noffsinger Chapter 255 A Primitive Battle
Chapter 255 A Primitive Battle
Rommel was also surprised by Hoepner's report. How did the Chinese appear here? Weren't they in central Egypt, currently attacking Fayoum? The 5th Tank Division, with some support, broke through the Chinese encirclement and was now engaged in fierce fighting with the Chinese in the Bushehr area north of Beni Suef. The 28th Panzer Corps launched several attacks but failed to penetrate the German 5th Tank Division's defenses. A virtual standoff ensued along this line.
Rommel quickly identified the path of the Chinese army from the map. This proved that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia had actually joined the Allies, and Rommel now had to consider whether to launch a retaliatory attack on Saudi Arabia.
You must know that at that time the German army had many routes to attack Saudi Arabia. It could have completely omitted the main force of the Jordanian front line and directly sent out the Italian army in the Sinai Peninsula through Aqaba on the border between Jordan and Saudi Arabia. It could have occupied the important city of Usayli in northern Saudi Arabia in 2-3 days, seized the airport and other facilities there, and quickly occupied a large area in the northern part of the Arabian Peninsula. It could even have easily captured Medina and let the vassal armies of Egypt and Jordan occupy this area. With the support of the Arab national forces and the dissatisfaction of the people in the Middle East with British colonization, it might have been possible to directly overthrow the rule of the Saudi Kingdom.
Rommel also knew that the Turkish army could not be used in an attack on Saudi Arabia. Doing so would give the Arab world the impression that the Ottoman Empire was about to be restored, which would be met with complete resistance. This was also a political ploy by the High Command to temporarily refrain from attacking the Arabian Peninsula. According to the High Command's plan, after completely seizing Iraq and Kuwait, they would form an alliance with Iran, then launch an operation against the Arabian Peninsula, and finally hand the Arabian Peninsula over to Türkiye. This was the condition for the alliance between the two countries.
Rommel ultimately decided not to launch a large-scale offensive against Saudi Arabia. Instead, he instructed the German representative in the Kingdom to lodge a diplomatic protest with the Kingdom. Meanwhile, he dispatched Egyptian and Jordanian vassal forces to raid Saudi Arabia's northern border, capturing border towns such as Halet al-Amar. Meanwhile, a classic battle erupted on the Jordanian-Saudi border, with both sides deploying thousands of troops, primarily armed with camels and horses, in the northern Saudi semi-desert region. The Saudis launched World War I-style biplanes from Usayli and attacked the attacking Egyptian and Jordanian vassal forces. The Saudis, using MG43 machine guns, shot down the Saudi aircraft. The battle was not fierce. The two sides engaged in a day-long battle, with the Saudis losing three aircraft and over 3 men, while the vassal forces suffered fewer than 200 men, resulting in a near-decisive draw.
Mohammed urgently approached the US and British garrisons, requesting their support. Wedemeyer, acting as their representative, personally met with Mohammed and reviewed the situation with him. Throughout this time, both the US and UK, as well as Germany, Turkey, and Italy, understood the futility of joining the Saudi war now. The US and UK needed time to mobilize their forces to defend Iraq and Kuwait, while the Germans and their Axis powers needed to capture Iraq and Kuwait as quickly as possible. With Wedemeyer's promise, Saudi Arabia secured a group of Arab reinforcements, who joined the fighting in the north. Likewise, the Germans provided their vassal forces with additional military assistance, including some light tanks, further escalating the scale and intensity of the conflict.
After a day of waiting, Kuang Zhengqi found no signs of a German attack, which puzzled him. Could it be that the Germans were abandoning this line of attack? Or had they opened up a new route? Pu Zhengsong was also puzzled. He repeatedly sent out search teams to conduct large-scale searches, but the information he received was no signs of large-scale German movements.
The Germans clearly had no intention of fighting to the death in this area. Their goal was clear: to break through as quickly as possible, enter the heart of Iraq, and capture Basra! Pu Zhengsong found Kuang Zhengqi, and neither of them could figure out what the Germans were doing.
Pu Zhengsong said to Kuang Zhengqi, "Brother, what is Erich Hoepner up to? If he just stops here, it will be good for us. At least, we have achieved our goal and stopped the German army's attempt to attack the heart of Iraq."
Kuang Zhengqi smiled and said softly, "The Germans aren't fools. They'd rather retreat to Jordan than die here. They definitely won't stay here. This Hoepner must be plotting something."
Yes, Erich Hoepner was indeed plotting something. While he appeared to be inactive, he had actually already dispatched the Turkish divisions, searching for a breakthrough along the northern route, and had already achieved some success. The main German force was preparing to use the cover of night to quickly break away from contact with the Chinese forces in this area. Of course, Erich Hoepner had another sinister plan: he hoped that the Chinese would discover their new route the next day and follow them, allowing them to take advantage of their rest and defeat them.
Kuang Zhengqi and Pu Zhengsong, after all, were time travelers, and their understanding of future geography far surpassed that of the Germans. After carefully analyzing the surrounding terrain, they came to a frustrating conclusion: if the Germans were to exploit alternative routes and advance deeper into Iraq, the Second Army would be unable to intercept them in such a geographical environment. On the contrary, if they were to follow them and attack, they would be vulnerable to an ambush, just as they were planning to ambush the Germans here. In such terrain, whoever attacked first would be most vulnerable to an ambush!
"We can't waste time with the Germans here. Since we have lost the opportunity to ambush, we might as well give up and break through quickly according to the original plan to reach the Ruzazai Lake line. No matter how the Germans act, we can fight a decisive battle with them on this line. Whoever arrives first will occupy the advantageous terrain!" Pu Zhengsong decisively put forward his suggestion.
Kuang Zhengqi was also calculating the paths both sides would take to Lake Ruzazai. Meanwhile, under the guidance of their guide, a section of the 2nd Army had already reached Nuhayb. It would take only a day to reach Hissa from Nuhayb. They could easily arrive early and establish a defensive position.
Without hesitation, Kuang Zhengqi immediately ordered Pu Zhengsong's 6th Tank Army to set off first, while he himself led the 114th and 47th Armies, preparing to confront the German army until tonight, and then escape under the cover of darkness.
The commanders of both China and Germany adopted the same strategy and had no interest in fighting in this area. As soon as it got dark that night, both sides evacuated in batches as if they had reached a tacit understanding, leaving ambushes along the way. After a night of action, this originally deserted area once again returned to its original silence.