Chapter 1122: Cavalry in the Great Desert

1939 was a good era. In this era, the art of negotiation relied mainly on the performance of one’s own country’s cannons. The range of the cannon was the border, the sound of the cannon was the volume of one’s voice, and the number of cannons represented how many people would listen when you spoke. Fortunately, the Germans were clearly the ones who could speak with confidence.

The “cannons” here obviously did not just refer to artillery pieces, but rather to the systematic weapon and equipment. The Third Reich’s greatest reliance for its invincibility was its 7.5 million high-quality, regular troops, and the tens of thousands of tanks and fighter planes they were equipped with. These forces were the most efficient and powerful killing machines in the world, machines that even the equally powerful Americans were wary of.

Amidst the rolling yellow sands of Arabia, a German Panther tank was driving forward at high speed. This tank, with a top speed of 45 kilometers per hour, provided the German armored forces with unparalleled mobility and was widely welcomed by German soldiers in the Arabian desert.

Following this German tank was another Panther, painted in a pale yellow desert camouflage. Rommel’s armored forces preferred this weapon—whose performance was [otherwise] average but which was incredibly fast. Compared to the Tiger and King Tiger tanks, this weapon’s comprehensive performance in the desert was better.

Further back was a six-wheeled armored scout car. The commander in the turret leaned against the antenna, swaying back and forth as his vehicle bounced over the sand. On either side of the armored car were German scouts on motorcycles, wearing goggles. This armored detachment was heading in force toward its objective along a predetermined route.

Behind the armored car were several more tanks. Judging by the numbers, there was at least one tank company and one reconnaissance company, reinforced with fuel trucks and infantry. It was a typical German armored configuration, possessing high mobility and independent combat capability in the vast desert. A coconut tree was outlined in white on the hulls of these armored vehicles, in an inconspicuous spot. It was the symbol of the German 7th Panzer Corps.

Of course, although their symbol was a coconut tree full of regional flavor, the enemies who had crossed hands with this unit still preferred to call this exceptionally formidable German armored force the “Devils.” The name “Devil Armored Division” became this division’s highest honor. Praise from the enemy seemed to be more satisfying than that from one’s own side.

Emulating the glorious tradition of the German forces from WWII in another timeline, many units in the German Wehrmacht with their own proud traditions were awarded honorary cuff titles by the General Staff. This cuff title, which purely represented the unit’s honor, was worn about an inch from the uniform’s cuff and was embroidered with the unit’s motto.

In this life, Rommel’s 7th Panzer Corps had its own cuff title, and its motto was personally bestowed by the Führer: “Become a devil and fight for Germany.” At this moment, on the filthy, light-colored summer uniforms of the German armored troops, on their grease-stained lapels, this dark cuff title on the edge of the short sleeve looked all the more conspicuous.

In the past month, because Marshal Garibaldi had returned to Italy to take power, Rommel had gained absolute command of the German-Italian allied forces in North Africa. He led a full 400,000 troops, rampaging through Saudi Arabia, chasing Mountbatten’s routed remnants until they fled in all directions. All the major newspapers in Germany were publicizing this extraordinary combat record. After all, these achievements were indeed worth boasting about.

Compared to the war progress on the Eastern Front, which often involved only 500 or even 300 meters a day, Rommel’s data from the Middle East—advancing 15 or even 30 kilometers at a time—was simply more inspiring. For this reason, the propaganda department under Fanny’s direction did not hesitate to shift its reporting focus to the Middle East situation, which sounded numerically more enticing.

If one were to say that Zhukov and Vatutin at the gates of Moscow were beasts fighting in a cage, then General Mountbatten in the Middle East could only be described as “a clever housewife trying to cook without rice.” The troops under his command simply could not be compared to Rommel’s German-Italian allied army. Ever since Rommel had crossed the Suez Canal, his troops’ situation had gone from bad to worse.

Ever since General Patton was defeated by German paratroopers in the battle of Damanhur in North Africa, the Allied forces in North Africa had been at a numerical disadvantage against the German-Italian army. Coupled with the German-Italian forces’ gradual control of the Mediterranean shipping lanes, the German-Italian army held an absolute lead in both weaponry and personnel.

