As soon as sunrise, Allied air forces began a massive bombardment of the Axis army's southern defenses, followed by artillery units, which continued to shell Axis positions for more than two hours with hundreds of artillery pieces. After the bombardment, the U.S. 6th Army and the British 13th Army began to attack the German 15th Panzer Corps and the Italian Ryo Panzer Division stationed on the Tria Ridge Line.

After a bloody battle, the U.S. 6th Army and the British 13th Army advanced smoothly to the Tria Ridge, but the Axis soldiers were protected by the trenches dug in advance. The Axis forces relied on high and low to put up stubborn resistance, and the artillery of the German and Italian armies played a huge role, and the Allies could not attack for a long time, and the battle entered a stalemate. Despite repeated fire support by the Allied Air Force, the battle remained minimal until 4 p.m.

In the evening, the Axis armoured forces set out from the Tria Ridge to attack the Allied armoured forces, and the first tank battle of the Battle of Matru began.

More than 1,100 tanks were deployed by both sides, and by the evening half of them had been destroyed, while the two sides remained in a stalemate. The battle continued until early the next morning, when the German 15th Panzer Army and the Italian Riterio Panzer Division launched a series of attacks. The Afrika Korps tried with all their might to find the enemy's weak points, but found nothing. After daybreak, the Allied air forces swarmed again, and the huge bomber group dropped 210 tons of explosives in front and behind, once again bombing the Axis positions.

After the bombing, the US 6th Army and the British 13th Army Corps, with the coordinated operation of more than 10 ground attack aircraft, once again launched a fierce attack on the Tria Ridge. At the same time, the British 30th Army Corps and the 6th Panzer Division in the center were engaged in fierce battles with the German Panzer forces. And this was the first time in the Battle of Matru that tanks and infantry fought in tandem against the attack of German armored forces.

The northern direction of the main attack was also not idle, and a new round of "light foot" operations began, and this time it took two whole days for the engineer units to open a safe passage in the minefield that was sufficient for use. The 1st Chinese Army and the 15th Army of the U.S. Army were near the minefield, and Chen Bing made a posture of imminent advance, the purpose of which was to give Rommel the illusion that the northern road was a feint.

At the same time, rear airstrips, oil pipelines, water pipes, and material supply points have been extended to the front of the three-way battlefield, greatly enhancing the continuous combat capability of the Allied forces. On the morning of May 9, the U.S. 6th Army and the British 13th Army finally captured the Tria Ridge after two days and two nights of bloody fighting, and after paying heavy casualties. With the Tria Ridge conquered and the southern flank of the Axis forces exposed to the Allied forces, Rommel finally couldn't sit still and was determined to recapture it, and he immediately ordered all the tanks around the Tria Ridge to move around the battlefield.

Air and ground forces began to enter the battlefield as the German 21st Panzer Division advanced from the south along the Rahman Trail with the Italian Arriette Panzer Division. In the end, this turned out to be a bad decision. The heroic and tenacious Allies held their ground, repelling Axis attacks after attacks.

Tanks fought wildly in the dusty desert everywhere, and mortar and howitzer shells whistled all day. The fierce battle lasted two full days, and the Allies held their positions and held back the frantic counterattack of the Axis forces. After the war, a British officer wrote in his memoirs, "The blazing desert was shaking. The soldiers hid in the trenches, and the sweat that ran down their dusty faces became rivers.

There was a foul smell in the air. Swarms of flies hovered like dark clouds over the corpses and dung heaps, tormenting the wounded. The battlefield was littered with burning tanks and personnel carriers, as well as damaged guns and vehicles. When the high explosives in the guns explode, smoke and dust drift in all directions. However, in the end we still won, a heroic and great victory! ”

Rommel's troops were eventually unable to retreat due to lack of fuel, and they were stranded in an open field at the disposal of Allied aircraft. While Rommel was concentrating his attention on the southern battlefield, the main offensive in the north suddenly erupted, launching an all-out attack on the Axis positions. The first target captured by the 1st Army of the Chinese Expedition was the German "Tampson's Outpost", which the Allied forces called the "31st Point".

It was a hill 31 meters above sea level, on which the Germans stationed a whole division of defensive forces. This place was identified by Yang Fan as a key target for attack very early, and when the engineering unit completed the task of clearing the minefield, the Huaxia Expeditionary Force was ordered to attack. In the same three-plank axe tactic, bomber groups and rocket artillery units first carried out inhumane high-intensity bombing, firing more than 200 tons of bombs in one go, and flattening the entire hill by as much as two meters.

