Chapter 542: Chaos

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A blast broke the peace of dawn, and in the middle of the desert, the German and Italian forces launched a full attack on Tobruk. This attack was not ordered by the Supreme Headquarters or planned by the General Staff. It was entirely from the hands of Rommel, and this attack was also a huge game of gambling.
After eating breakfast, the Italian troops began to attack the British defenses in the frontal direction. They bombarded with heavy artillery, and then launched light tanks to cover their infantry to kill the carefully arranged trenches and bunkers. The battle started in full at 6:40 in the morning, and there was no sign that Montgomery was startled.
It stands to reason that Germany ’s announcement of the expulsion of Japan from the Axis system after the Pearl Harbor incident was considered to have compensated for the American people ’s hatred of Germany to a certain extent. This is the time when the iron and steel relations are repaired while hot What kind of trouble is Tobruck making?
However, the fighting did erupt, and Italian troops were intensively pressing against the British defensive positions. A fierce offensive and defensive war began. Tobrook's British defenders, without hesitation, immediately began their fierce counterattack.
Tobruk is not a temporary defensive position, but a defensive fortress that has been carefully constructed for many years. The outermost perimeter of this fortress is anti-tank trenches and layers of barbed wire, as well as 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 the First World War. It is also a complex and effective defense method. These reinforced trenches supported the main defensive points, and Tobruk formed a circular outer defense zone.
Those key defensive positions are covered with reinforced concrete bunkers and main trenches. A large number of anti-tank artillery positions and howitzer launch positions are set up, which is simply a small defensive fortress. Near these fortresses, a large number of mines were laid.
The most deadly thing is that there are about 50,000 British soldiers who have experienced combat and are well-trained. These soldiers were also equipped with hundreds of tanks, which constituted a flexible defense system with internal maneuvering power to reinforce various places at any time and each was sufficient to complete the defense.
Half an hour after the start of the attack, the frontal Italian army learned the power of the British opponents. 300 Italian soldiers were suppressed by a bunker hidden in the dark. After the British shelling, only 70 were left.
The Italian 1st Army commanded by Garibaldi suffered heavy losses. Within twenty minutes of the war, he killed 500 soldiers, and this number increased almost every second. The dense firepower on the British position hindered his progress. More than 30 Italian light tanks were destroyed on the way, and they are still burning violently.
"Support! We need artillery support! Push up the anti-aircraft guns! Or find a mortar!" An Italian officer watched two of his soldiers swept to the ground by British machine guns in the bunker. Turned back and yelled at his men.
Bullets flew everywhere on the chaotic battlefield, and an Italian soldier curled up behind the sand dunes with his helmet on his side, next to his dead companion's body. Not far away, several soldiers lay in the minefield, and their arms and thighs were scattered around.
There was blood and black smoke rising from the explosion everywhere. One soldier after another fell on the way forward. The first army was the elite Italian army in North Africa, but in the face of such a brutal defense, they could not hold on. Too long.
The two Italian soldiers carried their rocket launchers to the designated location, and then under the cover of the soldiers began to aim at the opposite English bunker with spouting flames. The loader skillfully loaded the rocket into the bazooka, then knocked on the helmet of the front launcher.
"Boom!" After a dull noise, gas spewed out from behind the bazooka, blowing the surrounding gravel everywhere. A rocket flew towards the target at a rapid speed and accurately hit the British bunker not far away.
With a loud explosion, a huge flame ignited in the British bunker, and the surrounding Italian soldiers cheered and took advantage of this rare opportunity to start to strike forward, but in less than 30 seconds, the British machine gun bunker Another machine gun defensive position diagonally behind prevented the Italians from advancing again.
"Be clear! Yes! I can't understand what you're talking about? What is the attack blocked? You haven't broken through the first line of defense?" In the general headquarters at the rear, Rommel was watching the terrain of Tobruk Sand table, without touching the highs and lows of the sand table with your fingers.
And not far behind him, General Frederick was holding a phone and talking to the Italian commander General Garibaldi, who was in charge of organizing the offensive on the front line. The gunfire there was too noisy, so General Frederick was loud. Confirmed the situation of the offensive troops.
