Judging from Rommel's family background, it seems that there is no necessary connection with his becoming a strategist. Rommel was born in Heidenheim, Swabia, Wü rttemberg in June of 5438+089 1 15. His grandfather was a middle school principal, and his father Rommel Sr. was a teacher. Later, he was promoted to be a middle school principal. Rommel ranked second. His brother Carl volunteered to join the army in order to avoid the final exam. He became an army scout pilot in World War I and died of malaria when he was young. Sister Helen followed in her father's footsteps to become a teacher and never married. Rommel's youngest brother, Jehad, was determined to become an opera singer, but his performance remained mediocre until his death in 1977. My father has short hair, which is separated from the middle in fashion and hangs smoothly to both sides. He always wears a pair of glasses on his tall nose. He is almost pedantic to his children. He often kept asking Rommel some classroom questions: "What's the name of this building?" "What subject does that flower belong to?" Rommel was depressed. Old Rommel died early in 19 13. Rommel and his brothers and sisters like to be close to their mothers.
Rommel was sickly in his childhood, rarely participated in children's games and was not interested in competitions and sports. It was not until 10 that he became active. He takes part in physical exercise to strengthen his physique. Playing tennis, cycling and skating have all become late's favorite sports. As he grew older, he gradually acquired all the characteristics of the Swabian people-strong, confident, stubborn, frugal and pragmatic. From 65438 to 0898, Rommel began to learn the necessary knowledge from private teachers so that he could enter the middle school where his father was the principal. Rommel was admitted to a Latin school on 1900 and studied there for five years. /kloc-in the autumn of 0/908, I began to study in the fifth grade of the Royal Modern Middle School in Gmonton. A year later, I entered the sixth grade. This became Rommel's highest education before joining the army. In the future, Rommel will be among the generals and marshals. Compared with some peers with good education and prominent family background, he will inevitably feel ashamed, which in turn will stimulate him to make progress.
Rommel never thought of going to the barracks when he was a teenager. His first ambition is to become an engineer. Because he likes machinery. /Kloc-When he was 0/4 years old, he and a friend made a complete box glider in the field of Allen (a city in southern Germany) and really let it fly for a distance. Considering that the Wright brothers had just invented the plane, Rommel, who was still a teenager at that time, was able to make a glider, which was a small victory. Based on this, Rommel often boasted about his inventions. There is also a small brown photo of this glider among his relics. It can be seen that Rommel's initial ambition is not necessarily related to his later brilliant achievements.
As the saying goes, knowing a son is better than knowing a father. Although the young Rommel had a gratifying little invention, the old Rommel still thought that his son's personality was suitable for being a soldier. Judging from the background at that time, Germany was a militaristic country. The army occupies a superior position in society, and soldiers enjoy various privileges. In order to compete for world hegemony, Germany has vigorously expanded its armaments. Joining the army is not necessarily a bad thing for Rommel's future. 19 10 In March, Rommel joined the 124 Woltenberg Infantry Regiment, was promoted to corporal three months later, became a sergeant six months later, and was sent to the Royal NCO School in Danzig (now an important port city in Poland) in March. According to the German military system, officers are trained mainly through specialized military academies. Military academies receive training from young people mainly from the nobility and bourgeoisie on a voluntary basis. Because almost all officers in the army are poorly equipped, and the continuous expansion of the army makes officers more vacant, military academies have received a certain number of personnel from petty bourgeoisie, monks, officials and intellectuals. Rommel probably became an officer's midshipman for this reason. This is very lucky for him. At that time, there were eight army reserve schools and 1 1 military schools in Germany.
Rommel showed special interest in military affairs during his military academy. He spent most of his time completing military subjects and devoted himself to shooting, drilling, gymnastics, fencing, horse riding and other training projects. 19{ 1 year 1 1 month, Rommel graduated from the military academy. At that time, the principal's evaluation of him was that shooting and drilling were "excellent" and gymnastics, fencing and horseback riding were "competent". However, "he is of medium height, thin and in poor health". In addition, this young man "has a strong personality, strong willpower, high enthusiasm ... strong discipline, strong sense of time, conscious and friendly." Excellent intelligence and a high sense of responsibility. " In a word, Rommel is a "capable soldier".
