Battle of the Third Reich Chapter 144: Combat plan

The German Motorized Reconnaissance Battalion arrived in Suez within the time set by the superiors, and was not unexpectedly arranged by the British to settle in at Zibilit Air Base. This is the military base with the most complete facilities around Suez, and has a comprehensive use from the design and construction.

The barracks and garages are readily available, and the British also equipped each barracks with two Indian servants to provide the most thoughtful accommodation services for the German soldiers. Where did the German soldiers enjoy this kind of treatment? Two Indian servants with grey cloth holding their heads stood in the corridor of the barracks. , It sounds chaotic and stylish.

This group of British men didn't fight very well. It was really superb in terms of enjoyment. Looking at the exquisite tableware and various entertainment facilities in the officer's dining room, the German officers and soldiers felt that they were turned into buns for the first time.

Major General Richard, the original commander of the base, has been arrested by the military police at this moment. It is said that he will undergo a private trial in a military court in a week. Under normal circumstances, this means that the military court has obtained conclusive evidence of the crime. , The fate of Major General Richard is already predictable.

Major Wycombe was warmly received by the new base commander, Major General Wilkham, because the German motorized reconnaissance battalion was temporarily arranged, so it can be seen that the major general has spent a lot on this issue. Mind, it was clear that the new commander wanted to take this opportunity to get closer to the German army. As for whether it was the order given by the major general or the superior, this is not a question Wycomb can know.

"The fuel for the vehicle has been replenished, and we also got six tank trailers that can be towed by trucks." Lieutenant Wagner reported to the battalion commander.

"Before we got the next order, we were still in a state of second-level combat readiness. We did not get a slip issued by the superior officer. It is strictly forbidden for anyone to leave the camp without authorization. The platoon leader of each company must strictly enforce discipline." Wycombe sat After a folding table, the name was signed at the bottom of a report.

"Send this telegram immediately. I'm going to the maintenance team to inspect. If someone finds me, take him to the lounge, and then immediately go to the maintenance team to notify me." Wycomb handed the document to Wagner immediately stood up and put on his military cap.

"Yes, sir!" Wagner offered a military salute to his boss.

"Jurgen, are you really determined to take part in this operation?" Randolph took a cigar from his chest pocket.

"For me, this is a rare opportunity. I have long wanted to see a real war, but unfortunately because of my professional relationship, there has never been such an opportunity." Jurgen leaned on the co-pilot The seat back turned and replied.

"Major, you probably have seen a lot of enemies, I mean the captives." Captain Horn joked with the former Gestapo.

"Ah, you are right, I have participated in many interrogations of prisoners of war." Juergen replied with a smile.

"Which country do you think prisoners of war are the most difficult to deal with?" Randolph became interested in this topic.

"It should be British, and of course they will succumb to violence. What I mean is difficult to deal with. Some of them, especially military officers, are very clever and cunning. They often pretend to compromise with us. And then use false information to mislead our sight. And these guys are thinking about running away almost all the time. The best way to deal with them is not to let them see any hope." Jurgen told him Experience dealing with British prisoners of war.

British prisoners of war are usually very easy to manage. They still retain their original organization and rank in the prison camp, and officers still have the power to lead their subordinates. So if you reach a deal and consensus with the officers, they will be quite willing to obey the orders of the German guards. At the same time, the British are also the most troublesome group of prisoners of war. Unlike the honest French prisoners, the British prisoners of war, especially the basic-level officers among them, are extremely keen to escape from prison. They use thousands of strange tricks, many of which are even Yul. Unheard of, in terms of imagination, these British men completely crushed the German guards.

However, this phenomenon disappeared after the British surrendered, because the British mainland has been occupied, even if they escaped successfully, they have nowhere to go.

"Our public identity this time is the special investigation team of the SS. You must bear in mind your respective responsibilities. The field report you write will be directly submitted to the head of the empire by me, making him the first to understand the war. Hand information." Randolph warned everyone in the car with a serious expression.

Don't look at Randolph's serious appearance, but he was cheering in his heart. With the name given by the Führer, he can brazenly go to the battlefield for joy. Randolph has served as a special envoy for the head of state several times and participated in many fierce large-scale battles. However, he fought nomads in the deserts of the Middle East, which was his first time since joining the army.

