Chapter 129 Chapter 21 Victory on the Western Front (7)

On May 10, Britain and France were surprised.The general staffs of both countries ignored warnings from Brussels, The Hague, or their own intelligence experts. The secret information of the cipher machine.He also bought a British passport and a French residence permit, allowing him and his wife to live in France.He memorized the drawings of the main parts of the machine and made a copy of it in his apartment on the left bank of Paris. Enigma's working machine was successfully reproduced and installed in Britsley Park - a Victorian mansion 40 miles north of London. When Britain declared war in 1939, the aircraft was code-named "Eltra".

("Super" Secret) machines are ready for use.Its first major contribution was to intercept and decipher the radio waves of Hitler's plan to invade the West and inform the British General Staff].Chamberlain, with a livid face, still seems to be the next prime minister, but he is advised to resign. King George VI regretfully accepted his resignation and proposed Halifax to succeed him.However, it is clear that only Winston Churchill had the national confidence.So, at 6 o'clock in the morning, the King of England called Churchill into the palace.In a letter to The Times, Churchill once praised the Fuehrer, but reluctantly: "I have always said that if Great Britain is defeated in war, I hope we can find someone who will be able to lead us back to the German Empire. Hitler who has gained legal status in the forest of nations." These words did not appease the Führer.He saw Churchill as his worst enemy, a tool to harm the British Jews in the Anglo-German alliance.The Führer admired Stalin, but hated Churchill.The two are a strange contrast.Therefore, the news that Churchill was promoted to prime minister made the head of state both annoyed and hated.

As Hitler's infantry and tanks marched into Holland and Belgium, Goebbels prepared his troops for the next propaganda campaign. The minutes of a secret meeting of the propaganda cadres on May 11 said, The principle mentioned is that in the enemy's reports, if it is incorrect or harmful to me, it must be denied immediately. Whether the reported facts are true does not need to be verified—the key is whether the enemy's statement is harmful to me. " More importantly, it must be repeatedly stated to Britain and France that they are the ones declaring war. "What is breaking out on their heads now is their war. In any case, let's not fall into the trap again and be played the role of aggression."

The march to western Belgium was a major victory.This was, of course, part of Hitler's plan: he wanted to divert attention away from his main line of attack (through the Ardennes). On May 13, his troops crossed the Meuse in several places and approached Sedan.Hitler hoped to break through the weak link of the Maginot Line at Sedan. Despite the success of the northward advance, Hitler was concerned about the tenacious resistance of the numerically outnumbered Dutch army. On the morning of the 14th, he issued instructions ordering his subordinates to "quickly" defeat the resistance.Then, from the Belgian region, air teams flew in, "in order to quickly conquer this fortress of Holland."In less than a few hours, the Luftwaffe dropped 92 tons of high-efficiency bombs on Rotterdam.The bombing, which was supposed to destroy the resistance on the bridges over the Neve Meas, fell into the center of the city, killing 814 civilians.The incident was widely played up by the press in democratic countries, and the death toll was exaggerated to between 25,000 and 30,000.Nor did Western newspapers disclose that the tacit agreement reached between the two sides to limit bombing to military targets was first broken by the British. Three days ago, despite the strong opposition of France, the British Royal Air Force dispatched 35 bombers to attack an industrial town on the Rhine River, killing 4 civilians, including a British woman. "The air raid on the night of May 11, though insignificant in scale, was an epoch-making event," commented British jurist E. J. P. Viard, "because it deliberately violated the basic rules of civilized warfare for the first time, which is Said that hostilities are limited to combat forces directed against the enemy." Despite his horrific reprisals in Holland, Hitler opposed the proposal to bomb London.He didn't want to go so far - just now.The tragedy in Rotterdam heralded the end of Dutch resistance.A few hours later, the commander-in-chief of the Dutch army ordered the entire army to lay down their arms.That night, German tanks broke through the lines of the French Ninth and Second Armies at Sedan.Under the cover of the hissing "Stuka" dive bombers, three long dragons of mechanized troops rumbled towards the English Channel.

Early the next morning, a long-distance call from Paris woke Churchill up from his sleep. "We are defeated!" French Prime Minister Renault shouted. "We've lost!" Churchill couldn't believe it, and so did his generals—who mistook the German armored conquest of Poland for a simple fight against a clumsy, primitive Polish army. Terror gripped France—and Goebbels intensified it. "Thereafter, the task of the secret radio station," he told his staff on May 17, "is to do everything possible to create panic in France.... It must issue an urgent warning against the 'fifth column'. It should also point out that in the Under the current situation, even German Jews are German spies." That morning, Hitler drove to Bastogne, located in the heart of the Ardennes. "The world is listening!" he declared proudly.His purpose in coming to the headquarters of Army Group A (commanded by General Gerd von Runstedt) was to discuss the progress of the main attack on the Strait.He stayed at the headquarters for lunch with great interest, and strolled among the triumphant-looking soldiers.