19 12 In June, Rommel was awarded the rank of lieutenant and then returned to 124 Infantry Regiment. Rommel has been training recruits there for the next two years. The main contents of training are personal training and unit training. In addition, it is necessary to instill in the soldiers the idea that the Second Reich of Germany established by Prussia is about to become a "world empire", and its social system, state system and social structure are all perfect. The duty of a soldier is to defend everything that exists at all costs. Rommel instilled in his recruits, and he also believed in it devoutly.
19 14 In March, Rommel was sent to serve in an artillery company of the 49th Field Artillery Regiment in Ulm, not far from his hometown. German high command attaches great importance to the construction of artillery, and German howitzers and heavy artillery are better than other countries. Each German infantry division has a1105mm howitzer battalion, and each army has a11/50 mm howitzer battalion. The group army is equipped with an independent artillery battalion. But the artillery training level is not first-class. Nevertheless, Rommel's experience in artillery gave him the opportunity to master the professional knowledge of this technical unit, which provided convenient conditions for him to be qualified as the command palace of the synthetic army soon in the future.
On August 1 day of the same year, Kaiser Wilhelm II announced the national general mobilization, which ignited the war of World War II. In a village in Belgium, Rommel took part in the first battle of his life. He patrolled for 24 hours and hardly slept a wink. He is tired and hungry. At this time, a group of about 20 French soldiers attacked them and occupied the village. Rommel and a platoon of three other people immediately launched a counterattack. With a loud cry, he rushed to the French army and fired first. Several French troops fell to the ground, and the survivors immediately fell down and fought back with fierce fire. Rommel was badly beaten and forced to retreat. After the whole company arrived, Rommel launched a counterattack again, and finally repelled the French army, occupied the village and captured some prisoners. Rommel won the first battle and won the second Iron Cross. The battle was small in scale and of little significance, but it showed Rommel's fighting style. In his later military career, regardless of the scale of the battle, he would take the initiative whenever there was an opportunity. After crossing Belgium, Rommel's regiment continued to bypass Paris with the army. From September 5th to 12, after the Battle of the Marne River, the western front turned to positional warfare. Rommel's regiment fought in the forest area of Gunnars. 1915 65438+129 October, during an offensive launched by the Germans, Rommel and his soldiers climbed over the barbed wire of 100 yard and suddenly broke into the main position of the French army, occupying four bunkers, but the follow-up troops did not come to reinforce them. At this time, the French army launched a counterattack with a battalion of troops and regained one of the bunkers. Rommel repelled the counterattack with three other bunkers. Before the French army was about to launch a new attack, he led the soldiers to withdraw from the position smoothly, only losing 12 people. This action won him the iron cross 1st class Medal. This is the first time that a young lieutenant has been awarded such a high honor.
19 15 September, Rommel was promoted to captain. In the subsequent battles, such as breaking through the Korofula line, conquering Mount Mont and occupying Longnong, Rommel performed exceptionally well, and finally won the long-awaited Meritorious Medal awarded by German Emperor William II. Rommel was wounded three times in four years of brutal fighting, but he showed his own tactical style: preemptively taking all risks, doing everything possible to infiltrate the enemy's defense lines, wavering in his determination, skillfully developing firepower, and seizing the enemy's ammunition as much as possible. He is brave, stubborn, cunning, resourceful, desperately pursuing honor and showing his edge in the war.
After World War I, Germany, ridiculed by French Prime Minister clemenceau as "born in injustice and died in disgrace", became a sacrificial lamb. According to the Treaty of Versailles, Germany is not allowed to build an air force and manufacture submarines, but only allowed to keep a small number of light warships and a national defense force of 654.38+10,000 people. In the subsequent elimination, Rommel finally kept his job because of his outstanding performance in wartime and became one of the 4000 officers.
