Film and Television: Starting from the Journey to Guandong

Chapter 144

In April 1943, the deterioration of the situation at the front and the damage to Foch (which was not fully realized until after the refloating) killed any illusions of further progress.

The Bolzano was reclassified as a cruiser due to its low modification priority.

Refit work on the Harrier was also suspended that same month. At this time, the Aquila became the last hope for the Italian aircraft carrier.

In the spring of 1943, due to the Allied bombing of northern Italy, most of the factories in Italy began to be evacuated, causing a slight delay in the modification project of the Skyhawk, but there was still hope for the completion of the Skyhawk.

其舰载机的研制也同样保持正轨。在1941年12月决定用性能更强的Re.2001战斗机替代原先计划的Re.2000战斗机后，1942年进行了弹射系统和着落装置的试验。

By the way, on May 1942, 5, the Miraglia, anchored in the port of Taranto, ejected a Re.9 fighter jet and performed aerobatics over the fleet.

The sailors present cheered, believing that they would finally have the protection of reconnaissance aircraft and torpedo bombers they had lacked since the war began.

从1942年10月开始，海军署在利托里奥号，维内托号和罗马号战列舰（每艘船搭载1到2架）上部署了几架Re.2000弹射战斗机，替换原来的Ro.43水上飞机。

Landing on the flight deck is much more complicated than taking off.

It was not until March 1943, after months of testing on the simulated flight deck of the Skyhawk built at Perugia Airport and many modifications to the arresting device, that Italian and German engineers believed they had designed a A viable - if not ideal - landing system.

Pilot training and testing of the communications system aboard the Cavour battleship in Trieste began in the spring of 1943 and continued until September, with good results.

However, on the day of the Armistice in Italy, the attempt to increase the combat load of Re.2001 from a 500kg bomb to a 450mm torpedo was still in the prototype stage.

Tests of the Piaggio PD.1942 helicopter in the winter of 43-3 had already proven that the initial problems encountered by the new machine would take a long time to resolve.

In May 1943, the Naval Aviation Lobby in the Senate led by Valle advocated purchasing the Aegean Fi 5 small helicopter already active in Germany from Germany and conducting further tests on it.

However, the Italian armistice ended deliveries of the aircraft.

In June 1943, the pressure to resist the invasion of the mainland forced the Italian Naval Staff to decide to stop the construction and modification of the Aquila, as well as all battleships and cruisers, after two months of ideological struggle.

Over the next three months, manpower and power resources were diverted to the construction of destroyers, torpedo ships, MAS boats, and submarines.

This decision determined the Skyhawk's ultimate fate.

In any case, the ship would not be completed until at least late spring 1944. And even in the best-case scenario, she would have to wait until 1945 to receive a trained crew and carrier-based aircraft and enter service.

Over the past 20 years, Italy has missed too many opportunities to enter the aircraft carrier club.

The Piaggio PD.3 helicopter was first tested in the winter of 1942-1943, and initial problems put the new machine out of action.

In addition to the opportunity of the Caracciolo hull, Italy's last chance to choose a modern aircraft carrier was the project proposed by Vian in 1932. This aircraft carrier could rival the French Béarn and accumulate valuable experience in naval aviation for the Italian Navy. Even if it fails, its impact will not completely dissipate.

After 1936, with the final cancellation of the high-speed seaplane carrier project, Italy's limited shipbuilding capabilities and naval funds were prioritized on the construction and modification of battleships. This allowed the Italian Navy to fight against any power in Europe provoking a war before 1944. The need for aircraft carriers can only be solved by emergency design.

In hindsight, the remaining opportunity for a wartime aircraft carrier was the aircraft ejection ship conversion program of the cruise ship Roma in the autumn of 1939.

Although this is not a good idea, it is still very useful for the fleet: its reconnaissance capabilities will be greatly improved.

In view of the war situation in the summer of 1943, the Ansaldo Shipyard reallocated the materials and shipbuilders originally used for the construction of the Aquila aircraft carrier to build another seven Aries-class torpedo ships to replace the unfortunate ship with high hopes. .

We can conclude that the modification of the Roma was very cost-effective and, if completed, would have little impact on Italy's war production.

The armistice period of September 1943, 9 was the most difficult period in modern Italian history, but 8 months later, the Italian Navy, which fought jointly with the Allies, still maintained good morale.

