Iron Cross

Chapter 040 Lone Hero Goodrian In this comparison of forces, we can only retreat. Of course, retreat is not the goal, retreat is for better progress. Please believe me, "Guderian blinked." I have already planned the next action and will not disappoint you. In addition, new troops and supplies are about to arrive, and they will land in Benghazi and Tobruk in batches. These are elite troops who have participated in the Eastern Front operations and will be directly transferred from the Empire's mainland How many? "Colonel Westphal quickly asked. The leader was very pleased this time. He first gave an additional 4th Armored Division, which is said to have 200 new tanks. Considering the special situation of the North African battlefield, the headquarters also gave an extra 500 military trucks. Speaking of this, Guderian's interest was quite high because it was an old subordinate he had led on the Eastern Front. He was familiar with everyone above the rank of Major and not only understood their personalities but also their combat styles. He had always believed that a commander would only be proficient in overall strategic command if he had mastered the backbone troops. His familiarity and tacit understanding of the existing African army were still somewhat lacking,Marshal Kesselring told me that soon the 'Flying Fortress' paratrooper armored brigade will also be transferred to us. They will come by transport plane, and these guys won't get airsickness. Their equipment won't go along the Italian line, they will come directly from Crete Flying Fortress? "General Walter frowned." I haven't heard of that name before, a newly formed unit No, the Hermann Goering Parachute Armored Brigade changed its name. After the fall of the Fat Man, the F ü hrer, who also served as the Air Force Commander in Chief, changed this cool new name. "Guderian thought for a moment and decided not to reveal the other units involved in the" Rolling Stone "plan, which was the top secret in the absolute secrecy. I heard that there were reinforcements and supplies, especially tanks, trucks, and gasoline urgently needed for desert warfare. Everyone's faces immediately looked good, and the atmosphere of the meeting became much more lively. Major General Bismarck, who had been silent, thought of something and said anxiously, "If we leave, what will happen to the Italian infantry heading north to undertake the feint attack mission? They don't have armored units, and their fuel and supplies are not sufficient to resist the British or retreat with us. But we can't notify them in advance, otherwise these guys will slip away quickly and directly disrupt the overall plan Let them persist until the end, "someone suggested. Not too good, that's basically the meaning of asking them to die, "someone murmured. Let them die, "Guderian said with a headache when he heard the three words" Italy "and couldn't help but curse. Someone immediately spoke up, "Italians won't fight to the death. Maybe the British will surrender as soon as they arrive. Not having enough fuel and supplies is a good excuse for surrender - even their leaders can't find a problem That's good, "Goodrian chuckled faintly As soon as these words were spoken, the command center burst into laughter. Everyone now thinks that the new commander is not bad, at least he is a very interesting person and will not suffer any losses under his command. As for soldiers, there are only two requirements. The first is to win, preferably like Marshal Rommel, who can repeatedly perform miracles of winning with less;If we really can't win, being able to reduce losses and bring our brothers back safely is also a hero - Goodrian has not yet explained the big plan, which is basically the image in their minds. The reason why Guderian wanted the Italian infantry to launch a feint attack was that Colonel Bailein could understand that it was not an easy task for the main force to retreat and break free from contact with the British. A slight mistake could lead to a rout, especially in the North African desert where the terrain was too flat and most of the time there was no danger to defend. If they withdrew without regard, the British would definitely drive the African army back to Libya like ducks, which would be too embarrassing. At this moment, he began to admire Guderian's decisive command: he was seen arranging for the Italians to move north to resist the British, while also arranging for the withdrawal of large troops. In addition, he was also calling for two armored battalions to prepare for the British deployment on the southern front, disrupting Montgomery's vision. In order to prevent the telecommunication detective department of the Eighth Army from uncovering the truth, Guderian insisted on keeping the African military command headquarters and withdrawing with the main force except for a few necessary telecommunication officers. He himself would hold on until the