Chapter 146 Strategy
Therefore, some people evaluate Rommel as "a giant in tactics and a dwarf in strategy."
What this means is that Rommel only cared about immediate interests and completely ignored the importance of Malta... They believed that Malta was the key to long-term interests and the outcome of the entire battlefield.
But objectively speaking, this evaluation of Rommel is biased.
Because Rommel also considered strategy, not only but also a larger strategy... As mentioned before, Rommel was considering the support of the American industrial machine to the British army.
In other words, if the battle is not decided quickly and is allowed to develop, even if the German army captures Malta and completely improves the supply conditions of the Afrika Korps, it will still have to face the German army adding one tank and the British army adding two or three tanks. There was a situation of one or even four tanks, and the tanks added by the British army were more advanced than the German "Plank III" tanks.
Facts also proved that Rommel's worries were justified, because historically Rommel was ultimately unable to achieve a quick victory. The African Corps was blocked by the British army at the El Alamein line of defense, which turned the war in North Africa into a protracted stalemate... …As time went by, Britain received a large amount of American equipment, including "Bazooka" rocket launchers, self-propelled artillery, anti-tank guns and various types of tanks. The most noteworthy one is that not long after it left the factory, even the US military The "Sherman" tank that was urgently installed was not available.
The total combat weight of the "Sherman" tank is 33.6 tons. Both its protection and firepower far exceed Germany's 20-ton "Plank III" tank. Only the new "Plank IV" tank can rival it, and in the hands of the Afrika Korps There are only a dozen "Plank IV" tanks.
From this, we can also know how badly the British army fought in North Africa... The British army has always had an advantage in strength and equipment in North Africa, but it still suffered repeated defeats until the equipment and strength could be described as "defying the heavens." Only then was victory achieved.
The British cheered for such a victory and called Montgomery, the commander who only knew frontal push, a "military genius."
In fact, this can also reflect the mentality of the British at the time... So far, they are still recognized as the world's most powerful country. They are unwilling to come down from this altar and cannot accept it psychologically, so they are doing everything they can to influence public opinion. He may have magnified his victory and intentionally ignored those objective conditions that can determine victory or defeat.
As the saying goes, "History is written by the victors." This is the case in Britain, and it is also the case with Rommel.
Rommel decided to take a gamble on the African battlefield. He lost and became a "tactical giant and a strategic dwarf."
At this time, Rommel had Hitler's support, and his ideas and plans quickly became a reality.
Kesselring was easy to solve. Hitler sent a telegram and asked him to immediately stop all actions on the island of Malta and instead fully support the Afrika Korps in attacking Egypt.
Kesselring called back several times to object, but the telegrams disappeared without a reply... Kesselring soon understood that he had to accept this order. Hitler did not give him any chance to discuss it, which meant that there was no room for negotiation. .
On the other hand, the Afrika Korps also needs the support of the Italian army. After all, Italy is the "logistics defense" force of the Afrika Korps. Without their cooperation, it would be difficult for the German army to launch an attack.
(Note: General Garibaldo, the Italian commander, also opposed the attack on Egypt, but Rommel did not take his opposition seriously at all)
What Hitler did was to send a telegram to Mussolini: "Dear Prime Minister, the last moment has arrived. If you can give absolute support to the Afrika Korps, then Cairo is just around the corner. Everything depends on you!"
Mussolini himself was an ambitious man, but he was helpless because he was "the fate of the young lady's maid". Several times he tried to expand the territory of Italy but was frustrated because he was too weak. Now a great opportunity is right in front of him. Where is it? Willing to let it go easily...
So Mussolini immediately ordered all Italian troops to cooperate with the German actions, and instructed the Italian General Staff to postpone the capture of Malta until two months later... Mussolini estimated that this battle would last two days. months.
This fully reflects the romantic character of the Italians. They always picture a bright future in their minds. Even the Germans don't know when they will win, so Mussolini has it figured out for them.
What's more, Mussolini was so anxious that he flew a white horse to Tobruk so that he could ride the white horse into Cairo in a majestic manner...
The British army also realized that the German army would launch a full-scale counterattack.
In fact, it was the "super secret" cracking of the telegram between Rommel and Hitler that served as a warning, so the entire Eighth Army and even the United Kingdom became busy.
Churchill simply couldn't believe that the "Crusader" operation had failed like this. This failure not only had a serious military impact, but more importantly, it greatly damaged the reputation of the British army... You must know that the United States fully supports the British army. The Eighth Army, as evidenced by the fact that they handed so many tanks and supplies into the hands of the British in a short period of time, these tanks were destroyed by the Germans even just after landing. What was even worse was that the battle damage ratio reached an unimaginable level. Twenty to one, that is, if the Germans lose one tank, the British will lose twenty or more.
Roosevelt was very unhappy about this. After hearing the result, he sent a telegram to Churchill: "Dear Prime Minister, I don't know why we lost this battle. I only know that people all over the world think that American tanks are coffins because of this. They are vulnerable to German tanks!"
The United States made its fortune by arms, so of course it cares about the performance of its equipment, which is directly related to its economy, but this signboard was almost smashed by the British Eighth Army.
"Sorry, Mr. President!" Churchill hurriedly replied: "I believe this is because the soldiers have not yet adapted to the speed and operation of American tanks. Your tanks have good performance and rarely break down in the desert. This is the unanimous response of the front-line soldiers, and they also hope to continue using your equipment."
After a pause, Churchill sent another telegram: "So I hope to get more equipment and more help..."
Churchill was a little panicked.
Churchill couldn't calm down, because this was no longer a question of replacing the commander of the Eighth Army like last time, but a question of the United States' distrust and even the British House of Commons' doubts about whether Churchill was suitable to be prime minister and whether to consider dismissing him.