Bismarck

I looked up at the sky, and saw that the few remaining fighter planes of the 27st Battalion of JG were still fighting hard in the sky, which was full of iron wings and rain of bullets...

“…Anyway, this is the only time we can make it happen!!”

---

Alexandria, one of the most important seaports in Egypt, is the second largest city in Egypt and the capital of Alexandria Province, located 210 kilometers northwest of Cairo. The entire city is built along the coast, kilometers long and less than kilometers wide! It is basically built on a strip of land separating Lake Mareotis from the Mediterranean Sea, and a T-shaped peninsula that was originally composed of a land levee and the island of Pharos. It is this peninsula that divides Alexandria into two harbors, the east and west, with a canal and several rivers connecting the west harbor and leading to the depths of the Nile Delta...

Alexandria was once the old estuary of the Nile River, and the delta was formed as the alluvial plain of the Nile River. The soft sandy soil, the dense ditches and rivers, and the soil from long-term irrigation made it one of the most unsuitable places for the use of armored forces! Except for a few deserts and salt fields along the coast, and a few limited roads, there was basically no space for tank troops to display their power!

West of Alexandria, from the port of Alexandria to the village of Hammam behind the remnant of the Alanhafa Mountains, the entire 19-kilometer-long narrow coastal isthmus, in addition to the coastal highway and the farmhouses around the wetlands on the south side of the road, is a large area of ​​villas. This area is calm, with clear water and blue sky. With this beautiful scenery, these villa areas were developed as early as the th century for the enjoyment of various dignitaries.

However, such a place is definitely a headache from a military perspective!

Taking the road on the seawall, not to mention that it is a single line for dozens of kilometers, with the sea on one side and the lake on the other, there is no possibility of detours at all! It is that the whole line here is a belt of villages and towns, and even a villa area. This complex terrain is enough for the British to stop them!

However, if we attack from the south of the lake belt...

Burg Al Arab is a relatively large town, and the Borg el-Burg Al Arab Airport is one of the main support points for the British! Moreover, the terrain here is not so flat, and there are many agricultural areas - the soil here ranges from the edge of the Gobi Desert where soil erosion occurs, to the salt fields with hardened ground, to the alluvial plains with soft mud and sand. At the junction of several terrains, there are at least two large strongholds that are enough to become roadblocks!

The most important thing is that Rommel has received intelligence from the German Air Force reconnaissance plane: the three Allied mechanized divisions in Tanta and Cairo have begun to move towards this side and can attack from the flank at any time and cut him into several sections! !

And in Alexandria, there is the New Zealand Second Division and the Alexandria Fortress...

Alexandria is a megacity with millions of people and tens of kilometers long! It is obviously unrealistic for the crippled African Corps to directly occupy Alexandria!

Fortunately, the main military port and transportation port of Alexandria is the West Port, while the East Port is mainly a scenic spot and fishing port and does not have much military and shipping use!

And the terrain around Sihanoukville...

The terrain surrounded by coastal lakes and Lake Mareotis is extremely conducive to defense!

"Then let me occupy Westport! Even if it's just part of it! As long as we can rely on the lake and the canal to defend this place, we can get supplies directly from the sea and block the British from using the Alexandria Dockyard!!"

Although the British have certain military ports in Suez Port and Said Port at the entrance and exit of the Suez Canal, as well as Haifa Port in northern Israel near Syria, and logistical supplies are also guaranteed, but... these two ports do not have dock facilities sufficient to repair the main fleet!

Now, one of the British main battleships has sunk and two have been seriously damaged! They must withdraw from the Mediterranean theater of operations! !

As long as there are no Mediterranean Fleet battleships causing trouble! The African Corps may not be unable to obtain resources from sea transportation!

This is Rommel's wishful thinking! However, whether he can make a big news depends on whether he can succeed in this last gamble!

“…Then let’s bet!! Everyone! Get ready for battle!!”

With Rommel's shout, the last British bomber dropped its bomb and left the sky!

Chapter 460: My plan is...

The bombing finally stopped...