19 18, 12, 2 1 day, Rommel returned to the infantry regiment as the company commander. 1920, 10, 1, retired to the 13 infantry regiment in Stuart as a company commander, which was nine years. However, he is a restless man. During this period, he greatly enriched his knowledge of war art and military technology: he learned machine guns and became a skilled shooter and loader; Learned all the principles of internal combustion engine, sued the installation, installation and disassembly of motorcycle. 1September, 929, Rommel, the battalion commander, recommended him as an instructor in view of his outstanding performance on the battlefield and good achievements in training the company. On June+10/October 1 day, 65438, Rommel was transferred to Dresden Infantry School and began his career as an instructor. As a junior instructor, he devoted all his efforts. In the lecture hall, Rommel often draws a battle example and projects these examples on the screen, which is intuitive and easy to understand. He was most proud of the battle in Monte Mountain, Italy, and told the students the story of the battle vividly. Rommel learned a lesson from the war: future commanders should learn to cherish the lives of soldiers. "You should sweat, not bleed." This is an important military principle-the principle of saving troops. Rommel became one of the most popular instructors.
1June, 933, Rommel was promoted to battalion commander of the 3rd Battalion of the Harz Mountains 17 Infantry Regiment in central Germany. 1935, Rommel was sent to Potsdam as the new instructor of Potsdam Army Academy. Potsdam is the cradle of Prussian militarism, and the body of Friedrich II is buried here. Potsdam Garrison Church is the holy land of Prussian militarism, where all the kings of Hohensolen dynasty once worshipped. After Hitler came to power, the opening ceremony of the new state decree that he was about to dissolve was also held here on March 2 1, 1933. On that day, veterans who participated in the Bizimai United War were found, old artillery and military flags were set up, President Hindenburg wore an old-fashioned field marshal uniform, and the former crown prince von Mackensen, who was a field marshal, also attended the opening ceremony of the day in a mighty uniform. Potsdam can always evoke memories of the past glory in the minds of Germans. Especially in the 1930s, it became a banner for Hitler and his followers to incite national revenge. Rommel was undoubtedly excited about teaching here. Oil painting portraits of 44 Prussian-German field marshals hung in the Marshal Hall of the Military Academy. Rommel looked extremely proud when he stood in the lecture hall. Rommel arranged his lecture notes for senior students, and then dramatically wrote a well-organized and vivid book in the present tense. 1937, this book was published with the title of "Attack of Infantry". The book is divided into six chapters, which completely describes Rommel's personal combat experience in the First World War. The book runs through the offensive spirit of German military theory and puts forward "attack, attack, attack!" The importance of developing firepower was emphasized. "An army with a smaller number can use more automatic weapons or carry firepower faster to overwhelm an enemy with a larger number." Rommel also proposed to implement deception, intimidation and other means in the book. The tactics Rommel used in France and North Africa during World War II were actually the enrichment and development of the tactics he used in World War I. This book based on practical experience became a best seller and was reprinted at least 18 times in June. The US military translated this book into English on 1943. General george patton has read this book more than once and can recite many important chapters and paragraphs. Rommel made a lot of money at that time, and suddenly became rich, so he became famous and became a figure worshipped by German youth.
During Rommel's teaching in Potsdam Army Academy, German society was in a period of rapid change. Hitler's expansion and preparation are constantly going on. However, Rommel didn't have much contact with Hitler before he was ordered to command Hitler's security forces in September 1936, and Hitler never lost his magic all his life. They first met by chance in 1934. On September 30th of that year, when Hitler visited Gosla, he visited Rommel's camp. When Hitler reviewed the honor guard of the battalion, Rommel followed closely, wearing a helmet that looked like a coal bucket and a pair of polished riding boots. In this routine action for both sides, Goebbels first discovered Rommel as a "talent". The thing is, when Hitler visited Gosla, Rommel was ordered to work as a guard. Himmler, the leader of the SS, insisted on sending some SS members to the front of the third battalion, but Rommel politely refused. Goebbels may have persuaded Himmler to give in. Because the "Roma incident" on June 30 of that year just passed. Roma is the leader of the Nazi armed "stormtroopers" launched by Hitler. After Hitler became prime minister, he called for a "second revolution". The army should be replaced by the stormtroopers. At that time, the relationship between the army and the stormtroopers was very tense. Finally, in order to maintain the relationship with the army, Hitler had to kill Rome and its followers on the "Long Knife Night" of that month. Now Himmler wants to put SS members in front of the soldiers of the third battalion, which is obviously a sign of distrust of the army. Rommel defended the honor of the army. Goebbels is looking for some typical officers to publicize them in order to improve the status of the army. This is related to the safety of Hitler's empire and the success or failure of launching a war of aggression in the future. Rommel, wearing the rank of major and dazzling medal of merit, became a typical figure in his mind because of his solemn manners and good military quality. Rommel and Goebbels forged an indissoluble bond from then on. Thanks to Goebbels' secret help, Rommel was awarded the honor of commander of Hitler's security forces.
