There were two thousand casualties in one day's battle. Compared to the tiny area of the Fortress of Gibraltar, the battle here was not an exaggeration to call every inch bloody. Germany and France combined had suffered more than 5,000 casualties. Although the casualties on the British side are unclear, they should be similar to those of the German and French forces as the attacker. Although there is a gap in the combat effectiveness of the army, as a defender, the British defenders do have a natural advantage.
But even if the Fortress of Gibraltar is impregnable, Lord Gott cannot change the fact that he is now surrounded. In fact, Lord Gott has reason to be proud of being able to fight like this with the two most powerful land powers in Europe. But this is not enough for Lord Gott. If possible, Lord Gott hopes to break out from here. But when he saw the Italian and French navies who had been eyeing the port outside the port, Lord Gott had to give up his idea. Even though he was confident in his navy, Lord Gott did not think he could face an enemy three times his size and still achieve success. This is no longer the nineteenth century.
"Lord, today's casualty statistics are out. A total of 1,652 people were killed!" At this time, Lord Gott's adjutant said another disappointing news, which was tantamount to giving Get who was about to commit suicide. A major blow to Lord Special.
As a commander, you must remain calm at all times. No matter what happens, keep a clear mind. Although he was very sad by this depressing news, Lord Gott knew that he could not spread his sadness to others. For the British soldiers now stationed at the Fortress of Gibraltar, they were doomed. The Fortress of Gibraltar has not been surrounded by powerful opponents on land, but at any time, sea power is firmly in the hands of the British. Even if it is surrounded, the defending British soldiers know that they can still get the British mainland. support.
But now, let alone the Fortress of Gibraltar, it would be great if the remaining British Navy can defend the British mainland from being landed by Germany, let alone support the battle situation of the Fortress of Gibraltar. The once extremely powerful British Royal Navy can only watch and watch. Watching the German and French forces surround Gibraltar, the only help they received was to encourage the bravery of the defenders through telegrams.
Alas... Lord Gott could only sigh in his heart, because the adjutant next to him was still waiting for his order. The British troops garrisoned at the fort were far from sufficient. Nearly five thousand were killed, and almost none of the remaining soldiers was uninjured. Fortunately, there is only one third of the fortress left in his hands, which allows him to concentrate his forces on defense. Otherwise, an attack by the German and French forces might make him surrender.
The lack of troops has reached a very dangerous situation. If the battle continues at today's level, Lord Gott will have to defend the position by himself in three days.
"Recruit troops from the locals, we must do this!" Lord Gott made up his mind, "The safety of the fortress is the first priority. Although I really don't want to do this, there is no good way at this moment. !”
"But Lord, will these Gibraltarians join our army? You know, the reason why they have always supported Britain is because Britain is far more powerful than Spain, and now our motherland is suppressed by the Germans. I Because you can't see, how can these people convince you?" Lord Gott's adjutant expressed his doubts, which was one of the reasons why Lord Gott had been reluctant to do so.
"There is no way now, we have no way out!" Lord Gott stood up excitedly, "We have to hold on to the fortress, which is of great significance to us! Even if those Gibraltarians are unreliable, what can we do? ?You can’t change someone into someone, can you?”
Lord Gott's words immediately made the adjutant speechless. Indeed, defending the fortress is the first priority now, and other things must be put aside. Even if he knows that these locals are unreliable, for those who are now in trouble The British defenders also had to knock out their teeth and swallow it in their stomachs.
"Wait..." Lord Gott stopped the adjutant who was about to walk out, and seemed to have found a solution to the problem. Indeed, now Lord Gott has just thought of a way to get the Gibraltarians and the British here to stand together and help the British fight.
Under the expectant gaze of the adjutant, Lord Gott said slowly, "The German soldiers we are facing seem to belong to the Waffen SS?" Lord Gott's first words made the adjutant's eyes dim, and he secretly said : You don’t need to say such a thing, now all the soldiers in the fortress know about it.
"Now the Waffen SS has been imprisoning millions of Jews and Gypsies?" Lord Gott asked, "Germans have very serious nationalism, which can be seen from the name of their national anthem, Deutschland Above All. You can see it!”
The adjutant immediately understood Lord Gott's intention and immediately said, "We can use the discrimination of the Germans to make Gibraltar stand with us!" There are more than 20,000 residents in the Gibraltar Fortress. Once mobilized, it can Thousands of more workers were added to the fort, and the war would soon pit the people here against Germany, so Gibraltar may have initially been pressured to help the British once both sides were stained with each other's blood. All they can do is continue to fight. When the time comes, even if Gibraltar wants to avenge his own family, he will fight to the death against the Germans.