"This is our honor and our responsibility, Lieutenant Colonel Randolph. Thank you very much for agreeing to my application." Jurgen found the right time to flatter again.

"To be honest, letting you participate in this investigation group is entirely the head of state's intention. I just recommended you to him." Randolph once again declared his close relationship with the head of state.

"This mission is dangerous. Everyone, we are going to follow a motorized reconnaissance battalion deep into the enemy's territory. Ninety-nine percent of them will be besieged by the enemy. According to the information I currently have Look, the comparison of forces between the enemy and ours may be as high as one to five." Captain Horn couldn't help pouring some cold water. He could not understand the thought loop of this group of SS in his life, but as the only one in the investigation team As a combat staff officer, he must let his companions understand that this task is not as simple as he thought.

"In front of the powerful German Wehrmacht, the strength is just a mere statistic. What we are facing is just some guys riding camels in the desert, Captain." Randolph said with his face upright.

"I think I should remind you that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has more than just camel cavalry, lieutenant colonel." Horn reminded with a serious face.

"We are not just facing camel cavalry, gentlemen." Wycombe said, knocking on the blackboard on the wall of the war room.

"The information obtained by the Legion Command has confirmed that our opponents are not ready to be captured. The third battalion may encounter fierce resistance that has never been seen before." Lieutenant Wagner said loudly with his hands folded.

"Intelligence shows that Saudi Arabia currently has more than 20,000 regular troops, but if the king issues a general mobilization order, they can assemble 200,000 armed forces in two weeks." Wycombe walked to the side and hung up. Before the map.

"At present, 30% of the total number of Saudi armed forces are deployed in the Hanzhi area, which is the Red Sea coast on the west side of the peninsula. This is the most economically developed area in Saudi Arabia, with many important port cities. You can see It is this long and narrow coastal zone, because the east side is protected by many mountains. If we attack this area from the desert direction according to the plan of the headquarters, we will need to compete with the enemy for these mountain passes one by one. This terrain is right. The combat effectiveness of our army is very unfavorable. This should be the combat area of ​​the mountain troops. It is well known that the main force of the legion is all conventional infantry units. In these mountain valleys, tanks and armored vehicles are also difficult to exert their power. They have been on these narrow mountain roads. Easy to be ambushed by the enemy." Wicomb pointed at the mountains and hills along the coast of the Red Sea in the Arabian Peninsula with his pointer.

"It reminds me of what happened to the Italian army in Ethiopia." The commander of the company, Captain Cot, wiped his chin and said.

"The terrain does have some similarities, but we are not Italians." said Captain Heinberg, the second company commander of the armored reconnaissance company.

"It is impossible to replicate the victory of the Ethiopian army, not only in terms of command and tactical use, but also in terms of weapons and equipment." Third company commander Captain Schmidt expressed his thoughts.

Just as Major Wycombe and his men were discussing the battle to come, the German African Army was set up in the temporary headquarters in Cairo, and the senior generals of the African Army were also having similar discussions.

"Gentlemen and gentlemen! Colonel Colson mentioned Ethiopia just now, and I want to make some personal opinions here." Admiral Kücheler took the pointer and knocked on the table.

"In some respects, Saudi Arabia and Ethiopia have many similarities. The king is not the head of state in the traditional sense, but just the chief of the tribe with the greatest strength in a tribal group. More like a leader and arbitrator. The reason why Ethiopia was able to win the battle of Adwa was directly related to the unanimous support of the war by all the tribes in addition to the correct tactical choice and the occupation of favorable terrain. Why did Ethiopia fail to reproduce the last victory after forty years? In addition to the differences in the weapons and equipment of the two sides, it is also because many of the tribes in Ethiopia at that time chose to take refuge in the Italians." Lehr turned and walked to the map.

"The core area of ​​the Saudi tribe is in Riyadh. It has the most precious water resources in the desert area and a large oasis where you can graze livestock and cultivate crops. It has always been the base camp of this Saudi tribe in history. The rapid rise of the modern Saudi tribe is It started after regaining control of the Riyadh area." The artillery general said, pointing to the map.

