Chapter 785 Teddington Barrage

The British actually took the initiative to retreat from the first line of defense!

That stopped the German army for two or three days, and it was only after the rat tank came over that the defense line was conquered in one fell swoop.

After that, they did not continue to attack the second line of defense. Instead, they maneuvered to the two wings. The knowledge here is very great. The German army's battle is not about how fast to overcome the line of defense, but to annihilate as many as possible. The enemy's living strength, which moves to both sides, can at least kill or capture tens of thousands of British troops.

Eliminating their ground troops in front of the British would also put more pressure on the British soldiers and make them more prone to collapse.

As a result, the British shrunk, and the British army on the first line of defense actually retreated and retreated to the rear line of defense!

The abnormality of the front line attracted Guderian's attention.

"I'm afraid there is a problem with the British doing this." Guderian said: "For them, anti-tank trenches are their big move against us. Now, they have withdrawn."

This anti-tank trench did make Guderian's men spend a lot of time. Fortunately, a big guy was provided behind.

However, the British are turning heads too fast, right?

"I feel that there is no problem. If the British don't retreat, they can only be wiped out by us." Staff Officer Manstein is very open. In his eyes, the British do this, it is simply a prelude to collapse. .

"Yes, the defeat of the British is just around the corner. I think we should work harder and try to knock down the second line of defense of the British before it gets dark, and we can go to London for the night. Waiting for a walk in Buckingham Palace." Kurt, the head of the Skeleton Division, was also more optimistic.

When the opening is bigger, his troops can also go up.

After defeating the old enemy France, and now about to defeat the United Kingdom, any battle to destroy the country is almost always marked by occupying the opponent's capital.

Guderian shook his head: "Everyone, think about it, since the opposite side can figure out digging anti-tank trenches, and they are still filling them with water to hinder our progress, don't they have other ways?"

Speaking of which, Guderian suddenly frowned. He had already thought of something. Then, he shook his head again. Ordinarily, the British would not be so crazy, right?

The Thames is the famous "mother" river in England.

This famous river originates from the Cotswold Hills in southwestern England, with a total length of 346 kilometers. It runs through London, the capital of the United Kingdom, and more than 10 cities along the river. Each city is famous.

The entire Thames basin covers an area of ​​13,000 square kilometers and widens in the lower reaches of London, forming an estuary with a width of 29 kilometers, which drains into the North Sea.

However, as the estuary borders the North Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, whenever the tide rises, the tide roars in along the funnel-shaped estuary, all the way up far above London.

Many times, especially during the winter months when catastrophic floods are expected, London is at risk.

In order to prevent the tide from flooding London, a technically complex and costly Thames tidal gate was built 13 kilometers downstream of London Bridge. The Teddington Barrage.

In normal times, the average flow of the Thames is about 53 cubic meters per second, but after winter rains it can rise to 130 cubic meters per second, and during the period of extreme floods, there has even been a flow of 590 cubic meters per second!

It is even said that one day after a storm in 1894, the average flow rate of the overflow on the dam was as high as 887 cubic meters per second.

It can be said that if you live in London, it is similar to Bangladesh, and you should also be careful about floods.

During flood periods, the river is able to hold back the incoming tide, keeping the tide well below Teddington, allowing the river to run toward the sea for days on end. Conversely, when the tide is high, it can overflow the barrage, and even withstand the river as far as 3.2 kilometers above Teddington.

In later generations, in order to better protect London, the United Kingdom built the Thames Water Gate in Silvertown, and built auxiliary flood barriers along the entire tidal river section.

And now, there is only the Teddington Barrage.

Moreover, this dam that has existed for many years is not a concrete dam, but a dam made of ordinary mud.

At this time, on the dam, a group of British soldiers were watching nervously at the mouth of the river in the distance. According to the time, the high tide was about to start.

At this time, they had dug a large hole in the barrage, and the tide at high tide could easily pass through this hole and directly into the canal on the side.

This canal is connected to the fortifications that we have dug these days.

This is the second time they have done this.

The anti-tank trenches outside London, filled with water, run through here.

However, at that time, it was only a small opening. After the tide was high, when the sea came in, they watched the tide go through the small opening, pass through the canal, and flow into their own fortifications, which was just right.

But this time, they dug a big hole, and this hole was more than twenty times the size of the last time!

Because, this time, more water is needed!

They belonged to the Royal 24th Engineer Regiment. At this time, the head of the regiment, Chloe, was constantly looking into the distance, and at the same time, he looked at the soldiers beside him.

Their mission this time is dangerous.

It is dangerous to dig such a hole. If the tide is too big, it may completely wash away the entire dam! By that time, the whole of London will be flooded!

If the opening is small, it will not work, and he remembers the order given to him by General Hobert.

"We need tide water, we need to artificially construct a large swamp in front of our position, so that the Germans can't walk!"

Only Hobert could come up with such a method!

Artificial swamp!

Tanks use tracks to move forward, and its mobility is much higher than that of wheeled chariots, but tanks are not omnipotent.

When the German army was attacking Dunkirk, it encountered a swamp. As a result, the advance was slow, and the British army almost ran away.

This also gave Hobart an inspiration, right next to the Thames, could it be possible to create an artificial swamp to delay the advance of German tanks?

However, this is definitely a technical job.

Hobert knew the risks, and Churchill also knew the risks. The opening was small and the water was not enough. Just like the next rain, the ground would be wet at most, and the tanks could continue to drive over.

If the opening is widened, the entire barrage will collapse as soon as the tide comes, and the whole of London will definitely be flooded.