"They actually bombed Faro and Ragous to the ground? Allied Marines landed 20 kilometers west of Faro? Allied forces in Spain launched an attack from southern Portugal?" Looking at the briefing on the table,

Thomas couldn't help but frowned. "If this is the case, with the failure of the land battlefield, our blockade of the Strait of Gibraltar will be retreated at least hundreds of kilometers. I'm afraid it won't be long before both Lisbon and Setubal will become

War zone?”

On September 3, 1918, under the command of Mackensen, at least three divisions of the German Army, with the cooperation of the Spanish Army, launched an attack on the Faro area. The entire attack process was unusually smooth, with hundreds of large-caliber guns

Under the cover of naval guns, Faro city and surrounding areas

The defense fortifications in the area were completely razed. Giant steel ships lined up on the sea, launching fire suppression for 2 hours against the distant city! Facing the attack of 350mm naval guns, the Allied Powers

There are less than 40,000 troops deployed in the area and the attached

The artillery was like paper! "It was not so much a battle as an armed parade. The opponent's counterattack was not worth mentioning. We walked through the places where the naval guns plowed, and all we could see were broken fortifications and

If you search carefully, you can still see some craters.

Minced meat and burnt corpses. It was probably very rare during the entire war to invest so many heavy artillery in such a small battlefield. We quickly broke through Faro and continued towards the west coast of Portugal!" Mackensen

This is how the battle of Faro was described in the diary.

The sudden attack by the Allies caught the Allies by surprise. Portugal and France do not border on each other, so if you want to transfer troops there, you must go by sea. It will take time to readjust the maritime transport capacity. It seems impossible to stabilize the battlefield with the current garrison.

After receiving the report, Thomas immediately sent a telegram to Magiffin, asking him to lead the fleet to rendezvous and then enter the southern waters of Portugal to engage the Allied Mediterranean Fleet or force it to leave. Then he would cooperate with the army in a counterattack from the sea.

In this regard, Magiffin expressed great support, but also mentioned that it would take at least five days to reach Spain. "Damn, five days is enough for the Germans to reach the west coast! Then they will go north to cooperate with the team from Badajö

Another army from Sri Lanka threatens Lisbon! At that time,

We can only stay in the port of Lisbon and use naval guns to assist in defense." After seeing Magiffin's telegram, Thomas threw his pencil on the table angrily. After comprehensively analyzing a series of analyzes and inferences, Thomas knew that the entire Allied Powers had been attacked.

The plot is over, they have fallen into a quagmire that is getting deeper and deeper!

Which is more important: going south to the Gulf of Cadiz to expel the Allied Mediterranean Fleet or encircling Lisbon? Obviously the latter! If nothing else, just from a political point of view. Surrounding the capital of an allied country without being occupied is the lowest commitment of the Allied Powers to their allies.

Of course, except for situations like Belgium and the Netherlands where there is really no other way. Faced with the pleading Portuguese representatives, it is obviously impossible for the senior officials of Britain, France, the United States and other countries to allow the Thomas fleet to leave.

Let's drive to Lisbon to fight Tycho's Allied Mediterranean Fleet. What's more, even if we meet Magiffin and rush to the Gulf of Cadiz, Tycho's fleet will be in trouble as soon as it withdraws to Gibraltar! Magiffin can't command the fleet to forcefully

Breaking into the Gibraltar Fortress, which is defended with the help of Tycho's fleet. That is courting death! In other words, as long as Tycho is not stupid, even if he goes south to the Gulf of Cadiz, the result will be nothing more than playing hide and seek with the opponent!

"I ask your Excellency and your fleet to provide an impenetrable fire net for Lisbon. The Allied Atlantic Fleet must do its best to ensure the safety of Lisbon. All other tasks can be pushed back!" Looking at the forwarded telegram, Thomas's heart surged.

A sense of powerlessness. "Now, let alone going north to support General Jericho, even blocking the Strait of Gibraltar has become out of reach. The entire fleet will have to stay in Lisbon for a long time to resist

The opponent’s attack.”

It's not that the German offensive is so strong that hundreds of large-caliber naval guns are needed to suppress it. Thomas estimates that leaving at most one battleship squadron can block the opponent's attack, but the problem is. Leaving a complete battleship squadron behind

Finally, is the remaining strength enough to fight Tycho's Mediterranean fleet? Don't forget, there are still two ships in the French shipyard.

!If the remaining fleet wants to go out, it will be at a disadvantage! At this very delicate moment, the slightest mistake will bring irreparable losses. Thomas does not dare to attack without permission when he is weaker than the opponent. If he loses

Well, that is the rhythm of collapse! It can be said that before the Allied reinforcements arrive in Lisbon, the Allied Atlantic Fleet will never be able to get out!

If things don't get worse, the Allies can still accept it, but Thomas and others know that this is just the beginning, both for the navy and the army! For the navy, it means more than just

With the loss of the military port that could be used as a support point, and more importantly, with the arrival of the Allied air force, the Allied forces in Portugal

Every move in southern Portugal will be known to the opponent. Maybe Tycho will know about it soon after the fleet leaves, and Thomas's fleet will be endlessly blocked and restrained by the Allied Air Force. What about the army?

The Allied forces had to fight the powerful German and Spanish army in the wilderness without permanent fortifications. This was undoubtedly more beneficial to the alliance.

"It seems that General Jericho will have to survive the darkest moment on his own!" Thomas said helplessly as he looked at the fleet outside the window. The entire Allied Atlantic Fleet will be trapped in the quagmire of Portugal. It will even prevent the other party from breaking through.

The ability to communicate will be reduced

The plan to go north to aid Jericho came to nothing. And Jericho obviously could not wait until the Admiral-class battleships were commissioned before engaging in battle with the German High Seas Fleet. After all, the German Navy, which had already controlled many ports in Norway, had sea lines of communication with the United Kingdom.

The threat is simply too great.

"Everything will come to an end in the near future. I have to lead a weak fleet to fight against the opponent to buy time. If my efforts cannot save the British Empire, then I hope to find a suitable opportunity after this battle is over.

Enter into peace talks with the Germans. We are no longer striving for victory, but to avoid destruction. The Americans joined too late, so that even if the Allied Powers won, the final victory

The winner can only be the United States. By the way, there is also China. There is no need for us to continue fighting. An armistice may also allow the glory of the British Empire to continue, but the result of continuing to fight can only be suicide." After receiving the message,

After the news that Thomas was unable to go north, Jericho no longer had any hope for foreign aid. After writing this paragraph in the report, Jericho will command the fleet to go to Norway for a decisive battle with his lifelong enemy!

Thanks to the book friend hukaikaka for the reward~~~, and the book friend 9166067813 for the monthly ticket support~~~. I have something to do today, so I will update less, and I will update twice tomorrow~~~. Please subscribe and support~~~. It’s the end of the month, still
Chapter completed!