The Rise of the Third Reich

"You French people who fight for the islanders are so pitiful. In Zeebrugge, Ostend and Nieuwpoort, the islanders have fled in big and comfortable warships, and you only have fishing boats... …”

After reading this, Lieutenant General Pierre Billot turned pale and handed the leaflet in his hand to Naval Captain William Tennant.

"Colonel, I want to know if what is said in this leaflet is true?" Lieutenant General Pierre Billot asked, "The British Expeditionary Force escaped on a Royal Navy ship, right?"

Naval Captain William Tennant smiled bitterly and didn't know what to say to this stubborn old man. The old Frenchman not only refused to board the yacht himself, but also did not allow his soldiers to board the boat and escape. As a result, the entire day of the 25th was wasted... Although the fishing boats and yachts on the sea cannot carry many people, it is still possible to transport three to five thousand in a day. Although these people cannot defend Paris, they are enough to maintain the existence of France's overseas empire.

But the damn German Nazis did not behave cruelly at all during the day today. Except for the two dozen Fokker 99s that dropped some bombs at around 8 o'clock in the morning, the German bombers that flew to Dunkirk were all Throwing "paper bombs" - the leaflets held in Lieutenant General Billot's hand.

Starting at 2 o'clock in the afternoon, several He-111s will fly in every hour to drop paper bombs. At least 500,000 leaflets have been dropped now. Every Frenchman here in Dunkirk probably has one in his hand!

After seeing these leaflets, looking at the small fishing boats on the sea, and then thinking about the British Royal Navy that dominates the world, anyone with any brain can know that the Germans are not lying.

However, William Tennant cannot be as honest as the Germans. Even if he knows that no one will believe his lies, he still has to tell them again and again.

"Lieutenant General, you should not believe the German lies. The British Empire will never abandon its friends. The Royal Navy is doing its best to rescue every Allied officer and soldier, whether he is French or British. So please be sure to cooperate with our actions , order your men to board the ship immediately..."

"Lies, all lies!" Lieutenant General Billot was so angry that he almost exploded before Tennant could finish. "I will not let a Frenchman board your fishing boat. This will damage the honor of France. I Report this to Paris!"

In fact, the French government in Paris already knew about this without Lieutenant General Billot's report, because the French army had observers and liaison officers in the British Expeditionary Force. Moreover, German bombers also dropped leaflets with the same content in Paris. Now the whole of Paris knew that the British were going to abandon France and escape. And France will soon have to bear the consequences of defeat alone...

"Mr. Prime Minister, given that the 1st Army Group is completely in dire straits, it is now certain that France will inevitably be defeated. The current resistance that the French army can carry out can only achieve one goal: to save the honor of the army and strive for decent surrender conditions. "

In the basement of the Matignon Palace, the newly appointed commander-in-chief of the coalition forces, General Wei Gang, was reporting to the cabinet on the complete military defeat. The morale of the French 1st Army Group has collapsed, and it is possible to lay down its weapons and surrender at any time - in fact, Lieutenant General Billot has already raised the possibility of surrender of the troops in the telegram!

Maxim Weigang sighed, glanced at a group of senior cabinet officials in the conference room who were as dejected as he was, and then said: "Through the analysis of previous battles, we can draw the conclusion that the German army has a real overwhelming advantage. . In the past ten days, the German army has suffered negligible losses in manpower and technical equipment, which means that they can launch an attack on Paris within a few days after solving our 1st Army and the British Expeditionary Force. Military action.

At that time, 10 or more armored divisions will march towards Paris from the east and north. And we have no force that can stop their advance. Since we cannot transfer enough troops from the Maginot Line and Belgium, the troops used to deploy along the Somme-Aisne River are hastily marched troops. I therefore propose that Paris be declared an open city in due course..."

At this point, the 74-year-old General Wei Gang could not help but shed tears. Every senior French cabinet official present was like him, either wiping away tears or crying secretly.

"Admiral," French Prime Minister Reno still managed to cheer up, "Is it possible for us to establish a stronghold of resistance on the Brittany Peninsula? Maybe we can hold on there for a few months and wait for the situation to change?"

The Brittany Peninsula is in the northwest of France, like a bayonet thrust into the Atlantic Ocean. The French army only needs to defend a defense line of about 100 kilometers (in the middle of the peninsula) to maintain its last foothold on the mainland with British support.

