The commander of the British 8th Army, Archibald . Wavell crossed his legs and stood on the embankment on the west bank of the Suez Canal, and from his remaining right eye, he could see that four parallel pontoon bridges had appeared on the surface of the canal before the smoke had dissipated.

On the pontoon, the British Empire's military flag fluttered, and military heavy trucks loaded with soldiers, supplies, or towed artillery, or loaded with tanks on flatbed trucks lined up in a long queue that could not be seen, speeding across the pontoon bridge and speeding eastward! The British Empire has finally fought back, and after nearly 2 years, the rice-shaped flag, which symbolizes the empire, is once again flying on the land of the Middle East!

In addition to the two armored divisions that were already in Egypt, four armored divisions that had just been formed were urgently brought in from the mainland. Moreover, all six armored divisions were armed with the latest Matilda 2 infantry tanks and Crusader cruiser tanks.

In Wavell's opinion, these two tanks are definitely the best tanks in the world, better than the Chinese and German C-tanks, the Soviet T-28 tank and the American M3 Grant tank (the Stalker and Su-75 are not tanks). And unlike the tanks of China, the United States, the Soviet Union and Germany, which had to march on their own tracks, the British armored division equipped each tank with heavy flatbed trucks, which could tow them to the battlefield, so as to ensure that the British tanks had the highest rate of integrity on the battlefield. Although each British armored division now has only about 200 tanks and 54 self-propelled guns, they can certainly exert more combat effectiveness than 1 Sino-German armored division with 285 tanks and self-propelled guns!

It is no wonder that the indigenous Indians did not dare to fight the mighty British army on the Suez Canal line, if they were Blyukher. Nor did they dare to fight a decisive battle near the Mediterranean. Not to mention the nearly 1.5 million troops of Britain and the United States combined, just the 2,7800 tanks and more than 2,000 fighters in the sky owned by 10 British and American armored divisions are enough to tear all the inferiorly equipped Indian Argentines to pieces!

"General Wavell. Sir Massingbent's telegram. "The Chief of Staff of the British 8th Army, William Brown. Major General Slim jumped out of an American jeep with a telegraph and trotted all the way behind Wavell.

"What's the matter?" Seeing Slim frowning tightly, Weber felt a little strange.

"Sir has asked us to hand over the Indian Red Army, which had retreated to the southern part of the Sinai Peninsula, to the follow-up troops, and then to concentrate our forces and join the 2nd and 4th Panzer Divisions of the United States Army in breaking through the Jordan River and into Transjordan. After breaking through the Jordan River, at least four more infantry divisions were assigned to attack the Hejaz region, making sure to capture the city of Medina before the caliphate. ”

"What? Capture Medina? Wavell's brow furrowed, the order to attack the Hejaz and seize Medina was so strange! Now the U.S. military has seized Palestine. To the west, you can take Transjordan, and to the north, you can take Syria, once these two territories are seized by the Americans. They will be able to enter Iraq in a mighty way! It's really the heart of the Arabian Peninsula. And the oil-producing regions of the Persian Gulf are also there. It is really incomprehensible that the British army is now fighting eastward without racing against time to compete with the Americans, and that they still have to divide their troops to fight a religious holy city that has no oil or water.

"Lieutenant General. Jazz's telegram said. The U.S. army will also send four infantry divisions to attack the Hejaz with us. Major General Slim added: "Sir also said that this force will be under the unified command of Major General Bradley of the US Army, so our army should also send a major general as the deputy commander-in-chief." I asked Major General Montgomery to command four Anglo-Indian divisions to attack the Hejaz, and the main force of the group army immediately advanced eastward after breaking through the Jordan River, bypassing the Sirkhan Valley into the Nadev Desert and the Hijara Desert, striving to break through Kuwait before the American army! ”

"Go straight to the Desert of Nedev and the Desert of Hijara...... Isn't it too risky? Wavell had no further objection to the march into the Hejaz, and in his mind there was no value in a few religious holy cities plus a mountainous area that could no longer be barren. The Indians will certainly not deploy heavy troops there.

