"General, shall we continue to attack?" asked the commander of the British 3rd Infantry Division.
Originally, they received the order that after the tank troops broke through the German defense line, the infantry would launch an attack, regain the positions occupied by the German troops in one fell swoop, and destroy those German troops.
But now, their tank unit has been almost disabled in the battle. If the infantry is allowed to attack again, it is no different from letting them die. Therefore, the commander of the 3rd Infantry Division was afraid that Generals Hamilton and Haig would give them orders to continue their offensive.
General Hamilton did not speak. The disastrous defeat of the tank unit made him lose all confidence.
"Temporarily suspend the plan!" Admiral Haig said. It is obviously impossible for him to let the troops die in vain.
"Yes, General." The commander of the 3rd Infantry Division breathed a sigh of relief, and the heart that had been hanging around was finally put back in his stomach.
The British offensive ended in an anticlimactic manner. The heavy loss made their plan come to nothing. Moreover, the current battle situation is even more unfavorable for them.
After returning to the headquarters, Admiral Hamilton's face became even uglier.
"General Haig, the fighting power of the Germans is so powerful that it has completely exceeded our expectations. Even the attack of the tank troops failed. Then, we are afraid that we will lose this battle!" Admiral Hamilton said somewhat Desperate.
Originally, he wanted to defeat the German army in one fell swoop in this battle and win a big victory. But now it seems that he imagined everything too simply. The strength of the German army directly shattered their hopes.
"Your Excellency, Commander, it is indeed very difficult for us to win this battle. It can even be said that the hope is extremely slim. I am afraid we have to prepare for failure!" Admiral Haig sighed tone. He also knows how much loss it will cause to Britain if the southeast theater fails in this big battle. Not only will hundreds of thousands or even millions of troops be lost, but the flames of war will also be directly spread to London. At that time, the British army will have even less room for maneuver.
"Is there any other way to reverse the situation?" Admiral Hamilton seemed a little unwilling.
"Your Excellency, Commander, now we can only take a defensive position. It is foreseeable that the Germans will start a large-scale offensive soon. We can only eliminate their vital forces as much as possible while on the defensive. Only in this way will it be possible Reverse the situation. After all, the biggest weakness of the Germans is that they have too few troops. In terms of military strength, we always have the advantage." Admiral Haig said.
Admiral Hamilton nodded and accepted Admiral Haig's suggestion. Besides, he really didn't know what to do.
"Your Excellency, Commander, if possible, we'd better be able to draw some reinforcements from other theaters. With our current strength alone, it is impossible to resist the German attack. If there are reinforcements to respond, Once the battle situation is unfavorable, we can also withdraw the main force instead of losing too much in the southeast theater." Admiral Haig then suggested.
"I will report to London!" Admiral Hamilton naturally knew that it would be great if he could have another batch of reinforcements. But he also knew that it would be very difficult to get London to transfer the troops that originally defended London.
After the British counterattack was crushed, the German attack began as planned. The main force of the German 1st Army and 2nd Army, with the assistance of the armored forces, launched frequent attacks, constantly tearing apart the British defense line, and then interspersed and surrounded them, destroying them during the battle.
The fierce attack of the German army immediately caused the losses of the British army to rise sharply. One after another infantry divisions were disabled and surrounded. Many British troops had to raise their hands to the Germans when they were desperate.
Although, the belief in defending the country gave these British soldiers great spiritual encouragement. However, the situation of the battle was so unsatisfactory that they didn't have much confidence to continue fighting.
Especially after the armored forces of the German army were supplemented and a strong assault force was restored, the situation facing the British army was even worse.
The battle situation in the entire southeast theater has been completely corrupted. The defeat of the British army here is even more inevitable.
On the entire day of September 1, the British army lost more than 100,000 people. Among them, not many were actually killed by the German army, and most of them surrendered. At the same time, many troops were defeated and had lost the courage to continue fighting.
On September 2, the British army once again suffered heavy losses. Under the indiscriminate bombing of the German army, when they encountered the attack of the German armored forces, they collapsed at the touch of a touch.
"Your Excellency, Commander, we can't go on like this. The 1st Army has now lost more than half of its troops. The rest of the troops have no fighting spirit. Under such circumstances, it is impossible for us to resist the German attack. Attack!" Admiral Haig looked frustrated.
"General Haig, do you mean we are abandoning the Southeast Theater?" Admiral Hamilton asked.
"Yes, Your Excellency Commander. While we still have hundreds of thousands of troops, evacuate here immediately. Go back to London and strengthen the defense of London. In this way, it may be possible to hold off the Germans in London. If you don't go, As our losses get bigger and bigger, it is very likely that we will not be able to go." Admiral Haig insisted.
"Your Excellency, Commander, it is best to let London send reinforcements to meet us. Otherwise, we may not be able to break through the German blockade!" Admiral Benson continued.
The German army has assembled heavy troops in the northwest of Canterbury. Two armored divisions and four infantry divisions, with a strong force of more than 100,000 people, seemed to be a city wall, cutting the connection between the southeastern theater of the British army and London.
"Can the 3rd Army or the 8th Army be mobilized from Folkestone to reinforce us?" Admiral Hamilton asked.
He had already contacted London before, hoping to get reinforcements. However, Richard Haldane, Secretary of State for War, rejected him on the grounds that London's defenses were strained.
"Your Excellency, the 3rd Army and the 8th Army have also been held back by the Germans. If they are deployed rashly, their front line may collapse." Admiral Benson said.
"Okay, I will contact London again and request to send reinforcements to pick us up!" Admiral Hamilton said.