Chapter 1637 Repeating the Same Mistake

The fierce dispute between Rommel and Rundstedt came to an end. The matter finally ended with the Führer's personal decision to strictly prohibit Rommel from casually deploying precious armored forces in the counterattack against the enemy on the beach.

After witnessing the powerful power of the Allied strategic bombing, Berlin began to have a clearer understanding of how powerful the enemy's air force was.

In addition, the beach counterattack faced not only those Allied flies flying and buzzing in the sky, but also the disgusting British Royal Navy, which was a troublemaker everywhere.

You can underestimate the combat effectiveness of the British Army. These guys may not be the opponents of the German Iron Cavalry when they fight on the ground. After all, they have been beaten like a stray dog ​​and driven away once on the European continent.

But in Germany, anyone who has a little knowledge of military power comparison will never underestimate the British Royal Navy.

Apart from other things, the total number of British battleships, including all kinds of old and broken ships, must be more than ten or twenty.

A large tube with a caliber of 300 mm or more is placed on the sea surface, and no matter what tank you come, it will be destroyed on the spot under the roar of artillery fire.

It is not realistic to rely on the army to drive the Allied forces into the sea without an advantage in the sky and on the sea.

After confirming that his proposal was rejected by Berlin, Rommel, who was still in a state of excitement, began to calm down and become much more sober.

Rommel recalled the painful lessons of his failure in North Africa, although he blamed those unreliable Italians on the surface. But as the supreme commander of the African Army, Rommel still had some idea of ​​what the real situation was.

Even if he could get enough supplies and long-term stable strategic support, it would still be unrealistic to defeat the Allied forces, whose days were getting longer and longer, whose equipment was getting more and more, and whose planes in the sky were getting darker and darker.

The powerlessness of the armored forces in the face of air strikes was so obvious, no matter how powerful the German steel tanks were, and how unmatched they were in sweeping across the land.

But when aerial bombs and air-launched rockets hit your head, no matter what kind of iron turtle you are crawling on the ground, all are equal.

In order to save the strategic misjudgment and failure that had already occurred, he seemed to be too much of a gambler, gambled everything on the intention of an unprecedented comeback.

Winning is certainly a good thing, but what if you lose?

What's more, the probability of losing is much greater than the probability of winning.

"What do you think, let the enemy go inland to fight?"

The more he thought about it, the more he felt scared of his impulsiveness. Although Rommel had clearly realized his mistake, he was still embarrassed to admit it in person, so he simply changed to a more tactful way to ask Rundstedt, who was still in his office and had not left.

Old Marshal Rommel, who had seen more salt than Rommel, knew what the young Marshal Rommel was thinking. Rommel's true mood was almost clearly written on his face.

"From the current situation, we must not confront the Allies head-on on the existing front. The air force and artillery are no match for the enemy. The Allies can easily move their bodies and there will be aircraft carriers and battleships to cover them. The overwhelming carrier-based aircraft and large-caliber naval guns will drown our troops within the range."

"Therefore, I advocate the withdrawal of all troops currently entangled with the Allies on the front line. The faster the better, don't drag your feet! Every minute of delay will lose precious troops, and it is difficult for us to replenish these losses now."

"After this, we must reorganize our defense outside the support range of the Allied Navy, at least outside the range of their battleship main guns. Resist the offensive of the Allied ground forces, kill their manpower, and launch a limited and fierce counterattack that can have a sufficient deterrent effect, depending on the situation, so that the Allies can fully experience our strength, at least the power of the German tanks on the ground."

Rommel was sure that he had heard Rundstedt's words clearly, but there was still something in his mind that was quite puzzling.

Then he stood up and walked to Rundstedt who was standing in front of the war zone map. After a brief comparison of the war zone situation in front of him, he asked.

"But what's the use of this? Our strategic situation is still very passive, and the strategic initiative is still in the hands of the Allies. As long as their navy is there, we will definitely not dare to launch a large-scale strategic counterattack. They can also continuously send more reinforcements from the sea. Sooner or later, we will be dragged down."

"Those Allies will notice this and take advantage of it. At that time, we will only be led by the nose. Isn't this strategic arrangement too passive?"

Because of the strategic misjudgment that just happened and the desperate mistake that followed, Rommel now seems to be somewhat guilty and lacks confidence in his words. This kind of tentative question with hesitation is really rare for Rundstedt.

However, this does not mean that Rundstedt will take the opportunity to add insult to injury and ridicule Rommel.

The old German commander knew clearly that now was not the time to do such a thing. The enemy situation and the entire strategy were unprecedentedly critical. Rundstedt now had to tell Rommel his true thoughts.

"We are going back to the old path of the First World War, Rommel. The difference is that the Russians will not withdraw from the war this time. This is the only thing I can guarantee. We and the Bolsheviks have become an irreconcilable blood feud. Those Russians will never give up until we are completely killed! This is much worse than the situation in the last war!"

"We failed to win the war before the Americans joined the last war. Now the Americans are back, and we have to count the Russians who want to skin us alive. Putting aside personal feelings, Rommel, if you look at this war from the perspective of a third party bystander, do you think Germany still has a chance to win?"

Rundstedt looked serious and his tone was serious. Anyone who was not a little kid could see that this veteran German general was not joking. He was discussing this issue with his young juniors very seriously.

Rommel wanted to give a confident answer, but when he looked into Rundstedt's sharp eyes that seemed to be able to penetrate his mind and soul, he suddenly felt that he had lost the ability and reason to lie, and he could not open his mouth even if the words came to his lips.