Chapter five hundred and sixteen both can have both
Italian commander Garibaldi was also very surprised when he learned that Rommel easily broke through the British attack position outside Ejele.
He really didn't expect that Rommel, who had not yet fully mobilized his troops, led the German vanguard of two battalions, to be able to produce such a strong combat effectiveness.
Originally, according to Garibaldi's estimation, it would take at least several days for the German army to break through the British encirclement, and the Italian army could take this opportunity to rest and recuperate from the physical strength they had expended in the battle to aid France.
Then, after the Italian army had completed its repairs, it was just in time to join the German friendly forces that had broken into the encirclement, and cooperated with the German and French troops inside and outside to defeat the British troops surrounding Highland No. 3.
But now it seems that the speed of the German army's advance is beyond Garibaldi's imagination. In this case, there will be no rest time for the Italian army, which has just failed to attack and is standing still.
Immediately, Garibaldi had no choice but to make a decision, allowing the Italian troops to go to Hill 3 to join the German and French forces and fight side by side.
At the combat meeting, Garibaldi made this decision known to the public: "Now the German and French armies have joined forces. A few hours ago, I got the news that German General Rommel had met with the front-line French commander Steve.
, and formulated the next battle plan. According to Prime Minister Mussolini’s request and my analysis of the British army’s strategic plan, I decided to have the troops immediately stop resting and set off to fight with the German and French forces!”
This news is completely normal for the Italian army.
Because Germany, France, and Italy have always been allies on the African battlefield. But now, the German and French forces have joined forces, and the British defenders surrounding Highland 3 have become oppressive. The Italian troops should take advantage of the trend and advance eastward to cooperate with the German and French forces.
Combat.
But when the Italian generals under Garibaldi heard this order, they immediately buzzed and exploded.
The generals were chattering to each other in fear in the crowd. From their eyes, Garibaldi could not see any agreement with this decision.
An Italian major general who led his troops back during the French army's siege battle on Hill 3 because he could not find crowbars was the first to speak: "I do not agree with the approach of going to Hill 3 to help the German and French forces. I
We believe that we should conserve our strength and let the Germans and French go to fight with the British. But we wait for profit and wait until the war is about to end before quickly defeating the tired British army. In this way, not only will we lose little, but we will also lose more money.
I can take the lead!"
His words seemed reasonable, but in fact they were just an excuse for fearing death and not wanting to go to the battlefield.
Another general saw what he was thinking and laughed at him: "Are you afraid of meeting the French governor who wants to shoot you again? Haha."
Then several other generals also echoed: "I think you should just stop it and give us the bullets of your troops directly, so that you don't have to ask your soldiers to shoot blanks into the sky."
The Italian generals in the conference room burst out laughing. It was hard to imagine that these people who laughed without scruples were all senior generals of the Italian Army. But these generals, who could always be humorous, commanded several
One hundred thousand troops were defeated by tens of thousands of British troops.
The major general who actually ordered the troops to discharge their guns was silent and speechless.
In fact, another Italian major general who ordered the firing of blank guns had simply surrendered to the British army a few days ago. In comparison, this major general seemed to have performed better.
The laughter in the conference room stopped until General Garibaldi spoke: "Okay! Stop it! We are discussing the war now, and all irrelevant matters will be put aside for the time being!"
The reason why Garibaldi did not pursue the issue of the general who ordered the troops to discharge the empty guns was that, like the other major general who discharged the empty guns, this general also had Mussolini as his backing. If he moved him, Mussolini would
Rini's side is hard to explain. Secondly, the Italian Army in North Africa is now in an extraordinary period. Disposing of a major general at this time will inevitably have an impact on the morale of the army.
Therefore, Garibaldi chose to turn a blind eye.
"But I have to say that our army is really not suitable to fight the British army now. Our army was defeated by the British army just now when fighting with them, and its morale is low. Moreover, the troops have been exhausted from long-distance attacks. If they do not rest, they will continue to advance.
, Let’s not talk about the combat effectiveness of the troops, the soldiers’ bodies alone can’t bear it. When the time comes, they collectively go on strike, what should we do?”
Another Italian lieutenant general's words brought the rhythm of the meeting back on track.
Immediately, another lieutenant general also spoke: "It's not enough to stop fighting, at least my soldiers don't have the courage. But if we torture the soldiers like this, let them march quickly and fight immediately in a short period of time, the morale of the soldiers will definitely decrease.
will be affected, and their combat effectiveness will decrease accordingly. This is indeed not good news for us. Besides, if we join the war, those French guys will definitely treat us as guns, and our troops will also
As a result, we paid a heavy price in terms of casualties.”
After the general finished speaking, more and more generals immediately expressed their disapproval of the battle plan to join forces on Highland 3.
Helpless, Garibaldi sat back on his seat, clasped his hands together and pressed them against his forehead without speaking.
He was thinking about his own future and that of Italy. With such a group of cowards, how could he win any battles?
In fact, Garibaldi understood from the bottom of his heart what thoughts were hidden behind the words of these generals.
In fact, Garibaldi himself is not a militant, and who of the Italian colleagues here likes war? After all, we are all born in a romantic and literary country, and war is not suitable for everyone.
.
However, the leader's orders cannot be disobeyed. From Garibaldi's perspective, he also knows very well what the Italian army should do at the moment.
Send troops, yes, they should send troops, even if they know they can't win!
There is no way around this. Since Italy is allied with France and Germany, it must go to participate in this war, so that Italy can share the benefits of the war from Germany and France.
If the British army is wiped out by the German and French forces, and Italy is only a nominal victor, what will it gain?
At that time, would the lost Italian lands that Germany and France sent troops to recover still be Italian colonies?
Garibaldi understood this, but these generals did not understand, they only wanted to save their lives!
At this moment, Garibaldi was inevitably caught in a dilemma.
On one side is the leader's order and the future of the Roman Empire; on the other side is the excuse and request to avoid war by his colleagues and subordinates.
He was struggling, looking for a way to balance the relationship between the two.
Finally, he put down his hands, opened his eyes and announced his decision: "Since no one is willing to go to Highland 3 to help the German and French forces attack together, then we will make a decision that can accommodate both.
"
In the eyes of everyone's doubts, Garibaldi slowly elaborated: "We will push the troops eastward to a place 10 miles away from Ejele, so that we can quickly enter the battlefield to clean up the mess at the end of the war at any time. Here,
I will take some credit for this battle. In this way, I, Garibaldi, will have an account to you and the leader."
The Italian generals nodded one after another, praising General Garibaldi as a good leader and superior, and loudly praised each other for the good ideas General Garibaldi had come up with, as if they were afraid that Garibaldi would not hear everyone's approval.
They no longer objected and unanimously agreed to this safe and appropriate battle plan.
Afterwards, the Italian army advanced slightly towards the direction of Highland No. 3 for a short distance.