The Rise of the Third Reich

"What? The British have begun to withdraw their troops from Belgium?"

France, Paris, Matignon Palace. French Prime Minister Paul Reno looked at Deputy Prime Minister Pétain with some surprise.

The old marshal, who had just returned from Spain to save France, anxiously found Reno just after noon on April 22, and then told him a shocking news. While the French troops were fighting hard at Arras, their British Expeditionary Force allies actually retreated from Belgium in cruisers and destroyers. Moreover, the British retreat was carried out without the knowledge of the French army.

"Marshal, how did you know?" Paul Reno asked Pétain.

"Franco told me this," Marshal Pétain said with an ugly face. "I think it's very credible... The British are starting to abandon us!"

Of course, Franco's news came from Germany, but Marshal Pétain was not blind and believed the enemy's words casually.

"Mr. Prime Minister," Pétain said, "I have already contacted the headquarters of the First Army and the Seventh Army. Except for the 1st Armored Division in the front, the rest of the British troops are at Knokke-Heist. To the front line of Kirkside. It is the Belgians who are placed on the eastern front, and it is mainly us French who are resisting the German armored forces on the western front.”

Even Renault, who didn't understand military affairs, knew there was a problem after learning about the deployment of the coalition forces in Belgium. All eight divisions of the British Expeditionary Force were placed on the beach, with only the 1st Armored Division standing in front (the British 1st Armored Division had to be sacrificed, otherwise the three French light mechanized divisions would have been defeated by Rommel) ). The French and Belgian troops were placed in front to block the Germans' bullet holes...

"Damn British guy!" Paul Reno couldn't help but cursed. The situation in France is now extremely critical, and the two heavily armed groups (Belgian and Maginot) are on the verge of total annihilation. If these troops are destroyed, what else will France use to fight?

"Monsieur Prime Minister," Pétain continued, frowning his white eyebrows, "Franco also said that the British might attack or capture our fleet... to prevent them from falling into German hands."

Of course, this news was also revealed to Pétain by the Germans through Franco.

"What?" Renault opened his mouth wide with a shocked expression on his face. "This is impossible...this is an act of war!"

It would be unloyal to run away first when a disaster is approaching, but it would be too evil to stab a friend while running away.

"Mr. Prime Minister, I don't think it is possible." Pétain shook his head and whispered: "But we have to take precautions. I suggest that the fleet be concentrated in Toulon Port and then send the latest D.520 fighter jets to protect them... …Because these big warships are the only bargaining chip in our hands!”

Paul Reno was taken aback and immediately asked: "Marshal, do you think the Germans will rule the world?"

"If they get our navy," Marshal Pétain said slowly, "a European Community will emerge that is powerful enough to rule the world. And what role should we, France, play in this European Community?"

Petain's view is reasonable. Now the German army and air force are showing their dominance, and the Soviet Union and Germany still maintain "socialist comrades and brotherly friendship", and there is no sign of turning against each other and starting a war. Therefore, it seems that no one can shake Germany's hegemony on the European continent, but Germany's maritime power is somewhat weak.

But now it is very likely that Italy and Germany will form an alliance to join the war, so that the Italian Navy will side with Germany. If the French Navy is added to the mix, then the British Mediterranean Fleet will definitely not be able to withstand it.

Once the Mediterranean falls into the hands of Germany, Italy and France, as long as the two entrances to Gibraltar and Suez are defended, there is no need to worry about a British counterattack. In this way, the Italian and French fleets can be diverted to the Indian Ocean. If the German High Seas Fleet can contain the British Home Fleet, then the French and Italian navies can easily defeat the British Indian Fleet.

Once the Indian Ocean was lost, the British Empire was almost finished. Once the British Empire is over, the European Community will probably dominate the world...

"Marshal, you have forgotten the United States," Paul Reno shook his head and said in a very low voice, "I think the United States will eventually stand with the United Kingdom and inherit the world hegemony of the British Empire!"

Having said this, Prime Minister Paul Reno sighed softly: "The fleet can be concentrated in Toulon first, and then sent aircraft to protect it. But if the Germans start to attack Toulon, I will still order the fleet to leave...or scuttle. !”

…

Just as the leaders of Britain, France and Germany began to look at the situation after the Battle of France, fierce fighting on the front lines continued.

