Chapter 49 Volume 2, Chapter 7, France

June 4th to June 12th Army Morale High June 2nd 1940 My Initial Thoughts and Instructions Lost Equipment The President, General Marshall and Mr. Stettinius An Act of Faith The Double Pressure of June The Reorganization of the British Army Extremely British Lack of modern weapons decided to send our only two well-armed divisions to France War in France: final phase June 11th-12th Destruction of the 51st Scotch Division Old Scotland is still not to be insulted My fourth visit France: Briard Weygand and Pétain invite General Georges My discussion with Weygand The French prevent the Royal Air Force from bombing Turin and Milan The Germans enter Paris The meeting resumes next morning Admiral Darlan's promise to leave the French Commander in Chief On our way home I reported the meeting to the War Cabinet.

There was a sense of relief all over our island and throughout the British Empire when it became known how many people had been rescued from Dunkirk.A strong sense of relief almost considered victory.The safe return of 250,000 soldiers, the cream of the Army, is a milestone in our journey of frustration over the past few years.The staff of the Southern Railway Bureau, the Mobilization Department of the War Department and the ports of the Thames Estuary, especially the staff of the Port of Dover, have made arrangements to allow more than 200,000 people to disembark here and quickly distribute them across the country All over the place, it is indeed an achievement worthy of the highest praise.When the troops came back with nothing but rifles, bayonets, and a few hundred machine guns, we immediately sent them back to their homes and gave them seven days' leave.Their joy at being reunited with their families did not outweigh their determined desire to deal with the enemy as soon as possible.Those who had fought the Germans on the battlefield had the belief that they could defeat the enemy if given a good chance.Their morale was high, and they were soon back in their regiments and battalions.

All ministers and ministries, whether permanent or newly selected, worked day and night with confidence and energy, and there are many stories to tell.I myself feel that my spirit has been lifted, and I am able to use the knowledge I have accumulated throughout my life with ease.I was ecstatic that the Army was saved.Every day I will give instructions to the ministries on the work that should be done, and report to the War Cabinet.Ismay sent the instructions to the Chiefs of Staff Committee, and Bridges sent the report and instructions to the War Cabinet and the relevant departments respectively.Mistakes were corrected and shortcomings were made up.Amendments are common, but generally about 90% of them are implemented, and its speed and efficiency are unmatched by any dictatorship.

Here are my initial thoughts when I knew for sure that the Army had escaped Dunkirk. prime minister to general ismay June 2, 1940 Note from the Secretary of State for Defense to the Chiefs of Staff Committee. The smooth retreat of the British Expeditionary Force brought about a fundamental change in the home defense situation.Once the units of the British Expeditionary Force have been reorganized in accordance with the home defense plan, we have at home a large number of well-trained troops capable of handling a very large-scale attack.Even if 200,000 people come, we can handle it.On the basis of the first group of 10,000 people, every time the number increases, the difficulty, danger and loss of the enemy's invasion will also increase accordingly.We must immediately take a fresh look at the situation.Some issues should be considered, primarily by the Department of the Army, but also by the Joint Staff:

1. What is the shortest time required to make the British Expeditionary Force have new combat value? 2. What plan should be adapted?Should it be used at home first, and then dispatched to France?Overall, I agree with this plan. 3. The British Expeditionary Force in France must be reorganized immediately, otherwise the French army will not continue to fight.Even if Paris falls, they must be called upon to continue their large-scale guerrilla warfare.Consideration should be given to plans for bridgeheads and landing areas in Brittany, where a large army could be deployed.We must plan and show the French that if they persevere, there is a future.

4. As soon as the British Expeditionary Force has been reorganized for home defense, three divisions should be sent to France to join our two divisions south of the Somme, or to wherever the French troops are then withdrawn.It remains to be considered whether the Canadian division should be sent immediately.Please give me a plan. 5. If we had known the evacuation at Dunkirk a week earlier, the situation at Narvik would have been different.Even now, the question of whether to leave a force there for a few weeks on a self-sustaining basis should be reconsidered.I am impressed by the pitfalls and dangers of repeated course changes.The letter from the Minister of Economic Warfare and the telegram from the Commander-in-Chief a few days ago had to be weighed finally.

