Zhang Cheng used his right as the commander of the theater to take most of the important officers of the 11th Armored Division out of the name of disadvantage and delay of fighters, and replaced them with Zhang Cheng's henchmen. Pen? Interesting? Pavilion wWw. ｂiquge。 info was able to complete a perfect seizure of power. In wartime, the power of the theater commander is very large.

Although the German Afrika Korps was unable to outflank the Germans in time due to the 11th Panzer Division, and the defenders of Tobruk were unable to entangle the Germans due to exhaustion from the previous battles. As a result, the German Afrika Korps escaped part of the troops. However, the German Afrika Korps, which had previously been in the limelight, still suffered an irreparable and painful defeat under the city of Tobruk.

Rommel's 15th Afrika Korps Panzer Division was almost completely wiped out. They were responsible for holding back the superior Zhang Cheng Corps at the Halefaya Pass and Fort Kapcuo, and the intensity of the fighting was the fiercest since the founding of Germany. The entire panzer division was almost wiped out.

As for Rommel's other strong armored force, the 21st Panzer Division, which had swept Tunisia and most of Libya in previous battles, suffered heavy losses under the city of Tobruk. In particular, their division commander, Lieutenant General Reinhardt, was killed in the fierce battle. As for several other infantry divisions, the same losses were heavy.

In the face of the huge air threat of the Ming land navigation, there is also no suitable port with complete facilities. Even if the navies of European countries have absolute superiority in the Mediterranean, they will not be able to provide much support for the army. Rommel's forces at the moment are the largest force that can be supported by logistics under the current situation. It is not that Germany is not without strength, but it is just that it has not yet fully exerted its strength due to formal constraints and time rush.

Rommel tried to destroy the confidence of the Ming army in one fell swoop with a quick battle, and quickly broke through to the Suez Canal, forcing the Ming Mediterranean fleet out of the traditional circle of influence in Europe. He was on the verge of success.

If he could indeed capture Tobruk, he would have a front-line port very close to Egypt. Large quantities of supplies and soldiers were soon able to reach him. In that case, he would become a hero to all of Europe, driving the Yellow Peril, which had deterred Europe for centuries, out of the traditional sphere of influence of Europeans, and completing an epic crusade.

It's just that he failed.

When Zhang Cheng first arrived in Alexandria, the entire North Africa Command was filled with pessimism by Rommel's rapid assault. The Mediterranean Fleet had all gone to sea with fire, and the staff officers of the North African Command were actually burning documents in the courtyard. Zhang Cheng walked into the headquarters at that time and kicked the brazier over.

After transferring a large number of officers who had lost their will to fight, Zhang Cheng succeeded in inflicting heavy losses on Rommel's Afrika Korps outside Tobruk with his persistence and hard work. The situation on the battlefield in the whole of North Africa was completely reversed. How beautiful it was when Rommel swept North Africa before, and how beautiful Zhang Cheng was after the Battle of Tobruk.

Only a small fraction of the Afrika Korps forces escaped the encirclement, and about 100,000 German troops were surrounded on the coastline near Tobruk. The Germans, who were then exhausted and exhausted from the long battle, were encircled and annihilated, and most of them became prisoners. Zhang Cheng captured dozens of tanks, hundreds of trucks, and more than 100 artillery pieces. The Afrika Korps living forces in Libya have been devastated.

Rommel fled along the coastline in various vehicles with the remnants of the protruding encirclement. Almost all the soldiers who did not get on the transport became prisoners of the pursuers. And in the end, it was not the desperate support of the First Air Force that saved the remnants of less than 10,000 people, let alone the navy that could not rely on the shore. It's the weather.

Rommel was almost desperate when he broke out of the encirclement. Ignoring the desperate obstruction of the First Air Force, the mighty Daming Army Aviation continued to pour bombs and bullets on the heads of the Germans. An even more lethal threat came from the pursuing force of the 2nd Panzer Division not far behind. Rommel already had not a single tank left in his hands. His troops were all trucks, carts, barrel trucks, transporters and armored vehicles, and once they were caught up by the 2nd Panzer Division, it would be a dead end.

Just when Rommel was pessimistically considering whether to commit suicide to protect his honor, it suddenly rained heavily. The heavy rain not only made the air superiority of the Ming Army Airlines regrettably withdrawn, but also turned the coastal road into mud in a short period of time.

The heavy tanks of the 2nd Panzer Division were almost all stuck in the quagmire, they were too heavy. Rommel, who no longer had a tank in hand, was able to escape with the help of this timely rain.

After escaping his pursuers, Rommel originally tried to retreat to Benghazi to rest and replenish. But Zhang Cheng didn't give him any chance to breathe at all. The 11th Armored Division of the Ming Army, which had readjusted its command structure, rushed all the way to catch up. And Zhang Cheng, after commanding the infantry and artillery to finish out the German troops in the encirclement, also went straight to Benghazi.

