Iron Cross

At 7 o'clock in the morning, Prime Minister Churchill of the British Empire had just woken up from his sleep. In recent days, he had been tortured by the war in Egypt and could not eat well or sleep well. He had lost weight and even his double chin had shrunk. Trend, this morning I worked hard until almost 3 o'clock before falling asleep. In my dream, I was worried about the situation in Cairo, so I got up a little later than usual.

Just when he was wearing a nightgown and his eyes were sleepy, the harsh phone rang at an inappropriate time. He hurriedly answered the phone, already having an ominous premonition in his heart.

"Prime Minister...good morning." Admiral Pound greeted in a low voice, "I'm very sorry to disturb your rest. I have some unfortunate news that I need to report to you. Can I come over and tell you?"

"Ah!" Churchill had completely woken up from his nap, "Okay, I'll wait for you here."

While Churchill took the time to wash up, he quickly asked his adjutant to prepare breakfast for him. He also specifically reminded not to add sugar to the coffee. Although supplies in Great Britain were very tight, the supply at the Prime Minister's residence was still guaranteed. He was not trying to save, but wanted to use coffee. -Elevate your energy with stimulation.

Pound reluctantly exchanged greetings with Churchill, and then said something extremely shocking: "Twenty minutes ago, I received a telegram from Admiral Cunningham - they were attacked by a large number of Japanese aircraft off the coast of Somalia. , suspected to be a carrier-based aircraft of the Japanese fleet.”

"What? Did I hear it correctly, Japanese fleet?" Churchill looked like he had seen a ghost and almost jumped up from his seat.

"This is not a joke, this is a telegram from him."

Before Churchill could take it and take a closer look, the phone rang again. The adjutant hurriedly rushed to pick it up. He only asked one question before turning his head: "Prime Minister, Marshal Brooke has something important to see you."

Churchill walked over slowly. He tried his best to suppress his uneasiness and asked in as calm a tone as possible: "I am Churchill, what happened?"

"Urgent... Kenya's Mombasa Escort Command sent an urgent telegram. Earlier, the Socotra Island Base also sent a telegram saying that traces of the Japanese fleet were found."

There was a "boom", and Churchill was stunned. He asked repeatedly: "How many? What is it? Where is it?"

"The position at the time of the report was about 300 nautical miles south of Socotra Island. It was only said that it was the main force of the Japanese fleet. The specific situation was unknown - the pilot was shot down after reporting the news." Brooke said in a sad voice, "From the position Judging from this, they are probably less than 200 nautical miles away from Admiral Cunningham's fast column. This is a very dangerous distance. Japanese aircraft may have been attacking the fleet - but the Navy has not reported to me definite information. "

Churchill's hands and feet were cold and he was trembling: "Marshal Pound is here with me. He has reported the news about the fleet. Can you get here right away?"

"Okay, I'll be there soon."

After Churchill returned to his seat, he continued to ask Pound: "Where is our nearest aircraft? Can we go to support the fleet?"

"There is one point on Socotra Island, there are also some in the Escort Command, and there are also some in Ethiopia and Libya, but they are not enough to pose a threat to the Japanese fleet."

"Go and mobilize..."

Pound reminded him that this was not a matter of adjusting planes. Admiral Cunningham's fleet might be wiped out.

"This is impossible..." Churchill stood up waving his arms angrily, extremely emotional, "His fleet has 1 aircraft carrier, 5 battleships, 6 light and heavy cruisers and 8 destroyers, which can completely compete with Japanese fleet battle."

"but……"

"Prime Minister." Brooke came in with a livid face and handed him a copy of the telegram. "Before leaving, I received the latest situation report from the Navy. After comprehensive intelligence, the fast column may have encountered the entire main force of the combined fleet, including at least 5 "There are 9 aircraft carriers, 9 battleships, 17 light and heavy cruisers, and dozens of destroyers or other types of ships."

"Bastard!" Churchill threw the telegram on the table after a rough glance. "They pushed the entire combined fleet up. Are the Japanese crazy? Do they want to abandon the islands in Southeast Asia?"

"The Japanese are indeed crazy!" Pound felt incredible after reading it. "The only good thing is that the landing force, under the cover of Admiral Cunningham, is heading west to land on the beach. They are not far from the coast of Somalia. The distance is only about 100 nautical miles, and it only takes 5-6 hours to land.”

"Bang..." Churchill slammed his fist on the table angrily, and even the coffee cup jumped up. After just a few sips of the coffee that the adjutant had worked so hard to prepare, it all splashed out and scattered all over the table. Pound was thankful that the landing troops could still be saved, but Churchill knew that Cairo's troops were doomed, and his last hope of saving the situation in Egypt was completely shattered.

"Prime Minister, Prime Minister." The two of them watched the adjutant hurriedly clearing the table, while worrying about Churchill's mood.

