Kesselring's expression darkened slightly, and he knew that Rommel's words were not wrong. Pen % fun % Pavilion www.biquge.info

Compared to the rest of the world, Da Ming is a behemoth that is so big that it makes people heartbreak. Perhaps only the Americans do not feel so strongly, after all, although the strength of the Americans is not as strong as that of the Ming Dynasty, it is not weak. However, a country like Germany, which is far inferior in terms of land, population, industry, scientific and technological capabilities, etc., can deeply feel the desperate pressure of the Ming Dynasty.

The German army was inferior to the Ming army in any way. Even if their homeland is on the other side of the mountain across the mountain, the delivery ability of soldiers and materials is not as good as that of the Ming Dynasty, which is thousands of miles away. This huge gap is enough to make anyone despair.

Once the Ming army completed the front-line deployment, it was a fool's dream for the Allies to attack south and regain the lost territory. For the Germans, time was now more important than anything else.

Kesselring was the chief of staff of Army Group South, and if Rommel wanted to make such a big move, he must have his support to submit the battle plan to the General Staff. If the front-line commanders themselves do not have a unified opinion, how can they expect that the General Staff will agree to their proposals?

"Okay." After a moment of musing in his glass, Kesselring turned his gaze to Resolute and nodded heavily. Although he is a member of the Air Force, Kesselring has outstanding military ability, and it is far better to take the initiative in the current situation than to watch the Ming army continue to increase its strength and then fight it.

Rommel received Kesselring's support and soon summoned the Allied generals to discuss the situation. When he put forward the proposal to take the initiative to attack and take advantage of the unstable foothold of the Ming army to go south to give the Ming army a blow. Patton, the commander of the American Expeditionary Force, immediately expressed his support.

Because Patton also knew that relying on defense could not stop the Ming army's attack, which had already been confirmed again and again on various battlefields. On the Russian front, tens of millions of Allied troops are still being broken through again and again. If it weren't for the fact that the Ming army on the Russian battlefield did not have a strong desire to fight, then perhaps the whole of Europe would have fallen under the iron heel of the Ming army by now. The Ming army's powerful attack ability, the kind of attack that seems to be able to destroy everything with the world-destroying firepower projection, can't be stopped at all.

However, as the commander of the French army supporting the Italian battlefield, General de Gaulle, who had seen the methods of the Ming army in the North African battlefield, expressed doubts and confusion about this.

"When I was ******, I saw the combat effectiveness of the Ming army." Allied Command in Milan, Conference Room. De Gaulle, with a calm face, said in a deep voice, "Frankly, it was the strongest army I have ever seen. Taking advantage of the enemy's unstable foothold to take the initiative to attack them by surprise is indeed a very effective tactic. It's just that I've used it on ****** battlefields before. ”

"Speaking of which." De Gaulle turned his head to look at General Patton and said in a deep voice, "George was there at the time." The timing we chose was very good, at that time the Ming army was in a state of march, and it was a good time for the front to be exhausted and the rear strength to be born. But the end result was a complete defeat for us. ”

There was a hint of bitterness in de Gaulle's voice, and Barton's face suddenly became ugly, and even now he remembered it. That all-out battle ended up being a rout of one's own, and this kind of thing would not be a very meaningful memory for any soldier.

"Whatever the outcome, this is the best option in the current situation." The conference room was immersed in a deep seat, and after a moment General Patton spoke up, "The enemy is strong, but we can't give up. The war will go on after all. ”

Patton's meaning was simple, no matter what the final outcome of this war was, they, the front-line commanders, would continue the war after all. In fact, the most sensitive soldiers of war have gradually sensed that the war is moving in the direction they least want to see. When the Ming began to gradually exert its strength, the allies had already begun to show their defeat. The surrender of the Kingdom of Italy was a great stimulus, for all.

From here, we can see how much shock Zhang Cheng brought to the allies by forcing the Italians to surrender. Senior commanders like Patton and others are pessimistic, not to mention ordinary soldiers and civilians. In times of war, the morale of the military and the people is extremely important. I think I can't win the war, so how can this war continue?

From here, we can see why the allies are desperate to retake Italy, which is a major event related to the morale of the army. The Ming Dynasty has been rampant in the world for hundreds of years, and the powerful and invincible figure has long been imprinted in the hearts of people from generation to generation. Once the image of the Ming army constantly attacking and being invincible is formed, then there is no need to continue to fight this war.

"So be it." De Gaulle exclaimed: "I am also in favor of this fight. However, the French army will not enter the war, and we will be responsible for the rear defense. Although this was enough to make people blush, both Rommel and Barton looked at de Gaulle with understanding.

