Iron Cross

Montgomery first asked: "We need to judge the accuracy of this news. Do you think the number of troops participating in the war described by the prisoners is reliable?"

Everyone nodded and basically agreed that this was a fact - the combat contact, on-site traces and final results all pointed to this, and there was no way to fake it.

"So, is today's battle a perfect test, the prelude to a larger-scale attack tomorrow? Or is it a clever feint, just to buy time for the African Army to retreat?" Montgomery asked his last question The question I care about and want to ask the most.

It was difficult to answer this question. Everyone fell into deep thought involuntarily, and then started a fierce quarrel: Some people said it was a test, because the main Italian force in the north still maintained "close contact" with the South African and Australian divisions, so Guderian Today's attack is purely to find an ideal breakthrough. At least for now, he has found the weakness of the Eighth Army. Tomorrow morning there will be a flood of troops. Some people say this is a feint attack. If this is the prelude to a formal attack, The African Army would never choose such a time and use such a small number of troops, let alone give up the results easily after achieving the goal. Instead, the infantry should quickly follow to expand the breakthrough. To sum up, in order to cover up the behavior of the main force and delay the pace of the Eighth Army, Guderian had to personally lead his troops to take risks.

But could the majestic "blitz hero", commander of the African Army, and a Third Reich Army General only lead 70 tanks to attack an entire army group? Everyone said it was unbelievable, that was not heroic, that was completely stupid - but judging from today's results, there was no sign of Guderian being stupid at all.

The opinions discussed at the meeting were deadlocked. Each faction had its own reasonable arguments and supporters. Everyone doubted each other and argued endlessly. Montgomery sometimes tended to this group's point of view, and sometimes believed that the other group's analysis was reasonable, making his already unsteady position even more difficult.

The captured German pilot had made a meritorious service, and the intelligence he inadvertently handed over plunged the British army into deep hesitation. De Lagan discovered distressingly: Although the commander helped everyone get rid of their depression, the Eighth Army faced The situation became even more chaotic.

"Regardless of whether Guderian personally commanded the battle today, I think his biggest weakness is the lack of troops and lack of logistics..." Major General Langton's eyes were bright and he said in a confident and powerful tone, "If not In this way, he will not only dispatch two armored battalions to attack - whether it is a feint attack or a test, this amount of troops is too small. "

"What do you mean?" Montgomery finally heard something more than a simple argument about the offensive nature, and he suddenly became interested.

"I think we should adopt a more proactive strategy." The 8th Armored Brigade of the 7th Armored Division collided with Heinz's armored forces once. Although the losses were not large, it can even be said that they were the best performers in the raid. One of the first troops, but Langton still felt ashamed, "Tomorrow we should be prepared in two aspects: on the southern front, continue to increase vigilance and strengthen defensive strength. Regardless of whether the Germans will attack on a large scale, consolidating defense is our response. It makes sense; on the northern front, I suggest attacking the Italians, encircling and destroying them resolutely and forcefully."

Everyone could hear his resentment: "There are two advantages to this. Assuming that Guderian has retreated, we can leave the main Italian infantry force by firing on the northern front, and at least we can account for London or Cairo; if tomorrow It is the beginning of a large-scale offensive by the African Army. By eliminating the Italians, we will cut off Guderian's arm first, which will help improve our battle situation and concentrate our efforts on the Germans. "

The topic once again shifted to solving the Italian position first. This time De Lagan did not mention the issue of scaring away the Germans, because the reality is obvious that the Germans cannot be scared away: if they want to leave, now They should have left already. If they refused to leave, even catching the Italians would not scare them away. The most important point in Langton's point of view was keenly captured by him: catching the Italians can be explained to London and Cairo. The Prime Minister has expressed dissatisfaction with the Eighth Army's delay in taking positive actions. This dissatisfaction has accumulated to an unbearable level. Otherwise, the commander would not send a reply message for the attack within a week. If London knew about today's tragic loss of troops and generals without an ideal explanation, he could not imagine what kind of irrational behavior the furious Prime Minister would do. response actions.