It is rare for a German not to share in his joy after returning to Germany.Most of the people who had traveled for Hitler, who thought he was too fast and dangerous, believed that the Führer was infallible.When the four industrialists, including Alfred Krupp, heard about the advance to the Netherlands from the radio, they were all very excited, pointing to the map of Northwest Europe, and said in one go: " Here, this is yours. There, that is ours. Arrest that man, he has two factories..." One of the industrialists hurriedly called his subordinates, asking him to ask the Army to allow the two of them to immediately Go to the Netherlands.

On the morning of May 19, several German armored divisions were only about 50 miles away from the English Channel; the next night, the second division drove to Abbeville at the mouth of the Somme.In this way, a big trap was laid, in which were trapped the Belgian Army, the entire British Expeditionary Force, and the three French armies.When Brauchitsch phoned him with the news of the capture of Abbeville, he was so surprised that he couldn't even speak.He complimented everyone.Jodl wrote in his diary that the Führer was ecstatic, "while talking, he praised the army and its leadership. He was busy preparing the peace treaty. The main points of the peace treaty are: return the land stolen from the Germans for nearly 400 years, There are other important issues."

The situation did develop as it had dreamed. Three days later, the tank units of Army Group A successfully marched northward, threatening the Channel ports of Calais and Dunkirk.If Dunkirk is lost, the channel for the British army to withdraw from the sea to Britain will be cut off.Upon hearing the news, Goering slammed his big hand on the table. "This is a special mission for the Air Force!" he shouted. "I must speak to the Führer immediately. Hang me up!" A moment later, he unconditionally assured the Führer that the trapped enemy remnants could be wiped out with the power of the air force alone.He only asked the German tanks and infantry to retreat to avoid being hit by his own bombs.Since Hitler was at odds with the Army and its top generals, he must have seen this as an opportunity to tighten his grip on the Army.He authorized Goering to destroy the enemy from the air.

After hearing the news, Jodl sarcastically said, "Goering is boasting again!" Then, he obediently called Goering's chief of staff to make the necessary arrangements for this matter. "We've done it!" Goering said cheerfully to Milch after returning to headquarters. "The Air Force is going to wipe out the British on the beach. I've been able to convince the Führer not to let the Army do it." Milch was not as optimistic as he was, saying that the bomb fell deep into the sand before it exploded.In addition, to carry out such a mission, the strength of the Air Force is not enough. "It's not your business, leave it to me," Goering said, bragging again. "The army has always wanted to be gentlemen. They surrounded the British and tried to do as little harm as possible. But the Fuehrer wanted to teach them a lesson and make them remember."

On the morning of the next day, May 24, Hitler went to the forward headquarters of Army Group A to visit Rundstedt and his subordinates.The head of state was in high spirits and predicted that the war would end within six weeks.By then, the way to negotiate with the British would be wide open.All he asked of the British was that they recognize Germany's place on the Continent.When discussing tactics, General Runsted was not opposed to the use of aircraft to reduce the strength of the enemy trapped in Dunkirk, and suggested that the tank troops should stop in the canal area below the city.Hitler agreed and said that the armored units were to be used against the French.At 12:45 p.m., the order to halt the advance of the tank units was issued in the name of the Führer.

