Reborn as a police officer in South Africa

It is an exaggeration to say that he has great achievements. Rommel became famous in the Battle of France. At that time, the German 7th Armored Division under his command was invincible and was known as the "Devil Division". Rommel was immediately appointed to the North African Army.

The commander-in-chief of the German army went to North Africa to assist Italy in counterattacking the British army.

This appointment greatly limited Rommel's room for performance. For Germany, Russia was the main battlefield. Strictly speaking, North Africa was a farce staged by the Germans in cooperation with the British. As a result, Rommel did not receive enough support and was attacked twice.

When we reached the Egyptian border, we finally failed.

Of the three German armored heroes, the other two are all in Russia, and only Rommel is in North Africa. This fully proves the importance of Rommel to Mustache.

Of course, this also proves Rommel's ability from another aspect. He was able to persist for two years and eight months with such limited resources. The cooperation of the British certainly contributed. Rommel's ability was indeed outstanding, otherwise little Patton would not have been able to survive.

I will never forget it.

The man who succeeded Rommel in commanding the armored forces on the Western Front was Heinrich Eberbach, a warrior who had just returned from an injury in Russia.

This man is also a legend. He was born in 1895 and participated in the First World War in 1914. During the World War, his nose was knocked off by a stray bullet, so it was filled with rubber. He performed well during the Polish campaign. During the Russian campaign, Bach was appointed

He was the commander of the 17th Army and later returned to Germany for treatment due to kidney disease.

Also arriving on the Western Front at the same time as Bach were Marshal Kruger and SS General Hauser. Kruger succeeded Rundstedt as commander-in-chief of the Western Front, and Hauser replaced General Dormann who had just died of illness.

Served as commander of the 7th Army.

It is said that changing commanders is like changing swords. These few people who had just arrived on the Western Front decisively overturned Rommel's order to shrink the defense and ordered the German army to take the initiative to attack, trying to eliminate the Allied forces on the beachhead of Normandy.

On June 29, the 9th and 10th SS Armored Divisions, which came from Germany for support, withstood the indiscriminate bombing by the Allied Air Force and finally arrived at the front line after paying a heavy price.

Kruger ordered these two divisions to strengthen their defense, and Hauser ordered these two divisions to take the initiative. There was a problem with the German command system, and the commanders of the two divisions were at a loss.

The Allied Air Force is still very powerful. The 9th Armored Division has just replenished 120 tanks in Germany. It lost most of them when it arrived in Normandy. Including the lagging No. 3 and No. 4, there were only 63 tanks left when it arrived at the front line.

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The 10th Armored Division was even worse. It did not receive enough reinforcements when it was in Germany. When it was ordered to set off, the division only had 92 tanks. When it arrived in Normandy, there were only 31 tanks left. It was too weak to participate in the defense and was unable to launch.

attack.

Regardless of how miserable these two divisions were, Hauser's armored forces had increased to 7 divisions after the 9th and 10th Armored Divisions arrived at the front line, excluding the 21st Armored Division that was wiped out in Cannes.

Hauser was full of confidence. The intelligence he received showed that the Allies had only three armored divisions in Normandy, one each for the Southern African and British troops, and the American army. The situation was still favorable to the German army.

Here again I have to mention the poor logistics of the Allies.

After the Mulberry B port was destroyed by the storm, there was no time to repair it.

The Germans also destroyed Cherbourg's port facilities. Even if they captured Cherbourg, they would not be able to deliver the heavy weapons that the Allies desperately needed. Montgomery's proactive attack also caused heavy losses to the British 7th Armored Division, and the attack was lost in a short period of time.

Regardless of his capabilities, Montgomery mobilized four British infantry divisions and continued to attack Caen.

The good news is that the weather conditions are getting better, Mulberry B is still under repair, and the efficiency of Port A is constantly improving. In mid-June, the two artificial ports could only transport about 5,000 tons of materials per day, which had risen to 15,000 tons by the end of June.

Based on the situation on the front line, the Allied command adjusted the reinforcement plan. Instead of rushing to send armored troops, it focused on transporting the vehicles that the Allied forces urgently needed. This adjustment was very effective. By the beginning of July, the Allied forces were short of supplies.

The dilemma was greatly alleviated.

It’s not that there is no supplies. Portsmouth’s supplies are piled up like a mountain. Even if they are sent to Normandy, they cannot be sent to the front line in time due to lack of transportation capacity. Cars, especially various two-and-a-half-ton and four-ton trucks, are the most important thing for the Allied forces in Normandy.

needs.

