With the fall of Southampton, the British dream of continuing to resist was being shattered bit by bit.
Now, the British must face the impending defeat. The originally united Britain began to split, and some calls to consider surrender also began to quietly appear...
Except for one person who still insisted on resisting to the end: Winston Churchill.
Churchill never considered surrender. In his view, any form of surrender would be very shameful for the "Empire on which the Sun Never Sets."
Such a shameful thing would never happen to me!
Churchill made preparations to defend Britain.
The war in Britain has entered a decisive stage...
"Everything is for victory..." Churchill delivered a speech that inspired the British: "We will use the firm belief of the British Empire to complete an impossible war..."
"Everything is for victory..." Almost at the same moment, President Wang Hengyue also delivered a speech: "Before the end of April, let the war end too! For victory, move forward!"
For victory, move forward!
After the Battle of Southampton, the Sino-German coalition increased the frequency of sending more troops to Britain. A large number of fighter planes were raging in the sky, a large number of tanks were rampaging on British soil, and a large number of soldiers were advancing forward.
Britain is trembling, and London can even feel the threat of Chinese artillery fire...
h. Admiral Alexander knew that it was difficult to stop the enemy's attack by relying solely on his own strength. For him, what he can do now is to do everything he can to delay the enemy's progress as much as possible and prepare for London.
Give enough time to defend the war.
However, what if we can buy time to defend it? How long can an isolated city last without foreign aid?
The British 18th Army Group was placed in Hodge County, which will be the last line of defense to defend London...
In Alexander's view, the 18th Army Group was fully capable of holding off the enemy for more than three months, which would buy enough time for the defense of London.
But it was clear that Alexander once again underestimated the advancing capabilities of the Chinese and German coalition forces.
Under the cover of aircraft and tanks, 210,000 Chinese-German coalition soldiers launched a terrible attack on Hodge County. The artillery shells were rumbling and the ground was shaking...
From the beginning of the battle, Hodge County was attacked by mountains and tsunamis. The British soldiers persisted bitterly, and group after group threw themselves into the positions that were about to collapse, but no one knew when such torture would end.
Finish.
"We can't see any hope of victory..." General Alexander wrote in his diary: "This is the darkest moment in British history, and it will lead Britain into a period of endless darkness...
The war was not supposed to go like this... When Adolf Hitler vowed to occupy Britain, we did not believe it... We successfully defeated the German air attack on Britain, and we successfully reversed the situation on the battlefield... But then China
People came, and the nightmare of the British Empire began... We tried our best and did everything we could, but now it seems that it is still so futile... I may fight
Die here, for the British Empire, for the land I love so much...¨"
This diary is very tragic, but also full of helplessness...
On March 12, the 82nd Division of the Chinese National Defense Force, which was at the forefront of the assault, broke into the British defense line in Hodge County. The two sides launched a fierce hand-to-hand battle on the position.
This is a day that neither the Chinese nor the British will forget...
The Chinese soldiers showed their bravery, and the British soldiers also expressed their determination to defend their homeland.
After defeating the Spanish Armada in 1588, Britain gradually replaced Spain and became the emerging hegemonic power on the sea, and began to continuously expand its overseas colonies!
After that, Britain successively defeated its strongest opponents, the Netherlands and France, in the Anglo-Dutch War and the Seven Years' War, seized large tracts of colonies from the two countries, and established maritime hegemony. Britain's victory in the war with Napoleon in 1815 further consolidated
Its status as an international political and military power, and the Industrial Revolution made Britain an undisputed economic power. The British Empire in the Victorian era entered its heyday. On the eve of World War I, there were 400-500 million people in the world.
A quarter of the world's population is under the rule of the British Empire; Newfoundland, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, India, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Burma, Gambia, Malta, Uganda, Kenya, South Africa, Nigeria and countless islands are under
British colonial rule.
The international order under the leadership of British hegemony is called "Pax Britannica". Britain calls itself the "Empire on which the Sun Never Sets."
But now this "empire on which the sun never sets" is in danger of collapse...
The British soldiers on the battlefield were deeply aware of this danger. They did not want to see an extremely powerful country reduced to a place where the conquerors showed off their power.
