Iron Cross

As if there wasn't enough bad news, at 6 o'clock in the afternoon, the tired and hungry members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff were about to adjourn the meeting temporarily for dinner, when unexpectedly bigger breaking news came pouring in.

"Everyone, I have just received the latest news. The French have submitted an ultimatum to London..." Secretary of State Hull, who had not spoken much during the afternoon meeting, suddenly reported a piece of bad news.

"What?" Everyone in the meeting was shocked. The French were about to board the Axis ship.

"Peitain for what reason?"

“First, it requires the UK to transfer the convicted de Gaulle and others back to France, ban the activities of ‘Free France’, and announce its commitment to no longer support the anti-French movement;

Second, return the gold reserves and important cultural relics that were lost to Britain and its colonies during the European War;

Third, compensate Britain for its treacherous seizure of French colonies and attacks on the French fleet, and punish those responsible..."

He read the seven demands in one breath and finally said: "The Paris authorities ordered London to respond within 24 hours. Rejection of any of them or failure to respond within the time limit will be deemed as rejection of the ultimatum. Relations between the two countries will be finalized in July Paris time." It will be in a state of war from 12 noon on the 28th!”

"Is Pétain crazy? France, a defeated country, still dares to declare war on us? What kind of ecstasy soup did Hitler fill him with?"

"It's not us, it's Britain." Hull said helplessly. "The ambassador in Paris sent an urgent message. This is the unanimous opinion within France. London must either accept it or go to war. However, the French expressed that they do not want to be our enemy and suggested that both China-US relations remain neutral.”

Of course, Hoffmann had to give Pétain a little bit of the ecstasy, but more importantly, he had to give a little bit to Darlan. All French senior officials knew that Pétain's health was deteriorating day by day, while Germany's prestige and power were at its peak. The French ship was soon faced with a new choice.

Hoffmann's attitude is very clear: after Pétain, if Darlan insists on Franco-German reconciliation and EU integration, he will support him to become the head of state of France; if not, he will support Laval to become the head of state of France, and Germany will leave France with a legacy in the EU. Although Italy currently seems to be in second place, France actually surpasses Italy in terms of territory, strength, and economy, so this is a historic opportunity.

In order to win over the French, Hoffman not only allowed France to take advantage of the British colonies in Africa, but also opened up some of the oil fields in the Middle East to French capital. At the same time, he persuaded RB to give France a share of the Indian continent. -Allow France to expand several colonies in India, provided France agrees to sign a declaration transferring all French Indochina to RB.

Although RB now occupies the entire Indochina, its name is not justified. It is best to get France's endorsement. As for the French colony in India, RB also believes that it is unable to monopolize the entire subcontinent and let the French get some. There is nothing wrong with being cheap, but it will speed up the disintegration of British India.

"Hitler unexpectedly gave France many preferential conditions. The occupied French territory was returned, French prisoners were released early, France was allowed to rearm, and even the formation of the most advanced armored divisions and aviation forces was targeted at French industry and big capitalists. A large number of orders were placed, and even the French were given their own ship drawings and aircraft engine drawings. Now many products including standard trucks, Voluntary Wheels, No. 4 tank accessories, train locomotives and other products are produced in France, not to mention that France already has advantages. The artillery industry and shipbuilding industry, French agricultural products are continuously imported into Germany..." Hull said with a wry smile, "Apart from the unattractive name of a defeated country, France is not bad in other aspects, and the people's living standards are basically The unemployment rate remained unchanged due to the war, and the German occupation in France was generally mild without many vicious incidents. "

Admiral Jin added: "At the beginning, the French handed over the entire fleet to Germany. There were many French warships that fought against us and went to the Atlantic to break diplomatic relations. The west coast of France was full of German submarine depots... "

Marshall also added: "I heard that the SS is also recruiting volunteers in France. There are quite a few French people joining, at least 20,000!"

"So, it is inevitable that Britain and France will declare war on each other? We no longer need diplomatic mediation?" Roosevelt frowned and said, "I have always thought that Pétain was too cunning to do so."

“The key is the Gaullists!”

"Okay..." Roosevelt sighed, "Do we need to declare war on France?"

Everyone shook their heads together. France's declaration of war on Britain does not necessarily mean that the two sides will actually fight. This is mostly a political attitude. But if the United States declares war on France, it will only push France further into the arms of Germany. The thought of a world fifth The industrial country is about to be used by Germany, and everyone feels numb.

"The situation is not that simple. The ambassador also disclosed a piece of news in the emergency message - it was told to him by the French." Hull looked very anxious. "Hitler issued a notice to seize colonies in Africa. Belgium, Spain , Portugal, France, the Netherlands and even Greece were notified, allowing them to send troops to rob Rhodesia. If Germany does not participate, whoever robs the others will get it, and it will be protected by the EU in the future!

Everyone gasped. Rhodesia is the only remaining British colony in Africa and is closely connected to South Africa. Germany's move is so vicious that it is tantamount to gathering a continental anti-British alliance - if these countries are incited by Germany to go After plundering Britain, it will be even more difficult to counterattack the European continent in the future.

"Why didn't our diplomats in these countries receive the notice?" Stimson asked curiously.

"This shows that these speculators are tempted." Roosevelt said bitterly, "These are a group of carrion vultures!"

Although the United States is very powerful, it is obviously unwise to confront so many countries at the same time. If the United States threatens with force and Germany lures with benefits, everyone will make a wise choice. Unfortunately, there is nothing to attract these fence-sitters now, and the Allied forces are not strong enough to fight.

Roosevelt was confused, but his face was very calm. He said slowly: "Let these fence-sitters be proud for a few days. As long as we win a few battles and turn the situation around, they will soon come to us crying and shouting."

"We..." Hull stammered, "Should we consider Winston's situation? He may..."

"Send him a telegram and tell him that the United States will always be the strongest supporter of the British Empire. I hope he can get through the difficulties. It's not a big deal to have another France. France can't be fought anyway."