Iron Cross

The tank drove forward along the slope built by the repeatedly reinforced front cover, and was immersed in the water little by little. Although these routines and operations had been practiced countless times on Crete, it was actually difficult to operate in front of the enemy. This was the first time. Even though aerial reconnaissance believed that the beach near Matruh Port and the offshore area were relatively flat and conducive to landing, and the wind and waves along the coast were not large, which were the key to the success or failure of the landing, everyone who observed this scene still People sweated over it.

Now, we are still at least 4,000 meters away from the beachhead, and the tanks have to use all their strength to climb over these 4,000 meters.

Although Balk was confident, his slightly pale face still revealed his extremely nervous heart at the moment. Landing operations are a completely new topic for the German army, and no one can be said to have experience. The troops and equipment originally prepared for the Sea Lion Project have basically been scattered to pieces, so any step is to start over. The plan Balke has chosen now is Plan D 6, which can be regarded as the most convenient and superior landing environment - the weather is good, the wind and waves are not big, and the enemy is not strong. According to the original worst plan, he is to prepare for artillery fire and gunfire at the port. They were forced to land when there were enemy planes in the air and harassment by enemy small ships on the sea - this must be God's blessing for Germany to succeed!

In addition to the No. 4 landing tank, there are several Tigers. Their huge size and mighty appearance are very eye-catching among the tanks. At first, Rommel wanted to use all Tigers considering the need to attack the enemy, but Gauss thought it was inappropriate after analysis. : First of all, the mechanical reliability of the Tiger is very poor. If it becomes paralyzed in the water, it will be blinded; secondly, the weight of the Tiger is too heavy. A barge can carry 1 Tiger, but 2 will be overloaded and capsize. Regarding the tonnage, It is a huge waste; thirdly, the Tiger consumes too much fuel. If you are not careful, you will run out of fuel. Don’t you have so much time to replenish supplies at the critical moment of landing? Taking into account Rommel's personal feelings and strong wishes, he felt that a few Tigers could be placed in the landing force to deter the enemy, and a mixed transport method with the No. 4 was used. A barge carried a Tiger and a No. 4 , the overall number should not be too much, 5 or 6 vehicles are enough. Rommel finally happily accepted this suggestion.

One No. 4 after another slowly submerged in the water. The Tiger's swaying down the slope was very worrying. I almost thought I would fall into the sea, but in the end I stepped on steadily. Because the Tiger was higher than the No. 4, the latter was almost completely submerged, while the former basically had its turret exposed. Due to the resistance of sea water, they moved very slowly underwater. The roar and roar of the engine could be heard through the water more than 2 meters deep, but they still moved forward hard.

There were a total of 84 tanks in the first armored wave of the entire Grossdeutschland Division Armored Regiment when it landed, 6 of which were Tigers. It was not that the Germans did not want to bring out more tanks to land. There were really no more barges available, but Rommel was very confident. He was satisfied that he had dealt with the British and knew each other well. He believed that once these armored units successfully landed, it would be no problem to deal with the British armored brigades. Even the main British armored divisions would be able to fight.

The landing was in full swing ahead, and Rommel was anxiously waiting for the battle report. When he received the detailed message from the former enemy commander Major General Balk, he couldn't help but shout: "Okay!" - He had done it. After being prepared for sacrifice and hard work, he met a boy giving away points like the Indian 4th Division at El Alamein Airport, and encountered such a God-given opportunity at Matruh Port. He was so happy that he almost wanted to laugh three times.

After reading the telegram, Keitel, Zeitzler, and Jodl also complimented Hoffmann one by one, praising the head of state for his ideal grasp of the time and place, and that he was "destined to succeed!" Hoffmann was also very happy, for the first time. Here comes a sentence: "I asked someone to bring a bottle of Bordeaux red wine. If it succeeds, we can have a drink in the evening."

Everyone said yes happily, completely forgetting that a few months ago the head of state was almost teetotal. Major General Gauss was still conscientiously analyzing telegrams from all sides and summarizing the situation. Everyone was respectful of his work. Respect.

Behind the temporary fortifications built on the pier, Corporal Smith was following the gunner in manipulating a 6-pounder gun. The 72nd Infantry Brigade they were in was deployed from Egypt by General Alexander a few days ago to reinforce the Eighth Army at the request of Lieutenant General Montgomery. He was from the group army, but everyone thought he was just responsible for guarding the logistics supply line. No one expected to fight against such a large fleet and landing force. His heart was beating hard, and he lowered his voice and asked: "Sir, said When can we withdraw? I don’t think we can stop the Germans alone, we need reinforcements.”

