Chapter 871 The Vast Ocean Is a Casino (End)

If it had been in the past, for example, when France had just surrendered, Churchill would have given the order to "fight" without hesitation, not to mention just Ireland, even the French.

However, the situation now has undergone earth-shaking changes compared with three years ago. The British Empire does not have the capital and strength to make enemies for itself anymore. Moreover, Ireland is quite cautious. Although it is dissatisfied with the British Empire, it does not accept German military advisors or weapons imports. According to the pro-British faction, it does not export intelligence to Germany through official channels - it is inevitable in private, and Britain itself is not there. Do it?

He sighed and asked Brooke: "From a purely military perspective, is it feasible to land in Ireland when our army is heavily stationed and there is a fleet surrounding it?"

"Logically, this makes sense." Brooke walked to the map and drew. "Look, now that the German fleet has withstood the TF46 fleet, the sea west of Ireland is undoubtedly very safe. The German army can land at the western port of Ireland. Do you think the Irish Will they resist? Maybe they want it! As long as they land 50,000 troops and deploy the air force in 3-4 days, Ireland will be firmly in the hands of the Germans. From now on, the Germans will continue to attack without any hindrance. Ireland increases its troops and even transports those damn railway guns, what do you think?"

The railway gun was obviously something Brooke overthought. How could he send the railway gun onto the ship without dismantling it? But if we really have the opportunity and strength to send all the railway guns up, it would be better to simply send more tanks and aircraft.

However, Ireland not resisting the German invasion is obviously a very scary prospect, because there is a precedent: most people in Ireland are pro-Germany, but there are also many pro-British factions. Since pro-Germany can go to Germany to join the SS, naturally there are also People went to Northern Ireland or the United Kingdom to join the British Army, especially those in the Irish Defense Forces who went to join the British Army in response to "resistance to Nazi tyranny."

The Irish government is fierce here. Not only is it the only country among the 27 Commonwealth countries that declares neutrality, but it also openly implements double standards: the general public joins the SS and they pretend to be deaf and dumb, but the officers and soldiers who join the British army They were all treated as deserters and charged with "defection" - Historically, the Irish government dealt with more than 5,000 such deserters after the victory in World War II, depriving them of the right to work in public positions and enjoy relevant state subsidies. You can scream from the British and American throats. Ignore them.

Although Brooke said this, his advice was not to take risks: "We should first send a note to the Irish government that we will not stand idly by if they cannot resist the German invasion; then, as part of the military strategy, we should always monitor Along the Irish coastline, once we discover that German troops have begun to land in large numbers - whether it is the SS Irish Division or other troops, we will immediately move our troops into Dublin; also, we need to prepare a whole new administrative team for Ireland..."

The last sentence showed Brooke's attitude of supporting the puppet regime. Churchill nodded with a heavy heart, and then said: "Send the message to Generals Cunningham and Nimitz, inform them of the unfavorable situation, and at the same time prepare the Northern Ireland troops to attack. ”

"The intelligence said that the Germans still have 6 aircraft carriers?" Nimitz was shocked when he received the telegram: This is too damn many. The German Navy is so scary now.

"Four of them are definitely escort carriers, so they are not a big threat, and I estimate that they will probably cover the landing. The other two carriers are not sure." Cunningham frowned, obviously he was also caught off guard, "There are Two possibilities. First, these two aircraft carriers join the enemy fleet in front of us to launch a strong attack on our army, eliminating all interference from the landing; second, these two aircraft carriers cover the landing in the direction of Ireland, and the Germans are confident that they can target us with three aircraft carriers in front of us. , and the other two aircraft carriers are dedicated to covering the landing of the army.”

"Do you think the Germans are going to land in Ireland anyway? Are they so sure?"

"This is my guess. There is too little intelligence and information to judge yet." Cunningham said distressedly, "If the Germans have control of the sea, why don't they land? To defeat the British Empire, landing is necessary. Now Iceland This best landing point is controlled by us, so the Germans naturally have no choice but to settle for the next best thing. I think the German commanders are very good at adapting to changes, or they made two plans from the beginning. "

"There are rumors that the German commander was Rommel?"

"Yes, I heard about it too. It was he who led the troops to land near El Alamein and ultimately destroyed Montgomery..."

"How about destroying the German naval superiority?" Nimitz sighed. He believed that the current German army was emboldened by the results of the South Atlantic naval battle. Spruance failed to take advantage even though he had the advantage. The opposing squadron counterattacked and both sides suffered losses, which undoubtedly emboldened the Germans.

"Hold on?" Cunningham shook his head, "I'm not optimistic. The opponent can get land-based assistance during the offensive state. 3vs3 is already very dangerous, and 3v5 is even less sure."

"I want the other side to attack us."