"It's a bit risky, but it's the only way we can get into Kuwait before the Americans." Slim said. I don't know since when. The British had become the Americans and the caliphate in the Middle East, both to prevent the latter from taking control of most of the Arabian Peninsula and to compete with the former for the oil-producing Persian Gulf. As for the Indian Red Army or something, it seems to have been ignored!

"General, the statistical report of casualties and results has been prepared." A British staff officer interrupted Wavell and Slim's conversation with a thin statistical report.

"Our army lost 3,352 killed, 1,036 seriously wounded, and 554 missing. More than 8,600 Indian Red Army personnel were killed, 1,553 people were captured, 45 artillery pieces, more than 3,000 machine rifles were captured, and 18 Indian and Soviet planes were shot down...... "Slim took the statistical report and read it to Wavell line by line.

"Five thousand for ten thousand, or in the case of attacking the enemy's strong defensive line...... This exchange ratio is acceptable, it seems that these Indians are not as complete as they were when they fought in India! Wavell smiled and said, "William, write a report on your construction and send it to Sir Massin Bent." ”

……

“…… In the first phase of the operation, a total of 15,651 officers and men of our 1st Group Army and 3rd Group Army were killed, seriously wounded, or missing; More than 10,000 British and American invading troops were killed and wounded, 221 were captured, 115 tanks were destroyed, and 6 planes were shot down. ”

As the commander-in-chief of the Soviet camp in the Middle East, Blyukhel was also listening to his subordinates' reports on casualties and battle results at this time. Of course, the battle results report must have moisture, after all, the battlefield is very chaotic, who can figure out how many enemies were killed? Moreover, the grassroots troops tend to report more results, which is the same in any ** team. However, the casualty and loss figures of their own side can generally be clarified, and although the casualty losses announced to the domestic people must be falsified, Blyukher, as the commander-in-chief of the Middle East Front, has obtained the number that is closest to the real situation. If we compare the losses of the Indian Red Army in the Middle East Front, obtained by Blücher, with the losses of the British and American armies obtained by Wavell and Stilwell. It can be found that this historical second Middle East conference war has been fought until now. The exchange ratio between the Indian A-3 and the Anglo-American allies reached 2 to 1. And this was achieved under the condition that Blyukhel deliberately showed weakness and the enemy!

According to Blyukhel's plan, the deployment of India's Middle East Front is to lure the enemy deep into the country and close the door and beat the dogs. Although Comrade Lu Yi and Comrade Coats of the Indian GCD have made it clear. There is no problem with how many Ah San die! But Blyukhel still intends to make every Asan die worthwhile. Because the number of Asan is not unlimited, Blyukher estimates that the Indian GCD can provide a maximum of 80 million to 100 million cannon fodder for the world revolution. If he were to exchange 10 Indian lives for 1 Anglo-American, Chinese-German life, then there would be little hope for this war. If he can make the swap ratio 2 to 1 or 3 to 1. Then no imperialist except China can afford such astronomical casualties!

Therefore, after listening to the casualties and battle results statistics reported by his subordinates, Blyukhel's mood was much lighter, although he also knew that the results reported below were somewhat exaggerated. But a 20% discount should be credible, so that a 2 to 1 exchange ratio is also achieved. It's much better than expected, and it seems that the combat effectiveness of the Anglo-American army is really not very good.

"Good. Comrade Yaquir was ordered to defend the Arabian Valley, the Dead Sea, the Jordan River, and the Golan Heights for at least 4 to 5 days, and then retreat to Syria and Iraq. "Blyukhel was very satisfied with the situation at the front reported by the chief of staff, Berzin, and the troops were fighting and retreating according to the predetermined plan.

In order to resist and delay the offensive of the British and American allies. Blyukhel gave Yakir 3 Indian armies and 1 Persian armies. A total of 300,000 troops. Now Yakir has dragged on for about ten days with only 2 Indian Army Groups, and the casualties of the troops are smaller than expected.