"80% of the troops directly under the Saudi royal family are stationed in Riyadh. This is the capital of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The Kingdom’s most important government and religious institutions are concentrated. Over the past ten years since the founding of the country, the Saudi royal family has carried out A large-scale reconstruction has been carried out and the city’s defense system has been strengthened. Judging from the force at the hands of the tribes in Saudi Arabia, Riyadh is completely an infallible fortress.” Quhillel shook the pointer in his hand.

"However, the premise is that the opponent is a tribal weapon similar to his combat power." The chief of staff of Hasai took the admiral's words.

"We didn’t know much about Saudi Arabia’s military strength before, and the German intelligence agencies had not paid particular attention to this desert country. The intelligence in our hands mainly came from military spy agencies in Turkey and Italy. Less mistakes and omissions.” The Chief of Staff Hassy took up the document in front of him: “But now we have the intelligence support of the British intelligence agency, and we have the most intuitive understanding of Saudi Arabia’s military strength and equipment. What Colonel Elson said, our opponents are not pure camel cavalry." Major General Hassai stood up and walked over to Admiral Küchelel.

"The core force of our opponent is a troop trained in modern ways. The number is about 2,000. In addition to conventional infantry, this troop is also equipped with cavalry and artillery units, and also has a A small-scale armored vehicle unit.” Major General Hassai took the pointer from the admiral and said, pointing to the location of Riyadh on the map.

"They are the personal guards of the Saudi royal family and the most elite armed forces of the family tribe. These people are loyal to the royal family and are absolutely impossible to betray their masters. In order to defend the royal family, these people will fight to the last minute." Hillel added.

"Thank you, Lord Admiral. In addition to this elite guard, the Saudi royal family also has an air force. According to the information given by the British, they have relations with Saudi Arabia as early as 1923. The most harmonious period helped Saudi Arabia build a small air force.” Major General Hassai said indifferently.

"The air force had only ten aircraft at the time, six of which were S.E.5 fighters, and the remaining four were R.E.7 two-seater reconnaissance aircraft."

"S.E.5? Hasai, that's really a nostalgic name." Küciler made a rare joke.

"It is true, Admiral. Both of these are the models used by the Royal Air Force in the World War. At that time, they had become surplus materials of the war." Hasai smiled and echoed.

"At first, Saudi Arabia also wanted to buy bombers from Britain, but the British government rejected it. The reason given by the British was that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is protected by the United Kingdom and does not need to be equipped with offensive weapons such as bombers." Said Chang Shaking the pointer.

"At first, this mini air force was all piloted and maintained by retired British Air Force personnel. Saudi Arabia paid them a high weekly salary. In addition to performing combat tasks, these people also helped Saudi Arabia train its ground crew and pilots. Saudi Arabia declared independence in 32 years, and the relationship between Britain and Saudi Arabia turned into a low point. British Air Force personnel in the Saudi Air Force returned to Britain one after another. However, they had trained a group of pilots for Saudi Arabia at that time. In the days that followed, Due to lack of maintenance and natural aging. According to the latest information we have obtained, only four SE5s are left in Saudi Arabia's hands and can continue to fly. Based on the performance of this aircraft, it cannot pose a substantial threat to our troops. "Major General Hassai turned his head and looked at Küciler.

"We should note that these aircraft can still play a certain role in ground reconnaissance, so the air defense fire alert of each unit cannot be relaxed for a moment." Qu Hillel took over from the chief of staff. Pointer.

"We now know that Saudi Arabia has deployed some tribal armed forces along the border between Transjordan and Iraq. In fact, these Arabs have no concept of borders, so there is no full-time border guard force. These tribal armed forces are just rotating. Stationed in a nearby oasis, the main task is to collect taxes from the caravans that come and go.” Kucheler pointed to the border between Jordan and Saudi Arabia.

"These are the real camel cavalry. They are not equipped with heavy weapons and may have a small number of machine guns." Major General Hassai said.

"Saudi Arabia's regular army has only 20,000, equipped with some British light field guns, which are backward products during the World War. Their ammunition reserves are not large. Since the withdrawal of the British consultants, these artillery units have been seriously lacking in training." Kuchelel said.

"Now I believe that everyone has a preliminary concept of the opponents they will face. The specific information will be sent to each regiment commander after the command is organized." The chief of staff of the legion walked back. Seat, tap the tabletop gently.

