I was a tycoon in World War I: Starting to save France

Chapter 1017 Politicians and Military

Although the elites in the command had many grievances against the Minister of Quartermaster, they also knew that now was not the time to assign blame.

The war continues, and we still need everyone to pool their wisdom.

The Minister of Munitions has considerable command experience in the naval and air forces, so removing him from the command system at this time seems like an unwise choice.

Moreover, this was an operational plan devised by the Minister of War, who might have even more ideas.

After a moment of silence, Prime Minister George had his orderly bring coffee to each of them.

He hoped to ease the tension and allow everyone to start afresh, and also hoped that everyone could put aside their differences and unite to solve the problem at hand.

Prime Minister George wanted to say something to defend the Secretary of Munitions, but the words just wouldn't come out.

The Minister of Munitions is largely to blame for this incident, both for its initiation and its command.

"The difficulties remain before us." Prime Minister George raised his coffee cup.

"It is regrettable that General Winter's squadron has surrendered, and we have appointed a coward as the fleet commander."

"The problem now is that our main fleet is still attacking Malta."

"Our original strategic goals are clearly unattainable. What should we do now?"

The Navy Minister's eyes were filled with fear: "I think we should withdraw the fleet, Your Excellency, immediately!"

“Yes,” Major General Trenchard agreed. “If we don’t withdraw the fleet, they could very well be stuck in the Mediterranean.”

Prime Minister George turned his attention to the Minister of Munitions.

By this time, the Minister of War had fully recovered and seemed to have forgotten the previous defeat, while also not caring about the strange looks from others.

"Withdraw? Withdraw to where?" the Minister of War asked. "Greece? Egypt? Or Britain?"

"Of course, it's Britain." The First Lord of the Admiralty stared incredulously at the Minister of Munitions:

"The battle in Greece has begun, Your Excellency. Supply to Port Said in Egypt has been blocked by guerrillas, and chaos reigns everywhere."

"There are no safe ports in the Mediterranean for us to dock at."

Major General Trenchard agreed: "Yes, especially since there are French aircraft carriers operating in that area. If Port Said is attacked, the Suez Canal will be blocked."

As a staff officer in the Royal Flying Corps, Rear Admiral Trenchard knew that it would be easy for the French aircraft carriers to blockade the Suez Canal.

The French army did not even need to fight the British Mediterranean fleet.

Whenever a ship sailed in the canal, the French aircraft carrier would launch planes to sink it, thus blocking the waterway.

Next, all the French had to do was wait for the Mediterranean fleet to run out of fuel, ammunition, and food, and eventually surrender.

But the Minister of Munitions did not think so.

"If we retreat, everything will be over, gentlemen!" the Quartermaster Minister said in a deep voice.
"That's not just Egypt, but the whole of Africa, as well as Canada and Australia..."

"The whole world will see Britain's weakness, and see the Royal Navy defeated and fleeing in disarray."

"What do you think those colonies will do?"

The command center fell silent instantly.

The price is too high. If Britain, as the world's leading power, loses its colonies, it will instantly become a second- or even third-rate country.

Prime Minister George nodded slightly.

Militarily, it might be necessary to withdraw the fleet, but politically, it wouldn't be permissible.

"But what else can we do?" the First Lord of the Navy asked. "Should we send the fleet back to Port Said to quell the rebellion?" This was the only option he believed was available.

Malta could not be captured. Greece was not originally part of Britain, and the forces fighting the British there were French, Greek, and League of Nations forces, so the chances of victory were slim.

Egypt was the only British colony, making it much easier to deal with the guerrillas there.

But the Minister of Munitions shook his head: "No, we can't afford to waste time in Egypt."

George agreed, saying that while the Egyptian guerrillas were easy to deal with, their aim was not to fight the British army, but to sabotage the blockade of supplies, which was difficult to prevent.

The Minister of War pointed to the map and said confidently, "Gentlemen, our only chance is to continue the offensive."

The crowd exclaimed in surprise: "Continue the attack on Malta?"

The Minister of Munitions grunted in agreement: "In fact, the attack was not on Malta, but on the blockade of the French aircraft carrier."

"What do you mean?" Prime Minister George asked.

"Your Excellency the Prime Minister," the Minister of Munitions said, looking at the nautical chart.

"What we do know is that the French aircraft carrier is east of Malta."

"If we can capture Malta and use it as a base to blockade the Strait of Tunisia, we can split the French fleet in two."

(The image above shows the location of Malta Island, which would be ideal for blocking the Strait of Tunisia.)
Major General Trenchard responded with an "Oh":
"Once we do that, France's three aircraft carriers will be stuck east of the Strait of Tunisia."

"Meanwhile, the main force of the French Navy west of the Strait of Tunisia will be without an aircraft carrier."

"We can defeat the French navy with all our might, and even capture the port of Toulon."

The Minister of Munitions nodded:

"That's what I wanted to say. We can't lose, gentlemen."

"We must defeat France. Only in this way can we prove that the Royal Navy is the most powerful force in the world, only in this way can we preserve our colonies, and only in this way can we safeguard our interests."

"Therefore, we should send a fleet to reinforce them and do everything in our power to destroy the main force of the French Navy!"

Prime Minister George did not speak.

That's certainly true politically; the Minister of Munitions is absolutely right.

But Prime Minister George believes he has found the problem with the Minister of Munitions: the Minister of Munitions is ultimately a politician who considers issues more from a political perspective, and whether they can be achieved militarily is beyond his control!
Just as Prime Minister George hesitated, a telegram arrived from the staff: "Your Excellency, General Winter is trying to persuade Major General Avis to surrender."

"What?" Everyone exclaimed in unison.

"No." The Quartermaster General made a decisive decision: "Order Major General Elvis to refuse General Winter's telegram."

But the staff officer added, "Sir, French bombers are bombing the 'Duncan'."

The Minister of Munitions immediately realized that something was wrong; the French aircraft carrier was putting pressure on Rear Admiral Alves.

They used a combination of persuasion and bombing to try to break down Major General Avis's psychological defenses.

The Minister of Munitions turned his attention to Prime Minister George.

Prime Minister George understood the Minister of Munitions' meaning; now was the time to make a decision.

Continuing like this will only lead to the eventual surrender of Major General Avis and the Mediterranean Fleet.

To avoid this, Major General Avis must be given hope and a way out:
Either order Lieutenant General Ives to break out and retreat back to Britain.

Or, as the Minister of Munitions suggested, attack Malta and send reinforcements.

(End of this chapter)