If defeated at the hands of Italy, Britain's prestige fell to a new low, and prestige is very important in a life and death struggle, because in this kind of struggle, propaganda is a very powerful weapon, especially in influencing the United States. and the Soviet Union. Yes, the Soviet Union, at least Britain, did not believe that Germany and the Soviet Union could coexist peacefully. The British were right, but Germany would definitely not mess with the Soviet Union until it solved the British problem.
Think about it, Britain completely fell under the Axis offensive, and the United States and the Soviet Union would naturally not take the initiative to provoke Germany. The United Kingdom must also know this, so it must defeat one between Germany and Italy. It seems that defeating Germany is still very difficult, so now the United Kingdom urgently needs to find the lost confidence in Italy, Germany's ally.
"Order, Benghazi must be captured within twelve hours!" Considering the disastrous consequences, General Wavell simply did not dare to think any further. Ever since Britain decided to join the war, from Dunkirk to the Battle of Britain, from the Battle off the coast of Belgium to the Battle of Gibraltar, Britain has not won a single victory against Germany, and now it cannot even protect the British mainland. If they lose to the Italian army in Africa again, not only will the whole world no longer believe in Britain, but even the British themselves may not have the confidence to continue fighting.
This year has been like a dream to General Wavell. A year ago, Britain was still the largest country in the world. Although the national power of the United States has posed a threat to Britain, Britain still relies on its vast colonies and hundreds of The foundation of the year rules the world. Now, just a year later, Britain has been stripped of almost everything it had. Britain lost control of the balance of power on the European continent, lost the ocean, lost the sky, and even lost its own homeland. If it didn't use a victory to cheer up its spirit, Britain would soon lose everything that it didn't have much.
Looking blankly at the British soldiers who were engaged in the attack, General Wavell secretly said, "Soldiers, the future of the British Empire depends on you! We must win! We cannot fail again!" Of course ordinary soldiers can't think of this. It's so long-term, but the attitude of fighting for the motherland is the same as that of General Wavell. When they stood on the battlefield, they had already decided in their hearts that they could not consider anything other than victory.
Because it faces the British 7th Armored Division, the Dongcheng District of Benghazi has long been turned into ruins. Some houses have been bombarded by British heavy artillery and are crumbling. Let alone hiding inside to sneak attack on British soldiers, who knows when these broken houses will be destroyed? It collapsed, burying the defending soldiers inside. Looking at the earthen houses falling with dust as the artillery fire continued, the Italian soldiers' throats became dry for a while, and they swallowed hard, although the saliva did not exist at all.
Although the conditions are harsh, hiding inside seems safer than being in the trenches. I saw with my own eyes that an Italian soldier was headshot while taking aim from the trenches. The Italian soldier hiding in the building immediately felt that his conditions were still good. Yes, even the dust that keeps falling from the ceiling looks kind and friendly at this time.
The attacking British soldiers were even more embarrassed. Before they could enter the city, they had to be exposed to the firepower of the Italian defenders for a long time. If there was something to cover them, they would not have such a hard time. Unfortunately, , there was nothing but sand on the way the British soldiers charged. Therefore, to ensure that they would not be hit, British soldiers had no choice but to pray.
After overcoming the fire blockade of the 8th Bessalini Regiment, the attacking British soldiers finally rushed into the city of Benghazi. Facing the Italian soldiers hidden in houses and corners, the British soldiers seemed to suddenly feel that they were everywhere. Possibly an Italian hideout. In front of these British 7th Armored Division, the British army did not have enough street fighting experience. As the first British army to eat crabs, it was impossible for these British soldiers to enter Benghazi without paying a price.
After entering the city, because they were unfamiliar with street fighting, the British soldiers suffered a big loss at the beginning and were caught off guard by the Italian 8th Bessalini Regiment. The three battalions of the British army suffered varying degrees of casualties and had to temporarily stop this stupid attack and stop to study countermeasures. General Wavell once again sent two battalions of troops to support, and ordered the artillery to aim at the Italian No. 3 The position of the 8th Bessalini Regiment underwent a long-lasting artillery bombardment.
This move did cause a lot of damage to the Italian soldiers stationed here, but this shelling also had a great negative impact, that is, it made the originally uncomplicated terrain more complicated because of the extra rubble and man-made extra There were many hiding places. After the shelling, the attacking British soldiers gained an overwhelming advantage in the Dongcheng District, but they were never able to completely annihilate the remaining Italian soldiers. It can be seen that shelling is sometimes a double-edged sword, and it may not necessarily be Useful anytime.
