Bismarck

It's simply fate, it's wonderful!

but……

No matter how the deal is decided, the prerequisite is that there must be enough ability to intervene in the situation on the European continent!

When they thought of this question, the two people who were in perfect sync with each other changed their smiles into wry smiles.

This time, the bombing by the Eighth Air Force turned the bustling airport into an empty square!

Even the Statue of Liberty, who works diligently on the New York dock for 25 hours a day and does not ask Wall Street for wages, cannot truly protect her plane from being shot down by anti-aircraft missiles just by relying on spiritual support and God's blessing!

Moreover, if you think about it this way, the risks in the Atlantic Ocean are not small at all!

Now the main forces of the British and American navies are in the Mediterranean and the Southwest Pacific respectively, and the troops in the North Atlantic are not sufficient. And Germany's anti-aircraft missiles and jet fighters are so terrifying! If the German fleet attacks again at this time, not only will the North Atlantic shipping be interrupted, but the counterattack on the European continent will also become a distant prospect!

Even though the Italian navy had basically surrendered, as long as the Battle of Sicily was over, the main force of the British navy could be withdrawn from the Mediterranean - they could even ask the Italians to hand over their warships and let the British take part in the war. But even so, facing two German aircraft carriers, four missile battleships and a missile cruiser, including four ship girls, Churchill really had no confidence.

"Mr. President, your aircraft carriers are now gnawin at islands in the Pacific... Can you bring back a few? Preferably they're shipgirls." Churchill looked embarrassed but polite as he asked Roosevelt to ask for American naval shipgirls to reinforce the North Atlantic.

However, after thinking about this request for a while, Roosevelt directly rejected it.

“Σ( °﹃ °|||？)Huh? Why?” Churchill was surprised—were the benefits he promised not enough?

"No, it's because of the situation in the Far East. The situation there is so bad that we can't delay it any longer!"

Looking at Churchill, who looked puzzled, Roosevelt considered his words and slowly said, "By the end of this year, we do expect to have more than eight regular routes, but the aircraft carriers of the Foot Basin Chicken in the Pacific are 18... But more importantly, you also know what kind of person the bald guy who has been cooperating with us on the Far East continent is. This guy has been fighting with the Foot Basin until now, and he has not even launched a decent counterattack. And there is rampant corruption, corruption and incompetence inside, and he does not want to make progress. You know, the observers I sent over told me that the warlords in the bald regime are separatist, there are many factions, and they are not even a big deal. Now even the few arsenals he has can't open and are going to close down. When the war is not even gaining the upper hand, the arsenals are closed down. Is it stupid?"

"Idiot... I'm afraid this is comparable to the Labour Party here." Churchill smiled awkwardly upon hearing this, "But what you mean by this is that the 'gang' opposite the bald man might take advantage of the situation to gain power?"

After all, he was the prime minister of a big country, so he had heard some things before. Not to mention that "that group" was not only an ally of the Soviet Union, but also had many dealings with the red-headed Asan in his own police station when he was in the Shanghai concession.

"Yes, now those rabbits have grown to the point where they are almost unstoppable. It's all because of that bald son of a bitch. He laid the mainland transportation line with his feet. The bald man couldn't fight back, so the rabbits followed and extended their guerrilla forces directly from North China to South China!" Even though he was always a smiling gentleman, Roosevelt couldn't help but swear: "You know, they are allies of the Soviet Union. If they set independently in the Far East, the Russians will have a large rear base with a population of 40 million - and you know, China is a sleeping lion." Once they wake up and ally with the Russians, with their potential, it is possible for the Communist Party to subvert the entire Eurasian continent!"

"So you have to find a way to get rid of Japan as soon as possible, so that you can take advantage of the fact that the Russians are too busy to look east to deal with the rabbits in the Far East, and then make plans..." Churchill, whose desires were not satisfied, twitched his lips: "Although the overall situation is indeed like this, I understand it very well, but if this is the case, it will be a big problem if the North Atlantic and Europe cannot be resolved, right? Compared with places like the Far East, I always feel that Europe is more important..."

