Chapter 237 Is this still the same Italian army? (First update!)

"Newcomer?" The German second lieutenant glanced at the subordinate who spoke.

"Yeah, I just got here two months ago." The subordinate nodded quickly, then looked at his superior with a confused look on his face.

No wonder!

The German lieutenant understood immediately that an old soldier would never say such a thing.

"You will know later." The German second lieutenant did not explain much, but said meaningfully.

At this time, another sergeant lit a cigarette and muttered something incomprehensible.

"There is no movement at all. Have the British troops completely become cowards?"

The mission of their reconnaissance platoon was to find loopholes in the British army's defense near Cairo.

After searching for a while, I still couldn't find a suitable route to open the gap.

All I can say is that the British army has completely become a coward.

"Lieutenant, it looks like we have no choice but to go to the next place. I hope we won't be disappointed there." The sergeant blew out a smoke ring and said helplessly.

It's so hot today, they really don't want to get into the armored vehicle.

It's like a furnace.

And I have to carry the equipment on my back, which is extremely painful.

"I think we will definitely be disappointed. After all, the British army is now hiding and we don't have any better solutions. We don't even know the defense map of the city. If we attack by force, the losses will definitely be huge." The German second lieutenant shrugged and said helplessly with narrowed eyes.

"Now we can only find the weak points in the British defense and see if a strong attack can reduce casualties."

At this moment, their companion's voice came over their radio.

"Number six, number six, how is your investigation going?"

"Everything is normal, everything is normal, no British troops were found, no British troops were found." As the communicator replied, the radio disappeared again.

"It seems that they haven't found any flaws." The sergeant flicked the cigarette butt away lightly, then looked disappointed.

"This is normal. The enemy has become very cautious now. It may not be so easy to take Cairo smoothly." The German second lieutenant seemed very calm, as if he had guessed it long ago.

Operations like this, conducting reconnaissance before a battle, are what all commanders do.

The purpose is to detect the enemy and see if the enemy has made any mistakes, especially if there are any flaws or loopholes in the battlefield layout.

If you discover the enemy's fatal flaw, you will exploit it to win the victory.

This is the job of the reconnaissance troops!
But it doesn’t matter if no flaws are found.

After all, not every investigation will yield results.

Inside a German armored command vehicle, Lieutenant General Foster looked at the telegram sent to him and seemed very calm.

On the other hand, his subordinates had sad looks on their faces, as if they were disappointed because they couldn't find any flaws.

"What's wrong? If the British army doesn't come out, we won't attack?" Lieutenant General Foster said with a smile.

"Lieutenant General Foster, Field Marshal Rommel asked us to capture Cairo within three days. The enemy is hiding and refusing to come out. Do we have to storm it? But even if we storm it, we have to know the defenders in the city and the weak points of their defense." This was the reason why his subordinates were worried.

"If the enemy doesn't come out, the casualties of a strong attack are too great. We have come from afar, and all our supplies need to be transported from the mainland. Although we have received a large amount of supplies, it is very troublesome to replenish our personnel."

"This meaningless consumption will only weaken the combat effectiveness of our 15th Armored Division."

I have to say that the analysis of this staff officer is quite reasonable.

At least Lieutenant General Foster couldn't say anything to refute.

"You are right. If the enemy reveals a flaw, it will naturally be our opportunity. But if the enemy does not reveal a flaw, do we have to continue waiting?" Lieutenant General Foster said lightly.

"If the enemy doesn't reveal their weaknesses, then we will attack them forcefully and force them to reveal their weaknesses."

"Order..." Just as Lieutenant General Foster was about to give the order to attack.

The communications officer ran in and said nervously.

"Lieutenant General Mario of the Italian Armored Division wishes to speak to you."

“???” Lieutenant General Foster didn’t react for a moment and looked at the other party in a daze.

Then he came to his senses and asked in confusion.

"Is it Lieutenant General Mario of the Aries Armored Division?"

"Yes." The communications staff responded immediately.

Upon hearing this, Lieutenant General Foster was confused, not knowing what the other party wanted to call him for, but he still answered the phone out of respect.

I have to say here that the Agios Armored Division is the trump card of the Italian Army, and its combat effectiveness has been certified by the British Army.

You should know that one of Italy’s few highlights was the Aries Armored Division.

