Chapter 449 Britain Also Has a Trump Card

The Spanish relocated residents, built fortifications, and reinforced railways around Gibraltar with great fanfare, and naturally they could not hide it from the eyes and ears of the British Empire.

"The Germans' next target will definitely be Gibraltar!" Lord Dill, the Imperial Chief of Staff, told Churchill with certainty in the British Cabinet War Command on King Charles Road in London. "And the Red Sea and East Africa don't have much risk for the time being."

This was so obvious that the British Imperial General Staff would have come to this conclusion even without the Spanish fanfare. By taking over the Red Sea and East Africa, Germany only opened up a channel into the Indian Ocean. By capturing Gibraltar, the Italian and French fleets can rush out of the Mediterranean Sea and join the German fleet in the Atlantic Ocean.

At that time, the Royal Navy of the British Empire will be forced to engage in a decisive battle with the German, Italian, and French fleets near the English Channel. Considering the strength of the shore-based aviation forces of Germany and Italy, as well as the number of super battleships owned by Germany, Italy and France (2 Bismarcks, 2 Veneto, 2 Richelieu), the British Royal Navy is likely to suffer a fatal blow .

"So we must defend the Fortress of Gibraltar, which is related to the survival of the British Empire!" Winston Churchill made an immediate decision.

"Admiral," Churchill said to Sir Dill while smoking a cigar, "Gibraltar Fortress is the strongest in the world. It once blocked the footsteps of Emperor Napoleon, and it must be able to block the so-called German God of War Hessmann now, right? "

Admiral Dill wrinkled his face, shook his head slightly and said: "Prime Minister, Napoleon did not have airplanes and 420mm caliber cannons at that time."

The British Chief of General Staff did not know that Germany had the 800mm caliber Gustav cannon, but he knew that Germany had the 420mm caliber "Big Bertha". Moreover, the "Big Bertha" was a product of the First World War, and Germany must have more terrifying cannons now.

"And the terrain of the Gibraltar Peninsula is actually not very conducive to defense." Admiral Dill's words exceeded Churchill's expectations.

"How is that possible?" Churchill laughed. "That is the most dangerous fortress in the world. I have been there. Gibraltar is a long and narrow peninsula. Most of the peninsula is covered with limestone mountains. The northern entrance is particularly steep and very... Narrow, it is simply a natural fortress.”

Admiral Dill shook his head and said: "But the airport in Gibraltar is to the north of the Rock of Gibraltar, close to Spanish land. As long as one battalion of 150mm howitzers can block the airport."

Churchill was startled, and a terrible map of the Fortress of Gibraltar suddenly appeared in his mind.

The Fortress of Gibraltar is of course strong and dangerous, with air raid trenches and trenches densely dotted around the top of Gibraltar Rock. On the northern section of the rock peak is the Fengmo Platform, with an altitude of 95-125 meters. Three very strong forts were built on the northern section of the platform, and many 6-inch cannons and a large number of anti-aircraft guns were deployed. The firepower was enough to block the northern entrance to the Gibraltar Peninsula. To the south of these three forts, on the edge of the southern section of the Fengmo Terrace near the Mediterranean Sea, four other large armored forts were built and 9.2-inch-caliber coastal defense guns were deployed.

There is also a smaller Europa Terrace to the south of the Windmill Terrace. The Europa Terrace is located at the southernmost tip of the Gibraltar Peninsula, with an altitude of only 15-30 meters. There is a small valley between the two terraces. Four forts were built in the valley, three of which were equipped with 9.2-inch cannons, and one with a 6-inch cannon. In addition, many anti-aircraft guns were also deployed around these forts.

In addition to these fixed forts, the Fortress of Gibraltar also has many mobile 6-inch howitzers and anti-aircraft guns.

It can be said that the entire Gibraltar Peninsula is an unsinkable battleship filled with 9.2-inch coastal defense guns, 6-inch howitzers/cannons and various anti-aircraft guns.

But there is indeed no safe enough place to lay the flight deck on this "unsinkable battleship". So a large airport was built on the flat land north of the Rock of Gibraltar, and this location is adjacent to Spanish territory. If Spain remained neutral or allied with Britain, the Fortress of Gibraltar would of course be impossible to capture.

But once Spain leads to Germany, Gibraltar Airport will be exposed to enemy artillery fire, and it will be impossible to deploy aircraft.

Once the Fortress of Gibraltar loses the ability to deploy aircraft, its air defense power will be greatly weakened, and it can only rely on anti-aircraft artillery to protect itself from enemy air attacks.

Moreover, the attack power of the Gibraltar Fortress without the airport has been greatly weakened. Its fire coverage is the range of the 9.2-inch cannon deployed on the peninsula. Although it can block the Strait of Gibraltar and prevent Italian and French battleships from approaching, it cannot It is unable to attack the large-caliber long-range cannons and train guns deployed on Spanish territory.

