The Third Reich: I Became Emperor

After the order was issued, the two German armies' offensive rhythm became more intense.

In just three days, the area south of the Thames had been completely captured by the German army. At this time, the only distance from the capture of northern London was the Thames.

If the amphibious tanks in the rear had not caught up, it would have crossed the Thames and headed towards the north bank.

Although many British military institutions are located north of the Thames and can still maintain fragile command, many old nobles have begun to think about the way out. Those who have land overseas have begun to transfer assets and prepare to settle overseas. Those who have no connections have to contact the German army privately, hoping to maintain their original treatment.

In response, August quickly responded that as long as the nobles who cooperated with the German army would retain their due treatment and appropriately improve their political status.

As soon as this news came out, many old nobles were moved. Since the Industrial Revolution, the rights of these old nobles have been greatly reduced, and until now the House of Lords has basically become a decoration.

Now hearing that August wants to expand the rights of the old nobles, and even the rights of the king may be restored, it would be a lie to say that they are not moved.

After all, for hundreds of years, the king has become a decoration. If the people did not need the king, it is estimated that these royalists would have been swept into the garbage of history.

People are all profit-driven, and these nobles are no exception. Now that they see the benefits, they naturally want to fight for it.

At this time, in the north of London, Lord Gort, in order to ensure defense security, blew up all the bridges on the Thames in the name of the Prime Minister, and even built river blocking positions.

Without those bridges, it would be very difficult for the German army to attack North London, and the ships were all destroyed. It was far from enough to rely on amphibious tank assaults alone.

At this time, 200,000 American troops had arrived in London, and the entire London garrison was not weak, and was even stronger than the German army.

It was with these 200,000 reinforcements that Lord Gort formulated a defense plan. The hand was very large. With a wave of his hand, he directly dispersed the remaining 50,000 national troops on the north bank of the Thames, and issued an order to stop the enemy from crossing the Thames at all costs.

The remaining defense lines were all taken over by the US military. After all, they had traveled a long distance and needed several days to recover. During this time, the National Army was relied upon to guard the positions.

At the same time, Lord Gott continued to recruit troops from the rear, and all men of military age were incorporated into the National Army. The purpose was to stop the German army. He believed that as long as the defense line was held, the German army would definitely not be able to hold on for a long time and would retreat.

Over the past ten days, the continuous attacks caused Lord Gott to lose many soldiers and generals. Of the 400,000 National Army, only less than 100,000 were left. The rest either died in battle or surrendered.

"We should move the factory to Northern Ireland and build a temporary capital there."In the meeting room, a cabinet member made a suggestion.

He had already predicted that London could not be defended, so it would be better to make plans now, otherwise it would be too late to wait until London was captured.

After all, this is the center of the industrial revolution, and it has accumulated industrial achievements for hundreds of years. If they are all swept away, it will be a loss.

Hearing this, Fatty Qiu nodded secretly, but did not speak. To be honest, he was also somewhat tempted. It was impossible for him to surrender, and he would never surrender even if he died, but he could not watch the British Empire fall. It was time to consider a way out.

Moreover, there were so many colonies overseas, and he still had the strength to fight, and he absolutely could not admit defeat.

"We have already prepared for this. All important factories have been moved to Northern Ireland. The army has also transferred an infantry division, an armored brigade, and 30,000 national troops, which are our last elite forces."Fat Qiu pondered for a while, and finally told the plan.

Hearing this plan, many people were surprised. It turned out that the prime minister had already prepared it?

The most embarrassed person here is Charles de Gaulle. He originally counted on Fat Qiu to lead him to a comeback and return to France. As a result, not only can he not go back, but even Fat Qiu himself can't protect himself.

Looking back now, was my decision correct? Maybe I would have lived a better life with Marshal Pétain. After all, it was all for the strength of France.

"Lord Gort, during this period of time we must use the defense line to delay time, buy more time, buy enough time for the transfer of various organizations, and try to transport as many troops as possible. The defense can be handed over to Admiral Patton."Fatty Qiu thought for a moment, and then gave another order.

