The decisive battle against the Third Reich

North Africa gradually calmed down.

Neither the British army nor the German army were in a hurry to fight at this time... To be precise, the German army was unable to launch another attack. Its tanks had almost been lost in previous battles, and the logistics supply line was cut off at this critical moment.

The British army is indeed in no rush to attack, because in this case, the further back it is, the more advantageous it is to the British army and the greater the chance of victory. Launching an attack may give the German army an opportunity.

However, this was only General Auchinleck's idea, not Churchill's.

What Churchill faced was domestic political pressure... After the fall of Alexandria, the Conservative Party once again proposed a motion to Parliament, clearly expressing its distrust of Churchill's command of the war.

In London in the drizzle, the British Parliament was as messy as a vegetable market. Members gathered together in twos and threes and whispered about something. Churchill sat on the stage with anger in his eyes and pretended to read the documents in his hand... As Prime Minister, He didn't like being questioned and interrogated like a prisoner again and again.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" Wardlow, a relatively powerful member of the Conservative Party, stood up and said in an impassioned tone: "The first thing I want to say is that this motion is not directed at the officers and soldiers who fought bravely on the battlefield. Their Sacrifice and courage are worthy of our admiration, but it is precisely because of this that I have proposed this motion... It should be clear to everyone that Britain has suffered a series of defeats and defeats so far: Brega, Benghazi, Tobruk, and now. Even Alexandria fell under the control of the Germans! But the government did not give us any explanation. I think the main reason for the failure lies in our cabinet. The most critical mistake is to let the Prime Minister also serve as the Minister of Defense!”

After a pause, Wardlow continued: "Gentlemen, what we need is a courageous person who is not restricted by any aspect to command this war. The reason why we failed is fundamentally due to Our respected Prime Minister does not seem to have the energy to juggle domestic politics with directing the fighting in North Africa. So, for the sake of victory in the North African campaign, and for the hundreds of thousands of lives lost fighting in that desolate land, I think we should appoint a Minister of Defense to share the burden. The important task of the Prime Minister!”

Wardlow's words were very pleasant, and they were not as sarcastic and ridiculing as what Milne and others had said before. However, Churchill would rather deal with people like Milne... because Wardlow was smiling but was sharing the prime minister's duties. The important task is actually to seize power.

Churchill was silent for a while and then replied: "I just want to say: We are fighting for our survival, fighting for a cause more precious than life itself. You give me power and time, and I give you victory... That's all. That’s all!”

The congressmen were stunned. No one expected that Churchill's answer would be so simple.

But it was precisely this simple answer that made all the congressmen feel nervous... They were all wondering, did Churchill's words mean that he had a plan to win? If Churchill was kicked out of the command chain at this time, would it affect the entire plan or even lead to its failure?

What's more, the British army did repulse the German attack in North Africa and stabilized its position.

So in the end, the House of Commons voted, Wardlow's motion of no confidence was defeated, and Churchill once again successfully overcame the difficulty.

But getting through the difficulties is one thing. Churchill still needs a victory to prove himself, otherwise there will be another no-confidence motion soon.

This prompted Churchill to send several messages urging General Auchinleck to launch an attack.

But General Auchinleck did not do this. He called back: "Dear Prime Minister, I am very reluctant to come to the conclusion that it is not feasible to launch a counterattack against the German army in a short time. We need new well-trained troops." At present, it seems that these are far from enough soldiers and equipment that can deal a fatal blow to the enemy... The fundamental reason why we had the advantage in troops and equipment but failed repeatedly is that the soldiers are not well trained. Therefore, rushing to attack is not only harmful to us. If the army is not in a good position, it may be exploited by the enemy!"

Churchill couldn't help but became furious when he saw this reply: "Does Auchinleck think that he has temporarily stopped the German attack on the Nile and it is considered a victory? It's far from it! Has he forgotten Matruh, Tobruk and Alexander? Damn Romme You have not gone far, he is standing at the gate of Egypt, laughing at us, and may launch a fatal blow to us at any time. This is such a critical moment, but he incredibly stopped the battle to give the enemy a chance to breathe! "

So sometimes political needs conflict with military needs.

Under normal circumstances, the military must be subordinated to politics, but this politics refers to the politics and interests of the country, not the political interests of whether a certain prime minister can secure his position.

Churchill obviously took his position more seriously, and he never thought about it... What if what General Auchinleck said was true, and the British army was not sufficiently prepared to launch an attack rashly, leading to another failure?

But Churchill didn't care so much. At this time, he was determined to replace Auchinleck, even though General Auchinleck had adapted to the North African battlefield and in principle had grasped the weaknesses of the German army.

Like before, Churchill also gave General Auchinleck a decent excuse...Churchill gave General Auchinleck command of a newly formed command responsible for British military operations in Iraq, Palestine, and Syria.

This looks like a promotion.

But General Auchinleck rejected Churchill's proposal. The 50-year-old general believed that it was just a charity from Churchill... He did not need this, so he chose to stay in India until the war.

Montgomery took over as commander of the Eighth Army.

Churchill originally thought Montgomery would be wise enough to launch an attack on the Germans, but the report Montgomery gave him was almost the same as General Auchinleck's.

"Your Excellency Prime Minister!" Montgomery said: "After a long period of hard work, the Eighth Army is in urgent need of replenishing soldiers and supplies. There are many newly transferred troops who will not fight in the desert. They must do the necessary training. These preparations have not been done. Until then, I cannot launch an attack rashly, otherwise I will risk the lives of the soldiers and the fate of Africa!"

At this time, Churchill had vaguely realized that he was wrong... Montgomery and Auchinleck both said this in unison, so they must have their reasons.

But as a prime minister, Churchill would certainly not admit his mistakes... The best choice now is to make mistakes, hoping that this mistake will not bring wrong results.