"The Legion’s General Staff has drawn up a detailed combat plan. Now it is sent to each of you." Küciler made a gesture, and an adjutant staff held a stack of documents. Distributed to the officers attending the meeting.

"Let's take a closer look." Küciler sat back in his seat and raised the water glass in front of him.

Drinking water and resting for a while, after seeing the officers below stop whispering, Küciler stood up again.

"Well, I believe you have already seen the combat intentions of the Legion Command." The artillery general took the pointer and walked back to the map.

"The terrain of the Arabian Peninsula, except for the coast of the Red Sea, is very suitable for motorized and armored forces to conduct mobile operations." Knocked on the hinterland of the peninsula, Küciler continued: "Our plan is divided into two steps. The step is the main force of the 26th Infantry Division and the 21st Armored Regiment, entering Saudi Arabia from the border of outer Jordan, along this main longitudinal road, quickly launching an assault towards Riyadh. You must maintain the fastest advancing speed Before the enemy assembles the surrounding tribes, they will be smashed one by one. You must destroy all forms of resistance of the locals. As long as the gun is raised against our army, it is the enemy of the Third Reich."

"Sir, is there no distinction between civilians and soldiers in this order?" Major General Von Foster, commander of the 26th Infantry Division, stood up and asked.

"Do you know what Bedouins are? They have no distinction between civilians and soldiers. Every member of the tribe, regardless of gender, young or old, can become a warrior. These people are learning to write about themselves Before his name, he had learned to shoot and kill." Major General Hassai answered with a frown.

"I have no problem, sir." Major General von Foster returned to his seat.

"When the 26th Infantry Division launched an offensive from Jordan, one of our motorized task forces would cross the Red Sea and land directly on the west coast of the Arabian Peninsula. The landing point was chosen near Yanbu Port. On the beach, the troops will immediately attack Yanbu Port after landing and occupy this important port. Then six infantry battalions of the British Army and four infantry battalions of the French Foreign Corps will land at Yanbu Port, two French The battalion and the task force will advance along the road to Medina, and occupy this important Saudi town, hold the mountain pass, and block the enemy reinforcements from the direction of Buraydah and Rice in the central part." A line was drawn on the map.

"The rest of the British and French forces will advance south along the coastline, first take Chittagong, and then occupy the holy land of Mecca."

"Sir!" Major General von Foster raised his hand again.

"If you attack Mecca, will it arouse the dissatisfaction of the local believers? I am worried that it will trigger a holy war against the heretics." The major general frowned, showing a worried look.

"I can understand your concerns. The headquarters has indeed considered this issue. If foreign troops attack the Holy Land, it is likely to trigger the same enemy in the Arab world. Therefore, this time, the British will play hash Under the banner of the Hum family, this family ruled for more than 1,300 years in Hanzhi, but was driven out of the land where the ancestors reproduced by Saudi Arabia. Dreaming of wanting to fight back home, the Hashim family has agreed to send two princes. Representative, take part in the British army's raid on the Hanzhi area, so in the eyes of the Arabs, this is a battle of revenge against the Saudi family." Qu Hillel clasped his arms with his arms on his chest.

"It turned out to be so, I have no doubts, sir." Major General Foster felt that his brain was not enough.

"The 31st Infantry Division, as the General Reserve of the Legion, is ready to provide support for the 26th Infantry Division and the 21st Armored Regiment~IndoMTL.com~ and ensure the safety of the supply line at the same time." He continued to introduce the plan.

"We will receive air support from the German Army Aviation First Wing and the Royal Air Force throughout the entire process. The Army Air Force will also launch air strikes against major strategic targets in Saudi Arabia. The specific plan will be after the operation begins. The corps department will notify all units in a unified manner." The artillery general took up the pointer.

"This plan has been approved by the head of state, and you will soon receive written orders from the command." General Hassai added.

"Then, what is the name of this battle? Sir." Lieutenant General Rudolf Kempf, commander of the Thirty-One Infantry Division, asked.

Kucheler smiled and replied: "The head of state clearly instructed in his reply that he named the operation "Desert Storm"."

PS: The two-in-one chapter is here, I hope you will like it.

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