two sides are still fighting fiercely. The battle is very fierce. Marshal Pétain has declared war on Britain this morning! "
"This is very good!" William II emphasized, "If necessary, we can set aside an occupation zone for Italy and France after capturing Britain. France and Italy can each station half of the German occupying forces! "
Goebbels imagined, "This can share the pressure on Britain and at the same time contain Germany's military power as little as possible, so that we can concentrate on dealing with the Soviet Union. If the Soviet Union loses the war, it means that Germany's territory can be expanded by millions square miles, Germany’s living space problem will be solved!”
"Yes, continue to pay attention to the situation between the British and French naval battles. The Italian Navy should be arriving soon, right?" William II asked.
"The calculation time should be almost up! If the British intelligence department is not free of charge, there are only two roads before the British, giving up or being annihilated. The British Mediterranean fleet has two battleships, and now the British only have four A battleship, I think the British will definitely retreat!" Goebbels analyzed.
"Then..." William II looked at several military leaders with piercing eyes and smiled, "Let's see now, whether Italy and France can win, or whether they have always regarded the navy as the main service. The British can win!"
"Okay, Your Majesty!" Whether it was Green or Redel, there were obvious smiles in their eyes. There is no greater happiness than seeing your opponent suffer misfortune without having to make sacrifices.
At this time, in the Mirsk Biel military port, the French navy is still stubbornly confronting the British navy. General Jeansur, knowing that he will receive reinforcements, calmly commands the French warships to fight back. Although the French fleet here is far stronger It is not as good as the British Royal Navy fleet that surrounds him, but General Jeansur, who relies on the defense of the military port, can wait for the arrival of the Italian navy as long as he ensures that the fleet is safe and sound, and then he can cooperate internally and externally to kill the British power in the Mediterranean.
When the British ship began to fire, the propulsion device of another French battleship "Strasbourg" was starting. The Barham had just left its berth when it struck the breakwater. The fragments from the shell explosion cut off the ship's signal cable, broke the flagpole, and punched a hole in the chimney. Five sailors at the stern were killed. The "Strasbourg" immediately headed towards the main channel at a speed of 15 knots. The super destroyer originally parked nearby had set sail before the British fleet opened fire, clearing the channel. At this time, the "Barham" was concentrating its firepower to attack the "Dunkirk" closest to it. The "Dunkirk" fired back violently, firing 40 rounds of 330 rounds at the "Barham" mm main artillery shells once formed a straddle fire on it. Because the "Dunkirk"'s main guns fired very accurately and quickly, the "Strasbourg" stayed at the entrance of the main channel of the port, and the British ships were forced to maneuver westward under the cover of the smoke screen.
At this time, the "Dunkirk" also maneuvered towards the water crossing at a speed of 12 knots. Due to terrain obstruction, it was difficult to use the rangefinder on the ship and it was impossible to shoot accurately for a while. The unlucky super destroyer "Mogador" was hit by a 15-inch shell as it passed the port exit. Although the shell did not explode, it penetrated directly through the stern of the ship and triggered the depth charge launcher. The 16 depth charges on board exploded, cutting off half of the left stern, and the fourth turret was completely disabled.
However, the miraculous thing is that the rear main gun ammunition magazine and depth charge magazine at the stern did not explode, and one of the twin shafts was not damaged. The two propellers were also in good condition, and they were stranded near the entrance of the port under their own power. Just as the "Dunkirk" began to turn, a 381 mm shell fired from the "Barham" hit its stern. The shell passed through the seaplane hangar and a sergeant's quarters, and ejected from 2.5 meters below the waterline of the hull shell plate. Although it did not explode, it cut off some circuits on the port side, damaged the motor of the seaplane crane, and caused damage to the port side. The fuel tank is slightly waterlogged.
"These British bastards, where are their gentlemanly demeanor? They have the guts to let us go out to fight!" General Jean Sur cursed. Due to the terrain, the French fleet can only be passively beaten now, even though it has shore artillery. Support, but as the speed of modern battleships increases faster and faster, the effect of shore guns is no longer as effective as before. When the current shore guns confront battleships, they are obviously at a disadvantage.
