Chapter 201: Chapter 279 Unprotected Cities
Upon learning of the Dunkirk Expedition surrendering and laying down their weapons, Churchill erupted in furious shouts and cries for a good half-day. It was all about Lord Gort being a criminal of the British Empire, and he would undoubtedly be sent to the gallows in the future.
Rather than being angry, it was more about masking the fear within.
Is it true that Britain is really finished?
No! The British Empire cannot be finished!! Britain can still endure!!
Churchill immediately called a meeting. "Gentlemen, unfortunately, due to the shameless betrayal of certain individuals, we have lost our entire expeditionary force." As he spoke, bitterness and helplessness filled Churchill's heart. Since the financial crisis ten years ago, it seemed like God had forgotten about the pitiful nation of the British Empire.
Now the British Empire was like a giant on the verge of collapse, a giant with a precarious fate hanging by a thread.
However, he still confidently rallied everyone. "The spirit of Nelson tells us not to be too pessimistic! The British Empire has yet to face an insurmountable obstacle!"
"Now we must defend our homeland with all our might and focus on the following tasks. The first task is to conscript our reserves, put them into active service, and arm all Poles, Frenchmen, and anyone else remaining on our soil!"
In the original timeline, key figures of the Polish government fled to London, forming an exiled government. Many Polish soldiers who escaped joined the British and French forces to fight against Germany. The Warsaw Squadron, composed of Polish pilots, ranked first among all Royal Air Force fighter squadrons in the Battle of Britain, shooting down 126 German planes. One of the Polish aces, Lieutenant Debski, even shot down the German ace Adolf Galland in one dogfight.
However, at this moment, Wilhelm intercepted the Polish government on the way, including the former Polish president Mościcki and Marshal Śmigły, who were then imprisoned by the Germans. Most Polish soldiers were also locked up in prisoner-of-war camps. The ones who managed to escape to Britain numbered just over a thousand, barely enough to form a regiment. But now, Churchill wasn't even asking for a regiment; he'd take as many as he could get.
"The second task is that France's surrender is inevitable, and we must handle the French navy properly." The French navy was considered the fourth largest in the world, boasting 1 aircraft carrier, 3 battleships, 7 heavy cruisers, 12 light cruisers, and over 50 destroyers, with 101 submarines. Once all these warships were handed over to Germany, Britain would be utterly finished.
The British navy had suffered a series of heavy blows, and its strength had greatly diminished. To rebuild quickly, a simple and brutal method was to bring over the French navy's vessels! Even if they couldn't bring them over, they absolutely couldn't leave them to the Germans!
"We must prepare for the worst. Rather than let the French navy's warships fall into German hands, we would destroy them ourselves! We cannot allow Germany to gain control even if it means attacking the French navy." Couldn't the German navy attack them anyway? If they couldn't even defeat the French navy, there was no point in struggling for Britain, it would be over.
The people looked at each other. After all, France was still an ally at this point. It felt a bit... dubious to stab an ally in the back like this. But people also understood the current predicament of Britain, so they silently agreed to Churchill's plan.
After all, it was in the nature of the British.
If you were to say which country in World War II in the original timeline was the most selfish, undoubtedly, it was Britain. Shamelessly betraying allies to preserve its own strength, pushing the Allies into the fire pit. For example, at Dunkirk, the French were made cannon fodder to cover the retreat of the British. In Burma, they let the locals resist to cover their retreat. The key problem was that after doing these despicable things, they still had a big mouth, accusing other allies of not attacking, as if the whole world was Britain fighting bloodily, and other countries were just sitting around.
"Thirdly, we need enough time for a buffer, send someone to negotiate with Germany, deceive the Germans, and preferably drag the negotiations for a year or so."
Seeing Churchill so calm, coming up with one strategy after another, the people gradually regained their confidence. At this moment, Churchill had become the backbone of Great Britain. As long as he was there, Britain would not surrender!
On the other hand, in the meeting room of the Matignon Palace in Paris, an atmosphere of despair pervaded. Every French cabinet minister present was either wiping away tears or silently weeping.
French Prime Minister Reynaud asked weakly, "Your Excellency, do we still have a chance?"
Pierre Laval, the overall commander of the Allied forces, was now completely powerless, reduced to a commander without an army, and he said with a depressed face, "Where is there still a chance? From the recent situation, it's not difficult to see that the German army has an overwhelming advantage, not only in terms of personnel and combat quality but also in weapons, technology, and equipment. Moreover, the German forces have not suffered any significant damage in this battle. I estimate that in a few days, they will launch a military operation to attack Paris."
Marshal Pétain spoke beside him, "I suggest that at the appropriate time, we declare Paris as an undefended city to avoid the ravages of war."
Not long ago, Marshal Pétain was serving as the ambassador to Spain and was recalled by Reynaud, who appointed him as the deputy prime minister.
Everyone understood the implications of this appointment, after all, the position of deputy prime minister was not a permanent position in the French government. At such a critical moment, creating the position of deputy prime minister and having Marshal Pétain fill it had a clear intent.
In the original timeline, the Spanish head of state Franco advised him not to return to France. "Why associate your reputation with a failure that should have been someone else's responsibility?" In fact, if Pétain had considered himself, the best choice at that time was to stay overseas. He could have even established an exiled government with his lofty reputation. Occasionally, he could have used rhetoric to rally people in the occupied areas to resist the Germans. If Pétain had done so, after the war, he would have been the "double champion" who twice saved the nation, without any involvement in the affairs of his student, de Gaulle. However, Petain ultimately chose to return home to clean up the mess. At that time, he replied to Franco, "I know what I will face when I return, but my homeland is calling me, and I have a duty. Perhaps, this is my last time serving my country." From this confession, it can be seen that Pétain was well aware that returning home meant taking the blame for others, bearing the stigma of defeat, surrender, and betrayal. Pétain wanted to be the protector of defeated France, making Germany show a minimal level of respect for this country that had already lost its face.
Everyone fell silent. The so-called undefended city means that during wartime, there are no defensive military forces and installations in the city. When the sovereignty of a country is invaded, and its capital or city faces the danger of occupation, the government, in the spirit of humanitarianism to protect civilians and preserve the city's cultural heritage, may declare it as an undefended city. The defending military forces evacuate, automatically relinquishing the right to occupy the city, and the city adheres to the principle of non-resistance.
According to the 1907 Hague Convention, attacking parties are not allowed to engage in destructive attacks such as shelling or bombing undefended cities or villages.
At that moment, a secretary hurriedly walked in, approached Reynaud, and whispered, "Mr. Prime Minister, Prime Minister Churchill of Britain is on the phone."
"Excuse me, everyone, I'll be back to continue later." After saying that, Reynaud got up and walked out of the meeting room.
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