6. Ask the Admiralty to send a report on the latest situation of the destroyer fleet, and state how many reinforcement ships have arrived or are expected to arrive within six months, and how many ships are expected to be repaired. 7. The eight regular battalions in Palestine may now be replaced until their return by eight battalions of native soldiers brought in from India, who must be brought back to form the backbone of the new British Expeditionary Force. 8. As soon as the Australian troops have landed, the large ships should return immediately and carry eight or ten battalions of the Home Guard to Bombay.These ships were to bring back from India a second batch of eight battalions of the regular army, and then from England to carry a second batch of eight or ten battalions of the Home Guard to India.Consideration should be given to how the same principle could be applied to the employment of artillery in India.

9. The loss of our army's equipment must reduce the original plan of the British Expeditionary Force to expand twenty divisions in Z[1] + twelve months to a maximum of fifteen divisions in Z + eighteen months ; but we must draw up a plan and present it to the French.The main body of this force should be the Armored Division, the 51st Division, the Canadian Division and the two Home Guard Divisions, which should be placed under the command of Lord Gort in mid-July; six more divisions will be added, which will be composed of the 24th Division. The battalion regulars plus the Home Guard, the 2nd Canadian Division, an Australian Division and two Home Guard Divisions were organized in Z + eighteen months.Perhaps we can do a little better than this.

【1】Z means the beginning of the war, that is, September 3, 1939. Ten. Most urgent: There should be at least six brigades of regular troops of the British Expeditionary Force for home defense. 11. In order to cover the final retreat tonight, what arrangements have been made for the cooperation of the Air Force?It should now be possible to relieve the pressure on the defenders in this critical moment. Finally, I would like to share my general view on the situation.Since I am personally less afraid of a German attempt to attack our country than of breaking through the French lines on the Somme or the Aisne and taking Paris, I naturally believe that the Germans will choose the latter course of action.This probability is greatly increased by the fact that they know that the armed forces of Great Britain are now much stronger than ever before, and that their attacking force will encounter not only short-term trained soldiers, but It was the soldiers who had experienced their vigor, they had been beaten back by these soldiers, and when these soldiers retreated, they did not dare to interfere with their retreat too much.Until the reorganization of the British Expeditionary Force, or any substantial part of it, in the next few days, the situation must be considered to remain critical.

The Dunkirk retreat certainly had its darker side.We have lost all the equipment of the expeditionary force, and the first weapons our factories have produced for the army: Ammunition seven, tons Ninety rifles, Cannon two, three hundred Eighty-two vehicles Light machine gun eight, quite Four hundred anti-tank guns Even if the current plan could be completed on schedule without interference from the enemy, it would take several months to make up for these losses. Across the Atlantic, however, in America, strong emotions were already stirring in the hearts of her leading figures.Stettinius, the good son of a colleague of mine in the Quartermaster Office in the First World War, our true friend, has given a correct and excellent account of the state of affairs [1].The US learned immediately that the bulk of the British Army was out of the siege, except for the loss of all their equipment.As early as June 1 the President ordered the Departments of the War and Navy to report to him what weapons were available for Britain and France.At the head of the U.S. Army is the Chief of Staff, General Marshall, who is not only a soldier of great ability, but also a man of vision.He immediately ordered his Quartermaster General and his Assistant Chief of Staff to examine the full inventory of the United States Ordnance and Munitions Stockpile.They sent him an answer within forty-eight hours; on June 3 Marshall approved the list drawn up.The first list included 500,000 30-inch rifles, out of 2 million rifles manufactured in 1917 and 1918 and sealed in grease for more than 20 years. from.Each gun comes with 250 rounds of ammunition.There were 900 75mm field guns with a million rounds of ammunition, 80,000 machine guns, and various munitions.Mr. Stettinius, in his great book on American supplies: As every second counted, it was decided that the War Department would sell (at a discount of $37,000,000) the items on the list to a company for immediate resale to England and France.The Chief of Ordnance, Major General Wesson, was ordered to deal with the matter, and from June 3, all U.S. Army armories and arsenals began packing for shipment.That weekend, more than six hundred trucks headed for Raritan Army Terminal in New Jersey, and from there down the river to Gravesend Bay.On June 11, twelve British merchant ships sailed into the bay and anchored, and began loading cargo from barges.