Shortly after Rommel took up his new job, two things caught Hitler's attention. Once, he proved himself to be an unkind loyal minister with practical actions. One day, the Nazi party held a rally in Nuremberg, and Rommel assumed a greater responsibility than the general security. At the rally, Hitler decided to go for a ride by car, and instructed Rommel, who had been promoted to colonel, to follow at most six cars. At the appointed time, the roadside of Hitler's mansion was crowded with ministers, generals, governors and their cars. Rommel let the six cars in front pass, then stood in the middle of the road and ordered other cars to stop. The dignitaries were so angry that they cursed loudly: "What is lawless! Colonel, we will report this to the Fuehrer. " Rommel said rudely that he had ordered two tanks to stop at the intersection ahead and blocked the road. That evening, Hitler sent someone to call Rommel and praised him for resolutely carrying out the order face to face. The other time was after Rommel's infantry attack was published at the beginning of 1937. Hitler read this book and thought it was the best book about infantry course. As a result, Rommel began to be reused.
1937 In February, Rommel was appointed as the special liaison officer of the War Department of Bardu von Hilach, the leader of Hitler Youth League. The Hitler Youth League is the peripheral organization and paramilitary force of the Nazi Party. Rommel was appointed to this position in order to keep close contact with the Nazi Party. Hitler was born a tramp, and he was not satisfied with the aristocratic tendency of the army. He needs to draw in some young officers like Rommel, who came from a civilian background, to strengthen the relationship between the Nazi party and the army. However, it soon proved that Rommel was not happy in this position. Although he was a Nazi to the core, Schirach had average intelligence. His mother is American. Due to his loyalty to Hitler, Schirach joined the Nazi Party and was appointed as the leader of the 5.45 million German Youth League on June 1933. Schirach, 30, still looks like a naive American college student, while Rommel is a real Prussian soldier. The temperament of the two people is far from each other, and the relationship is getting worse and worse in the days when they get along. The Hitler Youth League is directly responsible for Hitler himself and teaches young people sports, culture and Nazi philosophy. The war department also decided that young people must receive semi-military training. Rommel, out of professional instinct, proposed to train unmarried lieutenants in the German army into Hitler's youth league at the beginning of his tenure. Schirach was noncommittal about this. Rommel also publicized the development of primary military education. He went too far in strengthening the militarization of Hitler's youth league, even Sheila Hepburn thought it was too far. But Rommel went his own way. The relationship between the two is getting more and more tense. When a celebration party was held in the theater, Xi Hera sat in the first row and Rommel was arranged in the second row. Rommel went straight to an empty seat in the first row and announced loudly, "On behalf of the German Army, the Army should be the first in this country."
During this period, Hitler stepped up preparations for aggression and expansion. 1937165438+1On October 5th, Hitler announced his plans for future aggression and expansion to the party, government and army officials in Nazi Germany. 1938 In February, the Ministry of National Defense was abolished and the Supreme Command of the National Defence Force was established. Hitler certainly became the supreme commander. In March, Germany annexed Austria without bloodshed September. At the Munich Conference, Britain, France and other countries were forced to cede Czechoslovakia to Sudetenland, a disputed border territory of Germany. Hitler decided to visit those ancient German cities, so he promoted Rommel as the temporary commander of the Fuehrer's base camp. 1In August, 939, Rommel officially reported to Hitler as the commander of the Fuehrer's base camp and was promoted to Major General.
