Just because Britain does not need heavy tanks does not mean that it does not need heavy tank technology.
The Matilda tank is nominally a heavy tank, with a total combat weight of only 26 tons. The engine is two Leyland inline 6-cylinder diesel engines. The total power is only a pitiful 190 horsepower. How can it be compared to the 700-horsepower HL230P45 of the "King Tiger"?
V-shaped 12-cylinder water-cooled gasoline engine not interested?
impossible.
Southern Africa doesn't matter. After Yang Smozi learned that the fastest cross-country speed of the "Tiger King" did not exceed 10 kilometers, he completely lost interest in the "Tiger King".
Southern African tanks can reduce defense, use 40mm tank guns, and even sacrifice air defense capabilities. The only thing they cannot move is mobility. The cross-country speed is less than 30 kilometers, and the procurement personnel of the Ministry of National Defense will not even look at it.
Therefore, no matter how thick the armor of the "Tiger King" is, it is useless no matter how strong its attack power is.
What's more, the "Tiger King" is not so strong as to be unparalleled.
When the Battle of Caen just broke out, the Battle of Lyon was already coming to an end.
Operation "Dragoon" was launched after Operation "Overlord". After Operation "Overlord" was launched, the German army transferred all the elite troops from southern France to the Normandy area. This resulted in the defense forces around Lyon being all second-line troops or servants.
military.
The consequences are extremely serious.
The combat effectiveness of the Southern African Expeditionary Force in Caen originally exceeded that of the British and American troops.
The cooperation between the Southern African Army and the Free French Army did not have as much intrigue as the British Army and the American Army.
The combat effectiveness of the German second-line troops and servants has dropped by more than one level compared to the elite troops. Overall, the battle in Lyon was very easy. Patton even only invested one-third of the combat troops, and the second-line troops and servants on the opposite side were eliminated.
The army was completely defeated.
In terms of fighting will, the servant army is much worse than the elite German troops. The proportion of surrenders far exceeds the number of casualties. When the 15th Armored Division of Southern Africa broke through the defense line of the German 335th Division, the two behind the 335th Division
The Servant Division completely lost its will to fight and surrendered directly with a white flag, which made the commander of the 15th Armored Division Ba Xinlei feel disappointed.
Ba Xinlei is Patton's cousin. He was born in 1901. He came to Southern Africa in 2007 and received a complete modern education in Nyasaland. He graduated from the Nyasaland Army Academy. Like Patton, he is a new generation of generals in Southern Africa.
of the best.
"I thought I would experience a bloody battle, but I didn't expect that the biggest difficulty was to take in the prisoners. Can't we leave this task to the Free French Army?" Ba Xinlei had a splitting headache. Within 48 hours, the 15th
The Armored Division took in nearly 13,000 prisoners, more than the total strength of the 15th Armored Division.
After the North African Campaign, Patton reorganized the North African and Southern African armies. Each armored division had three tank battalions, one armored infantry battalion, and one self-propelled artillery battalion. Together with the divisional troops, the total strength was about 12,000.
"The Free French Army has already set off for Paris. The Sixth Armored Division is less than 150 kilometers away from Paris!" Ding Binluo, chief of staff of the 15th Armored Division, was worried that the actions of the Free French Sixth Armored Division were a bit risky and it had already separated from the army group.
If you go deep alone, you may be surrounded by German troops.
The elite German troops stationed around Paris include the 4th SS Armored Division that returned to France from the Russian battlefield. This armored division is equipped with Panzer IV and Panzer V tanks, including a company of "King Tigers"
, the combat effectiveness cannot be underestimated.
After ending the battle in Lyon, the 6th Armored Division continued to advance toward Paris without stopping. Patton understood the eagerness of the Free French generals to regain Paris, so he did not restrain the 6th Armored Division.
The commander of the 6th Armored Division must have received orders from de Gaulle, so he broke away from the main force and went deep alone. De Gaulle still had to give him face. He wanted to recapture Paris with his own hands. Patton would not steal the limelight.
In order to regain Paris as quickly as possible, the 6th Armored Division even abandoned its slower baggage troops and advanced lightly. While the 15th Armored Division was still cleaning the battlefield, the 6th Armored Division had already set off and advanced within 24 hours.
70 kilometers.
Don't be too slow. With the road severely damaged, 70 kilometers is already a great speed. After the Allied forces landed in Normandy, the average speed of advancing inland was only 1.5 kilometers per day.
