The War of Resistance Begins with the Regiment Leader

In the military command rooms in the British Isles that were filled with tension and disputes, the war of words between Lieutenant General Patton and Montgomery was going on fiercely.

Lieutenant General Patton had a firm look on his face and unquestionable determination in his eyes, and said loudly: "We must open up a second battlefield and land on the European continent." In his vision, this moment was the perfect time to pursue the victory and expand the results. , if they could successfully land on the European continent, the Allies would be able to take the strategic initiative and rewrite the entire war situation, so he couldn't wait to promote the implementation of this plan.

But Montgomery frowned and expressed a different view with a serious look: "The top priority is to deal with the German troops in the British Isles first." In his view, the German troops who landed on the British Isles were like thorns in the back, always threatening the homeland. They are safe and have caused a lot of trouble to the British army's daily defense, logistical supplies and many other aspects. Only by completely eliminating them first can subsequent combat operations be carried out without any worries.

Regarding Montgomery's proposal, Lieutenant General Patton did not refute at first, but showed a thoughtful look on his face. After all, no one could deny that the German troops who landed on the British Isles were indeed a troublesome presence, and they had already caused a lot of chaos to the current situation. The trouble caused is very real.

However, Lieutenant General Patton's immediate response made Montgomery frown even more tightly, with a look of displeasure on his face.

It turned out that Lieutenant General Patton agreed to let the British army deal with the German troops alone. The obvious implication was that the U.S. military did not intend to participate. This made Montgomery very unhappy. He felt that the U.S. military was deliberately avoiding responsibility and turning the problem over. Everything was lost to the British army, which naturally aroused his strong dissatisfaction. Just considering that the British army currently relies heavily on the assistance of the US military in many aspects such as armaments and supplies, military support, etc., no matter how many complaints there are in my heart, I can only swallow them for the time being and remain silent helplessly, but the feeling of frustration is overwhelming. But my son kept accumulating in my heart.

But when Lieutenant General Patton further proposed opening a second battlefield, Montgomery expressed his opposition without hesitation. He knew very well that if he wanted to open a second battlefield at the moment, it would be necessary to draw a large number of troops, weapons and equipment, and various combat resources from other battlefields where fierce fighting was taking place. In this way, other battlefields would probably be weakened because of their weakened strength. In order to continue, I finally had to choose to give up. The British Empire has already lost a lot of interests in many previous wars, and is now counting on it to gradually recover in subsequent battles. If it easily abandons other battlefields now, how can the damaged interests be restored? This was a major matter related to Britain's vital interests, as well as its international status and voice, so he could not agree to Lieutenant General Patton's proposal under any circumstances. The contradiction between the two sides took root and became more intense.

Montgomery thought to himself that the second battlefield was not impossible to open, but he needed to wait for a more suitable time, and he had to wait for a while. After the situation on other battlefields gradually becomes clear and the winner is determined, then we can concentrate our efforts on landing on the European continent. We can then pinpoint the weak links of the German army and deliver a fatal blow. This will not only ensure a higher success rate of the operation, but also It can protect the interests of the UK to the greatest extent and strive to make up for what was lost before.

But how could Lieutenant General Patton approve of his plan? You must know that the purpose of the US military's intervention in the European war is to seize the opportunity in this chaotic and complicated war situation and harvest the entire European continent as much as possible in an attempt to obtain maximum benefits from it and further consolidate its power in the war. international influence and status. If we really wait until other battlefields determine the winner, it will undoubtedly give the British Empire an excellent opportunity to recuperate and restore its strength. By then, Britain will rely on its profound heritage and recovered strength to benefit in the follow-up. To gain more initiative in many aspects such as distribution and strategic decision-making, this is obviously not in line with the interests of the US military. Recalling the last war, the U.S. military suffered heavy losses in many key links. This time they will never foolishly repeat the same mistakes. Therefore, Lieutenant General Patton wanted to open up a second battlefield as soon as possible and seize the opportunity in front of him. The seemingly fleeting fighter opportunity is something I never want to let go easily.

