Five Hundred and Forty-Two Add Chaos

An explosion broke the tranquility of dawn, and in the vast desert, German and Italian troops launched a full-scale attack on Tobruk. This attack was not ordered by the Supreme Command, nor was it planned by the General Staff. It was entirely carried out by Rommel alone, and this attack was also a huge gamble.

After breakfast, the Italian troops began to storm the British outer line of defense in the frontal direction. They bombarded with heavy artillery, and then launched light tanks to cover their infantry to attack the opponent's well-arranged trenches and bunkers. The fighting had been in full swing since 6:40 a.m., so unexpectedly that Montgomery was taken aback.

It stands to reason that after the Pearl Harbor incident, Germany announced the expulsion of Japan from the Axis power system, which can be regarded as making up for the American people’s hatred of Germany to a certain extent. Now this stage is just the time to repair the relationship between the two countries while the iron is hot. What kind of trouble is the sudden attack on Tobruk?

However, the battle did break out, and the Italian troops were densely pressing on the British defensive positions. A tragic offensive and defensive battle thus kicked off. Without the slightest hesitation, the British defenders of Tobruk immediately began their fierce counterattack.

Tobruk is not the kind of temporary excavated defensive position, but a defensive fortress that has been carefully built for many years. The outermost perimeter of this fortress is an anti-tank trench, layers of barbed wire, and anti-tank cement piles buried deep in the yellow sand.

Behind these obstacles is a trench system reinforced with wood and sandbags. The design is almost the same as the trenches of World War I, and it is also a complex and effective means of defense. These fortified trenches supported the main points of defense, forming a ring around Tobruk's perimeter defenses.

Those key defensive positions are covered with reinforced concrete bunkers and main trenches, and there are a large number of anti-tank gun positions and howitzer firing positions, which are simply independent small defensive fortresses. In the vicinity of these fortresses, a large number of mines were planted.

The most deadly thing is that there are about 50,000 experienced and well-trained British soldiers here. These soldiers are also equipped with hundreds of tanks, forming a flexible defense system that has internal mobile forces to reinforce everywhere at any time, and is independent enough to complete the defense.

Half an hour after the start of the offensive, the Italian army learned how powerful the British opponent was. 300 Italian soldiers were suppressed by a bunker hidden in the dark. After the British bombardment, only 70 of these soldiers escaped.

Garibaldi's Italian 1st Army suffered heavy losses. In the first twenty minutes of the battle, he lost 500 soldiers, and this number increased almost every second. The dense firepower points on the British positions hindered his advance. More than 30 Italian light tanks were destroyed on the way forward, and they are still burning violently.

"Support! We need artillery support! Push up the anti-aircraft artillery! Or find a mortar!" An Italian officer watched two of his soldiers being swept to the ground by the British machine guns in the bunker,

Shouting back to his men.

Bullets flew everywhere on the chaotic battlefield. An Italian soldier curled up behind the sand dune with his helmet in his arms. Beside him was the body of his long-dead companion. Not far away, several soldiers were lying in the minefield, with their arms and legs scattered around.

There was blood and black smoke from the explosion everywhere, and one soldier after another fell on the way forward. The 1st Army is the most elite Italian army in North Africa, but they have no way to persist in the face of such a brutal defense. too long.

Two Italian soldiers came to the designated position with their rocket launchers, and then under the cover of the soldiers, they began to aim at the British bunker that was constantly spewing flames. The loader skillfully loaded the rocket into the rocket launcher, and then tapped the helmet of the front launcher.

"Boom!" After a dull sound, the gas gushed out from the back of the bazooka, blowing the surrounding sand and gravel everywhere. A rocket flew towards the target at a high speed, and accurately hit the British bunker not far away.

With the sound of a huge explosion, a huge flame exploded from the British bunker, and the surrounding Italian soldiers cheered, taking advantage of this rare opportunity to charge forward, but only less than 30 seconds later, the British machine gun bunker Another machine gun defensive position at the diagonal rear once again prevented the Italians from advancing.

"Speak clearly! Yes! I can't hear what you're talking about? What do you mean the attack has been stopped? You haven't broken through the first line of defense yet?" In the rear headquarters, Rommel was looking at the terrain of Tobruk The sand table, silently stroking the ups and downs on the sand table with his fingers.

