The Rise of the Third Reich

When the early morning of February 25 arrived, the Bazhi Highway built around Tobruk had turned into a battlefield for a bloody battle between the two armies.

One regiment of the Indian 10th Division and two regiments of the Indian 5th Division, which had previously blocked the Germans on the Adem front line, had been annihilated in the battle. German armored groups have repeatedly demonstrated powerful offensive capabilities, with overwhelming advantages in firepower and offensive organization.

Many relatively authentic Indian officers and soldiers could not withstand the impact of the German armored groups and collapsed. They either fled to Tobruk or surrendered and became prisoners.

However, the Gurkha soldiers of the Indian 5th Division and the Indian 10th Division still used their special skills to resist in considerable parts of the positions. However, this resistance only resulted in large numbers of Gurkha soldiers being killed. Kill on the ground.

Although these Gurkha soldiers are good fighters, they have no means to fight against German tanks. Except for anti-tank guns and anti-tank grenades, they do not have any anti-tank weapons available. The 2-pound anti-tank gun operated by white soldiers had limited effect against the frontal armor of the No. 4 tank and the No. 3 assault gun. After firing to expose the target, it was quickly destroyed by German firepower.

Therefore, this crucial battle on the outskirts of Tobruk eventually turned into a one-sided massacre!

By midnight on February 24, an entire three regiments of Indian officers and soldiers had become scapegoats for their British masters.

Three entire regiments of Indian troops were wiped out in half a night of fighting, and then German tanks and armored vehicles rushed onto the Bach Highway in a mighty manner. This is a ring road with two lanes and hard pavement built by the Italians before the war. It is located between the outer defense line of Tobruk (also built by the Italians) and the inner core defense line.

In order to prevent the enemy troops from rushing directly into Tobruk from the Bazhi Highway, the Italians laid a minefield between the Bazhi Highway and Tobruk's core defense line, and buried more than 100,000 landmines. These mines did not play any role when the British army attacked Tobruk, but now they have become an obstacle to the British army's reinforcement of the Bazhi Highway. They could only go up to the Bazi Highway from the two main intersections of the Bazi Highway (located on the east and west sides of Tobruk), and then go along the road to fight the German armored groups. But how could they be an opponent of German tanks and mechanized infantry?

After the Germans stormed onto the Bach Road, their progress hardly stalled. Rommel, who had always been economical in the use of tanks, suddenly became generous and directly invested two tank battalions. Moreover, he also asked the 33rd Self-Propelled Artillery Regiment to send 18 "Wasp" self-propelled artillery to accompany the tank, and ordered more than 2,000 infantrymen of the 200th Infantry Regiment to ride on half-track armored vehicles or directly sit on the tank body, fighting and charging all the way. Defeated more than a dozen small British troops who came to intercept them.

Along the way from Adem to the eastern intersection of Bazhi Highway and Badabia Avenue, you can see the corpses of British officers and soldiers and the wreckage of various British military vehicles. The price they paid was only that 18 No. 4 tanks and 5 No. 3 assault guns were damaged by British 2-pounders (all repairable damage). In addition, less than 200 people were killed and more than 100 were injured.

While the German army was struggling to advance along the Bazhi Highway, most of the troops of the British 8th Army were swarming out of Tobruk and fleeing along Badabia Avenue.

On the road leading to Egypt built along the North African coastline, various British vehicles formed a long queue, all running at full speed. The sky is starting to get brighter now. In two hours at most, the German bombers will fly over the British convoy and drop bombs. Now, before the enemy planes come, they can run as far as they can.

Lieutenant General Alan Cunningham also got into the car and drove through the intersection of Bach Road and Badabia Avenue at about 5 o'clock in the morning. When the car he was riding in passed the intersection, the British and German troops were fighting fiercely less than 3 kilometers away from the intersection. In order to block the German advance, Alan Cunningham was forced to invest the remaining armor in his hands, which was the troops that survived the tank showdown early the morning before. Now, in order to gain vitality for the whole army, they were once again thrown into the battlefield. Rommel also put the last tank battalion on hand into the battlefield.

Looking at the rising fireballs and columns of smoke on the battlefield to the south, listening to the dense explosions of guns and smelling the choking smell of gunpowder smoke. Alan Cunningham's face was ashen. He knew that the British Empire's hegemony in the Mediterranean had evaporated.

Because the Mediterranean Fleet left Alexandria last night and then went to the Red Sea through the Suez Canal.

Although the Middle East Command will try its best to conceal the information, the Suez Canal is a place where individuals have many eyes, and various countries have spies there. So news of the fleet's departure will soon spread around the world. The rulers of Türkiye, Iraq and Iran will know and they will all fall over to Germany!

