Chapter 298 Crossbow Operation (End)
What’s funny is that the British learned about the destruction of Fleet H through the German radio.
Because according to the plan, Fleet H was to arrive at the entrance of Oran Bay at 6:20 a.m., and then give the French an ultimatum. They had to wait for five or six hours, at least until three or four o’clock in the afternoon to hear the result. However, at eight o’clock in the morning, the German radio broke this shocking news.
The radio first used extremely sharp words to satirize the shameless behavior of the British who killed their yesterday’s allies, and then vigorously publicized how Germany and France joined forces to smash the British conspiracy and achieved a brilliant victory. Then they criticized Charles de Gaulle and his ilk as traitors who colluded with foreign invaders to harm their compatriots in their motherland, and finally paid the highest respect to the unknown heroes such as the "Duke", "Marquis", "Count", and "Viscount" who fought in the heart of the enemy.
Immediately afterwards, the radio station in Vichy France also broadcast similar content. The French first thanked the Germans for their selfless help, which saved them from disaster. Then he issued a serious protest to Britain, strongly condemning them for not only unreasonably detaining the ships of their allies, but also daring to attack their fleet. He demanded that Britain immediately return the seized ships and personnel and compensate for various losses. Otherwise, France would not only sever diplomatic relations with the British government, but would even consider declaring war on it. Finally, he also scolded Charles de Gaulle, saying that he leaked the secret of the French fleet's port to the British and attracted the British.
No. 10 Downing Street, UK.
The fat-headed and big-eared Churchill was pacing back and forth anxiously in his office, and he looked at the door frequently every few seconds.
In his impatient waiting, there was finally a knock on the door outside. Churchill took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down before speaking. "Come in!" But he still heard his voice trembling slightly.
Charles Forbes, the First Sea Lord, walked in with a gloomy face.
"What's the matter? Have you contacted Fleet H?" Churchill asked hurriedly without waiting for the First Sea Lord. Although the voice sounded very calm, at this moment, an ominous premonition had already surged in his heart. This ominous feeling seemed to be like a real brick blocking his heart, making him feel inexplicably depressed and eager to know the answer.
In fact, Charles Forbes's ugly face was enough to explain everything, but Churchill just didn't want to believe this terrible result. He even expected that the usually serious Sea Minister would suddenly shout "surprise!" with a smile in the next second, and then tell him that the German broadcasts were all nonsense, and the H Fleet was safe and sound and on the way back.
Charles stared at a corner of the office with his eyes downcast, and the expression on his face seemed to hide some ferocious beasts there. When Churchill couldn't bear it anymore and was about to urge loudly, he finally spoke in a hoarse voice. "The Germans didn't lie, our H Fleet is gone..."
"H Fleet, really gone?" Finally confirming the bad news, Churchill's face turned pale, staggered back two steps, and his butt hit the desk, and even the cigar between his fingers fell to the ground weakly.
The strength of the British Empire is built on a strong navy, but now their own battleships are sunk one after another, but they have not even sunk one of the enemy's battleships, which is enough to make the British Navy collapse. Once the navy collapses, the end of the British Empire is not far away!
Charles saw Churchill's pale face and became nervous, shouting outside the door. "Come on! Call a doctor, the Prime Minister is not feeling well!!"
"No, I'm fine." Churchill raised one hand with some difficulty and waved it. Now the fate of the British Empire is in the countdown, and it is not the time for him to see a doctor. "I have to hold an emergency meeting to discuss countermeasures."
"But Mr. Prime Minister, I think you need to rest for a while." Looking at Churchill with a cold sweat on his face, Charles was really worried that his body could not support it. Once this war-loving prime minister falls, who can take over this burden and continue to lead Britain?
"England expects that every man will do his duty!" Churchill gritted his teeth and said a famous quote from Horatio Nelson, a household name in Britain, dragging his heavy body out the door, leaving Charles' admiring eyes behind him.
Soon, a group of senior officials gathered in the conference room.
"Everyone knows that the British Empire is now in a real crisis. Only by sincere cooperation and unity can we defeat the Germans. If you have anything to say, please speak up."
