The British were conducting a dynamo plan at the time of their evacuation at Dunkirk. There was a plan to destroy ships that could cross the sea on the European continent. In the end, although the evacuation at Dunkirk can be said to have failed, the operation to destroy the ships can be said to be very successful. Even beyond the imagination of the British themselves. The German army was unable to land on the British mainland due to a lack of ships. Because the British fleet was severely damaged, the British had to hold on and operate the defense line of the English Channel. However, compared with the situation of the British Navy, the situation of the German Navy was even more miserable. Although the German Navy achieved a great victory in the naval battle, all the large battleships were seriously injured. Only two Admiral Hipper-class heavy cruisers could still be used. Even if Germany was able to collect enough transport ships from all European countries, but now it could not gather enough escort ships. Facing two British battleships that could fight, William II did not think that the two Hipper naval ships General-class heavy cruisers are comparable to battleships.
At least until Bismarck and four other battleships could be repaired, the German Navy still had to face the British naval blockade. Because now Germany simply cannot use even one battleship to conduct maritime operations. To wait for the Bismarck, battleships and Scharnhorst class to be repaired, Wilhelm II had to wait another three months. William II also thought about landing directly through the cover of the air force, but this was just a thought. Facing the British Navy, which is still much more powerful than the German Navy at this stage, and the enemy's air force, which is still very active, it is necessary to send a large army across the white-water strait. Both the navy and the air force are faced with such a terrifying task. Not very sure.
It is better to land in Britain sooner rather than later. Thanks to Germany's quick victory on the battlefield in France, Britain is still unable to use the country's industrial power for war. Once Britain was given a chance to breathe, Britain began to exert its own energy. Even William II could not imagine the consequences. However, the German army is indeed unable to land at this stage. Without the cover of naval battleships and sufficient ships, the German army cannot swim over on its own.
In order to land in the United Kingdom, the debate between the army and the navy has reached a fever pitch. Under William II's decision, the time cannot be changed, and it cannot be later than the end of August. In other words, even the battleships of the German Navy cannot After repairs are completed, Germany must also launch a landing operation. This is simply a dilemma.
I don’t know if he was a little pessimistic, but William II suddenly discovered that after 20 years, the offensive spirit of the German Navy was not as high as when Tirpitz was the Minister of the Navy. When William II held a meeting, Redel’s The speech was full of pessimism. Of course, in fact, if the German Navy could not repair its battleships and carried out such a landing, the situation would indeed be pessimistic enough.
As early as when the plan to land in Britain was finalized, the Naval Operations Staff drafted a memorandum advocating not to conduct operations this year and recommending that it not be considered until May 1941 or later. At that time, William II was almost angry and carried him away. William II thought that he had made enough judgment on Redel's caution, but he still never expected that Redel was going to postpone the action to next year.
Wilhelm II and Hitt in many aspects? There are obvious differences between Hitler and Hitler. For example, in dealing with Britain, Hitt? Hitler may still hope to reconcile with Britain, but William II has never thought about it in this way. When it comes to Spain, Hit? Le might give Franco a face and not invade by force, but William II definitely did not care about this. But the two men have one thing in common, that is, when fighting the British, their eyes never left their backs, and they were always on guard against the Soviet Union in the east. In their eyes, the threat from the Soviet Union was no less than that of Britain, and probably even greater. Wilhelm II never thought of delaying the solution of Britain's problems until next year. Although many places Wilhelm II and Hitt? Le's perspective on the problem is completely different, but one thing is very similar, that is, they both believe that the Soviet Union is Germany's biggest threat. Next year, that is, in 1941, Germany must free its hands to solve the Soviet problem. Even Hit? The Operation Barbarossa plan that Le had already begun to formulate was still being continuously improved after William II was restored. William II was not even less concerned about the Soviet Union than his imminent landing in Britain.
At the critical moment of Linwei's battle in Gibraltar, William II once again held a royal meeting and summoned his military leaders again. This time the meeting was held at his villa in Obersalzburg. In addition to Raeder, the meeting was attended by Keitel and Jodl representing the High Command, Brauchitsch and Halder representing the Army Headquarters, and Field Marshal von Blomberg, now the commander-in-chief. Admiral Redl spoke the most. He wasn't very hopeful.
