The Third Reich in Desperation

At this time, Darlan frowned at the map, which made the adjutant feel that something was really strange.

You must know that a large part of the reason why the French navy willingly followed Darlan to Africa was due to Darlan's obvious military talent.

If it is said that Berente is the best general in the contemporary French army.Then, the No.1 general who belongs to the French Navy is none other than Darlan.

Darlan hails from a small village in Nejac-sur-Garonne, France, and his grandparents were also sailors, driving small riverboats in the town of Pondesac, near Bordeaux.

The Darlan family has always been famous for shipping, so much so that there is a saying in the Nehak area that "the Darlan family commanded Noah's Ark".

Darlan's great-grandfather also served on the French Navy "Dreadnought".

However, the ship was sunk by a British warship in the Battle of Trafalgar, and the Darlan family has been known as a staunch anti-British faction ever since.

After the Franco-Prussian War, with the collapse of the Napoleonic Dynasty in France, the French Third Republic was established.

Both Darlan and his father were supporters of the French Third Republic, so Darlan was considered the most radical reformer in the French Navy at the time.

Later, the reason why Darlan was able to grow into a famous admiral in French history also benefited from the support of the then French Minister of the Navy Georges Leger.

You know, Legge was a close friend of Darlan's father during his lifetime. After the death of the old Darlan, Legge became Darlan's huge backer at the top of the French navy.

After World War I, Leger personally established the powerful French Republic Navy.Today, Darlan, who has become the commander-in-chief of the navy, is also commanding this fleet.

The most fascinating advantage of Darlan is his great ambition and courage!

The French admiral and the Italian prime minister, Mussolini, were equally arrogant in referring to the Caribbean and the Mediterranean Sea as "our oceans."

The dispute over these two sea areas is even more important than the dispute over the interests of Italy and France in Nice, Corriga, North Africa and other regions.

However, Darlan was obviously more professional than Mussolini.

In the past ten years, he has introduced a large number of mines, torpedoes, submarines and fast destroyers through commercial purchases as a supplement to the existing naval force.

The navy of the French Third Republic ranks fifth in strength in the world, but it can keep the colonial area of ​​the French colonial country, which is known as the second largest in the world.Among them, it is not unreasonable!

At this moment, Darlan, who had led the French Navy to witness too many ups and downs, once again felt abnormally depressed.

He hadn't felt this kind of depression for a long time.The last time he felt this way was when he was a captain in World War I, see Verdun support operations.

Finally, after browsing the topographic map of the sea area around Algeria, Darlan was surprised to find a problem.

"Near the port of Oran, there are no German submarines at all! The Germans have never come close to the waters around Algeria!"

Darlan's right hand on the map trembled, and he exclaimed with trembling voice: "The British are not here to deal with the Germans!"

In fact, Reinhardt has always avoided Algeria, where Darlan and Berente were stationed, as much as possible.He has tried his best not to irritate the two famous French generals in this land.

Previously, although there have been uninvited reconnaissance submarines.However, Darlan and the others later found out that it was a submarine sent by Italy, not from the German Navy.

Today, the reason why the British fleet is here is definitely not an expedition, just to patrol and declare the country's prestige.

After all, the Royal Navy of the British Empire has already lost face in front of the German High Seas Fleet, and it has nothing to boast about.

The British mobilize the fleet now, it must be for pragmatism and for war!

However, did they come here to help Darlan destroy the Italian submarine that was spying nearby?

Obviously not!

As far as the Italian ships are concerned, there is no need to dispatch a fleet to clean them up.

Thinking of this, Dalang couldn't care less about his demeanor, and immediately staggered into the broadcasting room with a loud voice, shouting, "Broadcast immediately, cancel all vacations, and all soldiers return to combat positions. First-level combat alert, let All captains go to command immediately!"

In the broadcasting room, two French military officers on duty were talking and laughing while drinking coffee and chatting.Seeing Commander Darlan rushing in with a pale face, they couldn't understand what happened for a moment.

However, the alarm sounded very quickly after all.

The French naval officers and soldiers who had withdrawn from the war heard the long-lost "woo-woo" siren in the early hours of today.

"What's going on? Haven't we already withdrawn from World War II?" An elderly logistics officer listened to the smell of gunpowder in the air with a different expression.

Immediately afterwards, he saw groups of troops rushing from all directions to the docked warships.Many of them rushed out of the barracks with sloppy beards before they even had time to wash.

Could this be an exercise conducted by General Darlan in order to keep the officers vigilant?

The old logistics officer guessed half-bakedly.

However, his guess was soon overturned by the broadcast.

"Once again, we have been surrounded by the British fleet and may be bombarded at any time. Everyone returns to combat positions immediately, everyone returns to combat positions immediately! This is not a drill. Again, this is not a drill!"

What? !Surrounded by the British fleet!

The old military officer was a little confused about the situation.A few days ago, that is, on June 6, didn't you say that you just received a telegram of understanding from the British Prime Minister?

Commander Darlan was also very moved and said that every June 6th in the future, the French Navy will use it to hold activities, bearing in mind the tolerance of the British.

How...the British played everyone a trick?

That was promised by the British Prime Minister Churchill himself. How could the majestic British Empire be so double-faced and deny people? !

While the old officer was puzzled, Darlan in the command room was unwilling to believe what was happening now.

To be honest, the reason why he ordered a first-level alert did not mean that he immediately accepted the fact.

The series of orders Darlan gave were nothing more than his instincts based on his sense of responsibility and accumulated military accomplishment.From the bottom of his heart, he was still unwilling to believe that Churchill's intentions would be so sinister.

However, the reality has already forced him not to believe it!

"Commander, the British ships have already started to drop a large number of mines in our port!" The report of a combat staff officer completely revealed the intentions of the British.

Their trip is aimed at the Darlan fleet!

Text Chapter 438 Italian Navy

Fred stared at the direction in which the British fleet was heading away, and silently swallowed his saliva.

In fact, the reason why the Italian submarine "Balila" led by Fred appeared here was to monitor the French fleet in the Port of Oran and report Darlan's every move to the country.

But these days, the French have not moved much, but a huge British fleet came uninvited, which scared Fred enough.

Although in line with the fanatical idea of ​​"Long Live the New Roman Empire", Fred mustered up his courage, and finally ordered to catch up and fired a torpedo.

But helplessly, the speed of the British fleet is too fast.Fred's Italian submarine tried his best but failed to catch up, and the torpedo, of course, missed the target.

"Adjust the course! Full rudder to the left, 45 degrees!" Fred did not choose to continue chasing and firing torpedoes after the attack missed, but slipped away immediately after fulfilling the order.

After all, a torpedo is an expensive weapon, and it would be too wasteful to launch it indiscriminately if it fails to hit.