[1] See "Weapons of Lend-Lease Victory", 1944. As a result of these extraordinary measures, the remaining ordnance in the United States at that time was only sufficient to equip 1.8 million men, the minimum number stipulated in the United States Army mobilization plan.It is certainly nothing now, but at the time it was a remarkable act of faith and leadership by the United States, taking so many weapons from its own arsenal to help a country that many saw as dead. defeated country.They will never regret it.As will be remarked below, our safe passage of these precious weapons across the Atlantic in mid-July was not only a material gain, but also, in all calculations of the invasion of England, whether by friend or foe. Think of this as an important factor. Mr. Cordell Hull has a passage on this matter in his memoirs[1]: [1] The Memoirs of Cordell Hull, Vol. 1, 774 | pp. 775. In answer to Renault's almost pathetic appeal for support, the President urged Mr Churchill to send planes to France, but the Prime Minister refused.Bullitt (Ambassador of the United States in Paris) was furious at this decision and expressed his concern to the President and me on June 5th that Britain might be trying to preserve its air force and fleet as a bargaining chip in negotiations with Hitler . But the president and I don't think so.France is doomed, but we believe Britain, under Churchill's indomitable leadership, is ready to fight on. London and Berlin will never negotiate.Just the day before Bullitt sent his telegram, Churchill had delivered an excellent speech in the House of Commons. The President and I believe that Churchill spoke the truth.If we had any doubts about Britain's determination to continue fighting, we would take no steps to give her material aid.It would be illogical to send weapons to Britain if we ever thought that Churchill's government had surrendered to Germany long before those weapons reached Britain. June is a particularly difficult month for all of us, because with nothing we have two incompatible burdens: on the one hand, to fulfill our obligations to France ; On the other hand, it is necessary to organize a powerful army in the country to strengthen the defense of the island.This incompatible double pressure is really a matter of life and death, and it is extremely serious.Yet we followed a firm policy and were not overly nervous.First of all, we must first send the trained and fully equipped army in our hands to France, and reorganize the British Expeditionary Force in France.Next, we're going to work on homeland defense: First, reorganize and equip the regular army; second, build fortifications at possible landing sites; third, arm and organize the people as much as possible; and of course, send back all the troops that can be mobilized from all over the British Empire.At this point the most immediate danger seemed to be a German landing in Britain of a small but highly mobile tank force, disrupting our dispositions and undermining our defenses, and then a German landing of paratroopers.In close contact with the new Army Secretary, Anthony Eden, I am committed to making arrangements for this. The following is the plan for the reorganization of the Army drawn up by the Secretary of State for War and the War Office in accordance with my instructions.There are now seven mobile brigades.The divisions withdrawn from Dunkirk had been reorganized and re-equipped as early as possible, and had moved to their posts.Seven brigades had been incorporated into reorganized divisions in time.Fourteen divisions of the Home Guard were available, men trained and partially equipped during the war for nine months. One of the divisions, the 52nd Division, has been able to fight overseas.A second armored division and four Army tank brigades are being formed, but tanks are lacking.The 1st Canadian Division is fully equipped. What is lacking is not people, but weapons.More than 80,000 rifles were recovered from the lines of communication and bases south of the Seine. By mid-June, every soldier in the regular army had at least one weapon in their hands.We have very few field guns, even the regular army has very few field guns.All the new cannon firing the twenty-five-pounder was almost entirely lost in France.Only about five hundred eighteen-pounder guns, four-and-a-half-inch and six-inch howitzers remained.There are only 103 patrol vehicles, 114 infantry tanks