"Commander, our intelligence department is really good! Even such a classified British defense map is enough to get it. ”

Rommel laughed, there was no way to explain the problem, Rommel pointed to the map and began to explain the offensive steps:

"In this airborne landing, the German-Italian Afrika Korps can use more than 240 bombers and transport planes, each of which can carry 30 heavily armed paratroopers and can airdrop more than 7,200 people at a time.

In addition, we have 24 helicopters, two of which are to be converted into radio broadcasters, and 22 helicopters can be used. Each helicopter can carry twenty heavily armed paratroopers.

Now let's talk about the airborne sequence, first of all, we use helicopters to raid the fortified artillery groups of the British soldiers, which is the key to victory.

These large-caliber artillery pieces are a mortal threat to you, or to the supplies of the other side in the port.

The hundreds of soldiers who attacked Gibraltar last time were airborne, and I also transferred them to you, and they have experience in attacking fortified artillery groups.

Transport planes and bombers landed in three places, the first of which was in the sand five kilometers away from the fortified barracks.

This part of the soldiers immediately assembled and attacked the British barracks, lest they retreat into the fortress.

At this time, the helicopters have already sent the soldiers who are going to attack the fortress artillery group, and you immediately call these helicopters to help you transport the soldiers here, and the mountain road between the barracks and the fortress will cut off the passage of the British army to the fortress.

Most of Tobruk's British troops are in this barracks, and twenty-two helicopters are enough to transport hundreds of soldiers at a time to block them.

The paratroopers of the second part will be parachuted into the port to protect all kinds of supplies there and prevent sabotage by the British troops.

The third group of paratroopers was parachuted in the sand, five kilometers southeast of the British barracks, and they were to attack the British troops inside the barracks from behind.

Regardless of the effectiveness of your attacks, the second wave of airborne landings will begin in three hours. ”

What Rommel gave Harold was only a rough operational arrangement, and the specific operational plan certainly could not be so rough. Various factors have to be taken into account.

As long as Harold accepts this task, he himself will refine all the tactical details, and Rommel will not interfere anymore, and delegating power is one of the important characteristics of Rommel's command.

The next step was pre-war preparations, with the 7th Panzer Division and the Paratrooper Division only preparing for the offensive, and all the logistics were handled by the Italian army.

The Italian army in North Africa numbered more than 120,000 men. Rommel drew five Italian divisions, two of which were slightly better for Italy and the 7th Panzer Division, and the other three were on transport duty.

The Seventh Panzer Division itself had more than 800 trucks, Italy also had more than 600 trucks in North Africa, and Rommel had more than 1,400 trucks at his disposal.

Of course, the problem of air raids had to be taken into account when it was transported by truck, and Rommel had more than 800 planes of the 10th Air Army in his hands, while the British had less than 500 planes in North Africa at this time. Rommel had a slight advantage in the Air Force.

At this time, the British army had more than 300 tanks in North Africa, slightly more than Rommel's more than 200, but Rommel had all the No. 4 tanks in his hands, and the British tanks were mainly light tanks, and there was a certain gap in performance compared with the No. 4 tank.

Rommel, as in history, sent a telegram to Hitler in Engel code, in which Rommel grossly exaggerated his difficulties and said that he would not be able to launch an attack on the British army in a short time.

The fact that Engel's code was deciphered by the British army. Rommel knew it for a long time, but the German top brass did not believe Rommel's words. He still uses Engel's code in his own way.

This telegram sent by Rommel soon reached Churchill's hands, and Churchill dared to slack off on Rommel's telegram, and he hurriedly convened a meeting of the wartime cabinet and relevant intelligence analysts.

After analyzing Rommel's telegram, all the participants came to the conclusion that Rommel would not be able to launch an offensive in the short term.

Most of the German Afrika Korps are now in transport. These more than 100,000 people need a lot of weapons, ammunition, and all kinds of supplies, and it will be at least a month before Rommel has to prepare them.

The British wartime cabinet predicted that Rommel would attack in a month's time, and by a month the British had withdrawn all British troops on Crete back to Africa.

At the same time, colonial divisions drawn from the colonies also arrived in Africa. Hundreds of tanks and hundreds of aircraft, purchased from the United States, were also shipped to Africa.

In other words, as long as Rommel launched an attack a month later, the British army would have enough strength to fight with Rommel, whether it was fighting troops or attrition, the British army would not be afraid of Rommel.

Churchill is relieved now, this damn Rommel, he pinched his nose twice and praised him, so that this damn Rommel is now more famous than himself, which is unbearable.

But Churchill still gave Wavell of the Afrika Korps an order to be ready for all battles, lest the damned Rommel have a chance.

But Wivell was unimpressed, believing that Rommel could not launch an offensive in the near future, and that there were too many supplies needed for desert operations, especially fresh water.

Wavell's estimate was similar to that of the British wartime cabinet, and if Rommel wanted to launch an attack in Africa, he would need at least a month to prepare, otherwise it would be an act of death.

The telegram sent by the wartime cabinet to Wavell did not attract the attention of the British African commander at all, and the British army was still doing whatever it needed to do according to its previous deployment.

Since the arrival of the German Tenth Air Force in Africa, the British Air Force has shrunk its defensive line, and the British Air Force does not dare to wander over the German defense area at all, otherwise it will be beaten by German planes.

The German planes had firmly controlled the air supremacy over their own positions, and it was completely impossible for the British to reconnoiter the German positions through the air.

This was a strict requirement of General Rommel, who wanted to prevent the British from spying on his own side through the air, which was necessary before launching a surprise attack.

Since the reconnaissance of the enemy's air force was blocked, Rommel was not idle, he urgently dispatched troops, and by the evening of the 24th, the 7th Panzer Division and two divisions arrived at the designated position.

Rommel's first landing in Africa took place on January 25, 1941, at half past four in the morning, and several military airfields and more than a dozen field airfields around the Aguai area were all brightly lit. (The area in front of the Mersha Pass is the Agai region.) ）

More than 800 planes of the German 10th Air Force took part in the airborne operation, and all of the more than 300 BF109 fighters were equipped with a 500-liter external fuel tank. (BF109's plug-in capacity is only 500 kg)

The JU87 has a range of more than 1,600 kilometers, so the JU87 does not need to attach an external fuel tank, and their range is enough.

[The second shift, monthly pass, reward, recommendation, fallen leaves need a full set, of course, not a full set in heaven and earth. 】

…… (To be continued.) )