Tobruk, just over 100 kilometers east of Benghazi and from the Egyptian border, is one of the finest ports between Egypt and Tunisia. Pen × fun × Pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 ｉｎｆｏ

For the Germans, with Tobruk, their supply lines by sea could be greatly shortened. Rommel, who had successfully offensive, was determined to take Tobruk and occupy the starting position for the attack on Egypt after capturing Benghazi. He was confident in the offensive operation.

As early as Roman times, Tobruk was an important fortress for the defense of Cyrenaica. After thousands of years of inheritance, it is still a place of strategic importance and a strategic point. Coastal railways, large ports, coastal roads, and two of the largest airports in Libya have both sides set their sights on the area.

After a brief rest in Benghazi, Rommel began to concentrate his forces along the Cyrenaica coastline in the direction of Tobruk. By late September, his forward force had already approached Delna and engaged the defenders in a fierce engagement.

Three days later, as the main force of the German Afrika Korps approached, Zhang Cheng ordered the Mediterranean Fleet to pick up the defenders of Derna and go to Tobruk. By this time, Zhang Cheng had greatly strengthened the garrison in Tobruk.

The main force defending Tobruk was the 71st Infantry Division, which had just been transferred from Bombay. This standard Ming infantry division has more than 17,000 soldiers. At the same time, there were also Tobruk garrisons, fortress artillery units, an engineer unit, a mixed armored unit, two independent garrisons. Artillery regiments, an air defense regiment, a marine regiment, as well as a number of logistics support units. The total strength is more than 35,000 troops. The commander was Major General Yi Yanxue, the commander of the 71st Division.

Major General Yi Yanxue is an orthodox Chinese. He was governor of the South Pacific islands and severely suppressed indigenous tax resistance. When he led the army to be stationed in the Mumbai area, all kinds of local activities against the Ming Dynasty were almost completely extinct.

Yi Yanxue has always been known for his fiery temper and courageous style in the Ming Army. This time, Zhang Cheng specially transferred this resolute general to Tobruk as the commander of the defenders.

Zhang Cheng's order to Yi Yanxue was simple, hold Tobruk until victory or death in battle. And Yi Yanxue's answer was also very simple: "I came with a coffin." ”

The war situation in North Africa was turbulent, and the German iron cavalry commanded by Rommel seemed to be unstoppable in North Africa to repel the Ming defenders and frantically rushed to the Egyptian border. And the French were also advancing rapidly towards the Atlantic coast.

Malta was in jeopardy, and the fortress of Gibraltar was in a desperate situation. In this case, almost everyone assumed that Rommel would soon be able to capture Tobruk and open the way to Egypt. But the reality is far from what the onlookers think.

Rommel appeared to be attacking with great speed, but in fact the battle line was moving closer to the Egyptian border. In the case that the port of Benghazi has not been repaired enough to carry out cargo handling on a large scale. The German Afrika Korps, which relied entirely on the port of Tripoli and supplies captured during the battle to sustain the offensive, was exhausted by the constant fighting.

Rommel tried his best to boost the morale of his exhausted army, but the actual effect was not as good as he thought. His troops were exhausted from this period of fighting, and their attrition was severe. New reinforcements are now gathering in ports on the Italian mainland, preparing to cross the sea to Tripoli.

The German High Command asked the exhausted Rommel to suspend the offensive and consolidate his current gains. Wait for reinforcements and supplies from Italy to arrive before attacking. However, although Rommel, who has offensive blood in his bones, has seen the decline of his troops, and also knows that the resistance of the Ming Dynasty is constantly increasing. In the end, however, he stubbornly chose to put the finish line of the attack on Tobruk.

Between the brilliant results achieved by Rommel some time ago, after Rommel personally flew back to Berlin to make a request to the High Command. His battle plan was eventually approved. In this way, the arrogant Rommel and his exhausted Afrika Korps forced a fierce attack on Tobruk, which was heavily garrisoned.

Before the German Afrika Korps approached, Yi Yanxue personally urged the defenders to build a circular defense line around Tobruk with great perseverance. A large number of trenches, barbed wire, as well as dense minefields, would become a nightmare for the Germans.

Because of its proximity to Egypt, Yi Yanxue was able to effectively receive strong support from the Third Air Force and the Hainan Airlines. The effectiveness of air support, an important auxiliary force of the previous German offensive, would be greatly diminished.

At the same time, Tobruk itself was a fortress. Equipped with a large number of coastal heavy artillery units as well as independent Vertical artillery units. These heavy artillery units, hidden in strong fortifications, would inflict heavy casualties on the German attacking forces.

In fact, Zhang Cheng had long seen where the Germans' life was. The German Afrika Korps, with its emphasis on mobility and flank attacks, did not actually have too much of a strong offensive capability.

In the field, the Afrika Korps can encircle and defeat the defenders by outflanking the rear routes and cutting off the supply lines on a large scale. But they are blinded by the lack of heavy fire support in the face of well-defended fortified cities, and their ability to attack from the air is greatly curtailed. Especially at this very moment, when the logistics of the Afrika Korps are on the verge of collapse.

