While Shaposhnikov and Temusingo were busy retreating, let us temporarily divert our sight from the snowy Eastern Front to the dusty North Africa, where Montgomery and Rommel were still engaged in a cruel tug-of-war.

The 2nd Northampton Volunteer Cavalry (Size of Armored Battalion) of the 29th Armored Brigade, as the reconnaissance unit of the 11th Armored Division, finally received an order to attack, and the subordinate Squadron A began to move forward. Unlike in the past, the infantry did not advance in armored vehicles, but learned the style of the Red Army and directly carried the infantry forward with Cromwell tanks. This was because Major General Roberts, the commander of the 11th Armored Division, believed that tanks were easier to break through the German defense line.

When Squadron A entered the battlefield, the battlefield was in chaos, with destroyed tanks and various vehicles everywhere. Sporadic battles continued, and the remnants of the German army were still resisting tenaciously.

At that time, the smoke from the explosion covered the sky and the commanders of several tanks serving as the leading vehicles had to poke their heads out of the turret to observe. Only in this way could they find a way to cross in the mess. However, the commanders soon realized that another advantage of doing this was that they could immediately take out their revolvers to deal with the German grenades holding magnetic anti-tankres and attempt to rush towards Cromwell.

After Team A cleared the German resistance on the road, it was already around 2 o'clock in the afternoon. Half an hour later, the main force arrived at the high ground on the south side of the battlefield. The British tank troops, which had not yet rectified their formation, collided head-on with the No. 4 tank group of the 5th Company of the ss 12th Armored Regiment.

The 5th Company and the 7th Company were originally planning to go to another position to block the gap, but who would have thought that they would run into the British army halfway. The two sides immediately fought fiercely. The platoon leader of the 5th Company's third platoon, Lieutenant Weley Kendler, described the scene at that time in a later battle report:

"When we were marching, suddenly, many enemy tanks and armored vehicles appeared on the road to the left. They were trying to capture our position. Soon our tanks were put into battle, and both sides suffered losses. Just a few meters ahead of me, Sergeant Brecherz, whose upper body was exposed outside the turret, was smashed to pieces by the shells that had hit directly. At the same time, we found that a group of British tanks had passed through the positions of our infantry, and could only retreat while fighting with the cover of sand and dust."

At this time, General O'Connor, the commander of the 8th Army of the British Army, ordered the 29th Armored Brigade of the 11th Armored Division to put the remaining three battalions into battle and tear open the German defense line as much as possible. Reinforce the squadron of the 2nd Volunteer Cavalry of Northampton, who arrived in advance.

At the same time, with the 7th Royal Tank Regiment, Cameron's 9th Battalion of the Scottish Rampage Regiment Regiment also arrived at the battlefield. When the first tank had just climbed onto the high ground that the 2nd Volunteer Cavalry Team of Northampton had abandoned, the German machine gun bullets flew over to the scalp of the chariot that poked out the turret. Then the No. 4 tank of the 5th Company of the German Army immediately opened fire. In an instant, two British tanks were destroyed. Although the British tanks immediately fought back, the British army, with poor shooting skills, still had nothing to find after being destroyed by the four tanks, and could only retreat in a panic.

A little far to the west, the German Black Panther tanks were still shooting at each other with the tanks of the British 4/7th Guard Dragoon Regiment. The British boldly threw in another armored battalion Sherwood Volunteer Cavalry team, but the 6th Company of the 12th Armored Regiment of the German Army quickly blocked their way.

At this time, the main force of the British 11th Armored Division was moving forward step by step as planned. The 2nd Volunteer Cavalry Team of the 29th Armored Brigade, Favre Favre, was responsible for covering them. However, the unit soon reported that it was attacked by Tiger tanks and lost some personnel and vehicles.

However, according to German records, there were no Tiger tanks, only the old No. 4 tank. Fortunately, the British had an overwhelming advantage in terms of military strength, so they quickly drove away these No. 4 tanks.

