Iron Cross

As the commander of the reconnaissance company of the 24th Armored Brigade of the British 10th Armored Division, Army Captain Richardson received a task at the regiment headquarters that made his heartbeat suddenly accelerate - to reconnoiter the enemy's situation in Tell Akakir. Everyone now knows where the Germans are entrenched. If he is not careful, this mission will end with no return. He has cursed his superiors many times in his heart and has no room to resist. He can only express his position and execute the order while gritting his teeth. , while angrily leading the troops in hand and setting off with a small number of armored vehicles and tanks. The path he chose was very direct, exactly as Guderian had described to his men, passing between two mountains. Of course, this open area is more than 5 kilometers long. Let alone a small reconnaissance company, even if the entire 10th Armored Division is in a posture to advance, it will not look crowded.

Richardson's tanks and armored vehicles moved forward cautiously at first, because the commander had informed in advance that there would not only be minefields along this route, but also the possibility of encountering a German ambush. Therefore, the fast reconnaissance company did not live up to its name at all. Instead, it moved slowly, just a little faster than a snail. Captain Richardson was always afraid that there would be an unexpected ambush waiting for him in front, and the "retreat" order was always hidden. At the throat, there is only about one-twentieth of a second before the words come out. But after a long time, there was no movement. Instead, the reconnaissance armored vehicle at the front happily transmitted the news through the radio: "Reporting to the commander, an enemy machine gun bunker was found. There seems to be no one inside."

"Be careful, don't get caught in a trap."

The reconnaissance armored vehicle fired a shuttle with a "chunk, tug, tug," but it only stirred up bursts of dust, and there was no other reaction.

Richardson could see clearly in the telescope that after testing the fire, the enemy bunker still showed no response. Several armored vehicles and tanks cautiously advanced, while the infantrymen hunkered down and hid behind. They were very scared. Not only were they afraid of a sudden attack by unknown enemies, but they were also afraid of landmines buried on the ground, but nothing happened and they easily took control of the bunker. Then the engineers quickly came up to investigate, and found nothing special except a few hastily laid mines that were easily found.

The reconnaissance company became bolder, and continued to expand the search area as it continued to move forward. Several anti-tank positions were discovered one after another. Some were fortifications built with sandbags, and some were semi-permanent fortifications built based on the original landforms. The size of the fortification is directly related to the anti-tank guns originally used. There are various weapons inside, including the most common German PAK 37mm combat anti-tank gun, and the Russian-made 76.2 that the Germans captured from the Eastern Front and transferred to Africa. mm anti-tank guns, and even allowed them to find several intact 88mm anti-tank guns in several of the most hidden positions. The muzzles were straight, obviously preparing to perform anti-tank missions. Ammunition boxes were scattered on the ground. Not particular about it.

All the positions have only one thing in common - they are all empty!

Richardson was very grateful. If the enemy had relied on these positions to resist just now, his reconnaissance troops alone would not have been able to take them down. Now that he has achieved results so easily, there is only one reasonable explanation - the enemy not only escaped but also walked away. It was very hurried, otherwise even if they did not take away the artillery, they would blow it up on the spot. He personally checked several positions and found nothing strange. He decided not to waste time on these positions and only ordered all vehicles to accelerate forward. There was plenty of time to collect these trophies.

With the previous psychological foreshadowing, the subsequent reconnaissance began to become bolder. Not only did the overall speed increase, but the formation of the entire reconnaissance company gradually expanded. After a long time, nothing happened, and there was only one encounter in the middle. When the mine exploded, people were shocked into a cold sweat, and the rest of the process seemed easier than an armed walk. In the midst of confusion, the reporter reported with a smile: "Sir, after receiving the previous report, they discovered the enemy's logistics and baggage warehouse. They were all filled with materials that had not been transported away in time, and even sabotage measures had not been implemented."

"Really?" He started to get excited, "Let's go see how big it is?"

"Many, many, at least enough for one division."

When he arrived at the designated location, he saw that the soldiers in front of him had indeed not lied to him. There was a military supplies warehouse hidden under a cleverly concealed slope. It was filled with logistical supplies. With a quick glance, Richardson discovered that the items included tropical military uniforms. , steel helmets, grain, salt, butter, etc., and even a pile of vegetables and canned hams were found. His guards had sharp eyes and even found two cigarettes from the corner of a shelf.

