The Isle of Wight is a small island in the southern part of the United Kingdom, but with a very important geographical location. After France retreated from the entire line of Britain, it only controlled the Isle of Wight in order to build this place into a bridgehead for counterattacking Britain.

The Isle of Wight is very close to Britain, only less than ten kilometers away. It is across the sea from Portsmouth, an important city in southern England. Since the United States and Canada drove France out of Britain, it has been trying to take back the Isle of Wight. However, under the strict defense of the French team, it has not been able to achieve its wish. The Isle of Wight is like a sword of Damocles hanging on the head of the UK, and there is always danger of slashing with one sword.

Especially after the French navy recovered, the English Channel once again became the French inland sea. The French navy wanted to provide supplementary and firepower support to the Isle of Wight. It was even more difficult for Britain to recover the Isle of Wight. [bsp;   When France and the United States and Canada were both desperately preparing for the war, Britain was not idle. The navy did not have the strength to develop for the time being. Even if it was developed, it was not as close as France and was not strong enough to block the gap. Therefore, Britain used all its national strength to develop the army. The British population was already large, and with the support of the United States, there was no need to worry about insufficient arms. In just two years, the army had been developed to 60 divisions, and as long as the war could last for three months, they could arm 60 divisions again. The potential of the war was no weaker than that of Canada.

The United States saw this and took full advantage of its assistance to Britain. In the eyes of the United States, being able to drag France to the European battlefield and isolate the war from its homeland is undoubtedly the best result. The more France's strength Britain consumes, the safer the United States will be.

Another country on the British Isles, Ireland, is completely different. Not only did they not expand their troops, they laid off a lot of troops. In the end, they only retained 10 divisions of the army. Anyway, they were small countries, and even if there were many troops, they could not withstand the invasion of major powers such as France and the United States. It would be better to be a fence-between and be the younger brother of whoever won. Not only did they not have to fight hard, but they could get a lot of benefits.

After betraying France and committing to the United States, the Irish politics have actually maintained contact with France. After all, France is too close to Ireland, and the United States is separated by an ocean. It is obviously unrealistic for the United States to suppress France at the French side. Therefore, Ireland is not optimistic about the United States and is ready to immediately put down the blame and turn back to France once the United States and Canada fail.

Moreover, France supported the Irish nation at the beginning. Therefore, the Irish people generally agree with France.

The French army stationed a total of four divisions on the Isle of Wight, namely two marine divisions, one infantry division and one artillery division. A total of more than 60,000 troops were deployed across the strait, the United Kingdom, the United States and Canada.

The French artillery divisions included a heavy 155mm howitzer battalion, two 105mm howitzer regiments and a 75mm field artillery regiment. A total of 12mén 155mm howitzer, 144mén 105mm howitzer and 72mén 75mm field artillery, plus the artillery of two Marine Divisions and Infantry Divisions, the artillery on the entire Isle of Wight, more than 400mén. More than 20 artillery positions are arranged in the coastal areas of the Isle of Wight. The 155mm howitzer deployed in the Ryder area in the northeast of the island can even directly hit the shells to Portsmouth.

During the past two years, the two sides often engaged in artillery battles, but basically France has the upper hand. The army equipment, the United States and Canada still cannot catch up with France.

In early June 1833, U.S. Admiral Davis personally rushed to Portsmouth. As the commander of the Davis defense line known as the "Eastern Chain", as the French navy recovered, Davis felt more and more pressure. A powerful French fleet frequently appeared along the British coast, shelling military camps, artillery positions, ports and other important military facilities. The more time went on, the more unfavorable it would be for the United States. Therefore, Davis arrived in person this time to solve the problem of the Isle of Wight once and for all.

After regaining the Isle of Wight, France will face at least a dilemma of no bridgehead. If it lands elsewhere, it needs to be prepared to be driven out of the sea by the United States, Canada and British Army.

At present, the United States has a total of 14 infantry divisions and 210,000 people, commanded by Davis himself. Canada also has 6 infantry divisions and 90,000 people, commanded by a lieutenant general named West Méng. The two countries have a total of 300,000 people. In order to recover the Isle of Wight, Davis directly mobilized 6 American infantry divisions and two Canadian infantry divisions. The British government also dispatched 10 divisions of troops, with a total force of 270,000.