This opinion resonates with many people, especially the commanders of the troops who suffered losses in the battle today. They also hope to save some face as soon as possible. The Italians are the best stepping stone and placebo, and the troops can easily find it from them. Restore confidence and morale. Seeing that everyone's thoughts were close to the same, Montgomery was also persuaded. He also knew that he had to give an honorable explanation to Churchill and General Alexander. He nodded and signaled de Lagan to issue operational requirements based on this goal: the northern front offensive is planned to be launched around 8 o'clock tomorrow, and there is less than 9 hours left before this time.

Lieutenant Colonel Mei Linjin's guess was right. During the retreat, Guderian did not honestly tell the three Italian divisions to the north about the unfavorable situation they were facing. Instead, he took advantage of the opportunity to rest in the middle and sent electricity to tell them that the troops on the southern front were being adjusted and redeployed. Considering that the Italian ministries were short of supplies, he asked the northern divisions to hold their positions for three days and then retreat, and he would arrange for troops to respond.

"Sir, is it not good for you to lie to the Italians like this?"

"So, what do you think I should do?" Guderian smiled slightly, "If I tell the Italians the real information, can you prevent them from instantly collapsing?"

"Um..." Merlinjin got stuck, and after a while he said helplessly, "This task is a bit difficult, can you change it to another one?"

"Hahaha!" The surrounding officers laughed, and even the telegraph operator couldn't help laughing.

Guderian continued: "Besides, I didn't lie to them! The southern front is adjusting its deployment. Our main armored force will be concentrated towards Tell Akakir, which is located behind the northern front. If the Italians can hold on to the three If Tian Tian can retreat calmly, I can use armored troops to meet them..."

Merinjin was really speechless. He actually wanted to say: If the Italians are really so good at fighting, why do they want the Germans to come to North Africa? He couldn't help but give a thumbs up: "Your move is cruel enough, but I always feel that the Italian leader will not let you go."

"Him?" Guderian raised his brows and smiled contemptuously, "No! He will thank me. At least I retained the Italian armored forces. You see, even I left later than them - the Germans But the telecommunications company and the armored reconnaissance company are being used to cover the retreat of the Italian armored forces."

Everyone laughed again. After learning that Heinz's armored assault was a great success, everyone was in high spirits during the retreat. Everyone kind of liked the new commander - he didn't look as aloof and arrogant as Rommel. Although he has a sharp edge, his ability to win battles and tease the British is also top-notch.

Riding on the sound of the wind, many people couldn't help but hum the "Military Song of the African Army":

We are the German Afrika Korps,

Fight with all your heart for the leader.

Like the terrifying lightning in the rainstorm,

Turn the British into a delicious meal on our plates,

We are not afraid of heat and desert,

We despise thirst and sun,

Accompanied by the rhythm of military songs, we move forward,

forward, forward,

and our...

At this point, the voice suddenly became quieter, the rhythm became chaotic, and finally stopped altogether.

"What's going on?" Guderian, who was listening with great interest, was puzzled. "Why don't you sing? This is the first time I've heard this song. It's really good!"

"Sir, originally the next sentence should be 'With our...Rommel, move forward!' But now..." Someone explained in a low voice.

"What's the point!" Guderian laughed loudly, "I sang how I sang before and how I still sing now. I've only been here for half a month, but Rommel has stayed with you for a full year and a half!"

Mei Linjin and the commander of the armored reconnaissance company who was directing the singing looked at each other and nodded to each other. Several other officers also understood and the singing started again, very loud in the night:

…

The British see us as a disaster,

He sat slumped and shivered.

Although your territory spans east and west,

But you are just a bunch of cowardly thieves.

Churchill and Roosevelt roared in vain,

We have to kick you out of here,

Look, our general is standing proudly in Africa,

Onward, onward, and our Guderian, onward!

When the words "Guderian" were sung, the tune and lyrics were still a little out of tune, but under the leadership of Merinjin and several officers, all the soldiers consciously or unconsciously replaced Rommel with Guderian.

"Unite our side in battle and victory!"

The song was sung over and over again, and in the end all the officers and soldiers skillfully replaced Rommel in the lyrics with Guderian.

Guderian did not ask why they changed the wording, but an imperceptible smile appeared on his face: Who said that Germans are rigid and incapable of flexibility? He will gradually change them, and this process can start with a battle, a song...

The first volume is finished.