Reborn South Africa as a police officer

Chapter 2317
With the sinking of the "Strasbourg", the most tragic scene in naval history appeared.

Before sinking, Admiral Rapod issued a "sink" order to all warships through the radio.

Five minutes after the "Strasbourg" sank, the cruiser "Colbert" exploded and sank.

Then came the light cruiser "Algeria" and the cruiser "Marseillaise". The fire started by the "Algeria" burned for 20 days.

When the sailors opened the sea valve on the bottom of the cruiser "Diplex", the German army finally arrived at the port.

There is also an episode here. The German army lost its way when it entered the port of Toulon, and it took an hour to arrive at the port, which left plenty of time for the sailors.

The naval sailors who were in charge of guarding the port did not let them go at the first time. They stopped the German troops outside the port on the pretext of checking their documents, and were not forced to let them go until the German tank troops arrived.

German soldiers boarded the cruiser "Diplex", drove the crew off the ship, and closed the sea valve.

Colonel Moreau, the captain of the "Diplex", ignited the explosives on his own initiative, causing the torpedoes on the ship to explode, and the fire burned for a full ten days.

The battleships "Dunkirk" and "Provence" also sank subsequently. This is the second sinking of the "Provence" battleship in just two years.

During the ballista operation two years ago, the "Provence" was sunk by the British for the first time. The French later salvaged the "Provence" and repaired it. This time, the French personally scuttled the "Provence".

When the "Provence" began to sink, the German troops had already arrived.

The captain of the "Provence" and the German officers stalled for time by chatting until the battleship sank completely.

The French navy expressed its indignation towards the world with its tragic self-sinking. Vichy France was unable to protect the French navy. The proud French naval officers and soldiers refused to cooperate with the United Kingdom in any form.

The aircraft carrier in the support fleet sent a carrier-based aircraft to the port of Toulon at the last moment, but it has lost any meaning.

At this time, the port of Toulon below was already shrouded in fire and thick smoke caused by the explosion of the warship, which could be clearly seen dozens of kilometers away.

The Germans did their best to save the fleet, and only three disarmed destroyers and four heavily damaged submarines were captured by the Germans.

Instead, three submarines took advantage of the chaos to escape from Toulon, arrived in North Africa, and then joined the Free France.

When the news spread to North Africa, de Gaulle delivered a speech on the radio, highly praising the indomitable spirit of the French navy and calling on more French to take up arms against the German invaders.

Over the next six months, some 8000 French naval officers arrived in North Africa to join the Free French.

As the supreme leader of the Allied forces, Roosevelt, Roque, and Winston also delivered public speeches on different occasions, giving high praise to the French navy.

De Gaulle took the opportunity to ask Southern Africa and the United States for more aid to the Free French.

Forget about the UK, even if the UK gave the latest battleship "George V" to the Free France, Charles de Gaulle would not want it. No Frenchman is willing to serve on a British warship.

Roque and Roosevelt responded to de Gaulle's request respectively. While returning the two "Richelieu" class battleships to the French in southern Africa, they also provided assistance to the French with four light cruisers and six submarines to help Free France rebuild. French Navy.

Roosevelt was also generous. At the end of last year, the U.S. Congress passed the Lend-Lease Act, which cleared the way for U.S. military aid to Europe.

Lend-Lease was introduced for a reason.

In 1935, the U.S. Congress passed the "Neutrality Act", which stipulates that: between two or more foreign countries, if a war breaks out or is in progress, the President shall declare this fact, and then, whoever uses ordnance, ammunition or It is unlawful for war preparations to be exported from any part of the United States or any of its possessions to that belligerent, or to any neutral port utilized by any belligerent.

The "Neutrality Act" restrictions are limited to ordnance, ammunition, or war supplies.

This leaves a back door for American companies to trade in raw materials instead of arms trade directly, so the United States makes a lot of war money under the banner of raw material trade.

