The decisive battle against the Third Reich

The actions of the German army unsurprisingly startled General Auchinleck.

"Their target is actually Cairo!" General Auchinleck said.

"Yes!" the staff officer replied: "The intelligence obtained from General Bolton also confirmed this. The Germans changed their marching direction, and the target is Cairo!"

"How many troops do we have in Cairo?" General Auchinleck asked.

"There is only one infantry battalion!" the staff officer replied: "The others are all air force and logistics personnel!"

The staff officer's answer surprised General Auchinleck.

If a German armored division rushes into Cairo, the air power that the British army has always been proud of in North Africa will suffer a heavy blow... The aircraft may be able to be transferred urgently, but the airport ground staff, maintenance personnel and a large number of Parts cannot be transferred in time.

This is because Cairo is located inland. Although the Nile River helps with transportation, it is difficult to transport these large quantities of precious resources safely in a short time. Moreover, if this happens... the German Air Force can use Cairo as a base to blockade Suez. The canal will then cause a double blow to the British army, both spiritually and materially.

Thinking of this, General Auchinleck couldn't help but feel a little anxious. Although the British army was much more powerful than the German army, the German army was scurrying around the defense line like a mouse. Those who blocked it from the left and the right could not stop it. , and now there is even a threat of directly taking over the Egyptian command center.

"Send a telegram to the 7th Armored Division immediately!" After a pause, General Auchinleck ordered: "Let them follow the Germans closely and never let the Germans escape from sight!"

"yes!"

General Auchinleck's idea was simple. As long as the 7th Armored Division followed the German 21st Armored Division and sent reinforcements to Cairo, the British army would have an advantage in strength no matter what.

But what General Auchinleck did not expect was that it was precisely this order that pushed the British 7th Armored Division into a pit of fire.

The tracks rattled, the motor rumbled, and the air was filled with the smell of smoke and exhaust.

The 21st Armored Division advanced all the way in the direction of Cairo on the desert, so mighty that at a glance the entire desert seemed to be filled with vehicles.

But in fact, even the German "Plank III" tank with excellent performance cannot run wildly in the desert at the highest speed without restraint.

This is because the tank needs to undergo necessary maintenance and engine cooling after running for a period of time... This is a painful problem for tank marching, especially when marching in a sandy and high-temperature desert. The windy sand will block the air inlet of the tank, and the high temperature will cause The engine is overheating.

Among them, there will inevitably be a few tanks that break down and need emergency repairs. The total number of German tanks is not large, so it is impossible to just leave it alone if it breaks down, let alone leave it behind, because behind it is the British Army. 7 Armored Division, leaving them behind means leaving them to the enemy.

So as long as a few tanks break down, the entire army often has to stop.

These reasons allow the 21st Armored Division to march about 80 kilometers a day... Under extreme circumstances, the tank troops commanded by Rommel in North Africa marched more than 100 kilometers a day, but that was a rapid insertion, and it would not matter if a tank broke down along the way. Throw it down without hesitation.

This speed may not be very good for modern times. Driving a car at a speed of a hundred or dozens of yards per hour on the highway for more than half an hour is only 80 kilometers.

But it is already very difficult in this era, and it would be even more tragic if it were a "Matilda" tank.

It was obvious that the British 7th Armored Division would be faster, because several times Qinchuan and the German soldiers could see the vague silhouette of the "Stuart" tank appearing in the rear from a distance.

From this aspect, the "Stuart" tank is indeed excellent. Of course, this is also related to the fact that the "Stuart" tank itself is lighter and more suitable for marching in the desert.

However, these British tanks just hung far behind and did not dare to approach easily, because the German artillery often used this opportunity to practice their skills...

This is a good opportunity to practice anti-tank gunnery.

Compared with tanks, anti-tank guns have many advantages, such as wider vision and longer range... In fact, the gun is still the same gun. The tank gun is a modification of the anti-tank gun, but it is not easy for the gunner to operate in the narrow space of the tank. It is not easy to judge the distance when finding a target, so the range is greatly shortened.

More importantly, the anti-tank guns have a low body and can be hidden in a trench dug casually in the position. Only the barrel and a small part of the shield are exposed. It is difficult for the tank crew in the tank to find their location. Many of them are The tank crew was not alerted to the threat until the anti-tank gun opened fire, but by then it was already too late.

So at the beginning, the British tanks would rush in and chase... The British had not enjoyed this feeling of speed for a long time. In the past, they were always driven by the enemy in infantry tanks that were faster than infantry walking. Behind me, I was holding back my anger, and I couldn't help but accelerate up the "Stuart" that was faster than the "No. 3" and wanted to show off.

It turned out that the German soldiers had the same mentality... The German gunners had not enjoyed the feeling of being able to penetrate enemy tanks for a long time. They used to use PAK36, and the penetrating power hit the "Matilda" like I couldn't penetrate it no matter what, even if I hit the weak rear armor. I was holding back my anger. Now I am using the PAK38, which can penetrate the "Matilda" at about 400 meters. I saw the British army. When the tank came up, I couldn't help but feel itchy hands, so I set up the cannon and "boomed" a few times. In the blink of an eye, several "Stuarts" were turned into scrap metal, and the tank crew didn't even notice where the enemy was.

The final result is that "Stuart" always follows him consciously from a kilometer away.

If it were any other time, the German 21st Armored Division would have been uncomfortable facing this situation, because the "Stuart" tank was faster than the "No. 3" tank, and there was always a tail behind it, no matter where it went or attacked. Consider whether your back will be attacked.

but now……

The Germans just wanted the 7th Armored Division to follow.

It was like this on the first day, and it was like this on the second day.

The third day...

General Strike estimated that almost half of the fuel was consumed. If he didn't take action, he might not be able to return to Sidioma to replenish fuel and supplies. More importantly, the British 7th Armored Division also distanced itself from the Australian 6th Infantry Division.

So General Strike planned to take action on this day.

The British 7th Armored Division had no idea about this and thought it would be business as usual, and all they had to do was continue to advance with the Germans.