Anti-Japanese War: The whole world is a base vehicle

While the British Army was racking its brains to figure out how to get the American Army to join the battlefield, on the Mediterranean side, a dramatic scene was taking place in which the British Army was betraying the French Army.

To be precise, the British army was planning to force the surrender of the French fleet in the port of Oran, and a tense and explosive confrontation began.

"Level 1 combat alert, is this a seizure?" The natives living in the port of Oran were puzzled. They watched the French soldiers rushing towards the port one by one. They were extremely curious and were all guessing what had happened.

On a French warship, a naval lieutenant stood on the deck, looking at a large group of people rushing towards the warship in the distance. His face became very ugly and he muttered: "What's going on, didn't we withdraw from the war and remain neutral?" He really couldn't understand. They had already declared neutrality, so why were there sudden alarms and a posture of going to war?

"Is this an exercise conducted by the Commander to keep the officers on their guard?" someone nearby couldn't help but speculate.

After all, in normal times, there are occasional similar exercises to keep everyone in combat form, so they subconsciously thought in this direction.

But before the lieutenant could say anything, the radio rang again. The serious and urgent voice echoed over the entire port: "Again, this is not a drill. This is not a drill. We are surrounded by the British fleet and may be bombarded at any time. Everyone return to their combat positions immediately. Everyone return to their combat positions immediately and prepare for battle."

The broadcasting voice repeated over and over again, "Again, this is not a drill..."

"I reiterate..." He repeated this three times in a row. Now everyone understood that the news was absolutely true. Everyone ran faster and the whole port was instantly plunged into a tense and panicked atmosphere.

The second lieutenant was even more confused, his eyes widened, and he muttered to himself: "Surrounded by the British fleet? Is today April Fool's Day? Why did the British attack us?"

He just couldn't understand it. After all, the French army had remained neutral and should not have been treated like this.

"Damn British army, we have remained neutral, why are they attacking us?" he said angrily, but no one around him could answer his questions.

Even Admiral Jean Soule at the command center couldn't believe it at first.

Deep down in his heart, he was unwilling to believe that his former allies, the British soldiers, would betray them. After all, they had fought side by side in the past and had the friendship of allies.

But the report from the operations staff ruthlessly shattered his only remaining hope.

At the same time, he was reminded of what Schulenburg had said before, that the British army might launch a surprise attack on their fleet.

At first he didn't believe it, thinking that the British army would not be so immoral, but now the cruel reality was before him, he had to believe it.

"Report, the British fleet has dropped dense mines outside our port." Upon hearing this report from the operations staff, everyone's faces turned pale instantly. No one could believe that this was actually true. It seemed that the British army had come with ill intentions and was determined to attack them.

"Are the British troops really coming towards us?" the chief of staff said in a trembling voice, with a hint of fear in his voice.

"Damn it! The British army is treacherous. We have already sent a telegram to declare neutrality. Why are they attacking us?" A colonel was so angry that he cursed loudly. He looked so angry that it seemed as if he wanted to eat the British army alive.

"Commander, what should we do now?" the operations staff asked hurriedly. He looked at Admiral Jean Soul anxiously, hoping to get a response plan as soon as possible.

"Why don't we surrender?" Someone suggested in a low voice. After all, facing the sudden encirclement and aggressive posture of the British army, they were unsure and thought that surrender might save everyone's lives.

"Bastard, I will never surrender to the British army, even if I have to sink my own battleship." The previous colonel shouted loudly, his face full of determination. In his opinion, the dignity of France and the honor of the navy cannot be lost so easily. Even if he dies in battle, he will never surrender to the British army.

This move of the British Army did disgust Admiral Jean Soule. After all, he was a general of the French Army. How could he allow himself to be manipulated by the British Army so easily? He was not a pushover.

"Order, all ships are on combat readiness and ready for battle. The proud French Navy will never surrender to the enemy. They would rather die in battle than surrender!" Admiral Jean Soul said loudly through the radio, and at the same time made a solemn promise to all French soldiers to fight the British army to the end.

Outside the Oran Harbor, the British Mediterranean Fleet lined up in a row, looking aggressive. A major general reported to Admiral Kanan: "General, the French army is definitely not prepared for this long-distance raid. I think it will be easy to capture the enemy ships."

In the eyes of this major general, this battle was a must-win. Although the Mediterranean Fleet was not as powerful as the Home Fleet, it should not be a big problem to deal with the French Fleet. After all, they had the upper hand in the surprise attack.

But Admiral Kanan still frowned and said: "The French have not surrendered yet. All victories and defeats are unpredictable. We must wait for them to surrender, and this time it will be considered a success."

He knew very well that the French army was not easy to deal with. Although they seemed to have the upper hand now, there would still be many variables if a real fight broke out. So he still hoped that the French army would surrender voluntarily so that he could achieve his desired goal.

Hearing this, everyone in the command center nodded, but the major general was still unwilling to give in and couldn't help asking, "General, I don't think the French will surrender easily. They are proud French people."

He knew the temperament of the French very well. They always attached great importance to dignity and honor. It would be harder than climbing to the sky to make them surrender easily.

"Either surrender or sink. The French fleet must not fall into the hands of the Germans." Admiral Kanan said coldly.

He had his own plans in mind. He must not let the French fleet be used by the Germans at any cost, so he issued such an ultimatum to the French army.

Soon, Admiral Kann issued a broadcast to the port of Oran: "Join us and fight against the evil Germany with us." As for the specific method of joining, it is very simple, just hand over the French warships and let the British army take them away.