"We have to stop and rest. The soldiers are getting more and more tired, and the machines also need maintenance. From yesterday to now, a total of 25 of our tanks have broken down. This is not a good sign." Chief of Staff Luke Grote
Very worrying, the 6th Armored Division is only equipped with a total of 230 tanks.
"What southern Africa gives us must be inferior goods. Why do the tanks of the armored forces in southern Africa rarely break down?" Division Commander Jacques De Broglie was dissatisfied, and what he said was also true.
The tanks sold to Free France in Southern Africa are all castrated versions for foreign trade, and it is not an exaggeration to describe them as "second-class goods."
Specific to the failure rate, this is really not a quality issue. Even if the tank engine is carefully maintained, it can only be used for two to three hundred hours. If the maintenance is not in place, the probability of breaking down is naturally high.
German tanks have a higher failure rate. Take the No. 5, which weighs more than 50 tons, as an example. Once a failure occurs on the battlefield, it is difficult to repair it. In many cases, the German army will simply give up.
For tanks used in southern Africa, if the engine life is almost up, the engine should be replaced in time, so the failure rate will naturally be very low.
Free France cannot produce tank engines and must purchase them from southern Africa. In the spirit of diligence and frugality, they will continue to use them as long as they can still be used. Once they break down, there is no need to repair them and they can simply replace them with new ones.
"Our tanks drove all the way from Toulon to Lyon, and Southern Africa was towed here on a trailer -" Luke didn't think Southern Africa would do anything in this regard. The key lies in the way it is used.
While Luke and de Broglie were chatting, another Algiers medium tank broke down next to the armored command vehicle.
De Broglie finally ordered the troops to camp and rest. If this continues, it is hard to say how many tanks will reach Paris.
Free France is also a land-based country and also has a need for heavy tanks. The Algiers tank has a total combat weight of only 32 tons, which can only be considered medium-sized according to southern African standards.
"Give me a battalion of lions, and I can hit Berlin in one breath." De Broglie looked at Paris, full of hatred.
De Broglie's name should actually be De Broglie, and like de Gaulle, both are descendants of French aristocrats.
During the Battle of France, de Broglie's army was stationed at the Maginot Line and played almost no role. After the French government stopped resisting, de Broglie became a prisoner in humiliation and was imprisoned in Germany.
After the establishment of Vichy France, de Broglie was released. He left the army frustrated and traveled to North Africa to join the Free French.
During his stay in North Africa, de Broglie never forgot the shame of being a prisoner, and he could not accept the fact that France had stopped resisting. Like de Gaulle, he needed to prove himself again.
"We should be more cautious and not leave the protection range of the air force." Luke reminded de Broglie that without air protection, the "Lion King" is also a living target.
The armored troops set up camp very quickly. The tanks were lined up in a circle around the camp, which was the strongest defensive position. Luke and De Broglie lived directly in the armored command vehicle. The soldiers slept in the truck compartment. There were tents, but there were no tents.
People, if you have that time, you might as well sleep a little longer.
Luc and de Broglie could not sleep. Before the defense lines were set up, the guerrillas came over and offered to serve as guides to lead the troops in the attack on Paris.
"How is the situation in Paris?" Luke needs more information about Paris.
"There are Germans everywhere, a lot of tanks, and planes. Paris is currently blocked. You can only enter but not leave. It is said that there were some conflicts between the German army and the French First Division. The specific situation is not clear." The guerrilla intelligence said.
With limited capabilities, the conflict between the German army and the Vichy French army was quite surprising.
After the French government surrendered, it retained only 100,000 army troops and 60,000 national gendarmes. These troops were called the Armistice Army.
After the French Navy surrendered, the German army took over southern France, and the Armistice Army was disbanded, leaving only the 33rd SS "Charlemagne" Armed Grenadier Division, the so-called First French Division, with a total of about 11,000 troops.
This unit has won the trust of the Germans and has been stationed in Paris. It is said that it is unlikely to conflict with the Germans. The relationship between them is one of prosperity and loss.
If the Axis powers were defeated, all officers and soldiers of the French First Division would be liquidated.
"Real French people will never turn Paris into a battlefield--" Debro was not surprised. Joining the French First Division does not mean that he has no feelings for Paris. Maybe he saved the country through curves like Pétain.
.
