Jagged Germany: Chapter 577 call for navy
The British Admiralty, the British Minister of War Richard Haldane rushed here immediately after receiving the telegram from the Expeditionary Force Command, and called on the Secretary of the Navy Churchill. Churchill had to give the nod to the Navy to send pre-dreadnoughts and armored cruisers to reinforce Le Havre.
Although, the strength of the Royal Navy is not as good as before. However, the last hope of the British Empire still lies with the Royal Navy. Therefore, Churchill's position in the British cabinet is still very important.
Churchill was a little surprised by Richard Haldane's visit. After all, the contradiction between the Royal Navy and the Army has always existed. Especially when competing for annual military expenditures, the Army was firmly suppressed by the Royal Navy. Of course, the current situation is different. Britain is in a great crisis, so the Royal Navy and Army have to work together. If the ship of the British Empire sinks, both the Army and the Royal Navy will suffer.
"Hello, Your Excellency, Minister of War, please take a seat. Come, make a cup of black tea sent by the Governor of India!" Churchill ordered.
"Minister of the Navy, you are too polite." Richard Haldane said politely.
"His Excellency, Minister of War, we are not only colleagues, but also comrades in arms fighting side by side. Why are you so polite?" Churchill smiled. He also had to prepare for future situations. Although, Minister of War Richard Haldane, like him, is also a main combat faction. However, Churchill worried that if the Royal Navy failed to defeat the German Navy in the next decisive battle, it would deal a heavy blow to the main combat faction. Therefore, when the time comes, he hopes to get the support of Richard Haldane. In that case, even if the Royal Navy fails to succeed, the war can continue.
Yes, even if the Royal Navy fails in the next decisive battle, Churchill still hopes to continue the war. Even if it is a decisive battle on the homeland and the homeland is smashed into scorched earth, it will never let the Germans win so easily. The big deal is to wait until after the fall of the mainland, then go to other colonies and continue to lead the war with Germany. For example, Canada, India or Australia can continue to fight. Churchill is determined now and wants to fight a protracted war.
"Okay, Your Excellency the Secretary of the Navy. Then I won't go around in circles with you. This time, I hope the navy can send some warships to reinforce the expeditionary force. Now, the expeditionary force is trapped in Le Havre by the German army, and the Germans mobilize They fired thousands of cannons and bombarded them heavily. The expeditionary force suffered heavy losses under the heavy German bombardment. They would not have lasted long at Le Havre without reinforcements." Richard? Haldane said.
The expression on Churchill's face suddenly became serious. The British Expeditionary Force's persistence in Le Havre is of great importance. It was Churchill who asked them to persist until the decisive battle between the combined fleet of the three countries and the German navy was over. If the expeditionary force can't last that long, it will seriously shake the faith of the French. If it is serious, it will also affect the subsequent decisive battle with the German Navy.
"His Excellency, Minister of War, do you mean that the expeditionary force will be brought back to the mainland?" Churchill asked.
"No, Your Excellency Churchill. The expeditionary force does not need to return to the mainland for the time being, and can continue to fight in Le Havre. However, we need to provide them with more support, such as artillery fire. Only in this way can they be able to fight in Le Havre." Last longer," said Richard Haldane.
"However, the current capital ships of the Royal Navy are all used to prepare for a decisive battle with the Germans. We simply cannot spare many warships to reinforce Le Havre." Churchill said. After all, the current Royal Navy has suffered heavy losses, and it is not as good as before. If the Royal Navy was still in its prime, this would have been nothing at all. In other words, other countries simply did not dare to provoke the Royal Navy in its heyday.
"Your Excellency Churchill, we know this. Therefore, we don't need the navy to dispatch new warships to reinforce us. We only need to use the former dreadnoughts and armored cruisers. Although the former dreadnoughts and armored cruisers are outdated. However, their main The guns are still very powerful. At least infantry artillery is far from being able to fight against it. If the expeditionary force can get naval artillery support in Le Havre, I think they will be able to last longer." Reason Chad Haldane said.
"Yes, the Royal Navy still has a lot of former dreadnoughts and armored cruisers. These warships are outdated. If they are sent to fight the German Navy, it is simply to let them die. However, to support the expeditionary force, To provide them with fire support, that's perfectly fine," Churchill said.
If the main fleet is not dispatched, then there is no problem for the Royal Navy. If these pre-dreadnoughts and armored cruisers can be used to cause huge losses to the Germans, then he will undoubtedly be happy to see it.
"Minister of the Navy, the battle in Le Havre is very urgent now. If possible, I hope that the Navy can send a fleet to reinforce the expeditionary force in the shortest possible time." Richard Haldane said.
"Okay, Your Excellency the Minister of War. I will call Portsmouth Naval Port immediately and ask them to send the fleet out immediately. Tomorrow morning at the latest, they will be able to participate in the shelling of the Germans. Let those damned Germans, take care of yourself." Taste our power!" Churchill said.
Richard Haldane also nodded again and again, with a flash of excitement in his eyes. In any case, as long as the navy can take action, then the crisis in Le Havre can be regarded as temporarily lifted. This will be very beneficial to the expeditionary force. Maybe, with the cooperation of naval guns, the expeditionary force can teach the German Army a lesson and make the German Army pay a heavy price in Le Havre. Even, the expeditionary force may still be able to win a battle there.
You know, since the British Army entered the war, its performance has been poor. On the French battlefield, there were even more losses. Especially since this year, he has been defeated many times. The loss of troops has exceeded 70%. If this continues, the people will soon lose confidence in the Army. At that time, how will they defend the mainland?
"Hope, God can bless us this time!" Richard Haldane secretly prayed to God.