At 6:30 a.m. on September 2, everything went haywire inside the Valletta Fortress, the capital of the island of Malta.

The staff officers kept broadcasting the telephone numbers connecting the various departments on the island, but all they received was a busy signal, and they had no choice but to use the radio to make contact, which greatly reduced the efficiency of their work.

Lieutenant General Dobby, who had not slept all night, walked around the command room irritably, staring at the telegrams sent by the staff officers one after another with bloodshot eyes.

Yesterday during the day, when the staff officers reported to him that the telephone to the island's units was not working, Lieutenant General Dobi felt that things were worse than he had imagined.

After receiving information from various ministries via radio, Lieutenant General Dobby finally sorted out the situation on the island.

From morning to evening, the German and Italian air forces shelled and bombarded the fortifications of the battalions on the northern coast of Malta for a whole day, and the southern coast was relatively peaceful.

There is no need to think, the enemy's landing battle will definitely be launched in the north of the island of Malta.

In the afternoon, the 2nd Battalion of Royal Irish Riflemen, the only mobile unit on the island, sent a telegram that at least two regiments of enemy paratroopers had landed near the town of Rabat by airborne and parachute landing, and that the operational plan for the recapture of Rabat had become impossible to execute.

At dinner time, Major Farrell, also of the 2nd Battalion of Irish Riflemen, sent a telegram that the 1st and 2nd Heavy Artillery Batteries had been attacked by German paratroopers and had been almost completely annihilated, and that he had decided to retreat to the town of Jibuze, southeast of the town of Rabat.

On the night of 1 September, telegrams were sent from the northern parts of Malta Island, in which they had spotted the activities of German paratroopers behind their backs. There is a tendency to cut off the road back to the island.

It's also nighttime. The roar of aircraft engines rang all night. The airborne reinforcements of the Germans continued all night.

The situation had progressed to this point, and Lieutenant General Dobby had finally figured out the operational intentions of the German and Italian forces.

The German and Italian armies obviously used the paratroopers as the main force to carry out the tactic of centering on the island of Malta, and after the paratroopers had gained a firm foothold on the island, they would attack the British troops stationed on the shore from behind, and cooperate with the landing troops to flank them on both sides.

Lieutenant General Dobby was extremely remorseful after finding out the intentions of the German and Italian troops, and a sense of powerlessness instantly arose in his heart that it was not the incompetence of the general, but the too bold of the enemy army.

Although he had already received warnings from the British mainland to be wary of German and Italian paratroopers, Lieutenant General Dobby had carried on the glorious tradition of the British Army's top brass of being conservative, decadent, and poorly aware of the modern mode of warfare.

In the eyes of Lieutenant General Dobby. Paratroopers are nothing but a kind of obscene arms with limited combat effectiveness, which can only sneak into the battlefield and wreak havoc behind the battle line, and cannot control the outcome of the war at all.

Therefore, after receiving the warning from London, he only asked the island's ministries to strengthen their air defense awareness, and did not do anything really targeted defense measures.

In his opinion, even if the German and Italian troops were to be airborne on the island of Malta, the strength would not exceed one battalion, and with the strength of the second battalion of the Royal Irish riflemen, the real main force should be placed on the seashore and strive to destroy the enemy's landing force on the beach.

Just when Lieutenant General Dobby was frustrated by his miscalculation of the situation, on the morning of September 2. A series of shocking news reached his ears, pushing his restless heart to the edge of despair again and again.

First, a telegram came from London. The H Fleet, which claimed to be Gibraltar, had tried to reinforce Malta the island the previous night, but unfortunately encountered the Italian fleet halfway through, and the two sides had to retreat after dawn after the night and each other's losses were damaged for most of the night. In the telegram, the London authorities also encouraged Lieutenant General Dobby to carry forward the brave spirit of the Knights of St. John against the Ottoman Turks and strive for another miracle at the fortress of Valletta.

Without waiting for Lieutenant General Dobby's irresponsible scolding of London, another piece of news mercilessly gags his mouth.

The Second Battalion of Royal Irish Riflemen was annihilated, and the Second Battalion of Royal Irish Riflemen, the only mobile force on the island, was annihilated! What could be more ridiculous?

What's even more ridiculous is that, according to the confessions of several soldiers of the second battalion who escaped under the cover of night, it turned out that the commander of the second battalion, Major Farrell, personally ordered the surrender, and it was in the absence of large-scale battles.

Just as Lieutenant General Dobby was racking his brains and wondering what kind of psychology Major Farrell had made such an irresponsible decision, the third bad news came, a large number of ships appeared on the northern coast of Malta, and the landing began.

