Chapter 817 Wallace in the Vortex (Part 2)

"I received a secret message." On the bridge of the Unicorn, Cunningham called Spruance into his cabin and looked at him expressionlessly, "My future with you, with two The future of great countries is closely related, do you want to hear it?”

Hearing the other party speak so solemnly, Spruance's face became solemn: "Sir, what major changes have occurred?"

"News from Washington: President Roosevelt is seriously ill and unable to serve on the Board of Directors, and Vice President Wallace is currently acting on his behalf. The newly elected Vice President is very dissatisfied with the current war situation and the sacrifices and contributions of the United States. He first found an excuse to stop paying attention to the Soviet Union. It is said that they are also preparing to stop aid to Great Britain, and are even seeking peace with Germany - seeking peace between Germany and the United States at the expense of abandoning Great Britain."

This unprepared sap stunned Spruance: "Really? It's not a German rumor, right? After Britain was invaded by Germany, President Roosevelt advocated assistance and passed the Lend-Lease Act. Now the two countries We all suffered so much from the Nazis and Japanese militarism, how could we just stop? Didn’t so many people sacrifice their lives in vain?”

"You never take into account the tricks of politicians! They only have their own interests in their eyes, and they can only be more shameless, not the most shameless." Cunningham pondered, "I called you here because I hope we can have a good communication and not turn against each other. "

Spruance was also shocked when he heard the words "turn against each other". It took him a long time to squeeze out a sentence through his teeth: "You mean, ballista?"

Cunningham nodded: "Churchill used crossbows against the French, so he was afraid that others would do it to him too..."

The ballista plan was that after France surrendered, in order to prevent the French fleet from being used by the Germans, the Royal Navy not only seized and released all French warships within its control, but also dispatched a fleet to attack the remaining French warships - warships that were allies just a few days ago. , which eventually led to Britain and France turning against each other.

"What do you mean?"

"Although London has not yet given me clear instructions, I believe that if the news is true, no matter whether the fleet is no longer loyal to the current king and the Churchill regime, necessary preparations must still be made. I think it is best to break up peacefully and not harm each other." Kan Ning An said calmly, "It's like a couple facing divorce. Although there are all kinds of unhappiness, please look at the sweetness we had together in the past and don't scratch each other till the blood drips at the last moment. It’s best to separate gracefully and leave each other with a thought.”

Spruance was stunned, not knowing what to say for a long time.

"I don't know what the top military leaders of the two countries made final arrangements for the fleet, but I think that if you are determined to abandon Great Britain, the Atlantic Combined Fleet will definitely not be able to continue to be maintained." Cunningham mused, "Although some warships are expensive They were later gifted to us, but considering the sacrifices and contributions of the British Empire, I think these are out-and-out Royal Navy properties. I hope your country will not take their chances. The United States is very rich, has a strong national power, and builds warships. The level is the best in the world, so don’t come here to grab these things. I want to make some adjustments in advance to temporarily change the situation where the officers and soldiers of both sides serve on the other side’s warships. All the officers and soldiers of the Royal Navy are concentrated on our warships, and vice versa. …”

"Did you receive other instructions?"

"No." Cunningham shook his head, "Although I don't have a harmonious relationship with Churchill, and I don't like his personality very much, but as long as he is still the national leader determined by the democratic government of the British Empire, I will obey his orders. But if the situation changes, I may not necessarily obey. In my mind, the foundation of Britain will always be on those small islands, whether rich or poor, strong or weak, I will not do it. Leave her."

Spruance thought about the rumors that Edward VIII was restored and George VI came to Canada, creating a situation of one country on one side of Great Britain and one Britain with different sides. He was moved in his heart: "Will you be loyal to Edward VIII in the future?"

"No! To be precise, I will not cooperate with the Germans." He patted the empty trouser leg, "It was because of the Germans that I lost my leg in Africa, so I will never forgive Germany. But this does not mean that I am willing to fight a civil war. Think about it, if there is a government in Canada and a government in London, how many British people will die if we hate the Germans and just give up this army that the British people hope for? Give in. What's more, if you don't want to fight the Germans, what's the point of hiding in Canada with my troops? I have always looked down on people like De Gaulle, he is worse than Pétain."

"But even according to the rumors, people who are willing to support the Churchill administration can still come to Canada."

"Of course, but how many people can Canada accommodate? 100,000? 1 million? There are more than 40 million people on the British Isles! Can we take them all over? Can we abandon the mother country with thousands of years of culture and historical traditions? Canada can no longer Well it’s not Great Britain!”

