Battle of the Third Reich

The cool sea breeze blows into the cabin from the vents on the deck of the transport ship, adding a touch of saltiness from the Mediterranean seawater to the turbid air in the cabin. Baron von Wicom took the company platoon leaders directly under the battalion to check the maintenance of the armored vehicles of the battalion.

Normally, in order to be safe during transportation, combat vehicles must unload ammunition and part of the fuel, but this time the superior considered that the armored reconnaissance battalion may need to be put into combat immediately after landing, so it is specifically permitted to keep all the oil bombs on the vehicles.

After boarding from the army, Major von Wicombe would patrol the cabin every four hours to check the soldiers' work and rest and check the safety of equipment, ammunition and supplies. The crew on the transport ship jokingly said that the major's laws of movement were more precise than the bells that rang.

"Everything looks normal, sir. After six hours, we will arrive in Alexandria. I suggest that you should go back to the cabin and have a good rest. Let us handle the rest of the work." Captain Cot suggested.

"Thank you, Captain Cot, I have no problem." Major Wicomb's complexion appeared pale, and the baron had a slight seasickness, out of the commander's sense of responsibility and the pride of the National Defense Army officer, he was holding on to death Follow the timetable you set, but the officers below know that the officer is almost at the limit.

"Sir, you can go to the infirmary to get the doctor to get a sleeping pill." Captain Durman, the battalion's chief of staff, warned of concern.

"How many times have I said that, Durman, my body is fine." The commander's attitude was very firm.

"Well, you don't have to be so excited, this is just a suggestion." Durman quickly calmed down the dead Baron.

At the beginning of the twentieth century, there were no special effects of seasickness drugs. Although some psychoactive drugs have a mitigating effect, they all have serious side effects.

"It's only six hours. Kurt, wait two hours before landing to prepare the soldiers for disembarkation. I don't want to see the scene that happened last time," Major Wicom said with a sullen face. .

The battalion commander refers to what happened on the day when the armored reconnaissance battalion landed in Tunisia, because of the order in which the troops disembarked, and because of the temporary command of the headquarters changed, resulting in a disconnect between the units of the reconnaissance battalion, which eventually led to a pile of personnel and vehicles Congested on the narrow dock trestle, the landing scene was chaotic.

"Please don't worry, Battalion Commander, that kind of thing will not happen again." Kotli salutes, the iron palm on the heel of the boot hit the steel deck with a crisp sound.

"The list of the first batch of disembarking troops is here, Your Excellency." Major General William Hassell, Chief of Staff of the African Army, pushed a document to Admiral Georg von Kühler Artillery.

"Have you checked carefully?" Küchler looked down at the list.

"It has been checked again and again, there are no questions, sir." Hassay nodded and answered.

"Transmit the order." Küchler signed the document and handed it to the communications officer on the side of Shili.

"Follow the order, General." The major took the file and his boots hit his chest.

"Now, let us deduce the battle plan again, gentlemen." Küchler stood up and walked to the military map hanging on the cabin wall.

"The command given to us by the head of state made it very clear that this was Germany's first battle to return to the Middle East. The African legion shouldered the expectations of the German people, so we must win and must not be defeated." Küchler He took the pointer from the staff and rapped on the map.

Küchler was an extremely traditional German commander. He participated in the First World War as an artillery lieutenant company commander more than two decades ago, and he was promoted to captain during the battle. He has become the Chief of Operations of the German 8th Division. He was retained by the Germans after the war, which is enough to prove the talent of this officer.

In the 100,000 Army era, he served as artillery company commander, tactical instructor of the Munich Infantry School, major inspector of the Inspectorate Department of the National Defense Military Academy, instructor of the German Artillery School, commander of the artillery of the Prussian First Military Region, major general inspector of the German Military Academy, the German military court The judge, eventually in 1973, was promoted to Lieutenant General Lieutenant General von Küchler, serving as the commander of the First Military Region of East Prussia and the commander of the First Army of the German Wehrmacht.

He is a general who has stepped up from the grassroots by personal efforts. Unlike the officers who have always stayed in the command structure, he has exceptionally rich combat experience and life experience, and has wisdom, perseverance and courage beyond ordinary people. .

When Germany invaded Poland, he served as the commander of the German Third Army and belonged to the Northern Army Group under General Bock. The general's commanding ability and military wisdom were fully demonstrated in the Polish battle, and the armor was installed in Ancient Delhi. Behind the cluster, the Third Army of the Army marched all the way, and broke through several defense lines of the Polish Army in eight days. Finally, it joined forces with the Tenth Army in Warsaw and finally captured the world famous city.

Küchler's outstanding performance in the Polish campaign gave him a valuable knight iron cross. The glorious future of the group army commander seemed to be predictable at that time.