As the German 1st Armored Division, 2nd Armored Division and 10th Armored Division arrived at the Arras battlefield one after another, the British and French allied forces' breakout operation completely failed and turned to the defensive at noon on the 22nd.

Now it's the Germans' turn to attack!

On the afternoon of the 23rd, in the port of Calais, a soldier of the 11th company of the "Grossdeutschland" banner was hit by a bullet fired from a building while crossing an intersection. His body trembled and he fell to the ground. On one side of the road, he twitched a few times and then stopped moving.

Shortly after he fell, Rudolf Ribbentrop kicked open a door. A very beautiful French mother and daughter appeared in front of him, but their faces were filled with frightened expressions and tears. The mother is about thirty-six or seventeen years old, and she still maintains a good figure. The girl is only fifteen or sixteen years old at most, as cute as a porcelain doll.

"Get out of here and find a place to hide!" Ribbentrop ordered them in fluent French.

"Oh God!" the mother cried while hugging the girl. "This is my home!"

"Get out of here!" Ribbentrop said as he smashed the glass window with the butt of his gun. "This is a battlefield. Come back after the battle!"

At this time, Lieutenant Schwarzenegger entered the room with a machine gun team. He glanced at the hostess and her daughter, and then directed his men to set up machine guns in the room.

This room was on the top floor of a four-story apartment building and faced the intersection. It was a good place to set up a machine gun. Another taller building opposite this building is now a French stronghold and the target of the 11th Company's attack.

"Machine gun team! When you see the infantry artillery fire later, shoot at the building over there to cover the approach of the infantry!" Schwarzenegger first gave the order, and then shouted to Ribbentrop, " Get those two chattering women out of here and give them a fucking beating if they don’t obey you, this is not the time to be gentlemanly!”

The two women were quickly driven out. Lieutenant Schwarzenegger heard the woman crying and guessed that someone must have been beaten. After seeing the MG34 machine gun set up, Lieutenant Schwarzenegger left the room. He saw Rudolf Ribbentrop in a daze in the corridor outside and waved at him.

"The machine guns are all set up, come with me and charge! We have to occupy that damn building, and then take out the French guys guarding it and kill them!"

Gustav Schwarzenegger said angrily. His platoon had been in Calais for a full day, and it had been an absolutely terrible day, almost as bad as Stoney.

The French troops guarding the Port of Calais were very tenacious. Even though the German troops had invaded the city, they still refused to retreat (and had no place to retreat). Instead, they fought with the German troops house by house, turning the entire port into a city of flesh and blood. Mill!

A 75mm infantry gun was pushed up. The gun crew aimed the muzzle at the target building, and then fired a shell into the wall amidst the "fire" command. The three machine guns that had been set up long ago also roared, spraying tongues of flame towards the building where the French were guarding.

"Charge, charge, charge with me now!" Gustav Schwarzenegger shouted immediately, and then took the lead in charging with a submachine gun, braving French bullets fired from unknown places, and rushed in with a strange scream. building.

Rudolf Ribbentrop also rushed towards the door on the ground floor of the building. After just a few steps, his left leg seemed to be hit hard by something, and he fell down before he could stand still. , and then the severe pain spread to the brain...

This is the first time Rudolf Ribbentrop, the eldest son of the German Foreign Minister, has been injured! The French campaign was over for him.

April 23rd was definitely not a good day for the German prince, just when Rudolf Ribbentrop was shot for the first time in his life. Another Rudolf, Second Lieutenant Rudolf von Heinsberg-Hersmann, experienced his first plane crash! The Fokker Zero he was flying was shot down by a British Spitfire over Ghent.

The German 18th Army is storming Ghent, where the Belgian army is stationed. This city is the gateway to Bruges, the temporary capital of the Belgian government. Once occupied by the German army, the resistance of the Belgian army may be suspended.

Hersman's squadron was ordered to protect Ju87s and Hs-123s to bomb the Belgian positions, but was ambushed by Spitfires over Ghent.

Fortunately, the Type Zero manufactured by Anthony Fokker was stronger than the Japanese product and would not be damaged immediately. Therefore, Rudolph still had the opportunity to parachute over a city where fierce street fighting was taking place.

Whether it fell on the Belgian position or the German position, it's really hard to say.

Little Rudolph hung on the parachute, dangling downwards while chanting "Ave Maria" - influenced by his mother Chloe, he was a Catholic, not a pious person, but that's all. At that time he really needed the blessing of the Virgin Mary.