The gunner sighed and said to the gun crew: "There is no order yet. The superiors require us to hold on here for at least 8 hours. They will send reinforcements."

"Eight hours!? God... I heard you right. With our little firepower, eight hours is enough? If we can hold up for eight minutes, that's pretty good."

"But we can't just run away without firing a shot. Isn't this a surrender to the Germans? The officers are still directing the troops to destroy supplies and destroy equipment..." The gunner pointed to the rising volleys in the distance. Black flames, "These Germans are evil, why don't they fire?"

Everyone said they couldn't figure it out.

"If you can't figure it out, stop thinking about it. Be smart and follow me later. We'll retreat soon."

"Look! German tanks! They sent tanks into the sea."

"Fight or not? Sir?"

"You're stupid, you can't hit it from such a distance."

"Wait for orders and prepare for battle." The gunner frowned, "Fight when you see the enemy, this is our tradition!"

The artillerymen of the 72nd Infantry Brigade did not choose to surrender directly, nor did they choose to fire from a distance and waste firepower, but chose to be patient and wait - they wanted to delay time, they bet that the Germans did not want to destroy the port and facilities. The German fleet also received the telegram asking them to surrender, and the commander of the infantry brigade did not directly choose to refuse, but sent a reply in plain text, trying to delay time by various means, but Balke saw through their tricks and used another more oppressive method - not firing but letting the tanks land directly. This move forced the 72nd Brigade into a corner. If they did not fire again, they would soon have no chance to fire, and once they fired, it would be equivalent to clearly rejecting the German army's telegram persuading them to surrender - the purpose of delaying time could not be achieved.

Difficult choices test human nature. At the last moment, after seeing German tanks begin to land one after another, the 72nd Infantry Brigade did not choose to retreat without a fight. They still bravely went up and immediately started to greet them with artillery. However, their anti-tank guns could not kill the new Type 4 at a long distance, let alone the Tiger, and the few large-caliber howitzers were not accurate. In addition to splashing sand pits and waves in the sea, they did not play any role. After all, this is just an ordinary infantry brigade. Facing the pressure of the army, it is the limit to not collapse. You can't expect too much from them.

"Let the naval guns suppress them, don't hit too hard..." Balke saw the enemy's powerlessness and issued a second instruction. He believed that the troops would not have to pay too much to successfully control the situation and take the port.

Just when the landing was in full swing, planes were landing at Alamein Airport.

The paratroopers took great pains to coordinate the landing of these aircraft, especially the giant Me-323, which carried everyone's hope, because its typical transport configuration can transport two 4-wheel trucks, or 8,700 loaves of bread, or an 88 gun group (equipment, shells and personnel), or 52 barrels of fuel, or 130 fully armed paratroopers. The latest Me-323 has a Jumo222 liquid-cooled engine installed, and the flight power has increased. The maximum load capacity has not changed significantly, but the maximum speed, cruising speed and continuous range have increased, and the difficulty of landing has also been reduced compared to before. For this operation, the Air Force has mobilized a total of 10 aircraft, of which 5 are equipped with 88 gun groups. They will be the first to land. On the one hand, they can hold up a protective umbrella for air defense, and on the other hand, they can provide the troops with much-needed fuel. Among the other 5 aircraft, 3 are equipped with Opel trucks, and the other 2 are to provide the troops with the fuel they need to continue fighting.

The Me-323s were required to land first, not only because they were large and needed a larger area and runway, but also because they were loaded with the most needed fuel and 88mm guns, which were the lifeline of the entire airport. The Fw-190s and Bf-109s that were circling in the air were the escort missions, and they had the last priority - they had to cover and circle until the fuel ran out.

During the landing, the first few planes were all smooth, but the 7th Me-323 fell to the ground with its tail raised high due to the pilot's careless operation. Since it was loaded with fuel, it all rolled over in the cabin. Fortunately, it did not cause a bigger accident, otherwise the 52 barrels of fuel would explode, enough to tear the area within a radius of several hundred meters into pieces. Loew saw it clearly. All the paratroopers rushed to help. In the end, only 3 or 4 paratroopers were left to guard the prisoners. Even though the paratroopers who were guarding the prisoners were more focused on the airport, his heart was in his throat. If the prisoners suddenly made trouble, it would be another big accident.

But strangely, the prisoners also stared with wide eyes and felt curious. There was no talk or movement or intention to resist. Loew saw with his own eyes that a paratrooper asked a team of prisoners to help in half-baked words. These Indian prisoners actually went over happily, drove a forklift skillfully to load fuel on the truck, and then pointed the truck driver in the direction of the oil depot. They didn't behave like soldiers from the enemy camp at all.

This is incredible!