"General, there are wide minefields on the front of the Tubruk Line, where we laid more than 150,000 mines, half of which are anti-tank mines!"

In Alexandria's headquarters in the Middle East, Alain, who had just returned from the Tubruk front. Cunningham said confidently to Admiral Wavell. Pen? Interesting? Pavilion wWw. ｂiquge。 ｉｎfo

"Behind the minefield were the lines of the South African 1st Division and the Indian 5th Division, and four regiments of the Indian 10th Division were deployed at the four important strongholds of Gubijing, Knightsbridge, Bir Hakim and Bir Ahmat. The 1st New Zealand Division was entrenched in the city of Tubruk.

In addition, armoured clusters consisting of the 1st Panzer Division, the 2nd Panzer Division, the 3rd Indian Motorized Brigade, the Polish Separate Brigade and the 1st Free French Brigade spread along the Capuzo Trail. If the German-Italian army made a detour south of the stronghold of Birhakim, the panzer group would be dispatched to fight them in a decisive battle. ”

Alan. Cunningham's approach to fighting the war was similar to that of the French Army in the 40s, holding head-on while using mechanized and motorized units against the roundabout Germans. And Cunningham used as trump cards were the 1st and 2nd Panzer Divisions (there was only 1 tank brigade).

The 1st Armoured Division is the oldest in the United Kingdom, having been established in 1934. However, this division had already been annihilated by the Germans once in the Western Front, against the German 7th Panzer Division under the command of Rommel (this time against Rommel again). So now this British 1st Panzer Division is a rebuilt unit, and the establishment is not as heavy as before. The number of armoured brigades was reduced from three to one (the 2nd Armored Brigade), and there was also a mechanized infantry brigade (1st Mechanized Infantry Brigade), as well as anti-tank artillery regiments, armored vehicle regiments, anti-aircraft artillery regiments and two artillery regiments, as well as engineering units and medical units. The division had about 200 tanks, half of which were Matilda 2 and the other half were Crusader cruisers.

The British 2nd Panzer Division, on the other hand, remained in the British mainland during the Western Front campaign, so it did not suffer any blows. However, after the Battle of the Western Front, its establishment was also reduced, and the armored brigade was also reduced to one, that is, the 1st Armored Brigade that came to North Africa this time (the mechanized infantry brigade of the 2nd Armored Division did not come), and the equipment tank situation was the same as that of the 2nd Armored Brigade, which was about 200 units, half Matilda Type 2, half Crusader cruiser tanks.

In addition, the British army on the Tubruk front had a lot of miscellaneous tanks, such as the Vickers light tank and the Italian L6 light tank. Together, there are no less than 500 vehicles.

Alan. Cunningham continued his plan, saying, "If the decisive battle of the Panzer Cluster cannot be won, then the South African 1st Division, the Indian 5th Division, and the Indian 10th Division will all retreat to Fortress Tubruk and the New Zealand 1st Division will form a garrison corps, relying on the strong fortifications of Tubruk." The rest of the Eighth Army will retreat along the Balbia Avenue to build a defensive line on the line of El Alamein, so as to delay the attack of the German and Italian armies and buy time for us to shrink our forces and organize the Battle of Egypt. ”

Alan. Cunningham's plan for the battle was largely modest, and although there were few bright spots, it was acceptable to the current British political leadership - the odds of victory might be better if Greece, Crete, and Tubruk were abandoned immediately, and forces were reduced to El Alamein.

But it also meant that the British Mediterranean Fleet had to be withdrawn, because as soon as German and Italian air power moved into Crete and Tubruk, Alexandria would be bombed every day!

And the withdrawal of the Mediterranean Fleet would mean a major defeat for the British Royal Navy...... It also means that the transport links between the UK and Turkey are basically cut off. Turkey will be caught between Germany, Italy and the Soviet Union. And in order to protect themselves, the Turks had to take refuge in Germany. When the time comes, the German Army will pour into the Middle East like a tidal wave!

Therefore, the current British army in the Middle East can be said to have no choice but to hold out on Tubruk and Triek Island.

And their persistence gave Rommel the opportunity to show his talents.

……

"No, no, don't be so stupid as to bump into it." Rommel was now walking around the rear of the Italian 10th Army in a half-track armored car, and he was checking the route of the armored group that would be attacking in a few days. Lieutenant General Thoma talks about tactical arrangements.

"Although our tanks are better than theirs, no one knows what is behind the British lines, maybe there will be minefields that we don't know about, maybe there will be more powerful anti-tank guns."

