Bismarck

"Report! The position of this ship has been calculated! We will reach Tobruk Port in one and a half hours!"

"Okay, observe carefully and keep moving forward! The order has been sent from above. If you can return to Alexandria after the bombardment, then return to Alexandria. Otherwise, go directly to Malta." The commander of the British cruiser division just responded briefly and continued to stare at the position marked on the nautical chart. Although the average water depth of the seabed around Tobruk is nine meters, there are still some shallows and reefs, and it is late at night, so they really need to be very careful.

Apart from other things, there are many people busy on both sides of the ship, some are observing the water depth nearby with the weak light of the dark lamp, some are standing on the deck and operating the sextant by referring to the star map under the flashlight, and some are standing on the side to measure the actual flow rate and speed in the water to correct the ship's position...

At least now we can be sure that we have entered the deep of the shoal area and will not be chased by the Bismarck. As for after the bombardment, the shoal area is large anyway, so we can just take a detour and slip away.

only……

They only saw the danger on the sea, but dozens of kilometers away, in the low sky, an FW190T carrier-based fighter carrying torpedoes was slowly approaching from behind them...

In the cockpit of this FW190, there was a blonde woman in white with a cold face, whispering something...

"If it's just one torpedo... why not just destroy the propeller of one and let the other tow it?!"

--------

The German troops in Tobruk were cursing and digging anti-gun holes in the trenches. After all, the warning stated that in a maximum of one and a half hours, two British cruisers would come to bombard...

Although the soldiers did not dare to speak loudly due to military discipline and the need to avoid being exposed, they still kept complaining quietly...

"Platoon leader, what do you think those guys in the War Navy are doing? We were in the middle of an attack, and they said two cruisers from the British Mediterranean Fleet had escaped, and they asked us to stop the attack and dig fortifications immediately..."

"And I heard that the firepower of the ship's guns is greater than our field guns and even howitzers... What's the point of these temporary fortifications?!"

"I don't know... Maybe there are too many British. After all, we only have two ships, and the British have more than a dozen... The tanks have been withdrawn, but we must not give up the places we have occupied... I guess it will be time for us to fight to the death..." A junior officer who was probably a platoon leader was leading the digging while complaining behind his back. However, as he was talking, he was soon hit on the head by another officer...

"Which bastard knocked...Captain?!"

"Be quiet! Do you want to be attacked by the British mortars?" The company commander glared at the platoon leader, and was furious. However... the horn on the battlefield soon sounded...

"Everyone, pay attention! Everyone, pay attention! A report has been sent from the Mediterranean Fleet! A British cruiser was seriously damaged and was towed away by another cruiser!!... The African Corps Command has ordered: Stop digging fortifications! Wait for the tanks to come up and prepare for a general attack!! I repeat... Wait for the tanks to come up and prepare for a general attack!!"

All the German soldiers were stunned for a few seconds, but then, deafening cheers resounded throughout the German positions! ! On the British positions on the opposite cliff, the British and Australian soldiers who were ready to counterattack under the cover of the warships' bombardment and recapture the crucial cliffside positions first asked those who knew German what the German broadcast said, and soon, their faces turned pale...

The Royal Navy Mediterranean Fleet...was also defeated? ...

Seeing the bad situation, the British officers rushed to suppress the rumors on the battlefield, but many of them looked pale...

Although they all knew very well that this was clearly a psychological warfare method after receiving formal military tactical education...

But... it's very effective...

The sound of tracks came slowly from the top of the cliff, and the next moment, a hail of bullets fired from the German positions on the cliff accompanied by brilliant flames enveloped Tobruk's last line of defense in a sea of ​​fire...

The general offensive of Tobruk has begun!

---

At dawn on August 13, 1941, after a night of fierce fighting, the unstoppable German army rushed into the city of Tobruk. More than an hour later, the remaining British troops on the battlefield collectively laid down their weapons and raised the white flag.

A square, British-style mammoth armored command vehicle with a large Iron Cross logo drove into the Tobruk Fortress from the edge of the battlefield, which was still emitting smoke. Beside the mammoth command vehicle were teams of prisoners of war with their hands behind their heads, and German escorts standing in groups of three or four on both sides of the team.

"Report to the corps commander! According to the intelligence sent by the navy, the two British cruisers have been caught up and sunk by our two battleships! The British Mediterranean Fleet has retreated and will no longer threaten us. Now they hope to allow their GR186 aircraft group that temporarily landed and fought at Galazza Airport to return to base, and then the navy will withdraw to Greece..." In the rear cabin of the armored command vehicle, a radio operator put down his headphones and reported to the front cabin through the open isolation window.

