The decisive battle against the Third Reich

Benoit acted quickly, and the 1st Infantry Regiment moved into the new barracks that night.

Those were several warehouses of Benoit. Benoit had people vacate the contents and divide them into rooms with wooden boards... Although many areas of Algeria are dry and rainy, the northern coastal areas have a Mediterranean climate. Elevenths of the forest coverage is mainly concentrated in this area, so Algiers has no shortage of wood.

In particular, it is also rich in cork...the production of cork, used to stop wine bottles, ranks third in the world. One of Benoit's businesses is to produce cork and export it to all over the world.

"Each room has a number!" Colonel Slain said with a loudspeaker: "For example...Room 111 represents a row of rooms in a battalion, a company, is it clear?"

"Yes, sir!" the soldiers replied.

With a "dismissal", the soldiers found their own rooms in platoon units.

Room No. 121, where Qin Chuan and others lived, turned on the light... What appeared in everyone's eyes were two rows of bunk beds, with a clean army blanket and a pillow placed on each bed.

The soldiers couldn't help but cheer. Although this arrangement was simple, it was already a qualitative leap for the soldiers who had to endure mud, water and humidity in the tent not long ago.

"Look, what is this?" Werner found a box at the bottom of the room. Werner picked up the note on the box and read it: "To Lieutenant Frick, I hope you and your comrades like this! Berno watt."

"Lieutenant, what does this mean?" Werner held the note and spread his hands.

"That is to say..." Alfredo said: "We have such a place to live, all because of the lieutenant?"

"But why?" Werner said.

"Don't you know why?" the baker replied enigmatically: "Did you forget that there was a beautiful lady who picked up the lieutenant and brought him back in the afternoon? I guess... she is Benoit's daughter!"

The soldiers immediately started booing.

"You're in luck, Lieutenant!"

"Tell me, Lieutenant, how do you know her?"

"She is beautiful, the Lieutenant must be smitten with her!"

"You're wrong, I thought she was smitten by the lieutenant!"

…

Qin Chuan went straight to the box, opened it and saw that it was a box of good brandy, so he took out a bottle and said, "Let us make a deal and take back your problem, or get a bottle!"

The soldiers were stunned for a moment, and then said regretfully: "Okay, we choose to have a bottle!"

"Okay!" Werner said as he took the drink: "I also take back my question, but if I was drunk, I don't know what I would ask!"

There was a burst of laughter in the military camp.

When the German army was operating Algeria, Eisenhower and Montgomery frowned in Port Said.

"They blocked the Strait of Gibraltar!" Montgomery said.

"This is not a big problem!" Eisenhower said: "All the supplies we need can be obtained from India!"

"That's not what I'm talking about!" Montgomery replied: "General, we have been transporting through the Strait of Gibraltar for a long time, so we are very familiar with the hydrology there. There is a very special density flow here!"

"Density flow?"

"Yes!" Montgomery said: "The salinity of the Mediterranean water is higher than that of the Atlantic Ocean, and the density is higher, but the Mediterranean sea level is lower. Therefore, a density current is formed in the Strait of Gibraltar... The sea water flows eastward to 400 meters below the water surface, and 400 meters The water below flows westward.”

"Is this...what's the use?" Eisenhower asked puzzledly.

If the US military has no actual combat experience, Eisenhower, who has never independently commanded a battle, is the novice among novices.

"Submarine!" Montgomery explained: "If a German submarine wants to enter the Mediterranean from the Atlantic, it will sneak above 400 meters. If it wants to enter the Atlantic, it will sneak below 400 meters... They all follow the current and can enter and exit quickly!"

Eisenhower couldn't help but said "Oh" after hearing this: "In other words, the Mediterranean Sea can become a safe haven and supply base for German submarines!"

"Yes!" Montgomery said: "All German submarines, as long as they approach the Strait of Gibraltar when in danger, it means they are safe. This will greatly increase the difficulty for the British Navy to search for German submarines!"

After thinking about it, Eisenhower said: "This will not have much impact on the North African battlefield!"

"Maybe!" Montgomery replied: "But they have a navy..."

At this point, Montgomery couldn't help but curse: "Those damn French, they actually sent a fleet to the Germans! This made it possible for the Germans to block the Tunisia Strait. The Strait of Gibraltar plus Tunisia Strait...This prevents us from entering the Western Mediterranean to launch a landing in Algeria. So now, we have only two ways to attack Algeria..."

Montgomery pointed at the map: "One is to attack along Tunisia, but it is conceivable that the Germans will definitely set up a strong defense line in Tunisia. The other is to attack from the south of Algeria, which is even more difficult. , because we have to cross the desert, and we have to cross the Taylor Atlas Mountains or the Saharan Atlas Mountains..."

"The mechanized troops cannot pass!" Eisenhower also saw the problem.

"Yes!" Montgomery nodded: "And the Germans have tanks waiting for us there. It can be said that Algeria is an excellent base for the Germans!"

"But it's not of much use to them, is it?" Eisenhower said: "The main force of the Germans is on the Alexander Line, which is more than two thousand kilometers away from Algeria!"

Eisenhower is right. It is more than two thousand kilometers away from the rear base, and there is still desert along the way. No matter how much supplies the base has, it will be in vain... they cannot be transported up.

"That's what worries me!" Montgomery said, "What if the Germans have changed their strategic direction?"

"You mean...they gave up on seizing the Suez Canal?" Eisenhower said: "No, this is impossible...Hitler will not let Rommel do this!"

"This is not the first time Rommel has disobeyed Hitler's orders!" Montgomery said: "Only in this way can we explain why the Germans support the independence of Egypt and Crete!"

"No!" Eisenhower said: "I don't think so. They are even building a factory on Crete..."

"General!" At this time, a staff officer reported with a telegram: "We have received intelligence that the Germans are transporting equipment from Crete to Algeria!"

Eisenhower and Montgomery couldn't help but look at each other.