"Now that the elite of the German army has been dragged to the Eastern Front, there are loopholes in the Western Front defense. We can land on the European continent and open up a second battlefield. As long as we can land on the French mainland, France will surrender in an instant, and then we can directly Let’s go to Germany,” Lieutenant General Patton said more and more excitedly. He moved, his face full of excitement and anticipation, as if he had seen the grand scene of the Allied troops landing successfully, France quickly surrendering, and then the army marching straight into the German mainland. This kind of force could take advantage of the emptiness of the German army on the western front and beat up the lost dogs. Of course he would not give up a good opportunity no matter what.

Recalling the thrilling experience while fighting in North Africa, Lieutenant General Patton still has lingering fears. At that time, he really saw the frightening fighting power of the German army. The battle was so brutal that he was forced into desperate situations several times and almost jumped into the sea to escape. , If it hadn't been for the air force's timely dispatch at that critical moment to rescue him from the edge of danger and transport him to a safe area, I'm afraid he would have been buried under the sea and completely finished. So when he was assigned to the British Isles this time, he had been holding back a lot of energy in his heart. He secretly vowed to find an opportunity to avenge his shame and never let the German army beat him into such a mess again.

He knew very well that if he went head-to-head with the elite German troops, he would not be confident enough to win based on the strength of the troops he currently led. Fortunately, the current situation is different. Most of the troops stationed on the Western Front are second-line troops of the German army. Compared with the elite troops, their combat effectiveness is much weaker. With the existing combat effectiveness of the US military, we are completely sure Win. Therefore, faced with such a rare fighter opportunity in front of him, Lieutenant General Patton felt that if he missed it, he would be a complete fool. No matter what, he must try his best to open a second battlefield and carry out landing operations.

However, the British army just disagreed. No matter how eloquent and eloquent Lieutenant General Patton said, Montgomery remained unmoved and insisted on his position. The two sides were in a stalemate, refusing to give in to each other, and the atmosphere suddenly became extremely tense. stand up.

"But our advantages in other battlefields are not great." Montgomery has always been thinking about returning to North Africa to take revenge. The scene when he was so embarrassed by the Germans on the North African battlefield and almost jumped into the sea was like a heavy stone. The big stone has been weighing on his heart, making him feel deeply ashamed. This sense of shame prompted him to find an opportunity to take revenge, which is why he was so firmly opposed to opening a second battlefield right now and did not want to change the established decision easily. battle plan.

"Over there in the North African battlefield, Your Excellency, don't worry. The expeditionary force over there is currently besieging Alexandria and is expected to capture it soon." Lieutenant General Patton naturally understood what the other party was thinking, but his tone seemed It was quite cold and said with an unquestionable tone, as if to tell Montgomery that he did not need to worry about the war in North Africa. The US military was capable of handling it. As soon as these words came out, Montgomery felt even more uncomfortable and his face changed. It's getting worse and worse. After hearing this, Montgomery felt very unhappy, but there was really nothing he could do about it. Of course he knew the specific situation in North Africa, but after all, it was the expeditionary force composed of the US military that was leading the combat operations. Even if he was dissatisfied, he could not say anything more. He could only bite the bullet and give a few compliments against his will. This feeling was extremely frustrating, as if there was a fire burning in my heart but I couldn't vent it.

"I don't know, Lieutenant General, where are you going to land?" Montgomery suppressed his unhappiness and changed the subject. After all, the landing operation is a key link related to the direction of the entire war. The choice of landing location is the top priority and must be done. Just think carefully.

Based on the experience and lessons accumulated from previous landing operations, an ideal landing location usually needs to meet the following three key conditions: First, it must be within the combat radius covered by fighter jets taking off from British airports. , only in this way, during the landing operation, can there be sufficient air power to provide effective cover for the landing troops and resist enemy attacks from the air, thereby ensuring that the landing operation can proceed smoothly; secondly, the crossing distance must be as short as possible, this In this way, it can reduce the various risks that the landing force faces during the sea voyage, such as encountering enemy ship interceptions and attacks, being affected by bad weather, etc., and at the same time, it can also reduce the loss and difficulty in the material transportation process; thirdly , there must be a large port near the landing site to facilitate the smooth landing of large-scale troops and various combat materials, and to facilitate the subsequent steady development of deep areas inland, and then establish a stable beachhead. and operational defense lines.

