Mahan once said that a country cannot have both land and sea power. For Britain, the choice of sea and land has only been a one-way street since the Hundred Years War. For three hundred years, the glory of the Union Flag has depended on generation after generation.
Sailors put it into all parts of the world.
Today, only the afterglow of the never-setting sun remains. Only at this time can the task force in Tokyo Bay remind others of the glorious past.
Tokyo Bay is the international name for the Gulf of Tonkin. It belongs to two countries. For the British Royal Navy at this time, it is still a quite suitable demonstration site. The appearance of this powerful task force has made the already controlled
Most of the areas in North Vietnam, except around Hanoi, were left uncontrolled by the Viet Minh, who were nervous for a while.
Compared to France, Britain, known as the Empire on which the Sun Never Sets, is more famous among colonial empires.
Within the Viet Minh, there was also discussion about the task force appearing in the outer sea. After all, on the eve of such a victory, no one wanted to cause trouble. The bright future of reunifying the motherland has emerged, and facing a new enemy is not something everyone wants.
Would like to see.
The Vietnamese think too much. Even if the United Kingdom does not appear, Vietnam's dream of reunifying the motherland is still a dream at least for now. However, at the Geneva Conference, Vietnam is not qualified to speak. Now they do not know that they will be disappointed.
Although the task force has battleships and aircraft carriers, it is enough to calm 99% of the countries in the world, but for a service like the navy, if it is not number one, it is nothing. This is the navy
embarrassment.
The current size of the British Royal Navy is shabby compared to the past. It can only find confidence in a country like Vietnam and show off the glory of the British Empire.
Although the battleships of the task force look fine from a distance, they are all a group of old ships after all. They are purely used to exert their residual heat. The task force does not even have a George V-class battleship, but they were all sealed up once. Later,
The Queen Elizabeth-class battleship has been re-opened.
This class of battleship had already been in service since World War I. It was supposed to be dismantled after the war, but was put back into the colonies as a deterrent. Maintenance required not only funds, but also a group of professionals.
Alan Wilson also pardoned the naval logistics prisoners of Japan's Southern Army for this purpose. If the spirit of craftsmanship really existed in Japan, he hoped that these prisoners of war would serve these classic ships well and save some logistics costs.
Although it is a bit disappointing, in Asian waters, these warships, which have experienced two world wars and have made outstanding achievements, are still very powerful. At this time, they are fighting against all odds in the calm Tokyo Bay.
What is a little gratifying is that the naval officers and soldiers lined up on the deck and side of the battleship are neatly dressed and have high morale. Their young faces are in sharp contrast to those of these classic ships. As a military service with a reserve reserve of 150,000 people, the British
There is never a shortage of professional sailors.
The destroyer escorts of the special escort fleet are obvious and have nothing to do with the two old battleships among them. Their hulls are brand-new and have smooth lines. Their sharp ships cut through the waves, and their high-speed propellers stir up large white water marks. The naval battle flag.
Hunting in the wind.
A part of the escort warships will act as a maritime threat from a poor country in the imaginary enemy, threatening the task force's just escort action with the maritime guerrilla warfare envisioned by the British naval staff.
Amidst the rumbling cannons, those cutting-edge light warships gave full play to their agile characteristics. Sometimes they attacked to harass the opponent, sometimes they launched intensive torpedo attacks in formation, and used training torpedoes to shuttle back and forth on the sea. The scene was very lively.
After all, at this moment, even the navy of the Soviet Union, the number one socialist power, is a standard navy of a poor country in the eyes of the free world. Apart from this hit-and-run scenario, it seems that there is not much that can be done against an opponent like the Royal Navy.
After the confrontation drill, several light cruisers and auxiliary ships also conducted sea supply and repair. Finally, the confrontation ended, and the task force continued to patrol Tokyo Bay.
"Every exercise will attract the attention of surrounding forces. If there is something true or false about an exercise, it may become true." General Bilton looked at Alan Wilson and asked, "You know this, Admiral Mountbatten is
The commander of the Mediterranean Fleet is slightly more powerful than the Pacific Fleet."
"From a tonnage point of view, not necessarily. The service age of the warships in the Mediterranean Fleet does have an advantage." Alan Wilson was referring to the fact that in the Malayan fleet, there were a lot of warships that needed to be dismantled, but they were just thrown over.
Colonial waste utilization.
"For many countries, this is a weapon that they cannot imagine." General Bilton shook his head and said that he did not agree with the other party's view. "By the way, it seems that the role of helicopters on the battlefield should be valued."