Before the remnants of Rommel's Afrika Korps arrived in Benghazi, Zhang Cheng ordered Major General Cui Yunjie and his 1st Airborne Division to carry out a large-scale airborne raid on the port of Benghazi, which was severely underfortified, at night.

Rommel's command of operations was accustomed to concentrating forces against the enemy, and maintaining only a basic garrison for a fortified rear. After leading the main force of the Afrika Korps to attack Tobruk, Benghazi had only about one regiment of defenders. And this infantry regiment could not withstand the attack of the most elite Ming airborne troops in any case.

Most of the defenders of Benghazi were busy in the harbor repairing the port facilities that had been badly damaged by the defenders during the previous attack. Cui Yunjie's first attack wave was very successful, and he raided the large airfield outside the city, destroying the fighters of the German First Air Force stationed here, and at the same time taking control of the airfield. Subsequently, a large-scale landing began.

By the afternoon of the next day, the port of Benghazi was back in the hands of Daming. Rommel, who received the news, was slightly dizzy and ordered his troops to turn around, bypassing Benghazi and retreating all the way to Tripoli.

Along the way, a large number of troops were left behind due to damaged vehicles and a lack of gasoline, and the whole team was as chaotic as if they had fled. Eventually, it was the Luftwaffe that sent transport planes to air fuel for them that led to the remnants of the force being met with reinforcements near Sirte.

Zhang Cheng has a lot of strength in his hands, and he didn't think about playing any quick assault. After the capture of Benghazi, the troops were ordered to begin a state of rest and replenishment, pending the next sortie. You have to eat the rice one bite at a time.

The great victory in the Battle of Tobruk made Zhang Cheng's prestige rise in the Ming Dynasty. He successfully defeated the invincible German Afrika Korps and the German general Rommel, who was dubbed the Desert Fox by the media, and stabilized the precarious situation in the North African battlefield.

Various domestic media trumpeted Zhang Cheng's brilliant achievements, and even the Ming royal family sent a prince to award Zhang Cheng a medal. Through his own efforts and successive victories, Zhang Cheng has become a famous and victorious general, and has great influence among the people and the army.

......

Alexandria, North African Theater Command, Zhang Cheng's office.

There was a knock on the door outside, "Humble Xu Ziming, I was ordered to report to work." ”

"Come in." Zhang Cheng put down the documents in his hand and summoned Xu Ziming into his office.

"Sir." Xu Ziming, who was handsome and upright, but his face was unhappy, walked in with a calm face and saluted Zhang Cheng vigorously.

"Sit." Zhang Cheng raised his head and glanced at him coldly, and spoke casually.

"Sir Xie." No matter how unhappy he is in his heart, Xu Ziming's most basic military etiquette as a soldier still has no problem.

Xu Ziming, the former commander of the 11th Armored Division, was removed by Zhang Cheng from the battlefield and returned to the North Africa Command to be unemployed because of his poor performance in the attack at Hafid Ridge and delaying his fighters. This kind of thing happens to any military man, and he will not be convinced. This is the most humiliating thing for a soldier.

Xu Ziming is not an ordinary person, he is very young, but he can be in the position of major general and division commander in the Ming Army, which has always been lined up by seniority, not because of how outstanding his talent is, but because his ancestor is Xu Da, the Duke of Wei!

Xu Da is the founder of the Ming Dynasty and has a great reputation. After hundreds of years, his lineage of Wei Guogong was passed down to Xu Ziming's father's generation, and he still had a strong influence. As the eldest son who inherited the title, it is not difficult to understand that Xu Ziming has been smooth sailing in the army.

There is a special existence in the family consortium of the Ming Dynasty, and they are called Xungui. Basically, they are all famous ancestors, and with the help of their ancestors, Yu Yin has gained great benefits in the wave of opening up overseas colonies. Most of this group has dissipated in the continuous winds and waves for hundreds of years, and the few that remain are the real century-old giants.

The reason why they are special is because they are different from other Saga foundations. These nobles can be said to have fought the world together with the old Zhu family, and their relationship with the royal family is very special. While defending their own interests, they also maintain close ties with the royal family. Moreover, they have a very large influence on the army, and they are the main force influencing the army in the family consortium.

Among these families, the Xu family of Wei Guogong is definitely the top wealthy family. As the eldest son who inherited the title, Xu Ziming, who was born with a golden key, never thought that he would be removed from the battlefield if he had been smooth sailing all his life. His face, the face of their Xu family, is completely lost.

"I heard you're upset with me? Complaining all the time when I was at the headquarters? "Zhang Cheng doesn't care what your identity is, if you can't do it on the battlefield, you have to leave. There aren't so many lives left for you to toss. (To be continued.) )