In Beirut after the war, traces of the battle were everywhere. Although simple cleaning had been carried out, rubble with the smell of gunpowder smoke could still be seen everywhere.
Although the smoke in Beirut has not dissipated, its lively scene has not diminished at all. A large number of ships have accumulated in the port area to unload people and goods. Although the port area was severely damaged in previous battles, its docks suffered less damage and are still undergoing battles.
It was repaired as soon as it was over.
The first batch to be unloaded from the transport ship was the loading and unloading machinery, followed by various heavy equipment urgently needed by the army, and then other materials such as oil equipment.
Now the fleet is waiting to bring various materials and personnel ashore through the dock, bringing the current garrison in Beirut to more than 60,000 people. Today, the dock is crowded with stars, and it looks like a big shot has arrived.
That's right, General Hoffman, who serves as the commander of Army Group Middle East today, has transferred his headquarters here.
After several hours of sailing, Hoffmann set foot on the land of the Middle East. Looking at the Arab-style city, Hoffmann greeted the generals present one by one.
"Major General Torres, this battle was fought well."
"Major General Angel, your 1st Marine Division made the greatest contribution to this battle. I will write to Marshal Lomodan to inform you of your performance."
Leaving the commander of the 1st Marine Division with a smile on his face, Hoffman came to Major General Rodier, whose 8th Division performed equally well in this battle.
I saw Hoffman holding his hand and saying, "Major General Rodil, your division performed well in this battle."
Hoffman's words made Major General Rodil feel ashamed. The 8th Division's performance in the battle this time was nothing at all. The 1st Marine Division performed the best in the landing operations. After all, this was someone else's specialty.
In the subsequent battle to invade Beirut, the 3rd Division performed much better than the 8th Division. Especially in withstanding the enemy's counterattack at night, the 3rd Division not only blocked the enemy's offensive, but also took the opportunity to expand the occupied area. Compared with their 8th Division,
The Eighth Division was deprived of many positions and was completely disgraced.
Of course, there were more than three of their divisions in this battle, and there were troops from other divisions. But they were the ones who fought the whole battle and made the main contribution. Of course, it is inevitable to compare them, so the Eighth Division would be embarrassed.
.In every aspect, it is not as good as the other two divisions, which makes the commander of the division, Major General Rodil, look quite gloomy recently.
As the commander of the Army Group, Hoffmann had no interest in understanding Major General Rodil's mood. Now he had too many problems to solve, and he couldn't care less about superfluous matters.
The former Governor-General's Palace of Lebanon, located on Leque Monceau Street, was originally a French administrative institution that governed the region with a strong French style, but has now been transformed into the headquarters of the current army group.
And now the officers at the headquarters are busy here.
"Come on, boys, finish decorating this place, we still have a lot to do."
Lieutenant General Modelk, the white-haired chief of staff, was commanding these young officers.
"Modelk."
Hoffman, who had just walked out of the war room, walked up to the chief of staff.
"What's the matter, Commander?"
Faced with Hoffman's interruption, Modelk immediately asked, "Partnering with Hoffman is not bad. No matter how difficult it is, he has seen it. Like when he was in the Far East, the principal always liked micro-management, but he still had to do it differently."
Various plans to deal with possible situations.
"I have a plan."
After hearing what Hoffman said, Modelk knew that now was not the time to speak and signaled to choose a safe environment.
After the two came to the war room, Hoffman sent the others away before he spoke. "Now we have initially ensured the safety of Beirut. According to the report of the reconnaissance plane, the French army that has been repelled has retreated through Mount Lebanon.
Retreating towards Damascus. The British army is currently mainly stationed in the Palestinian area, and another part has crossed Jordan and moved towards Syria. Its goal is nothing more than to hold Damascus, and if it cannot, support the withdrawal of the French army in Syria."
"So you plan to deal with the British and French troops in Syria first?"
Before Hoffman finished speaking, Modelk, the chief of staff, added in.
"Yes, that's what I planned."
After replying to the other party, Hoffman continued to explain why he did this. "Look, Chief of Staff. Our army has landed nearly 100,000 people and has occupied most of Lebanon. Only those close to
There are still French troops resisting in the Hermon Mountains of Damascus."
"We cannot give them the illusion that they can rely on the terrain and wait for rescue, so we must attack quickly and give the opponent a violent blow to make them give up their illusions. So I plan to use the newly landed troops to bring the 8th Division to form a temporary battle
Group, quickly capture Damascus and prevent British reinforcements."
Hoffman's words made Modelk frown, because he had calculated that if he followed Hoffman's plan, Beirut's defensive forces would be relatively empty. Although Romania had the advantage in sea and air, if the opposite Wei Wei
Admiral Weir ignored casualties, so Beirut was in danger. As a qualified chief of staff, he believed it was necessary to point out its shortcomings.
"Is this plan to mobilize a lot of troops? Although the British army is currently being held back by the Arabs, intelligence shows that there are currently nearly twenty troops in the Palestinian area, and the estimated strength should be between 150,000 and 180,000.
Left and right. We can't let down our guard against it."
Faced with the question pointed out by Modelk, Hoffman nodded in agreement, but then he responded to the chief of staff's concerns.
"I have considered this. Currently, the best offensive line for the British army is the coastal road. The terrain here is gentle and it is convenient for large-scale advances. However, given the naval superiority our army has, they should not dare to
Take this line. In order to prevent the enemy from taking the opposite approach, I have ordered the Air Force to pay close attention to this.
In addition, I also contacted the navy and asked the fleet to roam the open sea, ready to carry out artillery strikes against possible enemies. As for the problem of too few troops in Beirut, I have asked the transport fleet to step up the transportation of troops.
, Major General Alderney, commander of the naval transport fleet, assured me that two divisions of troops will be transported to Beirut within three days."
After talking about his arrangements for Beirut, Hoffman continued, "Compared to Beirut, I am more worried about the troops attacking Damascus. Look here, Chief of Staff."
Hoffman pointed to the valley that the Jordan River passes through on the map and said. "Along the Jordan River, you can reach Baalbek from Palestine, and this can cut off the connection between Beirut and Damascus, so I must have troops to guard this Baalbek."
The Qa Valley makes it easier for other troops to capture Damascus."
Although Hoffman did not know about the famous air battle in the Bekaa Valley in later generations, he could still see the possible danger at a glance. Therefore, an elite force must be sent to guard the Bekaa Valley and protect his own retreat.
The Eighth Division was specially transferred because the division's previous combat performance was not as good as the other two divisions, but he saw the spirit of not admitting defeat, and now that he is entrusting such an important task to them, they will definitely live up to his expectations.
.
Then Modelk asked a few more questions, and after receiving satisfactory answers, he also became supportive of Hoffman's plan.
With the agreement of both commanders, the operation to prioritize the strength of the French army began.
