Almost everyone thought that the strengthening of the southern front mentioned by the head of state was to increase the deployment of troops to North Africa through Italy, but obviously no one guessed the head of state's thinking: because they knew very well where Kesselring's pointer pointed, which was exactly The eastern Mediterranean, the waters south of Greece, and the island of Crete, which the empire had acquired at great cost.
Looking at the stunned people, Hoffman said with a smile: "The troops secretly dispatched from the Eastern Front battlefield rushed to Greece after resting and replenishing, and were transferred to Crete in batches, waiting for the right opportunity to be deployed to North Africa. At the same time, the newly formed 7th Air Force will also gather strength on Crete. In order to avoid the enemy's alertness and suspicion, we not only need to make large-scale mobilization and reinforcements in the direction of Sicily - Marshal Kesselring himself is a It's a good way to confuse, and it also has to give the Italian leader an offer that's hard to refuse, so that he knows how to cooperate with us. As for the overall plan, the details of the overall plan must not be revealed to the poor Italians - as long as they know the content, they can't pass it. Churchill will know it in a few days, maybe Churchill will know it first."
These words sounded very playful, but no one could laugh. They knew the virtues of the Italians very well, and they could still play well with the ambitious but superficial leader, Kesselring. Now everyone understands the profound meaning of Guderian's overnight trip to Rome to visit Mussolini. This is basically a strategic feint for the British. They can also appreciate the good intentions of the head of state in the arrangement of the aviation commander: Kesselring's concurrent appointment as commander of the 2nd Air Force was obviously a smokescreen. The 7th Air Force, which was transferred from the commander of the 5th Air Force and commanded by General Hans Jürgen Stumpf, was the real leader of the Führer. The killer weapon.
"As for the navy, the poor and inefficient command of the Italians has destined them to serve only as decoys. Before the actual operation, I do not intend to mobilize any Italian warships to participate in the campaign, except for necessary transport ships and the German submarines currently in the Mediterranean. "Hoffman's evaluation was very harsh, but it summarized the process of the Mediterranean naval battle in the past two years. The Italian Navy's paper strength originally far exceeded that of the British Mediterranean Fleet, but after several setbacks, it continued to lose troops and generals, and was no longer a match for the British. .
"Our combat intention is..." Marshal Kesselring tapped the map a few times with his pointer and drew a circle casually, "to take advantage of Montgomery's favorable opportunity to launch the Battle of El Alamein to attack our army, and use the existing The strength of the Afrika Korps is used as bait, and we must fight and retreat. It doesn't matter even if we retreat to Tobruk, as long as we can lure the British Eighth Army to advance. Once their front line is stretched and they are far away from Alexandria, our counterattack will come. Secret The troops massed on Crete would be able to land in the rear of the British, cut off their retreat and surround them."
The head of state is crazy! This was the first feeling that arose in everyone's mind. They were conducting a landing operation in the Eastern Mediterranean under the eyes of the British. No matter how you looked at it, it was a death-defying rhythm. What's more, the head of state had just stated emphatically that he was not planning to use the Italian naval power. So what if the troops successfully concealed themselves in Crete in advance? Can the tanks of the armored division drive directly from Crete to the African coast?
"Führer, if I heard correctly, is this a landing operation?" Admiral Jodl was always responsible for formulating combat plans. He had been overwhelmed by Hoffman's bold idea, "The choice of landing site?..."
"Use commandos dropped by paratroopers to control individual key points first, and then let the armored troops land on the beach. Gentlemen, I have studied the maps and terrain. The Mediterranean coast of Africa and the Mediterranean coast of Europe are two completely different landforms. There are no cliffs there. There are only flat beaches and cliffs, and the coastline is very gentle. It is nothing but sand. More importantly, the population distribution is very small and the concealment is strong. As long as we have an armored regiment, no, an armored battalion can successfully land. Get the situation under control." Hoffmann turned to Kesselring and said, "My dear Marshal, what do you think?"
"This is an extremely bold action. I dare say that no one can conceive it except the head of state." Kesselring was almost frightened when he heard the plan for the first time last night. He thought about it all night before his heart beat wildly. After calming down, he began to think seriously about the battle decision. After repeated research, if he ignored the consistent adventurous spirit of the head of state, he was able to pick out many highlights.
"Führer, what about the escort of the transport fleet?" Yoder was frightened. The transport fleet without warship escort was like a living target. In the Mediterranean, especially the Eastern Mediterranean, the Royal Navy was absolutely invincible.
We have S-boats. This short, powerful and fast torpedo boat can play a great role. I have entrusted my naval adjutant to confirm with the Navy. The S-boat can realize segmented transportation through railways. We will complete these in Greek ports. The "Flying Cavalry" was assembled and secretly deployed to Crete, and they and the air force formed a reliable defense and patrol force. "Hoffman comforted his men, "Gentlemen, this is not because I am irresponsible to the landing force, it is precisely to protect the transport fleet. Just imagine, when the Italian navy was dispatched, the British Royal Navy didn't pounce on it like a shark smelling fish? If we really want to achieve our goal quietly, we need to get as far away from the Italians as possible. "
"It is about 200 nautical miles from Crete to the coast of North Africa, and it takes about 18-20 hours for a transport ship. We can effectively use the night as a cover." Hoffman began to gradually elaborate on the campaign ideas, "The idea of the entire campaign is to use Crete is the pivotal point where reinforcements are secretly mobilized and dropped unexpectedly to jointly attack the British Eighth Army with the African Army. As long as these 200,000 troops are cleared, Alexander and Cairo will naturally fall like ripe apples. Come on, the key to a successful battle is suddenness. Don't be afraid of the British fleet in Alexandria. It's 260 nautical miles away from the planned landing site. The Royal Navy won't be able to arrive in less than 10 hours. This time is enough for us. Landing completed. Please show your courage during Operation Thunder-Serbrus."
"What if the Royal Navy fleet is patrolling? They will send all the landing troops to the sea to feed the fish." Someone muttered, with fear on his face.
"This joke is not funny at all. UUReading www.uｕkanshu.com" Hoffman retorted, "Of course we will act on days when the British are at home. Shouldn't the mouse first check to see if the cat is asleep before stealing the oil? Do you want to act again?"
Hahahaha, everyone laughed.
The head of state seemed to be addicted to transporting warships by rail. After the S-boat, he motioned to the adjutant to take out photos of Sibel-type landing attack barges. "The number of Greek transport ships is far from meeting the needs of operations. If civilian ships are recruited on a large scale, it will definitely be Alert the British, so these ships that performed well in the battle on Lake Ladoga and can be broken down and transported by rail will form the main transportation force. The first wave of assault troops will ride on these ships to land on the beach. At critical times, there is no need to have more troops, one armor Battalion is enough to solve the problem. Imagine that when Montgomery is sieging Tobruk, two of our divisions suddenly appear behind him..."
After listening to Kesselring's detailed introduction to the entire operation, everyone's foreheads were sweating. An operation like crossing the English Channel during wartime is only done once in a lifetime. The head of state actually dared to use a small boat and fight without an escort in the Eastern Mediterranean. Everyone feels a little short of breath. But the head of state had made up his mind, and Marshal Kesselring, the supreme commander on the southern front, seemed to be convinced by this plan. Considering that if the operation failed, only the army would be unlucky, the air force generals muttered a few times and then fell silent.
"Please formulate a proper and comprehensive plan. We will launch this plan in mid-October, and air cover will be the top priority." Hoffman warned, "Jodel, this is the general concept of the campaign. The specifics are Please discuss the plan with Kesselin and Guderian and make it together."
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