newbobooks Chapter 236 North African Corruption
Chapter 236 North African Corruption
Bavitt was overwhelmed with excitement upon receiving news that the 24th Army had breached the positions of Japanese Marines under General Iwabuchi III to the southeast and had advanced into downtown Manila. According to the statistical report, the 24th Army had breached numerous Japanese bunkers and entered the city of Manila with total casualties of less than 6000 men, less than half of whom were killed in action. This was significantly lower than the US high command had expected. Similarly, the 14th Army had defeated the Japanese 68th Brigade's blocking attack, nearly annihilating over 68 of its men and entering the northern city, also with fewer casualties than the Japanese. Of course, the US high command, including Nimitz, was well aware of the capture of these positions and had a new understanding of the Chinese military's combat capabilities.
Yang Hong and Liao Yaoxiang were sitting in Liao's office at the 3rd Army headquarters in Liba. Liao was deeply impressed by Yang's tactics. He said that if the Chinese army had mastered these tactics before the Second Sino-Japanese War, especially during the Battle of Shanghai, they would have captured the Japanese positions in Hongkou and other areas much earlier, and 30 elite Chinese troops would not have been wasted on a meaningless battlefield.
Liao continued, "Through this participation in the Manila operation, the expeditionary force's combat effectiveness has at least been elevated to a higher level. It would be foolish for the Japanese to seek further advantage over the expeditionary force. I believe that after this, the US military will likely be unable to leave us in the next phase of the campaign."
Liao asked curiously, "Tell me, with the current combat capability of our soldiers, who among the US, UK, Soviet Union, Germany, and Japan can compete with us?"
Yang Xing didn't answer his question. Honestly, who in another time and space could rival the Chinese army, which had been baptized by war? The Chinese army was the undisputed king of light infantry!
Even American officials back in Washington received the news. They were clearly pleased with the outcome, pleased that Nimitz, Spruance, and others had grasped Washington's intentions. As for the ships promised to the Flora, Marshall and his colleagues, with a stroke of the pen, added another line of business to the shipyards and harbors of the American Empire.
Marshall's vision was far from complete. In North Africa, Rommel, reinforced, once again demonstrated his reputation as the "Desert Fox." Using the latest modified 88mm anti-tank guns and 120 Tiger tanks, he annihilated the "Desert Rats" 8th Armored Division, the most elite unit of Montgomery's British Eighth Army, in a sand dune area in the Gulf of Sirte. Then, a rapid assault column, comprised of the latest upgraded Leopard G tanks and the newly developed Panzer V tank destroyer, a desert version based on the Panther chassis, traversed over 7 kilometers of desert and suddenly attacked Tripoli. This caught the British off guard and virtually encircled the main British force in North Africa, confined to a narrow 5-kilometer strip east of Tripoli in the Gulf of Sirte. The US and British navies could only rely on makeshift ports along the coast to provide limited supplies to support the British battle.
This series of German improvements was a reflection of the advantages of Chinese tank warfare. For example, while optimizing the engine, the Tiger tank reduced armor thickness to enhance its maneuverability and installed new reactive armor. The tank's gun was upgraded to the latest 88mm 52x scope, consistent with the latest 88mm dedicated anti-tank guns. The Leopard G was equipped with a longer-barreled 75mm KwK 42 L/70 gun, the same state-of-the-art scope as the Tiger, and reactive armor, further enhancing its protection. Engine optimization also resulted in significant improvements in firepower, protection, and mobility while maintaining its existing advantages. The Panther V tank destroyer, the Desert Edition, borrowed heavily from the American M5B6, featuring an open-top design and the lightest 1mm anti-tank gun, capable of destroying virtually all current American, British, and Soviet tanks.
This configuration of the German fast columns once again demonstrated the Germans' sweeping desert warfare momentum. When Eisenhower led the US Second Army from Tunisia to Tripoli, upon encountering the German fast columns, they lost over 2 tanks in just one round. The rapid loss of the M100A6 tanks, originally intended to defend the front, alerted him to the enemy's deterioration and he quickly ordered a retreat, fearing the same fate as the British. Fortunately, the Germans were short-handed and had not planned to annihilate both British and American forces simultaneously, allowing the US Second Army to quickly withdraw.
The news quickly reached Washington, and requests from Britain followed. This undoubtedly disrupted the Americans' original plan. They had originally intended to rely on their own strength to first deal with Japan, and then concentrate their forces against Germany and Italy. Now they had to focus again on North Africa. They could not tolerate losing North Africa's oil fields, and they could not allow Germany and Italy to gain a foothold in North Africa and ultimately threaten their core interests in the Middle East.
The US and Britain were well aware that now was the time to contribute. However, the Chinese Expeditionary Force's Second Army in southern Egypt was already severely weakened. The US and Britain, under various pretexts, refused to provide reinforcements, resulting in their armored strength being reduced to less than 2% of its original strength after the Battle of Asyut. Kuang Zhengqi was left with no choice but to repair and rebuild destroyed and captured German tanks to barely maintain the army's basic combat effectiveness.
Thus, they entered a standoff with the German North African Army's 3rd Tank Corps and the Italian 1st Army on the southern front. For nearly six months, neither side launched a major battle. Rommel took this opportunity to reorganize the North African Army, utilizing the newly arrived weapons and troops. He meticulously planned the Libyan assault, intending to annihilate the British 8th Army in one fell swoop. He then planned to continue westward, driving the American forces in Tunisia into the sea, and finally southward to defeat the Chinese.
The 6th and 74th Group Armies of the Chinese Expeditionary Force, which were training in India, also lacked equipment. However, Britain was already impatient and had assembled a batch of transport ships, loading the 6th Group Army on board first and heading directly to Tunisia. They would be incorporated into the British North African Corps, and the insufficient equipment could only be solved after they arrived.
In reality, Washington and Downing Street were most concerned about tank strength. Germany had once again taken the lead, and its latest equipment posed a deadly threat to American and British armored forces. Suffering from engine disadvantages, they were unable to develop larger and heavier tanks. Soviet battlefield feedback showed that without mobility and firepower, even the best protection was nothing but an iron coffin.