Chapter Thirty-One: There is a kind of bravery called helplessness

  The British lost 385 aircraft in the battle, including 263 bombers. Only 81 fighters were shot down, and another 41 were lost to mechanical failure or pilot fatigue. The losses were so heavy that the British could not send a single flight formation over the Mediterranean for three days to intercept German transport ships.

  The German and Italian air forces also suffered heavy losses, with 158 aircraft shot down, all of which were fighters. It was basically a 2:1 ratio of fighter jets lost to the Royal Air Force's one fighter jet. However, the main task of the German and Italian air forces was to attack the Royal Air Force's bombers, knowing that the significance of one bomber far outweighs that of one fighter. So from this level, the German and Italian air forces achieved a great victory.

  On the evening of that day, the German and Italian rescue fleets and the British rescue fleet arrived at the air battlefield almost simultaneously, rescuing the pilots of both countries who had been soaking in the water for half a day. Both sides chose not to open fire without prior agreement, quietly rescuing their own personnel. They also did not intend to capture prisoners, but instead rescued the enemy pilots closer to them and put them on the lifeboats.

  Pilots from opposing sides also helped each other in the water, without any animosity. They encouraged each other when they were exhausted, and before the rescue ship arrived, pilots from both sides became friends. They chatted together in different languages about wine, football, hometowns, and of course, women. They shared a ration pack, used a single life ring. At that moment, there was no war, no politics, only mutual support in adversity.

  This aerial battle is considered the most intense air combat in World War II and was later called the cleanest fight. It was called clean because not a single pilot was attacked by the enemy after parachuting out of their plane. Later generations have repeatedly used this aerial battle as a subject, producing many films, including military, romantic, and even literary films that do not typically involve war, all depicting this air battle without distinction between good and evil, but rather with bravery, cleverness, fearlessness, and nobility.

  The various cunning tactics and techniques of the German pilots were also formally incorporated into the flight curriculum of major military flight academies after the war, becoming a compulsory course for pilots, which was called "Extreme Aerial Combat Studies".

  Of course, this air battle also inevitably gave birth to several ace pilots. The most surprising ace was actually Italian pilot Paget, Giori. He alone shot down 7 British Spitfire fighter jets. It's worth noting that at the time, the 'Spitfire' was Britain's most advanced fighter jet, with a small body and great horsepower, flying at an incredibly fast speed. Generally speaking, Germany's 'Messerschmitt 109' couldn't gain the upper hand when fighting against the 'Spitfire'. And Paget, Giori this kid alone took down 7 of them, it can't be said that this kid isn't a born-to-be flying ace.

  Of course, this kid was being chased by the British when he shot down 6 Spitfires with his tail gun. In the end, other British planes didn't even bother to pay attention to him. You can fly wherever you want, I'm not going to chase you anyway. Finally, this kid clung to a fuelless Spitfire and chased it for nearly 20 minutes before shooting it down.

  In this way, Paget and Gigi's planes were painted with 7 football patterns. This kid is a thoroughbred football hooligan, on or off the field, his movements are extremely lewd, even his appearance makes people feel lewd when they look at him. Other pilots affectionately called him 'Tail Gunner Prince'. This title was called until the end of the war.

  On the very night of the air battle, a fleet secretly set sail from a port in southern France. On the surface, all were flying the flag of the French surrender government, but in fact, German troops drawn from various places, plus equipment pulled directly from military factories, were all under the cover of this fleet. They sailed out just like a routine departure, without arousing the attention of British intelligence agencies at all.

  Montgomery's days at the command were also difficult, everything was racing against time. Heaven knows what Rommel would do if he got supplies. If it were a real one-on-one fight with true skills and real guns, Montgomery wouldn't be afraid of Rommel at all. But when it comes to conspiracy and intrigue, Montgomery himself admitted that he was not Rommel's opponent. So the most important thing now is to clear the minefield and let the troops attack Rommel.

  But the casualties of the landmine were unbearable for M?nch. Moreover, intelligence showed that Rommel had been deceived and reinforced the southern defensive line. However, if the northern part couldn't be broken through, it wouldn't be a big deal, but if Rommel saw through the emptiness and directly broke through the southern defensive line, then launched a counterattack from the south to the north, the situation would not be very good either.

  There were still the German troops captured in front of the Central Mountain Range two days ago, which almost scared Monty out of his wits. He thought it was Rommel's army that had come to kill him, and if he had split the British army into two parts, it would have been a disaster for Monty. Monty hastily assembled a division to intercept them, but the battle went smoothly, with the Germans surrendering without much resistance. This still gave Monty a cold sweat.

