Reborn South Africa as a police officer

Chapter 2355 Seizing Power
Not only the fleet at sea, but also the Free French Army, which had successfully established a beachhead after several days of fierce fighting, also did not receive any notice about the actions of the British First Airborne Division.

Moreover, before the second airborne brigade was airborne, the free French army on the beach had just experienced the bombing of the Italian Air Force, so the anti-aircraft gunners of the free French army regarded the second airborne brigade as German paratroopers.

Captain Smith didn't know the background, and his anger was understandable.

The British paratroopers were also an elite unit. Those outstanding boys did not die in a bloody battle with the Germans, but died in the hands of their own people. Captain Smith didn't know why this happened.

Blame the Free French?
Or blame Coalition Command?

Or blame the American pilots?

It seems that each of them is responsible, but there must be no specific person responsible for this kind of thing.

"Man, why are you here?" Rudy Fournier from Port Elizabeth was embarrassed, and he almost made Smith a barbecue just now.

"I don't know, we were going to the Brimasso Bridge—" Smith's clothes were completely soaked by rain, and his face was covered with mud, and he was in a mess.

"Guys, does anyone know where the Brimasso Bridge is?" Fournier asked the surrounding Free French soldiers.

Everyone shook their heads, this is Sicily, not French North Africa.

"Come with me, I have to report the situation to avoid more accidental injuries—" Fournier couldn't leave Smith here alone.

On the way back, Fournier, Smith and his party encountered a group of Free French soldiers escorting several British paratroopers. These British paratroopers were all tied up, their noses were bruised and their faces were swollen. One unlucky guy was still bleeding on his face. get bandaged.

"Hey, what the hell is going on with you?" Smith was furious.

"These are spies, they actually say they are British, ha, do you think we are fools—" the second lieutenant who led the team opposite was triumphant.

"You guys—" Smith's headache was splitting, and if Alexander or Eisenhower was in front of Smith at this moment, Smith would give him a hard punch without hesitation.

The misunderstanding was quickly eliminated, but the rift could not be repaired. Many paratroopers died at the hands of the Free French soldiers. When the news reached the coalition headquarters, Alexander, Eisenhower, and Giraud looked a little ugly.

Actual combat is not a drill, especially with multi-army and multi-system cooperation, the difficulty will undoubtedly increase exponentially. The battle has just erupted for a few days, and the problems exposed are thought-provoking.

Southern Africa is also a joint operation, and the composition of the army is also very complicated. There are both the Southern African Expeditionary Force, the Southern African Union Force, as well as the Greek Army and the local rebel army.

Why Southern Africa never had these problems.

The troubles on the coalition side are endless?

This question deserves to be studied carefully.

"We need to launch a second wave of attack immediately, and the frontline troops need support—" Alexander was not in the mood to pursue responsibility at this time. One of the two brigades of the British [-]st Airborne Division was surrounded by German and Italian troops, and the other did not arrive at the scheduled battle at all. Position, if you really want to be held accountable, Alexander must be the first responsible person.

So now Alexander must win and save face, otherwise London will definitely be held accountable after the battle is over.

"Order the 82nd Airborne Division to attack quickly, and don't forget to inform other units that the tragedy of the [-]st Airborne Division cannot be repeated." Eisenhower opened his bow and there was no turning back. He also needed a hearty victory. Cover up your mistakes.

"The Free French Army on the beach is being attacked by the Germans. Where are our reinforcements?" Giro was very dissatisfied with the coalition command, and I don't know if he regrets it now.

Giro once regarded the Americans as the savior, and believed that the Americans could play a role no less than that of southern Africa if they participated in the war.

Now it seems that the difference is far. The American soldiers are far behind the southern African army in terms of training and organization, especially at the level of coordination and command. They are not at the same level at all.

Giro fought in the last world war.

During the last World War, when Roque was the commander-in-chief of the British Expeditionary Force, the British and French troops cooperated closely, which left a deep impression on Giraud.

A full 20 years have passed, and the southern African army has become more professional, while the European and American armies have continued to degenerate. As one goes up and down, Giro becomes confused about the future for a moment.