and 252 light tanks.Of the infantry tanks, fifty were in a battalion of the Royal Domestic Tank Regiment, the rest were in training schools.Never has a great power been so ill-equipped to face its enemies. From the very beginning, I have been in closest contact with old friends of the current Head of Government of Canada and the Head of Government of the Commonwealth of South Africa. Prime Minister to Mackenzie King June 5, 1940 The situation in England has been greatly improved by the miraculous retreat of the British Expeditionary Force, which, when reequipped, will have an army more than adequate for any possible invasion.The retreat of Dunkirk was also a major test of air power between Britain and Germany.Germany, though overwhelmingly superior in aircraft numbers, was incapable of stopping the retreat and suffered at least three times as many losses as I did.Technically speaking, the British Air Force has many advantages in defending the air over the homeland than in overseas operations.The main danger that exists is naturally the aircraft factories, but if our air defense is so strong that enemy planes can only come at night, it will not be so easy for them to bomb accurately.Therefore, I have great confidence in Britain's ability to continue fighting, defending the homeland and the Empire, and imposing a blockade. I don't know if it will motivate the French to continue fighting, and I hope that, even in the worst case, they will engage in large-scale guerrilla warfare.We are converting other units into the British Expeditionary Force. We must be careful not to allow the Americans to look too easily at the prospect of Britain's collapse, thinking that by its collapse they would acquire the British fleet and the status of protector of the British Empire (except Great Britain).If the United States enters the war and Britain is partially occupied by the enemy, things will naturally develop as above.But if the United States remains neutral, if we are defeated, then I cannot say what policy the pro-German regime that would be established would adopt. Although the President is our best friend, so far the United States has not given us actual assistance.We don't want their military assistance, but they haven't made any significant contribution in terms of destroyers or aircraft, and even a detachment of their navy is visiting ports in southern Ireland.In this regard, it would be of great help if you could exert some pressure. We are deeply grateful for all the assistance you have given us, and for the (four Canadian) destroyers who have participated in the war against German submarines.Sincerely best regards. Smuts was far away in South Africa, and he did not know the latest situation regarding the special issue of the air defense of the island country, so it was inevitable that he should look at the French tragedy in accordance with traditional principles.Focus everything on the decision point.I had every convenience to know the facts and the detailed plans of Air Combat Commander Air Admiral Dowding.If Smuts and I get together for half an hour and let me put the material in front of him, we can agree, as we used to agree on major military issues. prime minister to general smuts June 9, 1940 We will, of course, do everything we can, simultaneously: strike the enemy from the air, and equip troops and send them to France as quickly as possible.It would be a mistake to send our fighters in large numbers to the war in France; we would be unable to fight further if losses were incurred (as is currently probable).I think we have a harder, longer and more hopeful task awaiting us.Resisting German air raids at home is much more convenient than in France: we can concentrate a very strong fighter force, and we can expect to exchange the loss of one of ours for the loss of four or five of the enemy's fighters. We were outnumbered, enemy losses were unlikely to exceed a two-to-one ratio, and there our planes were often destroyed at airfields with no air defenses.The success or failure of the French War will not depend on the twenty or so fighter squadrons we send next month with maintenance equipment.Even if we could keep the enemy at bay with our fighter squadrons, Hitler could devote all his (air force) power to attack our homeland without air defense, and use daylight raids to destroy our future production aircraft equipment.The classical principles of