"Hey...it's actually an Italian product." Richardson was happy when he saw what he was holding, and called his subordinates to gather around, "Come on, come on, let's each have a pack first to enjoy ourselves."

Cigarettes are an important military rationing material in the army. Whether it is relaxation between battles or adjustments during the march, cigarettes play an important role. Under normal circumstances, soldiers are reluctant to give up. The discovery of cigarettes shows the status and status of this warehouse. The importance is not low.

Smoke rose up in a hurry in the warehouse area. Richardson took a few greedy puffs to relax the tension he had felt along the way. At this time, he sincerely felt that the smell of cigarettes was really good and the taste was mellow. , with endless aftertaste, he cursed bitterly: "What the hell, the Italians should not have come to fight in North Africa. It would be great to just produce cigarettes at home! The taste is much softer than the American Camel cigarettes we are rationed, I dare say It must be a senior military officer."

The other people were also laughing and having fun. That's right. The Italians are not good at fighting, and they are looked down upon by the Germans. Even when they escaped, they were dragged down by the Germans as scapegoats. I really don't know why they bothered to get involved with the Germans.

After having enough fun, everyone became excited. The vanguard troops were usually at great risk, and the reconnaissance troops were always in danger, but this operation seemed to have no problems at all, and the money was extremely rich, so everyone started to move. Richardson did not stop the soldiers from looking for "trophies" for themselves in the warehouse. These were what the reconnaissance troops deserved, otherwise he would not expect soldiers to fight for him next time. Just this warehouse plus the munitions on the road, the credit was undeniable, and he seemed to see the golden rank of major waving to him. Before he could take a step, the messenger came to report: "Sir, our people found the enemy headquarters. There is no one inside. The enemy has all run away!"

"Go and have a look."

The armored vehicle rushed towards the headquarters where Guderian had been. It was full of debris and even a layer of light yellow sand. The ground was scattered with telegrams and documents, which were covered with messy footprints. On one side of the wall hung a blood-red and iron-black swastika flag of the Third Reich. There was no time to take it down and pack it away. It looked ridiculous. Richardson didn't care so much. He just found a chair and sat down excitedly, and experienced the feeling of strategizing, as if he was possessed by the staff officer in the headquarters at this moment. He was thinking: When will I be qualified to sit in such a headquarters for a meeting, even if I sit in the chair at the side!

While he was enjoying himself, another subordinate came to report that he had found an ammunition warehouse. After the two discoveries just now, Richardson was now immune to the results of the battle and was no longer as excited as he was at the beginning. He waved his hand nonchalantly: "You guys count first, I'll go and see later, now I have to think about sending a telegram."

The results of the inventory of the ammunition warehouse came out soon, including thousands of mines, ammunition boxes commonly used by Italians, most of which were grenades and rifle bullets, and some mortar shells and anti-tank shells. It was not as amazing as the military warehouse, but it was better in variety and quantity. Richardson was very satisfied with it.

"Send a telegram to the regiment commander, no, send a telegram directly to the brigade headquarters." Richardson sat on the chair of the headquarters, crossed his legs proudly, and was determined to let the regiment commander who had just given him the task go to the side. He didn't want to see his stinky face again.

The radio operator was not offended by this at all, but asked: "Sir, what does the message say?"

"My reconnaissance company occupied Tel Akakir and seized a large amount of equipment, ammunition, and supplies. The enemy has all fled!"

"Yes!"

Everyone smiled, only the sergeant of the last search squad came in with a sad face: "Sir, we found the enemy's fuel warehouse, but unfortunately we couldn't find the fuel after looking for a long time. All we could find were empty barrels!"

"Of course they won't leave it to us." Richard sneered, patted his shoulder and comforted this frustrated subordinate, "That is the Germans' reliance on escape. If they can leave it behind, they might as well wait for us to contact and surrender."

"Sir, we have controlled the entire town center. There are only a few natives there. They said that the enemy withdrew yesterday morning. Do we need to expand the search in other directions?"

"Search?" Richardson hesitated and said, "Forget it. The commander ordered us to conduct fire reconnaissance on Tel Akakir. We have completed all the tasks. The most important thing now is to pass the message back and then take care of the warehouses and supplies and wait for the later to receive them. Otherwise, what if the natives steal them after we leave?"

As he spoke, he winked at his subordinates, and everyone immediately understood. The command center was full of laughter. The weather was really good today.