On July 3, the British army returned to the battlefield and launched a combat operation code-named "Epsom Racecourse". Montgomery hoped to defeat the enemy in person, completely occupy Caen, and complete the second phase of the British army's combat plan.

The morale of the German army was greatly boosted after receiving reinforcements. Hauser ordered the German armored forces to take the initiative to attack. The terrain around Caen restricted the German counterattack. The Germans could only commit one division at a time, and more often two or three hundred German troops.

The infantry, together with 15 to 20 tanks, launched a small counterattack against the British army.

The German army has also made adjustments to its defense. Because Germany has a serious shortage of steel supply and cannot produce enough tanks, the Germans have devoted themselves to the production of 88mm anti-aircraft guns. This anti-aircraft gun has been improved and can be used both high and low, and is effective against Allied light and medium tanks.

Huge threat.

It was originally just a stopgap measure, but it had unexpected effects.

The tank equipped by the British infantry division is the Matilda. Its armor is relatively weak compared to heavy tanks. Although the British also installed reactive armor on the Matilda, the German 88mm cannon can still easily penetrate the Matilda.

Tilda's armor, the British army suffered heavy losses as a result.

"Air Force, I need support from the Air Force!" Montgomery was furious. Patton had the help of a naval artillery fleet at Cherbourg. The British army received very limited support, at least not to the extent Montgomery hoped.

"The German 88mm anti-aircraft guns also pose a huge threat to our bombers, so the Air Force has reduced the frequency of dispatches. The ones who are really capable of helping us are the Southern Africans. They have three armored divisions of tanks stocked in Cannes.

What's ridiculous is that according to Southern African standards, these are all light infantry -" Montgomery's chief of staff, Hers Saroyan, was slightly frustrated. When did the British Empire reach a point where it would no longer be possible without the help of the Southern African Expeditionary Force?

It's time to fight.

To be precise, since the last world war, the British army has not achieved any battle-level victory without the participation of the Southern African Expeditionary Force.

The organization of the Southern African army is different from that of the British army. The British infantry divisions are infantry divisions, equipped with light tanks and armored vehicles at most. The tanks equipped by the infantry divisions in Southern Africa are also heavy tanks according to British standards.

Therefore, the infantry divisions in southern Africa are standard armored divisions in the UK, and they are also ace armored divisions, with a huge gap in combat effectiveness.

Like Caen and Cherbourg, Cannes was heavily fortified by the German army. Even Cannes was stationed with armored divisions, but it was still easily captured by the light infantry from southern Africa.

The contrast is too stark. The US military is still besieging Cherbourg, and the British army has not even touched the border of Caen. Over there, the Southern African and Free French coalition forces are marching towards Paris. Are they really going to give up the honor of regaining Paris?

Give it to de Gaulle?

This is the most unacceptable thing for Montgomery.

"Answer the call from Cannes - no, equip the plane, I'm going to Cannes." Montgomery will go to Cannes in person. If Caen is not taken, the British will also have to fight in front of the battle.

On the Cannes side, Gavin came to visit the expeditionary officers and soldiers fighting on the front line on behalf of the federal government. Now in Cannes, there are not only the Southern African troops, but also two infantry divisions from Canada and Brazil, with a total strength of more than 100,000.

The area of ​​Cancheng is not large, and there is no room for hundreds of thousands of troops to live in the city. Arthur simply lives in the airport terminal building, where the conditions are slightly better.

"The fighting was too fierce before, and more than 80% of the urban area was destroyed. Now we are gradually clearing the ruins. We now have 20,000 German prisoners. They are not good at fighting, but they still work very hard." Xie Jianye said throughout the process.

Accompanying and attentive service.

After the Battle of Cannes, 11,000 German officers and soldiers were captured in southern Africa. These prisoners participated in the restoration of Cannes Airport and were much more useful than the workers of the Christian Construction Company.

Workers also have to pay wages, and their benefits are better, similar to those of expeditionary officers and soldiers.

The German prisoners did not have any excessive demands and did not resist labor reform. The expeditionary force did not even disrupt the organization of the prisoners, which made it easier to manage. The rigor of the Germans was fully reflected here.

The pure German army is indeed very brave when fighting. Even if they surrender, they will destroy all their weapons and equipment, leaving no opportunity for the Allies to take advantage of them.