  Seeing the Germans eager to launch a probing attack on the southern front, Mongol had no choice. He could only withdraw 2 divisions of troops to fill the empty southern front, and the original military strategy of being weak in the south and strong in the north was abandoned.

  Two days have passed unknowingly, and if this continues, it will definitely be very dangerous. After careful consideration, Montgomery's mind was thoroughly refreshed. If he waited any longer, by the time the Indian 4th Division finished their curry and arrived at the front line to clear mines, the yellow flowers would have wilted. A wave of regret surged up in his heart - why hadn't he withstood the domestic pressure and not withdrawn the frontline troops? What did a few deaths matter, as long as Rommel was defeated everything would be okay? But there's no medicine for regret in this world, Montgomery didn't want to lose a second opportunity.

  In the spacious tent serving as his command room at Headquarters, Montgomery turned to his Chief of Staff, Major General Francis de Guingand, and said: "Francis, this is the real crisis of the battle. We are in great danger, and any hesitation or indecision will lose us the fight. The Prime Minister and I were wrong when we thought Hitler would not reinforce Rommel; but he has done so, and although our Intelligence people have no specific information about German reinforcements, I have a hunch that Rommel has got what he wanted."

  He paused for a moment and continued, "Only if we break through the German lines before they receive supplies can we win this battle. Every minute counts now. I have decided not to wait for the Indian troops to open the way for our British soldiers; every British soldier should advance bravely like those from other countries."

  "Indeed, beneath the Empire's strong exterior. Our soldiers have long forgotten what it means to be a man of honor and lost the courage to shed blood. Our recent defeats are proof of this."

  "No, I want to let my soldiers grow again in battle, to learn to forget death. Only then can we truly stand up again, and now I will defeat the German army with honor. Go inform the commanders on the front lines, start attacking, even if only one person is left, I want to see him standing on the German defense line." Meng Guo said with difficulty.

  "Yes, General." Freddie replied curtly.

  "To those frontline commanders who ask to retreat, tell them that I disapprove of continuing the attack and will find someone else to replace them. And send them directly to a military tribunal." Mong Ko's eyes showed a resolute expression this time.

  "Yes, General." Freddy replied succinctly

  "I'm going to sleep. Don't wake me up unless we break through the German lines. And don't send me any food either." With that, Mongke walked out of the command room and back into his bedroom. It had become a habit for him to sleep before every major battle.

  Don't mention Mongolian sleep. Only say that the Chief of Staff of the Eighth Group Army, Major General Freddy, hastily assembled the combat staff to deploy offensive operations. A limited-time attack order and a military law enforcement order were directly sent to the hands of various front-line commanders through wireless telegraphy.

  Even the frontline commanders were stunned, such a harsh order was rarely seen in British military history. And every time such an order was accompanied by heavy casualties and court-martial trials, which had happened multiple times during World War I. No one wanted to be sentenced to several years by a military tribunal. Moreover, the hot blood of some young officers promoted by Monty earlier had not cooled down yet. So most officers fought with their lives this time.

  Each infantry division commander called several regimental commanders to the command post and took out a few thin wooden lots. The lottery was used to decide who would be the unlucky vanguard. The drawn regimental commander naturally looked like a bitter melon, but no one complained, and led the troops to start sweeping mines. Under the leadership of the officers, the soldiers also put down the mine detectors in their hands and picked up metal mine sweepers, only sweeping metal mines, as for ceramic mines, it depended on who was unlucky enough to touch them.

  One night, under the leadership of British soldiers who were fighting desperately, the entire attacking force slowly and arduously advanced in the direction of the German-Italian defensive line. The long-range artillery of the German-Italian army also began to roar incessantly again, accompanied by the thundering of British counter-battery fire, the occasional flashing of flares across the sky, and the intermittent explosions of landmines detonated by British soldiers. The entire battlefield was like a magnificent symphony.

  The mounting casualty figures were reported to the headquarters by various units. When the total number of 19,000 appeared before Major General Freddie de Guingand, Chief of Staff of the Eighth Army, this British general could not help but take a deep breath. These were all killed by mines and shells from the German-Italian army. In other words, within one day, without even seeing the face of the German-Italian army, the troops had lost one-tenth of their strength. This number was already comparable to the first-day casualties of the British army in the Battle of the Somme during World War I. However, the current war was no longer fought in the same way as it was then, and advances in communication technology had also reduced the British people's ability to withstand casualties to a minimum.

  ——————————————————

  Here is the translation:

  In short, after the holiday, I'll be busy with work. I don't expect this book to make money or anything like that. As long as everyone likes it, that's all that matters. Also, I'd like to extend my warmest greetings to all the book friends who have supported me on this hot summer day. I've removed some of the pinned posts because too many can interfere with your knowledge sharing. Hope you understand.