"It's been three days, and we've had a nice trip since we started from Kut, and if it weren't for the chariots next to us and the occasional enemy plane in the sky reminding us that we are at war, I might have thought we were on an armed march, and in three days we had been 200 kilometers deep into Iranian territory as the vanguard of the Left Legion. But so far we have not found the main force of the adversary, and I have asked Colonel Hube when and where the enemy will engage us. And General Hubey's answer was anytime, anywhere. Paul wrote in his diary.

The pattern of the war in Iran was something that the German Army had never encountered, and both sides built a coherent front with large armies and then attacked and defended. On the Iranian battlefield, the total strength of both sides is not large, but at the same time they have strong mobility, so both sides are trying to find fighters to eliminate their opponents in maneuver. Americans didn't sleep much. Their fast reconnaissance aircraft were constantly hovering over the German Army, and at this time the front-line airfield had not yet been established. The short-legged BF109 naturally could not accompany the armored forces left and right. The Germans are also searching for their opponents as much as possible through air reconnaissance forces, but the reconnaissance planes are affected by range and other aspects, and the results are never very good. (For example, Germany's liquid-cooled engines are somewhat unadapted to the climate of the Middle East.) So the German Army is really on its own for now! Whether it's engagement or reconnaissance.

As Hube's old partner, Paul felt that Hube in the Iran War and Hube in the Italian War were simply two people. If Hube's fighting style in the Italian War was similar to a bear, using his furious strength to simply eliminate his opponent, then now Hube is more like a cunning cheetah. He spends more time searching for prey, then tricks his opponent into making the wrong move by confusing him, and finally finds a favorable moment to deliver the fatal blow. Hubey's catchphrase was: "Tank engagement is not the same as armored artillery and mobility." Our equipment cannot always be superior to our opponents. More often than not, it is a matter of strategy rather than recklessness. ”

Paul felt that Hubey's last defeat in Italy had been a big touch, although the Army ultimately decided that Hube was not at fault. But the shadow of defeat hung over Hubey, and from then on he began to explore tactics against various adverse conditions. In some settings and deductions, the harsh conditions even make colleagues feel a little unreasonable. Some do-gooders even privately discuss whether Hube has masochistic tendencies. And Hube still went his own way, so much so that there was a saying circulating within the German Army: "There is no battle that Hube does not dare to participate in." "And today. Hubey, who is back on the battlefield, finally has a chance to turn his vision and tactics into reality!

To be honest, the German Army still has a lot of trust in Hubey. They also tried to meet Hube's requests. This time, Hube was tasked with being the vanguard of the entire force, attacking and searching for American and British forces, finding and destroying the opponent, and if the opponent was stronger, then Hube had to try to hold the opponent as long as possible. And try to prevent the infiltration of the other party. It can be said that it took on the dual duties of the avant-garde and the strike force. And in response to this complex mission system, the forces allocated by the Germans to Hube were also very strong.

Hube's main armoured assault force was a tank battalion No. 4 and an assault gun battalion No. 3 (the latter had anti-infantry assault guns armed with howitzers in addition to anti-tank assault guns armed with 75mmL43 guns, with a ratio of 1 to 1 between the two vehicles). Support troops for a company of self-propelled howitzers and a certain number of heavy mortars. The reconnaissance unit consisted of two Weasel wheeled infantry fighting vehicles. In addition to these units, there are a number of Puma half-tracks armed with 40mm cannons, the most important role of these things is cameo air defense. The infantry units accompanying the armored units consisted of two battalions of mechanized infantry. One of the battalions was on a half-track vehicle, and the other on a truck. In addition to the combat units, Hube also had the right to liaise directly with the air force for reconnaissance and air support, and a liaison group was provided specifically for the enemy air force.

According to the German Army's operational plan, the troops starting from the southern part of the two river basins were divided into two groups, one set out from Kut to attack Kermanshah and then turned to the north to attack Kurdistan Province and directly threaten the Chinese Army deployed on the western border of Iran. The other group set out from Basra and attacked Arak, and after capturing this important town, it either attacked the Qom oil fields on the one hand, or also turned northwest to take the rear route of the Chinese army with the Kut cluster. The Germans planned it this way. Britain and the United States are also more aware of each other's strategies, because there are only a few transportation hubs and major transportation routes in southwestern Iran. The eventual main meeting point is Daurud and Arrak, if not occupied. If you are attacking in the wilderness for a long distance, the pressure on logistics is too great, and even ordinary trucks are impassable in many places. Therefore, in the case of large-scale operations, the Germans could not choose many routes. And the US army, which was responsible for defending the flank of Kurdistan province, concentrated its main forces on Kermanshah. However, this did not mean that there were no heavy troops elsewhere, and on the road to Alman Shah, West Islam Abad became the first tough bone that the Germans had to face.