"We can't hold on to the fortress?" Churchill looked at Admiral Dill with some disappointment.

Chief of General Staff Admiral Dill and First Sea Lord Marshal Pound looked at each other, and Marshal Pound took the question.

"Prime Minister, without the support of air power, it is very difficult to hold on to the Fortress of Gibraltar. The Germans have many large-caliber heavy artillery, which can always destroy the defense of the Fortress of Gibraltar. Therefore, it is only a matter of time before we lose the fortress!"

"The fortress will really be lost..." Churchill bit the butt of his cigar. "Then the Italian and French fleets will rush out of the Mediterranean! Really?"

"It may not be impossible to defend," Marshal Pound said, "but we cannot rely solely on the strength of the Gibraltar Fortress to defend itself."

"Should we use the Home Fleet?" Churchill suddenly looked anxious. After the Mediterranean Campaign, the comparison of the strength of the British and German navies was changing. Britain's overwhelming advantage no longer existed, and because France was becoming increasingly pro-German, the British Home Fleet was likely to be at a disadvantage overnight.

In this case, if the Home Fleet suffered another setback, the next battle would most likely be fought on the beaches of England!

"Not only must we use the Home Fleet," Marshal Pound said, "we must first take the Canary Islands and Madeira Islands as support points.

The Canary Islands belong to Spain, while the Madeira Islands belong to Portugal. Both archipelagos are located in the Atlantic Ocean, with the Canary Islands in the south, close to French Morocco in Africa, and the Madeira Islands to the north, almost facing the exit of the Strait of Gibraltar.

"The straight-line distance between the Canary Islands and the Madeira Islands and the Strait of Gibraltar is just over 1,000 kilometers. "Marshal Pound said, "We can deploy bombers and torpedo bombers there to support the Gibraltar operation."

"Is that okay?" Churchill shook his head and said, "We don't have escort fighters like the Fokker Zero."

"We can use aircraft carriers," said Marshal Pound, "The carrier-based aircraft of the aircraft carrier can not only escort the bombers taking off from the Canary Islands and Madeira Islands, but also cover the battleships approaching the Strait of Gibraltar and support the defense of the Gibraltar Peninsula with large-caliber naval guns."

"How many aircraft carriers do we have available now?" Churchill asked immediately.

"If we don't count the three aircraft carriers in the Indian Ocean, we now have three aircraft carriers: the Royal Ark, the Bainya (Free France's aircraft carrier) and the Formidable. The Victory and the Indomitable will also be completed soon and are expected to join the Royal Navy in May. In addition, two Vengeance-class aircraft carriers will be commissioned next year. ”

After the Scapa Flow raid on September 3, 1939, the UK lost three aircraft carriers, so the speed of aircraft carrier construction was also accelerated. The two Vengeance-class ships, which had been slowed down due to the shortage of raw materials, also received enough materials, so they could be put into service in 1942.

"In addition, the Royal Navy also has a training aircraft carrier, the Retaliation," Marshal Pound continued, "as well as a newly converted escort aircraft carrier, the Pretoria (directly converted from a cruise ship to an aircraft carrier), and the escort aircraft carrier, the Daring, which will soon be converted. These three aircraft carriers can also be incorporated into the fleet to participate in the decisive battle at sea when necessary. "

While listening to Pound, Churchill calculated in his heart that the Battle of Gibraltar might not start immediately, and there should be a lot of preliminary preparations. Maybe it can be delayed until the Victory, Indomitable and Daring are in service. In this way, the Home Fleet will have 8 aircraft carriers available!

"That means the Home Fleet will soon have 8 aircraft carriers available, right? "Churchill asked.

"Yes," Marshal Pound replied, "by June at the latest, we will have 8 aircraft carriers."

"How many aircraft carriers will the Germans have by then?" Churchill asked again.

"Two," Marshal Pound replied, "According to current intelligence, they only have 2 aircraft carriers available."

The British intelligence was accurate. Germany now has 2 "Seydlitz" class ships in service, and 2 "Zeppelin" class ships are being fitted out and will not be in service until 1942. There are also 4 "Zeppelin" class ships that have just started construction and will not be in service until 1943 at the earliest. In addition, there are 5 "Blue Ribbon" aircraft carriers that are being modified and will not be in service until 1942.

"In other words," Churchill said thoughtfully, "we currently have an overwhelming advantage in aircraft carriers?"

"Yes, Prime Minister!" Marshal Pound nodded, "and we also have the two trump cards of Madeira Islands and Canary Islands! The aircraft deployed on these two islands and the carrier-based aircraft on the eight aircraft carriers will definitely deal a heavy blow to the Germans and Italians! "