Especially the Battle of Gubbi Well, which demonstrated excellent combat effectiveness and gave the British army a new understanding of the Italian army. At least they would no longer dare to take it lightly when facing the Italian armored divisions.

"Lieutenant General Mario, what can I do for you?" As both sides are allies, Lieutenant General Foster spoke politely.

If it were any other Italian commander, he would definitely not have such an expression.

"Lieutenant General Foster, I hope our Aries Armored Division will take the lead next." The voice of Lieutenant General Mario came from the other end of the phone.

This made Lieutenant General Foster stunned for a moment.

What the hell?
Unprecedented!

The Italian army actually took the initiative to request an attack?

This is incredible.

It’s unbelievable!
The German army has always been in the lead.

The Italian troops followed behind to pick up scraps, and if they saw anything wrong, they would run away immediately.

It is really unbelievable that they are now actively asking for an attack.

"Lieutenant General Foster, is it not possible?" Lieutenant General Mario asked again after hearing the silence from the other side.

"Lieutenant General Mario, can you tell me why?" Lieutenant General Foster really couldn't understand why they had to take the initiative to attack.

"Lieutenant General Foster, I know you look down on our Italian army, but this time we want to prove ourselves that our Italian army is not useless." Lieutenant General Mario's words made Lieutenant General Foster completely silent.

He really didn't expect that these Italian troops actually knew that they were teasing each other behind their backs.

Now he has become braver than before.

How about giving me a chance?

You can try!

After all, the combat effectiveness of the Aries Armored Division is still good!
Especially since there is a regiment of black shirt soldiers behind them, their morale and combat effectiveness are pretty good.

After thinking for a while, Lieutenant General Foster spoke.

"Okay, the 15th Armored Division will serve as the reserve force and will be responsible for supporting you."

"Thank you, Lieutenant General Foster, you will gain the friendship of the Aries Armored Division." Lieutenant General Mario said excitedly.

Hearing this, Lieutenant General Foster secretly curled his lips and asked, "Who wants your friendship?"

On the other side, Lieutenant General Mario hung up the phone, picked up the radio, and spoke to all the officers and soldiers of the Aries Armored Division.

"Soldiers, this time it's up to us to prove our Italian army. Cairo is ahead. The British troops there have already lost all their morale and are now waiting for us to ravage them."

"Let those bitch British soldiers have a taste of how powerful we are."

"Now, let's go! Destination Cairo."

With the order given, the self-propelled artillery, which had been waiting impatiently, began to vent its anger.

After taking the port of Alexandria, without the harassment of the British fleet, the Italian transport ships were finally able to deliver supplies.

Therefore, the logistical supply of the Aries Armored Division was restored.

This is why they dared to take the initiative to attack.

Otherwise, they wouldn't dare to take the initiative to attack.

It would be good enough if he could help with flank cover.

Now the German army is about to cross the Suez Canal.

If the Italian army does not perform better at this time, the German army will take the lion's share of the profits when the time comes.

So, after receiving the telegram from the headquarters, Lieutenant General Mario hesitated for a moment before deciding to launch the main attack. The cannons roared!

All I saw was smoke rising from the British positions in the city.

The decisive battle begins again!

Compared to before!

This time the attack is more powerful!

It seems that the Italian army’s artillery shells are free!
They desperately attacked the British troops in the city.

"This caliber seems to be the Italian army's M42 self-propelled artillery?" Montgomery said uncertainly while listening to the artillery fire in the underground command post in the city.

Mainly because I'm used to hearing the sound of German artillery fire.

I was a little uncomfortable with the sudden change of artillery.

"It seems so. Could it be that the Italian army launched an attack?" Lieutenant General Patton showed a confused expression on his face.

Although he had heard about the Italian army's past, he had never seen it with his own eyes.

"It shouldn't be. Their fighting ability is not satisfactory. Unless the Germans are fools, they will never let them launch an attack." Montgomery judged confidently.

This is not confidence!

But past battles told him that the Italian army couldn't even defeat a group of soldiers in the kitchen.

The subsequent performance completely confused Montgomery.

Accompanied by artillery bombardment, the two Italian tank regiments shouted "Long live" and rushed towards the British positions.

For a moment, the British army was stunned.

Is this still the cowardly Italian army?

Is this still the Italian army that collapsed at the first blow?