"It's still too reluctant. The British did stick to Tobrook's determination. Our preparations for the battle weren't enough." Rommel shook his head and sighed. "The large-caliber shells were consumed too quickly and didn't start. As far as it should suppress the British army, the Italian offensive has too few rules. "
General Frederick just put down the phone and said with a wry smile: "Torbrooke has always been an important defensive fortress in the United Kingdom. If we are so aggressive in the promotion of the offensive, of course it is impossible to get anything cheap ... if the attack is now my 7th infantry Army, the results are not much better. "
"At least you can break through the first defensive position? These Italians are really useless." Rommel said with resentment: "After playing for 2 hours, so many large-caliber shells were shot, and finally the first in the UK. None of the defense lines can break through. How did this battle be fought? "
Friedrich shrugged his shoulders next to him: "Let General Garibaldi withdraw the main force. It's no good for us because of the elite of Italy-at least General Garibaldi's Italian 1st Army defense is still It ’s more reliable. It ’s the third army behind you. Are you confident of handing them the wings? "
Of course, do n’t worry, how about the Italian army? Garibaldi's 1st Army was still able to do some serious business. If it was replaced by those third-rate Italian troops, Rommel would rather retreat than give them his flanks.
"Failing to win Tobruk, we still have to bear the anger of the General Staff." Seeing Rommel didn't think about the problem, Friedrich continued to talk to himself: "It is estimated that a naming criticism cannot escape No, you and I will have someone go back to Berlin to explain this time ... "
"I'll go back ..." Rommel said with a sigh: "After all, I've made mistakes more than once, and I don't care so much."
This time he claimed to attack Tobruk himself, obviously obtained a very favorable combat opportunity, and Frederick also agreed to this attack plan, indicating that this opportunity is still very attractive.
What kind of intelligence made two German generals resolve to total Tobruk? Because the 8th Army in Barton's hand retreated to Egypt for rest, only the 9th Army of the British remained in the entire Tobruk area. In this way, the frontline British army was almost halved, which was enough for Rommel to be courageous. Once challenged Tobrook's defense system.
Unfortunately, it was clear that he failed. His frontal attack did not put the British army in crisis at all. Then the German assault he prepared on the flank did not come in handy at all: his reserve team did not move at all. Side attacks are also unlikely to receive good results.
Rather than wasting precious German armor and the elite German grenadier forces, it is better to halt this expensive temptation, which is not a disastrous consequence for the North African forces of the Axis Powers. Although the loss was huge, it was still within the tolerable range: about 1,200 Italian troops were killed in front of the British position.
"Send a telegram to Berlin. The first attempt to attack the Tobruk area failed." Rommel said: "If necessary, I can go back to Berlin immediately and tell the head of person why this failure ... … "
"Isn't it? Or should I go back, you are the military chief here, after all, it is not good to leave the front line in this state of engagement." General Friedrich said after thinking for a while.
An hour later, in Berlin, the palace of the head of state, Akado dropped the telegram from North Africa on the table: "This Rommel, I like to find something for me at this time!"
"The empire is repairing relations with the United States and easing tensions between the two countries. At this time, he actually launched an offensive against Tobruk, did he not know how to cooperate with the decision of the Supreme Command?" Merkel of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs happened to be in the head of state. The mansion ’s reporting work gave him a glance at combat intelligence from North Africa.
"Suspend all military operations in North Africa and let Rommel return to Berlin to report on his job!" Akado said after thinking for a while: "It can't be so unnoticed anymore. He is an empire's general after all, and it's not a way to always make decisions without authorization! He arranged a special plane and I was waiting for him in Berlin. "
It seemed that the head of state was really angry, and Merkel squeezed a lot of sweat for the head of the head. Anna has already gone out to issue the order of the heads of state, and this time Rommel is going back to Berlin, angry in the face of the accumulated heads of state.
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The latest chapter of my third empire was launched at high speed. This chapter is Chapter 542. If you think this chapter is not bad, please do n’t forget to recommend it to your friends in QQ group and Weibo!
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