noffsinger Chapter 265 Joining the battlefield again
Chapter 265 Joining the battlefield again
The next day, the Chinese army, having shaken off the dour mood of the past few days, seemed to have taken on a whole new look. Loud bugles sounded, and each unit marched with resolute steps, heads held high, and began a new round of training.
Upon receiving the news, Wedemeyer and Mountbatten hurried over and were deeply disappointed by the uneven performance of the Chinese troops. However, the soldiers' resolute steps and upright postures gave them an even greater surprise. Kuang Zhengqi, who was at the front of the direct team, saw his two old friends approaching him, so he left the team, stepped forward quickly, and saluted the two officers!
The first thing Kuang Zhengqi said to Weidemeier was, we want weapons, tanks, cannons, we want to participate in the final decisive battle!
Under Wedemeyer's direction, the large number of tanks, tank destroyers, various artillery pieces, and armored vehicles that arrived in Kuwait were deployed to the Second Army. Approximately 2 reinforcements for the expeditionary force, trained in India, were also urgently airlifted in. Also arriving was a small Chinese Air Force brigade. While their numbers were small, this marked the beginning of the Chinese Air Force's formal expansion into the Middle East and even Western Europe.
根据种花家最新的命令，远征军第二方面军第2集团军正式下辖第6军、第47军和第114军，13、82旅合并为第13师隶属第6坦克军、17旅、83旅合并为第17师，隶属第114军，同时，军令部下令国内第54、61军进入印度集训，三个月后，他们将加入第二方面军，其中，第54军隶属第2集团军、第61军隶属第7集团军。
At the same time, a British African Corps organized in South Africa headed to central Egypt. They will be under the command of the Chinese Army's 7th Army. At the same time, the 7th Army of the 28th Army was ordered to withdraw from the Egyptian battlefield. They will board ships at Port Alam and join the battlefield in Iraq. According to the order of the Allied Theater Command, another US military will also rush over to take over the position of the 7th Army. Finally, the entire 7th Army will withdraw from the Egyptian battlefield and join the Iraqi battle.
The Second Army's tank divisions, thanks to their large presence of tanks and armored personnel, quickly regained their combat effectiveness after receiving new equipment. Due to a shortage of infantry, Kuang Zhengqi decided not to reinforce the tank divisions with infantry for now, but instead to fully staff the newly established 2th and 13th Mechanized Infantry Divisions. He understood that in the next phase of combat, tank and armored divisions would be the primary force, with infantry divisions having limited opportunities to participate. With this new configuration, the 17st, 1th, and 11th Tank Divisions, the 34rd and 43th Armored Divisions, and the 44nd Anti-Tank Division were essentially fully equipped with tank and armored units. Kuang Zhengqi instructed Pu Zhengsong to consolidate the remaining three divisions (the 2th, 13th, and 17th) and train them in the manner of the German Grenadier Divisions. Led by these battle-hardened veterans, these three divisions quickly regained their combat effectiveness, with the possibility of future divisions being split into regiments to join the tank divisions.
Half a month passed like this, and the German army made no progress on the eastern front of Iraq. The British 3rd Army had moved north, driving the German 42nd Army and Turkish troops to the area north of Zubaidia, firmly controlling the Iran-Iraq border.
On the center line, the British 8th Army and the German 25th Army fought fiercely along the Rifai line. Due to the limitations of the terrain, although the German army had an absolute advantage, it was unable to break through the British positions and the battle was in a staggered state.
On the southwest front, the German 1st Army captured Nasiriyah, Giselle, Nabaq and other areas under the powerful attack of Tiger, King Tiger, Ferdinand tank destroyers and Jagdpanther tank destroyers. The heavy troops were concentrated in the semi-desert area in the southwest, attempting to break through into Basra Province. George Patton took over as commander of the US 5th Army, placed the main force on the line of Busayya and Qulbanlayya, and used an armored vehicle division to confront the German 17th Armored Division entering Nabaq in Jilib Shahab.
General Patton personally traveled to Basra to meet with Kuang Zhengqi, and the two engaged in a frank exchange. Patton briefly briefed Kuang Zhengqi on his battle plans and arrangements. The Fifth Army comprised four corps, including three tank divisions, five armored divisions, one anti-tank division, and a supporting artillery division. This was a formidable force, but his opponent also possessed four corps, equipped with numerous heavy tanks and tank destroyers, posing a significant threat to the Fifth Army.
General Patton said nothing more and pleaded with Kuang Zhengqi, "General Kuang, I implore you to assist the Fifth Army in defending Basra Province! Especially when the Fifth Army advances to engage the Germans in a decisive battle, I hope your Second Army can dispatch some troops to assist in defending my rear, especially the Rumaila line."
"General Patton, the situation is urgent. So, please leave the defense of Basra and its surrounding areas to me." Kuang Zhengqi said to Patton.
After Patton left, Kuang Zhengqi quickly turned to the map, carefully studying the terrain of Basra Province and the German troop deployments. He then summoned his chief of staff and ordered the 1st and 11th Tank Divisions to advance to Rumaila, a key market town west of Basra. The 34th and 43rd Divisions would lie in ambush in the semi-desert area west of Basra. The 44th and 2nd Anti-Tank Divisions would garrison Shuaiba, providing rearguard support for both routes. Kuang Zhengqi would leave three infantry divisions in Basra as a last resort.
The final days of October were filled with raging battles. Patton's Fifth Army engaged in a fierce tank battle with the main force of the German First Tank Army, which had penetrated the southwest. Backed by a massive air force, the US Army responded calmly, engaging in a desperate struggle with the German heavy tank clusters.
However, just as Patton and the US military had just won the victory and were immersed in joy, a new crisis quietly arrived.
"Kitty Eagle report, Kitty Eagle report!" An officer of the Chinese Air Force training flight team kept calling out. At the same time, other fighter planes of this Chinese Air Force team kept using the limited firepower they carried to attack the German troops on the ground.
"We've discovered German troops infiltrating 70 kilometers north of Uzaibachi, a major town on the border between Basra Province and Kuwait!" "The German troops are very numerous, at least two armies, equipped with a large number of tanks and armored vehicles!"
Wedemeyer received the alert and rushed to the scene, realizing the situation was serious. He urgently ordered the Kuwaiti Air Force to launch a bombing raid on the Germans. He also ordered the US 7th Army in northern Kuwait to immediately meet the Germans. However, the 7th Army was mainly light armored and was not necessarily a match for the Germans. Wedemeyer could only rely on Kuang Zhengqi and the 2nd Army in Basra.