Boom... The "Barham" fired another salvo. Compared with the battleships Imperial Power and Queen Elizabeth of the same class, his luck was obviously much better. There are no behemoths like Bismarck-class battleships in the Mediterranean, although France also has the same class battleships as Bismarck. -class battleship, but the French Navy's "Richelieu"-class battleship has not been completed, and the battleships still on the slipway certainly pose a threat to the "Barham". Battleships of the same class as the "Richelieu"-class battleships, as well as the British George V-class battleships, are now being completed in British shipyards, hoping to be launched before the German Bismarck-class battleships are repaired.
General Soul had no choice but to stop his angry declaration and look for opportunities to counterattack. The back-and-forth artillery battle between the two sides would definitely be detrimental to the French naval fleet if it continued for a long time, but now General Soul has no good way. The French Navy is surrounded. It’s not that the French Navy is surrounding others. “Didn’t General Darlan say that warships from other naval ports will come to support us immediately? Where? Oh? Oh my God, the Italian Navy is still missing. Their navy will not Are you as incompetent as the army! Hey..., what are you doing, fire!" General Jean Suer kept chattering words that he didn't know what they meant, while hurriedly counterattacking.
"No, if we keep waiting, the reinforcements may not come yet, and we will be finished first!" General Jean Suer decided that he could not sit still and wait for death. It was decided first to preserve the strength of the French navy. "Let the Strasbourg leave the gap, and I will leave cover here!" General Jeansur ordered.
"General!" The person next to him wanted to say something else.
"Listen to my orders!" General Jean Sur shouted.
It turned out that General Jean Suir had ordered the gap in the anti-submarine torpedo net at the entrance of the port to be opened after observing the British bombers deploying mines, so that the fleet could sail out at any time. General Somerville did not receive any report about this matter. When a Swordfish bomber performing fire correction reported that the Strasbourg was leaving the port, Somerville was quite surprised. He had thought that there were no French ships. Being able to escape the fate of being sunk, when another Swordfish bomber reported again ten minutes later that a large warship was on its way out of the port, Somerville was sure that a French warship was trying to escape!
Somerville ordered the fleet's flagship "Barham" and the newer F-class destroyers to turn and pursue the French fleet. However, by this time the French warships had already sailed out of Mirskbil and began to speed up and sail northeast.
After the "Strasbourg" left the port, it first spotted the British destroyer "Struggle" at close range. The destroyer was performing surveillance missions outside the Port of Oran at this time. It suddenly discovered that the French battlecruiser was approaching and immediately snaked towards it at high speed. The main body of the British fleet in the northwest moved closer and released a large amount of smoke. The "Strasbourg" ignored this small target and just hurriedly fired 12 320mm shells at it. And then continued to flee. For the French navy, facing the British navy, which was stronger than itself, this was undoubtedly a wise move.
"Look, that's the Italian Navy!" Suddenly, the soldiers on the Strasbourg battlecruiser discovered that a powerful fleet appeared in the east, at least the warships were so powerful. After all, the British Royal Navy failed to annihilate the French fleet here before the Italian Navy arrived. An even more serious situation now awaits the Royal Navy. The Italian Navy is not the Italian Army. At least they have the courage to fight the British Navy. If the Italian Navy has the courage to encounter a British fleet that is far inferior to its own strength, God knows what will happen.
Admiral Decoltan, the commander of the Italian naval fleet, looked gloomily at the British naval warships ahead. How many times in his dreams had he dreamed of driving the British navy out of the Mediterranean, but the British navy's powerful strength was not something that Italy could shake. , but now, the British Navy is at its weakest in hundreds of years. The most powerful battleships have almost sunk all of Germany. New battleships are being built and will take at least half a year to be put into use. For Italy, now Just the opportunity Italy has been waiting for centuries.
After Mussolini knew that the British were preparing to deal with France, he immediately realized this opportunity. There was no better opportunity than now. Thinking that the Mediterranean would be free of British influence, Mussolini seemed to feel that his dream was coming true. So Admiral Cortan was immediately sent here with Italy's best warships, ready to kill the British Mediterranean Fleet.