"No, this alone is not enough!" Lord Gott hesitated, "The discrimination of the Germans is not enough to make Gibraltar and Germany fight to the death. It must be said that the Germany in front of them will not let them live!" said Lord Gott seemed to think of something at this point, and said at once, "The Armed SS is not a regular armed force of Germany. According to international law, they are civilians. I once heard during the Polish campaign that the Armed SS Soldiers of the Guards are strictly prohibited from being captured, because if they are captured, these soldiers are not considered prisoners of war, and their lives are not guaranteed at all! Therefore, they treat enemy soldiers in adversity very cruelly, and they heard that they can shoot and kill them at will. Threatening people, including civilians!”
"Yes, I have heard about this too, but in the Battle of France, the armed SS seemed to have no negative impact, and was regarded by the French as a model of civilian patriotism. It is said that France also wants to organize its own armed SS. !” the adjutant asked uncertainly, “General, our evidence proves that the Waffen SS carried out massacres during the war! How can we convince the people of Gibraltar to believe it?”
"No? We can make it up!" Lord Gott said decisively, "Gibraltarians have enjoyed the treatment of British citizens for hundreds of years. Now when Britain needs them, they must stand with us!"
"But?" The adjutant was still hesitant.
"Nothing more?" Lord Gott's expression was very scary now, "Someone has to make sacrifices in war!" If Lin Wei were here, he would definitely give Lord Gott a round of applause, because what he said is so right. It is better to kill others than to kill one's own. If you want to survive in a war, you must kill the enemy.
"I understand, Lord!" The adjutant saluted solemnly to the commander who was infinitely loyal to the British Empire. Turn around and disappear into the headquarters.
"I hope God can forgive me. I am just doing it for my country!" Lord Gott prayed sincerely.
Early the next morning, the German and French forces that had occupied the Gibraltar Fortress launched another fierce attack. The French soldiers launched an attack from a commanding height. The Prince Eugen Division concentrated more than 200 tanks for the assault, allowing the British defenders who had lost their heavy artillery units on the top of the mountain to attack. It is hard to say that the British defenders, who were almost out of fuel in successive battles, resisted tenaciously for two hours, and finally gave up all their peripheral positions and moved to the small town located in the fortress. This was also the last battle of the British defenders. A line of defense. If the town was lost, the only option other than dying in battle would be surrender.
"Stop the attack!" After the German and French forces achieved the success Lin Wei expected, Lin Wei immediately asked the soldiers to stop the attack. This is the last line of defense for the British, and it is the street fighting that Lin Wei hates the most. Facing such a high-casualty battle again drove Lin Wei crazy. From Madrid to Warsaw, Lin Wei's most hated street fighting was like a curse, which followed Lin Wei closely. If there is any commander in Germany who has experienced more street fighting, it is undoubtedly the leader of the Waffen SS. Lampard & General Krupp.
"Why stop the attack? We can capture this fortress today!" General Weygand was very dissatisfied with Lin Wei's order. Being able to capture the Gibraltar Fortress from the hands of the British defenders was a great success for the French army that had just suffered a defeat. , can undoubtedly improve one's own momentum and wash away the shame. Lin Wei ordered the attack to stop, and General Wei Gang was certainly not satisfied with this.
"Old General, be patient!" Lin Wei casually took out a Cuban cigar from his pocket, but was rejected by the furious General Wei Gang. Lin Wei shrugged and could only light it for himself. After blowing out a big smoke ring, Lin Wei said lazily, "General Wei Gang, I don't believe you can't see that the British defenders outside the town retreated on their own? The British have already been prepared, don't you? Want to start a street fight with them?"
Lin Wei's question made General Wei Gang calm down. After all, General Wei Gang was also a soldier with decades of experience. When he thought about it carefully, he came to the key point. The British retreated calmly and calmly. It was not a rout at all, but more like a premeditation. But it was absolutely impossible for General Wei Gang to apologize. General Wei Gang was also the Chief of General Staff of the French Army, and it was really hard for General Wei Gang to apologize to Lin Wei.
Simply, Lin Wei would not have a quarrel with General Weigang over such a trivial matter. He finally found an ally that was more reliable than Italy. How dare Lin Wei offend General Weigang? You must know that the geographical environment in which Germany is located is like How difficult it is to find allies who stand up to the challenge.
But General Wei Gang's next sentence immediately angered Lin Wei, "I really don't know how Germany achieved such great success under the leadership of a corporal and a group of people who were just squad leaders during World War I!"
Lin Wei immediately jumped up like a cat whose tail was stepped on and said angrily, "General Wei Gang, please pay attention to what you just said. You are insulting the head of state and soldiers of the Third Reich. You must be responsible for your words!" "In General Wei Gang's astonishment, Lin Wei suddenly pulled out the dagger that, as the leader of the SS, was usually more decorative. General Wei Gang had no doubt that as long as he said something wrong. This dagger will stab you.