But Auchinleck made it clear that he didn't want to give the Germans any chance to even breathe!

The humming roar of the planes still echoed in the sky, and the meteor-like bombardment covered the entire position again! After the bombardment that seemed to collapse the sky and crack the earth, the yellow dust could be vaguely seen rising high, even blocking the sun!

Just after the two hundred planes "retaliated against society", the British 290st Armored Division, the British th Armored Division, the Australian th Infantry Division... soldiers and tanks! With Xu Jin's barrage of bullets paving the way, they "pressed" forward steadily!

The hastily laid minefields and roadblocks by the German army were quickly broken through by the British bombing and heavy artillery fire, as well as the clearing of the way by the British combat engineering troops!

Although the battleship Tirpitz had come as close to the shore as possible, and although the remaining 150 secondary guns and 105 anti-aircraft guns were still firing at the maximum rate of fire that could be maintained without overheating the barrels, and although the heavy artillery of the Grati Heavy Artillery Regiment was also desperately blocking the second echelon of the British charge... but... under the cover of the precisely controlled artillery barrage that was only fifty meters away from the front-line infantry and tanks, the British army easily rushed into the German positions!

In the shelter hastily converted from a bomb crater, a fight broke out in no time!

The sounds of gunfire, artillery fire, explosions, rifle butts, bayonets, engineer shovels, dog-leg knives, and even fists and teeth… Occasionally, there are flames from flamethrowers, the “PIAT” sound of PIAT anti-tank grenade launchers, and of course, the heroic shouts of pulling open explosive packs or blasting tubes and perishing together with the enemy…

"British people! Die together!!"

"Go to hell! John!!"

"Long live the Greater German Reich!!"

The front line is roaring with artillery fire and the sound of killing is deafening

……

"Calling the battleship Tirpitz! We need artillery support! Artillery support!!"

-----

On the Tirpitz, three holes created by the air raid were still burning...

In the command tower that had been blackened by gunpowder smoke, Lindmann's face turned pale as he looked at the pleading expression of the army liaison officer in front of him and listened to the urgent calls on the radio.

"Tizi! The 380 main gun still has 150 rounds of ammunition, right?"

Lindmann almost gritted his teeth and squeezed out each word!

Lindeman, who is usually laughing and joking, is really angry this time!

Even though the lack of ammunition was not their problem, the casualties of the army were...

"Ah? Um... yes..." Tizi unconsciously shrank back into the pillow pile. Although she was usually cheerful and had angered Lindeman before, this was the first time she saw Lindeman really angry...

Sister... Lindemann is so scary at this moment...

A little hamster was shivering.

"One hundred and fifty high-explosive shells, less than twenty for each gun..." Lindmann frowned for less than three seconds, then shouted to Tizi: "Never mind! Fire the main guns! Find their main attack point, and fire three salvos first!" But before he finished speaking, the radar soldier next to him turned around and reported: "Captain! A British aircraft group is heading towards us! Twenty kilometers away! 1000 meters high!"

"What plane?!" Lindman patted Tizi beside him and asked in a low voice. Although his voice was low, Tizi heard every ounce of the urgency and suppressed anger in his tone.

"Um... let me see... twenty-four... Wellingtons..."

"Twenty kilometers... still a long way! Tizi, use your main gun to fire four rounds at the British armored forces first! Then use the 105mm anti-aircraft gun to drive away these iron cigars!!"

"Well... okay..." Looking at Lindeman's sharp eyes, Tizi was a little scared. He nodded hurriedly and agreed.

"Woo... these annoying British people are so troublesome..." The hamster gritted his teeth silently and stared in the direction of the bomber group with some unhappiness.

"If it weren't for you bastards, why would everyone here be so troublesome!!"

In the heart of a certain hamster, he already hates the British...

----

"Report! The battleship Tirpitz bombarded our attacking force! The second echelon suffered heavy casualties, and the first echelon was repelled by them without reinforcements. Our first wave of attack failed!"

Under the shade of a small oasis, there was a British headquarters surrounded by several command vehicles. The British Chief of Staff ran to Auchinleck and reported the latest battle situation.

