Reborn South Africa as a police officer

Chapter 2462 Guerrilla

Montgomery did not stay too much in Cannes, and the longer he stayed, the more he could feel the gap between the British army and the southern African army.

If it's just a gap in weapons and equipment, it's fine. The British Empire still has a little wealth, and hard work can make up for it. If the quality is not enough, the quantity can make up.

What really made Montgomery heartbroken was the gap in soft power such as troop training, logistics management, and combat will.

Obviously they are all human beings, so why are all the southern African soldiers well-trained, energetic, and high-spirited, but the British army is lax in morale, lax in discipline, and looks like they will die at any time.

They are also military garrisons. The southern African camps are heavily guarded, orderly, clean and tidy. The British camps are dilapidated, sewage is flowing, and the air is full of unbearable smells, like a house that hasn’t been cleaned for three months. bathroom.

The problem of logistics management is even bigger. Not only are there no illegal buildings around the southern African military camp, but even the larger trees have been cleaned up. The British military camp is surrounded by various black market merchants, special industry practitioners, German spies, etc. wait wait wait.

Compared with weapons and equipment, the gap in soft power makes Montgomery even more frustrated. These aspects can be solved through training and management, but Montgomery doesn't know where to start.

It's useless even if you know it. The collapse of the system can only be overthrown and rebuilt. Just like Russia, the troops were wiped out and rebuilt on the spot, and they were replaced from top to bottom. Naturally, all the bad habits before.

Montgomery did not return to Caen, but went to Cherbourg.

Cherbourg was another case.

The First Army led by Patton was besieging Cherbourg. This was the first tough battle for the U.S. military in Europe. Eisenhower attached great importance to it, and sent the powerful Third Armored Army to support it, and went all out.

The Third Armored Army has just arrived in Europe. It has four armored divisions, and the number of tanks alone exceeds 1000.

Based on the experience of fighting in East Asia and North Africa, the United States reorganized its armored forces last year. Each armored division is assigned to three armored battalions. Each battalion is equipped with 53 medium tanks, 17 light tanks, and nearly 1500 other vehicles.

This organization is more powerful than the British army, but there is still a gap compared with the southern African army. The main tanks in the southern African army are heavy tanks, and the light tanks responsible for the auxiliary tasks of reconnaissance have all been replaced by medium tanks and light and flexible armored vehicles. replace.

The number of artillery is about the same. An American armored division is equipped with 54 large-caliber self-propelled howitzers and 94 mortars. Patton uses all the artillery together. Most of the fort has been leveled.

After learning about the situation in Cherbourg, Montgomery was heartbroken. The Germans were too cautious. They didn't need to destroy the port at all. The shelling of the US military had already blown up Cherbourg to pieces.

Patton also had good reasons. He knew that American tankers were inexperienced, and tanks were not suitable for urban combat, so he simply opened the distance and tortured the Germans with superior firepower. Except for a little more waste of shells, the effect was good.

"Waste? No, no, no waste at all. Lord Nyasaland said that if the problem can be solved with shells, then don't send soldiers to charge." Patton has the qualifications to waste. The steel output of the United States is not comparable to that of southern Africa. Up and down, the tank is not well built, and there are as many shells as there are.

"The Germans in Cherbourg are probably dead, and they only need one charge to end the battle." Montgomery was very uncomfortable, and his mood was more complicated than when he was in Cannes.

The lead in Southern Africa is too large, almost desperate, and Montgomery has no intention of catching up.

In North Africa, the performance of the U.S. Army was similar to that of the British Army. They were all kinds of hindrances, and they were indistinguishable from Italy on the Axis side.

In just a few months, the U.S. military has found the right way to fight the Germans, while the British are still struggling.

Montgomery thought hard, trying to find the advantage of the British army, but he couldn't figure out where the advantage of the British army was.

Not without it, for example, the afternoon tea served by the British army is more delicious, which has been certified by Italian captives.

Italians are known as European gourmets, and Britain is known as a gourmet desert, but Montgomery would rather not have this kind of certification.