"The city has been initially fortified, with a relatively complete system of trenches and concrete barrages deployed in key areas. If we were to attack, it would be very difficult to capture, and eventually a small number of infantry would get bogged down in street fighting. They also had an armored force of unknown size deployed in the hilly terrain behind the flanks of the town. It may be to ensure the smooth flow of the back road, or as a surprise army. A staff officer reported to Hube.

"Actually, we only need to wipe out the troops deployed outside the city. You won't be able to get around the city. Go ahead and assault. Paul said, looking at the information. In general, armored forces are meant to avoid urban warfare, in cities. The huge, bulky tank was as sluggish as a stupid bear.

"How can you tell if the other side has an armored force around it?" Hube did not comment on Paul's suggestion, but rather the people in charge of the investigation.

"It's actually very difficult for us to get close to each other's locations, but that's true in terms of road transportation. There were a large number of tanker trucks inside, as well as armored car escorts. ”

"Have you been further afield?" Hu Bei asked with a slight frown.

"We have too few reconnaissance vehicles. Theoretically, there was a company of Weasel chariots, but the actual attendance was not so high. So I'm sorry. Our search is narrow. Aerial reconnaissance on the part of the Air Force is also not very effective, because the other side may have deployed a field airfield somewhere around. The reconnaissance aircraft of the Air Force were repeatedly driven away. Someone replied.

"If that's the case, then I'm afraid the situation is not so simple, if the air force guys are not exaggerating, the other side's air force should be concentrated in the north. And now the Americans are actually deploying special aviation units specifically for this outpost. Then the situation is definitely not as simple as we think. Hube shook his head and said.

"How far are we from our follow-up troops?" Hube asked, turning.

"At least three days' journey, you know, not only did the Army have to walk on its own, but it is said that in order to provide the Air Force with a forward base, a lot of logistics units and engineering units are used to build airfields and transport aviation supplies." Paul thought for a moment and said.

"In other words, we are actually a little far from the main forces? If you include the main forces, I am afraid that the time for the deployment will be longer. In a way, we're already alone. A cold glint flashed in Hube's eyes. From the current analysis, Hube already has some guesses about the other party's thoughts. All that's left is to put it to the test.

And at the same time, about 50 kilometers northwest of West Islam Abad. Colonel Walker, known as the fighting dog, was anxiously awaiting news from the Germans. The Americans will not just sit in Kerman Shah and wait for the German Army to come to the door, the US Army has a limited number, and if it is engaged in an offensive and defensive war in the conventional sense, the US Army will obviously suffer in the face of the German army, which has both quantitative and qualitative superiority. Therefore, General Patton, as the commander-in-chief of the U.S. forces in Iran, also developed a tactic specifically for Iran's situation to attrition the opponent at the front. At the heart of this tactic is to weaken the opponent by attacking the Germans' elite strikers. Judging from the previous battles, the strikers of the League* team quickly have strong combat effectiveness, but at the same time the toughness is relatively poor. This is not to say that the Germans did not have enough strength, but that their strikers were accustomed to throwing all their strength into the first attack and not leaving too many back hands. The main force is slower to move back because of various restrictions. There will be a large gap between the striker and the main force directly, and if it is done properly, then the Americans can completely leave immediately after inflicting heavy damage on the opposing forward troops. Dodge the blows of the opponent's main forces.

In fact, judging from the current situation, the facts have proved that Barton's guess is correct. Hubey's strong and swift forward force attacked at a very fast pace, while the main forces in the rear were several days away from the forward. But a chance is not enough. After all, the German strikers are very powerful, and the attack power that erupts once they fight is very terrifying. On the one hand, Patton does not have much confidence in the newly equipped M4 Sherman tank of the United States, and on the other hand, the Americans can't withstand such attrition, so he needs to design a target for the other side, so that Hube can fight the American defense artillery first. When the other party is exhausted, Barton will do it again.

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