The reason for this situation is also related to the fact that Yaquil was flexible in his command and did not deploy his troops to defend the Mediterranean coast where the enemy's naval guns could play a role. Moreover, under the command of Yakil, the three divisions of the 1st Army of the Indian Red Army also fought two ambushes by American armored forces in Palestine, destroyed more than 100 tanks, and also found out a lot of truths and truths - I learned that the Yankees' kind of big tank that looks quite scary turned out to be a thin skin and a big shelf, and like the T-28, it is a big coffin that can walk! There is no need for a 76.2mm anti-tank gun. It will be enough to take 45mm anti-tank guns to pack them up! As for the tanks of the British, although they have not fought each other, they are not much better than the American tanks. The only thing that needs to be noted now is the air power of Britain and the United States. Intelligence shows. Britain and the United States have deployed more than 2,000 aircraft in Egypt, and cities along the Mediterranean coast and the Suez Line have been bombed indiscriminately. Roads and bridges in Transjordan and Syria were also bombed. Fortunately, Yakir's troops were mobilized at night, otherwise more than 10,000 people would have died under the bombardment!

"Comrade commander, the Caliphate has already occupied the port of Jeddah, and the situation with the Hejaz People's Army is somewhat bad...... The caliphate's prestige was beyond imagination, and the Hejaz GCD seemed to be difficult to resist. The god of Berzin was a little dignified: "If the Hejaz People's Army loses Mecca in a short time, will the Caliphate army go north in a big way?" Will they discover the Ubolevich cluster lurking in the mountains of northern Hejaz? ”

"The caliphate's movements are not so fast, and their Red Sea Fleet cannot be compared with the power of Britain and the United States in the Mediterranean, and it will take at least half a month to transport 150,000 to 200,000 troops from across the Red Sea. When the time comes, they will take Mecca and Ta'if, and then go north to fight Medina...... By the time they find the Ubolevich cluster hidden in the mountains of the Northern Hejaz, I'm afraid it will already be May, and by then the Anglo-American allies will definitely have been defeated by us. ”

Blyukhel was a little proud in his heart, and he set a big trap by taking advantage of the contempt for India that the British and American allies were likely to have, and the mentality of being anxious to seize the oil of the Persian Gulf. Hide the heavy troops of the 8 armies in the northern part of the Hejaz Mountains, wait until the Anglo-American allied forces penetrate deep into Iraq, and then kill them from their flanks and rear, cut off their rear roads in one fell swoop, and put hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of Anglo-American allied troops in their pockets!

While Blyukhel was making a wishful calculation about the annihilation of millions of British and American allies in World War I, an officer hurried to the door and shouted a report, which made Berzin's heart tighten. A hint of foreboding suddenly appeared in my heart.

"Comrade Commander, Comrade Chief of Staff! The Yaquir cluster reports that the northern Arabian Valley is under onslaught by the US 2nd Armored Division! Comrade Yakir pleaded...... Ask to give up the valley after dark! ”

"Bastard! What does Yakir want to do! The Arabian Valley is a natural hazard. How can you say give up and give up! ”

Belzin felt a little strange about Yakil's request, and immediately took the telegram from the staff officer and read it. A regiment of the 102nd Division of the Indian Red Army, which was originally stationed in the northern Arabian Valley near the edge of the Dead Sea, was suddenly caught off guard by a sneak attack by the US Second Armored Division in the early hours of this morning.

Blyukhel's heart was on fire. Yakir was one of the few fierce generals of the Soviet Red Army, and like himself, he was the rank of commander of a first-class group army, and he had made great achievements in the Middle East battlefield. Neither the Chinese Expeditionary Force nor the British had ever bargained in his hands, but he didn't expect to be attacked by the Americans who had just entered the battlefield this time! It's really a bit of a capsizing boat in the yīn ditch.

"Telegraphed to Comrade Yakir and told him to organize the retreat and write a detailed report afterwards and submit it. At the same time, we will sum up the experience. Lessons have been learned, and the same mistakes must not be made again. Blyukhel was annoyed, but he agreed to Yaquil's request, knowing that Yakir was by no means a coward, and that he had a reason for not wanting to entangle with the American forces in the Arabian Valley. Maybe he underestimated the combat effectiveness of the Americans?

