The Rise of the Third Reich

The Spanish moved residents, built fortifications, and reinforced railways around Gibraltar with great fanfare, which naturally could not be hidden from the British Empire.

"The Germans' next target must be Gibraltar!" In the British Cabinet's wartime headquarters on King Charles Avenue in London, the Imperial Chief of Staff, Sir Dill, told Churchill very confidently. "And the Red Sea and East Africa are not at great risk for the time being."

This is very obvious. Even without the Spanish's fanfare, the British Imperial General Staff could have come to this conclusion. By taking the Red Sea and East Africa, Germany only opened up a channel to the Indian Ocean. And by taking Gibraltar, the Italian and French fleets can rush out of the Mediterranean and meet the German fleet in the Atlantic.

At that time, the Royal Navy of the British Empire will be forced to fight a decisive battle with the German, Italian, and French fleets near the English Channel. Considering the strength of the German and Italian shore-based aviation forces, and the number of super battleships owned by Germany, Italy, and France (2 Bismarcks, 2 Veneto, and 2 Richelieu), the British Royal Navy is likely to suffer a fatal blow.

"So we must defend the Gibraltar Fortress. This is related to the survival of the British Empire!" Winston Churchill made a decision immediately.

"Admiral," Churchill said to Sir Dill while smoking a cigar, "The Gibraltar Fortress is the strongest in the world. It once stopped Emperor Napoleon's footsteps. Now it must be able to stop the so-called German God of War Hessmann, right?"

Admiral Dill frowned, shook his head slightly and said, "Prime Minister, Napoleon didn't have airplanes and 420mm caliber cannons at that time."

The British Chief of Staff didn't know that Germany had the 800mm caliber Gustav cannon, but he knew that Germany had the 420mm caliber "Big Bertha". Moreover, the "Big Bertha" was a product of the First World War. Germany must have more terrible cannons now.

"And the terrain of the Gibraltar Peninsula is actually not very conducive to defense." Admiral Dill's words were beyond Churchill's expectations.

"How is that possible?" Churchill laughed, "That's the most dangerous fortress in the world. I've been there. Gibraltar is a long and narrow peninsula. Most of the peninsula is limestone mountains. The northern entrance is particularly steep and very narrow. It is simply a natural fortress." Admiral Dill shook his head and said, "But the airport in Gibraltar is on the north side of the Gibraltar Rock, close to the Spanish land. As long as there is a battalion of 150mm howitzers, the airport can be blocked." Churchill was stunned, and a fatal map of the Gibraltar Fortress suddenly appeared in his mind. The Gibraltar Fortress is of course strong and dangerous. The Gibraltar Rock and its left and right are densely covered with air-raid shelters and trenches. In the northern section of the rock is the Wind Mill Terrace, with an altitude of 95-125 meters. Three very strong artillery positions were built in the northern section of the terrace, with many 6-inch cannons and a large number of anti-aircraft guns deployed, with enough firepower to block the northern entrance of the Gibraltar Peninsula. To the south of these three forts, in the southern section of the Windmill Terrace near the edge of the Mediterranean Sea, another four large armored forts were built, with 9.2-inch coastal defense guns deployed.

To the south of the Windmill Terrace, there is also a smaller Europa Terrace, which is located at the southernmost tip of the Gibraltar Peninsula, with an altitude of only 15-30 meters. There is also a small valley between the two terraces, in which four forts were built, three of which were equipped with 9.2-inch cannons, and one was equipped with 6-inch cannons. In addition, many anti-aircraft guns were also deployed around these forts.

In addition to these fixed forts, the Gibraltar Fortress also has many 6-inch howitzers and anti-aircraft guns that can be deployed in a mobile manner.

It can be said that the entire Gibraltar Peninsula is an unsinkable battleship full of 9.2-inch coastal defense guns, 6-inch howitzers/cannons and various anti-aircraft guns.

But there is indeed no safe enough place on this "unsinkable battleship" to lay the flight deck. So a large airport was built on the flat land north of the Gibraltar Rock, and this location was right next to the Spanish territory. If Spain remained neutral or allied with Britain, the Gibraltar Fortress would certainly not be captured.

But once Spain turned to Germany, the Gibraltar Airport would be exposed to enemy fire and it would be impossible to deploy aircraft.

Once the Gibraltar Fortress lost the ability to deploy aircraft, its air defense force would be greatly weakened, and it could only rely on anti-aircraft guns to protect itself from enemy air raids.

Moreover, the attack power of the Gibraltar Fortress without the airport was greatly weakened. Its firepower coverage range was the range of the 9.2-inch cannons deployed on the peninsula. Although it could block the Strait of Gibraltar and prevent Italian and French battleships from approaching, it could not attack the large-caliber, long-range cannons and railway guns deployed at a long distance on Spanish territory.