Zhang Cheng's plan was to let Rommel go straight in, widen his supply lines, and exhaust his army. Entangle the Afrika Korps with a sturdy Tobruk, and then crush the Afrika Korps with the main forces from Egypt!

At the end of September, Rommel's troops, supported by tanks and aircraft, launched a ferocious offensive towards the outer lines of Tobruk.

Tobruk is actually not big, after all, the Ming does not invest much in North Africa. The strategic commanding heights on the outskirts of this port city are an unnamed hill that is no more than 100 meters above sea level. This hill pack can overlook the whole of Tobruk, and if you set up an artillery forward observation post, all targets will be attacked, and the position is extremely important. And this is the place where the battle between the offensive and defensive sides is fiercest.

Rommel ordered his 15th Panzer Division, which had been heavily depleted in previous battles, to lead the attack, first attacking this unnamed height.

After a long and fierce battle, the German 15th Panzer Division, with only a few hundred tanks left, launched an assault on the unnamed heights under the cover of artillery and aircraft. However, they suffered heavy losses as they passed through the minefield.

Dense minefields are certainly not something that can be completely cleared by a hasty minesweeper in a short period of time. More than twenty German No. 4 tanks and about 300 soldiers were lost as they passed through the minefield. Then the heavy artillery units of the defenders began to launch a fierce artillery attack on the German armored units that had broken through the minefield.

These 105, 155 and even 203 mm caliber long-range heavy guns dealt a heavy blow to the German army. A large number of German soldiers and equipment were destroyed under dense artillery fire. The strength of the German artillery could not be suppressed by artillery counterfire at the same level as the defenders. As for the good hands of attacking artillery positions in the past, the German Air Force fighters also encountered a strong resistance from the Ming Third Air Force in Tobruk, and the fighters of both sides were inextricably killed in the sky, and no one was able to support the ground battlefield.

Under these circumstances, Rommel, who was personally on the front line to direct the operation, after much consideration, ordered the 15th Panzer Division to suspend the offensive.

The victory in the morning defensive battle boosted the morale of the defenders, allowing them to plunge into the battle with greater enthusiasm.

After lunch, Rommel readjusted his deployment. He ordered the infantry to launch a fierce assault on the entire Tobruk perimeter defense line to pin down the defenders. At the same time, he ordered the artillerymen to adjust their deployment and concentrate their firepower on the unnamed highland battlefield. Rommel then sent a telegram to Lieutenant General Catherine, who was in charge of the 1st Air Force in charge of the North African theater. He was asked to provide full air support, which also led to an unprecedented air battle between the 1st Air Force of the Luftwaffe and the 3rd Air Force of the Ming Army.

At three o'clock in the afternoon, Rommel ordered the 15th Panzer Division, supported by reserves, to attack again. Hundreds of German artillery guns constantly bombarded the unnamed heights and engaged in fierce artillery battles with the artillery units of the defenders. At the same time, the sky was already completely covered with German and Ming planes. Under Catherine's orders, German dive bombers took great risks to provide strong support to the ground forces.

In order to break through the terrifying minefield, the Germans came up with a secret weapon, the Golia remote-controlled demolition vehicle, to destroy the minefield. Subsequently, a large number of German troops rushed up and rushed to the unnamed heights under the cover of tanks.

Garrisoned on this position was the 1st Regiment of the 2nd Marine Division of the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force of the Daming Marine Corps. They were sent to Tobruk from Alexandria as reinforcements.

The Daming Marine Corps has always been an elite unit that is well-equipped, well-trained, and has high morale. For many years, it has been the pioneer of Daming to open up overseas territories.

As a deep-pocketed force directly under the Navy, the Navy invests heavily in the Marine Corps. Whether it is weapons and equipment, daily training, and the salary of personnel, they all exceed those of ordinary armies. This makes them very powerful.

Colonel Lu Yang, commander of the 1st Regiment of the 2nd Marine Division, placed the 1st Battalion in his hands on the main position on the unnamed heights, and the 2nd Battalion on the flanks. Three battalions and fire support units are in reserve. The mountain is not very large, and there are no strong permanent fortifications. However, the officers and men of the Marine Corps still built a complete defensive line. Moreover, they are supported by heavy equipment.

Zhang Cheng was naturally very aware of the power of the German armored forces, and in the absence of corresponding armored forces to confront him, what he could do was to provide effective weapons for the front-line troops as much as possible. Among them, the most promising and effective weapon is his imitation of the German's 88-mm high-level dual-purpose gun.

The long-barreled 88-mm anti-aircraft gun, loaded with armor-piercing shells, could penetrate the armor of any enemy tank in the world at long distances. When used as a stationary defense against armored troops, it is simply an artifact. The Germans also had this kind of advanced artillery, but their industrial strength and national finances were not at the same level as the Ming Dynasty.

When ordering in large quantities, Daming can place hundreds of orders at a time, while Germany only has a third at most. Colonel Lu Yang was supported by eight 88-mm anti-aircraft guns, all of which he placed on strong anti-artillery positions. (To be continued.) )