The Rise of the Third Reich

Major General George Patton, the best tank general in the United States, was dismissed by Stilwell at the climax of the Battle of Hartlepool-Middlesbrough.

At the same time, the life of Major General Parisi Hobert, Britain's best tank commander, came to an end.

His 11th Armored Division was no match for the German armored group, which consisted of two heavy armor battalions and one destroyer tank battalion.

Because the British 11th Armored Division had just been transferred from the Irish front line and had not undergone necessary renovations - after the London protests, the originally efficient war machine seemed to have slackened overnight, and many in the military and government departments People are busy fleeing to Canada. Even those who have no way to escape are not thinking about the battlefield. Moreover, the storm of protests in London also spread to other major cities in the UK. Even the British railway system experienced short strikes and long-term management chaos.

The Churchill tanks and tank destroyers that were supposed to be shipped to the Hartlepool-Middlesbrough front line on the 13th had not been loaded until the 16th. As for when they would be shipped, only God knows.

As a result, on the morning of the 16th, the 11th Armored Division had only 55 Churchill tanks/tank destroyers that could be activated. They faced more than 80 Tiger tanks, and there were 45 Rhino tank destroyers with firepower no less than that of the Tigers.

However, the reason for the rapid collapse of the British Army's 11th Armored Division was not the bounties offered by the armored forces on both sides, but the collapsing fighting spirit of the British officers and soldiers. It’s not that the 11th Armored Division has never encountered Tigers on the island of Ireland, nor has it never fought in battles with huge disparities in strength. But they always find ways to persevere until the end. Even if they are forced to retreat, they are defeated without collapse. They have never collapsed like they did today!

When a group of Tiger tanks appeared menacingly, the thousands of British troops on the battlefield who did not know who they were fighting for and why they were fighting were shaken. The tanks refused to move forward, the soldiers dragging the anti-tank guns also hesitated to enter their positions, and the infantrymen who had just completed their deployment retreated one after another. The officers who were supposed to urge the soldiers to fight did not stop this passive avoidance of war, and many of them were even ready to join in.

Probably Major General Hobert was the only one who still refused to give up. He first angrily issued the order to counterattack. Seeing that no one was executing, he simply stopped a Churchill tank destroyer that was reversing, then got into the car, used a pistol to force the crew members to drive the vehicle and launched a charge!

This brave act of almost death aroused the courage of some people. Sixteen tanks/tank destroyers and hundreds of officers and soldiers launched an almost suicidal charge. However, in the face of the overwhelming German armored group, such a charge was meaningless.

In less than 10 minutes, all sixteen tanks/tank destroyers, including the Churchill tank destroyer driven by Hobert, were smashed into pieces by the German Tiger tanks and Rhino tank destroyers. The infantry following the charge were also covered by grenades from the short-barreled artillery of 44 Type 4 F tanks.

After Major General Hobert's heroic sacrifice, the British 11th Armored Division, like the 3rd Infantry Division, ushered in a moment of total collapse.

The news reached the British and American Allied Forces Command in Darlington, but General Montgomery did not immediately convene his staff to discuss countermeasures. Instead, he locked himself in his office and started talking on the phone with Viscount Brooke in London.

"Viscount, we have been defeated. The troops have no fighting spirit and cannot fight at all... The 3rd Division and the 11th Armored Division have collapsed!"

During the phone call, Montgomery told the Imperial Chief of Staff all about the crisis on the battlefield. This call was actually discussed in advance. Viscount Brooke called Montgomery after the turmoil in London temporarily subsided and asked him to call him. When the Hartlepool-Middlesbrough campaign faced setbacks, he was immediately called to inform him.

"How many more troops can be gathered?" Viscount Brooke asked on the other end of the phone line.

"If we retreat immediately, we should be able to gather 5-7 divisions." Montgomery replied.

"Are they all British divisions?" Viscount Brooke said, "What I want is the British divisions. Withdraw as many British divisions as possible! Let the Americans fight the Germans. Do you understand?"

Montgomery was silent for a while and replied: "Then leave 2 American divisions behind, so that at least 6 divisions can be withdrawn."

"Okay," Viscount Brooke said on the phone, "leave the Americans alone, take your troops and retreat."

Montgomery seemed a little surprised and was silent for a while, then asked: "Viscount, where are our people going to evacuate?"

