Chapter 61: The Seventh Armored Division

  Because 'Bryan' had a noble title and was also a middle-aged military officer in his prime, Mongko liked him as soon as he saw 'Bryan'. 'Bryan's calm personality and the way he stood up to difficulties made Mongko happy. After a short period of contact, he appointed 'Bryan' as the commander of the division's machine gun regiment.

  Brian's strengths were his ability to communicate well with his subordinates and effectively explain the intentions of orders to lower-ranking officers. As a result, Brian's subordinates also had a good impression of this down-to-earth superior officer. In later battles, Brian led his troops to withstand the German offensive multiple times, achieving great merits. Monty's appreciation for Brian also grew more and more.

  Afterwards, Meng Ke was promoted to the commander of the Second Army due to his outstanding performance. 'Burai'an' was also exceptionally promoted to the rank of brigade commander, which was related to Meng Ke's appreciation for him and also his noble status. From 'Burai'an' serving as the commander of the machine gun battalion of the Third Division in France to becoming a brigade commander, it only took 17 days. This cannot be said to be anything but a miracle created by war.

  After returning to the UK, Monty was dropped into Southern Command to face the possibility of a German landing. Meanwhile, 'Bryant' was sent to Egypt where he continued as a brigade commander but had a rough time. His superiors were always finding fault with him and one armoured commander, Alexander, was a particular example. He once made 'Bryant' stand on parade in front of his own troops.

  Moreover, the British army also suffered heavy losses in the battle against Rommel. However, as a brigade commander at that time, 'Bryant' was also powerless with limited troops and authority.

  Brian's difficult days lasted until Monty took over as the commander of the Eighth Army, and things improved. When Monty arrived, he saw that his old subordinate was not doing well, so he immediately got angry and replaced two divisional commanders under the pretext of rectifying military discipline. At that time, Brian was promoted to divisional commander, and a report on Brian's promotion was submitted to London.

  At that time, Brian's brother was already a member of the House of Lords in the country. Although the power in his hands was not great, his face was still very big. For this beloved younger brother, he was naturally very careful and after several operations, Brian became one of the few officers who became a junior army officer at the age of 40 in the military.

  The British then reorganized the Eighth Army, concentrating all American-style tanks in the Third Army Corps under Montgomery's command into the Seventh Armoured Division. Then 'Bryant' was reassigned as the highest commander of the Seventh Division.

  It can be said that without Monty's support, there would not be the status of 'Brian' today. The 7th Armoured Division can be said to be the elite of the British Eighth Army. As the highest commander of such a unit, when seeing other division-level commanders, they generally speak with their heads held high. That pride is simply overwhelming. And 'Brian' would even thank Monty's eight ancestors to express his gratitude for Monty's cultivation.

  Montgomery's order was thoroughly executed in the Seventh Division. And 'Brian' also performed more vigorously. However, 'Brian' also had a lot of heart. For example, this time the Seventh Division did not fight against the German armored forces on the way to attack. 'Brian' has always been cautious and careful, which is closely related to his calm personality.

  After crossing the first line of defense of the German army, 'Bryan' did not get complacent and did not order the troops to pursue the fleeing German-Italian coalition at full speed. Instead, he proceeded cautiously, step by step, advancing forward with reconnaissance. 'Bryan' was well aware of Rommel's ferocity and feared falling into a trap. As expected, the scouts in front discovered a large cluster of German tank units. It seemed that they were hastily rushing towards the Seventh Division at full speed.

  Careful 'Brian' inquired and found out that these German tanks were quite different from the German tanks they had encountered before, with some medium tanks having very long barrels. Upon learning this news, Brian's heart skipped a beat. Brian knew that a longer barrel meant a greater range and more powerful firepower. Although he was equipped with improved Sherman M4s, Brian still felt uncertain about engaging in battle with unknown tanks.

  Brian hastily ordered the armored troops to clear the way for the German army's advance and camouflage themselves with camouflage nets. The British camouflage technique is indeed at a world-class level. Nearly 400 German tanks passed under the noses of the British army without being detected. However, when Brian saw the German tank's sloping armor and 70-caliber gun barrel, he couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat.

  To know that the improved Sherman M4 tank's barrel is only 53 calibers. The caliber here refers to the multiple of the barrel length and diameter. Taking the Sherman M4 tank as an example, a 75mm caliber tank gun with a 40-caliber means the barrel length is 3 meters. The improved Sherman M4's barrel length has reached 4 meters. German tanks have barrels that are at least over 5 meters long. This made Bryan's heart skip a beat. A longer barrel means a higher initial velocity of the shell, which means greater firepower. Bryan, who was initially confident in fighting the Germans, was intimidated by this tank.

  It wasn't until the 400 German tanks had completely disappeared from the view of the Seventh Division that 'Bryan' felt a little relieved. 'Bryan' hastily ordered the communications officer to contact the army command, but as with the First and Tenth Divisions, there was no response on the radio either. This left 'Bryan' somewhat perplexed. Disruptions in communication weren't unheard of; on the battlefield, with its changing terrain and magnetic interference, it wasn't uncommon for commanders to lose contact with headquarters.

  But this time, Brian sniffed a different smell, like an animal's intuition, and Brian also felt the smell of danger. Brian couldn't help but take out the map to carefully analyze the situation, and from the number of German tanks, Brian judged that something might have happened at Ahlmann's army headquarters. As for how serious the problem was, Brian couldn't accurately judge it for the time being.

  'Braien' is indeed a lecturer at the British Army Staff College in Camberley, and has a good grasp of the forms of warfare. However, even such an excellent commander cannot believe that the solid 'Alemann' defense can be breached. Because the fortifications of 'Alemann' are not something that one or two divisions can take down in one or two days.

  It was Liu Qi's 'non-human' ability that brought down the British Army's Corps Command at El Alamein. Rommel had launched two heavy assaults, although the German troops were exhausted, but there were many men and guns back then. Dozens of heavy artillery bombarded El Alamein with deafening roars, yet failed to destroy those permanent concrete fortifications, which were later brought down by Liu Qi using just 4 British-made 40-calibre small cannons.

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  The article is not revised smoothly, and even the new ones are a bit unbearable. It's really heartbreaking. Only three chapters have been written so far.