They tried their best... The bayonets were shining coldly there, and the blood was splattered on the bodies. You could see them everywhere. This place has become a cruel hell, and everyone is likely to die here.
, and then eventually become part of the soil….
Alexander also knew the news that the Chinese *** team had broken into the position, but he had no better way to solve it. Now every position was under the enemy's attack. His troops were very embarrassed, and it was difficult to mobilize enough troops.
troops came for reinforcements.
The only thing Alexander could pray for was that the soldiers on the position could use their bravery to drive the enemy out of the position and then successfully defend it...
But Alexander didn’t get what he wanted….
The brave and tenacious performance of the British soldiers did not bring them victory. Chinese soldiers continued to enter the position and gradually controlled the situation on the battlefield...
The British strength of a division here is rapidly decreasing. The division commander, Lieutenant General Sread, has put all his last troops into the battlefield, but the situation has not changed at all.
The front was compressed bit by bit, and there was almost no room for the British to move, but Chinese soldiers continued to enter.
What a terrible battle situation... Lieutenant General Slade murmured in despair.
General Alexander's order stated that he must firmly hold on to this crucial position for Hodge County and even the entire United Kingdom, but obviously this could no longer be achieved.
The front line is still calling for reinforcements, but Lieutenant General Thred is unable to do anything. In reply to the call from the frontline commander, Lieutenant General Thred said almost invariably: "Fight to the end for the British Empire!"
Slogans can't solve the problem. The British soldiers on the front line need reinforcements, machine guns, and bullets. But no one will solve everything they need. All they get is words of encouragement...¨
What could be more sad than this?
After a full day of fighting on March 12, Lieutenant General Sread lost most of his positions, and he and his soldiers were forced to retreat to the core position for the final defense.
"If we can no longer get reinforcements, then when tomorrow comes, my soldiers and I will become prisoners of the enemy..." In a telegram to General Alexander, Lieutenant General Thred said: "The soldiers are trying to
The British honor has fought to the last moment, but they are exhausted. They are facing endless enemies, dense aircraft bombings in the sky, and rampant tanks on the ground... But we have almost nothing...¨"
General Alexander's call back did not arrive until an hour later. It can be seen that the British commander was also caught in a huge contradiction and dilemma...
General Alexander wrote in his reply: "Dear General Oliver Thred, I have infinite respect for your heroic fighting.
The situation is very complicated, and I beg you to hold on with your troops until March 16th. You will get the reinforcements you need..."
This is complete nonsense!
Putting down General Alexander's telegram, General Thred thought distressedly.
Do you want to persist until the 16th? No, now I can’t persist even for one day.
After Alexander sent a telegram asking General Thred to hold on to the end, Winston Churchill also delivered a speech in the British House of Commons. In his speech, he said: "... What lies before us is an extremely painful war.
A severe test. Before us, there are many, many years of long struggle and suffering. You ask: What is our policy? I want to say that our policy is to use all our abilities and all the power God has given us to fight on sea and land.
A war with the sky, a war with a tyranny the most vicious and vicious that has ever existed in the tragic history of mankind. This is our policy. You ask: What is our goal? I can answer in one word: Victory -
- To win at all costs; to win no matter how terrible, no matter how long and difficult the road is, to win. Because without victory, there is no survival. We must realize this: without victory, there is no empire.
If it existed, there would be nothing that the empire represents, and there would be no strong desire and motivation passed down from generation to generation that prompt mankind to march forward bravely towards its goals. But when I took up this burden, I was in a happy mood and full of hope.
I am convinced that people will not allow our cause to fail. At this time, I feel I have the right to ask for your support and say: 'Come on, let us work together and move forward together.'…"
When Churchill's speech ended, he originally expected to be greeted by a storm of cheers, but to his regret, he did not get what he wanted.
The entire House of Commons was silent, no one cheered, no one applauded¨... Regarding the war, Britain is now pessimistic and desperate. It is not possible to rely on the speech of a big man to boost morale...¨
Or is it better to negotiate surrender terms with the Chinese and Germans? Some British MPs thought to themselves.
The British, who were once extremely arrogant, now face the cruel reality and have to bow their heads and compromise...
