World War II: Starting with the defeat of the Desert Fox

Chapter 44 Is this an insult to me?!

Churchill passed the ball to Montgomery, with Alexander passing it from the middle.

"General Montgomery," Alexander said in the telegram.

"There's something I need to discuss with you. See how you should respond."

"The Prime Minister has telegraphed: After discussions between the Cabinet and the Chief of the Imperial General Staff, it has been determined that the offensive must be carried out in September to coordinate with the Russian offensive and the Allied landing operation on the west coast of North Africa in early November."

"I'd like to hear your thoughts on this."

Upon receiving the telegram, Montgomery gritted his teeth. He had considered that Churchill might order him to attack, but he hadn't expected it to be so urgent.

"An attack in September?" he replied, his anger barely concealed in his words.

"This is absolutely insane."

"Our preparations were insufficient; launching an attack against the odds would only result in failure."

"If His Excellency the Prime Minister insists on taking action in September, then he should seek someone else!"

After sending the telegram, Montgomery complained to Degangan, "This is entirely based on his (Churchill's) political interests; he hasn't considered the actual situation on the battlefield at all!"

Degangan remained silent; such a high level of "discussion" was not something he, as the chief of staff, could casually comment on.

Alexander seemed to have anticipated Montgomery's refusal, and he took the opportunity, not without smugness, to teach Montgomery a lesson:

"My general, don't forget who you are. You are a soldier, and soldiers should be dutiful and obedient to orders."

"Even if this is for political reasons, it is common sense that the military must obey politics."

"What you need to do now is to seize the time to prepare for the attack, not to disobey orders."

Finally, Alexander added, "By the way, watch your mouth in the future, and don't always speak so recklessly!"

Montgomery immediately tore up the telegram and cursed fiercely:

"Fuck that filthy bastard."

"Unbelievable, this kind of person is my boss."

"And those guys in London, why don't they come to the battlefield and see for themselves!"

Degangan didn't dare to answer, and cautiously asked, "General, so what's next...?"

"Ignore it," Montgomery said firmly. "We'll go our own way, as if it doesn't exist."

"Yes, General."

Montgomery had reason to do it.

The situation in North Africa had taken a clear turn for the better under his command, and Montgomery did not believe that Churchill would replace him when he led the army to victory.

Montgomery stared at the map for a while, then stuck to his previous plan: "We won't be able to launch a counterattack until at least October."

His style is to launch an attack only when he is fully prepared and has a huge advantage over the enemy in terms of manpower, equipment, and supplies.

However, he was actually starting to feel uneasy.

The attack should have been scheduled for October, but after two major victories in Thorne, the German army is now perhaps too weak to function properly.

At this point, you may have already achieved the "huge advantage" you need, but you just don't know it or are unsure of it.

Once it's confirmed, it might be an opportunity.

He paused, then looked up at Degangan and ordered, "Get Ramsden here!"

"Yes, General."

(The image above shows Lieutenant General Herbert Ramsden, commander of the British 10th Armoured Corps, a former subordinate of Ochinlake, known for his volatile temper and fierce fighting prowess, nicknamed "Mad Mike." He was dismissed by Montgomery and killed in 1945 on the bridge of the USS New Mexico by a Japanese kamikaze attack. He was the highest-ranking British officer killed in action during World War II and also the most tragically killed.)

Montgomery believed that the primary condition for an army to launch a counter-offensive against the enemy was that the commander of the armored corps shared similar operational concepts with him.

Otherwise, if he were to go to the battlefield in the future, he would inevitably clash with the frontline commanders while commanding from the rear.

Rather than waiting for the battle to break out and then having arguments, it's better to eliminate the possibility before the battle even begins.

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That afternoon, Ramsden, with a Browning pistol tucked into his waistband, stood in front of Montgomery and saluted.

(The image above shows the Browning 1935 pistol, which was commonly used by British generals during World War II to replace outdated revolvers, especially in armored units. Ramsden was particularly obsessed with this gun, cleaning it at least once a day.)

"Sir." He stood in front of Montgomery and saluted.

Since Montgomery and he were both lieutenant generals, they did not address each other by their military ranks.

Montgomery returned the greeting, politely inviting Ramsden to sit down on the sofa and having his orderly bring him two glasses of water.

"I heard you like whiskey?" Montgomery said. "Unfortunately, I don't have any here, so I'll have to use water instead. I hope you don't mind."

Ramsden knew Montgomery didn't smoke or drink, so he expressed his understanding: "In the desert, water is more precious than anything else, sir."

Montgomery got to the point: "I know you participated in the entire North African campaign. I'd like to know your opinion on Rommel's offensive?"

Ramsden considered for a moment and answered carefully:

"Without a doubt, Rommel was an excellent commander."

"He was very good at using armored forces, always taking advantage of the tanks' mobility, firepower, and protection to attack our army's weak points."

"We could only react passively, and unfortunately we didn't have tanks to match them, so we always failed."

Ramsden's words are quite apt, similar to Thorne's previous analysis.

Simply put, Rommel rarely attacked British defenses head-on, but instead used the mobility of tanks to outflank them from the flanks.

In response, the British army would inevitably have to send out highly mobile armored units to block them.

Therefore, the two sides often meet in the wilderness where neither side has set up fortifications or positions, and the contest is to see whose tanks can defend against the other and break through the other's armor.

The only British tanks capable of this task were the Crusader cruisers, which led to tragedy.

(The image above shows the British "Crusader" cruiser tank in 1942. It was characterized by its speed, lightness, and fragility. Although it was highly mobile, its armor was thin and its firepower was weak, making it unable to penetrate the frontal armor of the German Panzer III and Panzer IV tanks.)

Montgomery neither said he was right nor wrong; he was reluctant to have a direct confrontation with this lieutenant general, who was quite powerful and prestigious in the military.

"Then," he asked again.

"How would you counter Rommel's tactics?"

"I mean, if one day we need to launch a counter-offensive against the enemy's lines."

"Should we use a flanking maneuver like Rommel?"

"No, of course not," Ramsden replied with a smile, speaking quickly.

"Our tanks are no match for the Germans; trying to outflank them like they do is suicidal."

"I think we should launch a direct attack."

"That is, tanks attacking enemy infantry-held defensive lines in front of the infantry!"

"Hmm," Montgomery said noncommittally, "Tanks in front of infantry?"

Ramsden was puzzled. The purpose of tanks was to stand in front of infantry and provide cover for them. What's wrong with that?

What he didn't know was that Montgomery's understanding of tank tactics was exactly the opposite of his; he advocated for infantry to be in front of tanks.

Just then, Thorne walked into the office; he had just returned to report after finishing up some follow-up work at the Alexander barrel factory.

"Captain," Montgomery gestured for Thorne to come over, then recommended Ramsden, "would you mind if the captain joined our discussion? Let's hear his opinion!"

Ramsden was speechless for a moment. He looked at Montgomery and then at Thorne.

A captain?

What qualifications do they have to join the discussion about two lieutenant generals?

Is this an insult to me?!