Bismarck

And... Li Teqi has a feeling that Rommel's strength on the opposite side is definitely more than what he has shown now.

In particular, he had already received a detailed report of the air battle a few days ago: Although the German air force had been attacked by him, it had not suffered too much loss...

Just like that, Li Teqi thought about it carefully, and his heart became colder and colder...

During these three days, the seven divisions under his command launched a large-scale counterattack. However, judging from the enemy numbers reported by all the troops so far, they were almost all infantry units.

The German Army's 90th Light Division, 164th Infantry Division, Italy's Trento Division, Trieste Division, and at most two brigade-level units, the Vogel Parachute Division and the German st Parachute Brigade.

As for the armored forces such as the 15th Armored Division, the 21st Armored Division, the Areete Blackshirt Armored Division and the Littorio Blackshirt Armored Division, as well as the mobile forces such as the German SS Cavalry Brigade and the Italian Savoy Cavalry Regiment suitable for swampy terrain operations, they were not seen at all. Even in the statistical war reports, the destroyed Axis tanks seemed to be mainly Italian light tanks or captured Allied tanks.

"Could it be... that I have been tricked...?"

The strangeness of the battle situation made Li Teqi feel a little nervous. Thinking about the remaining reserve troops in his hands, his heart suddenly fell into an ice cellar.

What is the current situation of our own troops?

Although they have received support from the Eighth Army, they have suffered heavy losses in just three days. Many of these troops are not fully staffed, and even with such troops as the base, the average loss rate has reached 20%. And these troops are basically without defensive support in the offensive situation. Even their morale is probably in danger.

If the German armored forces and cavalry mobile forces really launched a flank assault...

Apart from the seven divisions that were launching Operation Crusade, he now only had the 1st Armoured Division of the Free France, the 1st Armoured Division of Britain, the 7th Armoured Division, which had been completely crippled and even their remaining tanks had been transferred to strengthen Litchi's infantry divisions in order to strengthen the assault force; and the 10th Indian Division, which had almost collapsed on the way of retreat in order to block the Axis pursuit and was even chased and killed by German and Italian cavalry with sabers all the way, and had luckily escaped... These four divisions had only 17,000 people in total.

And this is already a total of 17,000 people after taking into account units such as logistics, government agencies, and military hospitals.

If something really happened...

Somehow, Litchi suddenly thought of what Allen Cunningham said to him when he came with the Eighth Army to reinforce:

"…Because we have to guard against Japan causing trouble, the higher-ups asked me to tell you…We may be the last batch of reinforcements in the next few months…"

The last batch of reinforcements...

Now Japan has started to stir up trouble in the Far East. The battle report of the annihilation of the US, British, Dutch and Austrian fleets has been sent back. According to internal reports, the Japanese army is barbaric but brave, and they have even fought a blitzkrieg style in the jungles of Malaysia with simple bicycles... It seems that whether Singapore can be saved may be a problem...

Litsch was not a general who was good at making decisions, and he also knew that Allen Cunningham was also a general who was not good at making decisions like himself... and every time Litsch thought of Rommel's armored forces and mobile tactics, he felt a sense of fear in his heart for no reason...

After walking around in circles for many times, even the cigar butts were scattered all over the floor. Li Teqi was getting more and more scared the more he thought about it. Finally, he just stopped thinking about it and walked straight towards the office door.

I have to give the order to stop the attack and switch to defense. Then I have to find a way to preserve the results of the battle as much as possible... Anyway, God bless... I really hope everything is still in time...

With the sign of a cross on his chest, Li Teqi opened the door of his office. He shouted at the staff in the staff hall outside the door, who were collectively stopping their work and looking at their staff, "Come here. Immediately pass the order: All troops immediately switch to defense. In addition, contact General Arthur Tedder now and tell him that I require the Royal Air Force to conduct a thorough investigation of the entire Nile Delta at all costs! Now! Immediately!!"

The boss gave the order, and none of the staff dared to neglect it. Some of them started to pick up the military telephone. But before they could get through the phone, a communications officer stumbled into the door of the headquarters hall, holding a telegram in his hand...

"Report to the commander! Urgent news from the front line!"

"…What?!" Li Teqi's heart skipped a beat when he heard that it was an urgent report from the front line. Resisting his inner panic, Li Teqi immediately rushed forward, snatched the telegram from the hands of the communications officer, and scanned it on the spot. The first sentence on the telegram immediately broke Li Teqi's last thought...

"Rommel has just launched a full-scale counterattack. Our frontline troops have suffered heavy losses. I request tactical guidance..."