……

The attack on the Arabian Valley was not an order from Stilwell, but a self-inflicted initiative of General Patton, who was heading north along the road north on the western side of the Arabian Valley. He received a command from the commander of the U.S. 82nd Division, Omar Mur, who was defending the western side of the Arabian Valley. The briefing of Major General Bradley, knowing that the Indian Red Army was very lax in its defense on the northern edge of the Arabian Valley. And the terrain is a bit like a gap, although a bit hilly. But it was still possible to let the armored troops pass guò, so they had the idea of a sneak attack.

This Patton was not an ordinary person after all, and after thinking about it, he immediately went to the northern edge of the Arabian Valley to survey the terrain, and when he thought it was feasible, he immediately decided to transfer an armored regiment and an infantry regiment to secretly move to the vicinity of the Indian line at night. The next morning, a surprise attack was launched, without arranging high-intensity artillery preparations, nor contacting the air force to bomb indiscriminately, but allowing the infantry to infiltrate the Indian army's nose, clearing the anti-tank traps and mines hastily deployed by the Indian army, and then allowing more than 200 tanks, self-propelled guns and more than 3,000 infantry to launch a surprise attack.

The defending Indian 102nd Infantry Division was immediately caught off guard, after all, this area is mountainous and hilly, and no one expected that the US army would send tank clusters to make a surprise attack. There are hundreds of small hills around that can be lined with anti-tank guns, and if you are well prepared in advance, General Patton's tanks will suffer heavy losses!

Unfortunately, there is no if on the battlefield, the anti-tank firepower of the Indian Red Army has always been insufficient, the standard configuration of each infantry division is 6 45mm anti-tank guns or 4 76.2mm anti-tank guns, and there is also an anti-tank gun battalion at the group army level, equipped with 12 45mm anti-tank guns and 8 76.2mm anti-tank guns. And in Dangrì, the 6 45mm anti-tank guns of the 102nd Division of the Indian Army were not deployed to the front-line positions, but were placed near the division headquarters. After all, there are only 6 anti-tank guns in total, which will of course be cherished, and if they are placed on a front-line position, they will be easily destroyed by enemy fire.

As a result, when Patton's tanks rushed up, the Indians had no time to pull their precious anti-tank guns into battle, so they had to deal with them with the anti-tank guns and anti-tank grenades in their hands. Although more than a dozen tanks were destroyed (most of which were eventually repaired), the entire defense line quickly collapsed in the face of the assault of the American armored cluster. In the end, Soglov, the Soviet adviser of the 102nd Division of the Indian Army, and Singh, the commander of the Indian Division, had to pack up the remnants of more than 8,000 people and retreat to Zhulf Deravish. However, this small city has no danger to be feared, and there are no fortifications to defend, so it is impossible to hold it for long. Once Jurf Delavish is lost, even if the Indian army's defense line in the Arabian Valley is lost, the Dead Sea, the Jordan River and the Golan Heights will have little defensive value. Even Amman, the capital of Transjordan, and Damascus, the capital of Syria, had to be abandoned.

That's why Blyuhel was furious when he heard the news, and Marshall and Stilwell were overjoyed to learn that Barton had breached the Arabian Valley.

"Hehe, now we can get ahead of the British!" Marshall watched Patton's telegram with great satisfaction, and Stilwell and Magrud nodded frequently. Marshall turned to Stilwell and said, "Immediately put the 82nd Infantry Division under the command of Patton, and let him hand over the task of capturing Jurf Delavish to the 82nd Division, the 2nd Armored Division immediately went north to threaten Amman, and the 4th Armored Division went south to fight the port of Aqaba." ”

Then he said to Magrud: "Your 7th Army must speed up its movements, and all of them must go ashore by March 15. In addition, the troops that have now come ashore form an advance detachment to attack the Golan Heights with the 1st Marine Division, and our next goal is to capture Damascus and open the door to Iraq! (To be continued......)