Lin Wei has reason to be so angry, although Hit? Le eventually died in the hands of Lin Wei, but it is undeniable that Lin Wei was indeed killed by Hit within a few years? Le was impressed, if it wasn't Hit? Le's madness ultimately ruined Germany. Lin Wei would never kill Hit? Le. But if Lin Wei takes action, doesn't it mean that he will acquiesce to others' treatment of Hit? Pointing. SS headquarters, Hit? Hitler's portrait has never been taken down, and the spiritual leader of the SS is still Hitt? Well, the normal etiquette is still to raise your hands.
Lin Wei never thought about not having Hit? What would Germany be like without Adolf & Hitt? Well, then there will almost certainly never be a Third Reich. Because of Adolf Hitt? Le has a devilish character, a granite will, incredible instincts, ruthless coldness, outstanding intelligence, galloping whims, and an amazing ability to judge people and situations. Only in the end, when power and victory went to his head, did he do something beyond his own power. Even Lin Wei didn't want to judge any of the head of state's actions, because no one was qualified to evaluate the head of state.
Hit? Le has no chance to overestimate his abilities now, because he is dead, and dead people are always perfect. Even dead Hit? Ledu makes Lin Wei afraid, because Hit? Everything Le had done before 1941 left Lin Wei with no reason to kill him. Lin Wei was even afraid of returning to Germany and seeing the Prime Minister's Office. Lin Wei wonders how Germany accepts Hit? The news that Le was killed in the bombing, but Lin Wei was very sure of his thoughts, that is, this matter was an untouchable place in Lin Wei's heart, and he could not let others mention Hit in front of him? Well, even just a little bit.
"Lampard!" General Wei Gang seemed to realize that he was rude and wanted to make amends. But Lin Wei said coldly, "Please call me General Krupp!" Lin Wei never minded others calling him by his first name, but this time he asked General Wei Gang to call him by his surname and position. It can be seen how irritating what happened just now was to Lin Wei.
"Okay!" General Wei Gang said, "The British retreat is indeed premeditated, but I still think that the battle must be resolved as early as possible, not only to support the British mainland campaign, but more importantly, After completely solving Britain, we can face the Soviet Union, which has always wanted to swallow Europe!"
The only thing that could calm Lin Wei down was the Soviet Union issue in the east. I don’t know if General Wei Gang knows what Lin Wei is thinking, but this kind of question can really calm Lin Wei down. After conquering the British mainland, even if the United States joins the war, it will not be able to land because it has no foothold in Europe. The Soviet Union was the only country that could let Lin Wei go to the gallows. Lin Wei could not ignore this country.
"Huh..." Lin Wei took two deep breaths and said, "I'm sorry, General Wei Gang, you should understand that the person who killed the head of state has not been found yet. This kind of thing cannot calm me down. Even the SS It was established by the order of the head of state himself, I can’t pretend that nothing happened!”
"I can understand, I was rude just now!" General Wei Gang apologized. The two men then discussed the final stage of the battle, and the consensus reached was that the British no longer had the strength to counterattack, and the German and French forces must now accumulate strength and prepare for the upcoming brutal street fighting. On the issue of street fighting, General Wei Gang obviously did not have as much experience as Lin Wei, so Lin Wei did most of the talking during the discussion. Lin Wei also used the examples of the SS in Madrid and Warsaw to explain to General Wei Gang The brutality of street fighting.
In the end, the two people reached a consensus and allowed the German and French forces, who were fighting continuously, to rest for two days and replenish their weapons and ammunition. before committing to the final decisive battle.
While the Battle of Gibraltar was static, the air battle over Britain became more intense. On July 15, due to days of bad weather, Goering summoned the commanders of all air forces to hold a military meeting at his official residence at Carinhall Manor. Unexpectedly, the weather suddenly turned fine. Colonel Paul Deichmann, Chief of Staff of the 2nd Air Force, the highest-ranking officer remaining at the Air Force Command, decisively ordered the attack with the responsibility of a soldier. Who would have thought that this day would become the largest German attack in the Battle of Britain? !
The 2nd and 3rd Air Forces were almost in full force, and the 5th Air Force also sent aircraft to participate in the battle for the first time. In this way, the German army launched attacks from both north and south directions at the same time. The 5th Air Force in the north thought that the British defense in the northeastern region was relatively empty, and due to range restrictions, it only sent 34 Messerschmitt-110 fighters to cover 63 Heinkel-111s and 50 Junkers- 88, was unexpectedly intercepted by a total of 84 fighter jets from seven squadrons of the 13th British Army. Captain Restman, the commander of the 1st Battalion of the 76th Fighter Regiment, the German fighter air commander, was shot down before he could adjust his flight status.
This elite unit, which is well-known in the German Air Force, suffered heavy losses under British attacks due to the heavy weight and small number of Messerschmitt-110 fighter jets. A total of 7 Messerschmitt-110 and 16 were shot down. Heinkel -111, the battle loss rate exceeded 20%.
"What on earth is Goering doing?" Lin Wei, who had always been concerned about air combat, thought with a frown.