Chapter 355: Sea Robbery (2)

At this time, the six destroyers responsible for the escort were also in a mess. They had to be careful to guard against German submarine attacks all the way, but now they encountered the enemy's aircraft. And it was not just one or two, but 24 attack planes.

Those attack planes flew over the fleet, and the huge torpedoes and bombs mounted were clearly visible.

This is so far away from the European mainland, these planes must be German aircraft carriers, and aircraft carriers cannot be dispatched alone. At least there are cruisers or battlecruisers escorting them. No matter which one, these old-fashioned destroyers cannot deal with them.

Just when Abbott, who was in charge of this escort mission, was anxious and at a loss, the telegraph operator reported loudly. "Sir, Germany, a clear telegram from the German Navy."

"Telegram? Read it!"

"My fleet has taken control of the waters around you. You have five minutes to surrender and raise the white flag as a sign. Five minutes later, my naval aviation will begin to attack all ships that do not fly the white flag... I will send people to take over the surrendered ships, over." After reading it, the telegraph operator looked at Abbott with a nervous look.

"Send people to take over?" What does that mean? Are they going to capture the entire fleet? !

After opening his mouth wide for a long time, Abbott suddenly became discouraged, and the whole person became listless, waving his hands weakly. "Hang the white flag."

The transport fleets all raised white flags, and two destroyers turned around and fled, but were caught up and easily sunk by two A-1 attack aircraft. With these two warships as a demonstration, the remaining ships did not dare to act rashly, and waited obediently for the German Navy to take over.

After waiting for a while, they saw several strange-shaped aircraft flying in the sky in the distance.

"Oh my god, what are those?!" Most of these people had never seen such a new thing as a helicopter. They watched in horror as a series of wingless planes whizzed past their heads, making a loud noise. Unlike ordinary planes, the huge propeller was actually above the entire plane.

What was even more novel was that these aircraft could actually hover in the air, with several ropes hanging from them. Fully armed German soldiers grabbed the ropes and slid rapidly onto the deck, immediately controlling the crew on the ship.

Abt was stunned to see 50 soldiers landed in this strange aircraft, five soldiers on each ship, and easily controlled ten transport ships.

This helicopter is the latest large transport helicopter produced in Germany. Yannick found that its appearance was very similar to the later Mi-6 heavy transport helicopter. I don't know if it's because there are two Soviet experts in the design bureau, but now German helicopters have a strong Soviet style.

Two Mi-6 heavy transport helicopters plus several Mi-4 helicopters made two trips and controlled all the more than 50 transport ships. The German fleet drove the transport fleet towards the nearest Strait of Gibraltar like a sheepdog driving a flock of sheep.

"Damn it!" Churchill gritted his teeth after learning what happened. The threat of German submarines was already big enough, but they even sent a fleet? ! It's so shameless!

But he had no way to deal with it. After all, they were warring countries. He couldn't protest that the other side couldn't use such despicable tactics, right? This was not a fair fight between ancient knights!

After cursing a few times in his heart, he asked another question. "What's wrong with the Soviets?"

Aiden shook his head helplessly. "Sir Cripps (British Ambassador to the Soviet Union) sent a message that the Soviets have stopped the attack and are resting and preparing for the next attack."

A week after the war began, the Finnish front was in a state of emergency everywhere, and it seemed that a total collapse was imminent, but the four Soviet troops suddenly stopped to reorganize, giving the Finnish army a chance to catch their breath.

According to the Soviet military doctrine, it should be a tactic of attack and attack, not giving the enemy a chance to breathe; are they so complacent that they lie down and sleep like the rabbit in the tortoise and the hare race?

Of course not, in fact, the Soviet army also has their own difficulties. First of all, there is the weather problem. This winter is the coldest winter in Europe in a hundred years. In Finland, the night temperature is often around minus 35 degrees Celsius. Soviet tanks must be started every two hours. The water tanks of many trucks are frozen and cracked, and the lubricating oil often freezes, causing weapons to malfunction. In many places, the Finnish people spontaneously built strong defenses and burned their houses to the ground before fleeing; the Soviet army, which was not well prepared for the cold, often could not find houses even if they captured a village, and could only squeeze into the few tents.

In addition to the weather, the terrain was also a big problem. Except for the Seventh Army, the other three armies found themselves trapped by the terrain. Their marching routes were all dense forests and swamps, and the mechanized troops could not pass through them at all. They could only rely on the few narrow paths, which the small number of Finnish troops could block. Most of the Soviet infantry were soldiers from relatively warm areas such as southern Russia, Ukraine, and Central Asia. They could not adapt to such cold snowy combat, and they lacked snowshoes and snow clogs. Even fewer could ski.

The ability of the few troops that had received winter training was also questionable. There was even a chapter in their winter training manual that specifically taught how to fight with bayonets while wearing snowshoes - the Finns circulated it as a joke. Therefore, the Red Army's movements were completely limited to the vicinity of the road, and they could not do cross-country sports. These soldiers who came from peasant backgrounds were too curious and wanted to pick up the items left by the Finns for themselves. Many of them died under the booby traps set by the Finns. The Soviet vehicles were not camouflaged, but painted dark olive. The soldiers' combat uniforms were also khaki, which was particularly conspicuous in the snow and became the best target for Finnish snipers. Therefore, all Soviet troops stopped to replenish and prepare for the next wave of offensive.

Eden sighed lightly. "The Soviet army was blocked, largely because of the various weapons and equipment supported by Spain."

"Damn it!" Churchill slammed the table hard. "Inform Samuel (British Ambassador to Spain) to see if Spain can withdraw from this war."

In fact, Churchill also found that he had overestimated the Soviet Union's combat power. The Soviet Union, which could not even beat a small country like Finland, could beat Germany? Not to mention attacking Germany, it might even be counterattacked by the German army.

But even if it was counterattacked by Germany, it would not matter to Britain. As long as the two sides fought, it would be a fight to the death; it would give Britain buffer time and it would not have to cede colonies, which was simply killing two birds with one stone.

So the Soviet Union and Germany must have a conflict.

As long as Spain no longer supports Finland, the Soviet Union should be able to win soon.

Eden coughed lightly and reminded. "You forgot that Samuel had already found the Spanish deputy head of state Salazar last time. The Spaniards were retaliating against the Soviets for the 560 tons of gold before. Salazar also said that no matter who could give them 560 tons of gold, they could immediately withdraw the volunteers they sent out."

Churchill frowned and pondered for a while, gritting his teeth. "As long as Samuel talks about less than 300 tons, we will pay for the gold!"

Eden looked at him in surprise. "Are you serious?"

Churchill nodded fiercely. "Of course! Don't worry, I will make them spit out double the amount after the war!" Although Spain declared neutrality, Churchill hated their every move since the beginning of the war; he had secretly decided to deal with them after the victory of the war, so that they would know what would happen if they angered the British Empire!