Alan Wilson was stunned for a moment. He was surprised by this question, and then agreed, "It's a very novel view. Judging from France's experience in Vietnam, helicopters should indeed receive more attention. Many aircraft carriers with insufficient tonnage also
Consider becoming a helicopter carrier, and we all know that fighter jets are getting bigger and bigger."
Alan Wilson really has no memory of the development trend of British helicopters in his mind. This shows that the British level in this field is not high.
Of course, the development of British helicopters is in line with the development of all British weapons after World War I. We started early in the morning and rushed to work late at night, and the project was established very early, so the development was tortuous.
During World War II, the United Kingdom developed the Cerva W.9 experimental helicopter. The Cerva W.9 was not a practical helicopter. It was mainly used to verify some aircraft technologies. Perhaps this is what makes this helicopter appear very powerful.
weird.
In terms of balancing the torque of the aircraft, the Cerva W.9 is also unique. It does not use a tail rotor, but uses a side blowing method. The engine has a variable pitch cooling fan, which blows cold air to the engine.
At the same time, the hot air is mixed with the engine's hot exhaust gas, and is transmitted to the rear end of the tail boom through a long pipe. The pipe then turns to the right, and the pilot controls the cooling fan to change the wind force, thereby adjusting the direction of the aircraft.
This chapter is not over, please click on the next page to continue reading! Alan Wilson doesn’t know if he is the only helicopter without a tail rotor, but it is in line with the British aesthetic style. This kind of helicopter naturally has no development potential.
It was soon abandoned.
Now the British helicopter manufacturing company, Bristol Aircraft Company, has finally gotten rid of the previous tail-rotor layout. Alan Wilson feels that he should be able to help the development of British helicopters.
At least he has seen helicopters from later generations. Many weapons from later generations may not be completely suitable for this era, but there are still things that can be learned from the appearance. After all, the aerodynamic layout has been developed for so many years.
"The British military industry should really be allowed to make fewer detours. After all, the UK has a weak foundation and can no longer afford it." Finally, almost ten years after the war ended, Alan Wilson finally thought of this.
You can't use the ship of a man who is older than his father to prop up the situation during naval and gun diplomacy. Britain also needs some new things, otherwise it will be in vain sooner or later.
News of the task force exercise in Tokyo Bay reached all parties at the Geneva Conference. The major British media, which would never bow to the government, unanimously started their own reports without any pressure from the government.
Public opinion in the UK focused on Britain's usefulness in helping the French evacuation operations. However, outside the UK, the traditional British media were not so polite and clamored to give North Vietnam some color.
At the Geneva Conference, the news of the Tonkin Gulf exercise was viewed by the Soviet Union as a demonstration by Britain against the socialist family. In fact, it was, but it was somewhere between unacceptable and acceptable.
In his reply to Moscow, Molotov said that this was just the United Kingdom using international hotspot situations to gain a sense of presence. It must be said that it is a good judge of people.
"There is no doubt that the main negotiating opponent is the United States, and Britain's actions will not have any consequences." Khrushchev quickly replied to Molotov, "From Comrade Molotov's telegram, I and
Comrades all believe that this is Britain trying to secure a decent retreat for France, just like in 1945 when Britain tried its best to help France regain its status as a great power. In fact, we all understand that Britain and France are no longer opponents of the Soviets.
"Maintaining unity on our side while trying to prevent the other side from being united is the fundamental purpose of diplomats."
"My personal suggestion is that we should ask Chinese comrades what they really think and try to embarrass the United States on the Korean issue. After all, China was a party to the Korean War and should naturally make its voice heard. But what about the Vietnam issue? We'd better
It’s better not to express your position.”
Consistent with the memory in Alan Wilson's mind, the Soviet Union at this moment is not interested in distant Southeast Asia. Using Vietnam to bleed France is not something the Soviet Union is particularly concerned about. If it were to bleed the United States, that would be another matter.
question.
At another location, British Foreign Secretary Morrison and French Foreign Minister Georges Petour were communicating with Deputy Secretary of State Smith after Dulles left.
"We very much support the position of the United States. In fact, this has never wavered. But on the Vietnam issue, I believe Washington also knows that France's demands are not excessive. We must maintain the balance between North and South Vietnam. Just like the Korean Peninsula! Otherwise
If so, once the domino theory appears, the future world will be terrible."
"The question is what does the other side think?" Smith spread his hands and said, "You have also seen that both the Soviet Union and China are very difficult to deal with and have been tit for tat with us."
"This matter, I think? It shouldn't be a problem!" Morrison smiled slightly, "It's not that difficult to reach a consensus on the Vietnam issue alone. Of course, our countries must unite."