The war against Germany in the Mediterranean was ending, and mine clearance, transportation, and logistics became the main tasks of the Italian Navy.

At this time, the Italian naval leadership, especially Admiral de Courtan, Chief of Naval Staff, began to study the composition of the post-war fleet.

Believing in the generous promises of the Allies, Kurtang had planned to enrich the fleet with two escort carriers after the war since September 1944.

This would be based on the 1942 Struoper conversion project, which involved refitting two Italian tankers, while also considering gaining relevant experience operating alongside Allied carriers and carefully observing their air operations and equipment.

In April 1945, the Aquila returned to Italian hands in Genoa. Although the hull was damaged, it was still valuable for repair and use. The Navy planned to put her back into service.

However, unexpectedly harsh provisions in the 1947 peace treaty prohibited Italy from possessing aircraft carriers.

Italy's pursuit of flat-tops seems to have come full circle: from having the ability but lacking the will, to having the will but not the ability.

However, this treaty did not prevent the Italian Navy from continuing to secretly develop the supporting facilities needed to operate the aircraft carrier, but the Italian Navy found to its chagrin that this was more difficult than actually building the aircraft carrier.

In January 1948, Admiral Franco Maugeri, who had led Italian naval intelligence during World War II, became chief of staff after de Courtan retired.

He had been secretly contacting and helping Jewish immigrant organizations since the summer of 1945, and reached a mutually beneficial deal involving the escort carrier Attu Island, which had by then been converted into a train ferry.

According to the plan, the Jewish immigrant organization planned to use its own funds to purchase the ship (along with a batch of F4F Wildcat fighter jets) on the surplus military supplies market, and then quietly drive it to an Italian shipyard to convert it back into an aircraft carrier.

Under the command of Israel, this aircraft carrier named "Flying W" will participate in the battle to seize control of the Palestinian coast. Italy will provide the necessary navigation personnel for this purpose and gain valuable combat experience in the process. .

Mauger welcomed the imaginative plan and assigned the project a 5000-kilogram telescopic catapult from the unfinished battleship HMS Imperial.

However, in the spring of 1948, the U.S. court stopped the sale of the ship because her Jewish buyer had not paid the full price.

It can be said that during the entire second station, Italy's naval construction was only on paper.

This is not a problem for one person, it is a problem for the entire country.

People who are familiar with the second station must have heard this joke: If the strength of the three Axis countries of Germany, Italy, and Neon is rated, Germany will score 100 points, Neon will score 0 points, and Italy can only be negative. point.

In many people's minds, Italy has always played a "lagging behind" role in the second leg. As a member of the Axis Powers, when Germany was unstoppable in Europe and neon was booming in Asia, Italy continued to Even Africa couldn't handle it easily, leaving behind a series of jokes that have become a source of conversation for future generations.

Before 1861, Italy could not be called a country, only a region.

Now Italy was originally part of the Roman Empire. Since the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476, the region has entered a dark period of nearly years of fragmentation and rule by alien races.

During this period of time, a series of small countries such as the Principality of Milan, the Republic of Florence, and the Republic of Venice appeared in Italy. This kind of division was similar to the Five Hus and Sixteen Kingdoms of China.

It was not until 1796, when Napoleon occupied the Italian region, that there were signs that "a long separation must unite".

However, after the fall of the Napoleonic dynasty, Italy was divided into eight states and regions. Except for the independent Kingdom of Sardinia, the others were ruled by Austria, Spain and the Pope.

Italians gradually feel that they cannot always be bullied by others. When you come, you occupy, and when they come, they occupy. If this doesn't work, you must build your own country.

As a result, a movement for Italian independence and unification began with great vigor. Long-term divisions made the cause of unification a bumpy road, and it was not really realized until 1861.

In this movement, three outstanding leaders emerged: Mazzini, Garibaldi, and Cavour, who are known as the Three Heroes of the Founding of Italy.

Although these three people all advocated the unification of Italy, they had differences on what kind of country they would establish after unification.

Mazzini and Garibaldi hoped to establish a democratic republic; but Cavour wanted to turn the original Kingdom of Sardinia into the Kingdom of Italy and establish a constitutional monarchy.

