The decisive battle against the Third Reich

Rommel woke up ten minutes later and called Qin Chuan and others in.

"Colonel, Lieutenant!" Rommel cordially stepped forward to shake hands when he saw the two of them: "Nice to see you, why don't you wake me up?"

"Sorry, General!" Colonel Slaine replied, "We didn't want to disturb your rest!"

"Forget it!" Rommel said with a smile: "After we die in the line of duty, we will have plenty of time to sleep, right?"

The officers couldn't help but laugh, and at the same time they admired Rommel's spirit. To be honest, no one can work like a perpetual motion machine like Rommel, and even if he is so busy, he will still take time to talk to the soldiers on the front line and motivate them.

The next second, Rommel pulled out a map and said to Qin Chuan while looking at it: "This is the defense map I just got from Major General Neumann. Tell me what you think, Lieutenant!"

"What?" Qin Chuan replied: "I have no idea, I haven't even seen this defense map!"

It is true that Qin Chuan had never seen this defense map. He came to Tunisia to do one thing, and that was to build tunnel fortifications.

"I know!" Rommel replied while drinking coffee to refresh himself: "Major General Neumann did not tell you the full deployment because there is always a dispute within the 200th Infantry Division about your defense plan."

Qin Chuan didn't know this. Neumann didn't tell Qin Chuan, but this was also a matter of the 200th Infantry Division, and there seemed to be no need to tell Lieutenant Qin Chuan.

"The focus of the dispute is Gafsa!" Rommel spread the map in front of the officers, pointed at Gafsa and said: "It is a transportation hub in central and western Tunisia. On the one hand, the Gabes defense line has opposing allies. Another function of the geographical advantage of the army is to defend Gafsa, and your defense plan... we are obviously going to hand over Gafsa to the Allies, right? "

"Yes!" Qin Chuan nodded.

Because the tunnel fortifications were garrisoned on high ground, and Gafsa was a city, of course the Allies could bypass the high ground and occupy Gafsa.

"Do you know what this means?" Rommel said: "It means that our transportation and supplies will be cut off... You know, the supplies on the front line in the central and western sections of the Gabes Defense Line are all transported to Gafsa first and then dispersed. Transported to all highlands!”

"I know!" Qin Chuan replied.

"In addition!" Rommel continued: "Lieutenant, have you ever considered... After the enemy captures Gafsa, it will be possible for the enemy to use the powerful firepower and defense of the 'Sherman' tanks to attack the enemy along the roads and railways?" Attack to the northernmost point of Canada and the United States, so that Tunisia will be divided into two, and Zidagang, Tunisia, etc. will be surrounded by the Allied forces! "

Rommel was right. Among them, the Port of Saima and Tunisia in particular may be surrounded. You must know that the Port of Saima is the main port blocking the Tunisia Strait, and Tunisia is an air force base. If these two places are Being surrounded or even captured by the Allied forces basically meant that the Tunisian Strait was open to the Allied forces.

"General!" Qin Chuan replied: "This is exactly what I hope for!"

"What do you mean?" Rommel looked at Qin Chuan doubtfully.

"We have built a Gabes defense line!" Qin Chuan said: "And I believe the enemy also thinks that we are simply building a Gabes defense line, just like usual..."

"No, no..." Colonel Slaine interrupted Qin Chuan: "I don't think so. The officers and soldiers of the 200 Division know that we are building tunnels, which means that the tunnels are no longer a secret to the British!"

Colonel Slain was right. British intelligence agents were everywhere, and places such as Tunisia and Algeria, where many French people lived, were certainly no exception.

"Yes!" Qin Chuan replied: "But even we ourselves are doubting the function of the tunnel!"

Rommel couldn't help but nodded after hearing this: "Yes, because such tactics have never been used before, and once we fail, it means that the entire African Corps will be annihilated!"

Qin Chuan could understand what Rommel said. Tunisia is equivalent to the gateway to Algeria, whether it is at sea or on land. If Tunisia is lost, it means that Algeria will also be difficult to hold. Then the African army The only way is to jump into the sea.

Therefore, it was difficult for Rommel to make the final decision... What Qin Chuan didn't know was that Neumann was actually the most determined. Neumann had been arguing with his subordinates on his own, while Rommel was on the staff. and the analysis and persuasion of other generals.

"If we all have doubts about tunnel tactics!" Qin Chuan continued: "Then I believe the British and Americans will not take it to heart!"

It was not until the Battle of Iwo Jima three years later that the Americans initially realized the power of this tactic, but the actual confrontation with tunnel warfare did not occur until eight years later in the Battle to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea.

Rommel nodded in agreement: "They will think this is just a fortification used to avoid artillery shells!"

"Yes!" Major General Voigt continued: "Don't talk about them, even I don't believe it. After the enemy occupies the surface position, it is easy to block our people in the tunnel. This is too dangerous!"

"Don't disbelieve it, General!" General Strike said, "Because this lieutenant... made me realize that I was wrong time and time again!"

Therefore, General Strike actually didn't believe it, but he believed in Qin Chuan... because Qin Chuan never missed anything.

"Continue with your idea, Lieutenant!" Rommel said: "Suppose the British and Americans don't take tunnel fortifications seriously, what will you do?"

"As usual, defend at the Gabes Defense Line!" Qin Chuan pointed at the map and said, "Then put the enemy in and let them occupy Gafsa!"

"You are crazy!" Rommel said: "Their tanks will pour into Gafsa like sea water bursting from the dam, and it will only take a few days to split us in half!"

"Tanks need gasoline!" Qin Chuan said.

"Of course they have gas!"

"No, they didn't!" Qin Chuan replied: "Our people are hiding in the tunnels in the highlands, as mentioned before... The British don't think the tunnels can work, and of course they don't believe how many people can be hidden in the tunnels. I don’t even believe that our people can survive in the tunnel for a few days or even longer! Then..."

Rommel couldn't help but said "Oh" when he heard this and continued: "Then our ground troops cooperate with the tunnel troops to occupy these highlands in one fell swoop, and the highlands will block the nearby roads, thus cutting off their supply lines?"

"Yes!" Qin Chuan said, "The premise is that we can't let them steal gasoline from us!"