"Tirpitz? Didn't they send a team of bombers to suppress her? Didn't they say that the anti-aircraft guns of German battleships are open positions, and the firing of the main guns and anti-aircraft guns must be staggered?"

Auchinleck, who came from the army, was a little confused - although he did not have a better understanding of the navy, he was not wrong in this regard.

"Um... that... they first suppressed the attacking force with three or four rounds of salvos, and then instantly switched to anti-aircraft artillery... Moreover, their firepower was too accurate, and the Wellington bombers suffered heavy losses..." The chief of staff said somewhat embarrassedly.

"Is that so... Never mind, let the air force continue to suppress them." Auchinleck snorted with mixed feelings, and then continued to ask: "So where are the Indians retreating to now? Are they about to retreat from the Aranhafa Pass?"

"Well, they have retreated to the Alanhafa Pass. The Germans' firepower is very strong, especially the 150 guns of the battleships, which are too fierce and accurate... Every time we try to reorganize the team, we will be bombarded..."

"Forget it. I don't care about that." Auchinleck waved his hand and leaned back in his chair. "If the 4th Indian Division retreats, the 1st Armored Division will have a heavy task now. If they are southwest of Hammam Village, behind the Alanhafa Mountain, they will have to resist Rommel's main force and guard against the Germans chasing the 4th Indian Division from the Alanhafa Pass... By the way, have they given up the seawall?"

"According to your request, the entire front has been cleared except for the Hammam village stronghold. The Indian 4th Division can run out along the way, and then wait for the Germans to chase them out, and the 1st Armored Division will cut them off from the side! Moreover, this was originally the designated second-line position. We have prepared tank bunkers and communication trenches. Even if the battleship Tirpitz bombards us, we are not afraid!" the chief of staff assured solemnly.

"Well, that's good." Auchinleck said with a smile. At the same time, there were bursts of dense roars like rain from the front line, and another wave of bombers flew over his head with a buzzing sound.

"It seems that the second attack has begun so soon..."

-----

At the same time, Rommel, covered in dust, awkwardly pulled his legs out of the half-collapsed bunker.

Not far away, an Italian Carlo Amato tank was lying on its side in pieces, which was a good cover. His chief of staff and several radio operators were hiding in a pit under the wreckage of the Italian tank.

Rommel picked up his hat that had fallen into the dirt, shook off some of the sand, and ran to the chief of staff to ask about the battlefield situation:

"…How many of us are there now?"

"Report to the corps commander! We only have 3,500 men and 61 tanks left!"

"…Including this one?" Rommel pointed at the Italian tank lying on the side, half self-deprecatingly and half helplessly.

"That's about right..." The chief of staff also sighed. But thinking of something, he reported, "Commander, I just received a report that the British 90st Armored Division has positions on the flank of the road from Alanhafa Mountain to the seawall, and the th Light Division is about to break out of the Alanhafa Pass!"

"It's six o'clock now... Call Tirpitz for me. I want to speak to General Lindemann in person!"

"Ok!"

Soon, a radio operator "dialed" the radio on the Tirpitz...

After all, it was a battlefield, so there was no need for so much politeness. After a few simple greetings, Rommel got down to business: "General Lindemann, how many main artillery shells do you have now?"

"Not many left, probably about fifteen rounds for each main gun..." Speaking of the amount of ammunition, Lindemann smiled bitterly, a little unhappy, and glanced towards the northwest, probably towards Berlin.

Raeder! If you hadn't withheld supplies, how could we have so little oil and so few 380mm high-explosive shells! !

"Well... basically it's like this. I found that the British artillery bombardment on me and the air strikes on you seem to be synchronized, so wait, I want to do this..." On the radio, Rommel pondered for a moment and then told his plan.

"Is that so... I have no problem with that, but it depends on what the British will do... You know, our main guns and anti-aircraft guns cannot fire at the same time, so I'm afraid that when the British planes come to bomb, I won't be able to assist in the attack..."

"I see... But the second wave of fighters at the Daiba Airport should have arrived soon. I want them to send a team to cover you..."

