According to the Chinese and American scripts, around May 1942 would be the time to launch a counterattack. Pen ~ fun ~ Pavilion www.biquge.info Chinese and American, British, and Russian armies will simultaneously move from both directions in Europe and the Middle East to the core areas controlled by the Central Powers. Considering the environmental differences between the two places, China finally decided to take the initiative to launch an offensive in mid-April, while the US-British offensive would be postponed until mid-May, with a one-month interval in between.

Relative to the Army's offensive, the Air Force's offensive began very early, and 4,000 strategic bombers of four heavy bomber wings began to attack transportation hubs, important cities, oil fields, power stations and factories in the two river basins as early as the end of February. Although the Allied Air Force also has about 7,000 aircraft deployed in the Middle East, these aircraft are completely scattered in the area from Asia Minor in the north to the Persian Gulf in the south and the Mediterranean coast in the west. The forces are extremely dispersed. And in terms of numbers, the Turkish Air Force and the Austro-Hungarian Air Force make up the majority, with about 4,500 aircraft. And the Luftwaffe had only 2500 of them.

It was not easy for the Germans to come up with an air force of this size. 2,500 in the Middle East plus 5,000 on the Eastern Front. That's 7,500. The Luftwaffe had only about 21,000 first-line aircraft. It also includes troops who have returned to recuperate after being badly damaged. In the face of intensifying strategic bombardment, the Luftwaffe had to bomb the security of the homeland. As the pressure on the German aviation industry increased, many of the engines that were originally to be supplied to Austria-Hungary were also intercepted, which eventually led to the downsizing of the Austro-Hungarian Air Force.

"There is no suspense in this fight, the only question is how long the opponent will last. What will we pay, if nothing else, when we take the two river valleys, it will be the time for the Turkish empire to collapse, and the Istanbul operation should be going smoothly now. Our chosen successor is probably ready to take the position. After a meeting, Xu Huaide said to Peng Yi.

Turkey was the weakest of the three Central Powers, and the easiest to pry. Coupled with its strategic position as an important hub connecting the Eurasian continent, it is natural that its strategic position is very important. Faced with such a country, Huaxia needs to do more than just destroy and occupy it. What's more important is to turn it into your own little brother. Whether it was to block Russia's access to the Black Sea or as a springboard for China to enter Europe. Turkey must be brought into the hands of China in the future. So. Long before World War II, China developed a plan to divide and win over Turkey. Of course, this co-optation plan will hardly succeed until the collapse of the Allies. This plan can only make Huaxia pay a smaller price, but cannot solve the problem fundamentally.

"Not necessarily. I'm afraid that the two river basins alone will not work, and if we do not completely squeeze the Germans' military strength out of the Middle East, there will be no big moves on the Turkish side, and I may have no problem dealing with the German army. But the Germans had no problem dealing with the Turkish forces either. I didn't have to end the war on land. The help of the Navy is also needed to completely solve the problems at sea. Peng Yi said.

The outcome of the war was determined from the moment it began. After the western offensive of Huaxia was launched, on the same day, the Huaxia Air Force concentrated 18,000 sorties of aircraft to launch an attack on the Lianghe River Valley, and the armored forces on the ground were divided into three routes: northern, central, and southern. The northern route is aimed at the Kirkuk oil field, the central route is aimed at Baghdad, and the southern route is targeted at the outskirts of Basra.

From the air, the armored torrent of thousands of tanks of various types and tens of thousands of wheeled armored vehicles and infantry fighting vehicles was invincible under the cover of the air force. Behind them are more than 300,000 transport vehicles of various types to transport supplies to the troops. Such a large formation was sufficient to deal with the heyday of the Central Powers in the Middle East, let alone against the weak Austro-Hungarian and Turkish forces, and the few remaining German armies. If Turkey still has the heart to fight to protect its own territory, then now the German army is probably worried about not being able to withdraw to Europe. Hundreds of thousands of troops were trapped in a small space in the lower reaches of the two river basins, and if the Chinese navy was dispatched again, then the German army would be completely dead.