war you mentioned have been changed in this case by a large number of current facts.It seems to me that there is only one possible way at present, that is, if Hitler attacks our country, destroy his air weapons during his attack. If he does, Europe will toss under his feet as soon as winter comes, and the United States may declare war on him after the presidential election. I appreciate your telegram to me.Give me your advice often, my gallant old friend. Apart from our firm disapproval of sending the last twenty-five fighter squadrons, we consider our duty to aid the French to be paramount.According to previous orders, the 52nd Scottish Lowland Division was to leave for France on 7 June. These orders have been approved.The 3rd Division, under General Montgomery's command, was the first to be equipped and scheduled for dispatch to France.At the beginning of this year, the well-equipped main division of the Canadian Army Group, which was assembled in Britain, was sent to Brest with the full consent of the Dominion Government, and began to arrive on June 11. A hopeless move.The two French light divisions evacuated from Norway have been sent back to France, together with all the French troops and personnel we evacuated from Dunkirk. We also sent our only two newly formed divisions, the 52nd Scotch Lowlands and the 1st Canadian, to our Going to the defeated French allies was, in the first eight months of the war, a feat in view of the very limited armed forces we were able to send to France.In retrospect, when we were determined to fight on to the end, when we were under the threat of an invasion and France was clearly collapsing, I wondered how we had the courage to mobilize what little of our combat-ready troops we had .This is possible because we understand that without command of the sea or the air, or the requisite landing craft, it is very difficult to cross the strait. Behind the Somme we have in France the complete 51st Scottish Highland Division withdrawn from the Maginot Line and the 52nd Scotch Lowland Division on its way to Normandy.In addition, our 1st (our only) Armored Division (short of tank battalion and supply team) was transferred to Calais.However, this division was severely damaged when it attempted to cross the Somme as part of Weygand's plan.By 1 June, the division's strength had been reduced to one-third, and it was transferred to the opposite bank of the Seine for reorganization.Simultaneously, a mixed force known as Portman's Force was amassing from French bases and lines of communication.The unit consisted of nine makeshift infantry battalions armed primarily with rifles and a few anti-tank weapons.It has neither a transport nor a communications team. This detachment of the French Tenth Army and the British attempted to hold the Somme front.The 51st Division was alone in charge of the sixteen-mile front, and the rest of the army was equally heavy.On June 4, they and a French division and French tanks launched an unsuccessful attack on the German bridgehead at Abbeville. On June 5, the final phase of the French war began.The French front has a total of the second, third and fourth three army groups.The Second Army Group defended the Rhine Line and the Maginot Line; the Fourth Army Group defended the Aisne; and the Third Army Group was in charge of the front from the Aisne to the mouth of the Somme.The Third Army Group consisted of the Sixth, Seventh, and Tenth Armies; all British troops in France formed part of the Tenth Army.At this time, this vast front, which has nearly 1.5 million men, or about 65 divisions, is now about to be attacked by 124 German divisions.The 124 German divisions were also organized into three army groups, namely the coastal theater commanded by Bock; the central theater commanded by Rundstedt; and the eastern theater commanded by Loeb.The German forces in these theaters launched their offensives on June 5, June 9, and June 15, respectively.On the night of June 5 we learned that the Germans had launched an offensive on the seventy-mile front of the road from Amiens to Laon-Soissons that morning.This is the largest battle. At the Battle of Dunkirk we have seen how the German panzers lingered and stood still in order to use their strength in the last phase of the French war.All these armored units were now in full force, swooping down on the weak, improvised, or crumbling French lines between Paris