The Rise of the Third Reich

"Prime Minister, the Germans have reached the English Channel, in Abbeville!"

The commander of the British Expeditionary Force and the new commander-in-chief of the coalition forces in Belgium, General Verrick, boarded Churchill's special plane and then told the British Prime Minister a terrible news.

"Oh, God," Churchill said, smoking a cigarette as he prepared to board a plane to Bruges, Belgium, to meet with King Leopold III. "Our troops in Belgium are surrounded?"

"Yes," Admiral Verrick said, "but we still have quite a strong force in Belgium. If you include the Belgian army, there are nearly 700,000 people, and they are all relatively combat-effective troops. As long as the maritime logistics line can Keep it up, we should be able to hold on.”

"But if France and Belgium surrender, can our troops there still hold on?" Churchill said in a gloomy tone, "General, I think you should know what kind of peace conditions the Germans have proposed."

"I heard about it, but General Weygand is a staunch leader, and he will not succumb to Germany..." When General Verrick said this, his brows were already frowning.

Churchill glanced at him and said in a slightly sarcastic tone: "But now it is not a few determined leaders who decide the fate of France, but tens of millions of degenerate French people. Admiral, you have spent a lot of time in Paris." "You should know more about these French people waiting for the end with their knives and forks than I do, right?"

"Yes, Prime Minister, this is indeed a problem." Admiral Verrick sighed. "If the French don't pull themselves together, we may have to defeat the Germans alone."

"Defeat the Germans alone!" Churchill laughed. "That's it. The British Empire can defeat any strong enemy alone." His tone became serious again, "But before we defeat the enemy, we must first defend Great Britain, and this requires The army needs well-trained troops, not recruits who can't even hold a gun."

The United Kingdom has also carried out comprehensive mobilization since September last year, and has formed dozens of divisions so far. But the ones who can really fight are the old troops that formed an army before the war, and the 10th Division of the British Expeditionary Force accounts for most of them.

"Prime Minister, what do you mean..."

"We should do everything possible to preserve the troops, at least to preserve people, experienced officers and non-commissioned officers." Churchill said bluntly.

"I have instructed the Admiralty to formulate a plan to withdraw the expeditionary force," Churchill took a drag of his cigarette. "This is why I recommend you to be the Commander-in-Chief of the Allied Forces in Belgium. Admiral, you understand what I mean, don't you?"

Admiral Verrick nodded and said: "Prime Minister, I want to remind you: this will make the British Empire lose its trust in its friends."

Churchill shrugged, "Breaking trust with a friend is a bad thing, but it is necessary to do it now." He sighed softly, "Actually, we have to do something more terrible than betrayal... But for Empire, we have to do that."

Something scarier? Admiral Verrick immediately thought of the French Navy! Transporting the 200,000 people trapped in Belgium back to the country can only ensure that the British mainland is not conquered by the small number of German airborne troops and landing troops. But if Britain loses control of the English Channel and allows German armored divisions to continuously come to the British Isles, then all 200,000 people in Britain will fall!

Churchill smiled a grim smile that reminded Verrick of Kaiser Wilhelm or Hitler. The British Prime Minister continued: "The British Empire has no permanent friends, only permanent interests. The same goes for the French Empire and the German Empire... Although they are mortal enemies now, once they have common interests, they will embrace each other and become An enemy of the British Empire."

"Prime Minister, I understand." Admiral Verrick said, "I will bring most of the officers and soldiers back."

"Very good!" Churchill nodded with satisfaction, "Admiral, where do you plan to withdraw from?"

Admiral Verric thought for a moment and got the answer, "From Belgium, there are ports at Zeebrugge, Ostend and Nieuwpoort. In addition, from Depane to Knokke-Heist "There are good beaches along the coast (near the Dutch border) from which some troops can be withdrawn."

It is now May 20th, and the situation on the Belgian battlefield is already very bad. Brussels fell on May 17th, Antwerp fell on May 18th, and Ghent (located west of Antwerp and Brussels, east of Bruges) is about to fall. Fall. But after all, Belgium has not surrendered, so the British and French forces have not been compressed around Dunkirk, so there are still many ports that can be used for retreat.

…

"Marshal," on the morning of April 21, General Halder, the Second Munitions Director, saw Hersmann coming in in a hurry and immediately said to him, "Report from the Western Front Headquarters, the 18th Army has approached Ghent, Belgium. People have deployed defenses in Ghent. The 16th Armored Corps set off from Antwerp early this morning and moved west of Ghent. The Western Front Headquarters estimates that it will capture Ghent on the 23rd at the latest and Bruges on the 24th-26th. "

"Very good." Hessmann seemed to be in good spirits. After returning to Zossen from Berlin yesterday, he did not stay up late at the General Staff Headquarters, but went home to be with his pregnant wife. The two had a very enjoyable evening, and Hersman then slept in with Chloe by his side.