In a word, Rommel served Hitler several times and strengthened his relationship with Hitler. He left a good impression on the dictator that he was smart and conscientious, thus setting a ladder for his future promotion. At the same time, Rommel also greatly broadened the military? I saw the wild, heard and witnessed the great changes in the combat style brought about by the use of new weapons.
After Germany's "blitzkrieg" in Poland (see the Polish campaign) achieved amazing success, Rommel, who accompanied Hitler, was also surprised by the changes brought about by the German "blitzkrieg". Although he is good at tactical research, he is only a traditional infantry tactic. Seeing those tanks rumbling, he wanted to be one of their commanders. During the Polish War, Rommel proposed to Hitler that he wanted to command an armored division.
In view of Rommel's outstanding performance in the past, the commander-in-chief of the army, Blauch, suggested that it would be more appropriate for him to command the mountain division in Innsbruck or Munich. Because Rommel has served in mountain troops for many years, he has rich experience in mountain infantry fighting. But Rommel wanted to command a real armored division. At that time, the Germans were far from fully mechanized, and a few armored divisions were regarded as the darling of the Army General Command. How did Rommel, who had never worked in an armored unit, command this technically complicated unit? Brauchizi rejected this unreasonable request. Finally, Hitler personally intervened and let Rommel get what he wanted.
1February, 940, Rommel came to the 7th Armored Division in Bart Goldberg on the Rhine as a teacher. Originally, it was the Second Light Armored Division, which was adapted from the cavalry and participated in the invasion of Poland. At that time, there were only 1 light tank battalion and four motorized infantry battalions, equipped with 90 light tanks, most of which were looted Czech second-hand goods. Its combat effectiveness is far lower than that of the six armored divisions established earlier by the German army, and it was hit by the artillery of the Polish army during the war. After the invasion war, the Second Light Division was reorganized into the Seventh Armored Division, consisting of tanks, motorized infantry, engineers, artillery and scouts. It has jurisdiction over 25th Tank Regiment, 6th 7th Infantry Regiment, 7th Mobu Battalion, 37th Reconnaissance Battalion, 58th Engineer Battalion, 78th Artillery Regiment and 42nd Anti-tank Artillery Battalion. After modification, it has 2 18 tanks, more than half of which are Czech light tanks; 54 37mm anti-tank guns and 36105mm guns. Most of the soldiers in this normal university come from Thuringia, which rarely produces promising soldiers. Under the pressure of Hitler, the army headquarters had to let Rommel command the armored division. But they still have reservations, not letting him command those armored divisions with strong fighting capacity. They don't trust the general who has never dealt with tanks. Not only the leader of the Army General Command, but also Jodl, Chief of Staff of the Supreme Command of the National Defence Force, was surprised by this appointment.
But Rommel was unconvinced. He wanted to prove himself competent with practical actions. After he took office, he was determined to pay close attention to military training, first of all, to rectify discipline and style. His first act was to give the heads a holiday. "I don't need you until I know the situation myself." On February 27th, in order to clean up the military discipline and set an example for him, he removed the power of an unhappy battalion commander and asked him to leave the barracks within 90 minutes. Rommel himself also strengthened physical exercise, jogging 1 mile along a narrow forest path near Goldberg at 6 o'clock every morning, and actively exercising to cure heart disease. At 6: 55, I went to the army by Mercedes. Listen to the news broadcast on the car radio at 7 o'clock, and return to the station for lunch at 12 o'clock.