The offensive force of the 7th Armored Division was firmly pinned in the east city area and could not move forward. Benghazi was controlled by Italy to the west and the Mediterranean to the north. Therefore, the British 7th Armored Division could not force the Italian 3rd Army by investing more troops. The withdrawal of the 132 Ariet Armored Division from Benghazi, if the British navy is still there, can help the British capture Benghazi. However, the British navy is no longer something people look up to. The British navy ranks in the world. It even fell behind Germany and could only compete with the Soviet Union for the sixth position in the world. On the contrary, General Wavell is now afraid of the sudden appearance of the Italian navy. In this way, the 7th Armored Division will have to withdraw from the battle and return to Egypt. However, General Wavell was overly worried. Although the Italian Navy can indeed do this now, they are showing off their power in Alexandria, Egypt, and it will take time to get here.
Ivo Binchy and Major General Bradman really hope that reinforcements will appear as soon as possible, but in comparison, the German Stuka dive bomber wing in Sicily makes the two of them look forward to it even more. It is not that they look down on their own troops. , but compared to the speed of the navy and air force, the two are more practical, although they also hope that it will be their country's power, not the German air force, that will rescue them at the critical moment. However, it is obvious that there is no Italian power around Benghazi. The only force that can deal a huge blow to the British offensive forces recently is the air force stationed in Sicily. Italian pilots cannot be allowed to fly Stuka dive bombers to rescue them.
The urban area of Benghazi is so big that the tens of thousands of people in the two divisions cannot be fully deployed. Although General Wavell was reluctant, he could only increase the strength bit by bit, which saved Bradman to a certain extent. The major general was killed. Although the 132nd Ariete Armored Division was already considered one of the few elite divisions in Italy, Major General Bradman himself could not guarantee what would happen if this rate of casualties continued.
"What is this sound?" Ivo Binchy and Major General Bradman, who were anxious, suddenly seemed to hear an unusual sound in the sky. They looked around and found that the people around them were looking up to the sky, knowing that they Not an illusion. The sound came from the north, and Ivo Binchy and Major General Bradman immediately came to the exciting conclusion that the reinforcements they had been waiting for had finally arrived.
The gathering of hundreds of Stuka dive bombers in a wing is very spectacular, and the powerful sound attack capability is also unparalleled. The alternative weapon tweeter plays an important role. This is why you hear the sound before you see the plane. Next to the Stuka dive bomber wing were approximately one hundred and fifty Italian Fiat Cr.42 fighters. At this time, they and the Stuka dive bomber wing were advancing in front of Benghazi at one speed.
In fact, the pilots of the Italian Air Force are now very embarrassed, because on the way here, some pilots drove the Fiat Cr.42 fighter jets to full speed. They originally thought that the German bombers could not catch up, but they were shocked to find that the German bombers had been keeping up. The fighter jets and bombers followed at the same speed. This was simply embarrassing to the Italian designers. It’s no wonder that the Fiat Cr.42 fighter jets are all equipped with Fiat A.74RC.38 air-cooled radial engines with only 840 horsepower. This makes the maximum speed of these three fighter jets higher than those of their opponents, the British "Hurricane" and "Spitfire". , or the Bf109 of the allied Germany is 30 to 120 km/h slower. Not only that, the Italian fighter jets are only equipped with two Breda-Safat 12.7 mm machine guns, a good weapon, but because of the propeller shooting coordinator The rate of fire is lower due to this reason. It can be said that as long as the Stuka dive bomber throws away the mounted bombs, it can compete with the Fiat Cr.42 fighter in a one-on-one duel. The Stuka dive bomber with a sturdy body may still have an advantage.
It is impossible that only the Italians noticed such a huge movement. General Wavell, who was commanding the operation, also heard the sound. As the fleet approached, General Wavell saw the hateful iron cross pattern under the aircraft. There is no doubt that these aircraft It belongs to Germany, well, at least it belongs to Germany for now.
The roaring bombers did not know what politeness meant. Although General Wavell issued a covert order at the first moment of discovery, and the grassroots commanders on the front line also issued the same order, it was too late, Stuka. Dive bombers are the bombers with the highest hit rate in the world. At least they have no problem bombing targets as big as houses. However, for the British troops on the offensive, the target is obviously much larger than a house.
The escorting Italian Air Force belonged to the 1st Fighter Wing and the 11th Wing. The 1st Wing attacked the British artillery position about five kilometers away from the city of Benghazi from an altitude of 4,700 meters. The fighters of the 11th Wing attacked the enemy who had not yet entered the squadron. British troops in Western Canada strafed.
The Stuka dive bomber wing began to dive bomb. The bombers of the two groups went straight to the British artillery position. As soon as the Italian Air Force fighter jets finished strafing, the Stuka dive bombers came here with an invitation from the god of death. , precise bomb dropping and witch-like screams, the British soldiers had to endure the huge noise while experiencing the fear of death.