Although it seems to be a large number of people, it is not easy to send these troops to the Isle of Wight a few kilometers away, especially the island has huge artillery soldiers, and even the other party can get help from a powerful navy. Initiating a landing battle without gaining control of the sea is no different from seeking death.

In a secret military camp in Portsmouth, Davis presided over a pre-war military meeting, and only representatives of the three countries were participants, namely Davis, Canada's Western Méng, and Britain's Lieutenant General Forfre.

"Gentlemen, our goal this time is very clear, to conquer the Isle of Wight and take down the bridgehead for the French to attack Britain. In that case, no matter how powerful France is, it will not be easy to set foot on Britain again." Davis said firmly. The entire Davis defense line was established under his strong advocacy. If the nail on the Isle of Wight can be pulled out, it will undoubtedly make the entire defense line more stable.

"His Excellency Davis, I fully support this action. However, the French have long since made the Isle of Wight operated as impoverished. Island fortifications and artillery positions, and also the barriers of the straits. It is quite difficult for us to take down the Isle of Wight, or to land the troops on the Isle of Wight." Lieutenant General Méng said with some concern.

"Yes, Your Excellency Davis. Moreover, the strength of the French Navy has basically recovered. With the support of the navy, it is even more difficult for us to board the Isle of Wight!" Although Forfur hopes to take down the Isle of Wight more, this is obviously a behavior of dying, and a fool can do it.

"Don't worry about the French Navy. I have contacted the Navy, and they will cooperate with us at that time." Davis said. He is not only the highest commander of Davis's defense line, but also the head of the US Navy. The US Navy, which is active in the waters near the UK, is the US 5th Fleet, the 9th Fleet, the 11th Fleet, and the 3rd Fleet of Canada. The four fleets have a total of nearly 170 large and small warships, which is not much different from the main force of the French Navy. The Straits Fleet is not very different. It is very likely to defeat the French Navy, but it is not a big problem to resist the French Navy and provide convenience for landing on the Isle of Wight.

"But General, this is more in Europe. The French Navy is not only one strait fleet, but also other powerful fleets." Ximéng was still a little worried.

"The Navy is just holding the French Navy back for us. As long as we can send enough troops to wait on the Isle of Wight within two to three days, the navy's mission will be completed!"

"So, Mr. Davis, what do we need to do in the UK?" Foffer asked. After Davis' explanation, he found that Davis' plan was quite successful. As long as he could send seven or eight divisions to the Isle of Wight, it would be no problem to take down the Isle of Wight.

"First of all, we need to prepare a large number of ships, at least 500, which can ensure that more than 3 infantry divisions and equipment are transported at one time. In addition, prepare enough cannons, at least 1,000mén, so that when crossing the sea, we can suppress French artillery!" Davis said.

Forfur wrinkled up coal and collected ships, but the problem was not big. Britain was originally a maritime country, and what it was most lacking was merchant ships and fishing boats. It was not a big problem to get 500 ships. But it would be more difficult to get 1,000mén artillery. The British Army had only three artillery divisions in total, and each other infantry division had no more than 20mén artillery. Although the total number exceeded 1,000mén, it was scattered all over the country. It was not easy to gather together.

After Forfrey told his own problems, Davis asked him to mobilize at least one artillery division, and the total number was almost the same as the artillery of the 10 British infantry divisions and the artillery of the US-Canadian coalition. It is still very likely to mobilize some from other places and get 1,000 mén.

In mid-June, everything was ready. However, the large-scale mobilization of the US-Canadian coalition and the British army naturally attracted the attention of the French army. The troops stationed on the Isle of Wight all canceled all vacations and entered the first-class combat readiness. The same is true for the Strait Fleet, which always maintained a small fleet of 1 "Heavy Cavalry" class warship, two "Light Cavalry" class warships, four "Battler" class warships and six "Dolphin" class warships, cruising around the Isle of Wight, ready to deal with the sudden situation at any time. The main force of the Strait Fleet was also ready to support at any time. In addition, two Marine Divisions were also ready to go. Once the Isle of Wight changes, they would quickly land on the Isle of Wight under the protection of the navy for support.
Chapter completed!