cicada

Chapter 1377 Desert Reconnaissance

North African desert.

Under the scorching sun, a Saharan spiny-tailed lizard crawled quickly with its claws open, leaving only a row of shallow footprints on the ground, and then it disappeared into the sand with a flick of its tail.

Zuo Zhong could not learn such a skill. He lay on the hot sand dune and looked into the distance. Two kilometers east of the dune, he could vaguely see a figure swaying.

Slowly retreating from the sand dunes, he picked up a pen and wrote: [Location XXX, suspected indigenous settlement, to be confirmed]

After finishing the recording, Zuo Chong returned to the temporary campsite. The young spy and the British had already set up camouflage - laying canvas on top of the vehicle and then sprinkling a layer of sand.

The British, who had carried out many desert combat missions, were experienced and set up their camps on the leeward side of the sand dunes and in the low-lying areas.

This could use natural shadows to reduce the visibility of the silhouette and avoid being detected by German aerial reconnaissance aircraft.

Moreover, each camp was at least 50 meters apart to reduce the risk of being wiped out by the Germans.

In addition, defensive facilities such as foxholes, circular trenches, barbed wire and mines were also quickly deployed.

The FIRC agents learned skills while they were working. Although the Military Control Commission invited herdsmen from the west to teach the agents desert survival skills, survival is different from combat, and there is no harm in learning more.

Zuo Chong walked around the camp and saw several British soldiers digging shallow pits. He asked curiously what they were doing.

A SAS member replied that they were building a [desert well] to collect fresh water.

As they were talking, the British soldiers placed a lunch box at the bottom of the pit, completely covered the pit mouth with waterproof cloth, and compacted the edges with sand.

Finally, the other party threw a small stone in the center of the cloth, causing the waterproof cloth to sag slightly.

Seeing this scene, Zuo Chong suddenly realized that in a certain wilderness survival program in his previous life, the man standing at the top of the food chain had collected fresh water in this way.

The principle is very simple. There is a huge temperature difference between the underground and the surface of the desert. When the sunlight is blocked, the water vapor in the shallow underground sand will condense into liquid water when it cools down.

The waterproof cloth above the [Desert Well] not only prevents condensed water from evaporating, but also allows the condensed water droplets to fall into the lunch box along the cloth surface.

According to SAS members, a single [desert well] can collect approximately 100-300 ml of water in ten hours, and the specific amount of water collected depends on the air humidity.

In North Africa, which is close to the ocean and has humid air, the efficiency of the [Desert Well] is very high and the water extraction rate can reach the maximum.

Upon learning of this, Zuo Zhong immediately ordered his men to dig more pits. In the desert area, fresh water is far more precious than bullets.

During their long-distance reconnaissance, each person only had a daily quota of 1.5 liters of drinking water, including him, so 300 milliliters of fresh water was by no means a small amount.

Half an hour later, someone was walking between the camps, constantly reminding people to "blackout!"

Blackouts occur not only at night but also during the day, as reflections and smoke can also reveal whereabouts.

The soldiers tightened the canvas covering their metal equipment, and the cigarettes they carried were confiscated by the non-commissioned officers or officers.

After doing all this, everyone except the sentry started to eat.

Zuo Zhong took the food handed to him by the British, and in his heart he looked like an old man in the subway.

A few biscuits, a can of beef, a bag of tea and a small amount of condensed milk. This is today's breakfast. It doesn't look appetizing at all.

He knocked the stone with the biscuit, but the biscuit remained intact while the stone cracked into several pieces. Even though it was due to weathering, the scene still left Zuo Chong stunned.

Next to them, the British soldiers skillfully threw the biscuits into the water to soak and crush them, then poured them into the can and stirred them twice.

Zuo Zhong followed the other person's steps and made a box of paste-like object. Its color and shape were similar to the masala of a certain South Asian country.

After hesitating for a long time, he tasted a small mouthful of the "paste". His expression instantly became interesting. It was indeed very unpalatable, but he still forced himself to eat it all despite the discomfort.

Compared with the Guo Army and the Northwest Army who fed on coarse grains, such meals were considered rich, even luxurious.

It's just a pity about the beef in the can. The British made the precious meat so inedible. Isn't it such a waste?

After eating the "paste", everyone enjoyed a cup of sweet tea made from tea leaves and condensed milk, which was both refreshing and replenishing calories.

That’s not all. After the meal, the accompanying logistics officer distributed dried dates and dried figs purchased locally to supplement vitamins.

It has to be said that the British did not have much talent for cooking, but they surpassed most Asian armies in terms of material supplies.

After finishing his breakfast with mixed feelings, Zuo Chong checked the sentry post again before getting into the car to rest.

Neither the British Army nor the Fruit Army had a tradition of equality between officers and soldiers. Officers did not have to stand guard, and there was no need for them to pretend.

I don’t know how long I slept, but Zuo Chong was awakened by the roar of an engine.

"Stork! Attention air defense!"

Someone lowered his body and ran and shouted, and everyone immediately dropped their work and got into the foxhole. Zuo Zhong also turned over and hid beside the car.

More than 156 meters in the air from the camp, a Fi-15 "Stork" reconnaissance plane flew slowly by. The observer behind the pilot kept scanning the ground. In front of the other party, there was an MG machine gun.

Fortunately, the Germans did not discover the camp right under their noses. The sound of the engine gradually faded away, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Although this is just a reconnaissance plane, if they are targeted by the plane in an open area, only death will await them.