and the coast.In this book I can only relate the battles on the coast flank in which our troops participated.The German offensive resumed on June 7, with two armored divisions advancing towards Rouen, trying to split the French Tenth Army in two.The French Ninth Army on the left, consisting of the Scottish Highland Division, two French Infantry Divisions, and two Cavalry Divisions, or all that remained of the Army, was separated from the rest of the Tenth Army's front.Portman's force, supported by thirty British tanks, attempted to cover Rouen.The unit was driven back to the Seine on June 8, and the Germans entered Rouen that night.The 51st Division and the remnants of the French Ninth Army were cut off in the Rouen-Dieppe area, which was attacked on three sides. We feared that the 51st Division, whose commander, Major-General Fortune, had been ordered to retreat to Rouen if necessary, would be driven back to the peninsula of Le Havre and thus cut off from the main force.However, the disintegrated French command forbade such an action.We made urgent statements of our opinion several times to no avail, and their obstinate refusal to face the facts before them resulted in the total destruction of the French Ninth Corps and our Fifty-first Division.Our troops did not reach Dieppe, thirty-five miles to the north, on June 9, when Rouen was already in German hands. It was then that the order to retreat to Le Havre was received.A force was sent to cover the move, but before the main force could move, the Germans broke in.Attacking from the east, the Germans reached the coast, cutting off most of the 51st Division and many French troops.This was clearly a case of serious mishandling, since the danger had been fully seen three days before. On 10 June, after heavy fighting, the division, together with the French Ninth Corps, retreated to the outskirts of Saint-Valery, hoping to retreat by sea.By this time all our other troops on the peninsula of Le Havre had been quickly and safely aboard.During the night of the 11th and 12th the fog was so thick that the ships could not withdraw their troops from Saint-Valery.On the morning of the 12th, the German army reached the sea cliff to the south, and the beach was directly under German artillery fire.White flags appeared in the city.The French Ninth Army surrendered at 8:00 am, and the remnants of the Scottish Highland Division were forced to surrender at 10:30 am.Only 1,350 British officers and soldiers and 930 French troops escaped; 8,000 British and 4,000 French troops fell into the hands of the 7th Tank Division commanded by General Rommel.I am very much resentful that the French did not get our division back to Rouen in time, but let it wait until it could neither reach Le Havre nor retreat south, and was finally forced to surrender with their own army.The fate of the Scottish Highland Division was difficult, but in the following years, the Scots who supplemented the division's vacancy avenged them. They mixed with the Ninth Scottish Division and reorganized the Scottish Highland Division to fight in various battlefields.From Alamein, fought across the Rhine to the final victory. I am reminded of a few lines written by Dr. Charles Murray in the First World War[1], which can justly be quoted here: [1] Quoted from "Huixiang Ji". Flags flown at half-mast in the castle, Last night the castle lord's dirge was played, Many village women who have been deprived of their husbands Bless their recruitment alone. For liberty, for a purpose not yet attained, Gather all the people in the valley and send them to the front, Cut off the vicious eagle's talons, Throw their feathers into the sea. Brave men of castles and towns, leave their shops and workshops Pleasantly bid farewell to friends, and gallop to enemies, Old Scotland is still not to be trifled with. Around 11 a.m. on June 11, Reynolds sent a telegram. He also called President Roosevelt.The French tragedy intensified.The other day I urged a supreme military council.We can no longer meet in Paris.We don't know what's going on there.The vanguard of the German army must have been very close.It took me a lot of trouble to meet and party with them, but now is not the time for kind words.We must know what the French intend to do.Renault told me at the time that he could receive us in Briard, near Orléans.The government has moved from Paris to Tours.The headquarters of the