Chapter 871 South America (3)

"This is too much!"

The news from Venezuela shocked and angered the top US military officials. They didn't pay much attention to the Germans landing in Argentina a while ago. After all, Argentina is far away from the United States. Even if the Germans landed in Argentina, they had to cross the entire South America to reach the United States. Unexpectedly, the Germans actually landed directly in Venezuela now. The distance between the Paraguana Peninsula and the mainland of the United States is less than 2,000 kilometers.

What worries them more is whether the Germans will set their sights on Cuba? !

Cuba is known as the "key to the Gulf of Mexico". It is the main part of the Caribbean Sea and the only way to enter the Gulf of Mexico and the United States from the Atlantic Ocean. Whoever occupies this place is equivalent to controlling the southern United States. Cuba is the back garden of the United States and its strategic location is extremely important.

"Do we have to send troops to Cuba?"

"That will arouse the indignation of the Cuban people and make the situation worse!"

The United States and Cuba in later generations have been incompatible for many years, and the conflict between the two countries has a long history. As early as the second half of the 19th century, when Cuba was still a Spanish colony, it began. In 1898, the United States, in order to safeguard its own interests, sent troops to intervene and declared war on Spain on the pretext of "aiding" the Cuban Revolution. In the end, Cuba, Puerto Rico and the Philippines changed hands and became American territories.

Looking at the United States defeating Spain, the Cubans smiled, finally getting rid of colonial rule, and the United States was the savior.

Unfortunately, they never got rid of the tricks of fate, but just went from the wolf's mouth into the tiger's mouth.

Unlike Spain, the United States, which rose from colonial rule, knew that the stupidest way to control a nation was colonization. Colonization would undoubtedly cause resistance, so it was better to support a regime close to the United States. In 1902, the United States agreed to Cuba's independence and helped them establish the "Republic of Cuba", which was a country on the surface, but a puppet regime in reality - a military coup supported by the United States.

At the same time, in order to strengthen its control over Cuba, the United States leased the Isle of Youth and Guantanamo for $2,000 and established military bases in both places. On the one hand, it protected the interests of the United States at sea, and on the other hand, it "guarded" Cuba.

During the Great Depression, in order to save money, the United States returned the Isle of Youth, but the rent of Guantanamo rose to $4,000, and it was leased forever.

A port that restricts Cuba has an annual rent of only $4,000, and it is leased forever. This decision caused dissatisfaction among the Cuban people. In addition, there was another coup d'état in the Cuban top leadership in 1934, and the mastermind behind this coup was also the United States. This series of operations made the anti-American sentiment of the Cuban people more and more intense.

At this time, if the Germans wanted to attack Cuba, although the Cuban government was pro-American, the people did not like the United States, and they might not be able to defend it. But if the United States sent troops directly, it would arouse the disgust of the Cuban people, and they might rise up in resistance. The object of resistance is not the Germans, but the Americans. When the Germans come, they will become the savior of Cuba.

But such a military stronghold cannot be handed over to the Germans.

Just when they were frowning and at a loss, another German fleet from the Hawaiian Islands in the Pacific arrived in the Panamanian waters and clearly notified the Panamanian government to surrender unconditionally within one day, otherwise they would launch an attack.

The relationship between Panama and the United States was not very good. The grievances between the two countries were concentrated on the rights and interests of the Panama Canal. In 1903, the US and Panamanian governments signed an unequal treaty to dig and permanently lease the Panama Canal Zone. The canal belonged to the US government, and the US government appointed a governor, raised the US flag, and implemented US laws. After the canal was opened to navigation in 1914, the United States divided the 1 km range on both sides of the canal into the canal zone, established the US Southern Command, stationed more than 10,000 troops, and prohibited Panamanians from entering, becoming the main user and beneficiary of the canal. The total annual revenue of the canal is about 300 million US dollars, most of which is earned by the United States, and Panama can only get a pitiful fraction.

However, Panamanian President Ricardo Adolfo de La Guardia Arango also came to power with the support of the United States through a coup. He was a staunch pro-American. During his term, 134 plots of land in Panama were rented to the United States as military bases. Such a pro-American faction would naturally not surrender easily. Facing the Germans' notice of surrender, he actively contacted the United States for help.

Unfortunately, the United States today can't provide any substantial help at all, just let him resist to the end.

Soon, a day passed.

Attack planes taking off from German aircraft carriers flew to the Panama Canal US military base. Although the US military has troops stationed here, there are no comparable opponents in Latin America. The US military here is equipped with old-fashioned weapons, and the anti-aircraft weapons are only a few anti-aircraft machine guns. This kind of thing can't resist the German planes at all. The A-1 attack plane dived at low altitude and dropped napalm bombs on the US military positions.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Huge balls of fire rose from the ground, and their core temperature was close to 2000 degrees. Some unlucky people who were at the center of the explosion were instantly turned into nothing. The American soldiers who were a little further away but failed to completely escape from this death zone were ignited by the splashing flames. They screamed and slapped the flames on their bodies with their hands, but the final result was that the more they slapped, the more the flames became.

Some people fell to the ground and rolled around in pain, hoping to put out the flames on their bodies in this way. Originally, it was just a small flame, but after a few rolls, the whole person became a blazing fireman.

These American soldiers who have been stationed in the rear for a long time have never seen the power of napalm bombs. Seeing their comrades on fire, many soldiers ran over to help put out the flames on them. But as these firemen struggled in pain, the sparks on their bodies splashed on the people around them.

"It hurts, it hurts!"

As soon as these sparks touched them, they felt the piercing pain transmitted to their nerves. Many people instinctively slapped the sparks on them, but this slap turned the sparks into flames, and the more they slapped, the more they slapped!

Some people were quick-eyed and quick-handed. As soon as they felt their bodies were on fire, they immediately took off their clothes. Unfortunately, what kind of cloth can block such a high temperature? Often, the cloth just burned, and before the soldiers had time to take off their uniforms, these burning oil blocks penetrated the outer clothes and underwear, adhered to people's skin, and burned with human fat, countless firemen screamed heartbreakingly.

These fire men stumbled and struggled, running, and the flames kept splashing onto other soldiers as they struggled. The fire men who still had a trace of consciousness often rushed towards crowded places in order to seek help from others, which instead brought the flames onto more people.