"The main thing is that we can't do anything right now. You saw the result of our Army Air Force's air raid on the French coastal ports yesterday. Although I am the president, I can't force the young men to die, not to mention that many of the pilots are from "good families." Roosevelt smiled bitterly and spread his hands, shrugged his shoulders, "I always think that we should just watch the show for now, and when Russia and Germany are both defeated, we can think of some way to get some benefits and release the Poles at the same time."

"That's easy. As far as I know, some people in the German high-ranking officials have tolerated Hitler for a long time. Besides, the main force of the German Army is trapped in Russia and has gone crazy. The only concern is the Evil Fleet. However, according to our shipbuilding speed, as long as we reach the first half of next year, sea control will not be a problem!" Churchill snorted with some disdain, partly because he was dissatisfied with Roosevelt's continued control of the Pacific Ocean, and partly because he was disdainful of the basic stagnation of the German Navy. "So the problem is actually very simple. As long as we can gain a foothold in continental Europe, nothing else will be a problem!"

"So, what you mean is that you admit that the importance of Operation Overlord is more important than the Mediterranean?" Roosevelt chuckled and joked, like an old fox who had stolen the tail of his buddy.

"Well... well, then I'll be the Overlord. Anyway, as long as I can control the situation in Western Europe before the Russians, it'll be fine!" Churchill squinted his eyes and curled his lips, but after thinking about the Soviet-German battlefield, he finally spoke and obeyed his own wish.

As he was talking, Roosevelt suddenly thought of something. He looked at Churchill and said, "By the way, that Russian No. 45 steel plate said that they want to invite us to a place to talk. Do you think we should talk to them and find out the details?"

"Let's talk, and find out what this guy is like. These red countries are very sensitive about 'economic trade' with us. We can't control the market or undermine their foundation if we insist on doing business and settling accounts." Churchill thought for a while and said, "The Russians are not without weaknesses. The war destroyed the economy of their western region, and their industry is not very developed. Maybe we can relax the standards a little and give them a taste of sweetness, in exchange for market access and economic penetration - as long as he dares to eat charity, you and I will definitely make him vomit and have diarrhea!"

"That's fine, but what if he makes excessive demands and doesn't want to 'honour international commitments'?"

Roosevelt looked up at Churchill. Although he spoke in a questioning tone, the meaning in his eyes was very clear.

After all, the conflict between us and the Soviet Union is not just a national conflict, but more importantly, a question of the positions of both sides!

"If you don't even let me in, then it's not our fault!" He was handsome in his youth, but now that time has erased his handsomeness, he is now a tough guy, smoking a cigar and making harsh remarks. Even his expression is a bit vicious.

Roosevelt also nodded, and his smiling face seemed to become a little gloomy under the light of the conference room.

The two who were so passionate about the deal seemed to have selectively forgotten the Navigation Regulations and the Monroe Doctrine...

PS1: The Quebec Conference was a British-American conference before the Tehran Conference in history. The conference codename was "Quadrant". It was held from August 1943 to 8, 14. Historically, Roosevelt and Churchill led their respective chiefs of staff and representatives of other Allied countries such as Canada to participate. Song Ziwen, the foreign minister of the Republic of China, also attended the conference as an observer. Historically, this conference was held against the background of Mussolini's resignation (July 24) and the victory of the Battle of Sicily (July-August 1943.7). The main topic was to discuss the issue of action against Germany in 1943.7. At the meeting, Britain and the United States had a dispute over whether the Mediterranean theater of war should take priority or "Operation Overlord", but in the end it was still determined that "Operation Overlord" should be given more priority. At the same time, Britain also reached a consensus on the US strategic plan in the Pacific.

Of course, the situation is completely different now...