In the third year of the World War, the European economy was greatly damaged, and the "Neutrality Act" was unsustainable. It was not that European countries did not need raw materials, but that they had no money to continue to purchase raw materials.

So under the impetus of American companies, the US Congress passed the "Lend-Lease Act".

The essence of the "Lend-Lease Act" is that you don't have to worry if you have no money, and you don't have to worry about the decline in military industrial capacity. We can rent out military supplies to you, and the rent can be paid in installments——

So now I understand another time and space, why the United States has military bases all over the world after the war.

If you can't afford the rent, you will naturally have to pay it back in other ways.

Providing services to the U.S. military is also one of the ways to repay debts.

In this time and space, because of the existence of southern Africa, the role of the "Lend-Lease Act" is obviously not as great as that of another time and space.

Even European countries are more willing to accept aid from Southern Africa than planes and tanks from the United States.

To be honest, there is a real gap between the American technology in this period and southern Africa. The aircraft produced by the United States are not even as good as the German BF109, and the performance is far less reliable than the southern African fighters.

The same goes for tanks.

The U.S. Army is a well-known "beggar" force, and it has nothing to offer.

Southern Africa is a traditional army power. In the last world war, southern African tanks had already shown their talents in Europe, which left a deep impression on European countries.

Compared with southern Africa, the only advantage of the United States is that the trading methods are more flexible and the prices of weapons and equipment are lower.

In this regard, both Britain and Free France are more inclined to accept aid from southern Africa.

Only the governments-in-exile of some allied countries will reluctantly accept the so-called "aid" from the US government.

Roosevelt attached great importance to de Gaulle's request, not only agreeing to aid a group of warships of the Free France, but also agreeing to assist the Free France with two aircraft carriers and two battleships.

This condition was too tempting for de Gaulle.

The French "Richelieu" originally planned to build four ships, but due to the outbreak of the war, only three ships were started, and the third ship "Clemenceau" is still lying on the berth of the Brest Shipyard.

The Americans promised to help Free France complete the "Richelieu" construction plan. As for the two aircraft carriers, they were escort aircraft carriers produced in large quantities by the United States, and their actual combat capabilities were not strong.

"The situation is like this, the Free France is very difficult now, the vast majority of the military refuses to cooperate with the British, the businessmen hope to gain profits through trade with the Americans, and the American lobbyists are lobbying our government officials, hoping that the Free France can strengthen Cooperation with the United States." Leonard Cape personally came to Pretoria to explain to Rock in person, and it was also a threat.

If Southern Africa does not increase its aid to Free France, then Free France will consider strengthening cooperation with the United States.

Rock is a headache. An old colonial country like France still has survival wisdom.

"Is the aid given to you by the Americans free?" Rock was not optimistic about the cooperation between the United States and France.

"Of course not, Americans are not philanthropists." Leonard Capet was still sober, the more free things are, the more expensive they are.

Although the relationship between Southern Africa and France has always been good, and the Roque and Capet families have a deeper connection, this does not affect Leonard Capet's efforts to fight for the interests of Free France.

Rock and Ada exchanged a tacit look, this is the ass decides the head.

When Leonard Capet was a businessman, he accepted all the demands of southern Africa without any objection.

Now that Leonard Capet is the Prime Minister of Free France, he considers issues more from the perspective of Free France, and it is normal to bargain.

In other words, Southern Africa got more from France.

So it is reasonable to give France more help.

"My dear brother, have the restaurants in Paris finally decided to serve rude Americans?" Ada was not polite at all when she spoke to Renard, and immediately revealed the shortcomings.

Reynard Capet's expression was innocent, and France does not have a tradition of "not eating what you have to eat".

"What are the conditions of the Americans?" Ada has been the Secretary of the Treasury for decades, and she knows the Americans very well.

"Develop the mainland of France and the overseas territories of France to American products—" Reynard Capet was dejected, and the conditions of the Americans were harsh enough.

That's acceptable for Rock.

Isn't it just fair competition? Former foreign trader Roque is too familiar with it. As long as you don't presuppose a position, southern African products can beat the United States in any aspect.

