Tomorrow is 515, the anniversary of the starting point, and the day with the most benefits. In addition to the gift bag and school bag, this time's "515 Red Envelope Flip" must be seen, how can there be a reason not to grab the red envelope, set the alarm clock high~

When Stalin learned that little Japan was making frequent moves in the Far East, he immediately sent Zhukov, which shows that since Stalin wanted to train Zhukov, he also gave Zhukov enough opportunities.

……

Africa, especially North Africa, was very important to the warring British and German and Italian sides, because the lines of communication between the major countries and their colonies passed through it.

After the end of the war in Western Europe and the defeat of Germany in the air war against Britain, Hitler began to focus his main efforts on the east and on the defensive in the west and other directions.

Hitler began to focus his efforts on the implementation of the "Barbarossa" plan, in which he tried to completely defeat the Soviet army in a few months, and then force the Soviet Union to surrender, and then join Japan in the Soviet Far East.

At this time, Mussolini, the fascist leader of Italy, Hitler's ally, tried in vain to take advantage of Britain's incomparable weakness to sweep away all British power in the Mediterranean and restore the strength of the former Roman Empire that used the Mediterranean Sea as an inland lake.

At this time, the weakened "sun never sets" empire also needed the Suez Canal and the Mediterranean Sea to maintain its connection between Asia and non-colonization, so the North African form became extremely tense.

Mussolini wanted to occupy the coast of North Africa, so that he could gain a naval and air force campaign that would extend to the Apennines, the Balkans, and Turkey, and if Mussolini succeeded, Italy would be almost the same as the Roman Empire.

The coastal region of North Africa is another important campaign direction, Italy and Britain have a large number of land forces, and can be supported by the navy and air force, Mussolini wanted to take advantage of the British Mediterranean fleet to be heavily damaged by Rommel, take Egypt in one fell swoop, so as to seize the strategic point to the Middle East and Africa.

Egypt played the role of a British and French colonial stronghold, and the Suez Canal, the main sea and land communication route between Europe and Asia, is located on the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt.

Moreover, Alexandria, Egypt, was the main base and headquarters of the British Mediterranean Fleet.

As a result, Egypt became the center of the Anglo-Italian struggle, and it was also the main battlefield of the future North African war.

Although the main forces of the Mediterranean Fleet were annihilated in the Battle of Gibraltar, Churchill urgently replenished most of the main forces of the British Indian Ocean Fleet to the Mediterranean Fleet, all of which Mussolini was still at a loss.

The British Mediterranean Fleet has another aircraft carrier, three battleships, five cruisers, and more than ten destroyers, and the strength of the British Mediterranean Fleet has been restored.

The rivalry between Italy and Britain in North Africa began in June 1940, when Italy declared war on Britain and France in an attempt to share the fruits of Germany's victory.

On 11 June, the British troops in Egypt received news of Italy's declaration of war from their homeland and launched a series of offensives against the Italian army.

At this time, the Supreme Command of the Italian Army in Libya did not receive any news about the declaration of war on Britain and France, and the Italian army was caught off guard by the British army.

From the 11th to the 16th, the British army continued to attack, capturing a large number of Italian troops (including a general) and a large amount of war materials. After many skirmishes, the British army soon gained a strong position as the master of the desert.

It was not until July, when the Italian army found that the form was wrong, that it hurriedly increased its troops, and it was not until mid-July that the Italian army was reinforced by four divisions and thus obtained absolute superiority, and then recaptured the border line occupied by the British army.

In early August, the British cover was replaced by support units from the 7th Panzer Division, and the British again launched an active offensive, crushing the Italians on a 60-mile front.

In the first three months of the war, the Italian army suffered more than 3,500 casualties, and more than 700 were captured, while the British army suffered only more than 150 losses, so that at the beginning of the war, it developed in favor of the British army.

Since the British army at this time was not strong enough to launch a large-scale attack, the British commander in the Middle East, Wavell, suggested that forces be gathered near the port of Matru and that the port fortress should be relied on to resist a possible Italian attack.

This opinion was affirmed by Churchill, and he gave two tasks to the British Eastern Army Command:

1. Gather as many forces as possible to deal with the Italian invaders.

2. To ensure the smooth passage of the Suez Canal and to defend Malta, Egypt and Crete from occupation.

In view of the possibility of an attack by the Italian army at any time, and the importance of Egypt, Churchill proposed on 10 July the establishment of a small ministerial committee, including War Secretary Aiden, Indian Affairs Secretary Emory, and Colonial Affairs Secretary Lloyd, to discuss the command of the war in the Middle East.

The Chairman of the Committee, which was chaired by Aiden, discussed and made a proposal to increase the number of troops in Egypt. And the Joint Chiefs of Staff discussed and approved this proposal, and the Chief of the Imperial General Staff agreed to send additional troops to Egypt as soon as the domestic situation permitted.

It was also decided to transfer an additional light tank regiment and two tank battalions to Egypt at this stage, as well as a large amount of weapons and equipment.

On 3 August, three Italian infantry battalions, 14 colonial infantry battalions, two mountain artillery brigades and several armored detachments began attacking British Somalia.

On 10 August, the Italian army launched a fierce attack, and the British army was outnumbered and disadvantaged. On the 11th, the new commander of the British army, Godwin? General Austin received an order from the Middle East Command "Your task is to resist the Italian offensive, but if necessary, you can take retreat steps"

On the 12th and 13th, the Italians captured a British stronghold after heavy shelling. On the 15th, General Austin sent a telegram to Wavell that he had decided to retreat, and the small stronghold was immediately occupied by the Italians. This was the only time the British army was defeated at the hands of Italy in World War II.

The victory was celebrated in Italy, and Mussolini was confident in the prospect of attacking the Nile.

On 13 September, Marshal Graziani, the commander-in-chief of the Italian army in Africa, launched an attack on Egypt at the repeated urgings of Mussolini.

The total strength of the Italian army is 6 infantry divisions and 3 tank battalions. The British had only 3 infantry battalions, a tank battalion, 3 artillery battalions and 2 armoured vehicle detachments.

In the face of the powerful Italian army, the British army had to fight and retreat. The Italians, however, were hesitant in the direction of the attack, and it was not until finally Marshal Graziani decided not to encircle the desert, but to concentrate his entire army on the left flank, in order to reach Sidi Barani along the coastal road as quickly as possible.

The Italians divided along the coast, and their infantry attacked in groups of 50 trucks. The British, on the other hand, skillfully retreated from Sulum to interconnected positions in four days, inflicting heavy losses on the Italians.

On 17 September, the Italian army reached Sidi Barani. In this battle, the British army suffered 40 casualties, the Italian army suffered more than 400 casualties, and more than 150 trucks were destroyed.

In Sidi Barani, the line of communication of the Italian army was extended by 60 km. They paused and planned to stay here for 3 months. But they were constantly harassed by small British forces, and they also encountered serious difficulties in terms of provisions.

In fact, from the very beginning, the Italian army was not destined to win. In the early morning of 6 December, the British army urgently assembled troops under the pretext of conducting desert exercises, and after three days of rapid marching, they reached Sidi Barani, and immediately launched an attack on Sidi Barani.

……

[Tomorrow will resume two shifts a day.] 】

PS.5.15 "Starting Point" is raining red envelopes! Starting at 12 noon, grab a round every hour, and a large wave of 515 red envelopes depends on luck. You all go and grab it, and the starting coins you grabbed continue to subscribe to my chapters!