After repeated struggles, the Kingdom of Italy was finally established, but it was not as beautiful as originally imagined. It completely became the "2.0 version" of the Kingdom of Sardinia.

The important positions in the king, parliament, government, and army are all occupied by the original members of the former Kingdom of Sardinia. This has resulted in people from the original "non-Sardinian Kingdom" becoming dissatisfied because it is difficult for them to hold important positions, even though everyone is in the same country. , they are also unhappy with each other.

Because Italy has been divided for a long time in history, Italians do not have a strong sense of identity with their country, and their national cohesion is not as strong as that of Germany and Neon.

Many times, everyone puts their own personal interests first, and has nothing to do with the country.

In addition, important departments are controlled by officials from the Kingdom of Sardinia, which makes the "outsiders" who later joined the Kingdom not interested in the government. As a result, what the central government says often does not work well for the people, and the people do not recognize the superiors.

At some critical moments, it is difficult to mobilize the people. In this case, it is naturally difficult for the national and military power to become strong.

Since everyone prioritizes personal interests, various departments in Italy only care about themselves without communication or cooperation, and it is even unclear who to listen to.

The King, Parliament, Prime Minister, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the military have always acted in their own silos, and the decision-making and execution departments have been inefficient and, in more serious cases, even contradictory.

After Italy was defeated by Austria in 1866, the king lost face and gave up command, retreated to the second line and did not participate in military decision-making.

Matters concerning combat operations are left to the Staff Department, but this department can only formulate plans, but cannot make the final decision and cannot fully control the army.

The king, who was relegated to the second line, could make the decisions but not take care of things. The general staff was in charge but could not make the decisions. In addition, there was no communication between the military and internal affairs and diplomacy. As a result, when there was any important news about the country, the army was unable to get it accurately at the first time. information.

During the First World War, Italy originally planned to remain neutral, but the Army Chief of Staff submitted a battle plan to unite Germany against France to the king. The next year after it was approved by the king, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reached an agreement with Britain and France. Agreement to declare war on Austria-Hungary.

The key is that the army doesn’t know about such a big thing?

When a war begins, the soldiers don't even know who the enemy is. By the time they react, the battle is almost over.

This kind of "unreliable" thing has happened more than once. It can be seen that Italy's efficiency is extremely low, and orders often change at night and even are inconsistent.

Later, when Uncle Mo came to power, this guy had great power and achieved centralization. However, he himself was very good at talking nonsense. He was an expert in talking big, but he was only an amateur in military operations.

In order to gain the support of the military, he did not hesitate to significantly increase military expenditures and turned a blind eye to corruption within the military.

Therefore, during his reign, the Italian army had chaotic command and no tacit understanding among the troops. It would be damned if this kind of army did not lose the battle.

The fundamental reason for the failure of military command is the lack of communication and communication between each other due to long-term divisions.

In addition to military command problems, there are also big problems with weapons and equipment.

In modern times, the level of industry determines national strength, and natural resources determine the level of industry.

Only when you have resources can you build guns and cannons. Neon invaded the Northeast to plunder resources because of the lack of resources.

The reason why Germany can sweep across Europe has a lot to do with its own rich coal and iron resources.

However, God does not favor Italy in this regard. Italy's natural resources may be the worst among European countries. Coal, iron, oil, and natural gas are all available.

For example, Germany's coal production reached 1870 million tons in 3400, while Italy's production was only 1894 tons in 24; on the eve of the first stop, Italy's pig iron production was 85 tons, while Germany's production in 1900 reached 825. Thousands of tons.

This situation did not change until the eve of the second stop.

In addition to the lack of resources, the geographical environment is not suitable for the development of large-scale industry. When we look at the terrain of Italy, we can find that most of the country is mountainous, especially in the south, with almost no flat land. Even building railways and roads is very troublesome. Not to mention building a factory.

Only the northern region has plains and sufficient water sources, so Italy's industry is mainly concentrated in the northern region.

This also gave rise to the problem of unbalanced development between the north and the south.

The only industries are mainly light industries such as textiles and food.

In 1890, Italy's overall industrial potential was only 60% of that of Austria-Hungary, 1/3 of Russia, 1/6 of Russia, and 1/9 of Britain. By 1938, its overall industrial potential was only equivalent to that of Neon. Half, 1/5 of Germany, not even 1/11 of the ugly country.

