For the allies, they didn't actually need to recover all the lands of the Kingdom of Italy, but only needed to be able to recover Rome and justifiably re-establish the puppet Kingdom of Italy, which had a very huge diplomatic and political impact. Pen "Fun" Pavilion www.biquge.info

Rommel himself did not care about political and diplomatic influence, he only cared about whether he could militarily contain the momentum of the Ming army. Rommel knew very well in his heart, don't look at the large number of troops he has in his hands now, but once the Ming army is given enough time to prepare. By the time the Ming army attacked, it was very likely that he would be constantly compressed, and eventually surrounded and annihilated in the southern Alps.

Don't look at yourself with your back to the mainland, but the towering Alps are like a gate to heaven, pinching the logistics supply lines into a narrow sheep's intestines. In the midst of modern mechanical warfare, the astronomical logistical consumption of mechanical legions can quickly turn into piles of scrap metal without adequate supplies.

As for not equipping mechanized corps on a large scale, and directly using light infantry units to reduce the logistical burden, this is nonsense in the eyes of military strategists.

Indeed, all it takes is a rifle plus ammunition that can be carried with you plus a small amount of supplies. The use of food-based tactics can greatly alleviate the logistical pressure. The northern regions of Italy did not have any problems feeding millions of light infantry in a short time. But such an army was able to resist the powerful mechanized corps of the Ming Dynasty? Is it to rely on a rifle or a grenade? Or is it to smash the tanks of the Ming army from the mountains still with stones? No kidding.

The brutal war has been going on for more than two years, and the people who can continue to run the army at this time, except for those who are too hard in the background, are all the best of the real elite. What is the future appearance and development trend of the army, and what kind of army can fight, an officer like Rommel knows very well in his heart.

However, the ideal is plump, and the reality is skinny.

Rommel tried to take advantage of the fact that the Ming army was not firmly established and moved south to take the Ming army by surprise, so as to stabilize the front of the two sides on the line of Grosseto, Perugia, and Ancona. True, Rommel never wanted to retake Rome. It's not that he doesn't care about politics, it's that he knows very well in his heart what Rome represents. As the ruler of the Ming Empire, Zhang Cheng would never give up Rome and slap himself in the face.

Rommel knew that his strength was simply not enough to recover Rome, and that reluctantly attacking Rome by the south was just a waste of troops. Therefore, he ignored the orders from Berlin and set his sights on the Perugia line.

The reason why this place was chosen is actually very simple, it is relatively close to the north, which can effectively shrink the defensive line and concentrate forces, and does not give the Ming army the opportunity to land and raid from the flank and rear. Moreover, the terrain here is more suitable for defensive operations.

The idea is good, and the tactical arrangement is in place. However, Zhang Cheng had already known about Rommel's intentions through the moles planted in the top echelons of the allies. A large number of troops and equipment were sent to the Italian battlefield early. When Rommel attacked, he was greeted by a storm of steel that destroyed the world.

A war of unprecedented scale broke out between the two sides, with millions of armies across the north-central part of Italy. The number of shells fired every day alone is in the hundreds of thousands. With more than 10,000 casualties on both sides every day, the whole of central Italy is a huge flesh mill. It is devouring the lives of officers and soldiers on both sides all the time.

This is a classic hard-to-go tactic. A war of attrition is fought entirely on the basis of strength. It's not that Rommel doesn't want to use any surprising tactics, but various tactics also depend on timing and fighters.

In the face of the powerful Ming army, even if he really seized the fighter plane and gained an advantage in a certain place. However, the Ming army that reacted was immediately covered with overwhelming heavy artillery bombardment and tragic bombardment. The German troops that had just made a breakthrough would soon be completely drowned in an almost endless storm of steel, how could they fight in such a situation? What kind of tactics are meaningless.

Rommel's troops split into two lines. All the way along the Adriatic coast, which was used for feints. The fighting on this side was not fierce either, and there was relatively calm between the two sides. On the other side, the main attack is different. Especially in the coastal strip across the sea from Corsica, the armored forces and infantry of both sides frantically hedged each other, and the huge losses and casualties were terrifying to the commanders.

In the end, after more than half a month of fierce fighting, Rommel really couldn't bear it. Many of the troops in his hands have been beaten to a half-crippled state, and even the ace Imperial Division was discovered by the Ming Army Aviation in the area between Folonika and Grosseto, and then attacked by hundreds of Ming Army Air bomber troops.

