Chapter 801 Friends in the American Military Community

It seems that the deviation is not big, but it is the details that often determine success or failure. Looking at the newspaper, Alan Wilson couldn't help but pay attention to the details, thinking about the changes that this little difference may bring.

During the original Cold War, Yugoslavia was at the intersection of forces between the Warsaw Pact and NATO. It did not join the Warsaw Pact or NATO, but maintained neutrality and acted as a buffer zone. At that time, the two major military blocs, the Warsaw Pact and NATO, were trying to win over Yugoslavia, but neither could control Yugoslavia, so they had no choice but to maintain the status quo of Yugoslavia.

Yugoslavia also took advantage of the mutual restraint between the two major military groups to maintain relative tranquility during the Cold War and maximize its own interests.

Yugoslavia has a population of more than 10 million, and Eastern European countries generally have small populations, so the pressure it brings is not as great as imagined. However, there is another issue of geographical location. Yugoslavia's joining the Warsaw Pact will change the blockade situation of the Soviet bloc.

From the complete blockade of the Warsaw Pact countries by NATO countries, it has become a criss-crossed confrontation situation. Not to mention that it is a 50-50 split geographically, but NATO’s geographical blockade advantage is not that great. The Soviet Union had a springboard to move south to the Mediterranean, North Africa, and the Middle East, which reflected the very important strategic location of Yugoslavia.

Historically, Yugoslavia and Albania had conflicts with the Soviet Union, leading to the withdrawal of Soviet power from these two countries. The consequence was that the Soviet Union had no foothold in the Mediterranean. Greece and Turkey, both members of NATO, have blocked access to the Mediterranean.

If these two countries are determined to follow the Soviet Union now, the Soviet Red Navy will enter the Mediterranean Sea unimpeded. This is definitely not a good thing for the free world. This is especially true for the United Kingdom, because the current maritime power in the Mediterranean is still controlled by the United Kingdom.

There is also the U.S. Sixth Fleet in the Mediterranean. The U.S. Navy's entry into the Mediterranean originated after the end of World War II. During the entire World War II, the main theme of naval battles in the Mediterranean was the confrontation between the British fleet and the Italian fleet. The U.S. fleet invested a large part of its strength in the Pacific battlefield. , did not enter the east of the Strait of Gibraltar.

Two months later, U.S. President Truman dispatched the USS Missouri to escort the body of Munir Aitgun, the Turkish ambassador to the United States, who had died in the United States, back to the country. The giant ship and its cannons showed off their power, which became a landmark event for the U.S. Navy's entry into the Eastern Mediterranean. The next year, the United States officially established a new Mediterranean Squadron in the eastern Italian port of Trieste.

The current situation in the Mediterranean is probably a situation where the British Royal Navy and the U.S. Sixth Fleet each take charge. The headquarters of the British Mediterranean Fleet is in Cyprus, and the US Sixth Fleet is based in Italy.

If the Soviet Union wants to use the ports of Yugoslavia, considering the geographical location, this should be within the scope of operations of the Sixth Fleet, north of Cyprus. After all, there are Greece and Turkey. It seems a little safer.

Yugoslavia's accession did not bring with it a labor force of more than 11 million, including Albania. The population of Eastern Europe is far different from that of Western Europe, but it has changed the original geographical disadvantage of the Warsaw Pact.

Now look at the confrontation between the Warsaw Pact and NATO. Turkey and Greece are just the edges cut off from the middle by the entire Warsaw Pact. This is different from the original history of Yugoslavia being outside the Warsaw Pact.

"Hey, it seems like it was a mistake to help Mikhailovich and the others." Alan Wilson couldn't help feeling a little regretful, and once again fell into the same mood as when he saw off General Navarre a few days ago.

But there was nothing he could do at that time. After all, he was a British person. He always considered the interests of the United Kingdom first before considering the free world more broadly. At that time, he was only thinking about attracting the attention of the United States. Don't focus on the United Kingdom. body,

How can you think so much?

"The United States has money, so it is not a problem to strengthen the Sixth Fleet." Alan Wilson comforted himself and used brainstorming to find a way to spiritual victory. "Besides, Nehru's strong support is destined to be gone. Now I don't see how we can organize it." Non-Aligned Movement?”

After thinking for a long time, Alan Wilson finally found a piece of good news. Among the original three giants of the Non-Aligned Conference, Nehru, Tito and Nasser, one embraced the Warsaw Pact and the other disappeared, leaving Nehru alone.

Yugoslavia did not join the Warsaw Pact or NATO, but it actively explored the Third World. It did well in the Third World arena such as the Non-Aligned Movement and received strong support. Now that Yugoslavia has embraced the Warsaw Pact, the difficulty has increased by more than one order of magnitude for Nehru, who was inspired to become a great nation.