In terms of gross national product, the gap is even further.

In 1890, Italy's gross national product was less than half that of France and Mauritius, and less than one-third that of Britain.

Congenitally deficient and acquired disability, faced with such a situation, even if Italy tried its best, it could not create a weapon that would suit its needs.

Therefore, the fundamental reason for poor weapons and equipment is the lack of its own resources.

If command and equipment are both external factors, there are also internal factors that affect the army's combat effectiveness - morale.

In this regard, we can make a comparison with our old teammates Germany and Italy during World War II.

In our impression, Germans are rigorous, conscientious, dedicated to their duties, efficient and disciplined.

This kind of character manifests itself as a high-quality worker in peacetime, and as an absolutely obedient warrior on the battlefield.

But Italians are just the opposite.

Italians enjoy life very much. In the eyes of Italians, family and individuals always come first. If Italians are asked to sacrifice individuals for the sake of the collective, it would be harder than reaching the sky.

On the other hand, as the birthplace of the Renaissance, Italy has always had romantic and literary feelings in its bones.

But from another perspective, it is freedom, individualism, and hedonism.

In the environment of World War II, whoever followed you on the battlefield pursued freedom and enjoyment. Literary and artistic types could not stop bullets.

The backwardness of educational level has also lowered the overall quality of the army.

Education in Italy is relatively backward in Europe. The compulsory education law was only promulgated in 1877, but its implementation was not smooth.

Especially in the agricultural areas of the South, the already poor and backward South felt that studying was not as useful as farming. Therefore, most of the Italian soldiers were illiterate. The result of illiteracy was that they were unable to effectively implement complex tactics and fell into a state of advanced tactics. You don’t understand either, and even if I give you advanced weapons, you won’t be able to use them, which is an embarrassing situation.

On the eve of the first stop, one-third of the recruits in the Italian army were illiterate, while in Germany only one-thousandth was illiterate.

Therefore, it is unrealistic to point out this group of lazy, free, and hedonistic people to go to the battlefield and risk their lives against the enemy. In the eyes of these illiterate people, the country is better off going home, and the honor is not as fragrant as spaghetti. Even if they are holding a whip in Even if they draw back, they can't win.

This can also explain why during World War II, the Italian army always "stuck behind" in battles and had no sense of shame after surrendering. Instead, it was even more cheerful.

Of course, this is not to belittle Italy as useless. At least their weapons and equipment still have merit.

As for their performance in Africa, we can talk about it.

As one of the three cores of the Axis Powers, Italy's presence was not strong throughout the second leg.

Unlike Germany and Neon's dream of world domination, Uncle Mo's goal has always been to restore the former territories of the ancient Roman Empire.

However, Italy, nicknamed "poor man's imperialism", was too weak, and its army lacked the martial spirit of Germany and the Neon Army, which made Italy's military expansion during the second station extremely difficult.

On October 1922, 10, King Emmanuel III of Italy summoned Uncle Mo to Rome to authorize the formation of a cabinet. On the way, Uncle Mo declared to his followers: "Italy must restore its glorious achievements in ancient times."

In March 1932, during the world economic crisis, Italy maintained stable economic development, which made Mr. Mo feel a little elated. In an interview with a German reporter, he said:

“If modern Rome demands that the colonies of the ancient Roman Empire be returned to Italy, then Portugal, Switzerland, Glasgow, Pannonia (the upper reaches of the Danube), and even all of Western, Central, and Southern Europe should be placed under the Italian flag again .”

In order to restore the hegemony of the ancient Roman Empire, Uncle Mo also followed Germany and proposed the "living space theory" to provide a theoretical basis for its aggression and expansion.

In December 1934, Mr. Mo drafted the "Action Plan to Solve the Italy-Abyssinia Problem" and pointed out:

"The plan to acquire territory was to be realized first in Abyssinia (Ethiopia), because it was the last land without a European owner."

On March 1939, 3, Uncle Mo pointed out in a speech:

"Whether it is geographically, historically, or politically speaking, the Mediterranean is Italy's living space. And when we talk about the Mediterranean, of course we also include the bay called the Adriatic. In the Adriatic In the Gulf, Italy’s interests are prominent.”

