Chapter 463: General
“An Italian transport ship has just set sail from the southern port. It is expected to arrive in Libya at this time tomorrow,” a staff officer reported, standing behind Rommel and opening a file to brief him on the logistical progress of the German Afrika Korps.
“Requisition the fuel from the Italian 1st Corps. Tell their corps commander that my troops will launch a counter-attack in three hours, and they are to give us all their fuel!” Rommel said with a smile, tapping his finger on the map.
Hearing this, the deputy commander of the Afrika Korps, the Italian General Garibaldi, frowned and had to interject. “General Rommel, all the fuel from the 1st Corps? Won’t that turn our Italian 1st Corps into an immobile empty shell?”
“Either I give you all the fuel I have, and your 1st Corps attacks, and we’ll be the empty shell, or the other way around,” Rommel said without turning his head.
If the Italian 1st Corps were capable of launching a counter-attack, then Italy’s arrogant leader, Mussolini, would not have sent a dozen telegrams a day to Berlin, begging Akado for rescue. So General Garibaldi immediately shut his mouth.
However, there were others who were unwilling to see Rommel take such a risk. The commander of the 7th Panzer Division stepped forward. “General, the 7th SS Panzer Division is still in Italy, and the 17th Infantry Division is also on its way. Relying on just us and the 7th Infantry Corps… isn’t this a bit too hasty?”
Friedrick was now the commander of the 7th Infantry Corps. His old unit, the 7th Infantry Division, had been expanded into the current Afrika Korps’ 7th Infantry Corps. He now had a lot of good equipment, some of which was not even available in mainline infantry corps.
For example, the panzergrenadier division in his infantry corps was the closest to full strength, with seven armored battalions equipped with the new “Jagdpanther” assault gun, which was based on a modified Panther tank chassis. It also had more trucks and 105mm self-propelled howitzers based on modified Panzer II tanks.
If one also counted the 150 old Panzer II tanks that had been given to Rommel for free, it could be said that Rommel’s Afrika Korps was more mobile and flexible than the average German unit. The disadvantage, of course, was that this force consumed a lot of fuel, which was why most units in Germany had not been strengthened on such a large scale.
“General,” Friedrick said, looking at the map and pointing to the British defensive line that Rommel was preparing to break through. “The Army High Command sent us here with orders to stabilize the situation in Africa, not to launch a counter-attack.”
Rommel stopped studying the map, turned to look at Friedrick, and asked, “If the Führer and the High Command wanted us to defend, why didn’t they send the experienced List or Model?”
As he spoke, he pointed to the map. “Our reconnaissance units have found the junction between their two corps. As long as we break through here, we can drive straight in. The British supply lines are too long. By the time they stabilize their positions, we will already be in Tobruk.”
“What about the Army High Command? We just received a telegram from them telling us to stabilize the situation as much as possible, and now we’re attacking… This is a clear sign of disrespect for Field Marshal von Brauchitsch.”
“We are here to bring victory back to Germany, to repay the Führer’s trust with victory… As for the others, does Rommel care what other people think?” Rommel sneered, then looked at the Italian army commander, General Garibaldi. “In two hours, I want the fuel and ammunition supplies ready. In three hours, at 5:30 AM, the Afrika Korps will launch its attack on time.”
“Yes, sir!” Friedrick and the commander of the 7th Panzer Division replied, snapping to attention.
With the order given, the German army began to prepare for battle. The newly arrived 17th Infantry Division was responsible for covering the flanks, the 27th Infantry Division for the security of the rear supply lines, and the main front was entirely handed over to the 7th Panzer Division and the 7th Panzergrenadier Division. The two units would set out in the early morning and launch a full-scale attack on the British army at dawn.
If Rommel could earn the reputation of the “Desert Fox” in later generations, he was certainly not just a reckless general who only knew how to attack. His offensive plans relied more on cunning and variable tactics than on the brute force of a fight to the death.
This time, he placed his main infantry force, the 7th Panzergrenadier Division, on the main front and then gave the large-scale flanking maneuver to the more mobile 7th Panzer Division. He was preparing to use the 7th Panzergrenadier Division to cut into the junction of the two British units and fight what appeared to be a classic panzer Blitzkrieg.
This way, the British defenders, who were unaware of his true strength, would certainly counter-attack. And he knew that the best counter-attack would be to pincer the German 7th Panzergrenadier Division, which had penetrated into the center. This would effectively tie down the two British forces.