Now they regret choosing Churchill as their prime minister to lead Britain in such a war. Or maybe this was really a wrong choice.
At 6 pm on May 10, 1939, the king summoned Churchill and ordered him to form a cabinet; an hour later, Churchill met with Labor leader Attlee, invited the Labor Party to join the cabinet and received support. Three days later, Churchill attended the House of Commons meeting for the first time as prime minister and issued a speech
Famous speech: "I have nothing but blood, toil, tears and sweat to dedicate to you... You ask: What is our purpose? I can answer in one word: Victory, win at all costs, no matter what
No matter how scary it is, we must strive for victory. No matter how long and difficult the road is, we must strive for victory because without victory, we cannot survive.”
The House of Commons finally expressed its support for Churchill's government by an absolute majority of 381 votes to 0.
After taking office, Churchill first visited France. He was surprised to learn that France was about to surrender, but he told French leaders that even if France was defeated, Britain would continue to fight. On May 26, Churchill ordered the withdrawal of British troops in France.
, the Dunkirk evacuation code-named "Project Dynamo" began. In just 8 days, the Allied forces who were besieged in a small area around Dunkirk miraculously evacuated more than 330,000 people from the government.
British coastal residents were called on to use their small boats to rescue soldiers on the other side of the strait, and even officers of the Admiralty personally joined the rescue team. On June 4, Churchill reported the success of the Dunkirk evacuation in the House of Commons, but also reminded that "war
It is not won by retreating." Afterwards, Churchill delivered what is probably the most inspiring speech in World War II: "We will fight to the end. We will fight in France, we will fight in the oceans, and we will fight with greater and greater strength.
Fighting in the air with confidence and increasing strength, we will defend our homeland at all costs. We will fight on the beaches, we will fight on the enemy's landing points, we will fight in the fields and in the streets, we will fight in the mountains. We will never
Without surrender, even if our island or a large part of this island were conquered and starved - which I never believe would happen - our imperial subjects overseas, armed and protected by the British fleet, would
Keep fighting until the new world uses all its power to save and liberate this old world when God sees fit!"
At the time, these speeches sounded so touching. He inspired the fighting spirit of the British and the fighting spirit of the French, making everyone seem to see hope and bringing his personal reputation to a new height.
Later developments may have been beneficial to Britain. They defended Great Britain and London, and they also launched counterattacks on various battlefields.
But with the Chinese fully participating in the war, Britain collapsed instantly.
Not only that, but the enemy's army has now appeared horribly on British soil. If speeches could defeat the enemy, then Mr. Churchill would win the war, but this is not the case...
"Sir, the enemy has come to persuade us to surrender."
In the headquarters, General Thred heard such a report.
General Slade smiled, a very strange smile.
Well, it should be admitted that the Chinese are quite polite. Even though they had an absolute advantage, they still chose to persuade them to surrender first.
For the sake of the lives of the remaining soldiers, General Thred made a decision: he would no longer persist.
In fact, surrender is not a shameful thing. It can save the lives of many people, especially when the defeat is certain.
General Sread tidied up his military uniform: "Okay, let us discuss the terms of surrender with the Chinese..."
On March 13, 1944, a scene that made General Alexander desperate appeared: General Oliver Thred surrendered with his troops.
General Alexander didn't mean to blame his men. They have done enough and you can't ask more of them.
However, with General Thred's surrender, Hodge County could no longer be defended, and London would then be forced to face the enemy's most direct attack.
The plan to defend Hodge County for three months has now completely come to nothing.
London was still asking about the situation on the front line, but Alexander didn't know how to answer. If news of the surrender reached London, it would only cause greater chaos.
Conceal it? How long can this be concealed?
"From one victory to another? Victory belongs to the great British Empire?" Mr. Churchill's high-spirited speech rang in Alexander's ears, but now it all sounds so ironic.
With the surrender of General Thred, the fall of Hodge County is only a matter of time. The Chinese are fully capable of occupying it within three days.
Then there is London, the capital of the British Empire.
All British people cannot imagine what a terrible thing it will be once the Chinese army appears in London. The dignity and honor of the British Empire will also disappear at that moment.
But there is no power that can prevent such a thing from happening!