The Rise of the Third Reich

The 7th German Airborne Division played a key role in this North African campaign. The target they were going to occupy was about 320 kilometers east of Tobruk, in Egypt, called Messematru. It was a very small port, surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea and a vast desert Gobi. However, the value of Messematru could not be overemphasized.

First of all, Messematru was a port. Although it was not big, it could always transport some things ashore. And it was located between Tobruk and El Alamein, only 200 kilometers away from El Alamein. Rommel's African Corps could make a key supply here, fill the tanks of all tanks, armored vehicles and self-propelled artillery with fuel, and then drive to El Alamein to participate in the war.

Secondly, Messematru was also an important air force base of the Royal Air Force in Egypt. Because it was relatively close to Tobruk and Benghazi, the aircraft deployed here could pose a greater threat to Tobruk and Benghazi. Therefore, a few years before the start of World War II, the British built a large airport in Messematru.

Once the airport, which the British called "Matruh Airport", was captured by the German army, the German army could quickly send reinforcements to Messe Matrouh through the air corridor of Benghazi-Matruh Airport. In 24 hours at most, the German 7th Airborne Division and the Italian 185th Lightning Division could be deployed (these two divisions have a small number of people, with a total of only more than 12,000 people), and several squadrons of combat aircraft could be deployed there.

In addition, according to intelligence, the Royal Air Force of the United Kingdom also stored a lot of precious aviation gasoline at Matruh Airport! If this gasoline fell into the hands of the German army, then the German Ju88 would soon be able to use Matruh Airport as a base to bomb Alexandria, 250 kilometers away!

It is precisely because of the importance of Matruh Airport that this airport was "ignored" by the German and Italian air forces in the air raids after February 20.

However, the 24 fighter squadrons of the Royal Air Force (equipped with Hurricane aircraft) stationed here and responsible for the air defense of the airport did not take it lightly. When the 96 fighter planes (48 Fokker Zeros and 48 Fokker 99s) of the 9th and 10th Carrier Aircraft Groups led by Captain Heinz Barr flew over Messe Matruh, they immediately engaged with the 32 Hurricane aircraft that had already taken off.

"Captain Barr, this is Lieutenant Hersman. Enemy planes have been spotted below the clouds. They are Hurricanes, at least 24 of them!" Hersman's squadron was flying in the front, and it was flying quite high. It was also the first to spot the Hurricanes that had already taken off to meet the enemy.

"Hersman Squadron, Novotny Squadron, Miller Squadron, go and deal with those Hurricanes." Captain Heinz Barr's voice came back to Hersman's headset along with the sound of radio interference.

"Squadron 2, let's go down and deal with them! Two-plane formation, attack!" Hersman pushed the joystick, and his plane immediately rushed down.

The Fokker Zero C-3 model has greatly improved its high-altitude performance due to the installation of a supercharger and MW50 system, but you still have to be careful when diving, and the angle cannot be too large, otherwise the fuselage structure will be difficult to withstand.

However, such a dive and speed are more than enough to deal with the Hurricane. Little Hersman aimed at a Hurricane that was shaking left and right and trying to escape, and quickly bit the opponent's tail, and then pulled the trigger.

The fuselage of the Fokker Zero aircraft trembled slightly, and the cannon on the nose sprayed out flames. 7.92mm machine gun bullets and 20mm cannon shells poured onto the fuselage of the Hurricane aircraft at the same time, and the aircraft immediately fell down with smoke and spinning.

"The 10th one!"

Little Hersman shouted happily in the cabin. In an escort operation two days ago, he had another victory. Including this one now, he already has 10 results in hand.

At the same time that Hessman Jr. shot down a Hurricane, the other 17 two-plane formations in the sky also completed a hunt, with only one Fokker Zero being shot down.

"The British are getting more and more vulnerable now!" Hessman Jr. evaluated his opponent in his mind as he pulled up the plane to look for the next target.

Although the Fokker Zero has a performance advantage over the Hurricane, it is not to the point where it can crush it effortlessly. Now that it has scored 17:1 in a few minutes, it can only be said that the pilots flying those Hurricanes are all rookies.

The British rookies flying Hurricanes were quickly shot out by the Fokker Zero, and the Messematru sky now belongs to the Germans.

The British anti-aircraft guns on the ground began to fire sparsely. Messematru is far less important to Britain than to Germany and Italy, and the number of anti-aircraft guns in the hands of the British army in the Middle East is also limited. Tobruk and Crete in the front cannot be deployed more, and the old nest Alexandria in the back also needs anti-aircraft gun protection. Therefore, there are not many anti-aircraft guns that can be deployed to Messematru.