Immediately afterwards, the armored units advanced towards the hill under the cover of their own artillery fire. At this time, ground attack planes also came to support and launched a three-dimensional ground and air operation against the German army. After an extremely fierce battle, it was not until sunset that the Chinese expeditionary force was able to occupy the hill and also capture 360 prisoners.

But the battle on the hill did not end there, and the fighting continued for the next few days as the Germans wanted to retake the hill, which was vital to their defenses. Rommel ordered six retaliatory attacks on the Allied "Tampson's Outpost," which had been captured by the Allies, each of which was extremely fierce and often hand-to-hand. But even so, the Axis powers were unable to recapture this vital hill from the Chinese Expeditionary Force, and instead consumed a large amount of troops and fuel.

The fighting in the center was also advancing in parallel, and on the night of 9 May, the British army launched an offensive. First artillery preparations, air bombardment, and then infantry attacks on the enemy's forward positions. In the direction of the main attack, the 30th Army on the right flank of the 9th Australian Division and the British 51st Division, the New Zealand Division and the South African 1st Division on the center, and the Indian 4th Division on the left flank. At first it went well, and the infantry, having broken through the enemy's front line, quickly opened a way in the minefield for the follow-up armored units.

But just as the British armored unit was about to open a gap in the enemy line, it was intensively shelled by the Germans. German 88-mm artillery hit one British tank after another, the 9th Panzer Brigade suffered 75% casualties, and 102 of the 128 tanks were destroyed. But in the end, with hard power and desperate fighting, the British 9th Brigade finally opened a gap in the enemy line, so that the follow-up armored units could start fighting the enemy.

On the evening of May 13, the former enemy command post of the Chinese Expeditionary Force. Chen Zhengnian, commander of the 1st Group Army, Sun Fumin, commander of the 2nd Group Army, and others are gathering together at this moment to make a final deduction and discussion before the battle. The Battle of Matrouh had been going on for 10 days, but it had just begun to enter its most intense and bloody phase, conquering the last of the Axis defenses: the Tyre-Acha Heights and the Hidiba-Allah ridgeline.

Standing on the sand table money, Chen Zhengnian said with great ambition: "We are still one step away, as long as we can take the Tyre-Acha Heights in one go." Then the Axis armies in the coastal zone will have no dangerous terrain to rely on, and they will be forced to fight us in the open field! Sun Fumin nodded and said: "That's right, the current allied forces have air and sea supremacy, and have strong technical equipment and logistics supply capabilities, and we will definitely win in the open area!" ”

Meng Wu'an smiled and said: "In the final analysis, we are always clever, not only laid out Malta Island early and hit the Italian Navy hard, but also choked Rommel's neck. Otherwise, how could Rommel be so easily distempered by us? "Then I don't need to talk about it! Rommel is still very capable, but it is not enough to have a strategy to fight a war, but also to rely on strong logistics and supply capabilities! Duan Zhongyi nodded and agreed, "Speaking of logistics support capabilities, we are really too happy, whether it is weapons and ammunition, oil, or drinking water and various daily necessities, the conditions provided to us by the general seat can only be described as luxury." ”

After the bloody battles of hundreds of thousands of Allied soldiers and soldiers, the Allied forces made a series of breakthroughs, and the entire front once again advanced more than 70 kilometers. The Axis forces were resisting stubbornly by relying on the last highland ring defense, and at this time, after a long period of intense attrition, the Axis forces were already in danger of running out of ammunition and oil.

The Allied forces, which had full sea and air supremacy, did everything in their power to block the Axis Mediterranean supply lines, and had successfully intercepted the Italian convoys three times before and after. Lacking oil supplies, Rommel had to retreat and transfer his main forces to the Tyre-Acha Heights for the final defense. In fact, Rommel had already sent a telegram to the Führer a few days earlier, saying that his troops were already vulnerable due to lack of fuel and were preparing to retreat, but the Führer told him to hold on a little longer.

Rommel showed him the Führer's telegram, so he stayed behind and continued to command the Afrika Korps. However, the specific situation of the Axis at this moment is that most of the troops have gone through high-intensity fighting, more than half of the technical equipment has been lost, everyone has only half of the rations left, a large group of soldiers are sick, and the remaining fuel reserves of the entire Axis force are only enough for three days. Faced with this situation, Rommel reluctantly told his junior officers, "It is very impossible for us to retreat, because we don't have enough fuel."

Now we have only one choice, which is to fight to the end in Matru. Other than that, we have no choice. In fact, as the fierce war progressed, the situation of the Axis armies became worse and worse. The soldiers ate a single can, in poor sanitary conditions, a large number of soldiers fell ill without effective treatment, a large number of wounded soldiers died of excessive blood loss and bacterial infections, and now even the armored units are running out of gas.