"Can we dedicate any fleet to meet these armies? In addition to our troops, there is also the U.S. Second Armored Division in the fast column. There are more than 30,000 people in total. We cannot afford to lose." Churchill said dejectedly, "Even if they can't Landing in Egypt can also be a useful boost for us in resisting German aggression in East Africa - after the Germans occupy Egypt, Ethiopia, Somalia, and Kenya will be their next targets."

Pound shook his head in embarrassment: "The slow fleet is not strong, with only 2 aircraft carriers (Hundred-Eyed Giant and Fury), 2 escort carriers, 2 old battleships (New York and Texas), and Some old-fashioned cruisers and destroyers, if they are really the main force of the combined fleet, they will never be an opponent. Other than that, we basically have no naval power. "

"Why didn't Cunningham bring the Hundred-Eyed Giant and the Furious? If these two aircraft carriers were here, we wouldn't be in such a mess at all. Maybe there would still be room for a battle with the Japanese." Churchill slapped the table and roared.

Pound and Brooke looked at me and I looked at you. They both felt that the Prime Minister's anger was unreasonable: Operation Torch had a total of 110,000 troops, and the fast column only took away more than 30,000. The bulk was actually still behind, Canning. In order to strengthen the combat effectiveness of the fast column, An has brought 5 of the 7 battleships and almost all the light and heavy cruisers, as well as 1 aircraft carrier. If these two aircraft carriers are also removed, the slow fleet will still have What strength? Instead of scolding Cunningham for not bringing two aircraft carriers, it is better to be grateful that the slow fleet is far away from the fast column. Otherwise, how to deal with the Japanese main fleet once it pounces?

While he was struggling, a stream of telegrams poured into the Prime Minister's residence. Cunningham reported the situation and decisions after the first air raid. Faced with the situation of "two battleships, one aircraft carrier sunk, and three battleships damaged". As a result of the battle, the three of them seemed to have been punched hard in the chest, and they were speechless for a long time.

Pound rarely defended Cunningham: "This is not his fault. He also wanted to balance the strength of the two columns. If I must say it was wrong, the mistake was that the troops should not be divided. The entire fleet and landing force should have been divided. Going to Egypt, instead of being divided into two teams like now and being forced to spread their strength so that the Japanese can defeat them one by one."

These words left Churchill speechless. It was he who gave the order to reinforce the fleet as soon as possible and even divide the troops to advance. Pound's words vaguely meant to accuse himself, but he must not let this scapegoat be carried on his head.

Brooke said coldly: "I don't see it that way. Fortunately, we have divided our troops. We can at least retain the 80,000 troops. Otherwise, the 110,000 troops will be taken over by the Japanese. In my opinion, the biggest responsibility is to guard the Indian Ocean." There is something wrong with the system, otherwise how could it be possible for the Japanese fleet to cross thousands of nautical miles without being detected? "

The problems were too big and too many. Churchill scratched the few hairs on his head in distress: "Now is not the time to hold people accountable. I just ask, two of you, what should we do next? The British Empire is now in danger." ”

"Has there been any response to the Soviet Red Army's request to launch a diversionary attack?"

Churchill felt annoyed when he mentioned this: Stalin had promised to launch a fierce offensive on the Eastern Front to divert the attention of the German army. Unexpectedly, the German army quickly entered Alexandria and forced Montgomery to surrender. Seeing that the British army in Egypt was gone, Zhukov and Vasilevs The offensive plan drawn up by the Christian Alliance became a piece of waste paper before Stalin could seriously study it. Now the Russians are asking whether the British army has the ability to continue to hold on to the Middle East and Persia. Once the supply channels are cut off, it is no joke. of. In this regard, Churchill simply did not dare to say that the batch of aid supplies to Russia had already become the spoils of war for the Germans. He could only continue to prevaricate the Soviet ambassador with empty promises to make the other party feel at ease.

A bigger trouble lies ahead: Although there is still more than 1,500 kilometers from Egypt to Persia, Persia is located in the soft lower belly of Russia. When the Persian authorities showed their pro-Axis stance, Russia and Britain did not hesitate to invade. They conquered this country and overthrew the original regime, and now German power is back again. If Turkey, which has always remained neutral, is ready to change its attitude, the situation in the Middle East will have a chain reaction. Stalin also paid great attention to this: on the one hand, he was fighting Manstein with hesitation, and on the other hand, he was considering what to do after Britain lost its position in the Middle East.

"Perhaps we should carefully study the next strategy. We have been led by the Germans for too long."

"There are still urgent matters now." Pound and Brooke exchanged glances, "What to do with the troops in the slow column? They are now in a dilemma. Reinforcement of Egypt in the short term is already a luxury, and we cannot let them float on the sea for a long time, or arrange for them to go Madagascar?”

Churchill thought carefully: "It is not appropriate to go to Madagascar. There cannot be so many troops there. As long as the navy does not have the upper hand, it would be too bad if this isolated island outside the mainland is surrounded by the Japanese and German forces. It is better to retreat first." South Africa."

"Prime Minister, General Cunningham sent a farewell message. The rapid column is over..." The adjutant rushed in to report.

The three of them were stunned, as if they were petrified.