0p0 Third Reich Episode 306
Third Reich Episode 306
Sure enough, Graziani roared: "What? You told me that the defenders in Sidbairani only had 3000 people? Are you kidding me! Could it be that we bombarded and shelled an infantry regiment and wiped them all out? Half of the ammunition base of the entire army. What do you do as a staff officer? Didn’t you do any pre-war investigation?”
"Commander, you didn't ask us to do pre-war investigation." The staff officer complained softly.
Although his voice was very low, Graziani, who had sensitive ears, heard his words. He growled, "What? What did you just say? Say it again! Are you blaming me?"
The staff officer didn't dare to speak anymore, and stood aside silently to accept General Graziani's "criticism".
Graziani's long criticism was not interrupted until a shell exploded near the Italian headquarters.
Graziani, who was affected by the explosion, shook his body, and then immediately shouted angrily: "Who is playing cannons? Do you want to kill Marshal Ben!"
No one answered his question, and the staff officers were also surprised.
It wasn't until the second and third shells exploded on the Italian positions that he suddenly realized that things didn't seem that simple.
"What's going on? What's going on?" Graziani asked in a panic.
"The British army attacked from behind our army!" A communications soldier who rushed over from the rear security position had just conveyed the news to Graziani's ears.
After hearing this news, Graziani's heart sank. His army had just completed the battle against Siberia Rani. Most of the soldiers were still cleaning the battlefield, and the armored troops sent out had not yet retracted. , and the direction of the muzzle is still facing the direction of Sidi Birani.
The attack from the rear of the British army was a devastating disaster for the Italian army.
It turned out that General Wavell, the commander of the British army, had already planned the retreat route and ambush location of the British army.
They deliberately divided their troops into two groups. The large force actually retreated temporarily to the southeast, and the "ambush force" with 3000 people stationed in Siberia Rani was a bait, a bait that deliberately lured the Italian army to attack.
While the Italians were bombarding Sibairani, Wavell's troops had sneaked behind Graziani.
"Now the Italian army is finished. I bet, if they don't have more troops to fill in, the initiative in the North African battlefield, and even the entire African battlefield, will be in our hands!"
General Wavell talked with his deputy about his views on the entire African battlefield in the headquarters of the British "Nile" Army Group.
For this battle, he is bound to win!
At this moment, the British army is divided into three groups, launching a large-scale attack on the Italian positions from the south of Sidbairani.
On the right, the British tanks attacked the artillery positions of the Italian army, but met strong resistance from the Italian infantry.
However, where the Italian infantry could stop the British chariots, they also slipped away quickly after finding that the resistance was futile.
It's a pity that before the artillery here had time to turn the cannons around, they were destroyed one by one by the British Martil tanks together with the artillery that could not be taken away.
All the two artillery regiments deployed here, the cannons were almost destroyed and seized, and the Italian army on the right had to retreat.
In the middle, the British army took a Martil-style tank regiment as the vanguard and advanced towards the Italian infantry division position. Because the Italian army could not beat the threat that the Martil-style anti-tank guns could pose to them, a The regiment Martil tanks rushed to the Italian position very smoothly.
As for the 8-ton "mini light tanks" of the 6th Tank Regiment of the Italian Army, they were defeated as expected in the fierce confrontation with the British Martil heavy tanks.At dusk that day, the British army on the middle road successfully captured the defensive position of the Italian army on the middle road.
On the left, the British 7th Tank Brigade equipped with patrol tanks took the lead in an attempt to outflank the Italian flank, but General Wavell ordered them to open an opening on the left to allow the Italians to break through.
Because General Wavell knew that although the Italian army had the upper hand for a while, but after all, they had a large number of people, and the British army might not necessarily take advantage of it if they continued to fight.
At dawn the next day, Graziani ordered the 15th Armored Division, which was also only equipped with light tanks, to launch a fierce counterattack on the left side of Sibairani. connect.
However, the British army on the right strengthened its fortifications at night, desperately preventing the intrusion of Italian tanks. In addition, the anti-tank guns equipped by the British army were much higher than those of the Italian army in terms of quantity and quality. The attack of the 15th Armored Division did not make much progress.
The decisive battle took place on the Western Front, when the 15th Armored Division broke through the positions of the British 7th Tank Brigade on the left.