At noon, Commander Mayer finally got some good news: "A Tiger tank company from the 101th Heavy Armored Battalion will go to support his troops." At the same time, Rommel also promised to provide two armored grenade battalions.

However, these reinforcements were still on the way and could not provide help immediately. The British armored troops and infantry had basically broken through Mayer's defense line. So much so that Mayer had to organize all the personnel in the regiment headquarters who could hold guns, artillery soldiers who lost artillery and a gap in the defense line that the reconnaissance company had put in. Although Mayer had put all his money in his old position, he still failed to block the gap.

On the other hand, the British army increased the pressure again. The Light Cavalry Regiment of the 29th Armored Brigade of the 11th Armored Division (a battalion-level unit) was ordered to rush to the battlefield. In the late afternoon, they started attacking, and followed them to attack the two companies of the 8th Battalion of the Laifu Ring Brigade. Captain Kabel, who led the team, recalled: "There is a ruin in the village, soldiers are still cleaning up the enemy in the house, and gunfire sounds are heard from the other end of the village from time to time. There are goats killed in the middle of the road, and the German half-tracked chariots on the other side. There are many German corpses behind the car."

Seeing the German line of defense pills, Meier had to give his last reserve company commander Ziegler: "The right wing of our line of defense has collapsed, you must immediately get there, hold the enemy's footsteps and block the road. But unfortunately, I have no infantry to send to support you."

Ziegler immediately replied: "Our tank engine has moved, the hatch has been covered, and your last few words have been overwhelmed by the sound of the tank's tracks."

Without wasting time, Ziegler and his four tanks rushed over immediately to assist Major Pres' 2nd Battalion to set up defense. Pres himself took a car with Captain Ziegler to check the situation. Now if the British continue to attack tomorrow, their positions must be the only way for the British army.

Not long after Pres broke up with Ziegler, the unlucky major bumped into the British patrol and died on the spot. However, the British patrol composed of Scots did not know what contribution they had made to the main force's attack the next day.

On the other hand, the 2nd Battalion of the 12th Armored Regiment of the German Army, who lost its commander, left three seriously injured people and began to retreat. The remaining 7 people successfully escaped under the cover of darkness and wind and sand. At the same time, Captain Ziegler's four tanks guarded the road, and they covered the 2nd Battalion of the 12th Armored Regiment all night. However, due to the lack of troops, the defense lines of the 2nd Battalion of the 12th Armored Regiment and Captain Ziegler can be said to be crumbling.

Before dawn, Captain Ziegler led the tanks forward to reconnaissance suddenly appeared a wave of friendly troops. The grenadiers fell asleep in the fox pit, not realizing that danger was coming. When Ziegler warned them that the British were about to attack, these extremely tired grenadiers believed that their tanks were around and did not need to be afraid at all. So they continued to fall to sleep.

In desperation, Captain Ziegler had to leave, but soon these sleeping grenades would regret it. After less than five minutes of Ziegler's departure, the projectiles fired by British mortars and howitzers hit them in the face. They were awakened and couldn't escape even if they wanted to run away, and they were instantly bombarded into scum.

Let’s not talk about Captain Ziegler’s story for now, let’s take a look at the results of the British Army’s “Arena” operation since the beginning.

During the first three days of battle, the German army lost 7o people in the fierce battle (88o people were killed, oo people were injured, 412o people disappeared). Although the African Legion recorded this stage of battle in the combat log as "a completely successful defense", in fact, the African Legion was at the end of its strength. As Meier, who had used up all the reserves that day, said: "If there were no reinforcements tonight, I would no longer be able to stop any breakthroughs from the British tomorrow."

The problem is that Rommel was really nervous, and he had no reserve team at all, so he could only tear down the east and west walls. At the same time, the British decided to launch a new offensive the next day. Their plan was to divide the troops into two groups to attack at the same time, but the British were in a little trouble because they were crowded and they were trapped in traffic congestion. They went tossed from the second half of the night until dawn to complete the combat preparations.

