Anti-Japanese War: My equipment is infinitely refreshed

Darlan, a high-ranking figure in the Vichy government of France, was now sitting in his slightly dim office, his brows furrowed, his fingers tapping unconsciously on his desk.

Outside the window, the sun was shining warmly on the earth, but his heart was shrouded in haze.

The Allied forces' relentless pressure made him realize clearly that if they continued to confront the Allies, the French army in North Africa would face a devastating disaster.

But surrendering was not an easy decision for him.

He summoned his trusted subordinates to discuss this matter of life and death.

The subordinates walked into the room one after another, each with a solemn expression on their face.

The room was filled with a tense and oppressive atmosphere, as if the air had become sticky.

"Everyone, I believe you are all aware of the current situation." Darlan was the first to break the silence, his voice low and hoarse, "The Allied forces have gained an overwhelming advantage in North Africa. If we continue to resist, the result will be annihilation of our entire army."

A young officer could not help but stand up and said excitedly: "General, how can we surrender so easily? We are French soldiers, how can we bow to the enemy!"

Darlan glanced at him, his eyes showing both understanding and helplessness: "Young man, I understand your patriotism. But everything we are doing now is not to surrender for the sake of surrender, but to preserve France's vitality and for the future of France."

Everyone fell silent. They all understood in their hearts that what Darlang said made sense.

But surrender is always an unacceptable option.

"General, what are you going to do?" asked an older officer.

"I have decided to negotiate with the Allies and surrender to them." Darlan slowly stated his decision, "But before surrendering, we must put forward a series of conditions to ensure our interests and the dignity of France."

Then Darlan began to state his conditions.

First, he demanded that the Allies recognize the legitimacy of the Vichy government in mainland France and its overseas colonies. This condition was Darlan's attempt to reserve a place for himself and the Vichy government in the complex political situation in France.

In his view, although the Vichy government was under the control of Nazi Germany, it was still the orthodox representative of France. He did not want the Vichy government to collapse completely because of surrender.

Secondly, Darlan asked the Allies to guarantee the treatment of the French army after surrender, including retaining weapons and equipment and maintaining the army's organization.

He knew very well that the army was an important force in France, and only by preserving the integrity of the army could he have a say in the future French political arena.

Furthermore, he hoped that the Allies would provide certain protection for France's economic interests in North Africa.

North Africa is not only a strategic location for France, but also an important source of economic income.

Darlan was worried that if he surrendered, France's economic interests in North Africa would be completely deprived.

These conditions were compiled into documents and sent to the Allies through secret channels.

After receiving this document, the Allies engaged in a heated discussion.

"These conditions are too harsh!" an Allied general said angrily, "Recognizing the legitimacy of the Vichy government is simply a betrayal of the anti-fascist cause!"

"But if we don't agree to these conditions, Darlan may not persuade the French troops in North Africa to surrender, and we will face more intense resistance." Another general expressed a different opinion.

After weighing the pros and cons, the Allies finally decided to negotiate with Darlan.

The two sides met at a secret location. Darlan, dressed in a neat military uniform, sat at the negotiation table with a serious look, his eyes revealing a hint of determination and confidence.

"General, we have received your terms," ​​the Allied representative said straight to the point, "but some of them are really hard for us to accept."

"I understand your difficulties, but these conditions are of vital importance to us." Darlan responded slowly, "If you don't agree, I can't guarantee that the French troops in North Africa will surrender."

The negotiations reached a deadlock, with both sides going back and forth and neither side giving in.

After a long period of bargaining, a compromise was finally reached.

The Allies agreed to recognize to a certain extent the legitimacy of the Vichy government in mainland France and its overseas colonies, but required that the Vichy government must completely sever ties with Nazi Germany; regarding the treatment of the French army after its surrender, the Allies agreed to retain some weapons and equipment, but the army's establishment must be significantly reduced; in terms of economic interests, the Allies promised to give France certain economic cooperation opportunities in North Africa, but the specific details still need further discussion.

