Montgomery was never one to take the lead, and he was very controversial. Alexander once commented that as a soldier, he was a very ordinary cook.
British Air Marshal Arthur Tedder commented that he was an insignificant person with average abilities. He created public opinion and thought that he was a Napoleonic figure. Unfortunately, he was not at all.
Patton didn't think highly of him, thinking he could defeat this "idiot" at any time.
So when Montgomery decided to attack, Patton laughed it off and didn't take it to heart at all.
The battle was indeed very difficult. In order to reduce the losses of the armored forces, Eberbach deployed 700 of the 900 tanks on the outskirts of Caen.
The British Matilda was unable to compete with the German No. 4 and No. 5 tanks. Montgomery lost 150 tanks on the first day of the attack, which made Montgomery very angry and made Winston lose face.
"Our Matilda cannot fight against the German main tanks in terms of both protection and attack power, so we need greater support from the Air Force. If possible, I hope to stop the production of Matilda tanks.
, instead of producing heavy tanks with stronger protection and higher attack power." Montgomery really couldn't stand the performance of Matilda. As early as during the North African Campaign, Montgomery hoped to get a more powerful tank. This request has always been
Couldn't be satisfied.
The key is cost.
It is not that there are no more advanced tanks. British industrial technology is still good. As early as 1941, they copied the "Leopard" tank in southern Africa. However, after only two tanks were produced, this plan was shelved.
More advanced tanks mean higher costs. The British government is now on the verge of financial collapse and cannot afford to increase military spending. In order to save money, the Navy has even begun to reduce the frequency of dispatches. The Army is even less likely to increase investment. Britain has never been a land force.
rights country.
"Even these Matildas will all be retired after the war, so we don't need to produce more advanced tanks. Our allies can just have them." Winston is all about saving money. Southern Africa and the United States
Yes, it is equivalent to the UK.
"The honor of the British Empire cannot be maintained by southern Africa and the United States." Montgomery was worried.
Winston doesn't say anything. Everyone knows the truth. If you have the ability, go to Congress and persuade those misers to increase funding.
When Winston first came to power, there was a honeymoon period with Congress. At that time, Congress would give Winston whatever he wanted without any compromise.
It was during the Battle of Britain, and members of Congress knew very well that if Britain could not withstand the German attack, Germany would cross the English Channel and land on the British mainland, and then everything would be over.
After the Battle of Britain, Germany turned north and the threat to Britain was greatly reduced. The relationship between Winston and Congress took a turn for the worse.
That night, Winston sent another telegram to Roark.
The next day, Yang Smuts flew to Caen and finally agreed that the southern African army would cooperate with the British army.
"To defeat the Germans in Caen, we must first cut off the German transportation lines, so our first step is to capture Saint-Lô." Yang Smuts hoped to adjust the combat plan. Saint-Lô is the transportation hub of the Normandy region.
"We have carried out multiple air strikes on Saint-Lo. The transportation lines in Saint-Lo have been completely paralyzed, making it impossible to transport materials." Montgomery strongly objected.
"We can blow up the railways in Saint-Lô, but we cannot blow up the canals." Yang Smuts hit the mark. There were many rivers in Normandy, which were effectively used by the German army.
"Leave the task of attacking Saint-Lo to me!" Patton Jr. volunteered. In North Africa and Sicily, Patton Jr. had had enough of joint operations with Montgomery.
"Okay, we can compete again!" Montgomery also didn't like Patton Jr., and was still very upset about the US military occupying Messina first.
Yang Smuts didn't care. The German defense force in Saint-Lô was not weak. Little Patton was willing to take the initiative to take on the important task, and Yang Smuts had no reason to stop it.
It's also a good time to see how strong the 3rd Armored Army, which Patton Jr. was proud of, is.
When the troops were redeployed and the air force was dispatched again, it was already three days later.
The Allied forces launched a total of 1,700 heavy bombers and 400 medium bombers, dropping 16,000 tons of bombs. The city of Caen was almost razed to the ground.
The 22nd Armored Division in Southern Africa took the lead and broke through the German defense lines and entered the city of Caen.
Then Cheng Le, commander of the 22nd Armored Division, was stunned by the situation in front of him.