It's not an honor at all, it's more like an insult.

"We must defeat the enemy not only physically, but also psychologically, so that they will be terrified when they see our flag in the next battle." Patton is not in a hurry to end the battle, and his troops need to adjust.

After the North African campaign, Patton learned from the painful experience and imitated the training and management methods of the armored forces in Southern Africa, setting strict requirements on the armored forces under his command.

Putting aside Barton's ability, he has a strong execution ability. He was in charge of the training of armored forces in the United States before, and he has a lot of experience.

Patton combined the southern African method and his own experience to find out a combat method suitable for the US military. The troops under him had just arrived in Europe, and it would take some time to adapt to the real battlefield.

"The Free French army is advancing rapidly towards Paris. If we don't speed up, then we will fall behind in the competition." Montgomery is a race maniac, and he will not miss any opportunity.

"You are wrong, we are allies, there is no competition between each other." Patton did not accept the kidnapping, the grievances between the British and the French were resolved by themselves, and the Americans were as detached as the southern Africans.

Patton in Algiers was also not in a hurry. On June 6, the main force of the Third Army, which invaded France from Spain, occupied Marseilles, linking the Allied theaters. Getting supplies to Normandy now looked easier than Portsmouth.

In order to prepare for the "Dragon Cavalry" plan, Patton hoarded a large amount of supplies in Algiers, including more than [-] tons of various fuels, which could meet the combat needs of ten armored divisions for three months.

There were only five armored divisions participating in the "Dragon Cavalry" operation, and the fuel supply was very sufficient. On the contrary, after the arrival of the Third Armored Army in Normandy, the fuel supply began to be tight. plate.

"It's not easy to send supplies from Marseille to Cherbourg. The railways in France have been bombed indiscriminately by us and systematically destroyed by the German army. It will take time to restore them." Oscar dared not look at them when he spoke. De Gaulle eyes.

The Allies and the Germans fought in France, and the most injured must be the French.

In France, not only the transportation facilities were damaged, but also all kinds of infrastructure were seriously damaged, and often the Allied planes had just bombed them, and the Germans used explosives to blow them up again. After the war, I don’t know how much it will cost to repair. .

In order to form the Free French Army, de Gaulle has already owed a debt, and I don't know how many years it will take to pay it off.

Needless to say, the Vichy French government, even if it has money, will be robbed by the Germans. The only thing that Free France can inherit is debt.

Under normal circumstances, compensation must be made from the Germans to make up for the losses.

However, referring to the situation of Germany's payment of indemnities after the end of the last world war, it is estimated that there will not be much oil and water to be squeezed out.

Anyway, don't care what the British and Germans think in the future, de Gaulle definitely doesn't want to fight anymore, it would be nice to live an honest life.

"Now is not the time to think about these issues. The most critical issue before us is to regain Paris as quickly as possible." De Gaulle distinguished the importance, the more difficult it is to transport supplies to Normandy, the better, preferably with a single bullet Don't give them away.

This must not be said, as long as everyone understands it, why should the Americans pay for the supplies hoarded by Southern Africa and Free France?
During the last World War, the Americans came to Europe empty-handed to fight, and the weapons and equipment were paid for by the British government and the French government.

This time, it was not that Winston and de Gaulle had learned to be smart, but that the Americans looked down on the equipment of the British and French armies and had to use their own.

Taking the most basic rifles as an example, the southern African army and the US military have already installed semi-automatic and fully automatic rifles, while the British army still uses Enfield.

De Gaulle was even more straightforward. Free France has no military production capacity. All weapons and equipment are on credit from southern Africa.

"Your Excellency, you can design the entry ceremony now. This honor is destined to belong to you, and only to you." Barton is confident that it is so difficult for the British to fight Caen, and the Americans are still studying artillery salvos in Cherbourg. , When they all understand, the day lily is cold.

It's not cool, the experience accumulated by Montgomery and Patton can still be used when they invade the German mainland.

If the Germans have not surrendered by then.

