"These Norwegians actually lent their ports to the Germans? This is a hostile act! We must crack down resolutely! Most of Norway's ports are outside our North Sea blockade, and if the Germans are allowed to use them

If the base in Norway launches an attack, it will be difficult for us to restrict the actions of German submarines! And this will be very difficult for us in the Atlantic Ocean.

It will be very dangerous for the transportation line!" Churchill's roar echoed in the Admiralty conference room, and his anger was beyond words. "The Navy must come up with a specific and feasible action plan, and we must take measures to deal with the collusion between the Germans and the Norwegians.

Action! By the way, this is also what the government means." Finally, Churchill emphasized.

Although the Norwegian and German governments kept this matter secret, the all-pervasive British spies still discovered German submarines in some Norwegian ports. At first, this matter did not attract the British attention, but later, the responsible

The British Royal Air Force, which is responsible for anti-submarine warfare in the North Sea, said that the number of German submarines in the North Sea has plummeted. However, at the same time, the loss rate on the Atlantic transportation line has increased, and German submarines appear more frequently than before. This makes the Allied navies feel very unhappy.

untie.

Finally, the information about the discovery of German submarines in Norway was retrieved from the waste paper by British naval intelligence personnel. No wonder the German submarines had more lines and were hundreds of nautical miles closer. They were also outside the strike range of the British Air Force and Navy and were much safer.

Since there is no need to take a detour, the attendance rate is naturally much higher! (Of course, the supplies in Norway are mainly fuel, weapons and food.

The British were determined to find this unbearable! The pressure from the government was finally transferred to the Admiralty. As the Lord of the Admiralty, Churchill became the target of public criticism. Representatives of the government asked Churchill almost every day

Come up with a plan. Finally, Churchill was forced to give Jericho an ultimatum.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs' protest has no effect. Compared with the UK, the threat from the Germans is obviously greater. Therefore, when faced with the British's rhetoric, Norway stated that it was not aware of the relevant matters and stated that it would investigate it and give the UK a satisfactory answer.

Then the investigation lasted for three weeks, and there was no reply. So when words don't work, then artillery can only be used to solve the problem. You must know that Churchill in history was...

He was famous for his toughness. Whether he seized the battleship of the neutral Turks in World War I or insisted on resisting in World War II while ordering the British Mediterranean fleet to attack the French fleet that had surrendered to Germany, it all illustrates Churchill's toughness and iron-bloodedness. And this position

On the surface, it still looks like this. Churchill can attack the Turkish and French fleets that originally did no harm to Britain. Let alone deal with the Norwegians who provide convenience to Germany!

(Although France surrendered to Germany, the Vichy government also controlled the former French navy. These warships would not be used in the battle against Britain. Even after the ballista operation, when the Germans wanted to seize French warships, the French also chose to scuttle themselves.

.So Churchill’s worries were unnecessary. As for the detention of Turkish warships in World War I, it allowed Turkey to join the Allies and completely blockade Russia. It can be said that Churchill’s behavior was to blame for the collapse of Tsarist Russia in World War I.)

"What do you mean, your Excellency, we are going to send a large fleet to intimidate Norway or directly destroy the ports that provide supplies to the Germans?" Jericho said expressionlessly. "That means we will break away from land-based aircraft.

The support and the High Seas Fleet are fighting it out at sea. In the last battle, with the support of the air force, we were only tied with the opponent, let alone now?"

"Don't you think that the limited fleet is no longer a match for the High Seas Fleet?" Although Churchill was the Lord of the Admiralty, he was a civil servant after all. As for the strength of the fleet, he mostly relied on paper data. As for the performance of these warships in naval battles,

What exactly can you hit?

He was not very clear about this level. "Although our fast fleet was transferred to the Atlantic Ocean, the Americans added 7 battleships to us. These warships equipped with 12 14-inch guns are enough to make up for our lack of combat power.

"Churchill said with some displeasure.

"If these battleships are operated by the British, they can indeed make up for our loss of combat power. But these battleships are in the hands of Americans, and their performance is terrible. Whether on the shooting range or in actual combat, their combat power is only

It can be described as low!" Jericho paused and then said: "If our fast fleet is still there, it will still be...

We can use our speed advantage to fight guerrillas, but now we don’t have a single fast warship in our fleet. Once we encounter the German Navy, the result will inevitably turn into a hard battle. In my opinion, our current surface ships are weak.

It is possible to defend the homeland with the support of land-based aviation, but there are considerable risks in fighting overseas."