PS2: The Polish territory occupied by the Soviet Union in September 1939 roughly covered the traditional border line, the Curzon Line, as well as most of Eastern Galicia and Lithuania. However, the British and American governments have always believed that any change to the Polish territory before 9 is unacceptable, while the Soviet government insists that the territory before Germany invaded the Soviet Union in June 1939 cannot be changed. At the round table meeting on December 1941, Roosevelt flatly refused. Churchill considered that the Soviet army had crossed the border and advanced westward on the battlefield, and Poland might fall completely into the hands of the Soviets. So he took the initiative to cater to the Soviet Union's requirements and proposed to move the Polish border westward to between the "Curzon Line" in the east and the Oder River in the west, using German territory to compensate for Poland's lost territory in the east. The purpose of Churchill's proposal was to try to meet the Soviet Union's requirements on the border in exchange for the other party's recognition of Britain's interests in the Balkan Peninsula (mainly Yugoslavia, which actually leaned towards Britain and the United States). Stalin certainly agreed with Churchill's suggestion, and Roosevelt did not express any objection to Churchill's opinion, but only asked that it should not be leaked before the US election because this decision was related to the votes of 6 million Polish Americans.

PS3: Does anyone still remember that the rise of Hitler and Nazi Germany was precisely under the mentality of "raising insects to oppose the Soviet Union" by Britain, France and the United States. Not only did they not die, but they were also fattened up little by little?

Chapter 869

In Lisbon at night, a man holding a silenced pistol and wearing a summer shirt soaked with sweat is running wildly in a quiet alley. The footsteps and barking of dogs following him also indicate that the night in this neutral country will no longer be peaceful...

Even beneath these sounds, there seemed to be slight "Puff! Puff!" sounds of pistol gunfire!

"Damn (Portuguese dictator) Salazar, damn MI6! How dare they ignore the neutrality laws and collude with them!"

Hearing the noise coming closer and closer from behind, the man running ahead gasped heavily, obviously exhausted. But his face was full of reluctance, and he even cursed in his heart.

"These Portuguese bastards actually reached an agreement with Britain and the United States in private, agreeing to Britain and the United States using the airport in the Azores! Do these bastards know that as a neutral country, they agreed to allow the belligerent country to use their own air bases for combat operations, which is simply a blatant violation of the neutrality treaty!!"

But it’s no wonder. After all, no matter who you are, when you find out that your country has been betrayed behind your back, you will probably feel the same way.

Not to mention, it seemed that the Portuguese police were also cooperating with the Allied spies. Otherwise, an intelligence officer with a legal identity and a diplomatic immunity passport would not have been so embarrassed by the MI6 killers without breaking up! Even the radio station that he owned as a journalist was suddenly confiscated by the police!

The most important thing now is that I must send the information I have just obtained back to my country as quickly as possible!

if not……

“Hu…Hu…Damn it, I have to find a way to get rid of them!”

The hunted German agent was breathing heavily and trying hard to squeeze out his own strength, while also thinking about how to escape.

Looking at the current situation, it is conceivable that there will be people lying in ambush around the German Embassy in Portugal, waiting for him to fall into the trap! Although he has a safe house with backup communication means, the most important thing now is how to get rid of the group of people chasing him!

But is this easier said than done?

Especially, the other side actually brought a dog!

When the agent thought of this, he couldn't help but feel a little desperate - the reason why he tried so hard to escape was because of the dog!

A dog's IQ is at least equivalent to that of a six-year-old child. Its tracking ability, speed, and attack power are unquestionable. Once you are bitten by a dog, it is very difficult to escape!

And even though he has a gun in his hand, it may not be of any use to a trained military dog!

After training, military dogs know certain tactical movements to avoid bullets. In addition, they are small in size, low in height, and fast in speed. Most importantly, the dog's nerve reaction speed is much faster than that of humans. Even if the dog is not as fast as a bullet, as long as it can be faster than a human in aiming and pulling the trigger, it will be enough!

Even though this was a narrow back street and he was familiar with the terrain, he still needed a submachine gun to deal with the dog. And the silenced pistol in his hand was not enough for the dog to dodge after a few zigzag runs!

"This won't work. Sooner or later, they will catch up with me... There's no other way. I can only try this..."

The German agent, who was almost unable to run, took a few deep breaths. When he swung his weak arms down, he accidentally touched a bulging object in his pocket - a special explosive tube that the agent carried with him just in case.