"Your Majesty!" It was Redel who spoke first. After bowing slightly to express his respect, Redel immediately mentioned the issue of landing, "I still think that we must wait for the Bismarck-class battleships and Scharnhorst-class battleships to be repaired before we can start the landing. It is too risky to plan and act now, and we cannot guarantee the safety! Besides, we have to investigate the weather in the English Channel!" When talking about the weather, Redel gave a long speech on this issue, saying He explained, increasingly eloquently and frighteningly, that the weather in the Channel and North Sea, except in the first half of October, was generally bad. There starts to be mist in mid-October, and then there is thick fog by the end of October. But that's only part of the weather story. Only when the sea is calm can the battle plan be implemented. If the waves are rough, the barges will sink and even the larger ships will be unable to do anything because they cannot unload supplies. The Admiral became increasingly pessimistic as he considered his future. Even if the first batch of troops successfully crosses the sea under favorable weather conditions, there is still no guarantee that the second and third batches of troops will have the same favorable weather... In fact, we must realize that before some ports can be used, there are It is impossible to transport relatively large amounts of supplies for several days.
"This situation would have put the Army in a difficult position: they would have been stranded on the beach with no supplies and no reinforcements. Redl now spoke of the main disagreement between the Navy and the Army. The Army needed a route from the Deauville Strait to the Bay of Ram A broad front. However, it is expected that the British navy and air force will launch a strong counterattack. In this case, for such a large-scale operation, the navy simply cannot provide the required ships." Therefore, Redl strongly advocated shortening the battle line - he could only From Deauville Strait to Eastbourne.
William II was still listening to Raeder's opinions at first, but later, he felt that Raeder's words were getting more and more strange. This was not like a royal meeting at all. William II carefully thought about when he felt in his life. Feeling hopeless during the royal council? After thinking for a long time, William II finally recalled that during World War I, after the United States entered the war, Germany's positions on the Western Front were breached one after another. Germany was about to be unable to hold on, the economy had collapsed, and rebellions broke out all over the country. When Hindenburg informed him that he had to abdicate, he felt the despair in Hindenburg.
Thinking of this, William II felt very strange. He looked at Raeder with an awkward expression and thought to himself: Is it the British who hold meetings with your expression now
Although William II did not understand the situation of maritime warfare, Redel could not pretend that he did not hear what he said. But William II could not help but consider the consequences of missing the opportunity. The German Navy will still not be a match for the British Navy until the spring of next year, because William II already knows that Britain now has five George V-class battleships under construction. If the British are given a chance to breathe, the consequences will be disastrous. The British Army was insignificant at this time. If the British Army is given 8 to 10 months, it will have 30 to 35 divisions, which will become a considerable force in the limited area where it is scheduled to land.
After thinking for a while, William II said, "We cannot let the navy go to war now. The British Royal Navy is also at its weakest period in history. You must know that the British shipbuilding industry is much stronger than Germany. If time continues to pass, we may We will never wait for the opportunity to land in the UK, so we must launch the attack on time even if it is a risk!"
"But, Your Majesty..." Redel wanted to say something else.
"Nothing more!" William II said firmly, "I really don't understand. Is this plan really thought up by people like you who don't have any sense of adventure?" He looked a little embarrassed. Everyone, William II ordered, "Continue to discuss, there is no need to talk about delaying the attack plan!"
But immediately, the army and navy began to quarrel again over the ship issue. A week earlier, the Naval War Staff had estimated that 150,000 men with equipment and supplies would be landed on a 200-mile front from Ramsgate to Rams Bay in order to meet the Army's requirements for the first offensive. According to the requirements, 1,722 barges, 1,161 motorboats, 471 tugs and 155 transport ships need to be recruited. Raeder told Wilhelm II that even if it were possible to gather such a large number of ships, it would destroy the German economy, because the removal of so many barges and tugboats would destroy the entire inland waterway on which the economic life of the country depends to a large extent. transportation. Raeder showed that protecting a convoy carrying supplies for such a long front against the attacks that the British navy and air force would certainly make was beyond the capabilities of the German navy. The Naval Warfare Staff also warned the Army at one point that if the Army insisted on a long front, the Navy might lose all its ships.
But the Army still stands by its claims. Overestimating British strength, Commander-in-Chief Field Marshal von Blomberg believed that landing on a short front would expose the attacking forces to "superior" British land forces. When Commander-in-Chief Marshal von Blomberg met the Navy Commander-in-Chief Marshal Raeder again today, there was a showdown between the two services, and a sharp and fierce conflict occurred.
Field Marshal von Blomberg, who is usually very calm, got angry and said: "I completely disagree with the Navy's suggestion. From the Army's point of view, I think it is simply suicide. I might as well put it on land." Put the army directly into the meat grinder!"