But at this moment, another outstanding quality he possessed was manifested. His traditional military education made him extremely disgusted with the actions of the SS Special Operations Team in Poland. The artillery will not hide him. Dissatisfaction with these **** massacres, the result of the lieutenant general’s complaint was regarded as a manifestation of disloyalty by the top Nazis. In the end, the lieutenant general’s sense of justice led him to be deprived of the command of the army, and he was immediately sent into the cold palace. Was put into reserve.

However, when Hitler was preparing to launch the battle on the Western Front, because of the lack of group-level commanders with operational experience, Hitler finally followed the advice of the army commander and chief of staff, and Küchler was reactivated. The Eighteenth Army of the German Army attacked the Netherlands on the right wing of the B Army.

Küchler still played very well, and soon won the Dutch town Rotterdam, forcing the Dutch defenders to surrender to the Germans. In the subsequent battles of Belgium and France, the eighteenth army became the sharpest spear in the hands of Bock. Shattered the tenacious resistance of the French army again and again.

As a commander of a group army with real power, Quhirel's level is enough to involve him in the struggle between Xu Jun and Hitler. At that time, all the commanders of the army group on the Western Front had already stood in line, and everyone fell to the young deputy head of state. But Küchler, who had suffered hardships, fell into the most important choice in his life.

To be honest, he did not feel cold for the young deputy head of state at first. Although he admitted that the planning and command of the Battle of Dunkirk was indeed very beautiful, it only proved that Steder was a tactical genius, not that this young man had Ability to lead a country. However, in view of Hitler's mental state already in trouble, it is said that he regarded all senior army generals as traitors to the country, and it was obviously unwise to choose to support this lunatic.

After Kühler's repeated thinking, he finally placed a bet on Stade. In his view, the national interest is the most important. Stide is Germany's only hope to win this war.

Afterwards it was proved that the lieutenant general’s choice was correct. Steide became the final big winner. Küchler led the eighteenth army to complete the remaining half of the French battle, and was finally promoted to the German artillery general in September. At the pinnacle of his military career, the next is the Field Marshal of the German Army. To complete this step, he must make convincing achievements.

Beginning in July, Kuchler’s troops have been stationed in central France, responsible for maintaining order in the occupied area, and failed to participate in the landing operation against the British, which made the artillery general feel some regret.

As the commander of the French occupation zone, Küchler has lived a comfortable and enjoyable life in France, and even his figure has gradually blessed. The general was breaking his fingers every day to calculate the time to return to China. When he was bored, he could not help but start to miss the pungent smoke on the battlefield.

But Xu Jun quickly found a job for him and saved the senior from the decadent salary thief. Admiral Küchler Artillery was ordered to form a brand new corps and took this unit to the African coast.

In the eyes of outsiders who do not know the inside story, what General Admiral Küchler might have done is a taboo thing before he was demoted to this position. Because the establishment of the African Army is too small, it is not worth appointing a general to command.

The 18th Army of Küchler has ten infantry divisions and one armored division, with a total strength of more than 180,000. The newly formed so-called African Legion has only two motorized infantry divisions and an armored regiment. The total strength is less than 50,000. The difference between the two sides is three times. This is not what derogation can be.

And on one side is a comfortable French-occupied area, holding the power as the emperor, and on the other side is the distant African continent, which is a wild place compared with Europe. Even the blind can see the difference between the two.

Some people speculated that Küchler must have offended Stadler again, just as he had angered Hitler. The new head of state obviously started to be more ruthless than Hitler. Hitler let Küchler go home and squat at most. On the bench, Stetter directly exiled the artillery to Africa.

Soon reality proved that all these speculations outside the world were wrong. Admiral Küchler did not fall out of favor, but instead became a big-name person concerned by the headquarters. The German head of state was full of expectations for this admiral and let him form an African army. Is precisely the proof of the head of state’s trust in Küchler.

Küchler also knew this very well. When he received the appointment, there was no hint of resistance in his heart, but he soon discovered that the appointment not only did not damage his position, but instead gave him a career One step closer.

Küchler discovered that this force was not a conventional legion. The African legion did not have a clear size limit, which meant that if necessary, the headquarters could expand the troop's establishment without restrictions. More importantly, he was authorized by the head of state, and the African army was directly under the command of the headquarter of the headquarter, which meant that he no longer had to look at the face of the army headquarters, and since then he was only responsible for the head of the empire.

At the administrative level, he is at the same level as the German theater headquarters, but unlike those units, the African Army has a relatively independent soldier replenishment and material supply system. In the German logistics complex, the African army has the highest priority Replenishment level, at the same time, from any domestic army replenishment battalion, the required supplementary soldiers can be called.

In the history of the National Defence Forces, such troops have never appeared. They have high administrative ranks and rich treatment. They have even surpassed the two regiments directly under the head of state. From this, we can see that the head of state attaches great importance to and expects from this legion. As the first commander to form this unit and serve as the first commander, Küchler has also entered the line of sight of the head of state. If there is no major flaw in the artillery general during his tenure, he will be discharged from the African Army. After that, he will definitely be reused by the head of state, and his dream of being promoted to marshal of the army will be realized sooner or later.