Although Darlang was not very satisfied with the result, he knew that this was the best option at the moment.

He returned to North Africa and began to persuade the local French troops to surrender.

Under Darlan's persuasion, the French troops in North Africa gradually laid down their arms and surrendered to the Allies.

This news marked a major breakthrough in the Allied military operations in North Africa.

However, Darlan has not yet completely convinced the troops in France.

The troops in France were controlled and influenced by Nazi Germany, and many of them were opposed to surrender.

Some officers believed that surrender was a betrayal of France and a disgrace to the country and the nation.

With the support of Nazi Germany, they tried to organize resistance forces to fight against the Allied attack.

Darlan knew very well that it would not be easy to persuade the troops in France to surrender.

He began to frequently correspond with senior military officials in France, trying to explain to them the necessity and benefits of surrender.

He wrote in the letter: "Everything we do now is not for ourselves, but for the future of France. Continuing to resist will only plunge France into a deeper disaster. Only by surrendering can we preserve France's vitality and lay the foundation for France's revival."

However, his letters did not receive a positive response.

Some officers even harshly accused him, calling him a traitor.

Faced with these accusations, Darlang felt extremely painful and helpless.

He knew very well that his decision was in the interest of France, but he was not understood by his compatriots.

Cun Yunsheng is closely following every move on the North African battlefield.

When he learned that the French troops in North Africa chose to surrender, he did not show much surprise on his face.

He sat quietly in the slightly dim room, smoke rising from the cigarette in his hand, contrasting with the sky outside the window that was red from the war.

He knew in his heart that the French army had a gene of compromise in its bones when the war was unfavorable.

We can see from past history that once the war reaches a stalemate or shows signs of defeat, the French army will most likely choose to surrender.

The surrender of the French army in North Africa was just something he expected.

Recalling the situation on the North African battlefield, at the beginning, various forces were competing here and the situation was complicated.

France once had a certain amount of military power and influence in this land, and their troops were stationed in various strategic locations in North Africa.

However, as the war progressed, the situation gradually turned unfavorable to the French army.

The enemy's offensive was as turbulent as a tide, and the French defense line became shaky under repeated attacks. The difficulties in logistics supply and the low morale of the soldiers became the straw that broke the camel's back for the French army.

Now, the surrender of the French army made the situation on the North African battlefield suddenly much clearer.

Cun Yunsheng's eyes fell on the map, his fingers slowly moved across the territory of North Africa, and then moved to Italy.

"Now there is only Italy left," he muttered to himself, "As long as Italy chooses to surrender, then there will be only one German army left to fight alone."

Italy, a country that has always been in a delicate position during the war, has also been controversial for the performance of its military.

At the beginning of the war, the Italian army followed the German army onto the battlefield with ambitions of expansion.

However, their performance was far from satisfactory.

Although the Italian army was not backward in terms of equipment, it had many problems in tactical execution and the quality of its soldiers.

Their soldiers lack firm will and tenacious fighting spirit on the battlefield, and often seem to shrink back in the face of enemy attacks.

In some key battles, the performance of the Italian army was even more shocking.

For example, in a certain battle, the Italian army should have cooperated with the German army and launched a coordinated attack on the enemy.

However, when the battle started, the Italian army was unable to launch the offensive due to chaotic command and ineffective coordination between the various units.

The German army was struggling on the front line, waiting for support from the Italian army, but what they finally got was the news of the Italian army's defeat.

The failure of this battle not only had a serious impact on the German army's combat plan, but also caused the Italian army's prestige on the battlefield to plummet.

The domestic political situation also affected Italy's direction in the war.

There are different political factions in Italy, and their attitudes towards the war vary.

Some people advocated continuing to follow Germany and gain more benefits from the war; while others saw the huge losses that the war brought to the country and began to call for peace and advocate withdrawal from the war.

This internal political division put the Italian government in a dilemma in its war decision-making.