Li Teqi was so angry that he felt something was surging up. He shook, his eyes went dark, and he fainted on the spot...

Chapter 546: The fox who is eager to go home to see his wife

According to the elaborate plan of the Desert Fox Rommel, under the cover of the main force of the German Air Force that had been evacuated to the rear airport and now regrouped to prepare for a counterattack, the Italian Littorio Armored Division and Areet Armored Division ambushed behind the city of Mansoura, as well as the German 15th Armored Division, 21st Armored Division, SS Cavalry Brigade, and Italian Savoy Cavalry Regiment ambushed on the west bank of the Nile River, behind the Cairo-Alexandria Western Highway defense line, at the junction of the desert and farmland, and the German st Paratrooper Brigade and Italian Trieste Division retreated to the west of the Nile River, launched a counterattack against the British offensive forces that had been exhausted and depleted!

On November 15, when the large transport fleet carrying the Axis reinforcements and supplies finally arrived at the Alexandria port, the British "Operation Crusade" had been beaten to a pulp by an angry fox. The British 50th Division, Guards Armored Division and 10th Armored Division on the southern front suffered heavy losses in the face of the counterattack. They relied on their proximity to home to run wildly, but in the face of the pursuing cavalry and tanks of the German and Italian troops, they also fled back to Cairo in disarray.

The British 44th Division that attacked Mansoora in the north as a diversionary force, and the Indian 4th Division that attacked from the center, were not so much completely defeated as they were completely reduced to a group of stragglers doing Brownian motion; the gene of this Brownian motion was even passed down to India decades later, and many of the missiles they manufactured later became famous for this motion.

Of course, what is important now is what is happening at hand.

The other two troops that counterattacked in the middle: the 6th Australian Division and the 2nd South African Division, with 17,000 people, are now completely unlucky - except for Lieutenant General Allen Cunningham, who first realized the situation was not good and directly put on a soldier's uniform and fled with the chaotic soldiers. The more than 17,000 Allied troops without a leader are now being squeezed by the two light armored divisions, two infantry divisions, and two cavalry brigades of the German and Italian armies on the bank of the Nile River from Zifta to Benha. Looking at the Axis soldiers who are approaching step by step with grim smiles on their faces, thinking about the consequences of this gradually tightening encirclement "squeezed into shape", they are currently squatting and trembling...

No one has thought about whether they can escape now...

After all, how many reserve teams does Li Teqi have?

Not to mention that the British themselves knew everything about this, even the Germans had estimated it to be almost accurate! Even without asking what the reconnaissance troops and intelligence departments did, even though the war had been going on for several months, it would be a miracle if Rommel couldn't even estimate this little bit!

As for why I'm angry...

"…I say, you guys are finally here! If you hadn't come, I would have been overwhelmed and had to mobilize the counterattack force in advance! Speaking of which, what happened, why did the reinforcements come so late this time? I can't even go back to celebrate my wife's birthday with her… Uh, just pretend I didn't say that…"

Bismarck had sharp ears and smiled metaphorically when he heard this.

At the dock of Alexandria Port, next to the busy unloading dock, a fox with puffed cheeks and swearing looked at Lütjens opposite him and complained with a bad face.

Looking at the captain's apologetic smile, a Persian cat standing aside was feeling a little unfair for his captain, but when he heard something the fox accidentally let out, he almost burst out laughing.

To accompany his wife... well, that's understandable~

Bismarck said that men who love their wives should be greatly encouraged.

Over there, the captain, with a smile on his face, was still trying to coax the fox into saying nice things:

"Okay, okay, actually it's like this... Because we are now fighting against the Soviet Union, almost all the main forces of our country, even Italy, have gone to the Eastern Front. There are not many reserve troops, so it took a long time to gather reinforcements..." Seeing Rommel's disgusted expression, Lütjens quickly changed the topic, "But fortunately, a lot of reinforcements have arrived this time!"

"Oh? How many are here?"

"Quite a lot! In addition to the tanks and artillery that have been supplied to you, there is also the 22nd Paratrooper Division, the ally's 'Young French' Black Shirt Division and the 'Lion' Armored Combat Group, a total of more than people!" Lütjens waved his hand behind him. Bismarck saw his captain's call and hurried over with his briefcase. He opened the briefcase and searched, and handed a list to Rommel. The fox didn't want to show a bad face to the Persian cat. He took the document and scanned it:

"... Tsk tsk, except for the Lion Battle Group equipped with our tanks, the others are all light infantry. The Italian Youth French Blackshirts have only four battalions... As for the material replenishment... 400 tanks, artillery pieces of various types, trucks, etc., it's okay, but I'm not short of these weapons now..."