Receiving this news, Lieutenant General Dobby finally stopped his restless steps, shook his body, and sat down in a chair with the support of his subordinates.

"What's going on on the South Coast?" Lieutenant General Dobby regained a little energy after a few sips of hot coffee, and then asked the staff officer beside him weakly.

"The southern coast was also shelled by the Italian Navy, but only a few destroyers and cruisers, which should be a diversionary operation."

Lieutenant General Dobby nodded weakly, just staring at the coffee cup in his hand in silence.

Just when the staff officers in the command room unanimously thought that their commander had been crushed by the grim situation, Lieutenant General Dobby jerked his head up and said categorically:

"Gather all the troops in the vicinity of Valletta Fortress, as well as water, ammunition, medicine, food, and everything we can use, and send them to the fortress. Also, order the troops in the south to find a way to withdraw to the city of Valletta, where we will use the fortress to fight the enemy and finally fight the decisive battle. ”

The staff officers looked at the rejuvenated Lieutenant General Dobby in unison, as if they couldn't believe that these words were coming out of his mouth.

Looking at the disbelief expressions of the staff officers, Lieutenant General Dobby felt that his self-esteem had been deeply hurt and couldn't help but widen his eyes.

"What are you still watching me do? Still not going to carry out the order? ”

Hearing Lieutenant General Dobby's roar, the staff officers confirmed that they were not hallucinating, and then dispersed in a hurry, and each issued an order.

Glancing at his busy subordinates, Lieutenant General Dobby shook his head inexplicably and looked down at the steaming coffee cup in his hand.

For the island of Malta, where fresh water is scarce, every drop of water is precious. Not to mention coffee.

Hold up the cup. Lieutenant General Dobby tilted his head and drank his coffee. Before he could swallow the coffee in his mouth, a staff officer suddenly rushed into the headquarters and shouted with a panicked expression: "The enemy is attacking the city of Marsa, and reinforcements are needed there." ”

With a pop, Lieutenant General Dobby couldn't control the coffee in his mouth and coughed violently.

Finally stopping the cough, Lieutenant General Dobby stroked his chest and gasped and asked, "How many enemies are there?" ”

"The Seventh Fortress Company reports that the enemy has at least two battalions. The offensive was fierce. They can't hold it anymore, they need reinforcements. ”

Where do I go to find reinforcements? Lieutenant General Dobby frowned bitterly, since the annihilation of the second battalion of Royal Irish riflemen, there were now only two fortified companies in Valletta, the 16th and 24th, as well as two anti-aircraft companies and one anti-tank company, and even if they were all sent, they would not be able to hold back two battalions of the enemy.

Damn the paratroopers again, they were so fast that they didn't give themselves a respite at all, Lieutenant General Dobby cursed in his heart.

After hesitating for a few seconds, under the expectant eyes of the staff officer. Lieutenant General Dobby said ruthlessly, "Let them withdraw to the Valletta Fortress." ”

Watching the staff officer leave, Lieutenant General Dobby stared up at the roof with blank eyes.

The city of Valletta is a peninsular terrain. It is surrounded by sea on three sides, with only the west being connected to the interior of the island of Malta by the city of Marsa.

Once the city of Marsa is lost, the city of Valletta will become an island completely, and the situation facing itself is becoming more and more serious, and you can only hope that the strong walls of the ancient fortress and the garrison in the south of the island of Malta will be able to return in time to relieve the siege.

On a high ground west of the city of Marsa, Major Koch, commander of the 101st Special Air Service Battalion, excitedly looked at the Italian paratroopers who were fighting smoothly in the city of Marsa, turned his head and said to Colonel Fratini, the commander of the Italian 185th Fogri Paratrooper Regiment: "The boys of the 185th Regiment are really good, with the momentum of their attack, it will take the city of Marsa in less than an hour." ”

The 185th Paratrooper Regiment had also just landed in the vicinity of the town of Rabat last night, and then rushed to the town of Jibuze overnight to support Major Koch's troops. After the meeting of the two sides, Major Koch and Colonel Fratini held a simple operational meeting and decided to launch an attack on the city of Marsa at once, cutting Valletta off from the interior of Malta in one fell swoop. 、

They owe this decision to the hard-working Major Farrell, who, after a "friendly and peaceful" interrogation, revealed the emptiness of the defenders near Valletta.

Leaving an Italian paratrooper battalion to defend the town of Jibuze, Fratini and Major Koch immediately led their men to the city of Marsa.