At that time, the German army in the Balkans will effortlessly advance all the way to the Sinai Peninsula through Turkish railway lines and with the help of supplies provided by Iran, Iraq and Syria.

Even if the 8th Army could return to Egypt intact, it would not be able to stop the German attacks from North Africa and the Middle East.

Moreover, the possibility of the 8th Army completely escaping back to Egypt is almost non-existent. Because once the sea power in the Mediterranean belongs to Germany and Italy, they will be able to capture the port of Messe Matruh. At the same time, with the support of naval guns and aircraft at Matruh Airport, they repelled the 7th Armored Division and the Indian 4th Division coming from the direction of Alamein.

In this way, the 8th Army's retreat was cut off!

"Tank! Tank! German tanks are coming!"

Just when Alan Cunningham felt that his future was hopeless, the adjutant's frightened call suddenly came to his ears. He turned his head and looked at the battlefield to the south, only to see large amounts of sand and dust rising in the sky at some point. This is not a sandstorm, but hundreds of tracks crushing the sand.

The German tank groups are all here, and they are setting up an assault formation in the desert south of Batabia Avenue.

The general attack is obviously about to begin!

"It seems that we can't reach Mesematruh," Alan Cunningham said to himself, "we will be trapped in Tobruk!"

"Lieutenant General, what do you mean..." The adjutant sitting next to Alan Cunningham was stunned, "We are not leaving?"

Alan Cunningham shook his head and said: "The troops who have left the city should continue to go to Egypt. Those who have not left the city may not be able to leave. And as the commander of the 8th Army, I naturally have to be with most of the people. , fight to the end for the British Empire in Tobruk!”

…

"Admiral...an urgent message from Lieutenant General Cunningham!"

Wavell, who had not slept all night, leaned back in his chair and fell asleep at about six o'clock in the morning. While he was commanding the British army to land on the European continent and defeat the German armored forces in his dream, he was suddenly awakened by a trembling voice. The voice belonged to the operations director of the Middle East Command.

"What happened?" Wavell's voice sounded very calm.

"The main force of the 8th Army did not emerge from Tobruk...German armor cut off the Balbia Avenue."

"So... where is Lieutenant General Cunningham?"

"We are also surrounded in Tobruk! The lieutenant general said in the telegram that he will command the main force of the 8th Army to hold on to Tobruk until every soldier is killed..."

Wavell smiled bitterly and said: "Give an order to the 7th Armored Division and the 4th Indian Division: cancel the counterattack on Matruh Airport and set up defenses at El Alamein."

Now that the main force of the 8th Army is surrounded and the main force of the Mediterranean Fleet has fled, there is no point in counterattacking Matruh Airport.

Moreover, with the support of the Italian fleet and the German Air Force, the 7th Armored Division and the Indian 4th Division are likely to encounter setbacks near Matruh Airport. These two divisions, plus the 6th Indian Division in East Africa, the 2nd South African Division, and the British 50th Division in Palestine and Syria, were the forces in Wavell's hands that could be used to defend Egypt, East Africa, and the Middle East. These troops are too precious and must be used sparingly to prevent them from suffering unnecessary losses.

…

"Okay! Great!"

In Rome, in the Medici Villa, Marshal Hessmann put down the battle report he had just received and laughed, "Rommel did a good job, surrounding the main force of the British 8th Army... The British Mediterranean Fleet also escaped, It seems that the battle in the Mediterranean is already won!”

Hessmann looks a little ecstatic now, because he feels that he won this battle with his real ability, rather than a "cheated victory."

Moreover, the war in the Mediterranean and North Africa was a victory that the Germans did not win in history! Strictly speaking, the wheel of history has truly deviated from its original main road from now on.

Hans Jeshunek glanced at the delighted Hessmann with some strangeness - in his opinion, the battle in the Mediterranean could be won with eyes closed, and it was much easier than the previous battle on the Western Front.

"Marshal," Hans Jeshunek put away his question and handed Hessmann another telegram from the General Staff. "Yesterday there was a large-scale anti-German demonstration in Belgrade, and there was probably a military coup. Our contact with Prince Paul has been interrupted. In view of the fact that the situation in Yugoslavia may affect the Greek campaign and the march into the Middle East, the high command hopes that you Able to return to Berlin today to attend a meeting on Yugoslavia.”

"What?" Hessman was stunned. He took the copy of the telegram from Jeshunek and looked at it. He said with some laughter, "Are these Serbs crazy? Now that the British Mediterranean fleet has gone, they are still making trouble. What’s the point? Do you think they can defeat Germany with their little strength?”