When the Allied air forces bombed Caen, they used super bombs weighing ten tons.
This kind of bomb was extremely powerful and destructive. It completely destroyed the German bunkers and also destroyed the city buildings. The street in front of Cheng Le was completely destroyed. There were ruins everywhere, the streets were blocked tightly, and the tanks were completely blocked.
Unable to move forward.
"So, we can only send light infantry to attack now -" Yang Smozi was also caught off guard. Who could have imagined that such a situation would happen.
"Perhaps it was the Germans who carried out targeted bombings and put the responsibility on our air force." Montgomery's first reaction was to shirk responsibility.
This type of thing, razing an entire city to the ground, had only happened on the Russian battlefield before, so fighting in France had to be more restrained.
What is certain is that Caen civilians also suffered heavy losses in the Allied bombing. Given the relationship between France and Britain, this will definitely become a lever for the French to attack Britain after the war.
"What's wrong, that's the fact." Winston said confidently and just put the responsibility on the Germans.
"If tanks cannot be used, then we will fall behind in the competition with the US military -" General Ismail, Chief of Staff of the British Expeditionary Force, is also combative. Civilian casualties are not within his consideration. He only cares about the outcome of the competition.
"How is the situation over there with the Americans?" Winston was infected.
The situation of the US military is worse than here in Caen.
Patton Jr. took the initiative to undertake the task of attacking Saint-Lô in order not to be affected by the British army, but also to vent his frustration at not being able to face Rommel, and to test whether the experience accumulated in the capture of Cherbourg had been transformed into combat effectiveness.
The German defense forces in Saint-Lô only had two divisions.
However, these two divisions are both SS, and there is no shortage of personnel and well-equipped equipment. One of the divisions is the SS armored instructor division.
On July 11, just as the Allies launched their second attack on Caen, Patton divided his troops into two groups and launched a pincer offensive against Saint-Lô, trying to complete his victory in one battle.
The German army relied on solid fortifications to resist desperately, and every step forward by the US military was difficult.
The experience of Cherbourg did not play a big role. Time was too tight. The US artillery did not have time to carry out a carpet strike on Saint-Lo. The "Sherman" finally encountered a real opponent. The SS armored instructors equipped the German army.
The most advanced King Tiger tanks, although not in large numbers, can still form an overwhelming advantage over the Sherman.
After Russia's IS-2 heavy tank was put into combat, the latest German Panzer V tank also began to fall behind. Therefore, Mustache urgently needed a more powerful tank that could compete with the IS-2, so the King Tiger was born.
The total combat weight of the "King Tiger" reaches 70 tons. A standard Big Mac, it is ten tons heavier than the "Division" tank in southern Africa. Its frontal armor is 150 mm thick, and the front turret armor is 185 mm. It is equipped with a
KwK43L/71 88mm tank gun, and an MG34 7.92mm coaxial machine gun. There is also an MG42 above the commander's periscope for air defense.
In February this year, the King Tiger was officially put into combat. It had been deployed on the Russian battlefield and had never appeared in France.
The Sherman equipped by the US military is far from the "King Tiger" in terms of offensive power and protective power.
The U.S. tank crews were not ready to confront the "King Tiger" head-on.
So when the King Tiger, which was over ten meters long, appeared on the battlefield, its total combat weight was only over thirty tons, and the Sherman, which was only over seven meters long, was as fragile as a big toy.
The "King Tiger" made its first appearance on the Western Front with brilliant results. The two "King Tigers" cooperated with each other and destroyed a total of 13 Shermans.
Patton had to order the troops to stop the attack. He was not sure how many King Tigers the Germans had.
In case the armor instructors are equipped with King Tigers, it would be better for Patton to admit defeat as soon as possible.
"The Southern African army made rapid progress and invaded Caen on the first day. What's ridiculous is that because the early bombing was so effective and the roads were blocked, the Southern African armored forces could not enter the city of Caen. General Montgomery suggested sending light infantry.
In urban combat, Marshal Young Smuts insisted on sending blasters to clear roads. I heard that they are now quarreling every time they hold a meeting." Patton's chief of staff, Major General Guy, was frightened. Patton and Montgomery would quarrel every day whenever there was a meeting.