Küchler put all his energy and enthusiasm into the formation and training of this unit. After all, he had been a military academy instructor for a few times. Quhiller was well-known in the German army as a good trainer. At the same time, the troops he commanded have always been known for their tenacious style. In the real history, the eighteenth army under his command, I don't know how many hard bones I gnawed.

The African Legion is completely self-made. The basic army has only two standard infantry divisions, the 26th and 31st Infantry Divisions. The former is formed in Cologne, the Infantry Division logo is the silhouette of Cologne Cathedral, and the latter is from Brunswick. The sign is the Braunschweig lion with two short legs (the coat of arms of Duke Henry III of Saxony is a lion, Brunswick is the capital of Saxony, and the duke cast a bronze lion sculpture in the city and eventually became Saxony Flags of the Principality and Brunswick.).

Because the senior officers of the 31st Division have generally not participated in World War I and lacked experience in warfare, so that they did not strictly train soldiers in peacetime. Feeling the cruelty of the war, the officers and soldiers of the 31st Infantry Division were quickly controlled by a serious sense of insecurity. During the Polish campaign, they opened fire on all uncertain targets, and the fires burned down all the houses they thought were threatening. , Creating a series of completely unnecessary atrocities, causing serious damage to the reputation of the National Defense Forces.

However, after undergoing a complete European war, the qualities of these two infantry divisions have changed considerably. They have accumulated some actual combat experience anyway, and they are no longer rookies who tremble when they hear the gunshot. .

Küchler did not have any opinion on these two infantry divisions. These troops already have combat experience. Now they only need to rectify discipline and strengthen some targeted training. They will soon become the soldiers needed by Küchler.

During the landing operation in Sicily, Italy, these soldiers proved their worth as soldiers to their commanders and great heads of empire. The outstanding performance of these two infantry divisions on the battlefield made the generals who were familiar with the styles of these two infantry divisions shatter their glasses.

The 26th Cologne Division has been performing mediocrely in Poland and France. The 31st Braunschweig Division performed abnormally on the Polish battlefield, causing a series of scandals. The Army Command selected these two infantry divisions to form the African Legion, and because of the average level of these two troops, the transfer of the two troops will not cause the combat effectiveness of the affiliated army to decline.

At that time, no one thought that after a few weeks of Küchler’s training, these troops would have undergone a transformation like a rebirth. The strong momentum they showed in front of the Italian army was no longer lost to those famous main divisions.

Of course, there are reasons why the Italian army is too fishy. The Italian coast division on Sicily lacks advanced weapons, and it also lacks the courage to fight the Germans. After being attacked by the first round, the entire line of soldiers throws away their weapons. Then they ran all over the mountains.

In addition to the two infantry divisions that are transforming into elite troops, the African Legion is also equipped with an armored regiment. This armored regiment has an outstanding performance during the occupation of Rome, Italy.

In this war in the Arabian Peninsula, these armored vehicles will be the absolute main force of combat. It can be said that the entire combat plan of Küchler is centered on these tanks and armored vehicles.

Küchler knew very well that in the vast deserted plains, whoever possesses greater mobility will have the initiative to fight. Those nomadic cavalry and camel cavalry who are accustomed to crossing the sand and sea are the best at long-distance raids. If they have no comparable or even overwhelming maneuverability, they can only follow the opponent's **** and eat ash, or to maintain a long supply line. Tu Yu was desperate until he was dragged down by his opponents, and eventually disappeared into the vast desert like those failed conquerors in history.

Küchler has been familiar with history. He has specially studied the battles of those predecessors, absorbing these experiences in exchange for blood. In his view, although the battle front has not changed in essence, the methods used have made a qualitative leap. If we are too far away from the era in weapons and tactics, then we will definitely be eliminated by the era.

The desert nation is an excellent example of breaking away from the times. Saudi Arabia currently has only ground troops. The main force is horseback riding and camel cavalry. There are also a large number of urban infantry-based walking infantry. The weapons are mainly rifles made during World War I. Interestingly, Most of them are Mausers produced in Germany. In addition, during their honeymoon with the United Kingdom, they also bought ten British Vickers wheeled armored vehicles.

This is a war that is completely unequal in power. Germany will undoubtedly win the final victory. The question is how much Germany will pay in the battle. Küchler never underestimates the enemy. He believes that once the war breaks out The Germans will encounter the most tenacious resistance. If the loss of soldiers and equipment in the war is too great, even the final victory will affect the reputation of the Third Reich.

"Battlefield reconnaissance is the key to the battle. Don’t blindly rely on the Air Force. Ground fire detection is more effective in this terrain. The enemies live here for generations. They are familiar with every inch of rock and land here. Once the crossfire begins, they will It is the most tenacious and craziest warrior you have ever seen. This must be kept in mind by every soldier." Kühiral pointed the Saudi border on the map with his pointer.

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