Chapter 136 Target

The actions of the German army unsurprisingly startled General Auchinleck.

"Their target is actually Cairo!" General Auchinleck said.

"Yes!" the staff officer replied: "The intelligence obtained from General Burton also confirmed this. The Germans changed their marching direction, and the target is Cairo!"

"How many troops do we have in Cairo?" General Auchinleck asked.

"There is only one infantry battalion!" the staff officer replied: "The others are all air force and logistics personnel!"

The staff officer's answer surprised General Auchinleck.

If a German armored division rushes into Cairo, the air power that the British army has always been proud of in North Africa will suffer a heavy blow... The aircraft may be able to be transferred urgently, but the airport ground staff, maintenance personnel and a large number of Parts cannot be transferred in time.

This is because Cairo is located inland. Although the Nile River helps with transportation, it is difficult to transport these large quantities of precious resources safely in a short time. Moreover, if this happens... the German Air Force can use Cairo as a base to blockade Suez. The canal will then cause a double blow to the British army, both spiritually and materially.

Thinking of this, General Auchinleck couldn't help but feel a little anxious. Although the British army was much more powerful than the German army, the German army was scurrying around the defense line like a mouse. Those who blocked it from the left and the right could not stop it. , and now there is even a threat of directly taking over the Egyptian command center.

"Send a telegram to the 7th Armored Division immediately!" After a pause, General Auchinleck ordered: "Let them follow the Germans closely and never let the Germans escape from sight!"

"yes!"

General Auchinleck's idea was simple. As long as the 7th Armored Division followed the German 21st Armored Division and sent reinforcements to Cairo, the British army would have an advantage in strength no matter what.

But what General Auchinleck did not expect was that it was precisely this order that pushed the British 7th Armored Division into a pit of fire.

The tracks rattled, the motor rumbled, and the air was filled with the smell of smoke and exhaust.

The 21st Armored Division marched all the way across the desert in the direction of Cairo. It was so majestic that at a glance the entire desert seemed to be filled with vehicles.

But in fact, even the German "Plank III" tank with excellent performance cannot run wildly in the desert at the highest speed without restraint.

This is because the tank needs to undergo necessary maintenance and engine cooling after running for a period of time... This is a painful disease of tank marching, especially when marching in a desert with windy sand and high temperature. The windy sand will block the air inlet of the tank, and the high temperature will cause The engine is overheating.

Among them, there will inevitably be a few tanks that break down and need emergency repairs. The total number of German tanks is not large, so it is impossible to just leave it alone if it breaks down, let alone leave it behind, because behind it is the British Army. 7 Armored Division, leaving them behind means leaving them to the enemy.

So as long as a few tanks break down, the entire army often has to stop.

These reasons allow the 21st Armored Division to march about 80 kilometers a day... Under extreme circumstances, the tank troops commanded by Rommel in North Africa marched more than 100 kilometers a day, but that was a rapid insertion, and it would not matter if a tank broke down along the way. Throw it down without hesitation.

This speed may not be very good for modern times. Driving a car at a speed of a hundred or dozens of yards per hour on the highway for more than half an hour is only 80 kilometers.

But it is already very difficult in this era, and it would be even more tragic if it were a "Matilda" tank.

It was obvious that the British 7th Armored Division would be faster, because several times Qinchuan and the German soldiers could see the vague silhouette of the "Stuart" tank appearing in the rear from a distance.

From this aspect, the "Stuart" tank is indeed excellent. Of course, this is also related to the fact that the "Stuart" tank itself is lighter and more suitable for marching in the desert.

However, these British tanks just hung far behind and did not dare to approach easily, because the German artillery often used this opportunity to practice their skills...

This is a good opportunity to practice anti-tank gunnery.

Compared with tanks, anti-tank guns have many advantages, such as wider vision and longer range... In fact, the gun is still the same gun. The tank gun is a modification of the anti-tank gun, but it is not easy for the gunner to operate in the narrow space of the tank. It is not easy to judge the distance when finding a target, so the range is greatly shortened.

More importantly, the anti-tank guns have a low body and can be hidden in any trench dug in the position. Only the barrel and a small part of the shield are exposed. It is difficult for the tank crew in the tank to find their position. Many of them are The tank crew was not alerted to the threat until the anti-tank gun opened fire, but by then it was already too late.

So at the beginning, the British tanks would rush in and pursue them... The British had not enjoyed this feeling of speed for a long time. In the past, they were always driven behind by the enemy while driving infantry tanks that were faster than infantry walking. Behind me, I was holding back my anger. I couldn't help but speed up the "Stuart" that was faster than the "No. 3" and wanted to show off.

As a result, the German soldiers had the same mentality... German gunners had not enjoyed the feeling of being able to penetrate enemy tanks for a long time. They used PAK36 before, but the penetration was like scratching an itch and could not penetrate the Matilda, even the weak rear armor. They were so angry that they now used PAK38, which could penetrate the Matilda at about 400 meters. When they saw the British tanks coming up, they couldn't help but get itchy and set up their guns to "boom" a few times. In the blink of an eye, several "Stuarts" became scrap metal, and the tank crews didn't even find out where the enemy was.

The final result was that the "Stuart" always consciously followed one kilometer away.

If it was at other times, the German 21st Armored Division would be uncomfortable facing this situation, because the "Stuart" tank was faster than the "No. 3" and there was always a tail behind it. No matter where they went or where they attacked, they had to consider whether their backs would be attacked.

But now...

The Germans just want the 7th Armored Division to catch up.

This happened on the first day, and the second day.

On the third day...

General Stryker estimated that the fuel was almost half consumed. If he didn't take action, he might not be able to return to Sidioma to replenish fuel and supplies. More importantly, the British 7th Armored Division had also distanced itself from the Australian 6th Infantry Division.

So General Stryker planned to take action on this day.

The British 7th Armored Division was unaware of this and thought it would be the same as usual, and all it had to do was continue to advance with the Germans.