Almost everyone thought that the head of state said that strengthening the southern line was to increase the deployment of troops to North Africa through the direction of Italy, but obviously no one guessed the head of state's idea: because they knew very well that it was Crete, which was taken down in the eastern Mediterranean, in the seas south of Greece, and the empire at a huge cost.

Looking at the shocked people, Hoffman smiled and said, "The troops secretly dispatched from the Eastern Front battlefield rushed to Greece after resting and completing the supplement and moved to Crete in batches, waiting for the right opportunity to launch it to North Africa. At the same time, the newly formed 7th Air Force must also gather strength to Crete. To avoid the enemy's vigilance and suspicion, we not only need to make large-scale mobilization and reinforcements in the direction of Sicily - Marshal Kesselin himself is a good way to confuse, but also send difficult conditions to the Italian leader to cooperate with us. As for the overall plan, you must not reveal any details to the poor Italians - as long as they know the content, Churchill will know it in a few days, and maybe Churchill can know it first."

This sounds very playful, but no one can laugh. They know the virtues of the Italians too well. They can still play with the ambitious but mediocre leader, that is, Kesselin. Now everyone has understood the profound connotation of Guderian rushing to Rome to visit Mussolini overnight. This is a strategic feint for the British. The head of state's good intentions in the arrangement of the commander of the air force, and they can also understand that Kesselin served as the commander of the second air force, which was obviously a smoke screen, and was transferred from the commander of the fifth air force, and the 7th air force commanded by General Hans Jurgen Schtonepuff is the real killer of the head of state.

"As for the navy, the poor and inefficient command of the Italians doomed them to serve as bait. Before the real operation, I do not intend to mobilize any Italian warships to participate in the battle except for the necessary transport ships and the German submarines currently in the Mediterranean." Hoffmann's evaluation was very mean, but it summarized the process of the Mediterranean Navy's Navy over the past two years. The paper strength of the Italian Navy was originally far greater than that of the British Mediterranean Fleet, but after several tosses and repeated losses, he was no longer a match for the British.

"Our intention to combat is..." Marshal Keseling gently tapped the map with a few tricks and drew a circle casually. "Take the favorable opportunity of Montgomery trying to launch the Battle of Alamein to attack our army, use the existing African legion strength as bait, and fight and retreat. It doesn't matter even if you retreat to Tobrook. As long as you can lure the Eighth Army of the British Army forward, you can tempt the Eighth Army of the British Army to advance. Once their front line is lengthened and away from Alexandria, our counterattack will come. The troops secretly gathered on Crete can land in the rear of the British, cut off the British's retreat and surround them."

The Head of State was crazy! This was the first feeling that everyone felt. He was actually playing landing battles under the eyes of the British in the Eastern Mediterranean. No matter how you look at it, it was a rhythm of dying. What's more, the Head of State had just made a statement that if he was not ready to call on the Italian naval forces, what would it be if the troops successfully concealed in Crete in advance? Can the tanks of the Armored Division drive directly from Crete to the African coast?

"First of the People, if I heard it correctly, is this a landing battle?" General Yodel has always been responsible for formulating the combat plan. He has been stunned by Hoffman's bold idea. "The choice of landing court?..."

"The commando sent by paratroopers to control individual key points in advance, and then let the armored troops land. Gentlemen, I have studied maps and terrain. The Mediterranean coast of Africa and the Mediterranean coast of Europe are two completely different landforms. There are no cliffs and cliffs, only flat beaches, and the coastline is very smooth. In addition to sand, it is also sand. What is more important is that the population is very small and hidden. As long as we have an armored regiment, no, an armored battalion can completely control the situation." Hoffman turned his head and said to Keseling, "My dear Marshal, what do you think?"

"This is a very bold action. I dare say no one can conceive it except the head of state." Kesselin was almost shocked when he first heard the plan last night. He thought about it for a night before calming his beating heart, and began to think carefully and think about the battle decisions. After repeated research, if the head of state had consistent adventurous spirit, he could actually pick out many highlights from it.

"First of the People's Republic of China, what should I do if the escort of the transport fleet?" Yodel was frightened. The transport fleet without warship escort was like a living target. In the Mediterranean, especially the Eastern Mediterranean, the Royal Navy is definitely an invincible existence.

"We have S boats, which are short, concise and fast torpedo boats that can play a great role. I have entrusted my naval adjutant to confirm with the navy that S boats can be transported in sections by railway. We will assemble these 'flying cavalry' at the port of Greece and deploy them secretly to Crete, and they and the air force form reliable defense and patrol forces." Hoffman comforted his subordinates, "Gentlemen, this is not my irresponsibility to the landing forces, but to protect the transport fleet. Imagine when the Italian navy was dispatched, the Royal Navy did not pounce on like a fishy shark? If we really want to achieve our goal quietly, the farther we are from the Italians, the better."

"It is about 200 nautical miles from Crete to North Africa, and it takes about 18-20 hours to transport ships. We can effectively use the night as cover." Hoffman began to gradually elaborate the idea of ​​the battle. "The idea of ​​the entire battle is to use the hub of Crete, secretly mobilize reinforcements and unexpectedly deploy them, so as to achieve joint attack on the British Eighth Army with the African Army. As long as these 200,000 troops are cleared, Alexander and Cairo will naturally fall like ripe apples. The key to the success of the battle is suddenness. Don't be afraid of the British fleet in Alexandria, which is 260 nautical miles away from the preset landing. The Royal Navy will not be able to reach more than 10 hours. This period of time is enough for us to complete the landing. Please show the courage in the Thunder-Surbruce operation."

"What if the Royal Navy fleet is patrolling? They will send all landing troops to the sea to feed the fish." Someone muttered, his face full of fear.

"This joke is not funny at all." Hoffman retorted, "Of course we will choose to act when the British are at home. Shouldn't mice see if the cat is asleep before they steal oil?"

Hahahaha, everyone laughed.

The head of state seemed to be addicted to transporting warships by railway. After the S boat, he signaled the adjutant to take out photos of the Siberian landing attack barge. "The number of transport ships in the Greek direction is far from meeting the needs of the operation. If a large-scale recruitment of civilian ships will definitely alarm the British. Therefore, these have good performance in the battle of Lake Ladoga. Ships that can be decomposed and transported by railway will form the main force of transportation. The first wave of assault troops will take these ships to land. At critical moments, there is no need to have many troops, and an armored battalion is enough to solve the problem. Imagine that when Montgomery was besieging Tobrook, our two divisions suddenly appeared behind him..."

After listening to Kesseling's detailed introduction to the entire operation, everyone's forehead was sweating. It would only take one more time to cross the English Channel during the war. The head of state actually dared to play a boat in the Eastern Mediterranean and fight without escort. Everyone felt a little breathing. But the head of state had already made up his mind, and Marshal Kesseling, the highest commander of the southern line, seemed to be impressed by this plan. Considering that the army was the only one who was unlucky in the operation, the Air Force generals muttered a few times and then quietly.

"Please develop a proper and comprehensive plan. We will launch this plan in mid-October. Air cover is the top priority." Hoffman reminded, "Jodel, this is roughly the concept of the battle. Please discuss the specific plan with Keseling and Guderian and jointly formulate it."
Chapter completed!