Because he had lost North Africa under the attack of the Ming army, although de Gaulle was not punished, his power and prestige were also greatly affected.

If it weren't for the fact that he had seized a large area of land from the hands of the Ming Dynasty at the beginning of the war, and thus was promoted as a hero of the French, the prestige of De Gaulle would have been untouchable. Maybe this time the domestic opposition forces have already taken the opportunity to overturn him to the ground.

No country will lack internal intrigues. This time, although France sent troops to Italy to support, de Gaulle did not have much power as commander. France had already firmly controlled the army at home, and the tone was set for the French army to keep itself first. After all, now the Ming army has approached the French mainland. Under these circumstances, De Gaulle, who could not protect himself, agreed to Rommel's battle plan, but he could not send a single soldier to help.

"Then we'll report to the General Staff." After receiving the support of the allies, Rommel nodded vigorously. With a slight gaze, he slowly stood up and looked at the many senior generals of the allied countries in the conference room, and said in a deep voice, "Everyone, although I don't know what the final outcome of the war will be. But as soldiers, we are in the midst of this huge war that is destined to be remembered in the annals of history, so we must do our best to show ourselves! Never leave a regret! The honor of the military man is above all else! ”

At the beginning of March 1942, the German Army Group South marched south. Rommel personally commanded six Panzer Divisions, two Panzergrenadier Divisions, and 19 Infantry Divisions from northern Italy, attacking south along both sides of the Apennine Peninsula in two directions. Accompanying it was the strength of five divisions of the American Expeditionary Force. More than 2,000 warplanes from various countries provide air support to this force.

In the face of the Allied counterattack, Zhang Cheng ordered the temporary suspension of the attack plan on the Balkans and Spain, and mobilized troops to the Italian front line to deal with the Allied offensive. And this battle plan was even released after the Allies had just made the decision to go south. The reason for this is simple: there are basically no secrets in an attack of this magnitude. The high-level moles that Daming had planted in the allies had already revealed the news a long time ago.

By the time Rommel began to counterattack, the Ming Army had amassed nearly thirty divisions in the central part of the Apennine Peninsula, with more than half a million troops. It has more than 2,500 artillery pieces of various types and more than 6,000 tanks and armored vehicles of various types. The number of Daming Army Air Force fighters stationed in the southern Apennines to provide air support for this campaign was also as high as 2,000.

A battle of great scale soon broke out.

......

In late March, in the Pesa Valley, south of the famous Italian city of Florence, the cold weather has begun to warm up, and all kinds of flowers are beginning to bloom in the fields along the roadside on the hillside. Hundreds of birds are singing, and flowers are blooming. A clear river flows slowly in the valley, and the mountains and rivers are beautiful, and the scenery is full of spring.

In the midst of the peace and tranquility, a few unknown insects were crawling in the verdant grass and chirping for their mates, only to suddenly stop hissing. After a moment, he quickly twisted his body and drilled deep into the grass.

On the wide road beside the river, the stones and floating earth on the ground suddenly shook and grew. A deafening roar of engines could be heard in the distance, and a long line of steel behemoths slowly appeared on the road beside the river. The steel chariots were hung with the sun, moon and golden dragon flags.

This is now the Ming Panzer Force south of Florence and is the power search force of the 2nd Panzer Division of the Daming Army. Dozens of armored vehicles carried hundreds of officers and soldiers of the Power Search Force, who were the vanguard of the entire 2nd Panzer Division as the vanguard of the entire 2nd Panzer Division, as the front of the attack, fought in the direction of Florence.

Not long after the armoured force had passed, a violent roar resounded in the valley. Hundreds of tanks, armored vehicles, and other vehicles of all kinds appeared in the valley, and their direction was still Florence!

More than half a month ago, Rommel personally led hundreds of thousands of troops south to attack the Ming army, and the German General Staff gave him an order to recover the city of Rome.

After the surrender of the Kingdom of Italy, the Allies had already re-established the Kingdom of Italy by supporting a prince of the former Kingdom of Sardinia in Milan as a puppet, and refused to acknowledge that the Kingdom of Italy had surrendered. But this kind of wordplay is to fool yourself, and no one can fool you.

Whether it is at the political level, at the diplomatic level, or from other parties' considerations and reasons. The German General Staff soon approved Rommel's battle plan and ordered him to lead his troops south to regain the lost lands and regain the thousand-year-old city of Rome.

The pernicious effects of the surrender of the Kingdom of Italy must be accounted for. (To be continued.) )