The speed of the German advancement broke the common sense of the British ** team, and the Dover theater headquarters fell into panic. ⊙. ⊙According to the original plan of the British army, they also knew that relying on the outer defense line was not enough to resist the German attack, especially the other party also had armored forces, even if these positions had a certain geographical advantage, but the equipment and strength The flaws are difficult to offset, but according to the experience of the British army in France, these troops can delay the enemy for at least two to three days, because this area is covered with gully hills, which is not suitable for the German armored forces. Maneuver.

The result was far beyond their expectations. The terrain outside Dover did bring some obstacles to the movement of the German armored forces, but the Germans were not only the armored forces, they also had the same elite infantry. After the firepower cooperation, the German infantry became the main force to break through the defense line, as they did in the French battle. In the French campaign, the German armored forces were excessively beautified and propagated by the German government as a threatening and deterrent force. Their brilliance masked the glory of the German infantry forces and made people ignore most of the performance. This fact was established by the infantry unit.

The wishful calculations of Dover Command completely fell through. They did not expect that the three lines of defense would disappear in one night. In the eyes of the command staff team, the collapse of the first line of defense is inevitable. After all, these positions were constructed too hastily and crudely. For this reason, they also deliberately strengthened their troops and equipment to try to balance their combat effectiveness.

However, the rapid defeat of the following two defense lines was somewhat unexpected. They asked the officers and soldiers who had been lucky to retreat from the front line, wanting to learn the secret of the German team’s rapid progress, and the results obtained made them feel cold. .

The Germans used a new type of tank. The existing British tanks had no resistance in front of them. Even the most heavily armored Matilda II was vulnerable to these German monsters. The German infantry used a new type of incendiary weapon. At the same time, there is also a single artillery that can easily destroy the tank. As long as they are close to the position, the fortifications and fortresses that have been built have become like paper, especially after they are burned, it makes people have this sentence. Intuitive understanding.

To the officers of the Dover Command, the reports of these people were like drunken nonsense, but the soldiers who had lingering fears swear under their own name, they told nothing but facts. In addition, there are reports of some lower-ranking officers, which made these high gentlemen believe these terrible facts. So panic spread like a plague in the headquarters. No one in the headquarters had the courage to pat the chest and said they could hold Dover.

Major Mason’s heart was filled with regret at this time. Only then did he realize what a stupid decision he had made, and his order pushed the remaining more than 7,000 British officers and men from Dover to the edge of hell. . But mistakes have been made, and bad results have been caused. The bitter wine brewed by oneself can only be drunk. Mason can only urgently convene a meeting of staff officers to discuss how to face the current crisis.

Immediately, the British army began to mobilize all the logistics and reserve personnel, including the city government civil servants, civic volunteers and police forces that failed to evacuate. These people cooperated with the fortress engineers to build a blockade wall on the edge of the city.

This is not a street battle position or fortress, as it literally means. It is simply a blockade wall. On the way the Germans needed to enter the city, British engineers blew up the buildings on both sides of the intersection, and then the soldiers built a short base with rubble and abandoned vehicles to hinder the advance of the German armored forces.

The remaining troops began to dig ditches on various roads in the urban area. Lay mines and anti-tank traps. They used blasting cartridges and prefabricated explosives to destroy the ancient stone road, and then organized infantry and citizen volunteers to dig trenches together.

The excavation of the ammunition depot in the Dover Fortress is still in full swing, and one of the warehouses has been dug. The Garrison Garrison happily carried out a batch of ammunition for the 25-pound artillery that is currently most in short supply. This was the first thing that made the British happy that morning. Immediately when the sun rose, the whole city was bathed in sunlight. Another thing that pleased the British happened.

I don't know what happened. The German invasion suddenly stopped, the German troops stopped on all fronts, and even in some areas, the German troops withdrew some distance. This left the panic in the middle of the night, and almost all the British troops in despair were relieved.

Although it is not clear what tricks the Germans are doing, in any case, the British ** team has obtained a valuable breathing opportunity, giving them time to continue to strengthen their positions and defenses, and excavate and clean up more materials and ammunition.

The atmosphere in the British headquarters suddenly became active again, and many staff officers believed that this should not be a trick played by the Germans, but that the three lines of defense did indeed play the intended role. Although the Germans broke through in one night In addition to these defenses, they must have suffered great losses. They did not intentionally stop advancing, but they no longer have the strength to continue advancing.

