Chapter 16 Chapter 3 Masters play tricks and scheming (Allied forces recover North Africa and occupy Italy)

After the Battle of Alamein, Churchill said: "Before the Battle of Alamein, we were invincible; after the Battle of Alamein, we were invincible." Although this statement is a bit exaggerated, it is true of the North African battlefield. portrayal. In November 1942, the Allied forces launched Operation "Torch" to launch a pincer attack on the retreating German and Italian troops, and carried out landing operations in French North Africa—now Algeria and Morocco—to threaten the German and Italian troops from the southern flank. The campaign was led by Lieutenant General Eisenhower of the U.S. Army and Commander-in-Chief of the Navy by British Admiral Cunningham.The landing force consisted of 107,000 people, supported by 16 aircraft carriers, 7 battleships, 9 cruisers, and a large number of destroyers, minesweepers and various landing ships, a total of 650 ships.The 1,700 aircraft of the British Air Force used Gibraltar as a base to implement campaign cover. In the early morning of November 8, the Allied forces launched operations simultaneously in three groups.The landing site was garrisoned by the Vichy French army, with a total force of about 200,000 and 500 aircraft.

The Allies expected only weak resistance to the North African landings under Vichy French control.Just on November 8, the French resistance in Algiers staged a coup, arresting the Vichy French commander and taking control of the garrison before the Allies landed.As a result, the Allied landings in Algiers met no resistance, and the Allies captured Algiers and the Vichy French North African command that evening. However, Vichy French forces in Oran and Morocco put up more fierce resistance to the Allied landings.After three days of negotiations and threats, the U.S. Army Clarke and General Eisenhower forced Vichy French General Darlan to order the Vichy French forces in Oran and Morocco to stop resistance on November 11. Darlan's condition was that he would become the A leader of the Free French Movement.However, on Christmas Eve 1942, the controversial Darlan was assassinated and killed. During Operation Torch, U.S., Vichy French, and German naval vessels fought the Battle of Casablanca, in which U.S. forces won a decisive victory.

During the "Torch" operation, some French officers cooperated with the Allied forces, and the Allied forces were able to quickly consolidate the landing site. However, the landing site was too far away from the German Afrika Korps and the weather was bad, so they could not quickly advance eastward and occupy Tunisia.This landing battle was the first large-scale sea-crossing and landing battle using landing ships "from ship to shore" in the history of warfare. It provided experience for the subsequent landing battles in Sicily and Normandy in terms of campaign organization, arm coordination, and equipment use. .

The Allies landed successfully, and France was out of luck.Hitler's style is to beat you if you don't obey. In a fit of anger, he ordered the German army to occupy Vichy France, and finally all of France fell.In addition, the French fleet at Toulon was captured and most of the ships were scuttled by the French themselves to prevent them from being used by the Axis powers.Vichy French troops in North Africa joined the Allies in the Free French Army. After the Allies occupied Algeria and Morocco, further east was Tunisia, which was the lair of German and Italian troops in North Africa.The British, American and French armies decided to capture Tunisia, smash the German-Italian African Army Group, and drive all German-Italian troops out of North Africa.

On December 26, 1942, Rommel, who was defeated in the Battle of Alamein, led the African Armored Army with 78,000 people (including 30,000 German troops) and more than 130 tanks to retreat to the Maret area on the border between Libya and southern Tunisia.Hitler ordered Rommel to return home for medical treatment after consolidating the new position.Rommel's African Armored Army was also renamed the First Italian Army, commanded by Marshal Messi of Italy. On January 14, 1943, the United Kingdom and the United States decided to set up a war zone in the North African battlefield, and reorganized the North African Allied Forces into the Eighteenth Army Group. The US Second Army and part of the French Army commanded a total of 18 divisions and 2 brigades. General Alexander of the United Kingdom served as the commander of the army group, and unified command of all the Allied ground forces in North Africa.General Eisenhower, commander-in-chief of the Allied Expeditionary Force, served as the commander-in-chief of the campaign.Compared with the German and Italian armies, the Allied forces had many advantages: twice as many infantry, twice as many artillery, and three times as many tanks. Only German submarines posed a slight threat to the Allied forces.