The fox quickly finished scanning the documents while watching and complaining. He handed them to his secretary while complaining, "But this is not enough. Our several infantry divisions have suffered heavy losses in the attack they launched this time! So for the time being, these more than 10,000 people still have to be deployed to the defense line. To be honest, I can understand that there are not many troops for me, but I have to at least ask for some reinforcements for my troops! Let me tell you, my troops, including the headquarters, staff and logistics departments, have all taken up their guns and gone to the front line..."

Seeing the fox complaining, Lütjens and Bismarck looked at each other, shrugged their shoulders and spread their hands...

Now, even recruiting new soldiers in Germany and Italy is starting to become a bit tight...

After a long while, a desert fox finally finished complaining...

"Forget it. I roughly know the situation above. They want to protect the Eastern Front as much as possible... Let's not talk about this for now!" Fox turned around, looked at Lütjens and asked, "What are the next plans of the higher-ups?"

"Yes." Lütjens nodded. "Before I came here this time, Marshal Kesselring told me that according to the requirements of the headquarters, they hope that we can open the Suez Canal as soon as possible to ensure cooperation with the 'East' in the Indian Ocean. Speaking of which, I will bring the Tirpitz and Zeppelin with me this time. In fact, I also intend to test the defense strength of Port Said with firepower..."

However, upon hearing this, Rommel pouted with a depressed look on his face: "Capturing the Suez Canal... this goal is too big. I must be given more troops before I can continue the attack!"

"Of course there will be, brother, don't be so angry..." Looking at the irritable Rommel, Lütjens said so, but it seems that he is not likely to listen... Should he just give him some advice?

"Forget it. I don't think the British will be able to do anything big in the next ten days or half a month. We just need to eat up the two British divisions in the encirclement." After sulking for a while, Rommel said hello and turned around to leave: "You guys go and do your exploratory reconnaissance. There's basically nothing serious here with Nehring watching... I'm going to the airport, I'll go back!"

"Go back?" Lütjens didn't quite understand.

"Yes, we just finished such a big battle. Next, don't our superiors want us to fight for the Suez Canal? As the commander of the African Corps, I must go back to report the situation first!"

Rommel, feeling a little unhappy, shook his fingers, grabbed his briefcase and walked towards his mammoth command vehicle.

Lütjens and Bismarck were the only two people left on the dock, feeling confused and sullen in the midst of a strong sense of resentment as a single canine (fox)...

"This guy... he's acting like an admiral! He's just watching me and the captain together..."

A certain Persian cat gnashed its teeth in anger...

Chapter 547:

At 10 Downing Street, as usual, this should be another time when the pig-headed prime minister would bang the table and smash the cup while cursing, and it would also be the beginning of the trembling of the people below.

But today, something seems a little unusual...

This time, there was no sound of cursing in the Prime Minister's office? !

This...isn't this a mutation of the Red Devil?

After all, the situation in the Far East had already been rotten to the ground. The colonial army, a patchwork of ragtag groups, was defeated miserably by the fierce Japanese army! Now everyone is counting on the Middle East to stabilize the situation. But not long ago, Admiral Alan Brooke, the Chief of the Imperial General Staff, personally came to No. 10 Downing Street with his briefcase, and also brought news of the defeat of the "Crusade Operation" launched in North Africa...

As we all know, the British Empire has been able to survive World War II and is still holding on to this day, almost entirely relying on the heritage accumulated by its ancestors, the hatred drawn away by the Soviet Union, the Liberty Ships provided by the United States, the oil from the Middle East, and the population (sheng) of India (kou) - there is even a joke that goes "The British Empire will never surrender until the last drop of Indian blood is shed"!

However, although India has not yet shed all its blood in the current war situation, Malaya in the east is suffering a disastrous defeat, and Egypt in the west is also suffering a disastrous defeat... The relationship between Britain and India is already in jeopardy!

If Singapore is lost in the east and Suez is lost in the west, if the powerful Japanese Navy and the "evil ship girl" really meet in the Indian Ocean...

That scene is so beautiful! Just thinking about it is enough...

No, I can’t even think about it, it’s too scary.

Churchill in the office, after listening to Alanbrook's report, has now collapsed in his chair, and he doesn't even have the energy to curse...

He now hopes that a thunder will strike and kill him. Why would such a terrible thing happen during his tenure? He still wants to go down in history.

