The Rise of the Third Reich

The commander of the German Afrika Korps, General Erwin Rommel, was summoned from Benghazi to Rome by Hessmann on the day after Pope Pius XII ascended to heaven.

The situation in North Africa now is different from that in history. Although the Italian Army is still vulnerable, the British Mediterranean Fleet's defeat in the previous naval battle has also severely affected the British Army's offensive speed. Although the British Army still captured the port of Tobruk in January, the sea control of the port changed hands and it could no longer be used as a supply port for the British army.

Without supplies from the port of Tobruk, the British army would have to drag a logistics line of six to seven hundred kilometers to obtain supplies from Alexandria. Although they have more trucks than Italians, the nearly 1,400-kilometer journey still consumes a lot of gasoline. In order to carry this gasoline, the trucks have to carry a lot less cargo, which greatly reduces the efficiency of transportation.

Therefore, as the British army continued to advance west of Tubruk, logistical pressure became increasingly apparent. Moreover, there is also the possibility that the German and Italian troops will land at Tubruk Port from the sea and cut off the British army's retreat.

Therefore, after Wavell's defeat in the naval battle, he canceled his plan to outflank and attack Benghazi to cut off the Italian 10th Army's retreat. Instead, he ordered the 7th Armored Division and the Australian 6th Division to pursue and drive away the Italian army. After driving more than 100,000 Italians who had abandoned their baggage and weapons to Benghazi, Wavell ordered the troops to return to Tubruk and begin building construction there. The fortifications were prepared to hold for a long time.

Just as the British retreated to Tubruk and the Italians retreated to Benghazi, Infantry General Rommel, who had just been appointed commander of the German African Army, led his staff and the vanguard of the African Army on an Italian transport. The ship arrived in Benghazi and began to inspect the North African battlefield.

"Erwin, do you know that the Pope has ascended to heaven?" Hersmann personally greeted Rommel at the door of the main building of the Medici Villa. Rommel was one year older than Hersmann. Although they did not graduate from the same military school, they had known each other for a long time (they met in Romania during World War I), and their relationship later became very good.

"Already know," Rommel nodded, "This is really a terrible atrocity. The Italians in Benghazi are crying for the Pope, but all they can do is shed tears, and they can't really hope for anything else."

The two of them walked to Hersman's office in the headquarters. It was a very spacious room filled with maps. There is also a sand table in the room, which shows the terrain of the Eastern Mediterranean. There are also wooden models of tanks, warships and infantry placed on the sand table. On the sand table, various models are densely placed around Benghazi, around Tublik and on the island of Crete.

"Can't you count on it?" Hersman held his hand on the edge of the sand table and shook his head with a wry smile. "But without the strong momentum of the Italians, how dare you push the front to Tubruk right away?"

"Tubruk?" Rommel was stunned. "Shouldn't we attack Crete first?"

"That's changed now," Hersman said.

He had studied Cunningham's possible strategies with two Japanese soldiers, Yamamoto Isoroku and Kuroshima Kameto, last night, and decided to be on the safe side. Although the Italian fleet is not weak on paper. However, their performance on the battlefield is really worrying. It's okay to have overwhelming air superiority in broad daylight, but if you want to fight a fleet versus fleet night battle, forget it.

"It is better to capture the port of Tubruk first, and then capture Crete." Hessman said thoughtfully. "We can also ignore Crete, attack Egypt directly, and close the door to the Suez Canal. It depends on whether we can use the port of Tobruk to transport supplies and reinforcements."

"I think it is better to attack Egypt directly from Tubruk," Rommel expressed his opinion, "or we can bypass Tubruk and go straight to Alexandria."

"Bypass Tubruk?" Hessmann knew that this was a tactic adopted by Rommel in history, but due to difficulty in ensuring logistical supplies, he lost at the gate of Alexander.

"What about supplies?" Hersman asked. "It is nearly 1,000 kilometers from Benghazi to Alexandria. There are only a few small ports along the North African coast, making it impossible to carry out large-scale supplies."

"The British may have to defend Tubruk with their main force," Rommel said, "perhaps a battle will break out west of Tubruk. If the British are defeated, they will shrink into the defensive position of Tubruk and hold on. Then my people You can push all the way and reach Alexandria after about 600 kilometers.

As long as there is no major battle along the way, mechanized troops can be used to advance in 6-7 days to get the troops to the vicinity of Alexandria. Rations, fresh water, and fuel should be enough, and they can also be supplied through beaches and small and medium-sized ports. There is a Messetru Port in northwest Egypt, which is also okay. If that doesn't work, you can still use airdrops to resupply. There are many large airports and military airports around Benghazi that can be used, and you can even organize an airborne operation behind enemy lines. "

Although Rommel's idea was risky, it was still possible to realize it. According to the situation grasped by Hersman, the British army is now divided into the Peloponnese Peninsula, Crete, and Tubruk Port, while the forces near Alexandria appear empty. If Rommel adopts the strategy of bypassing Tubruk and attacking Alexander directly, it is very likely to create a situation where the enemy is locked behind closed doors.

