No one dared to publish Kennan's manuscript, especially at this critical moment. No one dared to wear the hat of undermining Allied cooperation.
From the end of 1940 to the beginning of 1943, the North African campaign had been fought for more than two years. The Allies and the Axis powers each paid a price of more than 100,000 casualties. Now the decisive moment has finally come.
The last battle of the Allied forces in North Africa was named "Operation Blacksmith". This was a huge plan that required the close cooperation of the Allied forces in Free France and the Allied forces in Egypt to launch a pincer offensive against the German and Italian forces in North Africa.
, and finally surrounded and eliminated the German-Italian forces in North Africa.
It is not easy to do this. After Arnim and Messe joined forces, the total strength of the German-Italian coalition forces in North Africa increased to about 450,000, of which the number of German troops was about 200,000.
Compared with the German-Italian Allied Forces, the Allied Forces could mobilize as many as 800,000 troops, and they had absolute advantages in weapons, equipment, and logistical supplies. They seemed to be foolproof, but in fact no one dared to be careless.
It's no problem to win.
The crux of the matter is how much it will cost.
Russia won the Battle of Moscow, annihilating 500,000 German troops and suffering over 1 million casualties.
In the just-concluded Battle of Volgograd, the Germans suffered 1.5 million casualties and the Russians suffered 2 million casualties.
If calculated this way, if 450,000 North African German and Italian troops were to be annihilated, the Allies would have to be prepared to suffer 500,000 casualties.
The good news is that compared with the German army two years ago, the quality of the current German army has dropped significantly. Many German soldiers who arrived in North Africa last year were just recruited. Some did not even receive complete military training and were hurriedly sent to the base camp.
Sent to North Africa, many of them were middle school students who were very enthusiastic about participating in the war, but failed to master the relevant skills.
Arnim's plan also has problems.
The situation in North Africa was very different from that in Russia, and the German army did not have the conditions and environment for street fighting with the Allies.
The construction level of Russian cities is still good. The cities are huge in size and have many buildings. Most of the buildings are reinforced concrete structures, which is conducive to the defenders using the terrain to maneuver with the attacking troops.
The city of Tunisia is not large, and there are not many high-rise buildings. Most of the houses are low and dilapidated adobe houses, which cannot provide effective protection for the defenders, let alone slow down the advancement of the armored forces.
"Charge, rush, rush over." Han Kai commanded his "Leopard" tank and crashed through an earth wall with an indomitable and violent attitude. The defenders behind the earth wall dispersed in a rush. The two German soldiers had no time to escape.
He was pinned under the earth wall and could not move.
The driver Frank, who is French, made an adjustment after breaking through the wall. The track on the left side of the tank ran over a German soldier.
Another German soldier screamed, and the "Panther" tank continued to rush forward, chasing the fleeing German soldiers.
Several Free French soldiers armed with rifles jumped into the courtyard, and another German soldier was pulled out from under the earth wall, screaming in agony, and his leg was broken.
"Oh, there is actually a living person here, let me see if there are any surprises." The French soldiers gathered around, and the leading second lieutenant had a cruel smile on his face.
"Please help me, my leg is broken," the injured German soldier was begging.
The French soldiers showed no mercy and looted the German soldiers' belongings.
When the German army's sleeves were rolled up, all the French soldiers looked with hatred in their eyes.
This wounded soldier was actually wearing three watches, one of which was a women's watch.
"Please don't hurt me. I'll give it to you. I'll give it all to you." The wounded soldier hurriedly took off his watch.
"I'm here to help you." A French soldier stepped on the wounded soldier's hand under his feet and pulled out a long knife with a grin.
Han Kai's tank did not stop. His mission was to advance as quickly as possible without giving the Germans a chance to reorganize their defense line.
The Germans are not without resistance capabilities. They lack standard anti-tank weapons and do not lack methods.
The war has reached this level, and hundreds of thousands of German and Italian troops are trapped in Tunisia. Oil has no meaning. The "Molotov Cocktail" has finally returned to the scene. As long as the German troops are allowed to get close to the Allied tanks, it will cause fatal damage to the Allied tanks. .
Even more deadly are various explosive packets. Cocktails destroy tanks by burning, while explosive packets kill tank crews through shock waves. What the North African Army lacks is oil, but there is no shortage of explosives. In the past two months, the North African Army has passed Air resupply resulted in approximately 35,000 tons of combat materiel.