On March 1940, 3, Uncle Mo said in a memorandum to the King of Italy "Why We Go to War":

“The first places Italy wanted to capture after entering the war were Corsica (belonging to France), Malta, Bizerte (the northern port of Tunisia), as well as the Suez Canal and the Strait of Gibraltar.

Without acquiring these places, Italy would not be a truly independent country.

If Italy wants to join the ranks of world powers, it must not only solve the problem of land borders, but also solve the problems of maritime borders. "

From the above statements of Uncle Mo at different times, Italy's subsequent route of aggression can be clearly described.

Before and after the second stop, Italy invaded Ethiopia, Albania, France, Greece, North Africa, and East Africa, basically based on Uncle Mo's above-mentioned idea. Abyssinia (Ethiopia) is located at the southern end of the Red Sea. It is an important link in the sea route connecting Europe and Asia. If you control this place, you can cut off the route.

In December 1934, Ethiopian security forces clashed with Italian troops in the Varvar area on the border, known as the Varvar incident.

Uncle Mo took this to make a big fuss and began to send more troops to Italian Somalia and Eritrea adjacent to Ethiopia.

By September 1935, the Italian army had concentrated 9 troops in the two places, commanded by Bono, the commander-in-chief of Northeast Africa.

Faced with the coming invasion, Ethiopia mobilized 37 to 47 people, under the personal command of Emperor Selassie.

Although the number of the Egyptian army is not less than that of the Italian army, there are only a few regular troops, and the vast majority are armed militia groups from various places.

On October 1935, 10, the Italian army invaded Ethiopia in three routes: north, west and south, with Bono personally commanding the north route.

On the 4th, they entered Adua, an important town in northern Egypt. The two sides fought repeatedly in the north. Egyptian soldiers and civilians transported food and blocked water wells along the way of the Italian attack. As a result, the Italian army was often forced to retreat due to lack of food and water.

In January 1936, the Egyptian army competed with the Italian army in the Tempion area. After 1 days of fierce fighting, the Italian army lost more than 10 people and the Egyptian army won. In the west and south, the Italian army also encountered stubborn resistance from the Egyptian army. , no progress was made.

In February 1936, the Italian army used a large number of poison gas bombs on the battlefield, causing a large number of Ethiopian soldiers and civilians to be poisoned and killed, and their combat effectiveness was sharply reduced.

In early April, the Italian army approached the Egyptian capital Addis Ababa, but King Selassie personally led the army to stop it but failed.

On May 5, Selassie went into exile in the United Kingdom. On the 3th, the capital Addis Ababa fell.

On May 5, Mr. Mo announced the annexation of Ethiopia.

Albania is located in the central and western part of the Balkan Peninsula, separated from Italy by the Adriatic Sea. It is what Uncle Mo calls "the bay of the Adriatic Sea."

The reason why Uncle Mo wants to invade Albania is because it can be used as an advance base for subsequent attacks on the Balkans, and then cross the Dardanelles and Bosporus into Asia.

In April 1939, Italy proposed to send troops to Albania's border areas with Greece and Yugoslavia, but was rejected by King Sogu I of Albania.

On April 4, the Italian army, commanded by Guzzoni, landed in Albania in three groups.

When the Italian army attacked the seaport of Durres, they encountered brief resistance from the Albanian army and still occupied Durres that day.

On the 8th, the capital Tirana fell.

By the 10th, all of Albania had fallen.

King Sogu I and his wife and children fled to England via Greece.

King Emmanuel III of Italy proclaimed himself King of Albania and appointed Badoglio as governor of Albania.

After the outbreak of the second station, Italy paid close attention to the war in Europe.

On March 1940, 3, on the eve of Germany's attack on France, Uncle Xi wrote to Uncle Mo, urging Italy to fight side by side with Germany.

At this time, Uncle Mo saw the German army's victories and was worried that "when the war is over and victory comes, he will be empty-handed and gain nothing."

So, regardless of his lack of military preparation, he accepted Uncle Xi's request.

On March 3, Mr. Xi and Mr. Mo met in Brennero, Italy, and finally agreed that Italy would join the war on the side of Germany, but the specific time for joining the war was not specified.

On May 5, Uncle Mo told his son-in-law, Italian Foreign Minister Ciano, "I will join the war at the end of the month."

