The Third Reich: The Return of the King

Chapter 740

See more

: 0.040s Scan: 0.020s

So at this time, we should create a big momentum and launch a military operation that is not very large in scale, but must have a great influence, to attract the attention of countries around the world, so that the bears can do their own purges at ease, further expand the scope of attack, and strive to purge all the commanders of their army as soon as possible. In this way, when the German army attacks, they may face a mob of bears!

After accepting the arrangement, Rommel soon arrived in the southern part of Gaul and began to form the North African Corps.

The main combat mission of the North African Corps is to capture North Africa and control the Suez Canal. Considering the desert terrain of North Africa, it is best for them to be mainly armored forces. However, in the desert area, the load-bearing capacity of the desert is relatively poor. Heavy tanks may be difficult to move here, and the logistics pressure will be relatively large, so the number of Type 4 tanks equipped by the North African Corps will be reduced.

The number of their Type 1 tanks will increase, and in order to further improve their mobility and combat capabilities, the Type 3 tank will also be introduced. This tank is eight tons lighter than the Type 4 tank, weighing only about 20 tons, equipped with a 75mm tank gun, and can reach a maximum speed of 65 kilometers per hour. It is currently the fastest tank in the German armored forces.

Because of the reduced weight, the armor protection performance of the Type 3 tank has decreased. The thickness of the front armor has dropped to 75 mm, and the thickness of the side armor has dropped to 50 mm. This thickness is actually enough to deal with general anti-tank guns and anti-tank guns. The Allies have not yet developed large-caliber anti-tank guns. The biggest threat to the German armored forces is the enemy’s anti-aircraft guns!

Because the barrel of a large-caliber anti-aircraft gun is too long, the initial velocity of the shell is too fast, so it has strong kinetic energy. If the opponent is equipped with armor-piercing shells, the armor-piercing ability will be greatly improved. In this case, simply increasing the thickness of the armor may not solve the problem. Not to mention that the Type 3 and Type 4 tanks can’t stand it, even the Tiger tank may not be able to withstand such damage.

So to deal with such a blow, you can only use a new type of protective gear such as reactive armor.

Reactive armor is a new type of protective gear developed by Rheinmetall. It is mainly through installing inert explosive blocks on the outside of the tank. When hit by a shell, the inert explosive will explode. The airflow and shock wave generated by the explosion will slow down and weaken the power of the enemy’s shells, so as to avoid causing casualties to the personnel in the vehicle after penetrating the tank’s armor.

This technology was originally a major advancement in the field of tank combat in various countries in the world after the 1970s and 1980s, but it was brought out by Mainz 50 years in advance and started to be used early.

The appearance of the Type 3 tank made Rommel highly anticipated. Since he was appointed as the commander of the North African Corps, he began to collect and study various intelligence in North Africa where he was going to fight.

Among these intelligence, the most critical is the Allied forces’ deployment in North Africa, the number of personnel and equipment, and their combat effectiveness.

The second is the terrain, climate and environment of North Africa, which have a great impact on the war.

Europe itself has no deserts, and Germany has no experience in fighting in desert terrain, so Rommel is more or less looking forward to and apprehensive about the battlefield he is about to go to.

A new environment and a new battlefield, and he still has the opportunity to lead the army alone, which is an opportunity for him. When people mention the famous generals of the German army, I am afraid that the first impression will be associated with Guderian, Manstein and Model. Few people will think of him Rommel first, and even, maybe not many people know his name!

There is no first in literature and no second in martial arts. Rommel is full of confidence in his own talents. He is certainly unwilling to fall behind others, so he has been working hard to improve his strength and patiently looking for opportunities, hoping to use his outstanding performance to justify himself and let the world know that the famous generals of the Third Reich are not only the three famous generals, but also Rommel!

However, whether it is the Battle of Gaul or the subsequent Battle of the Sun Never Sets, in these battles, the best performance is always Guderian and others. Although Rommel has done his best to complete his tasks, his performance can only be regarded as mediocre, and there is still a big gap compared with Guderian and Model who performed well!

This made Rommel understand one thing: if he can’t get rid of the shadows of these people and get rid of their influence, then he may be a follower behind these people all his life, and can only follow them to pick up some leaks, and there is no way to surpass them.

And the only way to surpass them is to get rid of their influence, go to a new battlefield without them, and use their performance to prove their strength, so that the whole world knows that their strength is not inferior to them, or even stronger than them!

Therefore, after receiving the appointment from the head of Mainz, Rommel did not refuse at all, but immediately accepted the task!

He was very excited because he realized that the opportunity he had been waiting for for a long time had come. As long as he could seize this opportunity, he would have the hope of spreading his name all over the world!

Therefore, Rommel really wanted to complete this operation well. He did not want any mistakes. Once he failed to complete the task smoothly, let alone become famous, he might be compared with Guderian and Manstein by others in all aspects, and then criticized by his failure! Therefore, this operation is an opportunity, but also a huge crisis.

If you do it well, you will be famous in history and even be promoted to the ranks of famous generals.

If you do not do it well, not only will his reputation be ruined, but his future may also be gone!

Therefore, Rommel had to treat it with caution. After he arrived in southern Gaul, he was waiting for his troops and new weapons and equipment on the one hand, and on the other hand, he was confirming the enemy’s intelligence and waiting for the cooperation of the navy and air force.

After all, the army does not have wings, and it is impossible to fly directly across the sea to Africa. They must take ships or planes to reach Africa, and this is inseparable from the support of the navy and the air force.

If it is a small-scale troop mobilization, the air force can complete this task, but it involves the mobilization of personnel of a corps, which is not something the air force can accomplish, so it ultimately depends on the navy.