Moreover, the supply problem is not unsolvable. Compared with the current situation, sea control and air control in the Mediterranean basically belong to Germany and Italy.

"How many troops have arrived in Benghazi now?" Hersman asked.

"The 21st Armored Division arrived at the 5th Tank Regiment, the 104th Armored Carrier Regiment, and the 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion. The 15th Armored Division arrived at the 115th Armored Carrier Regiment and the 33rd Self-Propelled Artillery Regiment. The 90th Light Division arrived at the 200th Infantry Regiment. and the 900th Mechanized Infantry Battalion.”

The three divisions assigned to the African Army are now only part of it, and the bits and pieces added up are almost a little more than a light armored division.

But the 5th Tank Regiment is very good. It is equipped with No. 4 G tanks and has a 43-caliber 75mm gun, which is enough to deal with the British Matilda tank.

"The Grossdeutsche Bundesliga has also arrived in Italy," Hessmann thought for a moment and said, "I asked them to board the ship immediately and they can be deployed within a week."

The Grossdeutschland Standard Corps has now expanded to the size of a brigade, and is well-equipped, and its combat effectiveness is comparable to that of a motorized infantry division.

"In addition, the 7th Airborne Division and the Italian 185th Lightning Division are also allocated to you." Hersman added, "They can be airlifted to Benghazi and they can be there in a week."

These two divisions are both lightly armed units, but they are composed of elite infantry, including the 185th Lightning Division, which is also a rare elite in the Italian army.

"That's great," Rommel laughed. "There are nearly four divisions, which is enough to deal with the British. And there are 130,000 Italian troops in Benghazi. They should be able to surround Tubruk."

Hessman nodded, "Okay, Erwin, you should draw up a combat plan immediately. The code name will be 'Desert Tiger'."

…

"Why did you blow up the Pope to death? Why didn't God bless him..."

At No. 10 Downing Street, Winston Churchill shook his head repeatedly in the cabinet meeting room. It would be very troublesome to blow up the Pope, especially when the general environment is not conducive to Britain. France and Spain are both Catholic countries, and the British bombing of the Pope will definitely increase their dissatisfaction with Britain. And the newly elected pope is likely to be an anti-British element!

But what annoyed Churchill most was not the death of the pope, but the fact that the bombing of Rome did not seem to have a shocking effect - because not many people were killed.

"Prime Minister," Sir Dill, the Chief of General Staff who attended the meeting, frowned and reported, "Crete and Tubruk were bombed by hundreds of aircraft this morning, and the losses were very heavy... Admiral Wavell suggested Abandon Crete, Greece and Tubruk, and concentrate on the defense of Egypt.”

"Abandon Greece and Tubruk?" Churchill took a few puffs of his cigar, looking a little irritated. "After abandoning there, we can hold Egypt?"

Sir Dill did not answer because he was not at all sure of giving a definite answer. If Germany and Italy control Tubruk and Crete, then their Ju88, S.M79 and Fokker Zero can fly to Alexandria and the Suez Canal every day to bombard them. In this case, Egypt can How long to keep.

"Prime Minister," Sir Pound, the First Sea Lord, took over the question, "Admiral Cunningham believes that the key to the Eastern Mediterranean lies at sea..."

"How does he plan to fight?" Churchill asked immediately.

"The Admiral intends to dispatch battleships to seek a decisive night battle after the enemy lands on Crete."

Cunningham's choice was exactly what Yamamoto Isoroku had guessed! He is also preparing to withdraw from the aircraft carrier and then use battleships for a last-ditch effort. If it works, the situation in the Eastern Mediterranean will be saved. If it doesn't, there is nothing we can do.

"But what if the enemy does not attack Crete, but attacks Tubruk from the land?" Churchill asked.

"Then withdraw the Greek troops and concentrate all our efforts on defending Egypt." Sir Pound said in a low tone. "If Egypt fails to defend, we can also destroy the oil facilities in Iraq and Iran, and build more facilities in Aden and Muscat." and Socotra Island were deployed to block the shipping lanes of the Red Sea and Arabian Sea.

Finally, we should also consider the issue of a decisive battle with the Germans, Italians, Spanish and perhaps the French in Gibraltar! "

Churchill bit the cigar in his mouth and said: "We must defend Egypt, we must defend it!"