Glorious Mission 1937

The performance of the Germans was indeed amazing. Not only were the European and Asian countries inexplicably horrified, but even Chen Feng, a traveler, was very surprised by the Germans in this matter. It was too sharp. Let Britain and France withdraw more than 30 troops.But the Germans soon realized their mistakes, so under the command of Hitler, the German army swept across France, and then Chen Bing was on the east coast of the English Channel, ready to launch a full-scale attack on the isolated overseas Britain at any time.

The German tanks charged again, this time targeting the British Empire that had dominated the world for more than 200 years, but this time the main force was not Guderian's armored group, but Göring's German Air Force.

In fact, Hitler was planning to use the German navy as the main force of this battle at the beginning, and planned to cross the English Channel with the support of aviation, but the Germans also knew that although the British army was rubbish, the British navy was the best in the world Even the great German navy is no match for the British navy.

In addition, Germany was restricted from the development of its navy after World War I, and even civilian ships were also restricted. As far as the entire German water surface power is concerned, it is far from being an opponent of the powerful British navy, so it strengthens the English Channel and lands on the British mainland There were insurmountable difficulties in the operation, such as ship preparation, logistics supply and weather, and finally Hitler decided to force Britain to surrender simply by air attack.

Hitler was well aware of the weaknesses of the British. As an island country, the UK had many common problems of island countries, such as lack of resources and small land area.Once the mighty British Empire has changed from being a blocker to being a blockade, the situation is in jeopardy.Hitler believed that as long as he insisted on uninterrupted bombing of all British military installations, Britain would soon succumb.

On April 1940, 4, under the order of Hitler, the Luftwaffe launched a brutal bombing of the British mainland.In order to carry out air offensive operations, the Luftwaffe concentrated 15 air force armies, with 3 combat aircraft and 2669 divisions, 13 transport ships, 168 barges, 1910 tugboats, and 419 motorboats.

Given that Germany's combat aircraft are far superior to Britain's in both quantity and quality.and.Since the start of the war, the successive bombings of the Luftwaffe have been almost invincible.Therefore, countries around the world are not optimistic about the British side, thinking that the British Ministry may persist for more than a month.

The demise of Germany and the bombing of Britain by France shocked the world, and at the same time created opportunities for several small countries in Asia, including Thailand, which Japan regarded as a potential ally.

Everyone should be familiar with Thailand.The country of Buddha and the country of monsters is the most intuitive impression Thailand gives to people.Thailand has actually developed very well since entering the [-]th century.When other Asian countries became colonies of Western powers one after another.There are only two countries in Asia that can stand tall, and one of them is Thailand.

But the Thais are not without a bit of loss, in Chulalongkorn the Great.That is to say, during the reign of King Rama V, Thailand was coerced by France and ceded a large number of territories such as Laos and northern Cambodia to French Indochina. Thailand was very unconvinced from the king to the common people. Take back the lost land.

The fanatical rise of nationalism after the Thai constitutional revolution in 1932 led to Thailand beginning to accept the direct rule of the army after 1938, and its soldiers appeared on the political stage one after another. support, and emerged as prime minister in 1933.

This person was deeply influenced by Deyi's fascism and national socialism when he was studying in France, so his attitude was inclined to Japanese militarism. At that time, the Thai army and society had a trend of thought that resisted Britain and France, called the Lost Land Restoration Movement. The purpose of power is to regain the land ceded to the colonial power in the nineteenth century, and phibun mainly relies on the support of this power to maintain the legitimacy of the regime.

The failure of France in Europe made Thailand ecstatic. A large number of Thai troops began to gather secretly, preparing to attack the French troops stationed in French Indochina when necessary, all of which were watched by the Japanese. in the eyes.

Japan, which deeply feels the lack of allies, has long regarded Thailand as a potential ally. On the one hand, it is due to the geographical distance between Thailand and Japan. It is neither too close to cause conflicts, nor too far away to cause alienation.On the other hand, it was because Japan's victory in the Russo-Japanese War inspired Thailand, which was oppressed by the whites, to have a good impression of Japan because they were also Asians.

Thailand believes that Thailand and Japan have the same stand against the white people in Europe and the United States, so they have a different view on Japan's actions than those in Europe and the United States, and have greater tolerance in comparison.For example, when the League of Nations condemned Japan for the Manchukuo Incident, the only country that abstained was Thailand, which really surprised countries all over the world.

