The decisive battle against the Third Reich

This news stunned Major General Rich.

"How did they find supplies?" Major General Rich said.

"I don't know how they found it, but they did find it!" General Auchinleck replied: "So obviously, we should make another plan now!"

After thinking about it, Major General Rich said: "We have two options. One is to rely on the Gabusali defense line to attack the side and rear of the German Halfa Gate defense line!"

General Auchinleck shook his head and said, "What effect will this have?"

"Encirclement and annihilated the German troops at Halfa Gate, forcing the German 21st Armored Division to return for reinforcements!" Major General Rich replied.

"No, they will not do what you want!" General Auchinleck pointed to the map and said: "If it were before this, the German troops at Halfa Gate might have been able to hold on, and the 21st Armored Division might have been forced to return. Reinforcement, because only in this way can their 21st Armored Division have a way to survive. But now the 21st Armored Division has received enough supplies..."

As he spoke, General Auchinleck pointed to the Halfa Pass defense line and continued: "Then the Halfa Pass defense line has little meaning for the Germans to defend, because we have already crossed it from the flank and it cannot stop us. The second offensive can't stop the attack of the 13th Army on the front, so why do they still defend this line of defense that has no effect? ​​"

"The general means..."

"Yes!" General Auchinleck nodded: "There is no doubt that they will abandon the Halfa Gate defense line, and they will withdraw to Tobruk garrison, where there are more adequate supplies and stronger defenses, and in our hands The tanks from the Americans are not enough to break this line of defense!”

General Auchinleck is telling the truth. The Tobruk defense line was built by the British themselves. Of course they know how powerful this defense line is... Its dense group of bunkers and the Germans have obtained the new PAK38 anti-tank gun. I think Breaking it with "Stuart" tanks is simply a pipe dream.

The advantages of the "Stuart" tank are mobility and fire suppression of infantry. Attacking fortresses and fighting tanks are not its strengths.

"In this way!" General Auchinleck continued: "The German army will form a defense center with Tobruk as the defense center and the 21st Armored Division as the offensive support. These two parts cooperate with each other and can flexibly attack our army's logistics supplies. Or stab us in the back at any time!”

General Auchinleck's guess was correct, because before he finished speaking, a staff officer reported excitedly with a telegram: "General, Lieutenant General Austin called, the German army has retreated under their offensive, and they have successfully broken through Halfa." Teeth!"

Lieutenant General Austin is the commander of the 13th Army and is responsible for commanding the attack on the Halfa Pass defense line.

Obviously, Lieutenant General Austin did not know that this was actually a strategic contraction of the German army's active retreat, or Austin knew it, but beautified it as the result of the British army's heroic fighting.

General Auchinleck and Major General Rich had only a wry smile when they heard the news.

"Then there is only one other choice!" Major General Rich said: "We return to Sidi Omar and fight the enemy decisively!"

General Auchinleck nodded, this is what he thought.

At this time, the German 21st Armored Division was like a thorn in the side of the British army. Unless it was removed, the British army would not be able to rest... This was mainly because the 21st Armored Division received a large amount of supplies. These supplies made the German 21st Armored Division They can reach everything they want to reach and attack wherever they want to attack.

Without supplies, everyone knows that the German 21st Armored Division cannot go far, but now, they can even fight all the way to Cairo, the capital of Egypt, and even occupy the Suez Canal... At this time, the main force of the British army has been fully committed to Hal The frontline battle at Faga Pass was underway, and the empty interior was completely open to the German 21st Armored Division.

On the other hand, even if the 21st Armored Division did not attack Cairo, they could prevent the British 13th Army and the 30th Army from receiving supplies or only receiving a small amount of supplies.

Therefore, the British army must hold back or annihilate the 21st Armored Division, otherwise everything will be over.

"The Germans have a weakness!" said General Auchinleck: "They don't have enough cars!"

Major General Rich nodded in agreement.

This may not sound like a big deal at first. Desert combat is more important for tanks. Without enough cars, what's the big deal?

But things are not as simple as they seem.

Almost everything a mechanized force has is mounted on a car, including infantry, supplies, fuel, ammunition, etc. Only in this way can the infantry keep up with the tanks.

That was not the point of what General Auchinleck said.

From a certain perspective, the German 21st Armored Division certainly had enough cars, otherwise they would not have been able to move the entire division quickly to Sidioma.

The problem is...the German army discovered a large amount of supplies in Sidioma.

When General Auchinleck said "there were not enough cars," he meant that the Germans could not take all these supplies away. They could only carry three days' worth of water and fuel at most... This was determined by the rush of the 21st Armored Division to the front.

So, what will the German 21st Armored Division do?

Abandoning Sidi Oma's supplies and leaving with only three days' worth of fuel and water?

General Auchinleck believed that the German army would choose to stay... So this was actually a good thing for the British army. Sidioma's supplies would delay the elusive German army.

General Auchinleck was right. The German army was indeed faced with such a choice.

In fact, before General Auchinleck decided to let the British troops set off, he had already dispatched air power to conduct reconnaissance and bombing of Sidi Omar... General Auchinleck held on to a glimmer of hope, hoping that the bombers could blow up this batch of fallen troops. Supplies in German hands.

But this is obviously an extravagant hope. The British army considered this factor when they buried this batch of supplies underground, so it was very safe to bury them very deep. Coupled with the cover of the wind and sand, the British bombers could not even be sure. supplies and even the position of the German troops.

While the British fighter planes were flying in the sky, General Strike was even making coffee in the "Mammoth" command vehicle...

General Strike seemed to be in a good mood. He handed cups of brewed coffee to Colonel Slain and other officers who were sitting there, including Qin Chuan.

"Thank you, General!" Qin Chuan was just a sergeant and should not have had such an honor.

"No, you deserve it!" said General Strike. "And I will keep my promise, but not now. You know, I can't afford that many chickens now!"

Qin Chuan knew this was a joke. Although the joke was not funny, he still laughed with General Strike and other officers.

"Boom" a bomb exploded nearby, and the vibration caused some dust to fall from the top of the command vehicle.

General Strike did not panic at all. He raised his coffee and took a sip calmly, and then said: "So, Sergeant, how do you think we should fight this battle next?"