Alanbrook, who had read the war report with all his might and thought Churchill would get angry as usual, opened his mouth when he saw Churchill slumped in his chair like a useless pig, but he didn't know what to say...

After a long while, Churchill, who had recovered from the shock, finally spoke:

"How many troops do we have over there?"

"About fifty-four thousand, sir!"

"What about them?"

"No less than 1.3 people. Their tanks may be times as many as ours. They may even have more troops..."

"...Okay..." Churchill sighed helplessly, shook his head, thought for a moment, and continued to ask: "And now we have no way to provide them with enough reinforcements, whether it is the Suez Canal or Southeast Asia, right?"

"Yes, Prime Minister..." Admiral Alanbrook nodded silently and replied, "Because we need to reinforce both the Suez and Southeast Asian battlefields at the same time, our domestic manpower and weapons production capacity are relatively limited, and our American allies over there have just started mobilization, and their industrial organization and weapons production have just started the wartime system - even their army is now unsure about how to organize a division. The relevant troop organization, tactical doctrines, weapons research and development needs and positioning are still being discussed in the organization committee and have not yet been finalized..."

(PS: According to "Sharpening the Edge: The Development of the U.S. Army's Tactical System", the organization scale, use ideas, and related tactical doctrines of the U.S. Army's division-level forces were not finalized until the first half of 42. In addition, the limit of the U.S. Army in World War II was 200 divisions of weapons and equipment and a mobilization scale of 800-900 million people - the weapons production capacity of 200 divisions included foreign aid weapons)

"Moreover, whether it is Suez or Southeast Asia, either side needs at least 100,000 troops to change the situation. To transport 100,000 troops and three months of supplies at one time, the transport ships needed must have a capacity of at least 500,000 tons, which means at least 100 large transport ships. I have communicated with the Minister of the Navy about such a large transport fleet. The deployment of 100 large transport ships requires at least 30 square kilometers... Considering the existence of the 'Black Storm' in the Atlantic Ocean, based on the ultra-long range of that heavy cruiser... It is estimated that at least several escort aircraft carriers, four old battleships and about 30 cruisers and destroyers are needed to form an escort fleet, and strictly control the ultra-large warning area with a radius of at least 50 kilometers to ensure safety... However, if such a large fleet is withdrawn, it will have a great negative impact on our country's GIUK blockade against the German Navy's two Scharnhorst-class and two Hindenburg-class ships, as well as the United States' operations in the Pacific..."

Alanbrook paused for a moment after saying a lot in one breath, and continued to say to Churchill: "Besides, let's not talk about the fact that we and our American allies do not have enough land and naval forces. Even if we have enough transport ships, escort ships and troops, it will take at least two or three months to transport them to the war zone by bypassing the African continent. The Germans and Japanese will obviously not give us such a long time to mobilize reinforcements..."

"Ah... It seems that the reinforcement issue can only be discussed later..." After listening to Alanbrook's report, Churchill, who was completely helpless, smacked his lips and said, "Do you have any plans for the defense of the Suez Canal?"

"We do have a plan, Prime Minister. We only have 54,000 troops now, including the Suez Canal garrison... The General Staff is inclined to abandon all other places except Cairo and the Suez Canal, and concentrate all forces to defend Cairo, Port Said, Port Suez, and Ismailia."

"Go on..." Churchill raised his head slightly, his expressionless and emotionless voice sounded a little weak. He seemed to have no expectations for the British Army's expression. After repeated hopes, he was disappointed...

"Yes!"

"…We thought this way: the terrain of the Suez Canal, on both sides of Port Said in the north, is Lake Manzaila, Lake Mahla and Lake Badawil. If we want to bypass it, we can only go around the Gaza Strip in Palestine, so we are not afraid of them using amphibious landings to bypass it. Then we only need to defend the front."

"As for the front, here's what we think: We still have about 300 tanks and light tanks. Leaving the main tank force in Cairo can threaten their flanks and tie down their forces... Port Said is close to them and is surrounded by lakes and waterways. The road to Port Suez is under the threat of Cairo, and there are quicksand and sand hills over there, which is not easy to travel. So they can only go to Ismailia from the middle road - this is also their closest and most convenient route... Even if Ismailia falls, we still have two options: one is to withdraw the troops to the east bank of the canal and continue to block the canal shipping by relying on the east bank road and the water barriers of the canal itself; the other is to retreat to the vicinity of Port Suez for the final resistance."

