69novels Chapter 623
Chapter 623
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: 0.038s Scan: 0.022sThe capital of the British Empire, the Fog City!
If Hans’s attack on Norway had the greatest impact on anyone, it would naturally be the British Empire in Western Europe.
Hans’s capture of Norway meant that they had a very wide outlet to the sea in the North Sea. They could bypass the Royal Navy’s defense line in the east of the North Sea and go around to the west of the British Empire, cutting off their route to North America! Right now
, the German submarine force has cut off the British Empire’s route to the southern Mediterranean. Only one in ten of the supplies they transported from India and other places have survived. After hundreds of merchant ships were sunk before, the captains of the merchant ships of the British Empire were scared to death and dared not continue to drag the goods from the South Asian colonies to the mainland.
Most of these merchant ships were crowded on the island of Malta in the Mediterranean, waiting for the protection of the escort fleet sent by the British mainland. If there were no warships to escort them, they would not dare to risk the German submarine blockade to go to the mainland to unload!
After the German army occupied Gaul, they used the ports in western Gaul as bases to allow their submarines to pose a huge threat to the main routes in the southwest of the British mainland. At this time, if the German army occupied Norway and bypassed their defense line in the North Sea, ran behind them, and cut off another route between them and North America, the British mainland would be completely strangled!
Originally, the shortest distance from the Indian colonies in South Asia to the British mainland was to enter the Mediterranean and then the Atlantic Ocean. As long as the British mainland controlled the Suez Canal and the Strait of Gibraltar, this route would be the shortest route between the two places.
But in addition to this route, there is actually another way to choose, which is to enter the Pacific Ocean from the Indian Ocean, then cross the Panama Canal into the Atlantic Ocean, and take the North Atlantic route to enter the western region of the British mainland.
Although this route is a long detour, because Hans is to the east of the sun, as long as the sun can cut off Hans’ navy from bypassing the North Sea and entering the North Atlantic, it can be free from the threat of the German navy!
At this time, the German army occupied Norway, and it would be more convenient for them to go to sea, which made the people of the sun feel extremely nervous!
“The fleet heading to the Mediterranean for escort is ready and can be dispatched at any time, but if the German army sails out from Norway and threatens us from behind, what should we do?”
Prime Minister Lloyd George rubbed his forehead tiredly and asked a group of cabinet ministers around him.
“We should strengthen the defense in the north and stop the German army from moving south!”
A minister said some useless nonsense, which was equivalent to saying nothing, so Prime Minister Lloyd George glanced at him coldly, feeling very dissatisfied!
“Attlee, what do you think?”
At this time, Churchill was still in North America and had not returned, so Attlee was considered the most capable person under Lloyd George. Lloyd George wanted to hear his opinion.
“I think we don’t have the energy to fight on two fronts. Right now we have already sent a lot of warships to the south to drive away the German submarines. The remaining forces can only defend against attacks. Where can we find an extra fleet to escort in such a wide ocean in the west?”
This is true. The North and West are very long. The German army now occupies Norway. They can choose many routes to send troops. The British army can’t block every route, so the best way is to send a fleet to escort the merchant ships.
However, in this case, their already stretched forces will be even more insufficient.
The safety of sea routes is important, but the most important thing is their own safety. If the German army takes advantage of the opportunity of their empty defenses on their homeland and directly sends troops to attack their homeland, then they will have no soldiers to use, and that would be dangerous!
Therefore, even if they noticed the huge threat posed by the German army, no one dared to send out their fleet!
Speaking of which, the result of the Battle of the North Sea was really terrible!
Before the Battle of the North Sea, the British army The navy still had the upper hand, firmly suppressing the German navy on the west side of the North Sea. Even German submarines found it difficult to infiltrate under the strict defense of the British army, so their southern routes have always been very safe!
However, a naval battle in the North Sea completely broke the balance!
After the Royal Navy’s strength suffered a severe blow, it no longer dared to underestimate Hans’ navy. Although Hans’ navy was established not long ago, their combat effectiveness was very strong, and the one-sided result of the Battle of the North Sea was proof of that!
In this situation, the British army, which had lost one-third of its fleet, could only change its previous offensive, shrink its forces, and take a defensive stance to fight against the German army.
After they took a defensive stance, they had to shrink their defense line, which gave the German submarine force an opportunity. Yes, under the personal leadership of Navy Commander Dönitz, a large number of German submarines bypassed the British mainland and went from the western Atlantic Ocean to the southwest of the British mainland!
Here, they carried out a crazy massacre of British merchant ships, sinking hundreds of merchant ships in just half a month, causing heavy losses to the British mainland and scaring other merchant ships from continuing to move!
What’s even more hateful is that after Hans conquered Gaul, he made use of the ports in the western coastal areas of Gaul and built special concealed docks for their submarines, so that German submarines can hide here and avoid being hunted down by the British navy fleet!
As a result, with hiding places and supply bases, the mobility of German submarines has been greatly improved, and they played hide-and-seek with the British army on the sea in the southwest. , making them run around in a hurry. Although they dispatched many warships, they still failed to annihilate all the German submarines!
If time drags on like this, it will be very disadvantageous for the British Empire, because if the main fleet of the German army can attack Norway, they can naturally attack their homeland.
Anyone with a discerning eye can see that Hans’s battle to attack Norway was just a rehearsal for attacking the British Empire!
Therefore, when the news of Norway’s defeat came, the British Empire was greatly shaken. Many wealthy businessmen and government officials had quietly bought tickets and prepared to leave the British Empire and go out to hide!
After all, if they continue to stay in the British Empire, they may never know when the German army will come up, and the wealth they have accumulated for several lifetimes will become someone else’s wedding dress!
“Well, is there any concrete and feasible solution?”
Prime Minister Lloyd George looked at everyone and asked.
The Minister of the Navy gritted his teeth and said,”Your Excellency, Prime Minister, I think we should immediately dispatch a large number of minelayers to lay a large number of mines in the North Sea, especially near the Baltic Sea outlet and the northwest Hans outlet!
These mines are cheap, but very powerful. As long as we lay mines on some busy shipping routes and on the routes that the German army must take, then the German army will be blocked in the port and unable to move!”