On the outskirts of Marsa, Colonel Fratini offered to have his men attack to test the results of their training, and Major Koch graciously agreed.

Hearing Major Koch's praise, Colonel Fratini smiled proudly at the corner of his mouth.

"They've been sent to battle after hellish training, what are you going to do after you take Marsa City?"

"Report our results to our superiors first, and then send someone to reconnoiter the deployment of the British army in Valletta, and then decide on the next plan of action." Major Koch said.

"That's what I thought, I'd love to see how strong Fort Valletta really is. I'll take care of the investigation. ”

"Let's go together, I'm curious about what this legendary fortress looks like?" Major Koch said

In the waters northeast of Melliha Bay in the north of Malta, the battleships Cavour and Caesar of the Italian Navy, escorted by two light cruisers and six destroyers, mercilessly rained shells on the beachhead, and the positions of the 2nd Battalion of the British Devonshire Regiment were already a hellish scene.

Each 305-mm shell set off a "fountain" of dirt and smoke on the British position.

Fountains spray countless barbed wire, sandbags, and gun parts into the sky, interspersed with organs from all parts of the human body, including heads, arms, and internal organs.

Under the shelling of the Italian navy, the barbed wire fence on the defenders' positions was twisted, the wooden stakes were skewed, and sandbags that had been neatly built were scattered everywhere.

The earth trembled, and the ground was littered with craters, like the cratered faces of a severely ill smallpox patient.

After the artillery fire of the Italian Navy extended inland. When the soldiers of the Italian Marine Regiment of San Marco washed ashore on more than one and a half hundred landing craft of various types. Surprised to find that the British troops on the position were gone. Leaving them with only devastated positions and wounded of all kinds, as well as gun parts and human parts everywhere, the surviving British troops could no longer withstand the blows of naval guns and fled along the communication trenches.

Victory came so easily, and so did the fighting power of the always arrogant British, that the soldiers of the St. Mark's Marine Regiment, led by the officers, took the beachhead with cheers and then launched a pursuit.

Almost at the same time, a similar scene occurred in St. Paul's Bay, southeast of Melliha Bay, where the Italian Blackshirt battalion succeeded in seizing the beach after almost negligible fighting.

Their success is not due to their own strength. And not all because of the weakness of the British army, but because of the paratroopers of the German 7th Parachute Division.

It was not the style of the German paratroopers to sit back and wait for victory in the war, and the 7th Parachute Division launched an overnight attack on the British troops on the northern coast of Malta Island.

The British troops stationed on the coast were so frightened by these enemies from behind, hidden in the darkness, that they had to turn around and face inland to reconstruct their positions in case of attack.

As for leaving the position and taking the initiative to exterminate the German paratroopers who were hiding in the night, the commanders of the British army at all levels did not even think about it.

The two sides fought all night with cold guns and cold artillery, and it was not until the sky was bright and the landing was about to begin that the German paratroopers took the initiative to disengage from contact with the British troops. Give up the role of the protagonist to the Italians who come across the sea.

The efforts of the paratroopers were not in vain, under their harassment. All units of the British army were on the verge of ensuring the safety of the beachhead and defending against the paratroopers behind them, and they were bent on destroying the guns of the ferocious Italian navy with two hearts, giving the Italian landing force an opportunity to show off their might.

The loss of the beachhead was nothing less than a plight for the British on the coast, and after the Italian naval guns stopped shelling, the German paratroopers and Italian marines, who had already made radio contact, launched a simultaneous attack, and easily annihilated the British troops who had long lost their fighting spirit under the front and rear attacks.

At eleven o'clock in the afternoon, the Italian troops who had landed at Melliha Bay and St. Paul's Bay successfully joined forces and followed the German paratroopers to the central part of the island of Malta to extend their gains.

On the beachhead behind them, large and small troop carriers carrying reinforcements rushed to the beachhead one after another, bringing thousands of reinforcements.

In the fortress of Valletta, the faces of Lieutenant General Dobby and his staff officers grew heavier, first the 2nd Battalion of the Devonshire Regiment, then the 1st Battalion of the Dorsetshire Regiment, and then the 2nd Battalion of the Queen's West Kent Regiment.

The significance of the loss of contact with more and more troops, all of them stationed on the beachhead in the northern part of the island of Malta, is self-evident.

The situation in the south was also not optimistic, and the battalions stationed on the southern coast sent telegrams, and the enemy's reconnaissance planes were constantly circling above the positions, and they were completely unable to leave their positions, and once they left, they would be attacked by air raids, and the consequences would be unimaginable.