However, what Leonard Capet said next made Rock Rumang remember: "—Americans hope to join hands with us in East Asia to jointly safeguard our interests in East Asia."

Compared with commodity competition, this condition seems to be more dangerous.

Americans should also be aware by now that the expansion of southern African forces in East Asia will seriously threaten the interests of the United States in East Asia.

This proposal is very tempting for the French.

De Gaulle's transfer of French power in French Indochina to southern Africa was definitely not willing. Maybe now de Gaulle has regretted it, but Free France still needs the help of southern Africa, so he dared not overturn the promise.

"Oh, in that case, will the French overseas territories still belong to France?" Ada didn't say it seriously enough.

If Free France cooperates with the United States, maybe the mainland of France will become a dumping ground for American goods.

American goods don't compete well with southern African goods.

Competing with French products is still very advantageous.

"We Chinese have a saying to seek skin from a tiger, and another word to steal from a tiger. If you decide to cooperate with the Americans, it will be the same as seeking skin from a tiger." Rock bluntly said that Angsa people are all virtuous, fearful of power but not Wilder.

Leonard Capet didn't know what "seeking skin with a tiger" meant. After Ada translated it, Leonard Capet couldn't laugh or cry.

Cooperating with the Americans is seeking skin from a tiger.

How could it be better to cooperate with Southern Africa?

"Please tell President de Gaulle that my door is open to him at any time. If he wants to come to my place as a guest, please call me." Rock also had to consider the mood of the French, and if Rock took the position of de Gaulle, Roque might be more fickle than de Gaulle.

It's not right, it should be both ways.

After all, Leonard Capet is the uncle of Ada's children, which determines that even if Free France cooperates with the United States, it will not completely fall to the United States, and the relationship with southern Africa must still be maintained.

Especially for Leonard Capet himself.

Cooperating with the United States is for the freedom of France, and maintaining relations with southern Africa is for the benefit of the Capet family.

Links between French North Africa and Southern Africa were strengthened after Renard Capet became Prime Minister of Free France.

Although Leonard Capet transferred most of his factories to French North Africa before the outbreak of the war, compared with southern Africa, the industrial capacity of French North Africa is still not strong enough.

Various industrial raw materials from French North Africa continued to flow to Southern Africa.

Southern African goods sell well in French North Africa.

Otherwise, the United States would not be jealous of Southern Africa's benefits from French North Africa.

"Francois is in a very unstable mood now. He hopes that the Allied forces can open up a second battlefield on the European continent as soon as possible. Our soldiers are also ready to drive the Germans out of France at any time." Leonard Capet is in an urgent mood. The situation in France is very dangerous now, and it is gradually becoming a second-rate country.

Some time ago, when Roosevelt proposed to establish a new international organization to replace the League of Nations, heated discussions broke out in the media of the allies about whether France was eligible to continue to be a permanent member.

Most of the British media believe that France, which took the initiative to stop resistance, has lost its qualification to become a permanent member of the Security Council, and Southern Africa should replace France as the new permanent member.

Then the situation becomes clear.

Even the British conceded that both southern Africa and the United States should be new permanent members.

These two countries were once overseas colonies of the United Kingdom. Although they are now independent, they still have inextricable ties with the United Kingdom, and they are both their own people.

The French certainly do not recognize this.

Especially after the French Navy sank in the port of Toulon.

Although the French navy was previously neutral, the Free France still regards the French navy as its own.

Now that the French navy has sunk, the British domestic media has started a new round of carnival. As long as the French are unlucky, the British are very happy.

It wasn't just the French who remembered Operation Ballista.

The British are more guilty.

In case the French navy regains its power, the French will definitely take revenge.

Not afraid of suicide, but also afraid of death in battle!
"Dear brother, figure out that the enemy of France is not only the Germans." Ada and Rock's position is exactly the same, and the opening of the second front has to wait until the Germans and Russians die together.

(End of this chapter)