Rommel concentrated on training this armored unit. The main difficulty of training at that time was that there was no armored tactical training manual to use. Although guderian put forward a new idea of using tanks to make a breakthrough as early as 1929, and the German armored division has been established for five years, it has not yet formed a complete tactical training textbook. Only before the war, when guderian was the director of armored forces, a criterion emphasized the following principles: we must pay attention to reconnaissance and find out the weaknesses that the enemy's defensive positions can exploit; Rapid advance helps to surprise the enemy, so that he can't get enough counter-attack time; Concentrate on making a breakthrough on a narrow front; The supply of fuel and ammunition must be sufficient and timely. Rommel used these ready-made theories to guide training and exercises, while exploring new things. By April 1940, he not only became an expert in the theory and practice of tank warfare, but also practiced some unique skills. For example, organize your troops into various formations and conduct cross-country training in the form of fast and skilled radio command and heavy artillery bombardment. However, he did not fully realize the importance of fuel and ammunition replenishment, and suffered from untimely replenishment in future operations.
While Rommel was immersed in training troops, Hitler was urging senior generals to prepare for the invasion of France. The original battle plan of the German army was based on the right wing, passing through Belgium and northern France, with the goal of occupying the ports in the English Channel. If this plan is really followed, the Germans will confront the British and French troops. In order to avoid confrontation, and at the same time to trap the British and French allied forces rushing far away, Manstein, the chief of staff of Group A led by the outstanding strategist rundstedt, put forward a brand-new plan. The main point is that the Germans should focus on the central region, break through the Ardennes forest with strong armored forces, then cross the Musi River north of Sedan, break into the open area, and go straight to Abwell on the Strait. Many senior German generals opposed the plan and transferred Manstein to command an infantry unit under the pretext. But at the banquet hosted by Hitler for a group of new soldiers and teachers, manstein still found the opportunity to personally present his unorthodox views to Hitler. 1940 on February 24th, the high command formally adopted this scheme.
By May of 1940, the Germans had assembled 136 divisions on the western front and organized them into three army groups. Rommel's 7th Armored Division was incorporated into the decisive T Army Group. This provided Rommel with an opportunity to display his talents. On may 10, the Germans launched a general attack (see French campaign). This is a sunny spring. Just before dawn, when the enemy officers and soldiers were still sleeping soundly, swarms of German Stuka bombers roared by, bombing airports, railway hubs, heavily armed areas and cities in France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg. At the same time, on the front of more than 300 kilometers from Beihai to maginot line, German ground troops broke through the borders of three neutral small countries, namely Holland, Belgium and Luxemburg, and grossly violated the promises that the Germans had solemnly made many times. The armies of France, Britain, the Netherlands and Belgium, which confronted the Germans, had a 135 division, extensive fortifications and enough tanks to compete with the Germans, but they didn't concentrate tanks like the Germans, and they didn't expect the Germans to concentrate armored troops to break through the Ardennes forest, so they were caught off guard. German armored forces quickly broke through the Ardennes area. In May, 2004 14, Mas River was robbed. On May 15, after going deep into France, the soldiers were divided into two ways: all the way to Paris and all the way to the English Channel along a wide and flat road. On May 24, the German troops advancing toward the Strait turned north and headed for the important ports of the Strait, Bren and Calais, and besieged the 360,000 British and French troops fighting in Flanders in the coastal area between Dunkirk and Belgium, forcing the British and French troops to evacuate to Britain by boat from Dunkirk in panic. On June 5th, the German army launched an attack on Paris, the capital of France, along the Somme and Aina rivers, and started the second stage of the "Battle of France". /kloc-Paris fell in June 0/4. On June 22nd, France was forced to surrender. In one of the largest modern wars at that time, Rommel got rid of the technical shackles and led the 7th Armored Division to set off from the Derby border, cross France and reach Cherbourg, just as he did in the Montmartre offensive in 19 17. Its rapid attack speed and long-distance propulsion distance earned the division the nickname "Devil's Teacher". It is convincing that Rommel himself is not squatting in the HQ far away from the front line, nor sitting in the command car made of thick steel plate, not illustrating nails on the map, nor using other remote control methods, but always rushing to the front. He was often in danger, but miraculously he survived. On the battlefield, he often jumps from one tank to another to aim. He is simply an infantry company commander, unlike a division commander who commands 12500 soldiers and hundreds of tanks.