Then an idea suddenly came to my mind.

"If I remember correctly, I should still have a roll of fishing line on me, right?"

At the corner of another alley, the agent's eyes lit up when he saw an iron frame on the side of the road. He stuck the explosive tube on the frame 20 centimeters above the ground, and did not forget to turn the dial on the detonator to the bottom. At the same time, he took out a roll of fishing line and hung it on the pull ring. Then, he ran in the direction of the fish line, diagonally pulled it to the water pipe across the alley, and tied a non-slip knot. Then, with the sound of dog barking and footsteps getting closer and closer behind him, he dragged his panting and sweating body, holding the pistol, and staggered into the depths of the alley.

After no more than ten or twenty seconds, in the originally quiet night, after a sudden loud bang, bursts of human groans and dog whimpers were heard.

Hearing the noise behind him and confirming that there were no more pursuers, the German agent, who had already run about a hundred meters in the alley, grinned slightly and breathed a sigh of relief.

Then, he disappeared into the chaotic night, carrying the urgent information he had just discovered.

-------

"What? Portugal officially agreed to the Americans using the airport in the Azores?!"

The German Persian cat, who originally thought he was a cute cat, was suddenly dragged up from the sofa cushion by his own captain.

"Yes, this is the intelligence we just received. If they deploy an airport there, long-range anti-submarine patrol aircraft can directly reach the exit of Biscay Bay! I think everyone should know what this means. The higher-ups have said that we should submit an opinion on this matter within two days at the latest, and we'd better be prepared to attack!"

In the meeting room of the battleship Bismarck, Lütjens also looked depressed. And below him, the captains of the three battleships, Bonte, Top, Voss, and Zeppelin, as well as Hindenburg, Ludendorff, and Gneisenau, all looked confused.

Especially it involves Portugal, a neutral country that is an important source of tungsten ore for Germany!

Tungsten is an important strategic material. From armor-piercing bullets in tanks, to engines in jet aircraft, to small electronic tubes in computers and magnetrons in radars, to high-speed steel (tungsten-chromium alloy, used as turning tools for machine tools) that must be used in factory production, and even the light bulbs in Hitler's office... Which one can be without tungsten?

Portugal, on the other hand, has been on good terms with Britain for three hundred years since it gained independence from Spain three hundred years ago, in order to prevent itself from being annexed by Spain again. At the same time, its domestic economy has long relied on the shipping lines of its colonies. Not to mention the people, even the country's dictator, Dr. Salazar, who is tough and has his way, is a serious fan of Britain and the United States, and has always acquiesced to Britain and the United States using the airports and ports of the Azores as a transit point for air and shipping between the Americas and the Mediterranean!

However, Portugal had important tungsten resources and was not considered a violation of international neutrality as a transit point. After all, Portugal also served as a transit point for Germany's wartime import trade. Therefore, even Hitler himself, for the sake of anti-Soviet and anti-G armor-piercing shells on the Eastern Front, turned a blind eye to this.

However, now Portugal is directly "secretly" lending the airport to the Allies to serve as a military base for anti-submarine patrol aircraft in the Atlantic. This is no small matter!

The Azores are 1400 kilometers west of mainland Portugal, and are located on the route of the United States-Bermuda Islands-Gibraltar. If anti-submarine patrol aircraft are launched from its airport, they can directly cover the doorstep of the Bay of Biscay, and form a triangular shuttle cruise between the Gibraltar Fortress and the British mainland. Even for the German submarine activity area in the central Atlantic, it can cooperate with the airports in the British mainland, the United States, Canada and Iceland to "fill" the last shortcoming!

In other words, if the British and Americans really wanted to open an airport here, the entire North Atlantic would be under Allied surveillance! Not to mention that the German fleet would be monitored by enemy reconnaissance aircraft as soon as it went out to sea, even German submarines would not be able to go out!

The surveillance network can cover the North Atlantic. Even nuclear submarines have a chance of being discovered by magnetic anomaly detectors and underwater sonar arrays, not to mention conventional submarines that need to be recharged frequently - the Type XXI submarine only has an increased battery capacity, not unlimited underwater cruising!