Is this still the Italian army that only wants to surrender?
This combat power is simply off the charts.

The British troops in many positions had no time to react and were destroyed by the overwhelming tank artillery.

Thick black smoke enveloped the entire earth.

Lieutenant General Foster, who was watching the battle behind him, was also a little confused.

Is the Italian army so powerful?
This is unscientific!
Although the combat effectiveness of the Aries Armored Division is not bad!
But it was clear that this was beyond their normal level.

On drugs?
All of a sudden!

Lieutenant General Foster opened his mouth, not knowing what to say.

In fact, the Italian army’s headquarters knew the specific situation.

That's more than 40 billion barrels of Persia's oil.

The strength of the North African Legion is still too weak!

But at present the German army is unable to withdraw more troops!

So some German staff officers suggested that since they couldn't swallow it all in one bite, they should drag others along.

And the Italian army is their target!

Upon learning that Persia had an oil field with more than 40 billion barrels of oil, the Italian army naturally became excited.

They must perform well in order to share more profits in the next oil fields.

The battle was fierce from the beginning.

The intensity of the battle surprised the British soldiers.

The British army never expected that the Italian army would be so powerful.

And it's like he's risking his life.

Under the charge of the tanks, the black shirt soldiers behind them charged forward recklessly.

The fighting power unleashed by this fanatical troop at this moment even surprised Lieutenant General Foster.

The British defensive positions were torn apart in an instant.

Italian tanks rushed into the core area of ​​the British defensive position and plundered everywhere.

The British army came to their senses and began to fight desperately, relying on favorable terrain to resist the Italian army step by step.

"How is this possible?" Montgomery was stunned.

Is this still the Italian army that was nothing?

This is incredible.

Lieutenant General Patton next to him was even more frightened and thought at one point that they were going to lose.

"Damn it, why are the Italian troops going crazy?" Montgomery demanded.

Unfortunately, no one could answer his question, because no one knew why the Italian army was so fearless and brave, as if they were drugged.

Some black shirt soldiers even held grenades and died together with the British army.

This fearless and fearless fighting style indeed shocked many British troops.

"When did the Italian army become so powerful?" Montgomery's face was full of disbelief.

At one point, there was even suspicion that this Italian army was actually the German army in disguise.

The heavy artillery fire continues!
The Italian army's strong performance was so impressive that even the German troops behind them couldn't help but give them a thumbs up.

The main reason was the loss of Alexandria, which allowed the Italian army to receive supplies, and some stimulating measures, so the period was very high.

But soon the morale began to decline!
Because the British army's defense was indeed very tight, after advancing a few hundred meters, they found that the dense defensive positions made it impossible for them to move forward.

After all, the British army is not useless. They also know that Cairo is the most important stronghold in North Africa. If they lose it, they will be really finished.

So everyone fought desperately.

Dense fire points began to attack Italian tanks from all directions.

The deaths of hundreds of men in a row calmed the Black Shirts down a lot.

After all, they are not machines that only know how to kill.

The wailing of companions still has a great impact on morale.

Soon, many of the advancing Italian tanks were destroyed by the British anti-tank guns. The constant explosions and billowing smoke let them know that this battle would not be so easy to fight.

With more than a dozen tanks destroyed, the Italian offensive came to a complete standstill.

Montgomery at the underground command finally breathed a sigh of relief.

It would be a huge shame if the Italian army could take this city down in one go.

Just hold on!

Now, as long as they can destroy or repel this Italian army, they will win.

result!

Before Montgomery could celebrate, more intense artillery fire rang out than before.

Rumble!
When Lieutenant General Foster discovered that the Italian offensive had stagnated, he immediately ordered an attack.

All in one go!
Take Cairo completely!
We must not delay any longer!
"Attack!" Following the order from Lieutenant General Foster.

Hundreds of tanks rumbled towards Cairo city!

The British army, which had originally breathed a sigh of relief, became nervous again.

When he saw hundreds of tanks, especially many Matilda tanks, he was completely despaired.

Others may not know the performance of this tank, but don’t they know it themselves?

Can this be defended?

Many British soldiers began to waver in their hearts.

　My mom was hospitalized for pneumonia this morning, so I was busy all day! There should be one more! Chapter 3 will probably be out at midnight! Maybe tomorrow morning! No need to wait!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)