In the latter stages of the Battle of Ejele, the all-out British finally captured the city of Ejele, opening up the gateway to the oil fields of eastern Algeria shortly after receiving Australian reinforcements.

For the British, they can already claim to be about to master half of Algeria's oil fields.

After all, on the way to this rich land full of oil fields, the French army's defensive positions were only a few high ground and a small section of improvised fortifications built in the middle of the hour.

Twelve miles west of Egellet, on a hill marked by the British Operational Research Department as Heights 3 and its environs, Major General Stephen, commander of the French Algerian 5th Colonial Division, was ordered to hold off British troops.

Stephen received a death order that the British army must not be allowed to pass through this area, which was told to him by telephone by the Governor of Bronte himself.

And Major General Stephen, who was in the rear a few days ago and had not been hit by the battle, was finally given his turn to consider his current situation.

From the point of view of friend and foe, it is clear that he must hold his position, for about 20 miles further back is the area where the oil fields of eastern Algeria are located. Once the British army is allowed to pass, the oil field will change ownership.

After all, the oil field is dead, and there is no question of faith. Whoever occupies it, it belongs to whomever it belongs.

Judging from the current situation, Stephen's position around Heights 3 has not been in vain.

He believed that although his 5th Colonial Division was inferior in combat strength to Bérente's three native French divisions, it was at least able to hold out on to the fortifications for a while.

What really unnerved him was Heights 4 opposite Heights 3, where the fortifications were really worrying.

The two colonial regiments on this high ground and its surroundings did not make any effort to build fortifications.

After all, the difference in the quality of the troops recruited by the colonies is still very large. Some units, such as Stephen's, were slightly more reliable. And some troops can only make up their heads.

If the British were to launch a fierce attack on the perimeter of Heights 4, they would most likely only need a single charge to break through the heights.

Heights 4 and Heights 3, which are currently garrisoned by the 5th Colonial Division of the French Army, happen to be very close to each other, and once Heights 4 is lost, then the British Army can condescend to suppress Heights 3, which is currently under Stephen's responsibility.

By that time, due to the lack of flanks, no amount of strong fortifications could prevent the British from capturing Heights 3.

Thinking of this, Stephen felt that he needed to immediately ask the commander of the garrison of Heights 4 to urgently reinforce the fortifications.

This is similar to the barrel principle, where it is often not the longest plank that determines the amount of water in the barrel, but the shortest plank.

And the fortifications on Heights 4 are the "shortest barrels" of the defensive chain of the French colonial forces in this area.

As a result, the chief of staff of the 5th Colonial Division immediately sent someone to relay Stephen's request to a white colonel named Jefferson on Heights 4, asking the other side to note the reinforcement of the fortifications.

Like Steve, Jefferson was a white French officer. In fact, all the officers above the battalion level of the colonial conscription troops were white officers appointed by Berente himself, so as to ensure that the colonial troops had the basic tactical execution ability and could carry out Berente's orders and commands.

Since Colonel Jefferson was also French, after Major General Stephen, who was also a fellow countryman, sent a message, he also talked very well and began to let a regiment of black soldiers begin to strengthen the fortifications on Heights 4.

At this time, the French General Headquarters in Algeria received very bad news that the vanguard of the British attack from Égeret had reached a position less than five miles away from the last French colonial troops at the southern tip of the country.

"What the hell! Why is the British so fast? Colonel Jefferson, the commander of the French regiment defending Heights No. 4, said to himself: "With the speed of the British advance, we will not have time to complete the reinforcement of the fortifications." ”

Sighing, Jefferson reluctantly instructed his subordinates: "Order the troops to prepare for battle, speed up the reinforcement of the fortifications, and strive to complete them before the enemy arrives." ”

The speed of the British was simply too fast, much faster than Jefferson and Stephen and others had expected.

After capturing Ejele, the British continued their advance without even making a rest.

Of course, this was a decision made by the British commander, Admiral Wavell, under pressure from Churchill.

In this way, the British completely rushed to the last small French defensive section in front of the oil fields in eastern Algeria, while the French army in Belante, because they were also oppressed by the British on other fronts, could not draw reinforcements to rush here.

It can be said that the French army fell into a very passive situation on the whole front, and the final result of all this seems to have become a foregone conclusion.

But at the southern tip of Algeria, a major plan to change the tide of the war is brewing.

Yes, there are more than 100,000 troops belonging to Italy at the southern end!

While the Italian commander, General Garibaldi, was drafting various telegrams to inform the French side, an officer of the Roman High Command also handed over a belated order for the joint operations of the Roman High Command.

At this time, the overseers sent by Belante had been arranged by Garibaldi to join 70 percent of his troops.

As for the remaining 30 percent of his troops, it was reserved for Rommel to form the African Group Army.

An order issued by the Italian Supreme Commander-in-Chief Benito Mussolini demanded that General Garibaldi, the Italian governor in North Africa, immediately organize Italian troops to the border between Algeria and Libya to help the French army organize a counteroffensive.

In the telegram, Mussolini specifically noted that this was his and the general staff's opinion, and of course when Mussolini gave the order, he thought that the French army would be able to hold out for at least ten days and a half months. Otherwise, he would have ordered the Italian army to go and relieve the siege.

Garibaldi therefore personally went to the Ministry of Communications and reported the current dire situation directly to the Italian Supreme Commander Mussolini by telex.

The chief of the general staff of the Italian army in North Africa, on the other hand, immediately organized the staff officers of the War Department to draw up an operational plan for supporting the French army after issuing the order that had just been discussed.

Time was now very short, and the sooner the Italian army came to the aid of the French army, the more hope that they would be able to defeat the British.

In drawing up a plan for support along the border, Garibaldi also took note of the area around heights 3 and 4, where the French 5th Colonial Division was located.

As a result, this competent Italian general, who Mussolini said had lost the battle, made a really competent decision - to send troops to support the French 5th Colonial Division, and then cooperate with the French army to counterattack Egele and regain the lost territory!