These bombers of the Ming Army Aviation stood up to the ferocious anti-aircraft fire on the ground and the obstruction of the Luftwaffe in the sky, and bombed the Imperial division on the ground. Hundreds of vehicles of all kinds, with thousands of casualties, suffered this heavy blow to the Imperial Division, which had to retreat back to northern Italy to recuperate and replenish. And this incident also deeply stimulated Rommel, who was almost desperate. Let him come to his senses and realize that he is no longer able to continue.

Almost all of the troops that the Ming army threw into the Italian battlefield were troops controlled by Zhang Cheng. For these elite troops, Zhang Cheng naturally gave priority to supply, and all kinds of materials were like mountains and seas. However, in just over half a month, more than 100 million rounds of ammunition have already been consumed, and all kinds of shells are as high as one million. Although the Germans also fought back fiercely, they still could not compare with the Ming in terms of firepower. To put it bluntly, the battlefield of modern warfare is fought with steel. Whoever has more steel will have an advantage.

Rommel found himself in the middle of the defensive line after his troops were heavily defeated, not to mention that he had gone south to capture Rome. There were too many Ming troops on the opposite side, not only with more people, but also with more tanks, planes, and artillery. The overwhelming dense rain of bullets and the endless torrent of armor that could not be reduced no matter how much he fought made him completely give up the idea of continuing to fight.

Due to supply difficulties, Rommel personally flew back to Berlin to demand that the operation be suspended and that all troops be withdrawn to northern Italy for recuperation. This angered the German General Staff. At first, you said you were going to fight, but now that you're fighting so badly, you run over and say you won't fight? Really in the dignified General Staff, you Rommel has the final say?

At this time, there were only a few passable surface roads between Germany and Italy. After all, the towering Alps are no joke.

In general, a small number of troops is easy to say, even if it is a mechanized corps. However, Rommel commanded a large Army Group South, with hundreds of thousands of troops and a large number of various heavy equipment required daily supplies in thousand-ton quantities. Especially at this moment, when there is such a fierce battle on the front line, the consumption is even more sea.

There were heavy casualties on the front, and supplies in the rear were unfavorable. In addition, the strength of the Ming army was not weakened by the fierce battle, but was strengthened day by day. Rommel felt as if the entire Ming Army was opposite him. In this case, he naturally couldn't hold on.

However, the German General Staff did not accept Rommel's explanation, and they insisted that Rommel must retake Rome in order to end the campaign. It doesn't matter if there are heavy casualties on the front line and there is a lack of supplies, the domestic supplies are quite sufficient, just replenish them.

Rommel also couldn't laugh or cry, and the problem now is that the speed of replenishment is far from keeping up with the rate of consumption. A fleet of ships in the Ming Dynasty can replenish a large number of materials and personnel ashore in a port close to the front line. But the Germans had to keep digging into the ravines in the Alps. Can this be the same?

As for asking the French for help, there is no need to mention it. At the junction of France and Italy, because of the previous confrontation between the Ming Dynasty and France, there was no decent traffic road at all. Although some of them were repaired after the war, they were not enough at all. Now the French and Americans stationed in northern Italy had a lot of supplies and needed the Germans to support them, and they had no way out there.

Rommel demanded an end to the campaign, and the General Staff did not agree. Rommel threatened to resign, and the German prime minister had to intervene. Just when the two sides were arguing, major news suddenly came from the front. The Ming Army sent surprise soldiers to carry out a powerful interspersed counterattack!

Rommel couldn't believe his eyes when he received the news of the battle at the front. He knew that during this period of time, the Ming army he faced was like a mountain and a sea, and the numbers of each division-level unit alone were as high as dozens. Now, it stands to reason that both sides should be exhausted. But now the Ming army is still able to draw a large number of troops to carry out a strong counterattack? Could it be that his face is so big, is it really the entire Ming Army elite to deal with him? Isn't it just to be promoted to field marshal? As for ah?

After he saw the counterattack line of the Ming army, Rommel, whose face had changed greatly, could no longer care about arguing with the General Staff. I hurried back to Italy on a plane.

Da Ming's counterattack is actually quite simple. Because the main forces of the German army moving south were basically fighting on the front line near the coastline, this armored force from near Rome, with the support of strong air power, attacked along the line of Terni, Perugia, Arezzo, and Florence. The ultimate goal is the famous Italian city of Pisa.

The reason why Pisa was chosen as the final point was that after the capture of Pisa, even the main German army that marched along the western coastline was pocketed and their logistical supply lines were cut off. Once the Ming Mediterranean Fleet blockades the Ligurian Sea, the hundreds of thousands of German troops will become the turtle in the urn.

Having lost hundreds of thousands of troops in southern Italy, the Germans could no longer afford to lose such an army group. (To be continued.) )