"Oh? Then tell Galazza. Also, when you say farewell to the GR186's naval aviation comrades, remember to express my gratitude to their naval aviation and the Mediterranean Fleet on behalf of our African Corps." And at the main seat in the front cabin, the corps commander in a black windbreaker smiled faintly.

He rubbed his dry eyes that were bloodshot from staying up late to command, and said in a voice that was dry and hoarse from lack of rest and dehydration: "Well, now Tobruk has been taken! According to the Italians' data, this port has a theoretical loading capacity of 2,000 tons per day. By then, we will have a stable supply port!"

"Driver, go to the dock! I want to check out the port facilities! With the support of this supply port, we will be one step closer to Egypt!" Rommel said hoarsely, unable to hide his smug smile: "I'm going to take a picture when we get to the port and write a letter to send to my wife, hahahaha..."

"Okay, General!" The driver also grinned and turned the steering wheel. Soon, the port of Tobruk appeared in front of them.

but…

WTF?

what is this?

What appeared before Rommel's eyes when he got off the car with a smug look on his face was only a ruined port, a crooked sunken ship, an overturned and blown-up crane, and the commander of the receiving troops with a sad face...?

"What's going on?!" Rommel, with a cold face, shouted at the commander of the receiving troops.

"General... before the British surrendered, they blew up the port... now this port is difficult to use..." the commander of the receiving troops said with a sad face, and added: "They blew it up before we broke in..."

“…Damn it!! Damn bastard!!!”

The port of Tobruk under the morning sun seemed to be stained by the smoke of the ruins...

ps: Chinese New Year is coming soon, should we wish you a happy new year in advance?

Chapter 445: Okinlai

No. 10 Downing Street, another chilling day...

Even the heavy wooden door of Churchill's office could not hide the sound of someone angrily throwing something to the ground. The faint sound of "bang" scared the staff passing by so much that they were all cautious and silent, not even daring to breathe loudly... Even some people whose business at hand was not closely related to Churchill's office had already started to sneak away with their briefcases - after all, if their fat prime minister got angry, whoever encountered him would be in trouble.

Those who could not escape could only lower their heads helplessly and endure the angry Churchill's spit-filled scolding...

After all, Tobruk fell...and this also meant that the main forces of several divisions that Rommel had besieged Tobruk for a long time could be liberated in an instant!

The current British Middle East-North Africa theater is in a period of transition...

Because Iran...

The old Iranian dynasty, the Qajar dynasty, was impoverished and weak, and became a British protectorate and colony after World War I. However, in order to further and thoroughly control Iran, Britain planned to completely control Iran by supporting puppet forces to launch a coup, and finally chose to support a senior Iranian military officer, Reza Shah Pahlavi, as an agent to launch a coup - but who would have thought that Reza Pahlavi, who Britain thought was born in poverty and easy to bribe, was actually a thorough nationalist in his bones!

After the coup d'état in 1921, which was tacitly approved by the British, Reza Pahlavi, who came to power as the head of the military, did not follow the British plan, but further overthrew the Qajar Dynasty through a coup d'état and established the Pahlavi Dynasty. He changed his name to Reza Khan. Moreover, after the founding of the country, he quickly took advantage of the favorable conditions that Germany was in dire need of markets to maintain its economy after World War I, and quickly established diplomatic relations with Germany. He also used German funds and technology to carry out economic construction and political reforms in Iran, which was actually very prosperous for a while.

Of course, in the eyes of the British, this is called ungratefulness!

The whole world belongs to our British Empire. What you are doing is just a slap in the face of the empire. How dare you rebel?

But... Iran is a big country in the Middle East after all, and its new government is doing quite well. In addition, Britain's national strength is declining. Although Britain has always hated Iran, it does not have a good way to unilaterally invade Iran.

However, the outbreak of World War II gave the British a perfect excuse: collusion with Germany! —— Especially after Germany invaded the Soviet Union! Now, the country that wants to deal with Iran is no longer the only one in the world, Britain!

After the outbreak of the Soviet-German War, Churchill and Stalin, who originally disliked each other, quickly formed an anti-fascist alliance to deal with their common enemy, Nazi Germany. However, among the enemies to be dealt with in the plan, the first enemy was not Nazi Germany, but poor Iran, which was sandwiched between the two powers in the Middle East...

In July 1941, Britain and the Soviet Union jointly sent a note to Iran, asking it to expel the Germans in the country, which numbered only about 7 people. Iran refused. But this played into the two countries' plans! Churchill and Stalin were eager to find an excuse to deal with Iran!

So the two countries secretly deployed troops and continued to urge Iran to "surrender" - the scheduled attack time was August 25th. As long as they urged Iran for the third time, and Iran refused for the third time, they could declare war on Iran in the name of "supporters of the Axis Powers"! And even if Iran finally agreed, they could still fight on the grounds of "not receiving diplomatic documents"! !