Conversely, compared to the embarrassment of the Axis armies, the logistics on the side of the Allies were inhumane. Wherever the troops advance, oil and water pipes are laid, and tanks and armored vehicles can replenish fuel and water nearby. As for the degree of food and clothing, it is also very powerful, especially on the side of the Tiger Benjun, Jiang Qiang takes care of it meticulously.

Silk miao rice, energy drinks, fresh meat, vegetables and fruits, chocolate, cola, ice cream, cigarettes, alcohol and other daily necessities are all used in the name of "air transport" to land at Cairo airport by transport planes, and then distribute supplies.

Of course, Jiang Qiang really really really called on a transport plane to transport these materials from Burma, and in his spare time, the officers and men could also have entertainment activities such as watching movies, playing billiards, playing football, playing basketball, and playing poker. Except that it is in a state of wartime and there are battles at any time, there is not much difference from the usual daily life at home. As for medical security, not to mention, basically as long as it is not a heroic sacrifice on the spot, it can be rescued, and it will not take long to be resurrected on the spot.

With all these kinds of luxurious logistical support, the Chinese Expeditionary Force naturally has a great appetite, good health, good spirits, strong morale, and explosive combat effectiveness! The happy pace of life of the Chinese Expeditionary Force made even the Americans, who have always been full of local heroism, jaw-dropping and drooling with envy. In this case, if your side can't win against the Axis army, then it is really better to find a piece of tofu and crash to death.

"Since there is no problem, then according to the original plan, we will officially launch an attack on the Ter-Acha Heights tomorrow morning!"

Chen Zhengnian's eyes froze, and he said heavily, "This time the general seat puts us in the most important direction of attack, which not only gives us great credit, but also puts the burden on us. At this moment, the eyes of the whole world are gathered here, and we must fight a beautiful battle, and give a satisfactory answer to the general seat, the people and the allies! A few hours later, at midnight on May 14, the last large-scale assault of the Battle of Matrou began with the eight-hour bombardment of Tyre-Acha and Shidiba-Allah by the Air Force.

After the massive bombardment, the Allies concentrated a full 1,200 guns and shelled for four hours, firing a total of 35,000 shells. By noon, the Chinese Expeditionary Force dispatched 720 tanks, armored vehicles, and 30,000 mechanized infantry, and the armored troops launched an attack on the Ter-Acha Heights. The British and American forces simultaneously concentrated more than 800 tanks and 40,000 infantry to launch a full-scale attack on the Hidiba-Allah ridgeline.

Boom, thousands of tanks, armored vehicles, and infantry fighting vehicles rolled forward in a torrent of steel, and soon a storm of yellow sand covered the sky and the sun in the desert geography. This scene can only be described as a gallop of ten thousand horses, but seriously speaking, it is too shocking compared to the galloping of ten thousand horses in ancient times! The decisive battle of the Matroux battle was officially staged. Click! Click! War correspondents kept pressing the shutter, capturing one exhilarating and more magnificent shot, faithfully recording everything in front of them.

"Second brother, third brother, and all the good Chinese men, you must all come back alive!" Duan Yinhua's eyes were red, and while holding the camera to take pictures, he prayed to the sky with great devotion. In the face of the vast Allied steel torrent, the Axis forces did not give up on healing, relying on high ground and strong fortifications to put up stubborn resistance.

When the Allied armored forces came into range, the heavy artillery of the Axis troops hiding in various positions began to fire wildly, bombarding the Allied troops with shells of large and small calibers for nothing. Immediately afterward, the desert area in front of the highlands exploded into clouds of black gunsmoke, splashing up dust with them. Although these guns were not precisely guided, under the dense firepower, one after another tanks, armored vehicles, and trucks were hit one after another, and they were either severely damaged or directly bombed into a pile of burning scrap metal.

The Allied attacking forces did not stop there, and began to return fire while charging at full speed, and the main battle tanks and self-propelled guns let out an earth-shattering roar. The artillery units in the rear of the Allied forces were also not idle, and after the enemy artillery was exposed, they quickly calculated its specific position, and then began to carry out targeted fire suppression. When the Allied armored forces rushed all the way to the desert not far below the high ground under heavy artillery fire, hundreds of Axis tanks and thousands of Axis infantry rushed down from the high ground.

Soon the enemy and the enemy were in a scuffle, and the brutal and bloody melee began. The desert shook in the heat wave, trembled in the explosion, and under the dual action of gunsmoke, smoke and dust, the vast area of dozens of square kilometers soon became a dark Shura battlefield.

Here, it can only be seen as a place shrouded in dust from the explosion of high-explosive charges, a place dimmed by smoke from burning tanks and trucks, a place illuminated by the fire of countless guns. A place littered with red, green and white tracer shells, a place that trembled in the bombardment, and a place deafened by artillery fire on both sides.