In June 1940, France's defeat was certain.

Uncle Mo declared war on France on June 6, and Crown Prince Umberto commanded the Italian army to attack southeastern France.

However, the poor combat effectiveness of the Italian army did not add glory to Uncle Mo's face.

At that time, France had completely collapsed. The French army on the French-Italian border was far less than the Italian army, but the Italian army had never made any progress.

On June 6, France was about to be defeated. Uncle Mo excitedly took a train to Munich to meet with Uncle Greek. He proposed that Italy occupy the Rhone River Basin, including the French Navy's largest port in the Mediterranean, the Port of Toulon and Marseille, and Corsi. He also demanded that all of France's fleet, air force, and heavy weapons be handed over to Italy.

If Uncle Xi agrees to Uncle Mo's request, Italy will complete its hegemony in the Mediterranean region.

As a result, Uncle Xi was rude to this staunch ally.

In the armistice agreement signed between France and Italy on June 6, Italy only received 25 square kilometers of French land.

In November 1940, Italy relied on Albania to attack Greece. After a few days of adjusting its defenses, the Greek army launched a counterattack against the Italian army, and the Italian army was forced to retreat to Albania.

Until April of the following year, the German army invaded the Balkan Peninsula and occupied all of the region except Albania.

In August 1940, France had also been defeated, and Germany was carrying out the Sea Lion plan to launch air strikes on the British mainland. The British military force in Africa was only about 8 troops led by Wavell, of which 10 were stationed in eastern Africa and 3.25 people stationed in northern Africa.

Uncle Mo decided to take advantage of this opportunity to seize Egypt and British Somalia with superior force, control the Suez Canal and the Red Sea, and then cut off the British maritime transportation lines in the Red Sea.

To this end, Italy assembled more than 50 troops, with Aosta commanding 30 troops in the East Africa cluster and Graziani commanding 23.6 troops in the North Africa cluster.

On August 1940, 8, Italian troops in East Africa entered British Somalia from Ethiopia and Eritrea.

On the 11th, the Italian army approached the main defensive position of the British army in Tuagan, and the British army, with only 1500 troops, retreated to Aden by boat.

On the 20th, British Somalia was occupied by Italy.

Subsequently, the Italian army turned around and attacked southern Kenya and western Sudan. After occupying the town of Moale in Kenya and the towns of Kassala and Garabat in Sudan, it encountered resistance from local soldiers and civilians and was forced to stop the attack.

At the end of August, the British army transferred some of the troops that had retreated from Dunkirk back to the mainland, as well as troops from southern Africa, to reinforce eastern Africa. The reinforced British troops in Kenya, Sudan, and Egypt increased to 8 people.

1941年1月19日，英印军第4、第5师和苏丹国防军攻入厄立特里亚。

On March 3, Karen was captured and the passage into the capital Asmara was opened.

On April 4, British troops occupied Asmara, the capital of Eritrea.

On April 4, 8 Italian troops surrendered to the British army at the Massawa naval base on the Red Sea.

在肯尼亚，英军第1南非师和第11、第12非洲师于1月24日进入意属索马里。

On February 2, they occupied Mogadishu and then headed north to Ethiopia. King Selassie, who was in exile in the United Kingdom, returned to the country.

On March 3, the British army captured Harar.

On April 4, Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, was captured.

On May 5, the main force of the Italian army in Ethiopia, led by coach Aosta, surrendered to the British army, and Italy's power in eastern Africa was eliminated by the British.

In northern Africa, Libya became an Italian colony as early as 1912.

Before World War II, Italy had two armies stationed in Libya.

Among them, the 10th Army is deployed near the border with Egypt in eastern Libya; the 5th Army is stationed near the border with Tunisia in the west.

In June 1940, the British army retreated from Dunkirk in northern France, and Churchill transferred some of his troops to Egypt.

At this time, there were 2 British divisions and 2 brigades stationed in Egypt, one of which was deployed on the border of Eli.

On August 1940, 8, Mr. Mo sent a letter to Graziani, the governor of Libya and commander-in-chief of the Italian Army in North Africa. He said in the letter: "The day German soldiers land on British soil will be the time for you to launch an attack."