"The other party? Why does he have to come? What if they don't come?"

"They will come." Nimitz walked to the map and drew a route. "If we go back along this route, what do you think will happen to the Germans?"

The route drawn by Nimitz was almost the same as the advance route that quickly slipped into the Denmark Strait, except now it was in the opposite direction. Looking at this route, Cunningham immediately understood what the other party was thinking: If TF46 went like this, the German fleet would have to pounce on it and actively intercept it. Otherwise, once TF46 was allowed to bypass Greenland, it would mean that the German blockade had failed. The German army that failed to block the blockade will face a high risk in the next step. They may not be able to catch TF46. For the German army that is determined to land and has even dispatched landing troops, TF46 is the Damocles hanging above their heads. sword.

TF46 can avoid the Azores and return to the sea west of Ireland in a semi-arc circle. Once TF46 finds an opportunity, it will be enough to send the entire German landing fleet to the bottom of the sea in one afternoon - the landing force is gone, even if the Germans occupy it again What is the use of maritime superiority? Anyway, the warship can't go ashore.

Moreover, Cunningham knew that Nimitz had hidden murderous intentions in this step: Since the German fleet has short-legged disease, it means that its pursuit ability is insufficient. Once the TF46 is allowed to run, the fuel consumption of the German fleet forced to chase will accelerate. Those four ships The Veneto class will soon be forced to return due to exhaustion of fuel, and the German fleet will obviously not be able to return at will before catching the US fleet. By then, this aircraft carrier formation will only have one Tirpitz escort. This is Objectively, it provides convenience for TF46 to counterattack - in terms of fuel, TF46 can support twice as long as the Germans. This is an advantage!

Cunningham calculated that if both sides eliminated land-based forces, the numerical advantage of our carrier-based aircraft could be fully utilized. Of course, no one can guarantee the outcome of a war. A large number certainly has a greater chance of winning, but it does not mean that a large number will definitely win.

Obviously, Nimitz was betting! I bet the German fleet would not dare to make the decision to let TF46 wander around at will! Once TF46 slips away, the German army's operations may at least come to a halt or face catastrophe at worst. Even if the German army cannot be eliminated, it would be better to delay the enemy's landing operations. The Allies are in short supply of time now. As long as they survive May, after the new warships enter service can overwhelm the axis, and then U.S. warships will enter service faster and faster, and their advantages will become more and more obvious.

"A gamble?"

"I can only take a gamble. I hope you and I will have better luck."

"Okay, I'll report it to the country and I must get their support."

In the early morning of April 18, after listening to Pound's report on TF46's next combat plan, Churchill looked uncertain and asked: "How likely is it to do this?"

"There are four possibilities: the first is that the main force of the enemy fleet was severely damaged but our army suffered little losses, then the enemy's landing fleet was afraid of our attack and was forced to withdraw; the second is that the enemy's fleet did not engage in combat, and our fleet re-entered the depths of the Atlantic Ocean If we form a guerrilla fleet, the enemy's landing operation will be forced to be postponed indefinitely; third, if our fleet is severely damaged but the enemy's losses are not large, then the German landing is imperative. Not only is Ireland in danger, but Iceland is even more dangerous; fourth, , both the enemy and our fleets will suffer losses, and the enemy’s landing actions will be unpredictable.”

"How many possibilities are there? Especially how sure are you of the first possibility?"

"I think the second possibility is the most likely, maybe more than 40%. As for the outcome of the battle between the enemy and our fleets, I think the battle situation is 50-50, with our side having a slight advantage. After all, we have the initiative to choose." Pound explained, "As for the worst outcome, if the British and American navies are evenly matched or even have a slight upper hand, they cannot even defeat the German army. Then, Your Excellency, I don't think there is any hope for the two countries in the short term. You should consider a political solution."

Churchill's heart suddenly went cold. He turned around reluctantly and asked Fraser: "If you were commanding TF46, what better strategy could you have?"

"Sorry, I didn't." The latter shook his head. "I think General Nimitz is quite interesting. At least he is willing to help us fight the Germans. What I am most afraid of now is that these politicians in the Joint Chiefs of Staff in Washington see that the Germans have an advantage. They used the pretext of mobilizing enemy troops, but actually made plans for retreat. What if Nimitz ran back to the United States and sold us? With their personality, it might not be possible. Otherwise, what would happen to the two American SS divisions? Come?"

After hearing these words, Churchill almost spit out a mouthful of blood. He was speechless for a long time. Finally, he waved his hand weakly: "Let the fleet execute the order. Whether you live or die depends on this."

Everyone was silent.

Churchill thought for a moment and then told Pound: "Secret message Cunningham, don't be betrayed by the Americans! If necessary, he will bring me the fleet back alone!"