Many people suddenly made a sudden enlightenment, no wonder that the Germans played so happily, it turned out to be exchanged for the loss of strength and equipment. It seems that the commander of the German ** team is a reckless man who can only be brutal. The Germans are no longer afraid. Some people even suggested that since the Germans were already at the end of the crossbow and the army was already showing signs of fatigue, could the troops in the Dover Theater consider taking the initiative to attack, and while the Germans’ strength was not recovered, they might be able to defeat the enemy and regain the lost ground Or maybe it could go even further and drove the Germans directly into the sea. If it can be done, everyone here will be a hero who will save the British Empire from life and death, and will surely be honored by the world in the history book.

After all, the officers in the headquarters haven't lost their heads yet. It's one thing to make up their minds, but it's another thing to really go to work. Now that he can defend the Dover theater, he can go to Westminster Abbey to donate money and be willing to eat bread. Where dare he take the initiative to attack the German barbarians.

Even if the opponent is really at the end of the strong crossbow as expected, it is still a strong crossbow, not your home slingshot can be tossed around casually, those extremely dangerous professional army, legal violent gangs. A beast that can kill every moment.

The most urgent task now is to take advantage of the German army's refusal to fully strengthen Dover's defense, and then ask London for help. This is already burning eyebrows. I don't know why London can still be so calm.

Now that the Germans have landed on the coast, it is completely meaningless to guard the port of Dover. If London cannot send reinforcements, at least some ships can be dispatched to let the port garrison withdraw from this encirclement circle, not to mention these It is the only mobile force remaining in the British army. These soldiers who have received a full set of military training alone are an immeasurable wealth for Britain today.

The Dover Fortress Command once again sent a distress telegram to London. This time they finally did not need to forward the message from the Kent Command. The soldiers of the Fortress Communications Company re-drilled into the collapsed underground command post and snatched a set from it. With a 120-watt short-wave radio transmitter, they built a simple antenna on the wreckage of the fortress with a metal flagpole and abandoned wires, and finally got direct contact with the Army General Staff in London.

The result of this contact surprised everyone. The London side vetoed Dover’s proposal to defend the army. They asked the Dover garrison to defend Dover for two days at all costs. And guarantee that everything will be transferred in two days.

At the same time, there was also an order from the Navy to Major General Mason, the content of which was similar to that of the War Department, except that Mason was less than a last resort and not to damage the port. The berths and waterways in the port must be kept clear, and the Navy will prepare a mobile force and give him full support when he needs it. The hidden meaning in this telegram is that if the times are bad. The navy will find a way to rob Mason.

Then Mason received a telegram issued by Churchill personally, whispering a large article, first of all Churchill said that the British Empire wartime cabinet had a deep understanding of the dangerous environment he is now in. The outstanding contributions and generous sacrifices made by the defenders of Mason and Dover for the British Empire were seen in the eyes of the Cabinet and all the citizens of the Empire during the war. In his personal name, Churchill asked Mason to dispel the idea of ​​breakthrough and retreat. He must attract the German army to Dover forty-eight hours. As long as he can do this, he and Dover will be the heroes of the entire British Empire. Finally, Churchill congratulated Mason. Out of his outstanding performance in the Battle of Dover, the Empire Wartime Cabinet promoted Major General Mason to the rank of lieutenant general. This is not a wartime military kind of thing, but a regular regular rank. The weight of this carrot is so great that Major Mason struggled for six years.

Mason conveyed the London order to all the staff of the fortress headquarters. At this time, even the most dull people felt the taste was wrong. There must be some new plans for London. The Dover Garrison has become a part of a plan. There is no word for reinforcements in the telegram. Obviously they have become a bait to catch the Germans, and The bait will be swallowed.

Just yesterday evening, they did not hesitate to send more than 1,600 British officers and men to the outer defense line. These people were also baits and abandoned children in their eyes, but they did not expect that the retribution would come so fast. They became bait and abandonment by themselves, and in retrospect it was really ironic.

The fact is this, when you use some of your men as tools, you may not be a tool in the eyes of senior people. In the eyes of the London Army Staff and the wartime cabinet, when it was confirmed that the Germans had landed from another landing point, the Dover garrison had lost its strategic value. If they still maintained combat power and mobility, then say It may be useful, but now they are besieged by the Germans. The loss is heavy, and they need London to send troops to rescue them. These troops have become a burden and burden in the eyes of the London Staff. At the same time, Churchill was labeled as a waste that did not succeed.

