Chapter 319 Supporting North Africa

To defend the Suez Canal, defeating the German forces in North Africa was the only option. However, relying on colonial troops from those colonies to defeat the Germans was simply a fantasy. "I suggest immediately forming a legion to support North Africa and protect our colonies."

There was an immediate uproar in the audience. The domestic forces were already stretched thin, just dealing with the possibility of a German cross-sea landing. Now, organizing a legion to support North Africa? Where would they get enough troops to defend?

Someone below expressed dissatisfaction. "Do you dare guarantee that we can defeat the Germans in North Africa? I think it's better to sign a peace treaty with Germany."

In the original timeline, the main reason the UK staunchly resisted Germany was the evacuation of 338,000 allied troops from Dunkirk and the powerful navy.

Some argued that the evacuation of tens of thousands of troops from Dunkirk wasn't that significant. In World War II, casualties and prisoners of war numbered in the hundreds of thousands. However, in subsequent battles, these seasoned veterans who had experienced the blitzkrieg tactics of the German army played a decisive role. For example, General Patton, who later organized the Normandy landings, was also one of the participants in the Dunkirk evacuation.

More importantly, these troops from different countries fleeing to England were, in a sense, crucial because they represented a nation and symbolized a cohesive force. Notably, Charles de Gaulle, who refused to surrender, took charge in England after escaping and led the French troops who withdrew from Dunkirk.

This time, apart from less than a thousand who managed to escape back to their homeland, the remaining hundreds of thousands of allied soldiers became German prisoners of war. The proud navy of the British Empire also suffered repeated heavy losses. Continuing the war under such circumstances seemed to offer little hope of victory.

It might be better to use the remaining strength now and sign a peace treaty with Germany!

The prevalence of pacifism in Britain after World War I was no weaker than America's isolationism. From top to bottom, no one wanted to get involved in another world war.

For ordinary civilians, as long as there was no war and no casualties, it was better than anything else. Therefore, those advocating for war were unwelcome. That's why Britain allowed Germany's navy to reach thirty percent of its tonnage, and why, during Prime Minister Baldwin's term, Britain was unwilling to contest even air superiority. Many accused of being appeasers were, in fact, forced to appease. For Britain to intervene in continental Europe with only 300,000 expeditionary forces, it was necessary to have the support of the Allies. However, what could the Allies do during the Munich Conference? Without Poland's help, Czechoslovakia and France alone couldn't deal with Germany. What could Chamberlain do? Under the impact of the two world wars and economic crises, many things in Europe had already dissipated. Launching a war to prevent war sounded ideal, but who could guarantee that Germany's determination extended beyond the realm of German reunification?

When everyone realized that Germany's appetite would not be satisfied merely by the reunification of Germany, especially after the events in Czechoslovakia, Neville Chamberlain's attitude began to toughen, starting around the time of the Polish incident. By the time Germany launched a major attack on Libya, Chamberlain's appeasement policy had completely failed, and he had to step down, making way for the warlike Churchill to become Prime Minister.

Churchill's cabinet was called the wartime coalition cabinet. What does a wartime coalition cabinet mean?

Firstly, this cabinet was established for the purpose of war. Chamberlain recommended Churchill to form this cabinet with the intention of going to war.

Secondly, it was a coalition cabinet, formed by both the Labour Party and the Conservative Party. This indicates that on the issue of fighting against Germany, the attitudes of the Labour Party and the Conservative Party were consistent. Both parties supported taking the fight to Germany.

Therefore, Churchill could not possibly negotiate with Germany. Crushing Germany was the unanimous opinion of the entire British political spectrum.

Now, hearing such appeasement remarks, Churchill was instantly furious and rebuked loudly, "What do you mean by a peace agreement?! Our British Empire has been burdened by such so-called peace until now! Talking about negotiations at this juncture is nothing but treason, it's surrender!

Back in the day, facing the invincible Spanish Armada, our ancestors never surrendered!

Facing the mighty Sun King Louis XIV, our ancestors never surrendered!

Facing the unrivaled European top general Napoleon, our ancestors never surrendered!

Facing the formidable William II, we did not surrender either!

Now, while the war has not yet determined a winner, there are people who can't wait to sell out the country for personal gain?!"

Although there was a commotion here, the people present were representatives of British interests, a group of British gentlemen. For a gentleman, matters of face were above all, especially when it concerned the dignity of the British Empire!

The weak French could humiliate themselves by surrendering, but mighty Britain absolutely could not surrender!

"Why should we yield? What do we gain from that? Half of our territory? Like France, or become their puppet like Austria? No! If that's the case, we will be ashamed before our ancestors!" Churchill's words inspired everyone present. Yes, why should they yield? Present-day Britain still had a spirit of active initiative and indomitability; as British gentlemen of the empire where the sun never sets, they possessed a strong sense of imperial honor and national self-confidence. They would not yield!

More importantly, even if most people surrendered, Churchill would resolutely not surrender. In the original timeline of World War II, the reason the British repeatedly refused to negotiate had a lot to do with Churchill. Although Churchill made enormous contributions to Britain, he was also an extremely stubborn and arrogant person. In the First World War, due to his arrogance, he forced Turkey into the enemy camp, causing considerable trouble for the Allies.

In the Second World War, it was again because of his arrogance that, regardless of the already precarious situation in Britain, he was determined to confront Germany head-on. As a result, they fought for several years, and although they defeated Germany, they themselves were left crippled, ultimately providing an advantage to the onlooking Americans.

The parliamentarian who proposed peace talks with Germany was scorned by his colleagues, his face turning red with embarrassment as he lowered his head and dared not say anything more. However, Churchill had no intention of letting this troublemaker disrupt the military's morale so easily. He decided to have the intelligence department closely monitor his every move. Even if they found the slightest bit of dirt on him, it would be enough to make him quietly leave the parliament!

The discussion continued on supporting North Africa, and most people agreed with this proposal. At the current stage, defending the British homeland required the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force more than the army. Moreover, the Suez Canal in North Africa's Egypt was the lifeline of the British Empire. Therefore, they decided to "squeeze out" a batch of soldiers to support North Africa.