It seems that Uncle Xi's worries are not unreasonable. Even his allies are coveting the British colonies, looking forward to getting a few more pieces of fat after the fall of Britain.

However, Uncle Mo did not see the German troops landing in Britain in the autumn.

So, he couldn't wait to order Marshal Graziani to send troops to Egypt.

1940年9月13日，意第10集团军6个步兵师和8个坦克营越过利埃边境，英军稍作抵抗后向后撤退。

On September 9, Italian troops captured Sidi Burani.

The British army withdrew to Matruh Port and rebuilt their defense lines, but the Italian army did not continue to advance due to supply difficulties.

After that, the British army in Egypt was supplemented by two divisions, and then counterattacked against the Italian army.

12月9日，英军以1个装甲师和1个步兵师突击意第10集团军。

On December 12, the British army recovered the previously lost Sidi Burani and captured 11 Italian soldiers.

On January 1941, 1, the British army invaded Libya and occupied the Bardiya Fortress.

On January 1, Tobruk was captured.

On February 2, the British army occupied Benghazi and all Italian troops in eastern Libya were eliminated.

In this battle, 475 British troops were killed, 1225 wounded, and 43 missing; the Italian 10th Army was completely wiped out, 13 of them were captured, and 400 tanks and 1290 artillery pieces were lost.

Italy's defeat in North Africa made Hitler very disappointed and uneasy.

Uncle Xi originally did not attach much importance to North Africa. He only hoped that Italy could maintain stability in the southern Mediterranean to prevent Britain and the United States from threatening Europe from North Africa.

However, the disastrous defeat of the Italian army forced Mr. Xi to send a force into Africa to stabilize the situation there.

On February 1941, 2, when consulting with the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Mr. Chi pointed out on the North African issue that “Although it is acceptable to lose North Africa from a military perspective, this loss will definitely have a strong mental shock to the Italians... Italy considers that after the British occupation of North Africa, they will bomb Italian cities and may withdraw from the alliance. In this case, only resolute measures will be effective."

On February 2, Uncle Xi called Uncle Mo to inform him of his decision to send an armored force to North Africa. He also requested that the Italian Air Force and the troops in North Africa be handed over to Germany for unified command. Uncle Mo readily agreed and promised to Two additional infantry divisions were sent to North Africa.

On February 2, Lieutenant General Rommel, commander of the "German Afrika Korps", set foot on African soil and began the most glorious moment of his life. Following him was the German 12th Armored Division, and then the 5th Armored Division also arrived in Africa.

The British army soon learned of the news that the German army had entered North Africa, but Wavell, the commander-in-chief of the British army in North Africa, believed that it would take two months for the German army to have the conditions to launch an attack, so there would be no war in the spring of 2.

On March 3, Rommel led the Italian coalition forces to launch a tentative attack on the British army and occupied Agella.

Then he continued to attack the British army on March 3. After encountering stubborn resistance from the British army, Rommel gave up the frontal attack and instead implemented a roundabout encirclement on the flank of the British army.

On April 4, Ajdabiya was captured.

Under the command of Rommel, the German-Italian forces were divided into three groups and attacked north and northeast.

One way is composed of the reconnaissance force of the German 5th Light Armored Division and one Italian division, advancing towards Benghazi; the other way is the German 1th Tank Regiment, which is advancing towards the Akdal Mountains; the other way is composed of the main force of the German 5th Light Armored Division and The Italian army consisted of one division and detoured east of the Akdal Mountains.

Uncle Xi warned Rommel not to take risks just like he warned Guderian during the French campaign, but at this time his vanguard had already set off.

On April 4, the German-Italian forces first captured Benghazi, and then surrounded the Tobruk Fortress on April 4.

By mid-April, the German-Italian forces advanced to the border with Lia and occupied eastern Libya (Cyrenaica) outside Tobruk.

Rommel hoped that Uncle Xi could send more troops so that he could launch an attack on Cairo, the capital of Egypt.

However, Uncle Xi is ready to concentrate all available forces to invade Mao Xiong and no longer send troops to North Africa. The war in North Africa has temporarily stabilized.

The disastrous defeat of the British army in North Africa made Uncle Qiu realize that the British army might be driven out of Africa, which would lead to the cutoff of routes through the Mediterranean and the loss of contact with other countries in the Commonwealth and colonies.