So on the 480-kilometer-long coastline from Wülisingen in the Netherlands to Cherbourg in France, if you carefully weigh and select according to the above conditions, there are three areas that are relatively suitable choices, namely the Constantine Peninsula, Calais and Normandy.

After further in-depth comparative analysis of these three areas, the Constantine Peninsula was first excluded. This is because its terrain is relatively narrow, which is not conducive to large-scale troops carrying out combat operations here. Once the troops are in This landing would easily lead to overcrowding and confusion of personnel and equipment, making it impossible to quickly and effectively organize a powerful offensive and smoothly advance into the inland areas. Its limitations are simply too great.

Calais and Normandy each have their own advantages and disadvantages. The advantage of Calais is that it is the closest to the United Kingdom. The distance between the two is only 33 kilometers. From the perspective of ferry distance alone, it is very ideal. Moreover, it is geographically close to the German mainland, strategically When considered at the level of the German army, it seems to have great advantages in facilitating subsequent and rapid attacks on the German army's hinterland; however, its shortcomings are also obvious. The defense force deployed in the Calais area is the most powerful. It is stationed by elite troops and has been carefully built for a long time. The fortifications here are complete and extremely strong, making it extremely difficult to break through. In addition, there is no large port near Calais. The lack of inland communication lines is undoubtedly an extremely detrimental obstacle for the landing troops to further develop combat operations in deep areas after landing.

Although Normandy is farther from the UK than Calais, it also has many significant advantages. First, the German defense in the Normandy area is relatively weak. Compared with the impregnable defense in Calais, the defense pressure here will be much smaller, which is undoubtedly very beneficial for the development of landing operations; second, the defense in Normandy The terrain is relatively open and can accommodate 30 divisions of troops to carry out combat operations at the same time, with ample space. It allows the troops to carry out flexible and diverse tactical arrangements and steady advancement; third, it is only 80 kilometers away from Cherbourg, the largest port in northern France, which provides great convenience for the subsequent transportation of large troops and large amounts of combat materials ashore. It is convenient to quickly consolidate the beachhead position and then further expand the combat scope inland.

"Of course it's Normandy." Lieutenant General Patton shook his head slightly, and after thinking for a moment, he said firmly. In his mind, after comprehensive consideration, Normandy is undoubtedly the most ideal landing place at the moment, as long as he can succeed here. After landing, subsequent combat operations will have a good start, and the move towards victory will be more promising.

Among the many matters involved in preparing for the opening of the second battlefield, logistics issues are undoubtedly the top priority, and can be said to be the key to the smooth implementation of the entire combat plan. However, the only problem that needed to be solved was the logistics problem, which did not make Lieutenant General Patton feel the slightest panic or anxiety. On the contrary, he seemed particularly calm and calm.

Now that we have made up our mind to open up a second battlefield, we must be fully prepared, and we must never fight an unprepared battle. As for solving the problem of logistical support, Lieutenant General Patton already had a clever idea in mind, and that was the artificial port.

In conventional combat thinking, ports are natural material distribution and transshipment hubs. For large-scale landing operations, their importance is self-evident. But what should we do if there is no ready-made port near the combat area? The answer given by Lieutenant General Patton is to create ports and rely on manpower to build artificial ports that can meet logistical transportation needs.

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This is not a fantasy. With the strong industrial strength of the current US military, it is too easy to realize such an idea. The United States' strong industrial foundation, advanced engineering technology, and sufficient human and material resources provide a solid guarantee for the construction of artificial ports.

Facts have proved this point. In subsequent practical operations, building an artificial port is indeed a relatively easy thing to achieve. It is precisely because of such strong strength as a backing that Lieutenant General Patton behaved so confidently when faced with the key issue of logistics, as if everything was under control, and firmly believed that with the powerful power of the artificial port This measure can perfectly solve the logistics and transportation problems and lay a solid foundation for the smooth advancement of the landing operation. (End of chapter)