The decisive battle against the Third Reich

But Major General Bolton said so, but in his heart he did not agree with General Auchinleck's statement.

This is mainly because Major General Bolton is not confident about the combat effectiveness of the 7th Armored Division...

Major General Burton did not have such worries before. Although the "Matilda" tank and the "Valentin" tank were slow, the infantry and tanks could finally cooperate and cooperate.

Now that the "Stuart" tank was suddenly replaced, the British soldiers and even the commanders were a little unable to adapt to its speed.

The maximum speed suddenly jumped from 24 kilometers per hour to 58 kilometers per hour, the speed more than doubled... The entire tactical coordination was different.

If the British army had mechanized troops before this, there would be nothing wrong with equipping them with such tanks. They would just need to organize the mechanized troops with such tanks.

However, the British army has always only maintained a battalion-sized mechanized force in each infantry division. The British army calls this force a "mechanized cavalry regiment"... This force is generally equipped with 28 light tanks and 44 Armored vehicle or car.

Its mission is mainly to conduct reconnaissance or to be used as a quick reaction force in wartime. That is, where there is danger and reinforcements are needed, this force can be used to go up there for a while.

But as a mechanized force, a division with only one battalion is obviously not enough.

Therefore, the Seventh Armored Division actually had a headache when it obtained a large number of American-made "Stuart" tanks.

This is not to say that the "Stuart" tank is not good. In fact, this tank has proven its value in tests, exercises and actual combat: good defense and firepower, especially safety, which means the failure rate is very small. It is simply unimaginable for the British army who are accustomed to "Matilda" repairing all the way... This also makes the British lament their overall backwardness in the face of American industry. The reason why Britain and the United States can avoid repairing The Cydides Trap is a peaceful transition between an emerging power and an established power without a war. One of the reasons is that the United Kingdom truly felt its backwardness when using American equipment.

The problem for the British army at this time was that the British 7th Armored Division did not have troops with combat experience that could match the speed of the "Stuart" tank.

So Burton could only equip the 7th Armored Division with a large number of vehicles, and then transferred several "mechanized cavalry regiments" from the infantry division to piece together the refitted 7th Armored Division.

On the surface, this unit will have no problems, but Major General Burton knew very well that the soldiers were not adapted to this speed at all, and they were not adapted to the "Stuart", so when they work together, something like this will always happen. question.

This is also one of the reasons why a previous armored regiment equipped with "Stuart" tanks collapsed so quickly in front of a German armored division.

Therefore, Bolton didn't have much confidence in this pursuit at all... So what if he caught up? Does the 7th Armored Division have what it takes? You must know that the German 21st Armored Division fought all the way from the battlefield. Although they have many new recruits, the tanks are still the "Plank III" tanks that the German army is familiar with. The mechanized units are old mechanized units with rich combat experience. The experience and command experience are not comparable to those of the British 7th Armored Division.

"General!" A signal soldier reported at this time: "Our people found track marks left by German tanks, and they walked northeast!"

"Yes!" Major General Bolton nodded, and then ordered: "Follow them!"

Major General Burton had only this option because it was General Auchinleck's order.

The news that the British army left the village of Sidioma to pursue the German army soon reached General Strike, and the command car couldn't help but cheer.

"They were fooled!" Colonel Slain patted Qin Chuan on the shoulder and said, "Well done, we succeeded!"

General Strike took out a wine glass and a bottle of port wine from the cabinet, poured it in and handed it to several people: "I think we should celebrate this victory. This is thousands of tons of supplies!"

"It's indeed worth celebrating!" said Colonel Olbridge. "What's even more ridiculous is that the British passed by these supplies without realizing it. If one day they discover this, what do you think... they will do expression?"

"I want to know too!" General Streit said, raising his glass and smiling, "So, let's toast to the sergeant!"

"Sergeant!"

"Cheers to victory!"

…

When the port wine with a rich chocolate-like aroma was in his mouth, Qin Chuan couldn't help but sigh again about the enjoyment in the car commanded by "Mengma", which he would never even dare to think about in the car outside.

Putting down his wine glass, General Strike said seriously: "Gentlemen, since the British have been fooled and our supplies are safe, then... it's time to think about what to do next!"

"General!" Albridge said: "We can attack the village of Mishefa!"

As he spoke, Colonel Olbridge pointed to a point on the map.

"Tell me why you chose this village!" General Strike said.

Colonel Olbridge explained: "We know that there is a railway between the British front line and Alexandria. The British use it to transport supplies, and the village of Mishefa is the end of this railway!"

"Oh!" Everyone couldn't help but understand after hearing this.

"That's right!" Colonel Slaine glanced at Qin Chuan and said, "This is a bit like our approach to attacking Tobuk. Attacking along its supply line can not only attack the enemy's supply line, but also obtain supplies. Importantly, The good thing is we still have the potential to get more cars!”

"Besides we can make use of British trains!" said Colonel Olbridge.

"Yes!" Colonel Strike said: "Most of the British troops are in the Tobruk area, and they are very empty inside. In this way, it is possible to attack all the way to Alexandria... This is another Tobruk. Almost all the British troops are from Materials shipped from the Indian Ocean, including American-made tanks, are disembarked through this port. If we lose it, it will limit the supplies and equipment of the British to a great extent, and victory will not be far away from us! "

"General!" Qin Chuan interrupted: "Can I tell you my opinion?"

"Of course!" General Strike replied.

"Sorry, Colonel!" Qinchuan glanced at Albridge and said, "I think this plan is very dangerous. The reason is that the British army suffered a loss once and may have realized that we will repeat our same tactics to attack this important transportation lines, so the British will be prepared and even set traps waiting for us there!”

"But what can they do to us?" Colonel Olbridge spread his hands: "As the general said, they don't have many troops inside!"