The British Army High Command believes: "The British Army in North Africa has good conditions to continue fighting. It can paralyze maritime transportation between Italy and Tripoli through sea and air cooperation, destroy the supplies of the German-Italian coalition forces, and can rely on Brooke Fortress and the Egyptian base to carry out a campaign. A series of small-scale attacks will create favorable conditions for subsequent counterattacks."

On June 1941, 6, the German army invaded Mao Xiong. Uncle Xi devoted all his main forces to the Soviet-German battlefield, making it even more difficult for the German African Army to supply.

Uncle Qiu ordered General Auchinleck, the new commander-in-chief of the British forces in the Middle East, to boldly attack and seize the strategic initiative in North Africa.

In the early morning of November 11, the British 18th Army launched the "Crusaders" campaign with 8 divisions and 6 brigades, a total of 5 people, 11.8 tanks, and the support of 924 aircraft from the Air Force and the Mediterranean Fleet to crush it. Facing 1072 divisions of the German and Italian allied forces (about 10 men, equipped with 10 tanks and 522 aircraft), they lifted the enemy's siege of Tobruk and liberated Cyrenaica.

The main force of the British army launched a pincer assault on the German and Italian armored forces east of Tobruk, and broke into Libya that night to a depth of 80 kilometers.

On the 19th, Sidi Rezeg, about 16 kilometers south of Tobruk, was captured.

On the 20th, the British army completed the encirclement of the German and Italian coalition forces, and the two sides launched a fierce tank battle in the Sidi Rezeg area.

On the 21st, the British defenders guarding Tobruk Fortress attacked with the support of tanks, preparing to join the British troops in Sidi Rezeg.

On the 25th, Rommel attacked the British rear with a strong force, but failed to achieve significant results.

On December 12, Rommel ordered the abandonment of the 4-day siege of Tobruk.

The German-Italian forces withdrew to the Gazala area in an attempt to prevent the British army from advancing westward.

As the British forces continued to attack, the German and Italian forces were forced to withdraw to Tripoli.

After the British troops advanced to Agella, they stopped their pursuit.

After two months of fighting, the British army advanced nearly 800 kilometers westward, lifted the siege of Tobruk, regained Cyrenaica, and annihilated 1.77 German-Italian forces (including 3.3 German troops) at the cost of 1.3 losses. , 2 Italian troops), but failed to achieve the operational goal of annihilating the German-Italian African Armored Group.

Rommel was planning a counterattack while the German and Italian forces were withdrawing westward.

Preparations for the counterattack were carried out very covertly due to the extensive deception he employed.

When the German-Italian forces launched a counterattack on January 1942, 1, the British army was caught off guard and retreated hastily.

On January 1, the German-Italian coalition reoccupied Benghazi.

5月26日，隆美尔以10个师约13万人、610辆坦克、600架飞机发起泰西战役，企图夺取埃及并突向近东。

On June 6, the German-Italian forces captured Bir Hakeim, and on the 1th, they drove the British 14th Army out of the Gazala line.

On June 6, the German-Italian forces concentrated their forces to capture Tobruk, capturing more than 21 British troops and seizing a large amount of supplies.

The fall of Tobruk caused great panic in Egypt and Britain.

Uncle Qiu, who was meeting with Roosevelt in the U.S., received a note from Roosevelt and learned the news. He did not conceal his disappointment and said:

"This is the most serious blow I have suffered during the war. It is not only difficult to accept militarily, but also seriously damages the reputation of the British Army."

The German and Italian forces continued to march eastward, pursuing the retreating British army.

On June 6, the German-Italian forces surrounded the Egyptian port of Matruh, and on the 26th, 28 British defenders surrendered.

On June 6, the German-Italian coalition approached the British position near Alamein. From July 30st to 7rd, the German-Italian forces carried out the First Battle of Alamein and repeatedly failed to attack the British defensive positions.

Since then, the German-Italian Allied Forces suffered from logistical supply difficulties, lack of fuel, and limited troops. The German 15th Armored Division had only 15 tanks and 200 soldiers left.

The entire African Army has an average of only 50 tanks per armored division, while according to regulations it should be 870 tanks.

Rommel was forced to stop the offensive, and after July 1942, the North African front became relatively stable.

(End of this chapter)