Italy is also facing tremendous pressure economically.

The continuation of the war consumed the country's wealth, and domestic industrial production was seriously affected by the shortage of raw materials and labor.

There was also a food supply crisis and people's living standards dropped sharply.

Under such circumstances, the morale of the Italian army became increasingly low, and the soldiers began to doubt and become tired of the war.

Cun Yunsheng knew very well that Italy's surrender was only a matter of time.

He seemed to have seen the scene where the Italian army was defeated on the battlefield and finally chose to lay down their arms.

Once Italy surrenders, the situation on the entire European battlefield will undergo a fundamental change.

The German army would lose an important ally and be left isolated and helpless.

The German army has always been a strong opponent in the war.

They have advanced military technology and well-trained soldiers.

In the early stages of the war, the German army used advanced tactics such as blitzkrieg to quickly occupy large tracts of territory, causing the whole of Europe to tremble.

However, as the war continued, the German army also faced many problems.

The long-term war caused the German army to gradually deplete its manpower. Although they continued to recruit soldiers, the quality and experience of the new recruits were far behind those of the veterans.

Moreover, the German army was fighting on multiple battlefields at the same time, with its forces dispersed, unable to concentrate its superior forces for effective attacks. In terms of logistics supply, the German army also faced difficulties.

As the Allied forces bombed Germany and its occupied territories, the German army's transportation routes were often cut off, and material supplies could not meet the needs of the front line in a timely manner.

Strategically, the German army gradually fell into trouble.

The Allies were constantly adjusting their strategies and intensifying their counterattacks against the Germans. The Soviet Union's tenacious resistance on the Eastern Front caused the Germans to suffer heavy losses and fall into the quagmire of a protracted war.

On the Western Front, the Allies were also actively preparing for a large-scale counterattack.

Once Italy surrenders, the Allies will be able to concentrate more troops and resources to launch a more fierce attack on the German army.

When Cun Yunsheng thought of this, he couldn't help but feel a complicated emotion in his heart.

The cruelty of the war caused countless people to lose their lives and homes, and the outcome of this war seems to have gradually become clear.

"It will be soon. The war will be over in a few months at most." Cun Yunsheng murmured.

Just when Cun Yunsheng was thinking that it was only a matter of time before Italy surrendered, new changes occurred in the situation in Tunisia.

There were obvious changes within the Italian army in Tunisia. Most of them had despaired of this war that seemed to have no end and were eager to lay down their arms and return to a peaceful life. As a result, the idea of ​​surrender quietly spread among the army.

Italian soldiers frequently discussed surrender in private. They secretly discussed how to contact the Allies and how to end the war at the lowest cost.

Some officers also began to waver. They knew that continuing to fight would not only fail to change the situation of the war, but would also cause more Italian soldiers to die in vain.

However, the German army was determined not to surrender.

The German commander in Tunisia was furious when he received news of the Italian army's movements.

They believed that the Italian army was deserting the battlefield and betraying the Axis alliance.

The German army quickly strengthened its surveillance and control over the Italian army, set up additional sentries at the junction of the two sides' camps, and prohibited the Italian army from moving at will.

The German army also tried to stabilize the morale of the Italian army through coercion and inducement.

They promised Italian generals that as long as they continued to fight, they would give Italy more benefits after the war.

But these promises were nothing but illusions in the eyes of the Italian army.

At the same time, the German army also threatened the Italian army that if they surrendered without authorization, the German army would regard them as enemies and attack them mercilessly.

Under pressure from the German army, the Italian army was caught in a dilemma.

On the one hand, they longed for peace, but on the other hand, they feared the retaliation of the German army. Some brave Italian soldiers tried to break through the German surveillance and send a signal of surrender to the Allies, but they were discovered by the German army and brutally suppressed.

For a time, the Italian army camp in Tunisia was in a state of panic, and the soldiers became more agitated and uneasy. (End of this chapter)