Not long after Fi-156 left, the temperature rose rapidly. Even though he was hiding under the canvas, Zuo Zhong still felt that he was being dried out bit by bit. "General, drink some water." The logistics officer brought a kettle and carefully reminded him: "You can moisten your mouth with water first, and then swallow it slowly."

Zuo Dian nodded, took the kettle but didn't drink it. Instead, he picked up a small stone and put it in his mouth.

Feeling the saliva secreting wildly in his mouth, he untied the headscarf to cover his head and lay in the shade to minimize sweating.

The logistics officer turned and left when he saw this. The other party was a veteran of desert marching and did not need his reminder at all.

The breeze blew dust across the camp. Zuo Zhong closed his eyes and mouth tightly and tried to breathe through his nose to reduce the evaporation of water in his lungs.

Time passed little by little, and suddenly a strange noise was heard nearby. Zuo Chong opened his eyes and turned around to see a young British soldier shaking the kettle in vain.

"Soldier, you can't make water appear no matter how much you shake it."

He whispered, pointing at the other person's mouth: "Wrap your lower lip around your upper lip and breathe gently through your nose."

The British soldier's face turned red and he immediately tried it as he said, and his mouth became much moister as expected.

After saying this, Zuo Zhong turned around and continued to rest. This was a technique he learned from an old underground party soldier when he went to the northwest (he saw it in a documentary, you can try it).

In order to avoid the Germans and the scorching sun, the scouts rested in the camp throughout the day, and the team set out again only when night fell.

In this way, they traveled at night and rested during the day. Zuo Chong and his companions marched for two days and arrived at a valley 30 kilometers east of Tobruk in the early morning of the third day.

The port of Tobruk is one of the few deep-water ports on the North African coastline. It can accommodate large ships and is the core node of the German army's Mediterranean supply line.

The fuel, ammunition and troops from Italy and Greece were all transported to the Alamein front through Tobruk. Its importance is self-evident.

Therefore, the closer they got to Tobruk, the more frequent the German patrols became, and Zuo Zhong decisively stopped advancing.

At dawn, Zuo Zhong led his men to climb to the commanding heights, raised a telescope covered with gauze and looked towards the direction of Tobruk.

500 yards away, a desert road stretched across the middle of the desert, connecting the port in the west and extending to the Alamein front in the east.

Looking at the vehicles flowing on the road, Zuo Zhong whispered the types of vehicles and other information. The coordinating spy took out the surveillance log and began to record.

【Date: xx/xx/1942】

【Location: xxx】

[Clear, southeast wind level 3, visibility 5 km, surface temperature 38°C]

[A transport convoy was discovered. The leading vehicle was a Sd.Kfz. 234/2 Jaguar armored vehicle, equipped with a 50mm long-barreled main gun, with the vehicle body number WH-743. There was an antenna on the roof, which was suspected to be a radio command vehicle]

[3.6 Opel Blitz 36-6 trucks, cargo compartments covered with canvas, tires badly worn, cargo presumably ammunition or fuel]

[251 Sd.Kfz. 2 half-track vehicles, equipped with MG34 machine guns, each carrying 8-10 infantrymen, wearing the palm-patterned armband of the African Corps]

[Staff estimate: about 12 truck drivers and escorts, about 20 infantrymen, equipped with Kar98k rifles, no heavy weapons]

After writing down the relevant information about the convoy, the young spy paused and added two sentences at the end.

[The convoy was traveling at about 25 kilometers per hour, and no air defense identification cloth was hung. It was presumed to be a daytime replacement after a covert march at night.]

[The hoods of the two trucks were open, possibly due to mechanical failures, but they did not stop for repairs. The German army was under significant logistical pressure.]

As an intelligence officer, you not only have to record everything you see, but you also have to analyze the existing intelligence.

The transport convoy passed by, followed closely by an armored unit. Zuo Zhong and the young spy held their breath and sped up the reporting and recording.

[3 Panzer III tanks, equipped with short-barreled 50mm guns, painted in sandy yellow striped camouflage, numbered R-02, R-05, R-11, presumably belonging to the 21st Armored Division]

[Two Panzer IV tanks, long-barreled 2mm gun model, numbered S-75 and S-33, with additional armor welded on the turret side panels, which may not be penetrated by a 37-pound gun]

[An 88mm Flak 36 anti-aircraft gun, towed by a half-track vehicle, not in combat mode]

Note: [The cleaning cloth for the gun barrel of the Panzer IV has not been removed, and there should be no plans for combat in the near future]

Over the next three days, Nationalist and British reconnaissance personnel took turns monitoring the highway and gained a preliminary understanding of the German army's delivery capabilities and frequency.

Late in the evening of the fourth day, the scouts retreated from the valley and followed the Germans along the road, searching for more supply routes.

As a result, there are a few more records in the monitoring log.

[Coordinates XXX, target road section: gravel hard road with weathered rock hills on both sides. The German army set up temporary road signs here - oil drums with white painted arrows]

[There is an underground ammunition depot in a dry river 24 kilometers east of Highway 1.2. The entrance is 3 meters wide and covered with canvas]

[Temporary oil storage point, 200 300-liter oil drums, stacked in the open air, no fire prevention measures, two sentries, air raid priority A]

While Zuo Zhong and others were scouting the German army's fuel and ammunition supply routes, Gui Youguang and Wu Chunyang were also in action.

The two of them disguised themselves as natives and led the team successfully into the German defense zone, trying to find a way to pass through the "Devil's Garden".