armored battalion returned before retreating. During the three days when the main army retreated first, apart from the two armored battalions at the forefront of the defense line and a not too dense minefield, Guderian was left with only a communication company and an armored reconnaissance company - inside were only a few Sd. kfz. 250 half track armored vehicles, not even a tank. If a brave British infantry battalion dared to bypass the minefields and armor of the battalion at this time, there was a high chance that they could directly capture Goodrian - they would be the first Third Reich general to be captured. Everyone was sweating for his safety, but he didn't care at all and told them, "Montgomery is a very cautious person. He won't easily startle us before we launch an attack. Besides, the command center is currently located at the airport. If there's anything, I'll take a plane and run. I can't be captured This statement was very frank, and everyone laughed. Major General Walter, Major General Bismarck, and others respectfully saluted, each leaving one of their best armored battalions for Guderian to use. They then arranged for the other units of their division to retreat, and the Chief of Staff and Chief of Operations received orders to assist the other two light divisions in their retreat. Only Colonel Melinjin felt guilty about the fake map and insisted on staying to accompany Guderian, who readily agreed. While Guderian quickly adjusted its deployment, the British response was also not slow. After intercepting the "intelligence," Montgomery breathed a long sigh and said to Chief of Staff Colonel de Ragan, "Although I don't know how Goodrian saw our troop deployment, I believe this telegram reflects the real situation, and the reconnaissance results from the front line also support this. This is a more cautious opponent than Rommel After learning that Rommel had returned to his home country to recuperate and Guderian had taken over the relevant positions in the African army, the Eighth Army breathed a sigh of relief. After all, Rommel's reputation was too great, and in the past two years, they had been almost suffocated. Although Guderian's reputation was equally well-known, he had also fought against the expeditionary forces in the French campaign, but at the beginning, they were all defeated like mountains, and Guderian's skill was not evident. On the contrary, Rommel's fierce battle in Arras left a deep impression on the British. After the implementation of the Barbarossa Plan, Guderian and Rommel were divided into two battlefields, and the British did not confront him without knowing the truth. They also learned from the Soviets that Guderian was angrily dismissed by Hitler due to his poor performance in the Moscow Campaign, which inevitably lowered their evaluation of him. Moreover, Rommel was a marshal, while Guderian was just a general. In terms of qualifications, Guderian was older than Rommel. In the eyes of the strict and rigid British people, this fully demonstrates that Guderian's abilities and achievements are not comparable to Rommel's. After learning of the news of the German army's change of command, General Alexander in Cairo (who took over as the Commander in Chief of the British Middle East theater from Auchinleck, and Montgomery took over as the Commander of the Eighth Army from Auchinleck) also felt relieved and joked to his deputy, "Now at least the soldiers on the Alamein front line no longer have to suffer from the torment of the Desert Fox De Lagan nodded in agreement with Montgomery's judgment and tentatively asked, "Should we take the initiative to attack No, we will still adopt the established policy discussed with General Alexander, "Montgomery said How do you plan to respond to the feint attack on the northern front The northern line is full of Italians, they can't make waves. Let's keep the guys fighting, don't beat them too hard, otherwise they'll drive the Italians away, and Guderian will also run with them, "Montgomery said with a smile." Since he's going to strike again on September 7th, let's wait for him and let him head over to see if Guderian can perform better than Rommel in a week Churchill, who also learned of the news of the change of command in the African army, was very dissatisfied with the conservative arrangements of Alexander and Montgomery. He sent several telegrams requesting Montgomery to take the initiative to attack, but the other party unhesitatingly pushed him back and sent a telegram to General Alexander urging him. He was also evaded by the other party's Tai Chi, who said, "Once the battle deployment is completed, do not easily change it to avoid being taken advantage of by the German army, and trust the judgment of the front-line commander. The poor Prime Minister just replaced Ö jinleck over half a month ago and doesn't want to mess around again, so now he seems to have no better choice but to be angry and wait.