Subsequently, the pace of the troops' offensive made Huaxia feel a little shocked. It's not that the opponent's resistance is too violent, but that the resistance is too weak! The main German forces deployed in the Middle East eventually split into two parts, one of which was retreated near Basra, while the other part was withdrawn to the later Israeli and Syrian coastal areas, in a clear attempt to abandon the two river basins and build a breakwater with their backs to the Mediterranean. As for the troops in Basra, they were well entrenched. Then the preparation for evacuation from the sea.

"That's not right, the Germans are too weak in the Middle East, they could have behaved better." Even Xu Jie was thinking about whether there was any greasy time behind this. The Germans told China with practical actions. What is the root cause of their weakness in the Middle East!

In May 1942. When China's offensive in the Middle East gradually entered its peak, it took half a month to take Kirkuk. When Baghdad was besieged, and the army was under Basra. Germany suddenly launched an attack on Russia! Millions of German troops crossed the border between the two countries and launched an attack on the Russian depths with the support of the air force! And such an offensive completely disrupted the deployment of the United States, Britain and Russia, how to say it? This situation is a bit like the original Barbarossa Plan, the only difference is that the United States, Britain and Russia are somewhat defensive.

Constrained by the disadvantage of limited troops, this German sortie was more of a defensive offensive than an active attack. Not to mention the limited investment of the attacking force. There are only two main directions of attack. The northern front is mainly aimed at Smolensk, which threatens Moscow to disrupt the deployment of the other side, while the southern front starts from Ukraine to attack the Voronezh region.

In the face of the sudden offensive, and the large number of Leopard tanks that they had never seen before, the three Allied countries felt very uncomfortable, and the three countries that were on the offensive side did not build a complete trench system. Under the vast European plains, the German armored forces quickly broke through the hastily established defensive lines one after another, and advanced into depth, and then divided and surrounded the opponent. A week after the start of the war, the United States, Britain and Russia lost a large number of troops.

However, soon, the three countries re-stabilized the station line, on the one hand, because the German army's preparations were very hasty and lacked stamina, and on the other hand, because the United States, Britain and Russia always had air supremacy. Whether it is a blitzkrieg or Maozi's large-depth offensive, it is absolutely impossible to have air supremacy, at least to ensure that the air strength of the two sides is equal. Don't you see the ten battles in the later period of Maozi, when Russia attacked without air supremacy? At the beginning of the 2nd World War, whether it was blitzed France or Barbarossa. That time the Luftwaffe did not have the upper hand?

In the face of the overwhelming air strike force of the three countries. The Germans' 5,000 planes were simply not enough, and soon the Luftwaffe was forced to go on the defensive. The land offensive forces were exhausted by the defense lines of the three armies. The two sides returned to the stalemate phase. However, the Germans were not very worried, and they did not intend to directly deal with their opponents in this attack. It is enough to disrupt the opponent's deployment, and then stabilize the situation on the Eastern Front.

"Overall, the results of this operation did not exceed our expectations. The situation in the Middle East has been completely degraded, and although the level of the land forces of the United States and Britain has been improved, the scale is limited. The Russians behaved even worse than the Tsarist army of the 1 war. In a short period of time. We can stabilize the situation in Europe. "Kruger stood in front of a huge sand table and introduced the situation in the entire Allied Powers.

In a small meeting, a group of big people gathered to shake the German Empire with their feet, Chief of the Army General Staff Kruger, Air Force Commander Richthofen, Navy Commander Raeder, and the commanders of the German armed forces were rarely gathered together, which was not what the Kaiser meant, on the contrary, this was the idea of the three bigwigs themselves! And they also avoided the eyes and ears of the Kaiser, and outside this small building, they were garrisoned by the elite units of the Air Force Airborne Forces, to the outside world. It was a military powerhouse, and for the three of them, it was a place where Germany's future could be decided.