Similarly, Japan also has a deep affection for Thailand. It has been almost three years since the outbreak of the Sino-Japanese War, and the lack of supplies has always been a major problem for Japan.After the United States cut off the supply of Japanese military materials due to various considerations, Thailand's cabinet headed by binpun supplied a large amount of rubber and cotton produced in Thailand to Japan, and the relationship between the two countries quickly became close, and binpun also had a great relationship with Chiang Kai-shek. He issued a call that the same Asians should cooperate with Japan to fight against white oppression, and at the same time arouse anti-British sentiments among Indians and Burmese in Thailand.

In addition, the Japanese Army Staff Headquarters believes that Thailand's geographical location is very important. If this strategic location is occupied, not only can the airfields and ports in southern Thailand be used to attack China's Yunnan, Guizhou, and Guangxi, but at the same time, Thailand's resources will be used to fight and fight in the southern part of the Great Japanese Empire. The whole battle is a vital supply.

Another most important point is that if the Imperial Japanese Army goes south to fight, the first focus is to attack Myanmar and cut off China's important foreign aid transportation line - the Burma Road, which can also provide buffer protection for the southern oil fields and Singapore. .However, the Japanese have never regarded Thailand as an equal and cooperative partner. Although the Japanese are shouting the slogan of the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere and Greater Asia Minor, they secretly made a plan to occupy Thailand long before the outbreak of the Pacific War. military plan, but the Thais don't know it.

The sudden turn for the worse in the war situation in Europe brought great changes in the political status of French Indochina, Dutch East Indies and other places in the south.This is also related to the handling of the war between China and Japan, so the Japanese ruling and opposition parties naturally focused their attention on the south.

The performance of Germany in Europe is seen by the Japanese. Japanese Prime Minister Konoe Fumma wrote in a memorial to the Japanese Emperor: "...after the pacification of Poland, there was a frightening silence for several months. Germany in Showa 15 took over Denmark and Norway like lightning, and then turned around and launched a powerful offensive westward. The German offensive quickly broke through France due to the resolute assault of the mechanized corps with the close support of the air force. The main line of defense - the northern flank of the Maginot Line."

"The so-called Hitler's blitzkrieg swept through the Netherlands, Belgium and France like a raging wave, forcing the British to retreat from Dunkirk... In this way, the British Empire, which dominates the seven seas, seems to be trapped in front of the emerging Germany The crisis is at stake...The Cabinet of Chamberlain of the United Kingdom resigned, and the sensational hero Churchill came to power. Despite the defeat at Dunkirk, Churchill was determined to continue fighting with the survival of the British Navy..."

"In the face of absolute strength, the British will not last for too long, so the empire must take into account the chain reaction caused by the defeat of Britain and France. Especially in terms of the army and government, considering that with the retreat of Britain and France, the German forces It is bound to expand rapidly to the south; the issue of ownership of the Dutch East Indies arising from the defeat of the Netherlands; and the issue of French Indochina, Germany is bound to put pressure on the Vichy government, etc., and believes that countermeasures must be taken.”

As the only independent country in Asia that has not suffered aggression, Thailand was officially listed as a strategic ally by Japan, and it sent troops to actively contact Thailand in an attempt to promote comprehensive cooperation between the two sides.

Thailand's request is very simple, that is, Japan supports Thailand in regaining the territory occupied by France, but the Japanese cannot make a clear answer to Thailand before deciding how to deal with going south or going north.

In order to test the attitudes of Britain, France, the United States and other countries, but also to test the attitude of Germany. On April 4, Japanese Foreign Minister Arita issued a statement to the effect that: "Once the scourge of war spreads to the Dutch East Indies, it will be inappropriate for the stability of East Asia, which implies Japan's concern for the Dutch East Indies."

In this regard, the Dutch government in exile in the United Kingdom quickly issued a statement on the afternoon of April 4, stating that it would not accept the protection of other countries regarding the issue of the Dutch East Indies. The United States and Britain also emphasized maintaining the status quo of the Dutch East Indies.Otto, the German ambassador to Japan, then notified the Japanese government that Germany had no intention of interfering in the Dutch East Indies.

Germany's attitude is very important. Since Germany has no intention of intervening in the situation in East Asia or even Asia as a whole, this is undoubtedly good news for Japan. In this case, Japan quickly replied clearly that it is willing to support Thailand in recovering its lost territories, even at the expense of France goes to war.

With the support of Japan, Thailand became more courageous. Although Thailand officially stated that the Thai government would strictly observe neutrality before Germany attacked France, on April 4, the Thai government formally requested the French governor in Indochina to adjust the border. , Requesting back the two provinces of Siemreap and Batanban ceded to France and India. After diplomatic negotiations failed, Thailand went to war against France and launched an attack on the border between France and India. (To be continued..)