When Zhang Chi was intensively reorganizing the new 1st Division, Rommel was a little frustrated. Pen, fun, pavilion www. biquge。 info

It was clear that Rommel was in front of a mess: the entire Panzer Corps was short of more than 16,000 men, 85 percent of the transports were captured vehicles lacking spare parts, the number of combat equipment was 210 tanks and 175 armoured vehicles less than the required number, and the length of the logistical supply lines far exceeded what the Afrika Korps could handle...... As a result, there is a shortage of fuel and ammunition, the quality of food for soldiers is extremely poor, and the soldiers' physical strength has reached the limit of consumption.

Others can be overcome, such as the food and physical strength of the soldiers, Rommel believes in his soldiers, and they will hold on.

But without fuel and ammunition, tanks and armored vehicles do not move, and artillery does not fire, so how can the Afrika Korps attack the enemy's positions?

Even at this time, Rommel thought about attacking.

But to be honest, this is also Rommel's helpless move, because the German army is to implement the phrase "the best defense is to attack", and the German army most of the time ensures the safety of its own defense line with an offensive posture, otherwise, with the little strength of the German army and the combat effectiveness of the Italian army, I am afraid that the British army would have broken through and driven out of North Africa.

However, the situation of the Afrika Korps at this time was not optimistic, especially the failure of the plan to raid Mahairama, which immediately put the supply of the Afrika Korps in trouble.

Thinking of this, Rommel couldn't help but scold: this damn Chinese army, if it weren't for them, my own armored division would have already launched an attack on Cairo!

At the same time, Rommel also felt an unprecedented pressure, because he could see from the battle of Mahairama that the commander of the Chinese army was a smart man......

This is crucial, Rommel has always believed that the commander is the soul of an army, or the brain, and the tanks and artillery are the hands and feet.

The lack of strength in the hands and feet can be compensated for by the brain, but if the brain is not smart enough, no matter how strong the hands and feet are, it will not help...... A living example of this is the German army, which was far inferior to the Commonwealth Army, but which it had repeatedly defeated.

Obviously, the same is true of the Chinese army, because Rommel found that in the local battlefield of Maherama, the strength of the Chinese army is actually far inferior to the German army: the Chinese army has only one armored regiment with a total of more than 80 tanks, although the tank performance is relatively advanced, but the German army has an armored division of more than 300 tanks, which also includes more than 30 No. 4 tanks whose performance is not inferior to that of the "Sherman".

But even so, the German Panzer Division was defeated by the Chinese army again and again.

Rommel knew Heinz Landau well, he followed him for eight years, and Rommel trusted him as much as he believed in his own arm.

But even so, the 21st Panzer Division returned with a feather.

If the defeat in the first night battle was due to the underestimation of the enemy, then the defeat in the second game was a contest of wisdom and endurance between the two sides.

Suddenly, Rommel felt that the Afrika Korps was in danger, because if the enemy launched a counteroffensive at this time, it would be difficult for the Afrika Korps to resist.

Thinking about it, Rommel sent a telegram to Berlin, as usual:

"Dear Führer, our soldiers are almost hungry with guns without bullets and tanks without shells and fuel for the enemy's positions, and for months we have been able to survive almost exclusively on the food we have taken from the enemy, and we have even had some of us using rifles captured from the British, because our own rifles were damaged and could not be replenished or had not enough ammunition...... If this situation does not change, it is very likely that we will never get the Suez Canal! ”

Although this is a cliché and an exaggeration, it is enough to show Rommel's anxiety.

Rommel thought that the telegram would be as wasted as before, or that it would receive a few useless words of encouragement from the Führer...... Although the Führer's words are indeed inexplicably uplifting, in Rommel's eyes they are even worse than a barrel of gasoline.

But this time Rommel was wrong.

It didn't take long for Berlin to call back, although there were only a few words on the telegram: "We will give reinforcements soon!" ”

Rommel couldn't help but jump in excitement, at least it was different from the previous telegrams, so he had reason to believe that this time the situation was different.

"We might be lucky, Thomas!" Rommel said to the staff officer.

Thomas took the telegram and looked at it, and said, "What are these reinforcements that the Führer is talking about?" Still a tank like ever? Or troops and supplies? ”

Thomas's reminder was like pouring cold water on Rommel.

It was not before that Germany had not provided reinforcements to North Africa, but most of them had been sunk into the Mediterranean by the odious British Air Force.

Moreover, even if these reinforcements and supplies were lucky enough to escape the British Air Force and reach North Africa, they would have to pass through the Sahara Desert for more than 1,930 kilometers, and by the time they reached the German lines, they would have only a tenth of them to be considered good.

But Rommel felt that this was not the case.

He thought about it for a moment and guessed, "No, this time, it's probably not just tanks and supplies!" ”

Rommel would have guessed this on the basis that Hitler had said nothing in his telegram. Rommel was keenly aware that Hitler had a big plan, and it was inconvenient for this big plan to even be revealed in a telegram in case it was intercepted by the enemy.

Rommel agreed, because the Germans' confidential information was always obtained by the British, and although it may have been leaked by the Italians, it was better to be careful.

Rommel guessed correctly, because at this time Hitler's attack in the Soviet direction was frustrated, so he wanted to change the direction of the attack, and turn the Soviet forces south into Asia Minor (part of Turkey) and then cooperate with Rommel's Afrika Korps to form a pincer attack on the Suez Canal.

If this plan is successfully implemented, Germany will not only be able to control the Suez Canal and further blockade Britain, but will also be able to control the oil-rich regions of Africa and choke the lifeblood of the industrial powers.

Therefore, Hitler, who had always paid little attention to the African battlefield, had to change his attitude...... North Africa can be said to be the other half of the pincer of the "pincer attack", if this pincer collapses, then the other half of the pincer will not focus, which is manifested on the battlefield is that it is difficult to achieve the strategic goal in a short period of time, and then it will fall into a bitter battle.

And this is again something that Germany cannot afford.