A flesh mill that is constantly devouring life! While the main Allied forces were launching a general offensive against the last core line of defense of the Axis forces, several other battlefields were also being carried out simultaneously. The 1st, 2nd, and 3rd divisions of the Rong Expeditionary Force were ordered to attack and advance northwest of the Ter-Acha Heights, and their goal was to advance to the enemy stronghold south of the railway, and after breaking through the enemy lines, advance to the coastal road.

The U.S. 6th Army, the British 13th Army Corps and other units continued to carry out pressurization operations in the southern theater and carried out a large-scale outflanking campaign. In addition, the Allies also have a special "desert fleet" that is active in the rear of the Axis army at the moment. At eleven o'clock in the morning, a desert area 107 kilometers northwest of the Tyre-Acha Plateau. This is a desert desert, and apart from the undulating sand dunes, there is no yellow sand in the sky.

The scorching sun scorched the land, and the temperature was very high, making the already dry desert even more harsh and completely unsuitable for human life. However, it is in these extremely harsh conditions that an elite special forces lurk in this desert area. The team leader, He Haomao, was staying in the camouflaged off-road vehicle with dozens of team members, quietly waiting for the upcoming Axis transport convoy.

As early as a week ago, He Haomao and others were ordered to cut deep into the rear of the Axis forces from the desert area south of the Axis defense line. There are more than 20 such special squads, each with 30 people, equipped with a heavy truck carrier full of materials, and 7 armed off-road vehicles for mobile operations.

They are the secret trump card "Desert Fleet" played by Yang Fan, which is being scattered in the vast desert area at this time. Their mission was to act as shadow killers, dealing a fatal blow to the Axis army's fragile supply lines. The "Desert Fleet" was originally a desert mobile combat tactic invented by Fitzroy, the founder of the British Special Air Service Regiment, but now it is being used by Jiang Qiang several months in advance.

The members of the desert fleet not only have their own specialties, but also have superb military qualities, and a few soldiers can fight ten times as many enemies. Several squads are time-split, small, flexible, and can quickly advance and retreat in the harsh desert environment, and run after fighting, in order to achieve this purpose, there must be a suitable means of transportation. The desert is fair to both the enemy and the enemy, there is nowhere to hide on the ground, and there is always the danger of being exposed, and the disadvantage of the vehicle is that the sand and dust are blown away in the open terrain of the desert.

Although the camel had a small target, it was not suitable for the mechanized German army. Therefore, the two powers were harmful, and the British army used a large number of light cars adapted to the desert terrain as a means of transportation. Moreover, in order to adapt to the war, the car is not only equipped with a large amount of firepower and full of daily necessities, but the load is often several times the normal load of the vehicle.

In the Western Sahara Desert, these vehicles were like warships in the sand, attacking Germany's fragile supply lines, and after their great success, they were quickly spread in other Allied countries. Another example is that in the Iraqi desert in 1991, the British army's similar off-road vehicles went deep into the hinterland of the Iraqi army in the same way, and searched for Scuds in a large area.

In the back there is a trailer loaded with the rest of the items that special forces cannot do without in their daily lives: generators, ready-made meals, water, various tools and medical supplies, equipped with all kinds of light and heavy weapons, and the light car is loaded on the desert mothership to sustain the battle for a longer time.

Jiang Qiang had heard of these military history materials in detail for a long time, so he began to prepare for the "desert fleet" as early as three months ago, and now after launching a comprehensive strategic counteroffensive, this killer weapon will naturally be used. "Damn, it's so hot! If we can't wait for the enemy transport convoy, we will have to become human first! Team member Han Hao licked his chapped lips and raised his hand to wipe his forehead, but his hands were full of sweat.

Despite the camouflage on the roof, the heat in the desert is pervasive, and the temperature in the car is at least 40 degrees, not much different from a constant sauna. "Although it is a bit stupid to wait for the rabbit, this is the most cost-effective way to hunt, otherwise our fuel will be consumed too quickly, and it will be difficult to continue fighting for a long time!"

He Haomao smiled and handed the kettle out and said, "You're thirsty, drink saliva to moisten your throat!" "Captain, no, I can bear with it!" Although his throat was about to smoke, Han Hao couldn't help but shake his head. They brought a lot of fresh water with them before they set off, and they have always been very economical, but after a week, the amount of fresh water has been consumed by nearly half, which is really not enough. At this time, He Haomao's walkie-talkie rang: "Report to the captain, find the target at eleven o'clock!" Discover the target at eleven o'clock! It's about 9 kilometers away from us! ”