"It's normal. No normal person would tolerate that self-righteous fool. His reputation is all blown out because other British generals are worse than him." Patton looked down on all British generals.
To be precise, Patton seemed to look down on anyone but Rommel.
Including the generals in southern Africa.
However, it is regrettable that as the most famous general in the US military, Patton also lacks a sufficiently convincing record.
No matter how miserable Montgomery was, he still performed well during the Dunkirk evacuation.
Patton's performance in North Africa was a disaster. There was a slight improvement during the Sicily campaign, but the record after the Normandy landing was equally lackluster. The US military's success in Cherbourg was not so much Patton's command as it was an overall victory for the United States.
"What should we do? Request air force support?" Guy looked slightly embarrassed.
While at Caen, Patton mocked Montgomery for asking for air support only when faced with difficulties.
Now that the US military is encountering difficulties, Guy's first reaction is to request air support, which is really useful.
This is actually shirking responsibility.
The subtext is that the responsibility for the unfavorable outcome of the battle does not lie with me, but with the insufficient support provided by the Air Force.
"Is there any more information about the new German tanks?" Patton prided himself on being the commander of the armored forces and was very concerned about the new tanks.
"The Russians mentioned the German army's new tanks in their battle report in March. Unfortunately, the Russians don't have much information." Guy spread his hands and expressed helplessness.
"How is that possible?" Barton couldn't believe it.
There is no data to prove that the Russians have not captured or destroyed the Germans' new tanks on the battlefield.
"Yes, so far, the Germans' new tanks have not been defeated on the battlefield." Guy was also surprised, but this is the fact.
"Take my call from Marshal Smuts." Even if Patton asked for support, he would not call Montgomery.
The phone call was quickly connected. Yang Smooth was also annoyed, but he would not vent his anger on Barton.
"——The Germans' new tank? It has never been defeated. It is a big thing with a length of more than ten meters and an estimated weight of more than 70 tons——" Yang Smozi was also surprised. Is it really necessary to build such a large tank?
The bigger and heavier the tank is, the better. Mobility is also very important.
If the Germans' new tank really weighs 70 tons, then Yang Smuts doubts whether the Germans have a suitable engine.
"So, mobility will be the Achilles' heel of the new German tank?" Patton thought thoughtfully.
Patton didn't know if the Germans had a suitable engine. Anyway, the United States did not have a suitable engine.
There probably aren't any in southern Africa either.
Otherwise, according to the habits of southern Africans, tanks would have been built long ago.
"I'm sorry, I can't be sure about that either-" Yang Smuts didn't dare to say anything. The Germans had created enough miracles in recent years.
From V2 rockets to jets to precision-guided bombs, Yang Smuts suspected that given enough time, the Germans could land on the moon before southern Africa.
Maybe we can actually see it in our lifetime.
Patton was not disappointed for long. Yang Smuts also attached great importance to new weapons. After learning about the appearance of Germany's new weapons, he agreed to send an armored force to see if the Germans' new tanks were really as good as the legends.
good.
This order was questioned by Gavin.
No matter how powerful the German tanks are, let the Americans give it a try first. Why send the southern African armored troops to take risks?
Yang Smozi is active. This matter does have risks and the potential benefits are huge. If the Americans capture new German tanks, will they actively share the relevant German technologies? If it were in southern Africa, they would keep it strictly confidential.
Southern Africa and the United States are different from the United Kingdom. They are both land-based countries and have clear needs for armored forces. Any new technology is enough to trigger an arms race.
The one who received this order was the 401st Heavy Regiment. The tanks equipped by this regiment were all the latest "Lion" improved models from southern Africa, also known as the "Lion King".
The improvement of the "Lion" in southern Africa was also stimulated by the Russian IS-2 heavy tank.
Southern Africa is the first country in the world to establish armored forces. Southern African tanks have always been world-renowned for their advanced performance and rarely encounter opponents on the battlefield.
Now not only the Germans, but also the tanks equipped by the Russian army can challenge the main battle tanks of Southern Africa. This makes the engineers of Southern Africa feel embarrassed.
