What was supposed to be Patton's most glorious moment was next, after all, the American army he led played an extremely important role in the Battle of Sicily, and even in some ways, the American army had a share of the credit for the surprise attack on Palermo by the Zoaf Corps...... Because many people believe that the Algiers government is subordinate to the U.S. military, the Zoaf Corps is, of course, also under the command of the U.S. military, although this is not the case. Pen % fun % Pavilion www.biquge.info

In addition, to a certain extent, the victory in the Battle of Sicily had a series of important strategic significance, such as the direct impact on the fall of Mussolini after the Allied possession of Sicily, which seriously shook the foundation of the German-Italian alliance and prepared the way for the Allied landing and liberation of Italy.

Another example is the landing of the Allies in Sicily and the construction of ports and airports on the islands, which can completely incorporate the Mediterranean into the territory of the Allies, thus ensuring the safety of the route from the Suez Canal to France, Spain, Portugal and even Britain through the Mediterranean.

……

In fact, Zhang Chi knew that this was only a superficial battle, and the strategic role of the Sicily campaign was actually not that great.

If the Allies had not fought Sicily, would Mussolini not have fallen, and the German-Italian alliance would not have had problems? In fact, this was a predestined event after the victory in the African theater, and the Battle of Sicily only accelerated the development of this process.

On the other hand, the Allies had driven the German army out of Africa, and there was an island of Malta in the middle of the Mediterranean.

The Battle of Sicily was likewise just the icing on the cake.

This is one of the reasons why Zhang Chi opposed the Allied attack on Sicily before...... It is not very necessary, the Allies do not even do anything, they just need to wait like this, and they can achieve the effect they have now.

In the final analysis, it is nothing more than a "show" and a "delaying show" by the British and American armies.

The "show" is easy to understand, that is, the British army can't wait to show the world its ability on the stage of war, in which Montgomery is still full of selfishness of personal fame and fortune, but in the end, "stealing chickens does not become a counter-erosion", and the British "show" failed to do so, but instead touched the ashes of the nose and suffered huge losses.

The "procrastination show" was directed by Britain and the United States against the Soviet Union.

At this time, the Soviet Union was facing strong pressure from the German army on the Eastern Front, so it was desperate to hope that Britain and the United States could launch a large-scale offensive against the German army as soon as possible to relieve the pressure on the Soviet Union.

Therefore, the Soviet Union hoped that Britain and the United States would have carried out a similar "Normandy landing" and directly followed the more than 400,000 German troops in France, rather than facing such a small fight in Sicily against 40,000 German troops, and in the end they could not even annihilate these German troops and let them escape.

But the United Kingdom and the United States have their own little calculations...... They preferred that the Germans would have fought with the USSR a little longer, and then they would have come out again.

At the same time, he is embarrassed to be seen by the world as "unwilling to contribute, and only come out to pick up bargains when the time is right"...... In fact, the United States did this in both world wars.

Hence the Battle of Sicily.

On the surface, this glamorous battle seems to have led to the rupture of the fascist state and the beginning of its defeat, but in reality it played only a very limited role.

Of course, because it was an "impressive" victory, the spotlight was on the island, and the media were no exception, with journalists from all over the world rushing to Sicily from all directions, many of whom were even invited by Montgomery before the war...... But Montgomery wasn't interested in facing those shots at all.

The reason is simple, because it is not difficult to imagine that the reporter will definitely ask questions that would embarrass Montgomery, such as why the British army did not perform well in this campaign, why it suffered such heavy losses, and what mistakes in command there were.

Therefore, Montgomery always said that he was busy with military affairs and avoided it.

Patton was willing to meet with these reporters because he had the confidence to inadvertently become the biggest beneficiary of the battle.

Of course, Barton didn't forget to relax...... The fact is that you can't forget it, General Zhu An and Zhang Chi have long been the focus of attention, and even have the potential to overshadow Patton.

In fact, Barton soon regretted meeting reporters.

"General!" A reporter pointed a voice recorder at Barton and asked, "It is said that your attitude towards your subordinates and even the wounded is very rude, can you tell me more about this?" ”

Barton couldn't help but be stunned and replied, "I don't understand what you're talking about?" I've always inspired them to go to war, and I don't think it's wrong! ”

"I agree, General!" The reporter said: "But for those wounded, those who are sick, wounded, or even incapable of fighting, you are still trying to catch them up to the battlefield, do you think this is a little inappropriate? ”

This time Barton knew what the reporter was talking about.

Patton had a habit of going to the field hospital more often, because he felt that seeing the wounded could see them fighting bravely and fearlessly, which could comfort and encourage him, and at the same time give the troops fighting spirit and increase confidence.

Patton did the same during the Battle of Sicily, and in his busy schedule he frequently traveled to the various field hospitals to comfort the wounded and cheer them on.

One day, as Patton was about to leave the hospital he was inspecting, he suddenly saw an American GI hiding in a corner, with no bandages or blood stains on his body, and obviously uninjured.

"What's the matter with you?" Patton angrily shouted at the soldier that he would not allow anyone to leave the battlefield in front of him by pretending to be sick, especially when there were so many wounded people with broken hands and feet.

"I ...... I think ......" replied the GI in a small and trembling voice, "I feel like I can't stand it anymore!" ”

"What? What can't stand it? Patton was furious, and he took it for granted that the soldier was saying that he couldn't stand the cruelty of the battlefield.

How could Patton tolerate such a thing, so he shouted: "The soldiers at the front are fighting bloodily, and the soldiers who are evacuated to the hospital are scarred, and you are a shameful deserter, a coward, a scum in the army, it's disgusting!" ”

As he spoke, he slapped the soldier with the glove in his hand, then dragged him by the collar and threw him out of the hospital.

"Don't take this bastard!" Patton said to the head of the medical army: "Review this person and send it back to the troops immediately, now!" ”

At this time, Barton did not realize that he had made a huge mistake this time, and this mistake even affected his career.