"We have no way to defend the fortress?" Churchill looked at Admiral Diehl with some disappointment.

Admiral Dill, the Chief of the General Staff, and Marshal Pound, the First Sea Lord, looked at each other, and Marshal Pound took over the question.

"Prime Minister, without the support of air power, it is very difficult for the Gibraltar Fortress to hold on. The Germans have a lot of large-caliber heavy artillery, which can eventually destroy the defense of the Gibraltar Fortress. So, it is only a matter of time before we lose the fortress!"

"We will really lose the fortress..." Churchill bit the butt of his cigar, "and then the Italian and French fleets will rush out of the Mediterranean! Is that right?"

"It may not be impossible to defend," Marshal Pound said, "but we cannot rely solely on the strength of the Gibraltar Fortress to defend itself."

"Should we use the Home Fleet?" Churchill suddenly looked anxious. After the Mediterranean Campaign, the comparison of the strength of the British and German navies was changing. Britain's overwhelming advantage no longer existed, and because France was becoming increasingly pro-German, the British Home Fleet was likely to be at a disadvantage overnight.

In this case, if the Home Fleet suffered another setback, the next battle would most likely be fought on the beaches of England!

"Not only must we use the Home Fleet," Marshal Pound said, "we must first take the Canary Islands and Madeira Islands as support points.

The Canary Islands belong to Spain, while the Madeira Islands belong to Portugal. Both archipelagos are located in the Atlantic Ocean, with the Canary Islands in the south, close to French Morocco in Africa, and the Madeira Islands to the north, almost facing the exit of the Strait of Gibraltar.

"The straight-line distance between the Canary Islands and the Madeira Islands and the Strait of Gibraltar is just over 1,000 kilometers. "Marshal Pound said, "We can deploy bombers and torpedo bombers there to support the Gibraltar operation."

"Is that okay?" Churchill shook his head and said, "We don't have escort fighters like the Fokker Zero."

"We can use aircraft carriers," said Marshal Pound, "The carrier-based aircraft of the aircraft carrier can not only escort the bombers taking off from the Canary Islands and Madeira Islands, but also cover the battleships approaching the Strait of Gibraltar and support the defense of the Gibraltar Peninsula with large-caliber naval guns."

"How many aircraft carriers do we have available now?" Churchill asked immediately.

"If we don't count the three aircraft carriers in the Indian Ocean, we now have three aircraft carriers: the Royal Ark, the Bainya (Free France's aircraft carrier) and the Formidable. The Victory and the Indomitable will also be completed soon and are expected to join the Royal Navy in May. In addition, two Vengeance-class aircraft carriers will be commissioned next year. ”

After the Scapa Flow raid on September 3, 1939, the UK lost three aircraft carriers, so the speed of aircraft carrier construction was also accelerated. The two Vengeance-class ships, which had been slowed down due to the shortage of raw materials, also received enough materials, so they could be put into service in 1942.

"In addition, the Royal Navy also has a training aircraft carrier, the Retaliation," Marshal Pound continued, "as well as a newly converted escort aircraft carrier, the Pretoria (directly converted from a cruise ship to an aircraft carrier), and the escort aircraft carrier, the Daring, which will soon be converted. These three aircraft carriers can also be incorporated into the fleet to participate in the decisive battle at sea when necessary. "

While listening to Pound, Churchill calculated in his heart that the Battle of Gibraltar might not start immediately, and there should be a lot of preliminary preparations. Maybe it can be delayed until the Victory, Indomitable and Daring are in service. In this way, the Home Fleet will have 8 aircraft carriers available!

"That means the Home Fleet will soon have 8 aircraft carriers available, right? "Churchill asked.

"Yes," Marshal Pound replied, "by June at the latest, we will have 8 aircraft carriers."

"How many aircraft carriers will the Germans have by then?" Churchill asked again.

"Two," Marshal Pound replied, "According to current intelligence, they only have 2 aircraft carriers available."

The British intelligence was accurate. Germany now has 2 "Seydlitz" class ships in service, and 2 "Zeppelin" class ships are being fitted out and will not be in service until 1942. There are also 4 "Zeppelin" class ships that have just started construction and will not be in service until 1943 at the earliest. In addition, there are 5 "Blue Ribbon" aircraft carriers that are being modified and will not be in service until 1942.

"In other words," Churchill said thoughtfully, "we currently have an overwhelming advantage in aircraft carriers?"

"Yes, Prime Minister!" Marshal Pound nodded, "and we also have the two trump cards of Madeira Islands and Canary Islands! The aircraft deployed on these two islands and the carrier-based aircraft on the eight aircraft carriers will definitely deal a heavy blow to the Germans and Italians! "