Chapter 332: Operation to Collect the Net
At a military conference on German soil, Manstein advocated the development of a grand strategic plan for Africa. Continue to increase the number of troops in Africa, and strive to crucify the forces of Britain, the United States and France in this desert. He also knew about the African energy plan, the African base plan, and the naval base plan. His troop build-up was raised in response to these three ambitious plans. Now that a new round of weapons production has begun on the Eastern Front, the Soviets found that their anti-aircraft guns were seriously insufficient, and their aircraft were already far behind in technology. The vaunted T34 tanks also no longer had the advantages of the past, and the new tanks of the Germans could easily destroy them beyond the range of the artillery. What's even more terrifying is that the number of German tanks is obviously increasing day by day, and the rate of increase is alarming! In this case, it will be more difficult for the Soviet front-line troops to break through the German lines!
In the battle, they found that only a 150-mm cannon could inflict damage on the front armor of the new German tank, and the T34's 76-mm gun was simply tickling it! However, the small-caliber 50mm gun of the Leopard 3 can pierce the T34 at once! Not even the frontal armor of the IS2 tank could withstand it! Therefore, the Soviets had to design more powerful tank guns, otherwise they would be inferior to German tanks on the entire front.
As a result, the Soviets suspended their offensive, and even the harassment of small troops stopped. They intensified the construction of fortifications on the lines of Stalingrad, the Caucasus, Voronezh, Tula, Kaluga, Moscow, and waited for the arrival of winter. Perhaps they thought that the German army's early contraction of the defensive line and the change of offense to defense were to retract their fists and strike a more powerful blow! Now that the Germans are equipped with new tanks, this strategic assumption is possible, and the Soviet Union is convinced from top to bottom that the Germans are about to launch a stronger offensive. They intensified their defensive preparations to stage a great drama to defeat Napoleon in the winter warfare they were good at!
In view of the current stalemate on the Eastern Front, the activities of the rear partisans have been shrinking day by day. Germany's national policy began one important experiment after another, and the control of the High Command over Germany was unprecedentedly tight. Heydrich's National Security Agency, with the help of the white administrators, has set up the whole country, and the Byzantine political method of the Third Reich has gradually transformed into scientific and efficient control. Bai Qi had already consolidated most of Germany's forces and taken them into his own hands.
The time has come to start building in Africa, and things are ripe for development!
After daybreak, Rommel's general offensive will begin! The paratroopers had completed their tasks and had gathered at the rendezvous point to retreat. They will return to Tubruk to rest in vehicles provided by their fellow Afrika Korps, the Ranker Brigade and the Fogel Division. Where will begin their next battle tour!
Heinrich did not complete the task of destroying that command post in the end, not because he was incapable of doing it. Rather, it is because doing so will affect the next step of the occupation progress, after all, the "Engma" trap will start from here. If he had beaten him, wouldn't he have demolished Rommel's stage!
They successfully paralyzed most of the British supply depots, and the dense ** on both sides of the road brought great difficulties to the movement of the British army! There are many tricks that will not be discovered until after breakfast by the British - they immorally put laxatives on the British breakfast ingredients!
All sorts of means were used for the first time in real combat, and the paratroopers started the world's first precedent of a special operation while saving the lives of a large number of soldiers! The British army had not rested all night, and after dawn they were already sleepy and yawning! And it was time for Rommel to attack at this time!
The next day, it was dark. //www. The British were afraid of the attack and began, and one by one they yawned and began to eat breakfast, which was still more exciting anyway!
Just when they began to eat their rice bowls one by one, the German tanks quietly touched it!
"Enemy attack!" Private Tom hurriedly threw away his job and ran towards the anti-tank gun position. But it was still a step too late, and the shells were bombarded by German tanks 20 mm ** before they were loaded, and the volleys of small power exploded one after another. Tiny steel balls are flying all over the sky, spreading the smell of danger!
Their 47-mm anti-tank guns were hit and rendered useless. Tom had no choice but to use the original "Molotov" cocktail*** to attack the German galloping tanks. Unfortunately, the offensive formation of the German tanks was maintained very perfectly, and the leading tanks drove over. The follow-up tanks quickly followed, covering the flanks and butts of the front vehicle. Under the intensive fire of two Leopard 3 machine guns, one 20** barrel, one 50 guns. The infantry who wanted to get close were shot one after another! Valiant gentlemen hardly get the chance to face tanks at close range.
The anti-tank trench in front of them had already been filled in by the Germans, and the Leopard 3 was equipped with a bucket that leveled the trench 3 meters deep in a few clicks. 50 gun-coat ** guns spewed tongues of fire, and the heavy weapons on the British positions were blown into piles of scrap metal. The British troops, who had been tortured by the paratroopers all night, were almost exhausted, their bodies were exhausted, and their spirits were exhausted. In the face of the steel chariots, they quickly lost the courage to resist, and they helplessly watched as the torrent of tanks passed through their positions and rushed towards the depths! The No. 3 assault gun, the No. 4 tank, and the strange-shaped chariots of various British tank modifications followed by the follow-up rushed in again, and the black holes of the guns were aimed at their group of lost infantry, and their guns were confiscated.
