stonecrandall Chapter 755
Chapter 755
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: 0.089s Scan: 0.076sMalta was snatched from the Gauls by the British during the Napoleonic Wars. Because of its critical geographical location, this place is crucial for controlling the Mediterranean and blocking the way south of Italy and Gauls.
Especially after the Suez Canal was opened to navigation, in order to protect the safety of the Suez Canal, the British army moved the defense line westward and built the first line of defense in the Malta area to block the enemy’s possible attack on the Suez Canal.
At this time, if the German army wants to occupy and control the Suez Canal, then Malta must be taken!
Rommel is not unaware of the importance of Malta, but he is also very clear that a direct attack here will inevitably make the British army in Aiji take precautions, and once they are prepared for defense, the German attack will be very difficult, and they may suffer heavy losses in the landing battle, so Rommel bypassed Malta and marched directly towards Aiji!
This step is a stroke of genius, and of course it is very likely to be the culprit that led to the destruction of the entire army.
In history, Rommel failed because of this step, but in this time and space, history is destined not to repeat itself!
After receiving Rommel’s request, Dönitz sent Rear Admiral Nimitz with the navy’s two aircraft carriers, Hindenburg and Friedrich the Great, to Malta to launch an attack under the escort of two Scharnhorst-class battleships.
On the other hand, the German main fleet, under the command of Lütjens, was chasing the British Mediterranean Fleet in the Mediterranean.
The Mediterranean is large in area and has complex waterways. The British Mediterranean Fleet is stationed here all year round and is much more familiar with the hydrological and meteorological conditions here than the Germans. So they made full use of the characteristics of the terrain to circle the German fleet. The German fleet almost caught up with them several times, but they eventually escaped!
Although the Navy of the Sun Never Sets suffered heavy losses in the Battle of the North Sea and the Battle of Spaka Gulf, it is undeniable that they are still one of the most powerful navies of this era.
The failure they suffered was due to the large gap in the performance of the weapons of both sides, and on the other hand, it was also related to the British army’s own carelessness and underestimation of the enemy!
They believed that the German army had developed too short a time, so they did not have a strong combat capability. They had dominated the world for hundreds of years and had rich combat experience far exceeding that of the German army, so if the two sides fought, they would definitely win a great victory!
However, such arrogance disappeared completely after the two naval battles!
The British army began to face their opponents and began to learn lessons!
Although they were reluctant, they had to admit that the German navy had surpassed them, so continuing to despise the enemy would not bring them any benefits. Only by facing the enemy and paying attention to the enemy could they win!
Therefore, after learning from the lessons of the previous failure, the British army summed up one point: After all, the German navy is a new navy, and their experience accumulation is much worse than that of the British army. The British army has sailed and fought in almost every sea area of the four oceans and seven seas in the world, which has provided him with rich experience and a large amount of hydrological and meteorological data from various places!
These data are their best help against Germany!
Take the Mediterranean naval battle this time for example. The British knew that they had no chance of winning in a head-on confrontation, so they took the initiative to avoid the Germans. After the Germans entered the Mediterranean, they left the port of Malta and began to enter the Mediterranean to play hide-and-seek with the Germans, and occasionally attacked the German transport ships that were alone!
In a few days, three German transport ships were sunk one after another. Most of these ships were from southern Gaul, carrying a large amount of weapons and ammunition, food, fresh water, medicines and other supplies!
Although these ships were collected from Gaul and transported basically the supplies collected from Gaul, these supplies were prepared for the Germans. Being attacked and sunk by the British army in this way still had a significant impact on the German combat operations, so Lütjens was very angry!
This group of British troops is as slippery as a group of loaches. They gather and disperse from time to time, making full use of their own advantages of being familiar with this sea area, and take the German army in circles. They dare not challenge the German main fleet directly, but their eyes are always on those lone transport ships or lone warships!
As long as they find an opportunity, they will definitely take the opportunity to launch an attack and create trouble for the German army!
This tactic is simply a guerrilla war at sea. This tactic is definitely impossible to implement in such a vast sea area as the Atlantic Ocean, but in the Mediterranean Sea, which is full of islands and reefs, there is enough stage for them to display!
Therefore, the German army has no good way to take them in a short time!
However, although it is impossible to capture the opponent’s Mediterranean Fleet and annihilate it all, it does not mean that the German army is helpless against them!
The biggest weakness of this British fleet is that they are trapped in the Mediterranean. As long as the German army takes the Suez Canal, no matter how big the Mediterranean is, there is no safe foothold for them.
Therefore, even if the navy cannot annihilate them now, as long as the army’s attack can succeed, they will have nowhere to hide. Once the supplies and supply ports are cut off, the British Mediterranean Fleet will become a turtle in a jar and will be destroyed sooner or later!
Therefore, Dönitz gave orders to Lütjens, telling him not to worry, just bite the main force of the British army and prevent them from running around.
On the other hand, he concentrated two aircraft carriers and 50,000 Marines and rushed straight to Malta. As long as they took this place, they could use it as a transit station to establish a safe line of defense to block the British army’s harassment of the German logistics supply line!
Once the supply line in the rear is safe, the German army on the front line can launch an attack with confidence!
As long as Rommel’s North African Corps can successfully land and take down Aiji and control the Suez Canal, the death of this disgusting British fleet will come!
So, an island-grabbing battle that is crucial to both warring parties officially started!
The area of Malta is not very large, but after being occupied by the British army, it was built as a military fortress, so its solidity is not inferior to the Gibraltar Fortress. It is very difficult to conquer here!
However, the German army came prepared, and they prepared a big gift for the defenders here!
On August 9, the Battle of Malta officially began. A German air force from southern Gaul visited the sky over Malta and dropped 2,000 napalm bombs on Malta!
The entire island was instantly engulfed in flames, and it looked like an island burning in flames, which was extremely spectacular!