The Mediterranean Fleet and the Cyprus Squadron blocked the sea, and air traffic was never completely blocked. The Italian Air Force used night cover at night to organize support for the North African Army as much as possible. In addition to supplies, there were about two dozen troops in the past two months. Thousands of soldiers arrived in North Africa. It was not until half a month ago that the radar early warning aircraft invented by the Nikolai Research Institute arrived in North Africa and joined the battlefield that the situation fundamentally improved.
As a secret weapon of the Allies, the use of radar is seriously affected by terrain, so engineers from the Nikola Research Institute installed the radar on the aircraft so that there are no longer theoretical blind spots and the battlefield can be monitored in all directions.
In the past, when Italy dispatched its air force, it would not be detected by Allied radar stations until the air force flew over Malta.
By the time the Allied aircraft were dispatched, the Italian Air Force transport plane had already arrived in Tunisia, and it was too late.
With the radar early warning aircraft, the Italian Air Force transport plane will be detected by the radar early warning aircraft as soon as it takes off from the airport. Allied fighter planes can take off in time to intercept over Malta, greatly improving the efficiency.
On December 21, Allied fighter jets took off from Algiers and headed for the Maltese waters to perform an interception mission. That night, 24 Italian transport planes were shot down.
On December 25, Allied fighter jets were dispatched again. This time the Italian Air Force lost 57 aircraft, including 32 fighter jets.
On January 3, the Italian Air Force lost another 19 transport aircraft. From that day on, the Italian Air Force stopped large-scale air assistance to the North African Army, and only sporadic transport aircraft broke through the Allied blockade.
boom
When a Southern African "Leopard" tank passed through an intersection, a violent explosion suddenly occurred in a garbage dump on the roadside. The "Leopard" tank was overturned, and the tank inside was in danger.
"Rush from the side yard and don't walk on the street." Han Kai did not stop. Just now, a "Leopard" tank was destroyed at close range by the Germans using a rocket launcher. This sounded the alarm for Han Kai.
While southern Africa is making progress, the Germans are not idle either.
In the list of weapons to assist Russia in southern Africa, rocket launchers are very popular with the Russians because they are cheap and easy to use.
The Germans were inspired and soon developed their own rocket launchers and equipped them with a large number of troops, posing a great threat to the Allied armored forces.
The current maximum caliber of the German anti-tank gun is only 57 mm.
The caliber of the rocket launcher reaches 150 mm, and it fires armor-piercing projectiles. It is equipped with a mechanical or optical sight, has an effective range of 250 meters, a vertical armor-piercing thickness of 200 mm, and a weight of about 8 kilograms.
The "Tiger" tank, the Allies' thickest armor, has a frontal armor of only 110 mm. Because it uses sloped armor and is equipped with external armor, it can withstand frontal attacks from German rocket launchers.
Only the front can resist. If it is attacked from the side or rear, the "Tiger" style will not be able to withstand it either.
Fortunately, the Germans have limited production of rocket launchers, and more of them are deployed on the Russian battlefield. There are not many rocket launchers in North Africa.
The frontal armor of the "Leopard" tank is 100 mm, and the side armor is only 60 mm. Even if it is equipped with reactive armor, it cannot be completely immune to rocket launcher attacks.
Following Han Kai's order, the "Leopard" tank drove at full power and crashed into the earthen wall by the roadside. It then ran rampant along the roadside courtyard, giving the Germans no chance to attack.
The use of rocket launchers is also restricted by the environment. It can only be used normally in open areas. Use in narrow environments cannot guarantee range and accuracy, and will also cause damage to the shooter.
Southern Africa is the first country in the world to equip rocket launchers, and has long studied the advantages and disadvantages of rocket launchers thoroughly.
Not all houses in Tunisia are adobe houses. The houses where wealthy people live are quite luxurious and can provide good cover for the defenders.
In a mansion with a whole marble structure, a group of German soldiers resisted.
Stab
The rocket hit the turret of the "Leopard" tank with a sharp scream. After a violent explosion, although the turret was not penetrated, the crew members were all dizzy from the shock wave.
The German soldiers in the mansion were firing desperately. The muzzle flash of the MG34 general machine gun sprayed out more than half a meter long, and the bullets jingled on the tank body.