On the positions defended by the 30th Army of the British Army, the defensive line, which had been successfully pierced by the Tiger a few days earlier, was once again facing the blow of the Leopard 3. The Australian 9th Army, the 1st South African Division, was squeezed on the high ground near the El Alamein railway station, and they lost almost all their heavy weapons. And the morale of being tortured by paratroopers in night battles was completely lost. Such an army could no longer withstand the assault of Rommel's armored corps. The British naval fleet in Alexandria has been ordered to sail to the El Alamein theater to provide fire support to the British army. It was undoubtedly a risky move to carry out such naval activities before air supremacy was controlled, but the British had no choice at this time, and more than 200,000 troops suffered heavy losses under the attack of the Luftwaffe, which had been slowing down. One of their four defensive "box" formations had been eaten up by Rommel, and the Alam Khalefa Heights, defended by the British 13th Army in the rear, had been wiped out in the previous week. The most mobile corps in the British array was almost defenseless against the superior armoured clusters of the Germans! Although their desperate actions also brought casualties to the German army, the No. 3 assault gun cluster of the German 90th Light Division was almost annihilated by the Royal Air Force, and dozens of Leopard 3s were also beaten by Sherman of the 7th Panzer Division. But their results were also nothing more, and the Germans were almost negligible compared to the losses of the British army!
What was even more beneficial to the German army was that the rest of the British troops did not take this opportunity to carry out a counter-assault on the German army! They just sat and waited in the fortified defensive positions, but turned a blind eye to the positions of their comrades! The entire mobile units of the British 8th Army were also annihilated by armored clusters of Tigers and Leopards! Their tanks were not used centrally, but were configured to act as mobile batteries in infantry units. In this way, in the face of the Germans, the number of units of the tank was not necessarily superior. In Rommel's words, "You have two tanks, and I only have one." You use them one by one, not together. When I have annihilated the first one, I can calmly deal with the second one. What is the difference between such a tactic and owning a tank! "It was the naivety of British tank tactics, coupled with the excellent quality of German tanks, that caused the defeat of the British army.
In this way, Rommel concentrated superior forces. With the cooperation of the Air Force, they packed up the 4 boxes of the British army one by one.
Mönggol was a lucky general, who saw bad things and did not take prisoners with his army. Instead, he escaped by boat in the middle of the battlefield! The main forces of the attack aircraft group of the 2nd Air Force were preparing for an attack on Egypt and did not attack the Royal Navy at sea in large quantities. This was so much so meager that the Royal Navy's fire support was fierce. The British took advantage of this opportunity to withdraw a considerable number of troops, and about 50,000 men slipped out of the encirclement. As for the Italian Navy, it did not show up in the battle at all! There is a navy, and there is no more incompetent navy than this!
After three days of fierce fighting, Rommel managed to take down El Alamein! He proudly called Bai Qi to introduce his achievements, and when Li Ming asked him how many Britons he had captured, he said humorously: "I haven't counted, about two acres of land for officers, 200 acres of land for soldiers." ”
These were Auchinleck's words about Italian prisoners of war, but now they are used by Rommel to the British troops who fought under him. History has played a big joke!
The British Isles, far away in the Atlantic, shook the whole! No one expected Rommel to take the whole of El Alamein in a week! It was so fast, the tide of the war was unexpected! This was especially true of Churchill, the fat man who was relatively unapologetic of war and was about to face a nationwide crusade! Rommel not only defeated Montgomery, he also dealt a blow to Churchill's prestige and shook the foundation of Churchill's power to a great extent!
The British were almost disappointed in this gushing fat man! Montgomery, the general of the defeated army, was even more verbal and merciless! On the contrary, Rommel was extremely praised for the victors on the battlefield! Perhaps the Englishman, who considered himself a gentleman, felt that there was no shame in being defeated by a real knight. Rommel's positive image came alive in the British newspapers and tabloids all at once! At the same time, it also shows a very unoptimistic estimate of the next situation in the UK!
The Americans, seeing that their allies were almost defeated, knew that the time had come to strike! In their analysis, the Germans had no chance of victory strategically against almost all the old powers of the world with the strength of one country. Their intervention at this time is a great help to the British! It is almost certain that all Britons will be grateful to Dade for the fact that the United States sent troops. Their entry into the war was well timed and appropriate! After analysis, they put the place of landing in Africa in Algeria, the rear of the German army!
More than 100,000 U.S. troops are ready to go!