"Persevere, the troops led by General Patton have too many heavy weapons, and it will take time to complete the preparations." Eisenhower had a mature and charming smile on his face, but his words were perfunctory.

So far, the British and American troops have been paratroopers, and the ground attack troops have been the Free French.

This was an undisguised conspiracy. Eisenhower and Alexander were using the Free French Army to consume the strength of the Italian defenders. When the Italians and French were exhausted, Patton and Montgomery would go into battle.

Giraud felt deeply powerless in the face of the insidious British and Americans.

Be really careful about working with the British and Americans.

Since the outbreak of the World War, Britain has been deliberately stalling for time in North Africa, sitting and watching the Germans and Russians lose both.

Going back in time, during the French campaign, not only did the British army not go all out, but instead coerced some French troops to withdraw from Dunkirk to the British mainland, which was also an open betrayal of France.

Now the British are doing their old tricks again, and the French are once again victims.

Giraud suddenly understood why de Gaulle hated the British and Americans so much.

However, Giro was relieved that the fate of the US 82nd Airborne Division was no better than that of the British [-]st Airborne Division.

The U.S. 82nd Airborne Division was not bombarded by friendly forces by mistake, but it was hit hard by Italian air defense forces.

At the same time, coupled with the bad weather, the U.S. 82nd Airborne Division also suffered heavy losses. The plane of the deputy commander, Brigadier General Charles Kierans, was shot down and crashed into a mountain, leaving no bones left.

A series of clumsy performances by Britain, the United States, and France finally attracted the attention of southern Africa.

Patton flew back to Pretoria at the end of March, reported to Roque in person, and expressed to Roque his concerns about the British and American troops.

"Judging from the recent performance of the British and American troops, it seems that the British and Americans are not ready for it - the performance of the Free French Army was not bad some time ago, and it seems that the British and Americans have been affected by it during this period. We are judging the possibility of joint operations with the British and American troops, and their poor performance will have a negative impact on our troops." Patton was very uncomfortable, and the performance of the British and American troops was obviously a drag.

The melee between the British [-]st Airborne Division and the German [-]th Airborne Division lasted for half a month. Both sides suffered heavy casualties and were unable to destroy each other. It was not until the [-]th Division of the Free French Army arrived that the German [-]th Division took the initiative to retreat. .

The airborne of the Second Airborne Brigade failed completely. 2500 people lost more than 1000 during the airborne process. Alexander and Giro blamed each other for the mistakes of the other party, which led to this result.

Eisenhower mediated and promised to support a batch of British C47 transport planes and help the Free French Army train paratroopers. This temporarily eased the relationship between Alexander and Giroux.

When the British and American coalition forces launched the Sicily landing operation, the southern African military was not idle.

Southern African troops, although not involved in the landing operations, sent military observers to Sicily.

According to the standards of the southern African military, the performance of the British and American troops in the Sicily landing operations was quite amateurish. Including the US armored troops equipped with southern African tanks, they did not give full play to the due role of the southern African tanks.

The coordination work exposed the most serious problems. During the entire landing operation, not only the ground air defense forces accidentally hit friendly troops, causing heavy casualties to the paratroopers, but the fleet also bombarded the landing troops due to serious errors in coordinates, causing heavy losses to the 22nd British and Indian Division that landed. , had just arrived in Sicily and had to withdraw from the battle.

The performance of the Free French Army was equally miserable.

The Italian troops fighting on the mainland showed a completely different morale and combat effectiveness from the North African battlefield.

On the North African battlefield, once the situation was unfavorable, the Italian army would voluntarily surrender if it didn't hold out for too long, and there was no awareness of a bloody battle to the end.

The Italian army fighting on the ground showed a fighting will comparable to that of the Russian army. In the process of capturing the port of Palermo, the Italian army relied on the terrain to defend tenaciously. The crazy offensive of the Allied forces persisted for ten days, which was impossible in the North African battlefield.

Eisenhower and Alexander now realized that the pre-war reminders in southern Africa were not an exaggeration.

It's a pity that it's too late. Now Eisenhower and Alexander are riding a tiger. No matter how high the price is, Eisenhower and Alexander must win, otherwise they will not be able to explain.