The battle on the right started first. The 10th Battalion of the 227th Brigade Highland Light Infantry Regiment launched a tentative attack, but it was soon repelled by four No. 4 tanks of Captain Ziegler who was ambushed well. The smart Captain Ziegler saw that the enemy on the opposite side was only a group of light infantry, and ordered that the guns were not allowed to fire and suppress them with only machine guns. The British army's tactics were quite rigid, and they were always "infantry in front and tanks in back", which had long been well known to the German army.

After the British infantry were killed, the British tanks came late. This time, the No. 4 tank, which had been ambushing for a long time, opened fire at the same time under Ziegler's order. Soon the British tank hands crawled out of the burning tank in a panic. Many of them were covered in flames. This was an unpleasant beginning for the British officers and soldiers. After that, the other two companies of the battalion were pushed forward along the same road, and Captain Ziegler was severely scolded.

What was even more, not long after, a greater disaster came to the heads of these British people. The battalion was suddenly attacked by several German Black Panther tanks. Many vehicles in the battalion were hit and caught fire. The British artillery, who were closely following the infantry, had to reverse the anti-tank guns and shoot backwards at 18 o'clock. However, the four-pound gun could only tick the Black Panthers. The British caught off guard were immediately destroyed by three anti-tank guns and two tanks.

At that time, Lieutenant Blaley, who was waiting for the attack order in Churchill tank, soon saw a fierce explosion and a chaotic noise coming from the rear. He raised his telescope and saw that four Black Panther tanks were defeating all the infantry of the 1st Battalion, which was only two hundred meters away from him. Soon, the Black Panther tank appeared in the existence of Xiang, and with the sound of cannons, Xiang's head was blown away.

The failure of the offensive and the heavy casualties made the British infantry begin to hate the armored forces that cooperated with them. Many people complained afterwards: "When we need them the most, they are doing nothing behind!"

It was not only the 1st Battalion that was attacked by the Black Panther, but on the other side, the Germans were not so lucky. At that time, the 5th Battalion of the Prince of Cornwall Light Infantry Regiment of the 214th Brigade of the 43rd Division of the British Army was accurately engaging with friendly forces, and suddenly I heard the roar of the engine and the sound of tracks shaking the ground.

The shocked British army then saw the tall black turret, and four black panthers quickly rushed over. The four British vanguards who were walking in the front jumped quickly to search for cover. At this time, the battalion's anti-tank gun company was still hitting the muzzle. Soon, a 6-pound anti-tank gun was torn to pieces by the shells directly hit, and then the Germans bombed another door. But at this time, the two German motorcycles walking next to the Black Panther were knocked to the ground by the British army, and the Black Panther who had lost the scout forward began to hesitate. The awake British army quickly used the cover of the terrain to organize four piat bazooka teams, knocking off the two black panthers and nine German soldiers.

The Black Panther, who lost the cover of the infantry and did not understand the reality of the British army, quickly retreated. Of course, the British were actually afraid of hitting the wolf at both ends. After killing the Black Panther away, they did not dare to go forward to pursue.

At the same time, Ziegler's four tanks repelled several rounds of attacks by the British, making the defense line on his side look solid. But at noon, Ziegler's good luck ended, and in order to gain a better view, he was seen by the British when he moved from a well-disguised hidden shooting point. Soon the fragile No. 4 tank was hit and caught fire, and Ziegler and two other members were seriously burned. After that, as the remaining three No. 4 tanks were exhausted, they could only withdraw supplies. At this time, nothing could be organized to advance.

For the Germans, if they could have said they had done a "successful defense" a day ago, the situation has become very serious. The British army has completely wedged into their defense line and controlled the roads and traffic roads. Their vanguard troops opened a three-kilometer-wide protrusion about 8 kilometers deep. At the same time, the British reinforcements are still pouring in. With Rommel's pitiful force at hand, it is impossible to block the hole.