However, the disadvantage in terms of military strength is nothing to "Desert Fox", he has long been used to winning more with less.Rommel, who was about to leave office, was keenly aware of the new fighter.At that time, Montgomery had just captured Tripoli, and it would take some time to prepare for a new offensive. Therefore, the British 8th Army, which was in front of Rommel's troops, did not pose a threat for the time being.To the west, the British First Army under Anderson and the American Second Army under Fredendall threatened the German rear.Rommel decided to take advantage of the gap between the two enemy forces, first defeat the Allied forces behind by outflanking and surprise attacks from the back, and then turn around and attack Montgomery.

It was an excellent battle plan, but it encountered difficulties in its implementation.The German Arnim Fifth Panzer Army near Rommel's army was not under Rommel's command, and Arnim did not actively cooperate with Rommel.The worst thing is that Rommel's offensive plan was cracked by the Allied forces, but luckily in the misfortune, the Allied forces got the German army's main attack location wrong, thinking that the German army's main attack location was near Fonduque, and assembled near Fonduque heavily armed. On February 14, 1943, German and Italian troops launched an offensive.The Fifth Army of Arnim launched a main attack on the position of the US Second Army from Verde Pass, severely damaging the US 1st Armored Division.Rommel's troops also succeeded again and again, capturing the Kasserine Pass, but were stopped by Allied reinforcements near Tara, south of Le Cave. On February 22, Rommel ordered a retreat.

Although the attack was small in scale, the results were brilliant.Although Rommel failed to achieve the strategic goal of forcing the Allied forces to withdraw from Tunisia, it caused heavy losses to the US military.The U.S. Second Army had 3,000 killed, 4,000 captured, and 260 tanks destroyed or captured. This was the heaviest loss the U.S. military suffered on the North African battlefield.General Eisenhower, who was humiliated in this battle, replaced Fredendall and appointed Patton as the commander of the US Second Army.Patton, who is brave and good at fighting, has long been eager to fight Rommel, the "Desert Fox". He said: "I have read Rommel's book countless times, studied every one of his battles, and think I know him well. My lifelong wish It is to fight against him."

In order to solve the problem of unified command of the North African army, on February 23, Hitler appointed Rommel as the commander of the newly formed African Armored Army Group, and officially assigned Arnim to Rommel's command.After Rommel received a new command, he decided to attack Montgomery first.However, the direction and timing of the German attack were deciphered by the Allied forces. Montgomery knew Rommel's plan well and was ready to fight. In the early morning of March 6, Rommel assembled 160 tanks from three and a half armored divisions and launched an attack.At 8 o'clock in the morning, when the German armored forces advanced to a ridge, they were violently attacked by nearly 500 anti-tank guns that Montgomery had already deployed here.By noon, the Germans were still unable to break through.At 5 o'clock in the afternoon, Rommel ordered the cancellation of the attack, and the German army had lost 50 tanks.

On March 9, the disheartened Rommel returned home for vacation, and left his famous place-North Africa forever.General Patton, who wanted to fight Rommel, was disappointed after hearing the news. After Rommel left, the German and Italian troops in North Africa were defeated.Under the attacks of Montgomery and Patton, Rommel's successor Arnim led the African Armored Army Group with a total of 14 divisions of more than 200,000 people to retreat to northern Tunisia. On the night of April 19, Montgomery launched an attack from the south first.By May 6, with the support of 400 artillery pieces and the air force, the British 1st Army attacked with all its strength, and the German and Italian troops finally couldn't stand it and retreated.The British Moorshid recorded: "The Germans have been completely panicked. They will be at a loss when they see the British tanks passing by. In fear, the Germans rushed to the beach, but they found that the beach was empty. No ships, no planes, so the army completely collapsed."

On May 13, two months after the "Desert Fox" Rommel left North Africa, Admiral Arnim and Marshal Messer surrendered to the Allied forces one after another. About 100,000 German troops and 150,000 Italian troops were captured, and only 633 People flee from the sea. The Allies won the Battle of Tunisia.The two-year and eight-month North African War has come to an end.