Graziani immediately bet all his bets, and ordered the 15th Armored Division to leave only a small number of troops to guard the position east of Sibairani, and the rest rushed to the western front position, and inserted into the British flank together with the 5th Light Division. , and then break out to the west.
Finally, after a day and night of fierce fighting, the Italian army finally "teared" a 2-kilometer-wide gap on the western front. Under the cover of the 15th Tank and Armored Division, the Italian army in Sibairani finally broke through the encirclement and marched along the western front. Retreat in the direction of Gebug.
"Report sir, the Italian army has broken out from the western front." The British command, the telegraph operator has just reported to Wavell the latest situation of the battle.
"Understood, this is expected, and there are still good things waiting for them." General Wavell said lightly.
The gap "torn open" on the Western Front was originally what he decided to let go of deliberately from the very beginning, in order to let the Italians go there.
Sure enough, on the way back to Bugbug, the Italian army was attacked by multiple rounds of landmines set in advance by the British army, causing heavy casualties.
"No wonder the British didn't chase us. They planted landmines on the road, these damned British guys." The chief of staff complained angrily.
Instead, he glanced at Graziani beside him, only to see that Graziani's eyes were illusory and lifeless, as if he had lost his soul.
The chief of staff asked with concern: "Marshal, what's wrong with you? Are you sick?"
Graziani didn't speak, didn't even blink his eyes, just sat on the car seat.
After a long time, Graziani turned his body slightly, faced the chief of staff, and said weakly: "This time I led the elite Italians in North Africa, with a force several times that of the British army, but lost to the British army." , the guilt is inevitable, and I have no face to command the armed forces. Remember my words, I am afraid that the Italian army in North Africa will have to be handed over to you in the future."
"Marshal, are you kidding me? I'm just a staff officer... Marshal, the Italian army in North Africa depends on you, Marshal. You must cheer up." The staff officer replied flattered.
However, what Graziani said is not unreasonable. After this battle, it is indeed impossible for him to continue to serve as the commander-in-chief of the Italian army in North Africa.At this time, Graziani may have suffered a severe mental blow after the big defeat, and began to feel a little delirious.
It is certain that he will be recalled to the country for accountability. After he leaves, the mess will only be handed over to the next unlucky successor and the staff he left behind.
In this battle, the Italian army suffered nearly 2 casualties, captured nearly 1 people, lost more than 200 artillery pieces of various types, and more than 300 tanks and armored vehicles. More than 3000 vehicles.
After that, what Graziani can do now is to be forced to withdraw his troops to organize defense near Benghazi, Libya.Let the next successor still have the withdrawn army in hand.
Speaking of which, this is already the third commander-in-chief of the Italian North African Army.Compared with the last Marshal Balbo who was beaten to death by his own people and whose body was cold, Graziani thought that his luck seemed to be good enough.
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In the last few chapters of Flying Fish, the plot of the great war in Africa began on an overhead basis.
To be honest, Flying Fish entered World War II because it was attracted by Rommel and Montgomery's confrontation in Africa.And this time, Flying Fish will do its best to present you a completely different African confrontation, an African confrontation that you have never seen before.
Uh... this plot is very difficult to code, you know
Text Chapter 475 Triple Legion
"Report to the prime minister, the North African battle report has come back!"
Churchill, who was in deep thought, was interrupted by the confidential secretary's report and continued to be in a daze.
After waving his hand, Churchill motioned for the confidential secretary to read out the content of the battle report.
To be honest, he was too lazy to read, or he was afraid to read such things as the frontline battle report.
Even before he was Prime Minister of the British Empire, he pushed with all his might an invasion of Norway.
As a result, except for some good news about the defeat of the Norwegian army some time ago, almost all of them received defeat reports one after another in the later stages of the battle.
If Chamberlain, who was still the prime minister at the time, hadn't stood in the foreground, acting as a shield for him, and being charged with full responsibility for the defeat, Churchill might have been in debt and would not be able to pay off.
The blame for the Norwegian campaign can still be blamed on Chamberlain, the boss, but when Dunkirk was wiped out with 20 main forces at one time, Churchill had already achieved the position of prime minister. Can the blame be blamed on His Majesty the King?