London does not think that these troops have the ability to break out of the German siege. Especially they have learned that the Germans have at least one tank division’s armored force. This is simply an insurmountable copper wall and iron walls. In London’s view, these troops have already ended. No one can change.

Originally, if the Royal Navy's local fleet was still there, it would be a way to withdraw these troops from the port. London also felt that these trained soldiers were very important to the current situation. But now that the local fleet has been annihilated, the German navy is rampant in the strait. Hunting all the British ships they encountered, the British have no ability to organize a Dunkirk-style rescue at sea.

In addition to the Dover Fortress, there are Folkestone’s defenders. The intelligence shows that the situation there is even worse. The contact has been cut off for 24 hours. The last telegram was that the loss was severe, food shortages and bombs. There was no news for such a long time. London doesn’t even know if the troops of those two divisions still exist.

So the Dover Garrison had only one use left, as a castaway and bait to play the last waste heat, consuming the German troops and supplies. If possible, it would be better to delay the Germans in that area, and buy time for London's defense plan.

Churchill still firmly believed that relying on the troops on hand, Britain still had a chance to make a comeback. As long as it was properly arranged, it could certainly withstand the German offensive. But it takes time to mobilize and deploy these forces and build defense lines. Now for the UK, time is more valuable than anything, and it is worth paying any price to gain time. Even the lives of tens of thousands of British officers and men.

Major Mason, ah, now it's a lieutenant general. Admiral Mason did not have time to change to his new rank. The military service department of the Dover Fortress had the armband of the admiral. But now at this time, where there is still time to find a tailor to re-stitch, he can only continue to wear a major general uniform to organize a commander meeting.

Colonel Evans of the First Armored Division was also promoted, but what annoys him is. The commanders of the other two infantry divisions also received the rank of major general. As a result, the ranks of the commanders of the three units were still the same, and none of them had the dominance. But at this time Lieutenant General Mason was pressing on top. The other two are stationed at Folkestone, and Evans is no longer entangled in this issue.

Major General Evans’s first armored division was almost dead. He only had one battalion of armored forces in his hand, and most of them were Vickers ultralight tanks, similar to what the Japanese called the bean chariot. It may be scary to put it in Asia. In Dover, the German tanks on the opposite side can directly pass over the small tanks.

In Evans' view, the report of the tank driver who fled from the front line was really alarmist, but it was not all nonsense. The entire infantry tank battalion was almost completely annihilated. Only three Matilda IIs were able to survive the catastrophic night battle due to the timely evacuation orders issued by the platoon leader. Although these tank drivers survived, they were completely frightened by the German tanks. One of the tank drivers refused to drill into the tank again after fleeing back to the city. For this reason, he faced the officers of the division and got a shot in his leg, stepping directly into the honor of the first armored division In the mud.

Evans can be sure that the Germans already have weapons that can destroy Matilda II infantry tanks at long distances. From the information currently available, the Germans have at least two types of armored vehicles that can do this, One is based on the improved type developed on the basis of the No. 4 tank, and the other is said to be very low. It should be a vehicle such as a self-anti-tank gun. Because the surviving soldiers were shocked one by one, and could not say why, so he did not think in the direction of the assault gun.

Now the street fighting plan made by Lieutenant General Mason has become a waste paper, and the Germans are fully technical and capable of winning the city battle. They have a very lightweight flamethrower, and their equipment is very common. Some people even think that the Germans are dispensed according to the head. Because the frequency of these weapons on the front line is too frequent, it feels almost like a hand.

The Germans also have a kind of anti-tank weapon that can be used by individual soldiers. Some people think that it is a kind of individual artillery. I don’t know what kind of black technology the Germans have made, so that individual soldiers have the firepower to destroy armored targets at a long distance. However, the tank wreckage and fortress ruins on the front were placed there. No one could deny the existence of this weapon.

Evans feels that if it is possible, the British army must find a way to seize a sample of this weapon at all costs. Whether it is a copy or a technology and resource exchange with a foreign country, this will be a very good bargaining chip. , May also be the key to reversing the British homeland war.

It was just that Major General Evans’ plan was not reached until the end, and the German did not give him any chance. While the officers of the Dover Command were still struggling with how to complete the London order, the last straw that broke the camel's spine was rushing towards the city of Dover on the outskirts. (To be continued...)

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