Capítulo 360: Chapter 437 North African Campaign (5)
Rommel examined the battle map, indicating the distance to Cairo.
On their way, they had eliminated or captured approximately 10,000 British soldiers and over 100,000 Egyptian soldiers. Based on these numbers, Cairo still housed around 40,000 British soldiers, over 100,000 Egyptian soldiers, and approximately 50,000 to 60,000 Indian soldiers, along with possible reinforcements from Australia, Canada, and other colonies.
In total, the enemy forces should number around 300,000.
It seemed General Wavell intended to make a stand at Cairo.
"What a good idea. Just don't run away," Rommel muttered as he put away the map. His adjutant spoke up, "General, they're here."
Looking in the direction the adjutant indicated, Rommel saw several Stukas approaching in the sky.
"Perfect timing, this weather is quite hot," Rommel said with a hint of a smile as the soldiers around him cheered.
The adjutant grabbed a smoke grenade from the vehicle, pulled the pin, and tossed it into an open area. Others followed suit, throwing more smoke grenades.
As thick smoke billowed up, the Stukas spread out and began their dives. Even without their sirens, the high-speed dive bombers still created a buzzing sound as they sliced through the air.
At about 600 meters above ground, the Stukas dropped their "bombs" and began to pull up.
The "bombs" deployed parachutes at about 100 meters from the ground, slowing down but still landing heavily near the smoke grenades.
"Ice cream! Ice cream!" the adjutant hummed as he ran over, prying open the casing of one of the "bombs" to reveal a container the size of a lunch box. There were several such containers in each "bomb," and the eager soldiers quickly swarmed to distribute them.
During World War II, American soldiers enjoyed consistent supplies of meat, biscuits, and chocolates, and even invented a method to make ice cream at high altitudes using aircraft.
This innovation was credited to Major Rheineburg of the U.S. Air Force's 122nd Squadron during the Pacific War. To lift the oppressive atmosphere, Rheineburg discovered that the auxiliary fuel tanks of F4U Corsair fighter planes could be modified to hold milk, cocoa powder, and other ice cream ingredients. By flying to high altitudes where temperatures were well below freezing, they could produce ice cream.
This discovery delighted Rheineburg and his squadron, allowing them to enjoy ice cream during breaks in the brutal combat, significantly boosting their morale. For secrecy, Major Rheineburg named the operation "Frozen Action," assigning a pilot to perform the task daily.
Of course, Major Rheineburg couldn't justify these flights without reason, so he claimed they were reconnaissance missions over Japanese-held islands, luring the enemy to attack the Corsairs, which flew safely at 12,000 meters.
However, Major Rheineburg's "Frozen Action" was eventually discovered. After a Corsair completed an ice cream run, the auxiliary tank filled with ice cream dropped into a nearby U.S. Army camp due to a fast descent. The soldiers there demanded to be included in this delightful endeavor. Soon, all nearby U.S. Air Force squadrons adopted Rheineburg's method, spreading "Frozen Action" throughout the military and earning widespread praise for Rheineburg.
Such luxuries were unimaginable for the resource-starved German forces in the original timeline. But now, with oil from Libya's P City being continuously extracted and refined into aviation fuel, petrol was cheaper than water for the Afrika Korps, used liberally.
Wilhelm had assigned a Stuka squadron to produce and deliver ice cream, boosting frontline morale while also providing bomb-dropping practice for the pilots—an efficient dual-purpose mission.
The adjutant returned to the command car, opened a container, and divided the ice cream into four portions, distributing them to Rommel, an Italian officer, a Vichy French officer, and himself.
"This is so delicious," the Italian officer said, unable to resist taking a bite. "Your army really knows how to enjoy life."
Rommel internally rolled his eyes, thinking about how the Italians were notorious for their luxuries even on the battlefield, using precious water to cook pasta. If not for the need to conserve water, Rommel would have buried their pasta in the sand.
Italian soldiers during World War II were famously food-focused.
Seeking ways to eat well even on the battlefield, while other nations developed new weapons, Italy invented freeze-drying food preservation methods to keep their meals tasty.
There were incidents where the entire Italian army was captured because they stopped to cook pasta within 10 kilometers of the supply station. They would cease fighting for lunch and retreat if their pasta was finished. Italian wine packaging even claimed, "Drunkenness dispels fear of battle." Often, captured supplies had more wine than ammunition.
Even Italian POWs enjoyed luxurious meals. When a British pilot was captured, he received a lavish dinner with multiple courses, including wine, in his cell. He thought it was his last meal, but it turned out to be a mistake, as the next morning, a high-ranking Italian officer apologized for the error and assured him it wasn't intentional mistreatment.
Italian soldiers would even escape POW camps not because of harsh conditions, but because they lacked pasta, only to return when promised their favorite food.
Although the combat effectiveness of the Italian army had significantly improved from the original timeline, their love for good food remained unchanged.
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