Han Kai endured a severe headache and tried hard to aim, blasting the MG34 position into the sky with one shot, and then replaced it with high-explosive bombs.
boom
The mansion was like a blown balloon, violently exploding from the inside to the outside. All the glass was shattered, the furniture and carpets were ignited, and the door flew more than ten meters. It was horrible to watch.
Han Kai did not stop and continued to use high-explosive bombs until the entire house collapsed and the "Leopard" continued to move forward.
A group of panicked German soldiers appeared at the end of the street.
Tatata
The rate of fire of the coaxial machine gun is similar to that of the MG34. The difference is that the caliber of the MG34 is 7.92 mm, while the caliber of the coaxial machine gun is 12.7.
In urban street fighting, the 12.7mm machine gun is more effective than a tank gun.
The number of artillery shells that a tank can carry is limited. There are only a few dozen rounds in total, so they must be used sparingly.
The number of machine gun bullets is more than 3,000 rounds, which is perfect for attacking infantry.
The power is not bad, it can easily penetrate a one-foot-thick wall, and can easily break a large tree hugged by a person. The adobe wall is like tofu in front of the 12.7mm bullet, and can easily penetrate several layers.
If it hits someone, their arms and legs will be shattered, making it impossible to catch them.
If it hits the body, it will be shot in two parts, and there is no need to rescue it at all.
The German soldiers on the street were unlucky and were knocked down in bunches like candied haws. The first few were lucky. They died before they could feel the pain. The injured ones suffered the most. The North African Army no longer had the ability to provide for the wounded soldiers.
Provide treatment.
Han Kai fired two long bursts and did not stop until the streets were completely covered with dust.
When the smoke dissipated, Han Kai controlled the speed and advanced slowly in "Leopard" style.
The streets have turned into a hell, with all kinds of broken limbs and dead bodies. A Mauser rifle was broken directly in the middle. The barrel was bent at a weird angle and was inserted into the wall next to it. It was still hanging on the gun belt.
one hand.
Several wounded soldiers who were not dead were wailing, and a wounded soldier with broken legs was crawling on the ground, hoping to avoid the tank tracks.
Frank was no longer violent, and the "Panther" kept moving forward in a straight line. This was not Frank's kindness, but a hope that the suffering of the German soldiers could be prolonged.
Accidents always happen.
When the "Leopard" passed by a wounded soldier, the wounded soldier fired a grenade and stuffed it into the tank's tracks.
After a violent explosion, the track was broken and it was impossible to move forward.
After Frank jumped out of the car, he immediately fired one after another, not giving the wounded soldiers a chance to continue the attack.
"Sir, we are in trouble." After checking the tracks, Frank looked frustrated.
A section of the track was blown off to an unknown location, and it could not be repaired with the tools Frank carried.
"Sorry, the maintenance truck cannot be dispatched. You have to find a way to save your own lives. You can join the nearest allied forces." Wolf Lair's order is very clear, saving lives is the most important.
"Okay, everyone get out of the car, remove the machine guns, and set up a defensive position on the spot." Han Kai didn't want to abandon the tanks. They didn't have the ability to protect themselves.
The equipment of the armored soldiers is quite good. In addition to the dismantled large-caliber general-purpose machine guns, Han Kai and the others also have five pistols, four automatic rifles with short barrels and telescopic stocks, and more than 20 grenades.
This is a three-way intersection. Han Kai arranged for the universal machine gun to be placed on the second floor next to it. The three tank crews were each responsible for one direction. Han Kai stayed in the tank. Although the tracks were bombed and immobilized, the tank's turret could still rotate.
Artillery and coaxial machine guns were not affected.
"Let's wait and see if we can catch a few prisoners." Han Kai sat in the gunner's position and took out the kettle to take a sip to refresh himself. The pot was filled with coffee.
This is really not a special hobby. Drinking coffee is just a habit. Some southern African soldiers fill their water bottles with strong alcohol, which has the same properties.
Drinking is normal on the battlefield, and there are military supplies that cannot be listed in the US military's distribution list.
This can explain why soldiers behave abnormally on the battlefield. They are high or drunk, their behavior is out of control, and their minds are not clear.
Han Kai got his wish, and soon a large number of German soldiers retreated from the other direction. There seemed to be one or two hundred people in the chaos.
Tatata
Han Kai's coaxial machine gun and the high-level dual-purpose machine gun on the second floor fired at the same time, and the German soldiers who came over fell down in rows like wheat.
The nerves of the German soldiers were not iron-clad, and they quickly raised the white flag and surrendered voluntarily.