French army is located near Briard.He specified the airport where I should land.I readily accepted, and ordered the flamingo to be ready at Hendon after lunch, and we departed at about two o'clock in the afternoon, having obtained the consent of my colleagues at the morning Cabinet meeting.Before leaving, I telegraphed President Roosevelt. former navy personnel to president roosevelt June 11, 1940 The French invited me to go again, which shows that the crisis has arrived.I'm on my way now.If you can support them now, in word or deed, you can make a difference. We are also worried about Ireland.It would be of great benefit if the United States sent a detachment to visit Berehaven, I'm sure of that. This is my fourth trip to France, and since this trip is mainly to understand the military situation, I have invited Mr. Eden, the Secretary of State for War, to accompany me, as well as General Dill, the current Chief of the General Staff of the Empire, and of course Ismay.The Luftwaffe is now deep in the strait, and we must make a large roundabout flight.As on previous occasions, the flamingos were escorted by twelve Spitfires.A few hours later, we landed at a small airport.There were not many French present, and soon a colonel arrived in a motor vehicle.I smiled confidently; I thought it would be appropriate when the situation was extremely unfavorable, but the Frenchman's countenance was sullen and rather cold.I realized immediately that the situation had deteriorated considerably since our visit to Paris a week earlier.After a short break, we were dropped off at a villa where we met Monsieur Renault, Marshal Pétain, General Weygand, Air Force Admiral Viemann, and others, including the lesser General de Gaulle , he has just been appointed Deputy Minister of Defense.Some of our party were going to take a rest on the train of the General Headquarters on the next railway.There is only one telephone in the villa, which is placed in the bathroom.The phone is very busy, and it takes a long time to make a call, and the voice of shouting on the phone has not stopped. At seven o'clock, we entered the meeting room.General Ismay for the record.I have only restated my consistent impression, which cannot be disagreed with.No blame and blame.We all have to face the hard truth.We Brits don't know where the front line is. Our anxiety is that German armor will suddenly come from somewhere, and even come towards us.In fact, the subject of the discussion revolved around these aspects: I urged the French government to defend Paris.I emphasized that house-to-house resistance in a large city has enormous destructive power against an invading army.I recounted to Marshal Pétain the nights we spent together in his train at Beauvais after the disastrous defeat of the British Fifth Army in 1918; situation.I also reminded him of what Clemenceau said: I am determined to fight in front of Paris, in the city of Paris, and in the rear of Paris.Marshal Pétain replied calmly and solemnly that at that time he could mobilize more than sixty divisions, but now he has none.He said that at that time there were sixty British divisions on the front line.Even reducing Paris to ashes will not affect the final outcome. General Weygand then gave an account of the military situation of the fluid war which was being fought fifty or sixty miles away, as far as he knew, and he praised the gallantry of the French.He demanded that reinforcements from all sides, especially all British fighter teams, should be put into battle immediately.He said: Here is the decision point.Now is the decisive moment.It would therefore be a mistake to keep any single squadron in the UK.But I replied, following a decision taken at a cabinet meeting to which I had specially invited Air Admiral Dowding: This is not the decisive point, and this is not the decisive moment. That time will come when Hitler will mobilize his air force to attack Great Britain.If we can keep the skies, if we can keep the seas open, (we must) we will win it all back for you. [1] For the defense of Great Britain and the English Channel, we will retain twenty-five fighter squadrons at any cost, and we will not give them up no matter what happens.We intend to continue fighting under any circumstances, and we believe we can fight indefinitely, but by abandoning these squadrons, we will lose our chance of survival.Having said this, I asked for General