Right now, heavy troops from two infantry divisions, two armored brigades and one mechanized infantry brigade have been secretly gathering at the departure point, and even the landing training is almost complete!

As long as these troops set out, they can directly overthrow the current Iranian government.

but……

Damn Rommel! Churchill was about to collapse. Why didn't he fight earlier or later, but chose to capture Tobruk at this time?

While he was furious, he urgently ordered the troops originally used to fight Iran to be transferred to North Africa for reinforcement. At the same time, he had to quickly evaluate the possibility of continuing to attack Iran, and explain to the Soviet Union through secret channels... Churchill now wanted to kill Auchinleck - although it is not known whether it was because the loss of Tobruk ruined the arrangements in Iran, or because Churchill's suggestion to arrange one of his military confidants as the commander of the Eighth Group in the North African theater was rejected by Auchinleck...

If Churchill had not dismissed Weville and replaced Auchinleck with Auchinleck, and if he had not just taken office and the situation was unstable, making it inappropriate to change generals at the critical moment, he would have dismissed Auchinleck by now!

Churchill finally managed to control his temper and sat back on his seat. Just as he was about to continue his work, there was another knock on the door...

"Your Excellency, Prime Minister, urgent report! The Russian army suffered a crushing defeat in Kiev. The 700,000-strong army was surrounded by the Germans and has now been completely annihilated... There are only 100,000 old, weak and sick people left on the southern front of Russia. They have to deal with two German army groups and five armies. Stalin said he can't stand it..."

"What?! Let me see!" The obese Churchill had just sat down for less than half a minute when he stood up again, staring fiercely with big eyes and shaking his fat, and snatched the war report directly from the secretary. After a quick glance, it turned out that the Soviet Union was now urgently transferring a large number of elite troops south of the Caucasus to the north, and the cooperation project proposed to be cancelled included the plan to invade Iran. Moreover, Stalin also asked Britain to fulfill its obligations in the previous Anglo-Soviet anti-German alliance agreement, open the Arctic route, and provide the Soviet Union with more aid weapons, supplies and materials as soon as possible.

"Damn it, hasn't the PQ-1 Arctic convoy been dispatched?! This Georgian bastard is useless and only knows how to ask me for favors! My own supplies are not enough for North Africa!" Churchill couldn't help but crush the telegram into a ball with his fat pig's trotter.

But remembering that this kind of thing must be kept for record according to regulations, Churchill angrily threw the paper ball at the secretary who was standing by in silence: "Take it, put it away and keep it for record!"

The secretary didn't dare to hesitate. He quickly picked up the paper ball and ran downstairs.

Watching the secretary disappear outside the door, Churchill was still angry and took two puffs of his cigar before he could barely suppress his anger. He glared at the location of Iran on the huge world map hanging on the wall, put down his cigar and muttered: "Humph... Reza Khan, you are lucky this time! After I deal with that bastard Rommel, I will come back to deal with you!!"

"Someone come!" Churchill, who had made up his mind, shouted loudly. Soon, a secretary ran in quickly and asked respectfully, "What do you want, Prime Minister?"

"Send a message to Auchinleck and tell him that I will send him reinforcements, but he must promise to get rid of the German African Corps as soon as possible! - If he can't do it, he doesn't have to come back!!"

Churchill roared angrily.

"Yes!" The secretary quickly wrote down Churchill's instructions, although in her heart she only hoped that Churchill would not catch her and lose her temper, and let her out quickly...

But before the secretary finished writing down the order, another secretary ran in while shouting a report: "Mr. Prime Minister! North African war report! Rommel continues to attack! Sidi Barrani's defense line has been breached, and even Mersa Matruh has been attacked by the African Corps!!..."

"What?! He attacked again?!" The secretary was interrupted by Churchill's shout before he could finish his words.

Even Churchill was completely Spartan at this moment: "He just captured Tobruk the day before yesterday morning, and now he has captured Matruh?! Today is only August 15th! Is he crazy?"

After thinking for a long time, I still couldn't figure out what it was. It made Churchill's head ache...

forget about it!

"Modify the order given to Auchinleck! Tell him to defend Matruh to the death! If Matruh is lost, I will skin him alive!!"

"Yes!!"

-------

The salty sea breeze blew the yellow sand all over the sky, and in the midst of the scorching sun, a command vehicle rolled up the dust and drove forward along the coastal road.

In the main seat of the vehicle, a middle-aged man with a white face and no beard and high cheekbones was leaning on the backrest with his eyes closed, resting. Until the car stopped, another officer beside him gently called him to wake up.

"Admiral, we're here."

"Oh? We're here! Pretty fast..." The white-faced, beardless admiral opened his light blue eyes, smiled, stood up, and walked down from the command vehicle.

