Chapter 189: Driving Down the Mediterranean
"For support, order Rommel's Fourth Armored Division to cooperate."
Ethan, who had long since mastered shorthand, recorded the Führer's orders with meticulous precision. At the same time, he presented the military conclusions drawn from the Spanish battlefield.
There were two versions.
One was the original report from the front.
The other was Heinz Guderian's annotated version.
Every conclusion had its source clearly marked. The proposal to improve tank sound insulation came directly from the complaints of tank drivers. The suggestion to reduce the deployment of light tanks and strengthen research into heavier tanks came from company and regimental officers who had fought through Spain's streets and crossroads.
There were also proposals to organize formal infantry research and accelerate development of individual long range antitank weapons.
Because the Young Turks and civilian factions held considerable influence within Germany's decision making bodies, the thoughts of grassroots soldiers and mid level officers had a chance to reach Jörg's desk.
These were suggestions.
As for technical problems, such as radar malfunctions, engine failures, and battlefield reliability issues, they were handed directly to the Cardolan Military Research Center.
From there, the research center would distribute the problems to various military weapons companies and demand systematic solutions.
One week later, the International Brigade in Madrid keenly noticed that the offensive inside the city had gradually slowed.
The new German tanks that had caused them so much trouble also became far less common.
Most importantly, the German Army in Toledo to the south had completely withdrawn from the urban area. This meant the defenders were no longer being attacked from both front and rear, allowing them to concentrate their forces on organizing the northern defense line.
Even the frequency of bombing decreased from once every two days to once every three to five days.
But if some people were allowed to live, then others had to lose their lives in their place.
Among German soldiers, the justification for aiding the Spanish Forward Party, helping an ally drive out the Spanish Communist Party, and incidentally testing new weapons, was not especially popular.
Fighting the Italians, however, received nearly unanimous support.
On one hand, because of the German Workers' Party riots and Joseph's exaggerated propaganda, German soldiers generally despised such extremist ideas. Many believed the various riots that had once occurred in Germany should be blamed entirely on the Italians and that damned bald man.
On the other hand, the increasingly common talk of reorganizing Austria Hungary within Germany awakened old grudges among the soldiers.
The betrayal during the Great War.
The postwar annexation of allied territories.
To many German and Austrian soldiers, these were not historical footnotes. They were insults that had never been washed clean.
Segovia Military Airport.
Two captains stood before the assembled pilots, delivering their final instructions.
"You do not need to concern yourselves with civilian issues. Fighter pilots have only one mission: shoot down Italian aircraft."
The second captain looked toward the bomber crews.
"Bomber pilots, once you see the target, drop your bombs. Understood?"
"Understood, sir!"
The pilots answered in unison.
Although the Italian Air Force's experimental aircraft were considerably stronger than Soviet Russia's, they were not mass produced, nor were they available in sufficient numbers to match the already mass produced Bf 109s.
Within five days, air superiority over Segovia was completely seized.
The small town itself was flattened by Stukas and medium bombers.
The most aggressive unit was undoubtedly the Eighth Armored Division, which had absorbed many Austrian soldiers and now led the frontal assault.
Several times, the Second Regiment, which contained the largest number of Austrians, launched unauthorized attacks and completely ignored the need for flank support.
The commanders sent to dissuade them failed.
In the end, Paulus personally flew to the Second Regiment's station and berated the regimental commander. Only then did those men finally restrain themselves and stop blindly expanding their gains.
After waiting for Rommel's Fourth Division to arrive, Paulus launched the attack.
The two armored divisions cooperated to encircle more than ten thousand Italian soldiers and scattered Falange troops outside Zaragoza. With close air support from the Air Force, the encircled force was completely destroyed.
Of course, most of those ten thousand surrendered.
Only the Blackshirts, fewer than two thousand men, were annihilated as an organized unit.
The deadline given by the Führer had been before June.
Paulus fulfilled it in mid May.
The main force of Rommel's Fourth Division also successfully rendezvoused with them in the suburbs of Zaragoza and immediately began preparing for the siege without even a day of rest.
With the main Italian force destroyed outside the city, the defenders within Zaragoza had no will to resist.
The military strongholds previously damaged by bombing had not yet been repaired. There were no proper minefields, no barricades, and no defensive system worthy of the name.
The Italian commander in Zaragoza, Hailus, made the wise choice.
He surrendered.
The aircraft inside the city, along with the weapons and ammunition prepared for the Madrid offensive and defense, were all confiscated.
The territory gained over several months, together with all the weapons and supplies shipped in to support it, was lost in less than a month.
This result caused Benito, who had been vacationing in Naples, to explode with rage.
He took a private plane directly to the military headquarters in Rome and immediately began roaring at the assembled officers.
"Were the Germans sent by God himself? Fifteen thousand fighting men, including the Falange, gone in less than a month?"
His face turned red.
"Were your tactics drawn up on the backs of Spanish prostitutes?"
No one dared answer.
Benito slammed his fist onto the table.
"No matter what, hold Toulouse for me. If Toulouse falls as well, all of you can go play football instead of wearing uniforms."
But Benito's rage was destined to have little effect.
The Falange had never possessed a strong foundation to begin with. Its popular base was extremely weak. It was difficult enough for them to replenish troops, let alone mobilize effectively for urban defense.
Upon hearing that the German Army and the Spanish Forward Army were advancing toward Toulouse, the local population erupted into riots.
A small number of opportunistic Falange officers, realizing the disparity between Italy and Germany, began secretly colluding with agents of the Internal and External Intelligence Department inside the city.
They sold deployment maps, the locations of airports around Toulouse, and the hiding places of various high ranking Falange officials, receiving money and promises of safe retreat in exchange.
Once the Black Hawk Legion obtained the airport locations, it did not even need to waste time dispatching reconnaissance planes.
In mid June, three military airports around Toulouse were attacked at night. Many newly assembled aircraft were shattered by high explosive bombs before they could even take off.
By the end of June, high ranking Falange officials hiding in the port of Montpellier near the French border were secretly assassinated.
The entire Falange was thrown into panic.
Large numbers of Falange troops surrendered, allowing Paulus's Eighth Armored Division to advance with equal smoothness.
By the time the division reached Toulouse, its casualty figures were almost negligible.
The Italian forces did not have to face Germany alone.
Seeing Italy's exhaustion, the Spanish Communist Party also organized a counterattack.
Barcelona, which had only barely stabilized, once again fell into bitter fighting. Without Falange soldiers to fill the lines, Italian casualties soared almost instantly.
Even so, Benito was still not prepared to give up Spain, that rich prize hanging before his eyes.
To maintain his promise of seizing southern Spain and restoring Roman glory, he urgently dispatched four more divisions to the Spanish front.
With these four divisions, Italy had now committed seven divisions to Spain in total. Including the Air Force, its personnel in the war had reached a terrifying eighty thousand.
But the arrival of four more divisions did not fundamentally change the situation.
Barcelona was barely held.
Toulouse was lost.
.....
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