Of course, no matter whether it is possible to block the hole or not, for Rommel, he must block it. If he doesn't block it, there will be only a dead end. It may be a little easier to block the road. However, what made Rommel feel depressed was that the British's movements began to speed up. The reason was very simple. Churchill was not satisfied and Montgomery was not happy. In order to satisfy the two above, the British soldiers could only work hard for help.

The British target was to take down the last important position of the German army at the "top" of the protruding part. The tanks of the British Light Cavalry Regiment destroyed a No. 4 tank of the 5th Company of the 12th Armored Regiment of the German Army, and injured one. The company strengthened the defense of the 153 Highland overnight in accordance with Rommel's order.

Then, the tanks of the Light Cavalry Regiment began to attack the 153 Heights under the cover of the infantry of the 8th Battalion of the Ramp Brigade. The 153 Heights were very large in range, and some were flat but some were uneven. When the British army was about to reach the top of the mountain, a German artillery observation post was found, which was arranged by the German howitzer troops in the northeast of the 153 Heights.

The tanks of the B Squadron of the Light Cavalry Regiment continued to move forward. The squadron was responsible for covering. During the advancement, the B Squadron was resisted by a small number of German troops on the high ground and destroyed a tank. At the same time, the German tanks near the high ground also opened fire at them. The British stubbornly believed that it was a Tiger tank and immediately called the Royal Air Force to launch a ground attack. In fact, it was still just an old No. 4 tank.

Under the cover of the Air Force, the squadron and the 8th Battalion of the 8th Battalion of the Ramp Brigade attacked the top of the mountain. The German troops stationed at the top of the mountain quickly could not stand it and rushed to the rear like an electric snowflake: "The British are on the top of the mountain. A Sherman tank is less than four meters away from me. For God's sake, don't call, they will hear the ringtone. We will find an opportunity to retreat."

In order to confirm the battle situation on the high ground, the German army sent a reconnaissance team to the top of the mountain to check the situation, but it was soon driven away by the British with machine guns and lost two people. However, the German army observed that there were only two tanks on the top of the mountain, and all that were left were machine guns and anti-tank guns. So the German army quickly decided to launch a counterattack to drive away the British.

Sergeant Clemach, 20 years old, participated in the battle. He recalled: "After the assembly, our tanks began to move towards the 153 Heights. We walked very carefully and always covered each other forward. When we crossed the sand and entered the open space, I used a telescope to observe the situation ahead. However, no doubtful targets were found, and I ordered to continue moving forward. But just after walking more than ten meters, I was suddenly attacked by artillery fire! I immediately shouted: 'Reverse! Reverse!' My driver Schneider reacted quickly and immediately reversed and let the British attacks go to waste."

At this time, the situation on the high ground had changed significantly from before. The British reinforced 6 Shermans and an infantry company. When the German army bombarded the mountain with mortars, in revenge, the Royal Air Force also bombed the southern slope of the highland and any suspicious targets nearby, allowing the entire highland to be covered with dust and smoke caused by the bombing. This directly led to the failure of the German army's first attempt to seize the highland.

In the following three days, the German army organized five counterattacks and tried to capture the 153 Highlands, but Montgomery obviously realized the importance of the highlands and continuously enhanced its defense. The 6th continued to invest 25 tanks, 15 anti-tank guns and two battalions of infantry.

It was not until three days later, when the entire German defense line was in a fragmented state that Rommel had to give up this futile attempt. Because at that time, even if he seized the 153 Heights, it would be meaningless. The failure of the German and Italian coalition forces was inevitable. If they did not retreat quickly and run, the only ending would be to be made into dumplings by the British army! (To be continued.)

ps: Bow to thank the drunk Wufeng, jj, can't help but feel, the wind flows, the word "Yi" is the Templar of Light and Comrade Juventus!
Chapter completed!