Rommel's "Devil's Division" captured 97,648 enemies, 29/kloc-0 guns, 458 tanks and armored transport vehicles, and 3,500 other vehicles in the battle in France. But his division only killed 682 people, wounded 1646 people, lost 296 people and lost 42 tanks.
After the French war, the British Isles have become an ark hanging on the sea, fluttering and swaying. Prime Minister Churchill, known as the "lion", led the British military and civilians to support the current situation. But Hitler did not have a powerful fleet that could compete with the British navy, and his air force did not get any cheap in the air battle between Britain and the Royal Air Force. The "Sea Lion Project" that invaded Britain had to be delayed again and again. Hitler also looked at the sea like Napoleon and sighed. In more than half a year, Rommel didn't fight any battles. It's much quieter now than the battlefield with swords and shadows. However, after the French war, a large number of generals were promoted to rank, but Rommel was not promoted to lieutenant general like his two companions, and he did not get the coveted Oak Leaf Medal, which seemed a little depressed. It was not until the beginning of 194 1 that he was promoted to lieutenant general.
1941February 15 On the night Rommel returned to his home in Vienna New Town to prepare for his holiday, one of Hitler's assistants knocked on his door and ordered him to meet the general manager of the army and Hitler himself immediately. The soldier's instinct made him realize that there must be something important waiting for him. The next day, he met with the army commander-in-chief Blauch and Hitler, and was ordered to lead the German "African Army" to North Africa to fight against the British with the Italians.
It turned out that while Germany conquered Western Europe, the competition between the powers in North Africa and the Mediterranean became fierce. Italian fascist dictator Mussolini saw that the German invasion of Western Europe was profitable, so he joined in and stabbed France in the back. Mussolini, as a descendant of the Roman Empire, boasted about Caesar and was bent on restoring its former glory and establishing a great empire around the Mediterranean with Rome as the center. After the war against France, he saw that Britain was busy defending its territory, and its naval and air bases in Malta and North Africa were very weak. He thought it was an excellent opportunity to realize his arrogant plan, so he ordered Marshal Randolph Graziani to lead 500,000 Italian troops to launch an attack and invade Egypt on September 1940. The actions of the Italian army pose a great threat to Britain. Because if the Mediterranean channel is cut off, Britain's necessary supplies can only bypass the Cape of Good Hope, which is equivalent to being strangled. Churchill flatly decided to send more troops to Egypt. On February 9, 65438, 50,000 reinforcements launched a counterattack under the command of General Wavell, commander-in-chief of the British Middle East. By February 7 of the following year, the British army had almost wiped out 8 divisions of the Italian army, captured130,000 people and seized a large number of weapons and equipment. The Italian army, with a large number of people but backward equipment and low morale, has been proved to be no match for the British army. Although it is acceptable for Germany to lose North Africa militarily, it will have a strong spiritual shock to Italians, who are worried that the Italians who bombed their cities based in North Africa may withdraw from the "axis" alliance between Germany, Japan and Italy, which will greatly damage Germany's strategic interests. So Hitler immediately ordered the General Staff to send a complete armored division to North Africa after the scheduled departure of the fifth light armored division of the sniper troops, and selected Rommel as the military commander to command the expedition in an all-round way.
Rommel is about to start his two-year desert war. This is a brand-new battlefield environment. The vast desert is by no means a "sand table" for small-scale operations In summer here, the sunshine at noon raises the temperature of gas to 40-50 degrees Celsius, and the temperature drops to 0 degrees at night. The most dangerous thing is the sudden desert storm. At first, it was just a strange whirlwind spinning in the bushes, and soon it would turn into a hurricane with a speed of 130 kilometers per hour, stirring up millions of tons of hot and tiny red sand and sweeping the desert with overwhelming force. Fine sand can seep into the filter of the engine, pour into the tent, intoxicate people's eyes and nose, cover the windshield like a rainstorm, and block people's sight. However, the flat land constitutes the ideal battlefield of modern mechanized warfare, and those steel monsters are running and showing off. This is also a relatively independent war zone. In principle, Rommel will be subject to the Italian-African war.