William Edmund Ironside, Chief of the Imperial General Staff, said coldly. "I want to know how the Germans learned about our 'Ballista Plan'. The time and location of the plan are clearly known, as if someone handed a copy of the plan to the desk of the German Crown Prince. Are our intelligence departments just for free?! If they can't do anything, they might as well go to the front line to kill the enemy. Even if they are useless, they can waste some ammunition of the German army, right?"
This was already very unpleasant to hear. Lord Menzies, the director of the British Military Intelligence Agency, turned red and black, and he wanted to wipe his face and hide it in his pocket.
Churchill took a few puffs of the cigar with a gloomy face, and suddenly thought of something and asked. "Lord Menzies, you reported not long ago that all the spies planted in Germany were exposed, right?"
"Yes." Overnight, all the spies planted in the German army, government agencies, schools, hospitals, and even the spies selling vegetables in the vegetable market were exposed without exception and thrown into the German concentration camps. Their lives and deaths are still unknown.
Churchill listened and exhaled a puff of smoke, and continued to ask. "I asked you to investigate this matter thoroughly. So many days have passed. Have you made any progress?"
Lord Menzies trembled and took out a handkerchief from his pocket to wipe the sweat from his forehead, and shook his head. "I'm sorry, Prime Minister, we have tried our best, but there is no clue at all." The German intelligence and counterintelligence capabilities have improved by more than one level compared to the last war. So far, the British intelligence department has not been able to crack the German communication code.
Churchill said coldly. "It seems that Lord Menzies is no longer suitable for intelligence work. From now on, the Military Intelligence Bureau will be in charge of Lord Adams."
Lord Adams, the deputy director of the Military Intelligence Bureau, looked at Lord Menzies who secretly breathed a sigh of relief and was very depressed. If he was more capable than Lord Menzies, would he still need to stay in the position of second in command? He knew very well that Lord Menzies was not incompetent, but once he had to investigate senior figures, the relationships involved were too complicated and the investigation could not be carried out at all.
He would not continue to be trapped in such a complex network of interpersonal relationships. Extraordinary times require extraordinary measures. "Mr. Prime Minister, what if someone does not cooperate with the investigation?"
Churchill said sternly and firmly. "Catch them!! This behavior is treason!! Anyone who dares not to cooperate with the investigation at this time is the number one suspect and must be investigated thoroughly!! I will bear any consequences!!"
Lord Adams asked again. "What if some suspects are involved in the royal family?" To put it bluntly, the royal family cannot be ruled out as a suspect. Including Churchill and some senior officials, they all knew that the German crown prince and the British royal family had close correspondence until the outbreak of the war.
As for the content of the letters? Each time, they were personally delivered to Buckingham Palace by the German ambassador to the UK, and few people knew what the content of the letters was.
"..." Churchill was silent. Although the British royal family is more like a mascot, this country belongs to the royal family in name. Now that it is about whether this country can continue, His Majesty the King raises his arm and calls for them to leave.
After a long silence, Churchill spoke again. "If it involves the royal family, please make a list first, and I will go to His Majesty the King to discuss it."
The meeting lasted for more than three hours, and when it was about to end, the Foreign Minister asked. "Mr. Prime Minister, how should we respond to the protest of the Pétain government?"
"Let that pseudo-government protest. We only recognize the orthodox Charles de Gaulle Free French government." Churchill waved his hand tiredly. He already had some broken pots and broken pots. Protests are protests. What else does a traitorous government want? How many French people can still support it?
However, what Churchill didn't know was that the French media's report caused an uproar in France. What the French could not accept the most was that the Germans who defeated them only took away one battleship and several unfinished battleships, and allowed them to retain their own navy. The British, who had fought side by side with the French a few weeks ago, wanted to kill the French.
"The British are treacherous" soon became a catchphrase in the streets of France. Those extremely angry French soldiers even used razor blades to scrape off the word "Alliance" tattooed on their bodies. And those who were preparing to go to Britain to join de Gaulle's camp also cursed de Gaulle, almost making themselves shameful traitors.
Although the determination to fight to the end remained unchanged, even Churchill felt that it seemed hopeless for the British Empire to defeat the powerful Germany alone, and he had to seek foreign help.