"Is that so? That's fine!... Hmm? There's a plane heading towards me! 30 kilometers away... General Rommel, you should also pay attention over there, they might attack again..."

"Okay, I understand. Let's do it this way then..." Rommel's face changed halfway through his sentence. He quickly got under the tank and shouted to the people on both sides: "Hide! Artillery fire!"

Before he could finish his words, another meteor-like shell came crashing down!

Smoke filled the air and shrapnel flew everywhere!

"Damn it! Damn the British! We can't move at all like this!!" The chief of staff said angrily, covering his hat with his hands as he crawled into a small hole under the tank.

"Wait, we can move!" The fox's eyes rolled: "Come here, everyone, listen to my instructions!"

“?!” The chief of staff was stunned.

"Right now! Notify all troops using the tactical radio! Tell them that my plan for the future is this..."

Chapter 461: Beizhai Rushes Forward

On the other side of the battlefield, in the Mediterranean Sea...

On the bridge of the battleship Bismarck, which was staggering towards the Gulf of El Alamein, Bismarck, who had recovered a little, was sitting in a chair and saying something to Lütjens.

"...The four British cruisers have been sunk by the dive bombers sent by Bonte, and one light cruiser has been sunk. Now the British cruiser fleet has withdrawn a little further. But the three minelayers are still lingering. They sailed out of the main gun range of the Italian cruisers at the beginning, and seemed to be throwing mines into the sea while running..."

"Humph, are you trying to deter the transport ships and prevent the Afrika Korps from receiving reinforcements from the sea?" Lütjens' eyebrows tightened. The three God Servant-class minelayers were not a strong opponent - even with a full deck of mines, they only needed one or two, or at most two or three effective hits to detonate the full deck of mines!

"Come here, send a telegram and tell Bangtai that we will have reinforcements at sea! So first mark the tracks of their minelayers, and then blow up these three minelayers for me!"

"Yes!!" A communications officer saluted, turned around and walked away.

"Captain, do we have reinforcements?" The Persian cat blinked, a little confused.

If there was a telegram for reinforcements, why didn't she receive it?

"Reinforcements? There will definitely be!" The captain raised his eyebrows, grinned, and said confidently. But he soon remembered something and stopped smiling: "Now, let's rush over to reinforce Tirpitz. Lindemann and his men should be running out of ammunition..."

"Yes! Okay! Besides, now I have recovered to the speed of 18 knots! I can go faster!" Bismarck nodded and clenched his fists.

Seeing this, the captain smiled faintly and said only one sentence:

"Remember to clear a channel through the minefield later."

----------

The bombardment on the edge of the Alamein Desert has once again ended...

As soon as the bombardment ended, as usual, the tank tracks rolled over the sand that had been ravaged by the shells just a few seconds ago. The steel-forged armored beast came up with the rumbling sound of the engine and the clanging sound of the tracks. Behind the tanks were British infantrymen who were either gathered behind the tanks or crossed in the gaps behind the tanks in groups of three or two...

From the rear, the sound of gunfire could be heard...

It seems that the Australian 6th Division has already broken through the south side... Fox looked up and thought, and couldn't help but think of something else...

There were bursts of humming and roaring of piston engines overhead. Fox looked up and saw another group of black bombers flying towards the direction where he was standing alone in the Gulf of El Alamein. There, he had his own important firepower support: the minesweeper Hamster...

Is it the same attack as before? And it seems that the battleship Tirpitz is suppressed by the aircraft...

but…

"JG27 Fighter Wing, Captain Wolfgang Lippert, commander of the nd Squadron, leads his troops to report in!"

Along with the agile, vigorous and rebellious young voice coming from the radio, twenty-four BF-109F fighter jets appeared on the battlefield of El Alamein and in the sky over the Gulf!

"You're here just in time! I'm Erwin Rommel, the commander of the Afrika Korps! I order you to get rid of the British bombers that are bombing our battleships first! Also, you must absolutely protect the safety of the battleship Tirpitz!"

"Yes! Guaranteed to complete the mission!!"