Chapter 717 Dispatching the 6th Royal Armoured Regiment

Tubrugg.

This is an important port city, and for the United Kingdom, it is of outstanding significance!

What's the point? Open the land channel!

The Middle East, one of Britain's most important overseas colonies, provided Britain with a large amount of raw materials, including oil.

But now, Gibraltar has been attacked by the shameful Spaniards, and when the flag of Gibraltar descends, marking the western gate of the Mediterranean Sea, it is closed.

Subsequently, Spain set up a patrol fleet in Gibraltar to check the incoming and outgoing cargo ships day and night. Because of the rapid decline in naval strength, the British Navy was temporarily unable to retake Gibraltar.

In this case, the materials in the Middle East can only detour to the southern tip of Africa and walk in a big circle, and the distance has expanded several times! For the UK, this is unbearable.

If the sea is temporarily unable to get through, then we can only consider the land. If the British occupied Libya, it will be connected with the French colonies to the west, and as long as the support of the governor there is obtained, the entire North Africa will belong to the United Kingdom. Well, even if it doesn't go by sea, but by land, Britain can continue to be linked with the Middle East.

For the British army in the Middle East, attacking and attacking again is their only option!

At the same time, another aspect, of course, is the oil base in Libya.

Germany's war machine has been in operation until now, and it is inseparable from oil, and the main source of German oil is Libya! As long as the occupation of Libya, Germany will lose the most important oil resources!

As for the shares that the United States has invested in, it is also very easy to deal with. The big deal is to change it to join forces with BP and give American oil merchants some more shares. They will definitely be willing. The most important thing for businessmen is interests.

And these all require military victory!

In order to open up the situation in North Africa, the British also took out their belongings. In addition to the British troops originally in Africa, the British also mobilized a large number of troops from other colonies, including Australia, India and so on.

The start was very good, and the Italians were beaten like crazy. After occupying the important port of Tobruk in western Libya, General Wavell, the commander-in-chief of the British army, sat in Tobruk and took command in person.

And their luck ends here.

"One of the Australian troops we were guarding on the periphery came into contact with the German armored troops, and they all died." Klopp, commander of the Tobrugg Fortress, said to Wavell.

On the periphery, the German armored troops appeared!

"How many are they?" Wavell asked.

"There is only about one battalion of troops, we suspect, this is their vanguard." Klopp continued: "The German troops have begun to land in North Africa on a large scale."

The most unwilling thing to see happened, the Germans began to land in North Africa on a large scale!

How to do?

"It seems that we have to eat this German vanguard." Wavell said: "The Germans have just landed in Africa and are not yet accustomed to the environment here. We took advantage of the Germans' unpreparedness and eliminated this force. , boost our morale."

Morale is the most important thing. The British army in the Middle East beat the Italians and fled all the way. Their morale is booming. It would be even better if they ate the leading German troops!

Now, the European war situation is not optimistic. Only by winning the North African battlefield can the local morale be boosted!

"But what are we going to do with the Germans?" Klopp asked.

German tanks, in this era, are simply invincible!

Even if the British military industry is rapidly developing new tanks, so far, there is no mature plan to come out.

"The 6th Royal Armoured Regiment," Wavell said.

"Let them die?" Hearing Wavell's words, Alan Gordon Cunningham, commander of the British Eighth Army, couldn't help but ask.

Although the British mainland is dispatching a new tank force to reinforce the British army in the Middle East, but until now, they are still wandering at sea, and they have not reached Africa at all. Montgomery's feet have not yet stepped on the African desert. .

The 6th Royal Armoured Regiment is the only British armoured unit in the Middle East. Although they use newer Crusader tanks, this 20-ton cruiser tank cannot compete with the German main force at all. Tank confrontation.

The origin of this cruise tank has to start with the "Covenant" tank.

Historically, the "Covenant" cruise tank has been designed since 1937, and was finalized in 1940. It is similar to the A13 cruise tank in appearance, and is equipped with a 2-pounder gun with a caliber of 40 mm. The suspension is decidedly Christie-style, and the large diameter road wheels stand out.

This tank has good mobility, but the armor is thin and the firepower is weak.

And now, the progress of the British is also ahead of history. After all, a year or two ago, the European continent was already covered with clouds, and it is urgent to improve the performance of the "Covenant" tank.

The "Crusader" cruiser tank was improved on the basis of the "Covenant" tank and was jointly manufactured by several companies under the leadership of the Nuffield Company. The development progress is very fast, and it did not catch up with the equipment for the British Expeditionary Force, but it has caught up with now.

Tanks were produced, some defended the British mainland, and some were also transported to the Middle East, where they were equipped for the regiments in the Middle East.

The British named this tank the Crusaders, and the significance is quite profound.

However, this still does not change the fact. It is okay to bully the Italians, but it is absolutely impossible to fight against the main German tanks. After all, even if a 57mm tank gun is used, it cannot penetrate the main armor of German tanks. how to spell?

Therefore, even the commander of the Eighth Army, the main force of the British army, is asking back, are they going to die?

"We have no choice," Wavell said. "Are we going to give up here? Wait for the Germans, hit Egypt, hit our Suez Canal, and drive us out of the Middle East? We can't go back. Everyone knows the offensive power of Germany, we must resist it!”

Wavell sees further, now, is a turning point, the whole Middle East war, the most crucial point, they have no choice.

"It's not completely dead. The Germans came all the way, and their tanks may have run out of fuel and could not be started. For us, this is a good opportunity." Wavell's words changed: "We must seize this opportunity. Live, otherwise, we will be the sinners of the times!"

Up to now, the German army has simply created the myth of invincibility. If this myth of the Germans is broken here, these people in Egypt will create a miracle! Maybe this will be the turning point of the whole World War II?

"We definitely can't fight head-on, but we can go around behind the Germans! In terms of familiarity with the terrain, that's definitely our advantage."