From the perspective of the navy, this trouble must be solved!

However, even so, we have to take into account the course of history!

Economy determines politics, and politics determines military! For Germany, Portugal's economic status is crucial. In addition, the country itself is close to Britain and the United States. Even a fool knows that if one thing is not done well, Portugal will directly join the Allied forces. That would be a real Pepsi-Cola!

So shouldn't this kind of thing be discussed and discussed after a comprehensive review of politics, economy, military and diplomacy, and after the country's ability to spare is considered, and then the relevant countermeasures should be determined by Hitler himself? Why is it that we, who have been commanding wars for many years and know nothing about politics, economy and diplomacy, are now being asked to "give advice"?

I'm afraid that the higher-ups themselves are unable to do anything about Portugal now, so they are just seeking opinions in the name of trying to save the situation?

When they thought of this, the corners of a group of people's mouths twitched collectively.

After all, it is easy to prepare for a battle, but how to break the impasse is not something you can decide!

"But if we just leave the Azores to Britain and the United States, we will be completely passive in the Atlantic..."

Bangtai leaned against the table, covering his forehead with one hand, and the tone of his voice was like a jar of sauerkraut that had been fermenting for several months - full of depression.

"Right now, Portugal is only secretly providing a base and has not yet officially formed an alliance with Britain and the United States. Even if we really want to attack Portugal, we have to wait until they openly join the other side. If we take action now, not only will we have no reason to do so, but if they really form an alliance with Britain and the United States, who will be blamed?"

Top, who had been blamed for the incident in the Kumets Arctic Fleet, gritted his teeth, feeling frustrated that he had the ability but nowhere to use it.

"Then... is this okay?" She rolled her eyes and thought of the common tactics of a certain world policeman in the "future", the Persian cat, and raised her paw: "Don't we have missiles? So... hang light bombs on the glider and let the Zeppelin guide it to make a 'surgical precision strike'. On the premise of ensuring that the runway facilities of the Portuguese airport are not damaged, directly shoot down the British and American planes on the tarmac, and then use diplomatic means to make Portugal promise not to allow British and American troops to station there. Is that okay?"

After all, before crossing over, I had heard too much about the hegemony of a certain country. The Chinese tabby cat had a lot of horse fleas in its little head. And this can be regarded as giving someone a taste of their own medicine. Think about it, it can be regarded as letting the Americans suffer for their own actions?

The blonde secretary cat with a smile on her face was also very excited in her heart, even her ears and the tip of her tail were slightly raised.

Then, in less than two seconds, her captain's words brought her down again.

"That's not enough." Lütjens glanced at the cat beside him and said something that dispelled her idea.

"Eh? Why?" The Persian cat was unhappy. This is the American routine of the 21st century!

"The approach you mentioned can only be effective when the weaker party is completely unable to fight back," Lütjens shook his head, ignored the resentment of the ship cat beside him, lit a cigarette, and then calmly analyzed: "It is said that Salazar has a very tough personality, and in addition to us, Portugal also has the option of joining the British and American Allied Forces. So if we use hard against hard, it may backfire!"

"Um, okay..." Thinking about the fact that the world police in the future would always do whatever they want without any restraint, the Persian cat, whose mind was shattered, drooped under the table in a very sincere manner.

Although a cat with a bit of temper would still be unhappy if his idea was denied by his own captain!

However, Lütjens, who was well versed in petting cats, immediately said, "But the tactics you mentioned, Bismarck, do have the idea of ​​military serving politics. I think everyone can expand on this idea and think about what can deter Portugal from a political perspective without damaging the relationship between our country and Portugal."

One stone stirs up a thousand waves: "Control of the North Atlantic Seas!"

After hearing what Lütjens said, the captains and the ship girls below blurted out the same word in unison on the spot.

Isn't it! For a country like Portugal, whose economy mainly relies on colonial shipping and whose national strength is not strong, being a fence-sitter is an inevitable choice - even Portugal is now leaning towards Britain and the United States because Germany cannot intervene!