At this point, Spruance was damned if he couldn't understand what Cunningham meant. Cunningham's attitude was very clear: If the United States no longer supported Great Britain, no matter how hard Churchill struggled, Britain would not participate in the war again. In order to reduce Churchill's possible torment, he was even unwilling to hand over the fleet to Canada or the United States.

"Can you wait a little longer?" Spruance finally advised, "I understand and respect your decision, but please don't get excited. Nothing is certain. Some actions will bring more serious troubles if they are seen by people with ulterior motives. President Roosevelt said it well - the only thing that scares us is fear itself."

"I also hope that this is just a clumsy, gossipy rumor." Cunningham sighed and stopped talking.

Compared with the undercurrents in the navy, the Washington Congressional inquiry scene has formed a turbulent torrent.

"Dear congressmen, President Roosevelt is unable to serve due to illness. According to our country's constitution and tradition, I am acting as president. At present, I have not violated the direction determined by the president and Congress in various domestic and foreign policy decisions, but this does not mean that I agree with and appreciate every decision, let alone think that they are all correct. Before the inquiry meeting, I would like to first report some content. You know most of the situation, but you may not know everything after gathering together. In addition, I would like to ask you to pay attention to the high confidentiality..." Henry Wallace took the initiative to turn the tables before the congressmen's aggressive inquiry and came to a long A paragraph:

"Since the outbreak of the European war in 1939, especially after the passage of the Lend-Lease Act, in order to cope with the war with the Axis countries, our country has strengthened various national defense projects and provided support to the allies. By the end of 1943, the United States had spent more than 300 billion US dollars on military expenditures. On average, for Americans, it means that the government can buy a very good car for each citizen or provide all tuition fees from elementary school to high school... The military expenditure budget for fiscal year 1944 was originally planned to be around 130 billion, and the actual budget may exceed 150 billion."

The audience whispered to each other, and everyone was shocked by this number.

"These military expenditures, in addition to being used for the United States' own military construction, are mainly used to subsidize various allies, including Great Britain and its dominions, the Soviet Union, China, other European countries and resistance forces, with a total of nearly $100 billion. Although Congress had stipulated in principle that these were not free gifts when passing the bill, all members of Congress knew that there was almost no difference between this and free gifts. Of the nearly $100 billion, Great Britain and its dominions and colonies received nearly $90 billion, the Soviet Union received more than $8 billion, China received less than $1 billion, Free France received about $700 million, and all other countries and regions received less than $500 million in total. What did these high costs eventually become?

At the peak, we lost 1.2-1.4 million tons of supplies on the British-Canadian route every month The Battle of Newfoundland lost 5 million tons of materials and corresponding ships in one go. According to incomplete statistics, about 20-22 million tons of materials delivered to Britain and the Soviet Union were lost in the Atlantic Ocean. We also lost nearly 20 million tons of ship tonnage (materials were only lost one way, and the ships would also be lost on the return trip, including some British ships), and the materials actually delivered to the allies were only over 20 million tons.

Although the loss of materials is shocking enough, the loss of personnel is even more serious. During the entire escort operation, we lost nearly 80,000 sailors and naval officers and soldiers who were responsible for escort missions. They were either buried in the rough sea or spent their days in prisoner-of-war camps.

This is not all the losses of American personnel. Since the Japanese invasion of 1941, the United States has suffered a great loss of 10,000 tons of materials. Since the attack on Pearl Harbor, the total loss of the US armed forces has reached more than 800,000, including nearly 400,000 killed, more than 100,000 seriously injured or permanently disabled, and another 100,000 to 150,000 missing or captured. Only about 200,000 injuries can be cured. At the beginning, the troops suffered casualties or losses of a few, dozens, or hundreds, and later, entire ships and divisions were killed or lost.

Do you know that in the battle of the South Indian Ocean, two fully staffed army divisions transferred by ship and their equipment were almost all lost in the sea? Do you know that in the landing and subsequent battles in the Horn of East Africa, we almost lost all the troops participating in the Torch Campaign? Do you know that those quickly built escort carriers were not sunk one by one, but by dozens? You Did you know that, by now, we have lost almost all of our pre-war battleships, heavy cruisers and aircraft carriers? Did you know that in Cape Verde, two helpless and isolated American Army divisions finally surrendered to a German army that was only one-fifteenth of their size? Did you know that Hitler now has two SS American divisions, composed entirely of our captured officers and soldiers, who used to bask in the sunshine of freedom with us, but are now forced to raise their right hands and shout "Hi, Hitler!" every day. Did you know that many of the news broadcasts by the Voice of Europe are actually true and highly credible, at least much more reliable than our news media! "

This series of "did you know" roars overwhelmed the audience...