That night, the four armored divisions stopped advancing at the A Canal.The tank units were bewildered - there was no artillery fire from the opposite bank.They also saw the towers of Dunkirk—the silent towers.Was the battle wrong?Even more puzzled are the teachers of the divisions.They knew that Dunkirk could be taken with little effort, as the British fought the Germans on a large scale near Lille.Why should they not be allowed to take the last port from which the British army fled to England? Army Chief of Staff Halder expressed contempt for this. "Our left-wing armored mechanized units," he wrote in his diary, "under the direct order of the Fuehrer, thus stopped the attack! The enemy forces surrounded by us were left to the air force to finish!" Halder had some reason It is believed that in order to pursue personal honor, Goering told the head of state that if the army will win, the head of state will lose his prestige in the country.In this way, the Führer was won over. The generals of the ground forces repeatedly clarified their views and demanded that tanks and infantry be allowed to enter Dunkirk.But Hitler fell on deaf ears. On May 26, there was news that ships in the English Channel were coming and going frequently (could it be that the British army was preparing to retreat?) At this time, the head of state reluctantly agreed to advance towards Dunkirk from the west.But on the same day, Goering told the Fuehrer that the air force had destroyed the port of Dunkirk. "Only fish can swim to the other side. I hope that every British soldier is a good swimmer." Just as the British army and the French, Dutch, and Belgian allied forces retreated into a dead end, a disorganized fleet of about 900 ships set off from more than 10 British ports at the same time.Among them were warships, galleons, ships, and oddly shaped Dutch ships—a fleet manned by professional officers, fishermen, tugboat drivers, amateur nautical experts, and amateur sailors who never went more than three nautical miles.This is the so-called "Operation Dynamo", that is, 45,000 people were evacuated within two days.This small figure was not taken into account because of Hitler's contempt for the actions of democracies.Hitler was amazed by the heroic and effective retreat of the British troops by this rescue team, composed of amateur and professional navigators, like a sporting event.As of May 30, 126,606 British troops had been withdrawn to England—some were brought back every hour. Hitler's generals were no more farsighted than he was.Halder wrote in his diary that day that the encircled enemy army was disintegrating.He conceded that some had escaped back to England "on whatever floated," but he scornfully compared it to another "routine"—Zola's novel about the French rout in the Franco-Prussian War.However, at noon, the German High Command finally understood the scale of the British retreat, so they stepped up the bombing.However, the fog saved the British.The thick fog not only shrouded Dunkirk, but also engulfed all the air force airports in Germany-3000 bombers were parked there!At the same time, strangely enough, the Stuka bombers of the German 8th Air Corps caused little damage to this fleet of small ships, and the bombs dropped on the beachhead were buried deep in the sand before exploding, causing serious damage. Casualties were also minimal. It is also surprising that the new British "Spitfire" fighters caused heavy losses to Goering's fighter group.After the fog slowly dissipated and the bombers took off, these small "spitfires" dealt them a fatal blow. The strange thing is that Hitler was indifferent to the continuous retreat of the British army, as if it was not his business at all.While Brauchitsch and Halder desperately tried to stop the influx of British troops back into Britain, Hitler's response was indecisive, even lazy.These days, it is military generals who shake their fists at meetings, not him.In stark contrast to the Narvik crisis, the Führer did not slap the table, make threats, or take crazy measures to prevent the British troops from swarming back to Britain.He actually left the burden of decision-making to his subordinates. Although the defenders of Dunkirk's line of defense were weak, they held on until June 4 before they fell. However, by this time, 338,226 British and allied troops had been transported back to Britain for the next day. war.Regarding Hitler's perverted behavior, there was speculation on both sides of the Taiwan Strait at this time.On the one hand, he authorized Goering to bomb the besieged enemy, but on the other hand, he did not take strong action-apparently to help them escape-why?His own explanations are increasingly confusing.He told the Admiralty that he had expected the British Expeditionary Force to run to the last man, as it had done in his wars; For peace talks.But when the tactic—if it was his tactic—failed, and few British troops were captured, he was not angry, or even in a hurry. There is another way of saying it.This is what he told Ringer as he inspected the beach in Dunkirk, which was littered with books, photographs, broken shoes, guns, bicycles and other items: It's always good for the common people to see how well they've been beaten." He also told Bowman that he spared the British on purpose.He complained, "Churchill did not understand my positivity. I deliberately did not create an irreparable gulf between Britain and us." Some people believe that the head of state's motives stem from political or humanitarian considerations.People in the military, including adjutants, laughed it off. "The idea that Hitler let the British escape on purpose is allegorical," Puttkammer said.Those who were equally close to Hitler were convinced that it was his love for the British that made him pity them. "As individual Britons, their blood is too precious to be shed," he told Mrs Troost. "Our two peoples are the same, both racially and traditionally. Even if my generals don't understand it, that has always been, and still is, my goal." Competent foreign observers believe in this theory.According to François Bense, for example, Hitler never wanted to go to war with Britain - only wanted them to be neutral. He had proved this: not long ago he had brought Unity back to England via Zurich by special train.He had told Engel that he deeply regretted her fate. "Just the first time I could really use her, she lost her nerve." She was going back to hostile Britain.Three days after Hitler invaded Belgium, her brother-in-law, Sir Oswald Mosley, and other leaders of the British Fascist League were imprisoned - without trial - in order to prevent him from preaching peace.Prior to this, Mosley had advised his followers in black that they must be loyal to the motherland. His attitude was: "In order to prevent war, and to keep Britain and Germany as close as friends, I am willing to fight to the last breath. However, when war breaks out, I fight for my country. "Soon, Mrs. Diana Mosley, who was still breastfeeding her 11-week-old son, was also imprisoned with her husband-the prison order was issued by her relative, the Prime Minister. The authorities allowed her to bring the baby into Hollyville. But her 19-month-old son was not allowed to enter the prison. According to the rules, a mother can only have one baby, but she decided not to take both, so as not to separate them. Fortunately, her cell (the floor is soaked in In the water) there was no bed, only a mat. Three years later, Mosley fell seriously ill and the couple was released. There was an uproar, but George Bernard Shaw made fun of it. "I think the fear of Mosley this time is Shameful," he told a female reporter. "One person can scare them out of their wits. Who are these people?Even if Mosley is not in good health, now is the time to release him and make amends for letting him scare us into pleading for help from the Man and Protection Act...We still dare not let Mosley In Ray's defense, he created the absurd situation that Hitler could be bought in any bookshop in England, while Mosley couldn't buy even ten lines.The incident was made too absurd to express in words.Good night! " When Unity returned home, the bullet was still in her head.She was so sad and distressed that she could not feed herself. Eight years later, she died unexpectedly due to the movement of the bullet.