The decisive battle against the Third Reich

On the other side, Montgomery and Eisenhower were very busy.

What kept them busy at this time was not the war against the African Legion, but the calls and resistance for independence from African countries, including Greece.

Of course, Montgomery will also use his previous magic weapon: "As long as you help the Allies defeat Germany, Britain will support your independence!"

But to be honest, this trick no longer works very well.

First of all, it's because the Germans said it first. Not only did they say it, they actually did it.

So the reaction of various countries to the British army's slogan was: "The Germans have given us freedom, and the British are the aggressors. Why should we defeat our own country to please the aggressors in order to strive for independence?"

"Independence and freedom never need to be given by the British, and there should be no additional conditions. We should have the right to decide on our own country!"

…

Among them, Greece and Egypt had the strongest reactions.

In Greece, the British's support for the autocratic king George II has been exposed. All Greeks know what the consequences of helping the British will be, so of course they will no longer believe what the British say.

As for Egypt, the United Kingdom actually recognized Egypt's independence in 1922, but that was only a superficial recognition. The United Kingdom still retained its defense, diplomatic and other powers over Egypt. The Egyptian government was nothing more than a puppet regime of the United Kingdom.

So... of what use are the British's verbal promises? Isn’t this “independence” still the same “independence” as before?

Of course, the cases in Greece and Egypt will affect Libya, so Libyans are not willing to believe the British nonsense... This is why modern Africa has always disliked European and American countries. They have not done anything good in Africa, such as the British Colonization, French renegade and bloody massacres, etc.

Montgomery left these matters to De Guingang, and said... A general will not get entangled in trivial matters.

From this aspect, Montgomery simply failed to see that the more important strategy of the German army at this time was not at all a frontal battle with the British army, but precisely those "trivial matters" that Montgomery considered not very important.

These may indeed seem like "trivial matters" on the surface, but over time and if not dealt with correctly, they will soon turn into a quagmire.

If Montgomery had been wise, he would have done what the Germans did in Egypt and Libya, farming, encouraging production and helping the people irrigate.

Because most people don't recognize the big principles of country, independence, and freedom. They only know who can bring them a better life.

The Germans came and gave them food and stability.

The British came and brought them all kinds of chaos besides war... The British and Americans focused on chasing and defeating the African Legion, and did not consider helping the people and maintaining law and order at all. There were even many soldiers riding this At times, property is snatched from the hands of ordinary people, especially the American soldiers who have just entered the battlefield.

(At this time, the American soldiers were pretty good. As the war deepened and the United States started fighting on two fronts in the Pacific and Europe, the shortage of troops led the U.S. military to even conscript prisoners into the army to serve their sentences. At that time, the American soldiers could not even provide their own supplies and go to the battlefield. All personal belongings left behind by the friendly troops were seized.)

As the saying goes, there is no harm without comparison. The Allies' efforts were almost propaganda for the German army from the other side. It didn't take long before many people began to miss the German army that once occupied them.

Montgomery, who did not realize this, just regarded these as some sequelae of regaining lost territory. As he said: "They are just used to the pies thrown by the Germans, and soon they will get used to British governance." , just like we rule Egypt!”

He even described the strategic retreat of the Afrika Korps as a glorious victory for the Allies... After all, the British army did recapture Alexandria, Tobruk, etc. one after another, and even went deep into Libya, just like the British army in the first battle Chasing the German army like the Italian army.

Although there were not many substantial contacts between the German army and the British army during this process... more often than not, the British army advanced behind carefully using mine detectors to clear mines, while the German army retreated in an orderly manner at the front.

The reason why "not many times" is used here is because the two armies had several contacts, but these contacts were caused by the German army under the command of Rommel, and the British army was beaten back in embarrassment.

Of course, Montgomery would not report to Churchill like this. What he said to Churchill was: "During our heroic and fierce offensive, the German army was retreating steadily. I believe that it won't be long before we can achieve a decisive victory." !”

Montgomery's good news immediately aroused a strong response in the UK. Churchill triumphantly said to the MPs who had wanted to challenge him: "Gentlemen, a wise strategist will not focus on temporary defeats. I have always I firmly believe that victory will belong to us in the end!”

These were trivial matters for Montgomery, who at this time was focused on the Tunisian Channel.

Because Montgomery knew very well that in order to achieve final victory, he must break through the Tunisian Strait or destroy the German fleet in the Mediterranean. Otherwise, even if he finally reaches Tripoli, he will not be able to start against Algeria.

Montgomery had actually been prepared for it.

With the islands of Malta and Crete, the preparations were much easier... Montgomery ordered more than a hundred fighter planes to fly to Malta via Crete, and prepared another hundred at the Crete airport. Multiple fighter planes stand ready to reinforce the island of Malta.

The reason for this was because they were worried that if too many fighter planes were parked on Malta Island, they would suffer heavy losses if they were attacked by German or Italian troops.

On the other hand, Montgomery transported subsequent supplies such as fuel, aerial bombs, and even supplies needed by warships to the island of Malta.

Obviously, Montgomery used Malta Island as a supply base for the attack on the Tunisian Strait.

Britain and the United States have an advantage in this regard. They will never lack supplies, and they also have no shortage of ships to transport supplies, so they were ready in just two weeks.

The reason why Montgomery has not taken action is that the rainy season is approaching in Algeria and Tunisia, and the heavy downpour for more than ten consecutive days is not suitable for aircraft operations.

Montgomery knew that...the weakness of French warships was air defense, and their strength lay precisely in the protection of warships and ship-to-surface firepower.

Therefore, if the fighter planes are unable to fight, Montgomery will not easily let the Navy take risks.