Chapter 416 Desert Tiger 1

Admiral Erwin Rommel, commander of the German African Army, was summoned to Rome from Benghazi by Hessmann the day after Pope Pius XII ascended to heaven.

The current situation in North Africa is different from that in history. Although the Italian Army is still vulnerable, the British Mediterranean Fleet lost in the previous naval battle, so the offensive speed of the British Army was also seriously affected. Although the British Army still captured the port of Tobruk in January, the port changed hands due to the change of sea power and could not be used as a supply port for the British Army.

Without the supply of the port of Tobruk, the British Army had to drag a logistics line of 600 to 700 kilometers to obtain supplies from the port of Alexandria. Although they had more trucks than the Italians, the journey of nearly 1,400 kilometers would still consume a lot of gasoline, and in order to carry this gasoline, the trucks had to load less cargo, which greatly reduced the efficiency of transportation.

Therefore, when the British Army continued to advance west of Tobruk, the pressure on logistics became increasingly apparent. Moreover, there was also the possibility that the German and Italian armies would land at the port of Tobruk from the sea and cut off the British Army's retreat.

So after the defeat in the naval battle, Wavell cancelled the plan to attack Benghazi from behind to cut off the retreat of the Italian 10th Army. Instead, he ordered the 7th Armored Division and the 6th Australian Division to chase 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 retreat to Tobruk and began to build fortifications there to prepare for a long-term defense.

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

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

"I already know," Rommel nodded, "This is a terrible atrocity. The Italians in Benghazi are crying for the Pope, but all they can do is cry, and they can't really count on anything else."

The two walked together to Hersman's office in the headquarters. It was a very spacious room with maps hanging all over it. There was also a sand table in the middle of the room, which showed the terrain of the eastern Mediterranean. There were also wooden models of tanks, warships and infantry on the sand table. Various models were densely placed around Benghazi, around Tubrik and on Crete on the sand table.

"Can't count on it?" Hersman held the edge of the sand table with his hand, smiled bitterly and shook his head, "But without the Italians to boost their momentum, do you dare to push the front line to Tobruk immediately?"

"Tobruk?" Rommel was stunned, "Shouldn't we attack Crete first?"

"It's changed now." Hersman said.

He decided to be safer after studying Cunningham's possible strategies with two Japanese devils, Yamamoto Isoroku and Kuroshima Kameto, last night. Although the Italian fleet is strong on paper, their performance on the battlefield is really worrying. It's okay to have overwhelming air superiority in broad daylight, but forget about the fleet-to-fleet night battle.

"Let's take Tobruk first, and then seize Crete." Hessman thought. "We can also ignore Crete and attack Egypt directly, closing 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's better to attack Egypt directly from Tobruk," Rommel said, "or we can bypass Tobruk and go straight to Alexandria."

"Bypass Tobruk?" Hessman knew that this was a tactic Rommel had adopted in history, but because of the difficulty in ensuring logistical supplies, he lost at the gate of Alexandria.

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

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

As long as there is no major war along the way, the mechanized troops can advance to the vicinity of Alexandria in 6-7 days. Rations, fresh water and fuel should be sufficient, and they can also be supplied through beaches and small and medium-sized ports. There is a port of Messam Matrou in northwest Egypt, which is also OK. If it doesn't work, they can also use airdrops to supply. There are many large airports and military airports around Benghazi that can be used, and even an airborne operation behind enemy lines can be organized."

Although Rommel's idea is risky, it is still possible to realize it. According to the information obtained by Hessman, the British army is now divided into troops to defend the Peloponnese Peninsula, Crete Island, and Tobruk Port, and the troops near Alexandria seem empty. If Rommel adopted the strategy of bypassing Tobruk and attacking Alexandria directly, it is very likely that he would end up in a situation of closing the door and beating the dog.

And the problem of supply is not unsolvable. Compared with the current control of the sea and air in the Mediterranean region, Germany and Italy basically belong to the side.

"How many troops have arrived in Benghazi now?" Hessman 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!"