"We can't just sit back and ignore it, right? If this continues, it will increase the arrogance of the Germans and even make Norway completely turn towards the Allies. We must tell Norway that the Royal Navy has the strength to fight against any behavior that dares to challenge the dignity of the British Empire. The Royal Navy

We must take action and use practical actions to force Norway to stop this wrong

It is a wrong decision, even if it is destroyed directly by force! This is the government's decision, we cannot change it, we can only execute it!" In the end, Churchill, who was very impatient, gave Jericho a death order and must take action, regardless of

Do you agree or not? Just say that if Jericho disagrees, prepare to go home and retire!

"If the glory of the British Empire eventually falls, I hope it will not end in my hands." After a while, Jericho said this puzzling sentence. Then he politely addressed

Churchill took his leave and left the Office of the Lord Admiralty. If you could use one word to describe Jericho at this time:

His mood was one of despair. Because even he couldn't think of a way to solve this situation. Because at this time, the British Empire's fleet had declined unprecedentedly, and with insufficient hard power, the balance between host and guest was easy.

He really can't do anything in this small pond in Beihai.

Now the entire Allied navy has no troops to deploy. The battleship fleet directly under Magiffin is being repaired in the French dock, and Thomas's battleships also need maintenance and upkeep. At the same time, they have to withstand Count Spee. All the remaining fleets are in their own hands.

,and

With this little property in my hand, I am really weak against the German High Seas Fleet. If I really lose, what will happen to the British Empire? It's just the middle of the year, and the admiral-level service will have to wait for at least nearly a year.

.Who will fill this gap?

But Jericho also realized that the problem of Norway must be solved. If the Germans were allowed to control Norway, or even just use a few ports in Norway, then the effectiveness of the British Empire's naval blockade would be greatly reduced. German submarines entering and exiting the ocean would become

not even the High Seas Fleet's entry into and out of the Atlantic.

Impossible. The powerful High Seas Fleet is like a sharp sword at the throat of the British Empire. Although Jericho knows that the best way is to delay and wait until the Grand Fleet obtains the Admiral-class battleship before taking action, the time has passed.

They couldn't afford to wait. There was no way the British would let German submarines get away like this for a year.

"Fortunately, German aircraft have not entered Norway so far. We don't have to worry about being hit by a double blow from German warships and aircraft. If we must take action, then it must be clean and neat, without any hesitation. Although it cannot be completely

Destroy all Norwegian coastal ports, but a few

Crucially, the port that may be used to station the Grand Fleet in the future must be destroyed!" After repeated weighings, Jericho finally decided to take action. Although the British Grand Fleet had no advantage in terms of strength, at the same time, politically it might completely destroy it!

Norway pushed to the side of the Allies, but it was definitely not possible to leave it alone.

Jericho's decisiveness was fully reflected at this moment. After deciding to take action, he immediately ordered the fleet to prepare. At the same time, he ordered the naval aviation directly under the Admiralty to transfer to the Shetland Islands in large numbers. At least he needed to provide the fleet with a

A protective umbrella as thick as possible. All auxiliary battleships distributed across the UK and even pre-Dreadnought era patrols will be transferred to the north as much as possible. Since the British Empire fleet has no advantage in the main battleships, it will also

Without fast battleships, let's concentrate as many battleships as possible to enrich our combat power! As many as 12 10,000-ton armored cruisers have been added to the fleet. These battleships are actually cannon fodder. But when it comes to life and death, they can't care about it.

So many. After some reorganization, the Grand Fleet surpassed its German counterpart in terms of total tonnage, but at this time the Grand Fleet was no longer majestic. Even in Jericho's own opinion, this fleet could only be used as a puffy and fat fleet.

to describe.

It is impossible to hide such a large-scale fleet mobilization from the Germans. At this time, the British Grand Fleet can only have one purpose of action, and that is to launch around Norway. The British cannot be stupid enough to approach the German mainland to challenge the High Seas Fleet and Germany.

Naval aviation. A large number of warships and aircraft began to gather towards the Shetland Islands. After the German Navy received this information, the entire Admiralty

Everything is boiling! The British are about to move! The maritime war that has lasted for four years is about to come to an end! The Allied Navy's four-year efforts will achieve final victory in the near future. In these few years, even if the French fleet begins to

It was crippled, but the powerful Grand Fleet still relied on its own power to exert tremendous pressure on the Allies in the North Sea and the Mediterranean battlefields at the same time.

If the incident in Norway had not happened, the British could even wait until the Admiral-class battleships were put into service. By then, the efforts of the Allied navies would have been in vain. But history is not accidental. The Germans seized the moment when the Grand Fleet was at its weakest! They were able to obtain

The final victory was a shocking blow!
Chapter completed!