"There is no problem with Eisenhower winning the victory. As for the combat effectiveness of the British and American troops, it is not that they are weak, but that they are too selfish and suspicious of each other. There is a big problem with their cooperation—" Rock saw It’s no wonder that it is impossible to defeat Germany by counting on the United Kingdom and the United States. Southern Africa has to take the initiative: “——The Free French Army can still be trusted. Send a telegram to President de Gaulle. It’s time to make a decision.”

Rock had high hopes for Charles de Gaulle, and it was time for all the chaos in Free France to end.

There are no two days, no two kings in the country, because of the open and secret fighting between Charles de Gaulle and Giraud, Free France is now in chaos. If it does not end decisively and strike hard, then the cost invested in southern Africa may be in vain.

The telegram was sent to Algiers, and de Gaulle immediately set off to find Alvin.

Alvin did not return to Southern Africa with Rock, but stayed in Algiers to be in charge of intelligence work for the next stage of the Southern African army's operations in Europe.

After the North African campaign, the focus of the next stage of operations has shifted to the European continent. The situation in this stage is more complicated, and intelligence work is more important.

"So, do you just want Mr. Commander-in-Chief to hand over power, or do you want him to be ruined and commit suicide in fear of crime?" Alvin asked de Gaulle to choose, which is also a test for de Gaulle.

De Gaulle was silent for a long time.

"If I can, I don't even want to target the French - but it's inevitable, so it's enough to let him hand over power. Free France can't afford consumption, especially this kind of consumption without benefits." De Gaulle It is also helpless that Giraud is too close to Britain and the United States, which has seriously affected the interests of Free France.

Although de Gaulle relied on Roque's support to establish Free France, de Gaulle has always been a very assertive person and did not want to completely attach himself to southern Africa.

Although de Gaulle paid a huge price for the cooperation with southern Africa, it was all worth it. Roque did not break his promise and promised to support de Gaulle and Free France without any discount. This is in stark contrast to the American approach.

The United States saw that it could not win over Charles de Gaulle, so it stopped helping the Free French Navy, and its cooperation with Giraud was all exploited, just like the British.

"No problem, you will definitely get the support of the French, as long as General Giraud becomes a mascot." Alvin is very satisfied with De Gaulle's choice. Southern Africa does not need a de Gaulle who is obedient, but a smart de Gaulle.

Southern Africa is actually an open conspiracy. As long as de Gaulle is not stupid, he will know what to do.

Some people who are not clear-headed, such as Jiro, Alvin still doesn't like it.

This matter does not require Alvin to take action. De Gaulle came to Alvin, hoping that Alvin would relay De Gaulle's decision to Roque, instead of asking for Alvin's help.

This kind of thing can't be helped, even if Southern Africa has this ability, Alvin can't show it.

Otherwise it will arouse the association of de Gaulle.

The Federal Government of Southern Africa has the ability to ruin Giro's reputation, so once De Gaulle's opinion and Roque turn to the left, will De Gaulle be reduced to the same fate as Giro?

De Gaulle had his own way.

Don't forget that the Free French Army was created by Charles de Gaulle.

Soon Jiro discovered that his generals no longer obeyed Jiro's orders.

It's not rejection, but obedience and violation.

For example, Giro ordered a certain unit to arrive at a certain place on a certain day, and the commander of the unit would find various excuses to delay the time, which directly caused the Free French army to move slowly on the battlefield and delay the fighter plane. Ability was also doubted by Eisenhower and Alexander.

As the commander-in-chief of the Free French Army, you can't even fully control the French army. What's the use of you as the commander-in-chief?
Giraud had a premonition that the situation was not good, and flew back to Algiers from the front command to hold an arms conference.

No sooner had Giraud's plane landed at Algiers Airport than Giraud himself was taken away by staff of the Free French Ministry of the Interior.

At a press conference held later, Free French Prime Minister Renard Capet explained to reporters that the commander-in-chief of the Free French Army, Giraud, needed to go to southern Africa for medical treatment due to personal physical reasons. The Free French Army was led by Charles de Gaulle himself. command.

(End of this chapter)