If there was really a way to interfere, I'm afraid the head of state wouldn't have the nerve to ask for "opinion" from me.

But what if one of the "conflicting parties" suddenly lost the ability to intervene? Wouldn't that satisfy Bismarck's secretary's previous statement of "rational, beneficial and restrained military-diplomatic means under absolute pressure"? Attacking Britain and the United States to threaten Portugal, I wonder if this is "beating the dog to scare the wolf" or killing the chicken to scare the monkey?

So strength is the backing of diplomacy! It turns out that weakness is the original sin~

only……

"The commander wants to find a place in the North Atlantic to fight a war that can affect the control of the sea?" At this time, the honest Voss spoke up. However, as soon as he opened his mouth, a cold "realism" poured down on everyone's head: "But, is there such a place in the North Atlantic now?"

Voss's words put out the fire in everyone's heart. Even Lütjens' head turned cold, and he twisted his chin and looked at the sea chart, and began to think about life.

"According to the existing intelligence, Cunningham is leading the British and American joint fleet in the Mediterranean to support North Africa. At the same time, the British and American routes are divided into two, from the United States to the British mainland and from the United States to the Mediterranean. But as long as we go out to sea, they will definitely shrink. Moreover, fuel and ships are limited now. The fleet cannot block their shipping for a long time. So, I can't..." Lütjens laughed at himself and was amused by his own imagination: "I can't attack their fortresses again, can I?"

"Fortress?" As soon as Lütjens said this, the people below reacted immediately. The Bontetop Persian cat was fine, but everyone, including the newcomer Voss, looked upset: "Commander, you said... attack their fortress...?"

"Really? Come to think of it, I think Gibraltar is a good place. It would be best if we could lure Cunningham out as well..."

Amidst the various expressions of the crowd below, Lütjens twisted his chin and smiled with an expression that looked like he was about to cause trouble.

Chapter 870

The tall rock of Gibraltar blocked the morning light of the fortress city. Coupled with the cold sea breeze of the Atlantic Canary Current, even at the end of August when the ocean temperature is the highest, it is still quite cool on the 29th day of the summer season.

After all, being able to avoid the scorching sun under the shelter of the mountains is indeed a rare enjoyment in this season.

A cup of mellow black tea with a light floral scent, freshly picked fruits just taken down from a military transport plane, and roast beef with Yorkshire pudding that took a whole night to make. Four different breakfast eggs were fried into a tender and delicious sunny side up. Victorian-style English mountain-shaped toast bread was fried in light butter until golden on one side, and then smeared with tomato, cheese, avocado, and sprinkled with salt and black pepper. Even the sauce and ketchup seemed to have a hint of mint candy.

The most authentic British aristocratic black tea with breakfast is a breath of fresh air in the dark cuisine kingdom. And for those bigwigs who are busy with all kinds of affairs, whether it is Marshal Andrew Cunningham who personally sits in the Mediterranean theater and coordinates the actions of the main fleets of the British and American Allied Forces in the entire Atlantic direction, or Lord Louis Mountbatten who was born into a royal family but gave up his status as Prince of Hesse to swear allegiance to Britain, and became the Governor of Gibraltar and the commander of the garrison, it is a rare opportunity to relax.

The only thing that is a bit speechless is the price of this breakfast, which is 114 pounds, 6 pence and 2 shillings - which is not too much, equivalent to the living expenses of a country girl for about 8 months, or 10- months' salary of a working-class family in the city, right?

But the life of a noble is one that requires one to pretend to be extravagant - do you understand!?

（PS:1971年前12先令=1便士，20便士=1英镑，所以1145141919810）

After all, Lord Mountbatten was a real nobleman, and although Cunningham was not of noble birth, he was the son of a university professor and had been in the British upper class for many years. He was familiar with a set of aristocratic etiquette. Even the accompanying Vanguard, as a soldier, was very strict and meticulous, which was in line with the requirements of the strict British aristocratic etiquette. As for Mrs. Cunningham, Lady Belle Dura Despicio, she ate directly in bed according to the British aristocratic custom.