In the eyes of the British Army, this was a very reasonable request, which could not only strengthen their own strength, but also prevent the French fleet from being used by Germany. Admiral Jean Soule naturally rejected the request of the British Navy without hesitation. "Damn British Army, we have already declared an armistice and maintained neutrality, why are you forcing us?" The Chief of Staff of the French Fleet was so angry that he cursed, "This is too much!"

"Report, the British army has sent an ultimatum." The communications staff officer hurried in and said with a pale face. He looked so nervous as if he was bringing news of the end of the world.

"Read!" Admiral Jean Soul said coldly. Although he was angry, he knew that he had to first listen to what harsh conditions the British army had put forward.

The communications staff trembled and read out: "1: Declare war on the Germans together with the British Army and blockade the German fleet. 2: Reduce the sailors and sail the fleet to the British port under the supervision of the British Army; 3: Go to the designated port under the supervision of the British fleet and disarm. 4: If you refuse the above suggestions, you must sink the ship within 6 hours."

After hearing this, the French Chief of Staff said in a cold tone: "Damn it, the British Army is really arrogant. If I can survive this battle, I will make sure the British Army has a taste of my power." He clenched his fists in anger and swore in his heart that he would never surrender easily.

"When will the fleet arrive at the home port?" Admiral Jean Soul did not immediately respond to the chief of staff's anger. Instead, he turned to ask the operations staff.

He thought that if reinforcements could arrive in time, he could work together with them to form a pincer attack on the British army, which might be able to reverse the current extremely unfavorable situation.

"Currently, other ports have refused to send out fleets. They have chosen to surrender to the British Navy." The news brought by the operations staff was like a bombshell. Admiral Jeansur was furious and could not help cursing, "A bunch of bastards. They will be dealt with sooner or later."

He never expected that at this critical moment, the fleets in other ports would surrender to the British army so easily. This was a complete disgrace to France and put the French army in Oran Port into an even more isolated and helpless situation.

"Send a message back to the British army: the French fleet will not surrender to them, nor will it submit." Admiral Jean Soul suppressed his anger, calmed down a little, and said in a firm tone.

He knew clearly that the French Navy had its own pride and dignity. No matter how difficult the situation was, it would never bow its noble head to the British Army. Surrender was out of the question.

Thus, the British fleet and the French fleet confronted each other in a tense situation outside the port of Oran for a full five hours.

Both sides had already loaded their guns with shells and were ready for battle. The tense atmosphere was so intense that it seemed as if a tiny spark could instantly trigger a fierce naval battle. The entire sea was shrouded in a depressing atmosphere.

Until a telegram from Churchill broke the peace. "Solve the problem as soon as possible, the Italian fleet is on its way to Oran." Admiral Cannin's heart skipped a beat after seeing this telegram. He knew that he couldn't continue to be in a stalemate. The situation was becoming more and more complicated. If he waited for the Italian fleet to arrive, the situation would be even more difficult to control.

So he immediately urged his subordinates to send another telegram.

"If you still don't accept any of our suggestions after an hour, we will have no choice but to sink you." The content of this telegram was full of threats. The British army wanted to force the French army to surrender through this tough approach.

Admiral Jeansur, who received the telegram, just smiled indifferently and tore it into pieces. His movements were quick and decisive, as if he did not take the threat of the British army seriously at all.

"Sir, do you need a reply?" The operations staff asked cautiously upon seeing this.

"No need to reply, prepare for battle." Admiral Jeansur said calmly. He had already prepared for the battle. In his opinion, instead of engaging in such a meaningless verbal battle with the British army, it would be better to respond to their threats with artillery shells.

"Let two battleships go in the front, and the other ships attack from the side." He began to issue combat orders in an orderly manner, preparing for a head-on battle with the British army.

On the other side, the squadron led by Admiral Darlan, Commander-in-Chief of the French Navy, was advancing rapidly from the port to the port of Oran in a panic.

"Speed ​​up, our comrades are waiting for our rescue." Admiral Darlan stood on the bridge and urged his subordinates loudly. He was extremely anxious at the moment, and he only wanted to get to the port of Oran as soon as possible to support the fleet besieged by the British army. Every second of delay would put his comrades over there in more danger.

But at this moment, a word from the combat staff made him feel as if he had fallen into hell.

"The Italian navy was spotted fifty nautical miles away." Upon hearing the news, Admiral Darlan's face suddenly turned a little ugly. He began to wonder in his heart whether the Italian fleet was an enemy or a friend.

After all, in this unpredictable situation, no one can tell what the Italians' true intentions are.

But soon, they received a broadcast message from the other side: "We are here to help you, we are allies and friends."

Admiral Darlan felt extremely ironic when he heard this. He couldn't help but shook his head and smiled bitterly: "Enemies become friends, friends become enemies. This world is really ironic."

He knew in his heart that the relationship between Italy and France was complicated before. Now Italy suddenly said it wanted to help. It was really hard to tell how sincere Italy was behind this.

"Commander, our current mission is to rescue the navy in Oran Port..." the combat staff officer next to him reminded anxiously. He was worried that Admiral Darlan would be distracted by the appearance of the Italian fleet and delay the important task of rescuing the fleet in Oran Port.

"Tell the Italians that I agree, and we refuse to accept orders from anyone." Darlan thought for a while and said slowly.

He thought that since the Italians had offered to help, it would be fine to accept it for the time being. However, the autonomy of the French Navy must still be maintained and it must not be easily commanded by others. The most important thing now is to get to the port of Oran as soon as possible to compete with the British army and rescue the trapped fleet.

The squadron led by Admiral Darlan was too weak. It did not have a single battleship, only two heavy cruisers, and the rest were destroyers and cruisers. If they really faced the British Navy, they would just be sending themselves to death. (End of this chapter)