"Gentlemen, Germany's four corps have already set out and are closing in on London. At their marching speed, the battle for London will officially begin in two days at most. Judging from the current situation, the German forces landing in Britain number only four corps, plus five Marine Divisions, for a total strength of around 1.2 million men. Meanwhile, the Imperial Army has assembled seven corps in London, totaling 1.4 million men. Moreover, we are on the defensive and can use our fortifications to strike the Germans. Therefore, we still hold a considerable advantage. If we seize the right opportunity, it may not be impossible to crush the Germans in London!" Minister of War Richard Haldane said at the military conference.
As the German military began closing in on London, the atmosphere of tension in the city grew increasingly intense. Originally, the British Army units stationed in London consisted of only six army corps, totaling 1.2 million men. However, the 200,000 men withdrawn from the Southeast War Zone were reorganized into the 1st Army Corps and added to London's defensive order of battle, further strengthening the city's defenders.
Yet even so, panic still gripped London. Had King George V and Prime Minister Churchill not made repeated public appearances, many people might already have begun fleeing. The German military's performance in the Southeast War Zone had truly frightened the officers and soldiers of the British mainland army out of their wits.
Although the British military had, over the past several months, nearly turned London into a fortress, many people still had no confidence that they could withstand the German offensive.
"I do not deny that the German military's combat strength is formidable, fully worthy of the title of the world's number one army. But this is London now—the capital of the