"The German defensive positions stretch for dozens of kilometers. We have to wait for others to follow. Maybe we can surround Paris and force the Germans to surrender." Luke frowned. He did not want Paris to be ravaged by war.
Then let's rest first.
There was another episode in the evening. A German reconnaissance unit found the camp of the 6th Armored Division and threw several rifle grenades into the camp. Although it did not cause any damage, it successfully affected the rest of the officers and soldiers of the 6th Armored Division.
The situation at night was unclear, and Luke did not dare to send troops to attack, so he arranged for the tanks to be on guard around the camp and fire a few shots into the surrounding wilderness at regular intervals, not only to scare the Germans, but also to embolden himself.
After a night of silence, de Broglie originally decided to set off immediately after dawn, but received an order from de Gaulle.
De Gaulle and Patton had not discussed a way to drive the Germans out of Paris. Patton wanted to fight first and then talk.
Now that the road between Lyon and Paris has been cleared, the coalition forces can directly attack Paris. If they can't think of a way, then the German army will really have to fight an offensive and defensive battle in Paris.
There is no doubt that the brutal urban offensive and defensive battle will completely destroy Paris, one of the most famous cities in the world.
"The telegram was forwarded from London. Marshal Pétain is communicating with the Germans, hoping that the Germans can take the initiative to evacuate from Paris." Patton half-smiled, and the British were still making small moves.
Why did Britain and the United States not recognize Free France, but instead recognized the Vichy government?
The purpose is still to distribute benefits after the war. If Free France is recognized, then after the war is over, Free France will inherit all the powers of France.
If the Vichy government is recognized, then after the Axis powers are defeated, France will become a defeated country.
Therefore, over the years, the relationship between Britain and Vichy France has never been interrupted.
Southern Africa also has connections with Vichy France. Japan's every peace request was transmitted through Vichy France.
"Will the Germans agree?" De Gaulle was very conflicted. He hoped to defeat the German army and keep Paris intact.
The Germans had better evacuate proactively.
But de Gaulle did not want to give up the credit for "protecting Paris" to Pétain, so this was a good opportunity to build his reputation.
Pétain is already old and there is no point in seeking fame.
"We don't know yet. London also hopes that we can suspend the attack to give Marshal Pétain more time." Patton shook his head and put the unhappy things behind him. De Gaulle had been irritable these days.
As the largest city in southern France, Lyon has an urban population of more than 500,000. After Germany occupied southern France two years ago, Lyon has been the center of German rule in southern France.
Operation "Dragoon" progressed at a rapid pace. When Lyon was liberated, some French people who held important official positions during the German occupation or cooperated with the German army did not even have time to escape. These people have been liquidated in recent days.
The French have a decisive attitude towards traitors and will not let go even if they are forced to cooperate. When the German army was stationed in Lyon, the French woman who had an affair with the German officers and soldiers was spurned by the whole society. In the past few days, Lyon was on the way to Toulon.
There are many women who have had their heads shaved, and they are no longer able to live in their hometowns. This experience will become a stain that they cannot erase throughout their lives.
Yesterday alone, more than a hundred "traitors" were executed, all their property was confiscated, and houses and cars were auctioned.
None of these people had gone through a formal court trial. In fact, they were all lynched. There would inevitably be various unjust, false, and wrongful convictions. De Gaulle had no intention of intervening.
Patton had reason to suspect that de Gaulle was simply raising military funds in the name of liquidation.
Where is this? The little money confiscated will be long before the loan in southern Africa can be paid off.
Unless de Gaulle has the ability to obtain French gold, this gold is now controlled by the Vichy government.
"If Marshal Pétain can persuade the German army to withdraw voluntarily, then after the war, no matter what the court pronounces, I will sign an amnesty order for Marshal Pétain." De Gaulle reciprocated.
Even if this incident had not occurred, de Gaulle would have pardoned Pétain.
This was a tacit understanding between the two French leaders.
“I sent bombers to Paris—” Patton startled de Gaulle.
De Gaulle looked at Patton with puzzled eyes. Could he be planning to bomb Paris the same way he bombed Tokyo?
This would be a disaster for Paris.
"Don't worry, don't worry, there are not incendiary bombs on the plane, but leaflets -" Patton smiled, focusing on his heart.
The propaganda work of both the Allies and the Axis Powers has never stopped. Both sides attach great importance to it and the results are good. The Allies have servants who surrendered without a fight, while the Germans have gained a large number of loyal accomplices.