"... In addition, we have previously seized the French Alexander Squadron in Operation Ballista. Now, General Charles de Gaulle's men of the Free French have persuaded the flagship of the squadron, the World War I super-dreadnought battleship Lorraine, to dock at the Great Bitter Lake. Her 10 340mm main guns can provide artillery support for Ismailia and Suez... This is probably what we have planned. Report completed."

Admiral Alanbrook put away the memorandum in his hand and stood aside, waiting for Churchill's instructions. However, Churchill, who was lying in a ball, did not say anything. It was not until a long time later that he reluctantly raised his hand and said, "Let's arrange it as you said... By the way, how is the investigation of Auchinleck going?"

The voice was very soft, but Alanbrook could hear that Churchill might want to re-employ Auchinleck.

Many people still have complaints about the Auchinleck incident. There was nothing wrong with Auchinleck's command, and he should not have been made a scapegoat! If the Royal Navy's battleships couldn't beat the Germans' Evil Spirits and Edelweiss, what else could the Army do? Are they going to compete with battleships with howitzers?

Besides, the howitzer is small and easy to conceal, so it's OK for ordinary battleships to attack accurately. But doing this in front of the German ship crew who have proven that they can carry out precise point attacks... How is this different from seeking death?

However, everyone knew that Auchinleck had a bad relationship with Churchill and Marshal Smuts, the big boss representing the African colonies. Besides, it was impossible not to find a scapegoat for such a big thing as losing Alexander!

Alanbrook himself knew clearly that in a parliament dominated by talk and a cabinet dominated by civilian politics, the roles of the military were nothing more than two: thugs and scapegoats!

They really sweat in peacetime, bleed in war, and cry after the battle!

But… I can think about this in my mind, but I can only think about it in my mind anyway…

Holding back a hint of criticism, Alanbrook began to report the results of the investigation: "... In summary, the investigation team believes that there was no obvious problem with Admiral Auchinleck's command in the Battle of El Alamein. The loss of Alexandria was the result of the enemy's battleships and aircraft carriers being too powerful... The world is now in turmoil and the war is raging. General Auchinleck is a rare talent. We recommend that he continue to be used and believe that he can continue to serve the interests of the British Empire in his new position. That's all!"

After listening to Alanbrook's formulaic report, Churchill, who had been silent, waved his hand and nodded: "That's it... In the next few days, I will let the wartime cabinet appoint Auchinleck as the commander-in-chief of the two major war zones in the Middle East and India, and grant him full power to act first and report later in military and political affairs! And you can also tell him that I will find a time to visit him in the next few days..."

This is probably not an attempt to win people's hearts again... But Alan Brooke still listened quietly. After all, as the Chief of the General Staff of the British Empire, he knew very well that the resources and manpower of the Middle East and India must not be lost for the British Empire to survive until now - especially, now everyone can guess that if Suez and Southeast Asia cannot be defended, the sea control of the Indian Ocean will be in jeopardy! If the connection between the Middle East-India and the British mainland is cut off, it will be an extremely bad situation for both the colonial empire on which the sun never sets and the British mainland with a small area, lack of manpower and many resource supplies, and it will be a truly difficult time!

Churchill was certainly aware of this...

So, now he is still explaining something to Alanbrook:

"…I will appoint him as the commander-in-chief of the two war zones of the Middle East and India. This is the choice of the situation. We must be prepared to be divided by the Axis powers and fight on our own while cooperating closely with each other. Only the top generals can support and save such a dire situation… We still have some foundation in the Middle East and India. I hope he can protect the Middle East and India for the British Empire!"

"After all, the British Empire can no longer afford to lose..."

Listening to Churchill's desperate words, Alanbrook was left with a mixed feeling...

In Churchill's office, two people sighed in unison.

Chapter 548: For the sake of victory, I choose to give up

On Whitehall Street, south of Trafalgar Square, there are a large number of British government central agencies, including 10 Downing Street, the Cabinet Office Building, the Admiralty Building, and the Royal Horse Guards Headquarters Building. Opposite the Royal Horse Guards Headquarters Building, on the avenue also named after the Royal Horse Guards, a white building, the British Ministry of Defense, stands next to the Royal Horse Guards Avenue. It is only two blocks away from 10 Downing Street.

In an office in the British Ministry of Defense, Churchill and the British Chief of the Defense Staff, Admiral Alan Brooke, were looking across at Admiral Auchinleck, who was shrugging his shoulders and spreading his hands behind a pile of documents.

Churchill's expression was not very good, obviously what the Auchinleck tree said was not very good.