Rommel vs. Von. "Our 165 No. 4s are very valuable, and if we lose them we won't be able to enter Alexandria before March 1941," Thoma said. ”

Although Germany and Italy now controlled most of the Mediterranean, Rommel's logistical lines were unimpeded. But the supplies and troops that can be delivered to North Africa are still limited, because the transport lines are a little longer, and now there are hundreds of planes deployed to Benghazi, which consume a lot of fuel and bombs every day!

"Admiral, if we don't use tank impact, how can we fight? With infantry? "Feng. Thoma asked rhetorically in a cold tone.

Feng. Thoma was the oldest commander of the armored forces in Germany, but unfortunately his official luck was not very good, and he was overtaken by Rommel, who was originally not as qualified as him, and he was naturally a little unconvinced.

"Lure the British tanks out and fight," Rommel said, "and the British are more rigid in command, and their Matilda tanks are too slow to escape if they fall into our trap." ”

"Use what to seduce?"

"With a small number of tank No. 4, plus an increase in the armored vehicles of the German brigade and the No. 3 assault gun." Rommel said. "The British will be fooled, their commander is stupid."

"Ambush with Tank Four?" Feng. Thoma asked.

"You can't use the number four, they're too big to hide." Rommel smiled and said, "Use the 50mm anti-tank gun, which is only 1.05 meters tall and is relatively easy to hide." And its firepower was fierce enough that the British cruiser tanks could not withstand it. If it's closer, Matilda can also play. ”

"Ambush...... Where to set up an ambush? "Feng. Thoma asked, frowning. He was suspicious that the British would stay away from their positions, because the 43-fold diameter 75mm guns of Tank IV were so powerful that they could blow up Matilda from a distance of 1,500 meters with tungsten armor-piercing shells, something that the British commanders would not be completely unaware of.

"I don't know now," Rommel smiled, "and send some anti-tank artillery batteries to follow the armoured group, and then set up temporary ambush positions when the armoured group's advance is blocked, so that they can be caught off guard." ”

This is a state-of-the-art tactic that uses towed anti-tank guns to work with tanks and armored vehicles to cover each other's advances. The advantage of this style of play is that it can increase the firepower of the armored group, and it can also be used to ambush the front line. The disadvantage is that it is too complicated to organize, and the requirements for the anti-tank gun crew are too high, but this is not a problem for the German Army at the moment.

......

Just a few days after arriving in Benghazi, Nazi Superman Rudolph. Feng. By this time, Second Lieutenant Ribbentrop had already led his platoon of armored vehicles and the rest of the Grodeutsche Infantry Brigade to leave Benghazi and advance towards Tubruk, more than 200 kilometers away.

Because they had air supremacy, the troops marched in broad daylight staring at the scorching sun of the North African desert. The hot, dry, windy and sandy climate made Lieutenant Ribbentrop a little uncomfortable, and the strict restrictions on water use made him a little unaccustomed.

However, the morale of the troops was still very high, and everyone was gearing up, and they couldn't wait to go to the battlefield to teach the British a lesson. Rommel's somewhat aggressive plan was very much in line with the appetite of these German supermen.

Because the company headquarters and Lieutenant Ribbentrop's armored platoon acted together, Lieutenant Ribbentrop and his superior, Schwarzenegger, were crammed into an armored car.

According to the plan, after defeating the British near Tubruk, the German Afrika Army would chase all the way to the port of Mesai Matrum (in Egypt), more than 700 kilometers away from Benghazi. The 7th Airborne Division would parachute in and occupy the area, while the Italian fleet would escort a convoy of small and medium-tonnage freighters to the small port.

And after obtaining a certain amount of supplies, Rommel's army will continue to advance towards Alamain, Alexandria's gateway, where Rommel is expected to fight another battle with the general reserves of the British army in the Middle East!

First a decisive battle near Tubruk, then encircling the remnants of the British army in Tubruk (encircled by the Italian army and the Germans who later arrived in North Africa), the main force continued to advance westward, while capturing a small supply port with airborne troops, and then rushing to El Alamein after some supplies to the troops - this was Rommel's plan to sweep through North Africa.

And the key to this plan is to be fast!

"The troops will rest for the day after their arrival, and at the same time be ready for battle." Lieutenant Schwarzenegger took a copy of the written order he had just received, and while reading it, he said to Second Lieutenant Ribbentrop, "It seems that the war will begin on the 23rd or 24th......"

"Will it be that fast?"

"It seems so," Lieutenant Schwarzenegger shrugged, "our commander is obviously an impatient, and if nothing else, we will be able to cross the Suez Canal in March." ”

Rudolph. Feng. Ribbentrop thought for a moment, nodded and said, "If only it could be like this...... After the Suez Canal, the entire oil-producing region of the Middle East is ours. Then Britain and the United States have no hope of winning the war, and we will be victorious! (To be continued.) )