The admiral who got out of the car in the scorching sandstorm saw a small town in the desert of North Africa, close to the Mediterranean coast.

As early as when Tobruk was captured, the British army had begun to build fortifications east of Matruh to prevent Rommel's continued attack.

To the east of Mersa Matruh, the wonders of nature gradually narrowed the traversable land between the sea and the Katara Depression of the Sahara Desert, leaving a natural throat pass leading to the Nile Delta near a seaside town. The British army established the last line of defense here, preparing for a decisive battle with the German army.

The person who gave the order to build the fortification was the general who came to inspect.

"Your Excellency General, the venue is at the headquarters of the 4th Indian Division in front..." A senior staff member with the rank of general came over and said to Auchinleck.

"Okay, I understand." The elegant admiral smiled and nodded, calling out to the others as he walked away: "Let's go, they should be waiting for us in the venue, right?"

"Yes... Admiral, the Prime Minister wants us to defend Matrouh to the death. Is it really okay for us to just give up like that?" The senior aide hurried over and asked worriedly.

"No way. How can the people at the headquarters know the real-time situation on the battlefield? We have to grasp the details ourselves." The admiral smiled casually on his gentle face. Although the senior staff member knew very well what kind of pressure the admiral in front of him was carrying...

They blatantly ignored the orders from above to hold the city, and the pressure was enormous - although anyone with a little bit of common sense knew that Mersa Matruh could not be defended at all!

After all, the German army had just captured Tobruk and was in high spirits. In addition, Rommel's information showed that this cunning desert fox was actually a master of continuous attacks...

Moreover, the UK’s weapons production capacity is already insufficient. Tanks are not the highest priority for production. Some weapons are even bought from the United States. Whether it is the British Matilda cruiser tank, or the Valentine infantry tank equipped with only a 40mm two-pound gun, or the Churchill infantry tank, which is not much stronger than the Valentine in firepower, but has a tall body and heavy armor but is very small in number... or the American "sandwich" M3 Lee tank with the main gun mounted on the body, the secondary gun mounted on the turret, and a machine gun turret on the top, or the mediocre M3 Stuart light tank...

But the Germans on the opposite side, their tanks... The Type 50 tank was modified into a model with a long-barreled 75mm gun, which was terrible. What was more dangerous was the Type tank that appeared in the Battle of Tobruk, with a front modified with large-angle inclined armor and a long-barreled mm gun!

All the Allied tanks in North Africa could barely compete with the Panzer III with its long-barreled 50mm gun, not to mention that none of them could match the modified Panzer IV! !

Now the German army has just captured Tobruk and started the attack. Although as a soldier, I know very well that my superiors' opinions are actually correct...

Avoid the enemy's sharp edge, lure the enemy deep into your territory, and then counterattack after the enemy's offensive power is exhausted.

But the orders from London... and as a soldier, I have to obey the orders of these politicians...

Although we must fight this war according to the overall strategy, some things cannot be defended by just an order from above. There is no way to stop them, even with the most stringent military orders.

Looking at the admiral who had already walked away, the staff shook their heads and hurried after him, leaving behind only a sigh in the flying sand...

Why! !

"The 4th Indian Division welcomes your inspection, General Auchinleck!"

At the entrance of the village, a row of officers, some wearing British military caps, and some with big beards and red turbans, stood in an orderly manner, all saluted the approaching general.

General Claude Auchinleck, the new commander of the Allied Forces in the Middle East and North Africa Theater!

"Come on, let's go to the meeting first." Ochinlake smiled casually and returned the salute.

Everyone walked into the town, only to see that this originally remote town was now filled with soldiers, who were busy reinforcing the fortifications under their feet...

Right in the middle of the town, amidst the dust and bustling crowds, stands a dilapidated little train station, seemingly at peace with the world. It is being busily renovated and reinforced by a group of British soldiers as a core defense position.

The civilians in the town had already been ordered to evacuate, and no one cared about other trivial matters now. Speed ​​up the construction, don't wait until the African Legion arrives, then belatedly realize that your bunker is not strong enough...

Looking at the Indian soldiers working hard under the supervision of the officers, the admiral's originally heavy mood eased a little. He nodded with satisfaction, but did not stop and continued to walk towards the small station ahead, which is now the headquarters of the Indian 4th Division.

At the door of the station, Auchinleck looked up briefly.

On the dilapidated roof, you can see the station sign hanging crookedly. The sign has been blown away by the wind and sand and the color is almost invisible. The only faint black shadow left on the sign makes it difficult to see clearly. The train station in this small town should have an unknown name on the sign...

ELALAMEIN!

ps: Happy New Year, and good luck in the Year of the Rooster