Shadow Spy

Chapter 466 The prophet succeeded again

It can be said that "Operation Market Garden" started with success, especially in the ground attack. The British 7th Armored Division advanced, the 50th and 51st Infantry Divisions followed up, and the British-Australian 9th Division and the New Zealand 2nd Division provided the The third echelon quickly broke through the defense line of the weak German Walz Division and advanced in depth...

In the first few days, many people thought that the operation was successful, and everyone who paid attention to the matter had different attitudes. But then they gave the British army a heads-up - the intelligence provided by the United States beforehand that the German military strength was increasing turned out to be true!

Under the attack of the German army's "suddenly" increase in air defense troops and armored troops, the British paratroopers suffered heavy losses. Not only were they unable to complete their scheduled tasks on time and occupy traffic key points and bridges, but they were constantly strangled by the German army... while the British ground troops' air defense forces suffered heavy losses. There are huge troops, tanks, and armored vehicles, but they are blocked by broken bridges and cannot join the isolated airborne troops at all!

By September 9th, the British army had to admit defeat. At the end of the battle, the three airborne divisions of the British army had lost a total of more than 25 people. Only 2.3 people of the 1st Airborne Division, which suffered the most losses, successfully evacuated. The casualties were less than 2000.

Not only did the British army fail to complete the purpose of the campaign, but they were forced to switch to defense along the Meuse River after the war.
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The results of the battle spread quickly to all countries. Although the British side was silenced by the blow, the high-level officials in the United States were also dumbfounded. Even Ayers, who had believed in Li Junhao the most before, did not expect that "Operation Market Garden" would fail this time. It's so miserable!

Not to mention what the British thought, on the American side, everyone who knew the causes and consequences of this matter was once again shocked by Admiral Panson's "foresight"! Everyone can think: If General Panson hadn't strongly requested that the two airborne divisions be withdrawn in advance, the US military would have suffered the most losses now!
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On September 9, at the White House advisory meeting, Roosevelt, who was attending the meeting, looked at it and felt that someone was missing, so he asked: "Where is General Panson?"

Leahy replied: "General Panson asked for leave. Last week he went to the land and sea base in Virginia Beach. Wounded soldiers of the sea and land forces who participated in the Pacific Theater are being shipped back home one after another. He went to arrange the treatment of the wounded. !”

Roosevelt was silent for a moment and then said: "Okay, Chief of Staff, when Panson comes back from his work, you can ask him to come here. I have something to say to him."
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On the same day, at the headquarters of the Allied Expeditionary Force in Reims, France, Commander-in-Chief Eisenhower looked at the official letter in his hand and sighed - because of the failure of the battle, Field Marshal Montgomery of the British Army officially resigned as Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Expeditionary Force. position!

This reminded him of the information he had previously received from China: He had previously disagreed with the "Operation Market Garden" and after failing to dissuade him, he directly withdrew the two airborne divisions of the US military. The mastermind of this was the "magical" sea and land commander Pan Sen. Admiral!

Eisenhower was a very calm and confident soldier and politician, but at this time he had great admiration for General Panson, who was more than 20 years younger than him!

Not long ago, he personally arranged for his men to find all the information on General Pan Sen. After carefully reading and studying it, he was convinced that there are geniuses in this world, and this General Pan Sen is one of them!

At this time, he remembered another thing - not long ago, when he learned that the British Army was going to grant Montgomery the rank of Field Marshal, the U.S. Department of the Army proposed to grant Marshall and himself the rank of Field Marshal in order to balance the issue of the order of command of the Allied forces. At that time, Marshall immediately refused, claiming that General Pershing, the most outstanding general in the history of the US military, was only a special general of the army. As a student, he would never accept the rank of marshal, even in wartime!

Under the circumstances at that time, Eisenhower could only refuse along with his old boss. Now it seems that his decision was correct, but it was not because of General Pershing, but because of Montgomery's "experience" after being promoted to marshal. He was glad that his previous decision was Correct - Montgomery's rank of Field Marshal has now become the biggest joke among the Allies!

In addition, he weighed it in his mind fairly and impartially. If Marshall and himself were to be awarded the title of marshal, General Panson seemed to be more qualified!

Okay, let’s put these things aside and focus on the battlefield first!

Immediately, Eisenhower ordered the Allied forces north of the Ardennes to occupy Antwerp, Belgium as soon as possible, break through the German Siegfried Line, and then seize the Ruhr area; the troops south of the Ardennes must break through the Siegfried Line, and then seize Frankfurt. Occupy the industrial area in western Germany first!
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On the 28th, Li Junhao returned to Washington and did not go to work that day. Instead, he went home to rest.

This time, more than 2000 wounded soldiers on land and sea were transported back from the Pacific theater, as well as the remains of 128 fallen soldiers. It took him four days to settle them all. During this period, he also dispatched 3000 soldiers to transport ships to supplement the front line... ...This kind of thing makes him a little intolerable, but as a senior commander, he must do it!
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The next day, Li Junhao went to the CIA first - this has become a habit of his. Every time he comes back from an outing, he first checks the recent intelligence summary.

Now he would naturally read the battle reports of each battlefield first. He already knew about the fiasco of "Operation Market Garden". At this time, he briefly looked at it and put it aside. The focus was on looking at several other war zones.

On the Eastern Front battlefield, the Soviet army was counterattacking Belarus and fighting fiercely with the German Army Group Center.

In the European theater, after the U.S. 7th Army commanded by Lieutenant General Alexander Patch landed in southern France, it formed the Sixth Allied Army Group with the French 1st Army commanded by Jean de Tassini, which comprised 21 divisions and 40 About ten thousand people are marching north towards Alsace...

The Allied 2st Army Group (British 1nd Army, Canadian 1st Army) and the 3th Army Group (U.S. st Army, st Canadian Army), which had already captured Antwerp, Belgium, and launched an attack on the German Siegfried Line rd Army) was stalled due to supply problems...

This evil outcome is all Montgomery's fault. The "Operation Market Garden" he insisted on took up all the supplies that the United States had finally sent to the front line. The other Allied forces did not even have enough fuel to activate their armored units. For this reason, Lieutenant General Patton, commander of the U.S. 3rd Army, has been scolding his mother for many days!

Seeing this, Li Junhao frowned again. He really didn't look down on the British. Look, what is all this? For a battle destined to fail, it affected the normal military operations of the Allies! Regarding the handling of this matter, he had serious doubts about Eisenhower's strategy of balance and compromise!

(End of this chapter)