The Commander-in-Chief of the Navy, Marshal Redl, slowly stood up and said lightly, "Marshal von Blomberg, in fact, you should understand that we will land when our battleship cannot be repaired, and it will also be extended in accordance with the requirements of the Army. The battle front, given the current superiority of the British Navy, is also committing suicide!”
This is an extremely serious dilemma. If an attempt was made to deploy a large force over a long front, the entire German expeditionary force might be sunk to the bottom of the sea by the British navy. If a smaller army were used to open a short front, the attacking troops might be driven into the sea by the British Army. Army Commander-in-Chief Brauchitsch stopped the commander, Field Marshal von Blomberg, and said that he could not agree to a landing between Folkestone and Eastbourne. However, he still expressed his willingness, albeit "reluctantly", to abandon the landing at Lyme Bay in order to shorten the front and accommodate the opinions of the navy.
Seeing that the dispute between the army and the navy finally came to an end, William II breathed a sigh of relief, but immediately, Raeder once again made William II feel the caution of the German navy. William II swore that at such a moment, He definitely has the intention to remove Redel as the Navy Commander-in-Chief. ;
The stubborn naval commander was not satisfied with this. The navy's cautious and resolute attitude was brought to the extreme by Redel. It seemed that the Army had been persuaded to let Redl regain confidence. Redel said again, "Your Majesty, the attack cannot be carried out until at least the Bismarck-class battleship is repaired!"
William II, who couldn't bear it anymore, finally got angry and stood up and shouted, "The offensive plan cannot be postponed and must be carried out by the end of August at the latest. This is the last time I say it! Crossing the strait is mainly carried out on a shorter front. But At the same time, 4,000-5,000 troops were to be landed at Buffington by motorboat, and the same number of paratroopers were to be landed at Deal-Ramsgate by air. In addition, the day before the landing, the air force was to carry out a heavy bombing of London, which would Let residents flee the city and block the roads. One day, one of our two countries will beg for mercy, but it will never be Germany!" Wilhelm II, who is in his eighties, said tremblingly while leaning on crutches. People here have to worry about his health.
"Since the Imperial Navy is no longer reliable, even if I don't want to, I must ask our defeated France and weak Italy for help. The navies of the two countries should be able to solve the current difficulties of the Empire. I swear, I don't want to I did this, but the attitude of the Imperial Navy really disappoints me!" William II expressed his views angrily.
"Furthermore, I must remind you that Britain's hopes for Russia and the United States have not yet been realized. Russia is not prepared to bleed for Britain. The United States' rearmament efforts will not be fully effective until 1945. But we must know. At present, The quickest solution is to land in England. The Navy has accomplished the necessary conditions. The action of the Air Force is most praiseworthy. Four or five days of good weather will achieve a decisive result... There is a good chance that we can bring England to its knees" William The Second looked at the generals around him and said solemnly; "Germany is still under siege. If we can't solve the British problem and let the war drag on, the United States and Russia will join the war sooner or later. If you want 1918, Tragedy is repeated once again on the land of Germany. You can be as afraid of small sacrifices as you are today. If my remarks are unfortunately true, the price Germany paid will definitely not be less than the last war. How many two hundred do we have? Tens of thousands of young people died for Germany? I hope you will do your best!"
The following time, William II immediately sent a telegram to Lin Wei in Gibraltar. This time William II really urgently asked Lin Wei to end the fighting here as soon as possible. At the same time, William II also received the telegram from Italy. Solini and Marshal Pétain of France. This time, in order to deal with Britain, William II decided for the first time to contact France and Italy, which he usually looked down upon.
After Lin Wei figured out the cause and effect, he also felt a headache for William II. After the German Navy indeed withstood the blockade during World War I, it basically began to despair of facing the British Navy head-on. It can be said that except for a few people in the German Navy, almost All had a negative attitude towards the British navy's offensive. Like William II, Lin Wei also believed that the sooner the better.
"The casualties caused by landing in the UK are something Germany can bear. For Germany, someone must make sacrifices!" Lin Wei secretly thought. Compared with the eight million people who died in the final defeat of Germany, the number of people lost in landing on the British mainland was completely bearable.
Lin Wei looked at Robert C. Crawford and said, "We must use a week to resolve the battle here, leaving the French Navy and Italian Navy free to help the Empire land on the British mainland! So starting tomorrow, order Ah Commander Sir Philip, divide all the troops who can still fight into three echelons, I don’t believe that the British are invincible!”
"Leader, this will cause a lot of casualties!" Robert C. Crawford hesitated.
Lin Wei lit a cigar, took a deep puff, and said to himself: The nature of the SS is the death squad, and I am the captain of the death squad!