"I don't need the ceremony of entering the city, I want the surrender ceremony more." De Gaulle is playing a big game.

"Surrender ceremony - do you want to hold it on the train?" Barton actively suggested that many famous historical events happened on the train he mentioned.

After World War I, the old Marshal Foch smashed his own train, forcing the Germans to sign the instrument of surrender.

After Vichy France stopped resisting, the Germans also forced Petain to complete the surrender ceremony in the same carriage.

If Charles de Gaulle drags that train out in the future, then this train can enter a museum in the future.

"It's a good idea. I want to wash away the shame imposed on France by the Germans."

The situation on the front line is indeed very good for the Free French Army.

After the battle in Lyon, the German defense in southern France had completely collapsed, and Kruger ignored Moustache's order to defend on the spot. Like Rommel, he ordered all the German troops who could be contacted to gather in Paris.

Countless German soldiers rode in horse-drawn carts or ox carts, walking slowly on the road full of bomb craters.

The cars couldn't be driven due to lack of fuel, and the brand new tanks were simply discarded. The Germans didn't even destroy them, because it would take a lot of explosives to blow up the tanks.

Now the German army is starting to have problems even with the supply of explosives.

In the fields of southern France, the scene of the first war broke out four years ago was repeated. At that time, the French army retreated in frustration and completely lost the will to fight.

Now it's finally the turn of the German army. Even if the horses and cattle are exhausted, they can't run the armored vehicles. What's more, there are guerrillas who appear and disappear along the way. The only thing many German troops can pray for is to be caught up by the southern African army instead of falling into the hands of the guerrillas. inside.

In various documents of another time and space, there is also a lack of records on the French guerrillas, as if they did not exist at all.

In fact, the total number of guerrillas in France exceeds 30. They played a huge role in the Allied offensive. In many cases, the guerrillas helped the Allied forces complete their tasks before the Allied forces reached the target. The achievement is definitely worthy of special mention.

The Germans ruled France in the past few years, and it was indeed a day of anger and hatred. The French hated it to the bone. The fighting will of the guerrillas was much stronger than that of the original French army.

The 11th Division of the Free French Army was at the forefront of the Allied attack line.

Most of the soldiers of the 11th Division are from French Indochina. Although they are short in stature, their combat effectiveness is not weak, especially their marching speed, which is comparable to that of the southern African army.

"This is normal. There are many mountains in French Indochina. The original intention of this army was to use it as a mountain army. They are best at rapid marches. They can advance 50 kilometers a day and night." Major Mars from Algiers was triumphant, 50 kilometers It is indeed a good result. The southern African army marched in a hurry, and only 50 kilometers a day and night.

No matter how fast it is, it is not impossible, but it is not necessary. The record of the southern African army is 120 kilometers a day and night, which was created by the First Cavalry Division led by Rock during the autonomy of southern Africa.

During the self-government period in southern Africa, the popularity of cars was far lower than it is now, and troops mainly relied on horse-drawn carts to transport supplies.

Now if you march in a hurry, you can easily travel thousands of kilometers in a day and night.

Unlike the soldiers of the Free French Army who walked on two legs, Mars was sitting in an armored command vehicle, which made his complacency a lot less convincing.

"We are now less than ten kilometers away from the town of Roma. The troops need to stop and rest and prepare for the next battle." Major Carlisle from the Transvaal couldn't get carried away. small town.

The reason why we say arrival is not a battle is that before the arrival of the coalition forces, either the German troops had already withdrawn, or the guerrillas had settled the battle, and the journey was extremely easy.

Of course, the scenes of guerrilla battles were more bloody, and the photos could not be published in newspapers. The 11th Division traveled so far without capturing a single prisoner.

"Don't worry, the guerrillas will help us solve the problem." Mars likes this way of fighting very much. There is no need to do anything, and the credit is not small at all. The only role of the coalition forces is to clean up the battlefield. In this respect, the southern African army is better than the free law The army is more enthusiastic.

(End of this chapter)