"All fighter squadrons, keep circling in the air," Heinz Barr saw the outcome of the aerial combat and began to issue orders again, "All bomber squadrons, pay attention, the bombing operation has begun, suppress the anti-aircraft artillery positions on the ground, and be careful not to bomb the airport runway and oil depot..."

The airport runway and oil depot were left to the airborne troops behind in Ju52 and DF230 light assault rifles. 6,500 officers and soldiers were flying toward Messe Matrouh in 302 Ju52 transport planes and 228 DF230 bombers, escorted by 48 Fokker Zeros!

…

The armored command vehicle in which General Rommel was riding passed the battlefield where fierce fighting took place in the morning at 1:30 pm on February 24, 1941. His 58 No. 4 tanks, 48 ​​50mm anti-tank guns and 4 half-tracks equipped with 47mm anti-tank guns defeated a British armored group composed of 400 various tanks here. The exchange of fire lasted less than an hour, but less than 300 damaged British tanks were left on the battlefield.

The German armored forces showed overwhelming superiority in this battle! However, the fighting on the battlefield of Tobruk continued. Although the attack of the British armored group was easily crushed, the subsequent blockade responsible for the 1st Free French Brigade and the Polish Independent Brigade was quite tenacious.

These French and Polish warriors, who thought they were the ones who had lost their country, were very brave and well-trained. The British's insufficiently powerful 2-pound anti-tank gun (40mm gun) became a sharp weapon in their hands. In addition, they also planted anti-tank mines everywhere. After several hours of fighting, they actually destroyed dozens of No. 4 tanks. and half-track armored vehicles.

The No. 5 vehicle of Second Lieutenant Ribbentrop's armored reconnaissance platoon (the one equipped with a 47mm gun) was also damaged by the Poles with a 2-pounder artillery. The commander, Sergeant Schumacher, was seriously injured and was carried off. the battlefield.

Second Lieutenant Ribbentrop was ordered to take the remaining four half-tracks along the edge of the battlefield, trying to find a passage that could allow the tanks to bypass east of Tobruk.

The current battlefield situation is very chaotic. The troops of both sides are strangled together. The German tanks and armored vehicles have achieved breakthroughs in many places, but the French and Polish desperadoes are holding on to many ring strongholds and resisting tenaciously. Many Indians were also sent out, carrying 2-pound anti-tank guns and machine guns to establish a defense line consisting of countless firepower strongholds in the Gobi Desert. The half-track led by Second Lieutenant Ribbentrop was constantly fired by various firepower along the way, and they also used the 20mm machine gun and 14.5mm heavy machine gun on the half-track to fight back.

"Fire! Fire!" Ribbentrop shouted. Because his team suddenly ran into many Indians traveling in trucks. There were thirty or forty trucks, all of which were very short Indians.

The 20mm machine gun fired immediately, smashing the Ford truck at the front into a sieve. The Indians above screamed and jumped down, but they did not throw away their weapons and escape. Instead, they lay down on the spot and started to fight back with rifles. Only when Ribbentrop later liberated India did he learn that what he encountered in North Africa was Ah San is not the real third brother, but a Gurkha mercenary from Nepal, who is quite brave and tough.

The German soldiers sitting on the half-track also jumped out of the vehicle, lay down next to the half-track, and fired at the Gurkhas with their Mauser P40 and MG34 machine guns.

In the next hour, soldiers from both sides engaged in fierce exchanges of fire across a stretch of sand four to five hundred meters wide. Because there are two 20mm machine guns and two 14.5mm heavy machine guns, the Germans have an overwhelming advantage in firepower. But those Gurkha mercenaries had a numerical advantage. Not only did they not retreat, they also organized two infantry assaults under the cover of two mortars, hoping to get closer and engage in hand-to-hand combat. However, they were all driven back by Ribbentrop's men with firepower, leaving dozens of corpses on the sand. Three people in Ribbentrop's platoon were also killed, four were wounded, and four half-tracks were also destroyed. The Gurkha mercenaries used anti-tank guns to shoot holes all over his body, but fortunately there were no serious injuries.

But about an hour after the two sides began to exchange fire, several No. 4 tanks covered a company of infantry and came for reinforcements. They drove away these brave Gurkhas with overwhelming firepower and killed most of them. died. Second Lieutenant Ribbentrop's men captured an "Indian" in his thirties who could speak English that was difficult to understand. Second Lieutenant Ribbentrop was responsible for interrogating him. Only then did he learn that they had detoured to South Africa. Behind the defense lines of the 1st Division and the 5th Indian Division, less than 2 kilometers further forward is Knightsbridge, a key point garrisoned by a regiment of the 10th Indian Division. As long as it was captured, the German armored forces could detour back to the east of Tobruk along the Kazop Trail.