The British lost 2,000 men, but captured 654.38+300,000 enemies. Why is the Italian army laughing all the time?

1940 In May, as Nazi German troops began to sweep across western Europe and France, the British and French allied forces were losing ground. British Prime Minister Chamberlain, who advocated "appeasement policy", suddenly stepped down, and Churchill, a hawk, was appointed as wartime prime minister with the cheers of the people, leading the British soldiers and civilians to carry out tenacious resistance.

Dunkirk's retreat marked that the British army completely lost the space to fight with the Germans on the European continent. In the face of the indiscriminate bombing of the British Isles by the German Air Force, Churchill struggled and turned to the United States for help. What makes him even more anxious is that the speculator Mussolini "stabbed him" in Africa.

Mussolini's "Roman Empire Dream".

The northern end of the African continent is a barren land with long yellow sand, but it guards the strait of Gibraltar leading to the Atlantic Ocean and the Suez Canal, the only way to the Middle East, and is a battleground for military strategists. However, France and Britain have turned this place into their own colony, leaving little room for Mussolini.

As early as 1935, after he took office, he sent troops to East Africa and occupied Ethiopia and other countries, which was far from satisfying his "imperial dream". The British and French colonies have made his mouth water. It was not until Germany swept across Europe and went straight to Paris that speculators came to the stage from behind the scenes. Why?

First of all, boldness is a true portrayal of speculators. The reason why East Africa is "cut" is mainly because African countries are not strong enough. Although it is ok for fascists to make trouble, the Italian army is far from having the strength and fighting capacity to fight against its neighbors.

When the German-Italian alliance was established and was ready to invade Poland, Mussolini announced his withdrawal, which showed that he was good at speculation. Seeing that the whole of western Europe will be annexed by Germany, how can such a good situation be let go? So before Paris surrendered, he declared war on Britain and France, preparing to seize Egypt while Britain had no time to take care of Africa and realize his "Roman Empire Dream".

Secondly, after Paris surrendered, its colonies in Africa naturally came under German control. At the same time, Germany's "great air war" against Britain began, and London was in jeopardy. Once they attack Egypt, Britain must face two fronts, and Africa, as a secondary battlefield, cannot have enough military input.

What is more commendable is that Britain and Vichy France became enemies and hated each other because of Charles de Gaulle's "Free France Movement". In this way, the British colonies in Africa are even weaker and more isolated. What's more, Libya and Ethiopia under Italian control are adjacent to Egypt, which is the best situation of being attacked from both sides.

However, the Italian army is not ready to fight.

In June, the Italian army 1940 and 10 divisions quickly occupied Somalia without any resistance, thus opening the road to Egypt, and the British troops stationed in Egypt faced invasion from the south and the west. However, there are great differences within Italy, and Italian generals always delay time on the grounds of insufficient equipment.

Seeing that Germany was about to attack Britain, Mussolini was so anxious that he gave three orders to Marshal Graziani, commander-in-chief of the Italian army stationed in Libya, but they were all rejected. The frustrated Mussolini threatened to replace him, forcing Graziani to command six divisions to attack Egypt.

However, this 80,000-strong army only advanced 97 kilometers in four days, so graziani ordered the troops to stop, while building defense lines and defensive fortresses, demanding more personnel and materials. Of course, he did this not because of anger, but because the Italians were not ready to attack.

First, the troops lack training. Italians have a loose character in their bones, which is suitable for playing football, but not for training. Usually, officials prefer to stay in clubs, listen to music, drink wine or dance. Even so, the officers can imagine the combat effectiveness of the troops.

Second, there is a lack of fighting consciousness. Due to the lack of necessary training, soldiers have also developed the habit of fooling around and muddling along. Don't say you are aggressive. Even the construction of fortifications is slow, and there is no sense of tension about the coming war. Such troops will fail in every battle.

Of course, they are good at playing. The establishment of various battlefield clubs at the front line is more like taking a vacation, basking in the sun, getting together and chatting, and doing nothing all day. The only confrontation that can refresh them is not training, but football, which is a game they are really proud of.

Graziani knows his men very well, so it is impossible to attack at such a military level. Mussolini, on the other hand, had high expectations for his troops and was full of illusions. He thinks that the Italian army is very strong and will soon conquer Africa. Of course, the ridiculous Italian army soon showed their poor fighting level.

Faced with the aggressiveness of the German and Italian armies, the calm Churchill responded quickly.

He decided to stick to the defensive strategy in Europe and adopt the offensive strategy in Africa. Send as many army troops as possible to the Middle East and Africa, because he knows that this is the only battlefield he can deal with his opponents. He has a lot of room to attack and defend. More importantly, the opponent is an Italian army with no fighting capacity.

The reality is that the total number of British troops in Africa is less than 50,000, while in Egypt it is only 35,000, of which the 7th Armored Division of the British Army is the only tank unit. In the face of an opponent twice as strong as himself, the British army is not sitting still. Instead, they often take the initiative to attack, make bold detours, set ambushes, pull out strongholds, and incite opponents' anxiety and confusion.

1940 65438+In February, the 7th Armored Division of the British Army broke through the defense line of the other side. They didn't want to fight, and the striker went straight into the depth of the Italian army. The Italian army, which has never seen this style of play, simply can't understand each other's intentions. They either run for their lives, and more people don't know what's going on, so they are caught inexplicably.

Such an out-of-control scene made graziani retreat hastily. As a result, he got into the ambush circle already laid by the British 7 th Division. 14,000 people became prisoners. Then the British army pursued the victory and captured another 40,000 Italian troops in badia; Finally, the Seventh Armored Division surrounded the bloody sand city, and the defenders surrendered and captured another 20,000 people.

Then a ridiculous scene appeared. The Italian army fled desperately and the British army chased after it desperately. At the end of the three-month counterattack, 40,000 British troops pursued all the way and defeated the Italian Army 10. Captives130,000, while the British only lost less than 2,000 people. I'm afraid only Italians can do this.

Churchill finally breathed a sigh of relief, not only won the first victory over the Axis countries, but also saved their colonies in Africa, especially the Suez Canal and the lifeline of the British Isles. It also led the Germans to divide their troops to reinforce North Africa, which objectively reduced the pressure on the Eastern Front.

Of course, I also want to focus on the 7 th Armored Division of the British Army. They captured 70,000 enemy troops with tenacious will and were known as "brave British knights". Coincidentally, they have the same name as Rommel's "Devil's Division" 7th Armored Division. This is an interesting coincidence, don't you think? Welcome to leave a message for discussion.

References: World War II and the whole history of World War II.

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