He smiled and nodded, "After Bruges is captured, it's almost time for Belgium to surrender, so that the British and French forces will be compressed to the Dunkirk area."

This is what happened historically, but things may be different now.

General Halder said: "Marshal, this morning's air force reconnaissance showed that the British and French coalition forces are marching westward and seem to want to break out. I think... we will have a decisive battle with the British and French coalition forces at Dunkirk and Calais."

"Breakout?" Hessman was stunned.

"Yes," Halder said, "the road from Belgium to Dunkirk is crowded with vehicles and troops, and at least several armored divisions are moving westward. In addition, there are already troops stationed in Dunkirk. A nearby armored group (the French 1st Reserve Armored Division) has also started and is heading towards Calais."

"Perhaps they want to retreat from Calais Port?" Hersman asked hesitantly.

"Probably not," Halder shook his head. "The air force and naval aviation bombed the ports of Calais and Dunkirk very smoothly. They did not encounter the British Spitfire, and there were not many anti-aircraft guns deployed there. "

"The British Spitfire is covering the army's movement?" Hersman asked hurriedly.

"Yes." Halder said, "The Western Front Headquarters believes that the British and French armored forces may have to fight the 19th Armored Corps south of Calais."

Armored battle? Hessman frowned and walked to the map table. He asked: "What was the result of the air raid? Was there sufficient damage to the ports of Calais and Dunkirk?"

"Because there is no interference from Spitfire aircraft, the bombing effect is very good." Halder said, "The Air Force Command will send the photos over in the afternoon."

"Blow it again," Hersman ordered. "Arrange another air strike tonight and be sure to completely cripple the ports of Calais and Dunkirk!"

What he was worried about now was that the British and French forces slipped away from Dunkirk after the failure of the "Battle of Calais".

…

"The Prime Minister, First Sea Lord Admiral Pound and Commander of the Dover Naval Port, Vice Admiral Ramsay, request an audience."

Churchill, who had just returned to No. 10 Downing Street in London from Bruges, Belgium, had no time to take a breath when two naval chiefs responsible for formulating "Operation Dynamo" came to visit. Moreover, the two men also brought a considerable headache to Churchill.

"What? All civilian ships are to be requisitioned?" Churchill looked at the two of them, "Including fishing boats and private yachts?"

"Yes," Vice Admiral Ramsey said, "It is very likely that we will not be able to use the ports to withdraw our troops. The Germans bombed the ports of Calais and Dunkirk this morning, causing very heavy losses, so we must be prepared to evacuate from the beachhead. Preparation for withdrawal. This requires civilian small-tonnage ships to participate in the operation.”

Large ships of several thousand tons or tens of thousands of tons cannot go too close to the beach. They can only use small boats of tens to hundreds of tons to transfer people, or simply use small boats to transport people back to the UK. Of course, to do this would mean abandoning all the heavy equipment, and 200,000 people would return to England empty-handed!

Moreover, British civilians participating in the operation will witness with their own eyes how their expeditionary force fled back to the UK in embarrassment, which will cause a serious blow to national morale.

Churchill was silent for a while, and finally nodded, "Okay, then let's mobilize civilian ships... Anyway, the people will know sooner or later that we have suffered a terrible defeat on the mainland! I believe the British people must be very brave, and they will fight with us Stand together and get through this!”

Vice Admiral Ramsay paid a military salute and left in a hurry, but First Sea Lord Pound did not leave.

Churchill knew why the other party didn't leave. He took out his cigar, lit it, took a puff, and then asked in a low voice: "What did General Cunningham say? How many troops does he need to complete the mission?"

Admiral Cunningham, commander of the Mediterranean Fleet, now also had a very difficult task falling on his shoulders.

"He wants two aircraft carriers, the 'Glorious' and the 'Ark Royal'." Admiral Pound said.

The "Glorious" aircraft carrier is the first ship of the "Glorious" class aircraft carrier. It has not yet been delivered to the Royal Navy and is undergoing sea trials. The "Ark Royal" is equipped with F2A "Buffalo" fighter jets and "Swordfish" attack aircraft, and is the main aircraft carrier of the Home Fleet. If the German break-up fleet breaks into the Norwegian Sea and Denmark Strait when it is transferred, the British Home Fleet will be in big trouble.

Churchill took a deep breath from his cigar and nodded heavily, "Yes! Immediately equip the 'Glorious' with personnel and aircraft...can be drawn from the 'Eagle' and the 'Hundred-Eyed Giant'. The 'Royal Ark' will also be immediately Transfer to the Mediterranean!”