Upon hearing this, Lord Gort remained silent, but he also knew that the Prime Minister's decision was correct, so he nodded.

The citizens in the city were all in fear. Before this, they had never thought that the war would be so close to them. Until recently, they still believed that the Prime Minister would drive the evil enemy back to the sea.

But as the situation got worse and worse, the citizens could no longer hold on, and many people took advantage of the night to escape to the other side in small boats.

Some people even began to march, accusing the Prime Minister of inaction and incompetence. They were fed up with such bombing days.

Some people even proposed peace talks. Anyway, the Third Reich had proposed peace talks before, but it was later rejected.

But now August doesn't want to make peace at all, because he no longer believes that the British army will surrender. There is only one way to deal with the British army, a troublemaker, and that is to kill him all at once and never give him a chance to breathe.

So, those citizens who didn't know the truth thought of ending the war by marching.

……

At the headquarters of the German 7th Armored Division, Lieutenant General Manteuffel looked at the map and asked,"Has the pontoon bridge been built?"

"It is being built, but the damage is quite large and the efficiency is not high. It will probably take another five days to complete it."The chief of staff next to him said quickly.

"It's too long. We can't wait that long."Lieutenant General Manteufel shook his head and said

"But the enemy blew up all the bridges, big and small, so we can only cross the Thames by floating bridges."The chief of staff also said helplessly

"What about the amphibious tanks? Can they get through?" Lieutenant General Mantefield asked again.

"Yes, but the number is too small. It will be difficult to seize the beach. The chief of staff shook his head to show that he did not approve of this plan.

"It's troublesome."Manteufel rubbed his head and said

……

In Berlin, at the City Palace, August squinted at the map and asked slowly after a long while:"Marshal Keitel, what do you think of these arrangements?"

"Your arrangements are all correct, I have nothing to comment on."Hearing this, Marshal Keitel stood at attention and saluted.

"Don't be modest, tell me what you think." August said with a smile.

"Yes!"Marshal Keitel said very respectfully:"In my opinion, the situation is clear. We want to attack and the enemy wants to defend. What both sides are fighting for is time."

"Continue!" August nodded, and then motioned him to continue.

Hearing this, Field Marshal Keitel picked up the pointer, drew a big circle on the map, and explained:"According to intelligence, the British army obviously knows the news of our battle with the Soviet army, and also knows that we have temporarily repelled the Soviet attack. Therefore, they must have guessed that we will attack London with all our strength next and completely take over the British Isles."

"Although London currently has 200,000 reinforcements, they are not sure whether they can hold on, so I think they are more likely to give up London. After all, it is unwise to spend all their strength in London. It is better to save strength and move the defense line to Northern Ireland."

"Once they reach Northern Ireland, they will have the Irish Sea to rely on, and the Isle of Man to serve as a fortress, completely separating us."

Marshal Keitel's words made sense, and August nodded and praised him immediately:"Your ideas are very clear, continue."

"I guess the only thing Lord Gort has to do now is to hold us back and delay as much time as possible."

"On the other hand, they will certainly send troops to build a solid defense line around the island of Northern Ireland, so that they will have more room for maneuver. Even if they lose the island of Great Britain, they can use the islands and reefs at sea to block us step by step and delay our capture of the island of Northern Ireland as much as possible."

"Even if London is taken, the Western Front offensive will not be over if Northern Ireland is not taken. The Allies will have the opportunity to counterattack at any time. In that case, the garrison on the Western Front cannot be withdrawn."

"If we want to support the Eastern Front in time and break the deadlock on the Western Front, we must draw troops from the Western Front. As for the rest of the newly formed reserve forces, they have low combat effectiveness and weak will. Sending them to the battlefield will only cause trouble. Our hopes now lie on the millions of elite troops on the Western Front."

"In addition, the Soviet army's active attack on the Eastern Front has increased our pressure. Although we have been repelled temporarily, I believe it will not be long before they will attack again."

"Although we have the initiative on the battlefield, we are still in a passive position strategically. Zhukov and his men can launch a general attack on us at any time, but we can only passively defend, which is very disadvantageous to us."