After the surrender, the Germans also kept their promises. Those Romanian and Bulgarian prisoners sometimes cheated and cheated. The Germans completely accepted the reality and did whatever they were told without any resistance.

"We must strengthen the ideological work on the prisoners, so that they can truly realize the mistakes they have made, and we must show no mercy to those who have truly committed the most heinous crimes." Gavin is not the Holy Mother. It would be good if the prisoners can be fed.

"Hey, we don't have any truly heinous prisoners here -" Xie Jianye laughed. It was probably not that there were none, but that they had already been punished on the spot.

This is fine, but for some individuals, the opportunity for them to undergo labor reform is a waste.

"I just received a telegram from Pretoria the day before yesterday. The Palace of Justice hopes that we can be more active. What do you think?" Gavin respected the frontline commanders and let them make their own decisions.

Still tender.

If this were replaced by Yang Shimozi, he would just issue the order directly without asking for advice at all.

"No problem, we are ready and can continue the attack at any time." Xie Jianye did not refuse. If he wanted to rest, he would have plenty of time to rest when he returned to southern Africa after the war.

Later that day, Montgomery arrived in Cannes by plane. Gavin did not want to meet Montgomery and left before Montgomery's plane landed.

"Caen is your mission, can't you even do this?" Xie Jianye was not polite, and he had to have a begging attitude when asking for help.

If Gavin was still in Cannes, Montgomery would probably be more restrained.

After arriving in Cannes, Montgomery discovered that he had the highest military rank, so he subconsciously adopted a condescending tone when speaking.

Xie Jianye doesn't accept this trick. Everyone is a general, and no one is taller than anyone else. If you want to give orders, you must first be promoted to marshal.

Even if he becomes a marshal, the British marshal cannot control the generals in southern Africa.

"Winning victory is the task of all of us. We and the Americans are fighting a bloody battle with the German army. How long do you want to rest in Cannes?" Montgomery subconsciously asked in a questioning tone.

"Wait until you take Caen and the US military takes Cherbourg -" Xie Jianye is not in a hurry. The second phase of the Southern African Expeditionary Force's mission is Cannes, which has been successfully completed.

There is a saying that Xie Jianye really doesn't think highly of these British and American generals.

Montgomery, who is most popular in the UK, and Patton, who is the best performer in the US military, are actually lackluster in terms of record.

If it were Zhukov or Chuikov, Xie Jianye might respect it a little more.

Forget it about Montgomery, what he is best at is retreat.

Montgomery came to prominence at Dunkirk.

During his stay in North Africa, Montgomery ostensibly fought with Rommel, but in fact he either won or lost. This meant that the British were enjoying themselves and promoted Montgomery as a British war hero.

"Are you going to force me to call the headquarters? Lord Nyasaland certainly doesn't want to see his general cower." Montgomery talked to Rock, hoping to make Xie Jianye give in.

"Whatever you want, my lord has prepared a military medal for me." Xie Jianye felt comfortable both physically and mentally. Fighting against the British was as interesting as fighting the Germans.

Montgomery's chest heaved violently, barely suppressing his anger.

There is indeed some spare capacity in Southern Africa. Less than half an hour after Montgomery's plane landed in Cannes, more than a dozen transport planes have already landed in Cannes. This made Montgomery angry and then curious. It does not mean that Cannes Airport has been completely destroyed.

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If it's damaged, it can still be repaired. The key is efficiency.

If the British built the airport, it might not be put back into use before winter.

In southern Africa, it is being repaired and used. Large transport aircraft are still unable to land, and only medium-sized transport aircraft can barely use the runway.

Xie Jianye also said that the Southern African Expeditionary Force consumed too much in the previous phase of the battle and is now in urgent need of supplies. The Southern African Army cannot be dispatched until enough supplies are accumulated.

Of course, if the Canadians and Brazilians take the initiative to attack, Xie Jianye will not be able to control them.

There is already a lot of supplies in stock, including the hangar, which is full. The less important supplies can only be piled next to the runway, so they are piled up like a mountain and only covered with tarpaulin. Anyway, they will be needed in a few days.

Sent to the front line.

What made Montgomery angry was that he saw many Indians at the airport. These people did not serve the British Empire but went to southern Africa. This situation aroused Montgomery's vigilance.

Of course, Xie Jianye would not tell Montgomery that these soldiers who looked like Indians were actually Gurkhas. Normally, Montgomery should not admit his mistake. After all, the Gurkhas had unique and impressive dog-leg scimitars.

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