Capítulo 210: Chapter 288 Brilliance of the Rising Stars
On the way to Paris, Wilhelm still had no time to rest as he arranged the strategic layout for the future. "General Guderian, once the French ceasefire agreement is signed, you will head to the Eastern Front. I will allocate the 39th Armored Corps (consisting of the 1st and 2nd Armored Divisions and the 29th Motorized Infantry Division) and the 41st Armored Corps (consisting of the 6th and 8th Armored Divisions and the 20th Motorized Infantry Division), along with some directly subordinate forces, for you to form an armored corps."
As mentioned earlier, to defend against the enemy's deep operations, flexible defense and mobile counterattacks were required. The "flexible defense" had already been assigned to Günther von Kluge, but Wilhelm felt that it was not secure enough. After all, the Battle of Britain was a decisive battle that could determine the fate. Perhaps when the British had no way out, they might promise various benefits to the Soviets to seek their intervention. Wilhelm didn't want to be stabbed in the back by these bears in a critical moment. "If the Russians dare to come, crush their bones!"
"Understood, Your Highness," Guderian hesitated for a moment before asking, "What about England?"
The German high command knew that Wilhelm was determined to land on British soil.
Wilhelm smiled. "Don't be too greedy, think about what others should do if you've already done all the fighting." Although he didn't need to consider others' feelings, as they were all soldiers serving their countries, he couldn't be too heartless. Since he was preparing to confer titles on Manstein, Guderian, and Rommel, he had to give others a chance as well.
"By the way, the Soviet Union has recently produced a new heavy tank, codenamed KV-1, equipped with a 31.5-caliber 76.2mm tank gun, and its armor thickness reaches about 75mm. Moreover, upgraded versions are quickly being produced. The upgraded version is codenamed KV-2, equipped with a 20-caliber 152mm howitzer. It can fire immensely powerful high-explosive shells and concrete-penetrating shells."
"152mm?!" The two were surprised, mouths agape and faces filled with disbelief. "Your Highness, are you sure it's a tank and not a self-propelled gun? A 152mm shell feels like it could flatten our tanks."
Wilhelm chuckled. "Indeed, it's 152mm, but this kind of tank is just cannon fodder. Its ammunition is separate, requiring two loaders to operate, and the loading process takes at least forty seconds. Moreover, the turret's rotation speed is extremely slow, about one minute per revolution." Besides, the high weight of the tank resulted in low mobility, frequent chassis failures, and the heavy turret made it unable to rotate when the vehicle was tilted. Numerous drawbacks made the production quantity of KV-2 tanks not large, with a total of 333 produced.
After hearing this, Guderian and Rommel couldn't help but breathe sighs of relief. A tank with so many fatal flaws—even with its large-caliber gun and thick armor—could be dealt with in various ways.
"As for General Rommel, you will head to Africa and cooperate with the Italian army," Wilhelm said, waving his hand to dismiss his previous words. "Since there are no outsiders here, I'll be straightforward. Soon, you will have full command of the Italian army."
Rommel couldn't help but be astonished. "But, Your Highness, the Italian army is not allied with our country. How can they possibly follow my command?" Before the war, some suggested seeking allies, with many proposing Italy. However, His Highness dismissed such talk, saying it was better to ally with Romania or Hungary than with Italy. Now you want him to command the Italian army?
Wilhelm revealed an inscrutable smile. "There will always be a solution. You'll be in charge of cleaning up the mess Mussolini created, dominate North Africa. Do you have confidence in that?"
Rommel hesitated and said, "Your Highness, it's far from our mainland, and the supply situation might not be optimistic, right?"
Wilhelm nodded. He also knew that in fighting far from the mainland, supply would be the most troublesome issue.
As for Montgomery, he was, at most, the third or fourth trouble in Wilhelm's eyes. Wilhelm considered Montgomery rubbish, merely a tactically competent British officer among mediocre ones.
Before the Battle of Alam Halfa, Britain reinforced the Eighth Army in Africa with supplies and air support. They also sank a tanker carrying fuel for Rommel. After a long struggle, with insufficient supplies and a fuel shortage, Rommel couldn't fully utilize the mobility and combat power of his forces.
Rommel had only 70,000 combat troops, while Montgomery had 230,000. Rommel had 550 tanks, with 300 of them being the vulnerable Italian "thin-skinned" tanks. In contrast, Montgomery had 1,450 tanks, with over 500 being the new American-made "Sherman" and "Grant" tanks.
Despite having fewer forces, Rommel could have defeated Montgomery if the logistics and supply of the German forces in North Africa were sufficient. Moreover, it would have been a stable victory, not a close one.
"I will give you everything you need. When you capture Egypt, I will hand over the Marshal's baton to you, making you one of the greatest military figures in the Empire," Wilhelm said, eager to dig up the gold buried under the pyramids (as mentioned in Chapter 79).
"Your Highness, as long as the logistical supply keeps up, I can sweep across the entire Africa," Rommel replied after thinking for about ten seconds, showing great solemnity.
After arranging all this, Wilhelm sighed, feeling somewhat emotional. "This is truly an era of outstanding generals and shining stars, isn't it?"
This was an era of great change and burning passion. Exceptional generals emerged from various countries, such as Germany's Manstein, Rommel, and Guderian; America's Eisenhower, MacArthur, and Patton; the Soviet Union's Zhukov and Konev; and Britain's Montgomery, Wavell, and Mountbatten, among others. For most military enthusiasts, these names were familiar and resonant like thunder.
Once this era passed, few generals would be remembered by people for decades.
Today's battlefields, despite having aerial reconnaissance, had very limited effectiveness and could easily be deceived by various enemy disguises. The command level of leading generals determined the situation on the battlefield, showcasing their tactical skills and art of command.
Decades later, with the advancement of technology, satellites in the sky could clearly monitor the enemy's movements, electromagnetic interference from powerful electronic warfare weapons could blind and deafen the enemy, and overwhelming firepower could suppress the enemy beyond their firing range. If victory was still elusive, the commander could perform seppuku.
Take the Gulf War, for example. Perhaps one or two years after the war, people would remember the general who won the war. However, with the passage of time, what people remembered was cruise missiles and the F-117 stealth bomber. The name of that general would become a fleeting memory.
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