Lieutenant Francesco Solimena of the 9th Squadron of the 1st Wing accidentally killed a colonel who had not had time to evacuate, Lieutenant Francesco Solimena. What he didn't know was that the person he killed was the British artillery officer.
In general, this attack achieved great results. The Italian 132nd Ariete Armored Division, which had been suppressed, finally seized this hard-won opportunity to gain a firm foothold in the urban area. British troops drove out of Benghazi. This was undoubtedly the most troublesome thing for General Wavell. The attack for more than ten hours was disrupted by the sudden appearance of the bomber wing. No one can withstand this kind of blow.
"Retreat..." After seeing that it was impossible to capture Benghazi on time, General Wavell was quite determined and ordered, "Retreat, our mission now is no longer to attack, but to defend Egypt properly. I believe that as long as If we don’t make mistakes in the next battle, we still have a chance to win!”
"General, this is just an accident. It only takes a few hours. We will definitely be able to capture Benghazi!" The surrounding staff officers were opposed to General Wavell's proposal to retreat at this time, because everyone could see now that the defenders of the city were Although the Italian army is different from ordinary troops, it has reached its end now. It would be a pity to retreat at this time.
But General Wavell didn't think so. At least now, even if they capture Benghazi, they will immediately be taken back by reinforcements from other places in Italy. After all, it's not just the Italians who are tired. They are also very tired now. They forced the capture of Benghazi. It has become meaningless.
"Retreat. Since we cannot achieve our strategic goal, why should we sacrifice the lives of our soldiers?" General Wavell said, "We cherish our lives in order to better fight for the British Empire and keep our lives. Watching the British Empire defeat Germany and Italy, this is what we should do." Speaking late, General Wavell waved his hand and began to prepare to retreat.
When they learned that the British 7th Armored Division was preparing to retreat, both Ivo Binchy and Major General Bradman saw the joy in each other's eyes. If the 7th Armored Division did not leave, the 132nd would probably be the ones who fell. Ariete Armored Division, General Wavell's decision was correct. Since the fight failed to achieve its goal, there was no need to continue the fight. However, Major General Bradman really wiped off a cold sweat, because if General Wavell acted impulsively, the 132nd Ariete Armored Division might not exist.
The apparent winner of the battle in Benghazi was the Italians. This result made many countries wonder, is the British Empire so weak that it cannot even deal with a paramilitary power like Italy? This includes Japan, which has always coveted British colonies in Asia.
Germany, which was concerned about this battle, was briefly stunned when the news came, and immediately began to prepare to publicize Italy's victory. Although from Germany's perspective, the battle in Benghazi was only a division-level battle, but Italy finally won, right? If your allies are victorious, you have to show something, especially since the loser is still the British who are still resisting the German armored clusters.
In just an hour, even earlier than the news from Italy, propaganda documents personally written by Propaganda Minister Goebbels appeared in major newspapers and news, including the note "Churchill the Warmonger" written by Goebbels himself. , which severely sprinkled a handful of salt on the British wounds from multiple angles.
"Churchill was the instigator of the war, and it was he who was responsible for Britain's defeat in the war. He was the most bloodthirsty and amateur strategist in history?? For more than 5 years, this man has been like a madman in Europe Chasing him about for something he could set fire to?? As a soldier, he was a bad politician; as a politician, he was an equally bad soldier?? Mr. Churchill's genius was to pretend to be pious and panic. , distorted the facts, and finally described the disastrous defeat as a glorious victory. The Battle of Dunkirk fully demonstrated this. Churchill knew nothing about strategy. Therefore, he suddenly made two mistakes in Egypt, Africa and the British mainland. He was defeated on the battlefield. In any other country, would he have been tried by a military court? His abnormal mental state could only indicate that he suffered from paralysis, or that he was a drunkard talking nonsense? ?”
Italian propaganda was promoted by Mussolini himself. As soon as the news reached Mussolini's ears, the Italian Propaganda Department told the residents of Rome that the leader would have important news to announce later. News in Germany About half an hour after he came out, that is, at 4 o'clock in the afternoon, Mussolini appeared in front of people in the main square of Rome under the gaze of 100,000 people; "Dear citizens of Rome, I want you to be Gaussian" Good news!" Mussolini said happily, "The news just came that in the battle for Benghazi, our Italian hero, the 132nd Ariete Armored Division withstood the attack of three British divisions. We successfully defended this important town in North Africa and cost the British tens of thousands of casualties. This was our first battle with the British in Africa. As we once said, the era of the British has passed. , they themselves were struggling under the heavy pressure of our ally Germany, and they actually dared to resist our invincible Italian army. The result of the battle showed how ridiculous the British behavior was. Now let us cheer! "