Ingrid Bergman and Hedy Lamarr's idea of ​​an extended vacation diluted Alan Wilson's physical anxieties and gave their man a taste of the beauty of the world during this difficult time.

"Why do you look so anxious?" Hedy Lamarr lit a cigarette and took a puff, then put the cigarette into the man's mouth with her onion-like fingers.

"Hiss..." Alan Wilson took a deep breath and said sadly, "Such an enviable life is like a dream. I am really afraid that one day I will be hung from a street lamp by the Soviets."

"What nonsense are you talking about? Isn't it just that the Soviet Union gathered some poor countries?" Ingrid Bergman pinched Alan Wilson angrily and complained, "Now that I know I'm afraid, wasn't it brave at the beginning?"

"I've always been brave..." Alan Wilson looked like I was super brave, and stretched out his hand to pinch the fullness of the Swedish car.

Take things as they come, Alan Wilson is good at finding favorable places under unfavorable conditions. Yugoslavia's accession to the Warsaw Pact will mainly bring pressure to the Mediterranean. Although this is not conducive to the unity of the world, most of the pressure must be borne by the United States, and Yugoslavia is facing Italy.

The Sixth Fleet has to face the pressure directly, and the Royal Navy Mediterranean Fleet is in a supporting position. If the UK can make good use of this, it can still make profits. After all, the national power of the free world is far more powerful than the Soviet Union with a bunch of poor people.

If the United States, facing pressure, can respect its allies and make adjustments, it might be a good thing for Britain and France.

Mountbatten, who was leading the British military delegation, heard the news of the establishment of the Warsaw Pact in Washington. Like his son-in-law thousands of miles away, Mountbatten, who had been in the center of British politics since he was a child, immediately took out a map to judge this group. The emergence of China has an impact on the free world.

Mountbatten soon came to the same conclusion as his son-in-law, that the direction of Italy was the main threat to the Mediterranean. The U.S. Sixth Fleet stationed in Italy is the first to bear the brunt and will bear this pressure.

"Taylor, the free world is now facing unprecedented challenges. We should unite to deal with the threat." Mountbatten solemnly expressed his position as the British First Sea Lord and his friends he met during the war.

Maxwell Taylor is the current commander of the US military in the Far East Theater. He has just returned to the United States and is about to take over as the chief of staff of the US Army.

During the war, Maxwell Taylor was a general in the US military who had little understanding of Asia. He also worked with Ridgway in the same unit. Ridgway was the division commander and he was the chief of staff.

Mountbatten and Maxwell Taylor had long been familiar, but were eventually sent to fight in Europe.

During this meeting, Maxwell Taylor was also on Mountbatten's list of people to visit. Although the two had not cooperated before, because they were both military commanders in Asia, they quickly became familiar with each other as soon as they met.

Maxwell Taylor has not yet received a formal appointment. He is still the commander of the US military in the Far East. He said that in Asia, both Japan and South Korea are facing huge pressure from the Soviet Union.

Mountbatten also agreed with this. Although he had never had a good impression of Japan among them, he did not show any timidity when talking about Asia. He was the commander of the Allied Forces in Southeast Asia, and his son-in-law was also a commissioner in British Malaya.

Some of the views of the two camps made Maxwell Taylor nod frequently. Then Mountbatten moved the topic without leaving any trace to the situation in Europe, especially the establishment of the Warsaw Pact.

Although Maxwell Taylor was interested in talents in Asia, he was eventually sent to Europe to participate in the war by Marshall. Italy was an important part of Maxwell Taylor's military career.

Maxwell Taylor was also very interested in this place where he had fought. After listening to Mountbatten saying that Italy was the key country to put pressure on the Warsaw Pact, he couldn't help but agree, "General, you served as the commander of the Mediterranean Fleet. I absolutely agree with your professional opinion.”

"It seems that I have to temporarily add some topics to promote the work of Britain and the United States in dealing with such issues." Mountbatten sighed, "Originally, when I met with Ike, I wanted to say something light-hearted. .”

Mountbatten only had a taste of the pressure faced by Italy. After all, the opponent was an army general. It would be best to get the American naval generals to recognize his judgment. Of course there are such people, George Whelan Anderson, Jr., now an American Special Assistant to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

When George Whelan Anderson Jr. served in the Pacific Fleet, he happened to be a subordinate of him, the commander of the Allied Forces in Southeast Asia. After the war, Mountbatten established good personal relationships with the American generals who had fought in Southeast Asia.

A special assistant may not be very high in rank, but Mountbatten happened to have the experience of seeing assistants work. He saw with his own eyes how the assistant commissioner of British India managed to defeat his immediate boss and turn such a large colony into his own. Of the vegetable garden.

For several days, the British military delegation led by Mountbatten was communicating with generals from different American military services. During their conversations, although there were many differences of opinion, they were able to exchange views candidly.