With ample ammunition and reliable supplies, the German-Italian army’s decisive battle in Egypt went smoothly. Although Montgomery tried his best to hold on, he simply did not have the ability to turn the tide. After Cairo was occupied by the Germans and Mountbatten took over the Suez defense line, the British-American allied forces at this point had very little ability left to stop the German-Italian offensive.

Whether it was igniting the oil field reserves or counter-attacking Turkey, these were just minor actions by the Allies to disrupt the situation. They were completely unable to shake the German-Italian army’s advantageous position on the battlefield. Of course, Mussolini’s attempt to switch sides was the Allies’ last hope in the Middle East, but that operation turned into a farce, and the hopes of the defenders in the Middle East were completely dashed.

The German tanks and planes were clearly more effective in combat than the British Indian grunts. Although Mountbatten struggled to prop up the festering situation in the Middle East, he still could not reverse the Allies’ rapid collapse. Germany had deployed two army groups in the Middle East and Egypt, totaling over 490,000 men. Italy also had 800,000 troops in North Africa and the Middle East. Although the front line was so long that the two countries only had 470,000 troops at the front, this was still a powerful force that the Allies could not hope to match.

One shouldn’t wonder why such a massive force could only maintain 470,000 men at the front. After all, the German and Italian troops were spread all the way from Tunisia to Saudi Arabia. Local security and garrison forces, frequent leave and rotations due to the harsh environment, and logistical difficulties like fuel transport… giving Rommel the chance to experience commanding 400,000 men was already the result of the German and Italian logistics departments straining every nerve.

Ever since losing the Strait of Gibraltar, the Allies had completely lost the vital Mediterranean supply line. Without this close-range resupply channel, reinforcing the Middle East could only be done by going around southern Africa. The cost and time wasted on such a long detour was, even for the wealthy United States, absolutely agonizing.

If not for the 40,000 US troops who were sent to Saudi Arabia after the absurdly failed landing operation in Italy, Mountbatten might have already collapsed and retreated to India. However, these few tens of thousands of American soldiers had now been worn down by the climate and German attacks. So Mountbatten had once again abandoned his position and begun to retreat toward India.

Allied soldiers in Syria, Turkey, and Iran also began to rapidly contract their lines. De Gaulle’s Free French forces laid down their arms and chose to surrender. The Vichy French government had used 400 tons of hidden gold to “persuade” the Third Reich to absorb these troops. Since the god-like Germans had spoken, Turkey immediately forgot that these same Free French troops had just killed tens of thousands of Turkish soldiers. They happily sent them onto trucks, transported them to Istanbul, and put them on boats back to France.

Amidst the rolling yellow sand, the advancing German armored force stopped in front of a large contingent. The backward Arab cavalrymen in the group opposite, rifles slung on their backs, sat on camels and warily watched the dust-covered Germans. A few leaders, who looked to be of higher status, walked to the front of the German armored detachment and stated their purpose in broken German: “We have come on the orders of King Ibn Saud to negotiate with the honorable German military representatives. We hope both sides can coexist peacefully in Saudi Arabia and avoid any unpleasant conflicts.”

“Setting fire to the oil fields and burning the reserved fuel, that’s what they call ‘coexisting peacefully’?” a German driver, leaning against the tank’s hatch, asked the commander in the turret, who was wearing his cap at a crooked angle. “These cavalry are even more backward than the Poles. We could take out half of them with one burst.”

“Shut up!” The commander, unlike his subordinate, wasn’t just thinking about how to kill all the enemies in front of him. He frowned, then pressed his throat mic and reported his discovery to his battalion headquarters via radio: “Battalion HQ? Battalion HQ? This is K-Squad’s commander. We’ve found a group of Arabs who want to negotiate. How to proceed? Please respond.”

“Shh… shhh…” A burst of static came from the earpiece, followed by a fragmented reply. They were already near the communication limit of their radio equipment, so the call quality was not good. “Arabs… bring them… ensure safety… bring back…”

After helplessly confirming the order a second time, the frontline commander finally understood the command. He nodded, then spoke to the somewhat apprehensive Arab leaders: “Follow behind us. Don’t try anything funny, or I’ll give the order to fire.”

He gestured as he spoke, finally making these Arabs, whose German was not very good, understand him. The group quickly nodded and had the Arab cavalry follow from a distance. Just like that, they followed this German assault detachment, codenamed K-Squad, and began their trek toward a distant, temporary command post.

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