Montgomery was anxious, for he knew that the further time passed, the more the German navy would know and become familiar with the French warships, and that it would be more difficult or costly for the British to defeat the German fleet in Algiers.

Fortunately, the good news came from the meteorological department not long after: "Due to the influence of the hot and dry monsoon in the Sahara Desert, there may be two days of sunny weather in Tunisia after three days!" ”

As soon as Montgomery heard the news, he excitedly said to Eisenhower: "Ike (Eisenhower's nickname), our chance has come!" ”

"Yes!" Eisenhower said: "Two days, if we are ready on the island of Malta, will be enough for us to reach the Strait of Gibraltar!" ”

So, Montgomery and Eisenhower began to make final preparations without saying a word.

Although the British fought traditionally, they always attached great importance to pre-war intelligence work and deception of the enemy.

This time, in order to cover up the transfer of the Mediterranean Fleet to Malta, they first created a large-scale uprising in Crete...... This was easy to do by having Greek government troops pretend to be guerrillas and attack the airfields and ports where the British were stationed.

As a result, due to the lack of British troops in Crete, the British army urgently sent the Mediterranean Fleet to reinforce it, and the Mediterranean Fleet even really launched an artillery bombardment in the direction of the guerrillas, posing as a frame of using the fleet to suppress the uprising.

At the same time, for the sake of port security, the British army completely blockaded the port of Crete, and even the transportation of supplies was transferred to the British army.

This was done in order to completely block the news, so that everyone did not know how many warships were in the port, and of course, no one knew when the warships would leave...... At this time, in the eyes of the British, the Greeks were as unreliable as the Africans, and could become spies for the Germans.

Then, on the night of the second day, more than 50 warships, including one aircraft carrier, three battleships, and five cruisers, left Crete and headed for Malta.

After a night's voyage, the Mediterranean Fleet arrived at Malta early in the morning of the third day and made its last replenishment in the rain.

Then, all the officers and men of the Navy and the pilots of the fighters were ordered to rest for combat readiness...... Everyone was waiting, waiting for the rain to stop.

And the German Navy at this time did not know anything about it.

Or it could be said that Raeder and the others were completely deceived by Montgomery's feints...... He always thought that the British fleet was still in Crete. At the same time, he also believed that the focus of the British offensive at this stage should be on land, because the British were overwhelmed on land, at least on the surface.

On the other hand, the Germans also laid mines in the Tunis Strait during this time, and it is believed that the British did not dare to act rashly.

"It's time for us to have a drill!" Raeder said to the staff officer, "Test the results of our training during this time!" ”

"Yes, Marshal!"

The staff officer was about to convey this order, but was called back by Raeder: "Contact Colonel Slater and the lieutenant and invite them to participate in our exercises!" ”

"What?" Hearing this, the staff officer couldn't help but be stunned, this is a naval exercise, how can the army be invited to participate, is it really necessary to let the army teach the navy how to fight a war as said before?!

Raeder glanced back at the staff officer, and the staff officer hurriedly replied: "Yes, marshal!" ”

Raeder's doing this is quite meaningful, not only because Qin Chuan is the inventor of the proximity fuse shell, but also because of the arrest of the major general that happened not long ago.

To be precise, the arrest itself is nothing, and it is not unheard of before for a colonel to arrest a major general on Rommel's orders.

But the point is...... The colonel, however, used both the Zoaf Corps and the Italian "Lightning Division", which was at least the largest force in Algeria at the moment.

Well, if the Navy needs to cooperate with the land and even the Air Force, Colonel Slane must be involved.

Of course, that lieutenant is also essential...... Everyone knows how much energy this lieutenant has in North Africa.

At this time, Qin Chuan was teaching Annette to shoot.

The training of the French battalion was a standard German training process...... Conduct training in shooting, fortifications, mortars, etc., and then select those with good marksmanship and artillery skills to be snipers or gunners.

It is not obvious that Annette stood out in the French camp with a second place result.

"Okay!" Qin Chuan said: "You should have deliberately missed it!" ”

"Why?"

"Because I was going to arrange for you to be a nurse." Qin Chuan is telling the truth, it is not strange for women to be soldiers in the French army, but the German army rarely lets women go to the front line.

"I did miss!" Annette replied: "If it weren't for the cough, the first place would be mine!" ”

"So ......" Qin Chuan said, "If you want to become a sniper, it's time to quit smoking!" ”

Annette lit a cigarette in her mouth and replied, "Lieutenant, the instructor said that snipers are always the first target of the enemy, right?" ”

"Yes!" Qin Chuan replied.

"That means I probably won't live long!" Annette said, "Then why not take advantage of the fact that you are still alive and smoke a few more cigarettes?" ”

Qin Chuan had no choice but to shake his head...... People with different personalities will treat the same thing in completely different ways, although this may just be Annette's excuse.

"Then ......" Qin Chuan took the Gallic cigarette that Annette had placed on the railing and raised it in his hand, and said, "You should know that you have to be the same as others in the army, so ......"

Saying that, Qin Chuan handed over a pack of "pyramids" up, and Annette immediately showed a painful look on her face, and said, "You're not kidding, lieutenant!" ”

"Do you think I'm joking?"

A total of 48 shooters were selected by the French battalion for sniper training...... This seems like a lot for a force of five hundred.

But this does not mean that all 48 people will eventually become snipers, at least half of them will be eliminated in the end, and the remaining two dozen or so will be sent to the battlefield as snipers.

Qin Chuan knew that he couldn't convince Annette to give up this class, because he knew that although Annette looked weak, she was very strong.

Therefore, Qin Chuan could only use another method, that is, to train Annette into a qualified sniper as quickly as possible.

"Do you know why I have to be a sniper?" Annette raised her gun and aimed at the target, and asked Qin Chuan, who was lying next to her and holding a telescope as her observer.

"Why?" Qin Chuan asked.

"Just for now!" Annette replied.