Subsequently, his main force, the 7th Panzer Division, which was making a wide flanking maneuver, would enter the battlefield from the south, cut through one of the British units, rescue the endangered 7th Panzergrenadier Division, and then cut into the other British defensive line, using an “unreasonable move” to completely disrupt the British operational deployment.
If this plan succeeded, Rommel’s Afrika Korps would destroy the British defenders at the front, capture their command hubs and supply bases, and, after swallowing the collapsing British front-line troops, would regroup and push east, pursuing the remnants of the defeated British army.
Forty Stuka bombers were on high alert and would visit the British defensive positions before the attack began. The Italian artillery would begin shelling the British positions ten minutes in advance. The moment the Italians heard that their own troops would not be participating in the attack, they were overjoyed and prepared over a hundred large-caliber cannons, ready to clear the way for their German counterparts with single-minded dedication.
After hearing Rommel’s order, General Garibaldi nodded and said nothing more. Since Mussolini had already given strict orders for the Italian army in North Africa to cooperate with the German Afrika Korps and had also handed over supreme command to Rommel, he, as Mussolini’s confidant, had no reason to go against his master. So he immediately ordered the fuel of the Italian 1st Corps to be transported to the German army’s positions, without a moment’s hesitation.
Of course, he did not remain idle. He sent a very vaguely worded telegram to Mussolini, stating that the German Army High Command had ordered Rommel to hold the defensive line. After saying this, he said nothing more. His intention was to let Mussolini analyze the priorities himself.
What he did not know was that this telegram, like other Italian messages, was intercepted by British intelligence. Just half an hour later, this message was placed on Montgomery’s desk like a priceless treasure.
“Rommel has been ordered to defend? That can’t be right… According to the German Führer’s habits, if Germany were determined to defend, they would send a more steady general. Using someone as young as Rommel is not normal,” Montgomery said, stroking his chin as he stared at the intelligence, his face full of doubt. “Whether it was his performance in the Polish campaign or in the Battle of France, this Rommel is famous for his offensive operations. There’s no reason for this.”
“But the content of this telegram cannot be wrong. So Rommel cannot possibly defy the decision of the Chief of the General Staff, Brauchitsch. We are safe for the time being,” the commander-in-chief of the British North Africa Expeditionary Force said smugly, looking at the map beside Montgomery. His reinforcements would soon arrive, and then he could stabilize the defensive line near Libya.
“The street fighting in London has been going on for a month now, and the outcome is still undecided,” Montgomery said with a sigh, rubbing the bridge of his nose. “If Churchill hadn’t replaced me back then, perhaps the front line would only just be reaching the vicinity of Cambridge now.”
The old general pointed to several areas on the map. “It’s too late to say anything now. All we can do is to fight this battle in North Africa well, so that Churchill can hold on longer on the mainland.”
“Are the Americans going to enter the war?” Montgomery suddenly asked.
The old general nodded. “A telegram from Iceland. A fully equipped American armored division boarded ships a few days ago and is taking a detour to Egypt. However, they still have no intention of declaring war on Germany. This division has been formed as a volunteer force. Also coming to fight in Africa are a British infantry regiment from Saudi Arabia, a Canadian infantry division, and an Australian volunteer division. The total force is almost over 50,000 men.”
Montgomery was taken aback for a moment, then nodded with satisfaction. An American division was much more “substantial” than a British division at the moment. This division might well have 30,000 men. With these reinforcements, the British could barely scrape together a force of over 200,000. So, facing the ever-increasing number of German troops under Rommel’s command, Montgomery also felt a little more confident.
“Because this combined force of over 50,000 men needs to be received and adapted to desert warfare training, the government in Iceland wants you to go back to Egypt to be responsible for the training and command of these soldiers. These forces, including the two tank divisions that the Americans are helping us form, will form a new army group, the Eighth Army,” the old general said. “The commander is you, Montgomery… And these forces at the front will be integrated into the Ninth Army.”
“When do I leave?” Montgomery asked. To be able to independently command an army group was the best outcome Montgomery could imagine at the moment. If he had to continue to be someone’s subordinate, he felt he might go mad. After all, he now felt that many of the operational plans of the British army in North Africa were wrong, but he himself had no power to correct these mistakes.
“You leave now. A plane has already been prepared for you,” the old general said. It seemed he was also eager for this subordinate, who was always raising objections, to get lost quickly.
Published: 2025-08-27T04:19:44.000+00:00
Last Edited: 2025-11-18T12:07:19.000+00:00
URL: https://www.patreon.com/caleredhair/posts/mtr-c463-general-137441361
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