The War of Resistance: My Expedition, My Country

Chapter 143 First Battle in North Africa

Due to General Sun Liren's injury, Kuang Zhengqi effectively took command of the Allied Second Army. He led various units landing at Port Sudan. The New 28th Division advanced northward, defeating the German-Italian coalition, primarily the Italian 11th Division, at Wadi Halfa on the Soviet-Egyptian border, and entered southern Egypt. The 7th Tank Division, on the left, and the New 114th Division, on the right, formed a pincer movement, advancing northward. Behind them were the troops directly under the Second Army.

Across Egypt's vast southern desert, on either side of the winding Nile River, two massive and imposing convoys, like two giant dragons, swept through a hail of swirling yellow sand, speeding along with a gust of wind and rain. Soon, they successfully captured the important city of Aswan and quickly cut off the supply routes of the German and Italian armies south of Egypt. Then, west of Aswan, on the banks of the Nile, a breathtaking scene unfolded: the 7th Tank Division collided with the German 27th Tank Division, and the battle ensued.

On the battlefield, the two sides were evenly matched, with a clear outcome. The battlefield was suddenly filled with thick smoke, blazing artillery fire, countless tanks crisscrossing, and a vast expanse of yellow sand. A rapid column from the new 114th Division suddenly flanked the German rear, disrupting the delicate balance of power. The Germans were immediately at a disadvantage, and the situation became extremely unfavorable for them.

It's worth noting that both the 7th and 114th Divisions were entering the desert battlefield for the first time and had yet to fully adapt to the combat environment and tempo. This gave the German 27th Division an opening. The commander of the 27th Division remained calm and slowly withdrew northward, quickly concluding the initial engagement.

In this battle, the Second Army destroyed 37 German tanks of various types and lost 29 of its own. The Allies took advantage of the situation to recapture a large area south of Aswan and north of Sudan.

Rommel was in the Sinai Peninsula, planning an attack on Jerusalem and an offensive towards Amman, attempting to annihilate all British forces along the Mediterranean coast in West Asia. Meanwhile, the German ambassador to Turkey was trying to persuade Turkish President İsmet İnönü to join the Axis. However, İsmet İnönü clearly had his own agenda. Besides strengthening military defenses, he sought to maintain as much neutrality as possible, maintaining diplomatic and trade relations with both the Allies and the Axis powers.

Ismet İnönü was helpless. The German Army Group South, which was advancing southward along the Caucasus, had already reached the Iran-Iraq border. Rommel's North African Corps was advancing northward. The British forces in the Jordan region were in jeopardy. Ismet İnönü had to consider the direction of the country. If the British army was defeated in Jordan and Palestine, Turkey would face pressure from the Axis powers on two fronts. It was unknown whether it could maintain its neutral policy.

The Turkish Chief of General Staff, Alai, came to meet with President Ismet and provided him with an immediate and very important piece of intelligence: the Allies appeared again in southern Egypt, defeated the main force of the German army on the southern front, the 27th Tank Division, and headed straight for Asyut.

Ailai's intelligence detailed the composition of the Allied force. President Ismet was shocked to learn of the Chinese presence in Egypt. He had also heard of the Chinese campaigns in Burma and India, particularly the tank battle against Yingluck, which effectively thwarted the Axis powers' attempts to reunite in the Middle East. At this point, China's international image was no longer the sick man of East Asia.

President Ismet was eager to break the Ottoman Empire's reputation as the sick man of West Asia. However, caught between the European powers, Turkey was forced to remain neutral, let alone participate in the war. With this intelligence provided to the Turkish General Staff by the British, President Ismet decided to maintain a neutral policy and not join either side in the war.

Based on the intelligence, Rommel learned about the Allied armored force heading north from Sudan. He immediately adjusted his deployment, regrouped his forces, and prepared for a decisive battle with the aggressive Allied Second Army.

At the same time, Kuang Zhengqi, who had a short rest in Aswan, also convened a meeting of the chief officers of the three divisions and their subordinate units to review the shortcomings of the operations and prepare for Rommel's revenge.

Kuang Zhengqi's subordinates included Chief of Staff Major General Bai Lang (US Army), Major General Strand of the 7th Division (British), Major General Pu Zhengsong of the 114th Division, Major General Liu Youjun of the 28th Division (former division commander Liu Bolun was transferred), Major General Martin of the 5307th Mechanized Brigade, etc.

The Second Army was not complacent about defeating the German 27th Tank Division in the first battle, especially when they had a complete advantage in the number of tanks, equipment and manpower. They still allowed the German 27th Division to escape, and the losses on both sides were roughly the same. This indirectly proved that the Second Army still had a big gap with the German army in combat experience and the use of weapons.

Kuang Zhengqi believed that the 7th Tank Division had flaws in its battle layout and failed to make proper use of heavy tanks and tank destroyers. He even questioned the penetration of the 114th Division's rapid column. The highly mobile M5A1 light tanks did not dare to move forward boldly and penetrated behind the enemy. The M4s failed to form effective suppression, and the position of the M6B1 Hunter destroyers was not well chosen, failing to achieve the effect of a mobile ambush.

At the same time, Kuang informed the various units of the characteristics of the newly improved German Panther. These differed from the Panthers encountered in the East Indies. The German Panther V had many improved models. Due to historical changes, the Panther entered North Africa, where it was derived into a model specifically for AA desert combat. Furthermore, during this operation, the German improved tank destroyers, commonly known as "three-bounce vehicles," were discovered. These vehicles posed a significant threat to the Second Army's tanks. The new tank destroyers, equipped with 88mm anti-tank guns, were particularly deadly.

Kuang Zhengqi instructed all units to closely monitor the latest movements of the German tank forces. Rommel was expected to mobilize the main force of the German army southward, and a major battle was expected to break out near Ugsur. The units had already taken advantage of the brief respite in Aswan to further refine their tank combat strategies and tactics, and coordinated drills between units were to be accelerated.

Based on the German army's movements, Kuang Zhengqi sent a request to the Allied North African Theater Headquarters in Monaco, North Africa. A large number of fighter planes were dispatched, and the US 1st Armored Division in Sudan also began moving north to join the Second Army. Meanwhile, Rommel assembled the main force of the North African Corps—the 3rd, 15th, and 21st Tank Divisions—to prepare for a southward advance. With each side possessing over 500 tanks, the largest tank battle in Africa was about to begin.