George, Commander-in-Chief of the North-West Front; he was nearby, and they sent for George at once. [1] I thank General Ismay, who took these words down. Soon, General George came.When we informed him of recent events, he confirmed what General Weygand had said about the French defenses.Again I strongly advocated my guerrilla plan.The Germans were not as strong at the point of contact as one might think.If all the French troops, every division, every brigade, had fought sparingly on their fronts, they could have brought the enemy's movements to a standstill, but they answered me: the conditions on the roads are terrible, the refugees Overcrowded, under the irresistible German machine gun fire, a large number of residents fled in groups, and government agencies and military institutions continued to collapse.At a certain point General Weygand said that France might have to ask for an armistice.Renault immediately stopped him: that is a political issue.According to Ismay's record, I have said: If France in her misery thinks it best to surrender her army, there is no need to hesitate for us, because whatever you do, we will always, ever , Fight forever.When I mentioned that the French could contain or consume a hundred German divisions no matter where they continued to fight, General Weygand replied that even then they could take another hundred divisions to attack and conquer you.What will you do then?對於這一點我說，我不是一位軍事專家，但是我的技術顧問們認為，應付德軍入侵大不列顛的最好的方法，就是在半路上盡量淹死他們，對餘下的人，他們一爬上岸，就敲他們的腦袋。魏剛苦笑著回答道：無論如何，我必須承認，你們有一道很好的反坦克障礙。在我的記憶中，這是我聽到他的最後一句值得注意的話，須知，在這次使人苦惱的全部會談中，我一再感到內疚，覺得有四千八百萬人口的英國在對德的地面作戰中未能做出更大的貢獻，並且讓十分之九的屠殺和百分之九十九的損失都落在法國身上，而且是落在法國一個國家的身上。 又過了一小時左右，我們起身洗手，那時飯已擺在會議桌上。在這個休息時間，我私下和喬治將軍交談並向他提出： 第一，在國內戰線上，無論在哪裡都要繼續打下去，並在山嶽地區進行長期的游擊戰：第二，到非洲去，這個辦法，我一個星期以前還認為是失敗主義的辦法。我的這位可尊敬的朋友，雖負有許多直接的責任，但在領導法軍方面卻從來沒有能夠按自己的意見做過，所以對這兩個辦法似乎都不抱多大希望。 我輕描淡寫地記述這幾天的情形，但這對於我們全體來說是心靈上真正的痛苦。 十點鐘左右大家坐下來進餐。我坐在雷諾的右邊，戴高樂將軍坐在我的右邊。有一道湯、一道蛋卷或別的什麼菜，還有咖啡和淡酒。此刻，即便是處在德軍蹂躪的極端痛苦中，我們仍然是十分友好的，但是一個不和諧的插曲立刻就出現了。 讀者可以回憶，我曾強調在意大利參戰時就要迎頭痛擊的重要性，我們在法國的完全贊同下作了安排，把英國的重轟炸機隊調到馬賽附近的法國機場，以便襲擊米蘭和都靈。現在一切都準備好了，只等進攻了。我們剛一坐下，在法國指揮英國空軍的空軍中將巴拉特就給伊斯梅打來電話，說地方當局反對英國轟炸機起飛，理由是轟炸意大利必然帶來對法國南部的報復，而這種報復則非英國所能抵抗或阻止的。雷諾、魏剛、艾登、迪爾和我離開了餐桌，商量了一會兒以後，雷諾同意給法國有關當局下達命令，叫他們不要阻止轟炸機起飛。但是，後來在當天夜裡，巴拉特空軍中將又報告說，機場附近的法國居民拖來各式各樣的鄉村車輛堆放在機場，以致轟炸機無法起飛去執行它們的任務。 當我們離開餐桌，坐下喝咖啡和白蘭地時，雷諾便告訴我說，貝當元帥已通知他，法國必須尋求停戰，貝當已寫好有關文件要他過目。雷諾說：他還沒有將這個文件交給我。 他還不好意思這麼做。當他心眼裡認為一切郁完了、法國應當投降時，卻支持（即便是暗中支持）魏剛要求我們調派最後的二十五個戰鬥機中隊，就這件事，他也應該感到羞恥。因此我們在這個紊亂的別墅裡或到幾里外的軍車上去睡覺時，心裡都很不愉快。德軍於十四日進入巴黎。 清晨我們又重開會議。空軍中將巴拉特也出席了。雷諾重申其增派五個戰鬥機中隊駐在法國基地上的主張；魏剛將軍說，他迫切需要白晝轟炸機以彌補其軍隊之不足。我向他們保證說，一俟我回到倫敦，戰時內閣將立即對法國要求增加空軍援助的種種問題予以仔細的和同情的考慮；但是我又再度強調，要把聯合王國的基本國防都調光，那將是一個重大的錯誤。 【１】 【１】關於這個問題，看一下甘默林將軍一九三八年三月十五日向法國最高空軍會議陳述的意見，是很有趣的。萬一英國來援助我們，合理的希望是：它可能同意加強我們的轟炸機隊，但須使用我們的空軍基地。另一方面，要它把擔負其本土防禦的戰鬥機隊派到法國，看來是不大可能的。 這個短暫的會議快要結束時，我提出以下幾個明確的問題： 一‧巴黎和巴黎郊區群眾難道不能像一九一四年那樣，或像馬德里那樣，成為一種分散敵人和阻滯敵人的障礙嗎？ 二‧難道不能讓英軍和法軍越過塞納河下游組織一次反攻嗎？ 三‧如果協同作戰的時期已過，豈不意味著敵人力量也幾乎是平均分散嗎？難道不能進行縱深戰和（攻擊）敵人的交通線嗎？在敵人與法國陸軍和大不列顛作戰的同時，敵人的人力物力是否足以長久控制現在所征服的一切國家和法國的大部分土地呢？ 四‧這樣，難道不能延長抵抗，以待美國參戰嗎？ 魏剛將軍同意在塞納河下游進行反攻的想法，但同時又說他沒有足夠的軍隊實行這項計劃。他又說，據他的判斷，德國人已有足夠的人力、物力來控制他們現在所征服的國家和法國的大部分土地。雷諾接著說，德國從開戰以來已建立了五十五個師並製造了四千到五千輛重坦克。這當然是把他們建造的數字大大誇大了。 在結束時，我極其鄭重地表示了我的希望：假使情況有任何變化，法國政府應立即通知英國政府，以便在他們採取指導戰爭第二階段行動的最後決定之前派員前來法國，在任何方便的地點與他們會晤。 我們隨即辭別貝當、魏剛和法國最高統帥部的人員，這是我們最後一次和他們會晤。末了，我把海軍上將達爾朗請到一旁，單獨對他說：達爾朗，你千萬別讓他們拿到法國的艦隊啊。他莊嚴地承諾，他決不那樣做。 由於缺乏適用的汽油，因而十二架噴火式戰鬥機無法護送我們。我們只有兩種選擇：或則等待天氣晴朗，或則坐紅鶴式飛機去試一試運氣。我們已確知，在全部航程中都有陰雲。而我們又急於歸去。結果，我們的飛機單獨起飛了。行前曾電告本國，如果可能的話，派護航機來海峽上空迎接我們。當我們飛近海岸時，天已開朗，頃刻之間萬里無雲。我們右方八千呎下面的勒阿弗爾正在燃燒。濃煙向東方飄去。新的護航機不見到來。不久，我看見有人和機長商談了一會兒，於是飛機立刻俯衝到距平靜的海面約一百呎的低空，飛機在這裡往往是看不見的。出了什麼事呢？後來我才知道，他們看見兩架德機在我們的下面向漁船開火。我們很幸運，德機的駕駛員未向上看。當我們臨近英國海岸時，新護航機接著我們了，忠實的紅鶴式飛機在亨頓機場安然降落。 當日下午五時我向戰時內閣報告此行的結果。 我按照魏剛將軍在我們的會議上講的那樣描述了法軍的情況。法軍已經打了六天六夜，現在幾乎是完全精疲力竭了。 敵人以一百二十個師的兵力，加之以裝甲部隊的支援，進攻法軍四十個師；在每一點上法軍都失去了主動，打了敗仗。敵人的裝甲部隊使法軍高級司令部發生了大混亂，指揮失靈，在行動上，已支配不了下級司令部。法軍現在是在最後一條可以進行有組織的抵抗的戰線上。這條戰線已有兩三處被突破； 倘若這條戰線一旦崩潰，魏剛將軍就不負繼續作戰的責任了。 魏剛將軍顯然認為法國之繼續抗戰沒有前途，而貝當元帥則又下定決心求和。他認為：法國現正遭到德軍有計劃的破壞，他的職責是把全國的其餘部分從這種命運中挽救出來。 我提到他那份談求和的備忘錄；這份備忘錄，他只給雷諾看過，卻未交給雷諾。毫無疑問，我說道：貝當在這關鍵時刻是一個危險人物，他向來是一個失敗主義者，就是在上次大戰中也是如此。另一方面，雷諾先生似乎決心打下去，與他一同參加會議的戴高樂將軍贊成游擊戰。他年紀輕，很有朝氣，給我的印象很好。我認為很有這樣的可能，即：如果現在的戰線一旦崩潰，雷諾將要求他指揮法軍。達爾朗海軍上將也宣稱，他決不讓法國海軍投降敵人；他曾說過，他的最後的手段是將海軍送到加拿大，但是他的計劃很有可能被法國的政客們推翻。 很清楚，法國已接近有組織抗戰的最後階段了，戰爭中的一章正在結束。法國人可能用某些方法繼續鬥爭。甚至將來可能出現兩個法國政府，一個媾和，另一個從法國殖民地進行有組織的抗戰，用法國海軍在海上繼續作戰並在法國國內打游擊。是不是會出現這些情況，現在言之尚為時過早。雖然在一個時期內我們仍須給予法國某些援助，但是現在我們必須把我們的主要力量集中於我們本島的防禦。