"It may be possible to persist for a few months, but the price will be very heavy!" Maxim Weigand frowned, "Because the defense line guarding the Brittany Peninsula is at least 100 kilometers long, and construction has not yet begun. . If we want to defend the peninsula, we must organize a defense battle for Paris. Hundreds of thousands of French people will lose their lives, and a temporary 100-kilometer-long defense line is not impossible to break through. More lives will be lost...perhaps 100,000 to 200,000 French people will die on that line of defense every month! Will the expected change occur if we stick to this cost for a few months? "

The suggestion to hold on to the Brittany Peninsula was made by Churchill to Paul Reynold via long-distance phone call this morning. The so-called "change" naturally refers to the United States' participation in the war, which is the only thing that Britain and France can look forward to now.

"The United States may participate in the war," Marshal Pétain interjected at this time, "but the current size of the U.S. military is very small. At the end of last year, they only had about 335,000 people, of which the navy accounted for 144,000. The army has less than 200,000 people. , so what if we all send troops to France? If we really want to expect reinforcements from the United States, then we won’t have to hold on for a few months, but we have to hold on for at least 12 months...if the United States starts a general mobilization now!”

“If we have to defend for 12 months,” Admiral Weygand whispered, “then we must be prepared for the death of at least 2.5 million French men. This does not include the lives paid in the Battle of Paris and other battlefields... We France will shed another generation of blood for Britain’s world hegemony!”

Prime Minister Reno sighed: "We are wasting time... I know that no French person will be willing to do this. Let alone 2.5 million people die, they are not willing to die even if 1 million people die."

He paused, "If the Somme-Aisne line is breached, we will declare Paris an undefended city. The government will move to Tours and sue Germany for peace at the same time. As for the surrounded 1st Army Group , let Lieutenant General Billot resist for a few more days as much as possible, and if that doesn't work, put down your weapons to save your life."

…

"We might consider merging Britain and France into one country and establishing a unified government, a unified parliament and a unified army. This way we can take over the French fleet and overseas colonies after the fall of France."

At the British Cabinet meeting held on the night of the 25th, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill suddenly proposed a imaginative plan-the merger of Britain and France!

The cabinet members were stunned by this proposal and looked at Churchill blankly. Churchill smoked a cigarette and said, "What? Do you think this plan is bad? Britain and France will become one and will be the most powerful country in the world."

"Prime Minister," Viscount Halifax, the Foreign Minister, shook his head and asked, "After the union of Britain and France, will we still merge with Germany to achieve European integration? Then the world war will be over, right?"

Churchill thought for a while, shook his head and said: "Of course we can't add Germany. Germany has too many people. If they join, the Germans will be able to conquer Britain with their votes. What we want to promote is only the merger with France. I think this It’s the best solution at the moment.”

"But what is the difference between this approach and the 'European Community' proposed by the Germans?" Viscount Halifax asked next.

There seems to be no difference. Because the current Third Reich in Germany is not a dictatorship of the Nazi Party, but a joint power of the Nazi Party and the Fatherland Party. Moreover, Adolf Hitler, the "leader and chancellor", was also elected by the German citizens. The "European Community" proposed by the Germans is actually a federal democratic country, similar to the United States.

"Of course it's different," Churchill shrugged, "because we in Britain have never had the grand ideal of unifying Europe, and we are not Franks. We only merged with France to save France. As long as Germany is defeated, France can separate at any time. . Once France joins the German-led European Community, France will forever lose its independence. This is something the proud French cannot accept!”

It seems that there is some truth. The British cabinet ministers looked at each other. Although they were not willing to let Britain and France become a unified country, when the fall of France was inevitable, the merger of Britain and France was the only "legal" way for Britain to obtain the French navy and colonies. .

If this method is not used, then the British Royal Navy must attack the French fleet in Toulon! This act of betrayal and stabbing an ally will seriously damage the prestige of the British Empire and may even push France to the side of Germany.

Members of the British cabinet have expressed their support for Churchill's idea. Since the current cabinet is a coalition government and the leaders of the major political parties are cabinet members, matters passed at the cabinet meeting will not encounter obstacles in the parliament.

"Okay," Churchill nodded. "When Operation Dynamo is over, I will go to Paris to discuss this matter with Prime Minister Reno."