"Go to Liverpool, Manchester and Sheffield!" said Viscount Brooke. "You personally lead a division to Liverpool. There are many supplies and equipment there that must be mastered. I will go to Liverpool to join you... Remember, you are saving Britain! We cannot let this country become Russia in 1917!

To save the country, we must master some troops. Only in this way can we protect the British Isles! Do you understand what we are going to do? "

Obviously, Viscount Brooke did not intend to accompany Churchill to Canada as an apartment. He believed that Britain was the place where he should stay, and he also wanted to do something for Britain.

"I understand, I understand, Viscount, I listen to you."

Montgomery's answer made Viscount Brooke very satisfied, and he then connected the phone to Admiral Alexander in Belfast.

"Harold," Viscount Brooke asked on the phone, "The Battle of Hartlepool-Middlesbrough has failed. I have ordered Montgomery to gather his troops and retreat."

"God, the empire is over, isn't it?" Harold Alexander's voice sounded a little trembling.

"The Empire is not over!" Viscount Brooke said solemnly, "The Empire still has a future, as long as we soldiers can stand up at critical moments. Harold, are you willing to stand up?"

There was silence on the other end of the phone line, and then Harold Alexander's slow but firm voice: "I do! Viscount, I am willing to fight for the empire until my last breath."

"Okay, send your people to control all the British ships in Belfast Harbor." Viscount Brooke said, "At the same time, take care of your army, select some reliable troops, and transport them to Liverpool."

"Liverpool? You mean Liverpool?" Alexander seemed very surprised.

"Yes!" replied Viscount Brooke, "it will be Liverpool."

"What are you doing there?"

"Go and fight a civil war!" Viscount Brooke said, "There will be a civil war. The British Bolshevik Party has been prepared, and we must also be prepared! Now... we are going to be the German Wehrmacht in 1918! Harold, Do you get me?"

"I understand, I understand! Our British Army must work hard for the future rejuvenation of the country like the German Army did back then."

…

Faced with inevitable defeat, the British Army prepared to learn from the German Wehrmacht in 1918. They are sharpening their knives and preparing for a big fight.

The British Bolshevik Party was preparing to learn from the Russian Bolshevik Party in 1917, and was also going all out to prepare for a great uprising in London.

The optimistic Lieutenant General Stilwell was sent by Montgomery to the vicinity of Stodonk to command two American divisions to hold their positions...

This is what Montgomery told Stilwell. He said: "Lieutenant General, the key now is to prevent the German armored group from joining up with the German paratroopers at Stodonk. If they attack Stodonk, our two divisions and Your two divisions will be surrounded, and the defeat of the Battle of Hartlepool-Middlesbrough will be irreversible.

So I hope that the US military can block the German troops near Stodonk and block them for at least 48 hours, so that our reinforcements will arrive. I hope that you can personally go to the Stodonk front line to supervise the battle, and the two British divisions east of Stodonk will also be under your command. I think only in this way can the success of the operation be ensured. "

His words certainly couldn't fool General Patton, and they probably couldn't fool Eisenhower in Edinburgh, but Stilwell was an honest general who was easily deceived, and he also had an overly optimistic character, which doomed him in this time and space. Tragic fate.

"Lieutenant General... do we really not need to consider retreat?"

When Lieutenant General Stilwell drove from Darlington to the US military headquarters near Stodonk, Bradley already felt that something was not quite right.

"No, it's not needed yet." Stilwell said, "Although the situation is a bit grim, the front can still be maintained. On my way to Stodonk just now, I asked the British officers who had withdrawn from the front line. According to what they said , the attacking German army may have a division-level group of 100-150 Tiger tanks, and I think we can deal with it.”

There are so many Tiger tanks! ? Although Bradley is an infantry expert, he also knows how powerful the German Tiger tanks are. The Soviet military adviser told him that one Tiger tank can fight at least 10 T-34 tanks!

Bradley reminded: "Lieutenant General, the 2nd Armored Division now only has more than 60 M10s, and... the artillery used by M10 tanks is also difficult to penetrate Tiger tanks."

"No problem," Stilwell waved his hand, "You can penetrate it if you get closer, and we also have a lot of anti-tank guns." He paused, and then said, "We must set up defenses quickly now. We may We will be temporarily surrounded, but the British will organize a counterattack after 48 hours. As long as we persist for 48 hours, victory will belong to us."

Just stick to it for 48 hours? Bradley suddenly remembered Patton's words. Stilwell's optimism was a disease!

It seems that I have to have someone find the civilian clothes that General Patton left behind...