Chapter 685: Ice and Fire
The German tanks did get gasoline and achieved some success.
Along the way, the British army was also transporting newly produced tanks and artillery from Dunkirk along the road to Montreuil.
As a result, the road was littered with tanks destroyed by the German army.
The British Army defines the Whippet as more of an "infantry tank", a tank used to cover the advance of infantry and then suppress enemy infantry.
This tank is not suitable for tank warfare at all. Although it is equipped with four machine guns, none of the machine guns can penetrate the enemy's armor.
That afternoon, after more than five hours of continuous advance, the exhausted Major General Erwin finally arrived at the outskirts of Dunkirk with the German 1st Tank Division.
Seeing the Gothic buildings of Dunkirk and the British soldiers who were urgently building fortifications outside the city from afar, the German tank soldiers cheered.
Victory was only one step away from them. As long as they captured Dunkirk, the demoralized British Expeditionary Force might collapse completely!
…
The reports from media in various countries can be described as “ice and fire”.
On the one hand, Russia achieved a great victory on the Eastern Front, killing or wounding more than 100,000 enemies in the first battle and capturing 30,000, and the results of the battle continued to expand.
On the other side, the German army bypassed Montreuil and approached the city of Dunkirk.
Dunkirk is the port city closest to the United Kingdom. It is only 40 kilometers across the Dover Strait to the port of Dover in the UK. It is the best port for the British Expeditionary Force to deliver supplies and troops.
If it was captured by the German army, the British army's landing route in France would be cut off, and millions of British Expeditionary Forces would be trapped in the area north of the Somme River with nowhere to escape. Without ammunition and supplies, they would have no choice but to surrender.
This will undoubtedly be a fatal blow to the British Army and even Britain's global prestige.
Thus, the British newspaper The Times barely mentioned the Russian victory, which had nothing to do with Britain.
It used huge pages to publish the German attack on Dunkirk.
The accompanying picture is a blurry photo: a group of German tanks are approaching the British defense line from a distance, and only a few tanks and gun barrels can be vaguely seen. In the foreground are the panicked faces of British soldiers and simple field fortifications.
"We were not prepared, no one was prepared."
"Because no one expected the Germans to show up at Dunkirk from the rear, people thought they were blocked at Montreuil."
“But the fact is that the Germans were coming and they were only a few kilometers away from Dunkirk.”
"This caused a huge panic. Although we had 50,000 people in Dunkirk, most of them were new soldiers with no combat experience. They lacked anti-tank weapons and did not know how to fight tanks."
"Many people are fleeing Dunkirk, and boat tickets are hard to come by!"
…
French newspaper "Petite Paris":
"We cannot sit idly by and watch Dunkirk be occupied by the Germans."
"Because it means the collapse of the British Expeditionary Force. If it happens, then Britain will no longer be able to provide reinforcements and supplies to France for quite a long time."
"Not even in the future!"
French politicians feared that Britain would withdraw from the war.
It is true that Britain did not participate in this war for France. She did not want a unified and powerful empire to emerge on the European continent, whether this empire was France or Germany.
However, if the price to be paid is the collapse of Britain or even the shedding of its last drop of blood, Britain will still choose to protect itself.
The report in the Little Daily was full of ridicule:
“The British never cease to surprise us.”
“While the Shire was winning at the front with minimal cost, the British were recording their highest single-day casualties on the Somme.”
"When the Russians began their counterattack on the Eastern Front, the British began to retreat."
"They always try to erase our wins."
"I have no ill intentions, but is this really the army of the world's most powerful country?"
…
Emergency calls and telegrams from the Paris City Government and the Prime Minister's office kept arriving on Briand's desk.
Briand was so busy that he was still on the phone dealing with Britain's request for help when Clemenceau walked into the office.
Briand motioned Clemenceau to sit down with his eyes, and replied respectfully:
"I understand, Your Excellency Marshal. We will certainly reinforce Dunkirk. Please rest assured!"
"Yes!"
"I understand that this also concerns the fate of France!"
…
After hanging up the phone, Briand sighed, shook his head and walked towards Clemenceau: "It's unbelievable that the Germans actually reached Dunkirk. There are millions of troops in that area, and the German army is less than half of theirs!"
Clemenceau hummed, his voice was not loud but his tone was strong: "This German army is the one that was surrounded by Charles in Hasselt. After they broke out, they reorganized the First Tank Division."
Briand was about to sit down on the sofa opposite, but when he heard this, he paused and looked at Clemenceau in surprise. After a few seconds, he slowly sat down, very cautiously, as if he was sitting on a landmine.
The office fell into silence, and an uneasy atmosphere spread around, becoming increasingly thicker.
Neither of them spoke, but they both understood what the other was thinking.
With 20,000 men, Charles could easily surround and defeat the German army, and the German army defeated by Charles could defeat the British army of one million.
Does that mean that Charles is invincible and no one can stop him?
After a long time, Clemenceau handed Briand a cigar, and they both lit it up silently, as if they wanted to let the worries in their hearts dissipate into the air through the burning tobacco.
"This may be our chance." After a while, Clemenceau broke the silence: "We can order Charles to rescue Dunkirk."
"But Charles's troops are facing Liege in Namur." Briand frowned. "Gallieni has discussed this matter in parliament. He believes that the Germans have made two preparations. If Charles is transferred to Dunkirk, the German troops in Liege will launch an attack."
Clemenceau said nothing, but just looked at Briand quietly.
Briand suddenly realized that this was exactly what Clemenceau wanted.
"Britain is more important than Belgium, Prime Minister," Clemenceau replied calmly, "If we have to choose between the two, we must first ensure the safety of Britain, what do you think?"
Briand thought about it for a moment, then nodded heavily.
It was a good excuse and it would cost Charles the Belgian title.
I heard that Charles had made many arrangements in Belgium, including defense systems for several cities, the "Seran" steel plant and the "FN" arsenal, as well as the full support of Albert I.
Thinking of this, Briand showed a long-lost smile on his face: "Yes, this is the current situation. I believe General Gallieni will make the right choice!"
(End of this chapter)
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