And not far behind him, General Frederick was holding a phone, talking with General Garibaldi, the Italian commander in charge of organizing the attack on the front line. The artillery fire over there was too noisy, so General Frederick shouted Confirm the situation of the attacking troops.

"It's still too reluctant. The British are indeed determined to stick to Tobruk, and our combat preparations are not sufficient." Rommel shook his head, sighed and said: "The large-caliber shells are consumed too quickly, and they have no effect. To suppress the British army as it should, the Italians' attack is too disorderly."

General Frederick just put down the phone, and said with a wry smile: "Tobruk has always been an important defensive fortress in the UK. Of course, we can't get anything cheap if we attack in such a haste... If it is my 7th Infantry who is attacking now Army, the result is not much better."

"At least you can break through the first defensive position, right? These Italians are really useless." Rommel said angrily: "After fighting for 2 hours and firing so many large-caliber shells, in the end even the first British line The defense line has not been able to break through, how did this battle be fought?"

Frederick beside him shrugged his shoulders: "Let General Garibaldi withdraw the main force. It is of no benefit to us to wipe out the Italian elite—at least General Garibaldi's Italian 1st Army defense is still It is more reliable, and it is replaced by the 3rd Army at the back, do you feel free to hand over the flanks to them?"

Of course, don't worry, the Italian army is also divided into several ranks, okay? The 1st Army in Garibaldi's hands could still do some serious business. If it was replaced by those third-rate Italian troops, Rommel would rather retreat than give them his flanks.

"If we failed to win Tobruk, we still have to bear the wrath of the General Staff." Seeing that Rommel was still thinking about the problem, Frederick continued to talk to himself: "It is estimated that a name-calling criticism cannot escape. Well, maybe you and I will have to go back to Berlin alone to explain what happened this time..."

"I'll go back..." Rommel said with a sigh: "After all, I have made more than one mistake, and I don't care about making it one more time."

This time he took the initiative to attack Tobruk this time, and obviously obtained a very favorable combat opportunity. Frederick also agreed to this attack plan, which shows that this opportunity is still very attractive.

What intelligence made the two German generals decide to total Tobruk? Because the 8th Army in Patton's hands retreated to Egypt to rest, only the British 9th Army remained in the entire Tobruk area. In this way, the British army on the front line was almost reduced by half, which was enough for Rommel to muster up the courage to fight for the first time. It's time to challenge Tobruk's defense system.

But it is a pity that he obviously failed. His frontal attack did not put the British army in crisis at all, so the German assault he prepared on the flank was of no use at all: the reserve team did not move at all. It is also impossible to receive good results from a side attack.

Instead of wasting precious German armored forces and elite German Grenadier units, it is better to stop this expensive trial as soon as possible, and it will not bring any disastrous consequences to the North African troops of the Axis powers. The losses were huge, but tolerable: about 1,200 Italian troops were killed in front of the British positions.

"Send a telegram to Berlin. The first attempt to attack the Tobruk area has failed." Rommel said: "If necessary, I can leave immediately and return to Berlin to personally state the reasons for this failure to the Fuehrer... ..."

"Not good? Let me go back. You are the chief military officer here. After all, it is not good to leave the front line in this state of engagement." General Frederick thought for a while and said.

An hour later, in Berlin, the residence of the head of state, Accardo threw the telegram from North Africa on the table: "This Rommel likes to find work for me at this time!"

"The empire is repairing relations with the United States and easing the tension between the two countries. At this time, he even launched an attack on Tobruk. Don't you know how to cooperate with the decision of the Supreme Command?" Merkel of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs happened to be at the head of state. When the mansion reported work, it also took a look at the combat intelligence from North Africa.

"Suspend all military operations in North Africa and let Rommel return to Berlin to report on his duties!" Akado thought for a while and said: "I can't be so indifferent anymore. After all, he is the general of the empire, and it is not a solution to always make decisions without authorization! He arranged a special plane, and I will wait for him in Berlin."

It seems that the Führer is really angry, and Merkel sweats for the Führer's confidant Rommel. Anna had already gone out to issue the Führer's order, and this time Rommel was going back to Berlin to face the accumulated Führer's anger.