At this stage of the war, the discerning person could already realize that Germany was in a difficult situation both internally and externally. They still underestimate their opponents too much. Germany had lost the confrontation with the whole world, not only was the strategy developed before the war unrealized, but the inherent sphere of power had become dilapidated, according to Limbentrop, that is, after the end of World War 1, one ally had left us (Italy) and the other had collapsed (Turkey). There was also an ally on the verge of collapse (Austria-Hungary). If the war continues, even if Germany can survive. I am afraid that Germany will also become a loner in this world. Russia to the east and Britain, France and the United States to the west. To the south is the same unfriendly Italy! In a word, yes. Germany is dead!

And at present, the bigwigs of the navy and air force believe that the only chance for Germany to exist is to pull one side and fight the other. Fighting to the death with two military groups at the same time is looking for death. However, the United States, Britain, and Russia will never shake hands with Germany, and Russia is Germany's sworn enemy, and the hatred between France and Germany is greater than that after the Franco-Prussian War. Britain and the United States were also sworn enemies of Germany, and the two sides fought from the beginning of World War 1. So, the three bigwigs think that if Germany wants to compromise with one side. Then it can only be China, not the United States, Britain and Russia!

"The current situation can stabilize for some time. Based on the previous contacts, it seems that Huaxia has a tendency to negotiate with us, but their asking price is too high, which is unacceptable to us. I think that in the future I will at least guarantee the territorial integrity of Turkey in Asia Minor and on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean. The fall of the two river basins is a foregone conclusion, and it is impossible for us to make Huaxia spit out what they have gained with military force. If necessary, we can even abandon the long-established Persian Gulf Rim. Southern Iran can also give them up! Kruger said, pointing to the sandbox.

"If it was before the outbreak of World War II, we could make peace with China and divide the sphere of strength between Iran and the Ottoman Empire. But now it's impossible, we're at an absolute disadvantage, and just ceding the two river basins won't stop the other side. Huaxia has already made great efforts to open up the Middle East, and after completely destroying the Turks and our defenses, they can already bring the whole of Turkey under their control. How could such conditions make Huaxia give up hostility with us? Raeder shook his head, saying that such a condition could not be negotiated at all.

"So what is Huaxia's opinion? You are responsible for making specific contacts and sharing your opinions. Instead of arguing with Raeder, Kruger asked Ribbentrop, who had been silent next to him, if it weren't for the fact that the latter was in charge of the secret meeting between Germany and China, he would not be qualified to participate in this meeting at all!

"They demanded a very high level of dismemberment of the Allies, not only for the two river basins and the vast area extending to the Mediterranean, but even for Turkey to become their ally. The most unbearable thing is that they don't seem to intend to let Austria-Hungary go either! Ribbentrop said. Although they did not say it explicitly, they made it clear that Tycho must return to Italy, and that the new Italian government must be compensated, and where did this compensation come from? I think everybody understands. ”

"Then there is really no need to talk about it, Austria-Hungary is not a strong ally, but it is the most loyal ally of the empire, and if we can't even keep Austria-Hungary, the Central Powers will be a thing of the past. In the foreseeable future, there will not be a single country above the middle that will be our hardcore ally. In the confrontation of the alliance of states, Germany will eventually be reduced to a secondary role. After hearing about China's conditions, Kruger said that he could not accept it, according to his idea, Germany could accept the transfer of certain interests, but the Allied group must be retained, and after the end of the war, the Allied and Entente powers and China would form a three-legged situation. If this cannot be done, then there is no need to talk about it.

Now, the German military leadership was clear about China's demands, the Central Powers had to be dissolved, and Austria-Hungary would be divided into several small states and regions. And part of it will be ceded to Italy. Huaxia's meaning is to make Germany change from the leader of the alliance to the younger brother. And as whose little brother, this is also obvious, from the current point of view, Germany cannot become the little brother of the United States, Britain and Russia, then it can only become Chinese! This is hard for the arrogant Germans to accept, at least for now!

But refusal will not solve everything, there is already a crisis within the Allies, and if Germany wants to keep its allies, it must take the initiative!

Thanks to the book friend 1st Guards Tank Brigade for the tip~~~, as well as the book friend Kuaifeng, 11, rain and rain leakage tips~~~. (To be continued.) )