The most serious situation came from the border between the city of Valletta and Marsa, where snipers and reconnaissance units of the German and Italian armies appeared, and their actions showed a very strong interest in the city of Valletta.

Under the disillusioned gaze of the staff officers, Lieutenant General Dobby lowered his head and covered his face with his hands, at a loss for what to do about the current situation.

"General, Major Farrell is back."

"Uh, huh? Who do you say is back? Lieutenant General Dobby asked, looking up sharply.

"Major Farrell, commander of the 2nd Battalion of Royal Irish Riflemen, has returned, and with him has a German captain, who has asked to see you."

They must have come to persuade them to surrender, and Lieutenant General Dobby immediately guessed the other party's intentions.

After hesitating for a few seconds, Lieutenant General Dobby said in the expectant gazes of the staff officers, "Let them in." ”

Five minutes later, Major Farrell and a German captain blindfolded by a black cloth stood in front of Lieutenant General Dobie.

Asking someone to untie the black cloth on the face of the German captain, Lieutenant General Dobby stared coldly at the German captain and asked, "Report your name and purpose, Mr. Captain." ”

"I am Luftwaffe Captain Schacht, and I am in the service of the Commander of the German Naval Aviation, Heinz Brown. Feng. General Rosen has been ordered to come and persuade you to surrender and convey to you one of his promises. ”

"What promise?" Lieutenant General Dobby asked curiously.

"He promises you that if you surrender before twelve o'clock tonight, your personal safety and that of all British troops on the island will be guaranteed, and that you will be treated in accordance with your rank." Captain Schacht said.

"You go back and tell General Rosen that I thank him for his kindness, and if he has a way to deal with the strong walls of the Valletta Fortress, I will consider surrendering." Lieutenant General Dobby said.

Captain Schacht shrugged his shoulders with a look of regret on his face, and then said: "What a pity, Mr. Lieutenant General, in this case I can only convey to you another promise of General Rosen. ”

Lieutenant General Dobby had a puzzled look on his face.

"General Rosen promises you that the prisoners of your army who surrender before twelve o'clock tonight will be treated in proportion to their ranks, and that those who surrender after twelve o'clock this night will be shot, and he assures you that he will do what he says."

Lieutenant General Dobby slammed his face on the table, his face flushed.

"Are you threatening me? Captain Schacht. ”

"No, I'm not threatening you, I'm just relaying my boss's orders." Captain Schacht said.

"Mr. Lieutenant General, General Rosen has said that you and your men are very admirable for holding on to the island of Malta without an air force, a navy, not enough weapons and ammunition, and not even enough fresh water. By doing so, you have done your duty as a soldier, and even if you decide to surrender now, it will not detract from your honor as a soldier.

General Rosen says that the reason he made the second promise was to force you to surrender as soon as possible and to minimize unnecessary casualties among the soldiers on both sides, not because he liked to kill.

So, for the safety of your subordinates, make a decision as soon as possible. Captain Schacht said.

"I don't need to think about it anymore, you can go." Lieutenant General Dobby issued an eviction order.

An hour later, Lieutenant General Dobby received telegrams that frightened him.

The commanders scattered around the island asked him if he could surrender to the Germans, because they had received an ultimatum from the Germans, which contained two promises conveyed by Captain Schacht.

Looking at the six telegrams on the table asking if they could surrender to the Germans, or asking when they would surrender, Lieutenant General Dobie's left eyelid couldn't help but jump, the Germans were coercing their subordinates to force them to surrender, and what was even more hateful was that they couldn't deal with it.

Lieutenant General Dobby looked at the expectant eyes of the staff officers around him, and his heart was cold, they certainly did not expect to give the order to fight to the last man, but to give the order to surrender before twelve o'clock in the evening.

After holding his arms and pondering for five minutes, Lieutenant General Dobby suddenly remembered Captain Schacht's words, and his eyes suddenly brightened.

He and his subordinates have held on to the island of Malta without an air force, navy, weapons and ammunition, or even fresh water, and have persevered for so long, they have fulfilled their duties as soldiers, and even if they surrender, they will not damage their honor as soldiers.

And even if he surrendered, it was because he was not threatened by General Lawson in order to ensure the personal safety of his subordinates, in short, no matter how you look at it, it is natural for you to give the surrender order.

Lieutenant General Dobby's eyes rolled a few times flexibly, and a sad expression appeared on his face.

"In order to ensure that our soldiers do not make unnecessary sacrifices, and to ensure that more of our fellow British do not bear the pain of losing their fathers, husbands, or sons, I have decided to surrender to the Germans." (To be continued......)