The Second World War

1944 65438+February-1945 65438+1October, during the second world war, the Germans launched an offensive campaign in the Ardennes area on the western front (southeast Belgium).

By the autumn of 1944, the allied forces had approached Germany from three sides (including the Soviet Red Army on the eastern front and the allied forces led by Britain and the United States on the western and southern lines), and the German situation was grim. In order to reverse the unfavorable situation, Hitler decided to concentrate his forces to launch an offensive on the western front, caught the allies off guard and regained the initiative. To this end, from the end of September, Hitler and his high command secretly set out to formulate the Ardennes counterattack plan and carry out the largest position counterattack on the western front. The code name of this campaign is "Value Observation on the Rhine". The purpose is to defeat the American and British troops, reverse the situation in western Europe, make it beneficial to Germany, and thus lead the Germans to fight against the Soviet Union. The Germans plan to break through the allied lines in Mouzo and Eccel, cross the Maas River in Liege and namur, and leave for Antwerp before the seventh day of the campaign, so as to divide and annihilate the Belgian and Dutch allies (Canadian Army 1, British Army 2, American Army 9 and 1).

Hitler's counterattack site was the rugged Ardennes Mountains where the Germans broke through the French defense four and a half years ago. This area is the junction of 1 Army (commander is hodges) and the 3rd Army of the United States (commander is Barton). Hodges is in charge of the north side and Barton is in charge of the south side. The 85-mile-wide defense zone between the two army groups is defended by the troops of the 5 th and 8 th armies belonging to the 1 army. Hitler thought that the area was "a place where the existing troops could definitely break through" ... the defense line was weak, and they wouldn't expect us to launch a surprise attack. Therefore, making full use of the enemy's unsuspecting factors and launching a sudden attack in the climate where enemy planes can't take off, we are expected to make a rapid breakthrough. Hitler wanted to "make up his mind to carry out this plan no matter what."

In order to implement this plan, the German government issued an order to establish the People's Guards. The applicants ranged in age from 16 to 60, and a large number of new recruits were recruited soon. After six to eight weeks of short-term training, they were transferred to the western front and joined attack force. 65438+At the beginning of February, the German army assembled 25 divisions, including 7 tank divisions. Commanded by Marshal Mo Deer, commander of Army Group B.. On the right is the 6th SS Army (Commander General Dietrich), which has jurisdiction over the 67th SS Army (272nd and 326th National Grenadier Divisions), the SS/KOOC-0/Panzer Corps (SS/KOOC-0/Adolf Hitler Sineitai and SS/KOOC-0/2 Hitler Youth Panzer Corps). * * * There are 4 armored divisions, 4 infantry divisions, 1 paratroopers. About 640 tanks; In the middle are the 5th Army of Tanks (under the command of General Mantefer), the 66th Army (18, the 62nd National Grenadier Division, Fuehrer's Armored Brigade), the 47th Armored Division (2nd Armored Division, 26th National Grenadier Division, Armored Instructor, Fuehrer's Armored Brigade) and the 58th Armored Division (1655). About 320 tanks; On the left is the 7th Field Army (Commander Brandenburg), which has jurisdiction over the 80th Army (National Grenadier Division 2 12 and 276) and the 85th Army (National Grenadier Division 352 and Paratrooper Division 5), and * * * has jurisdiction over three infantry divisions and 1 Paratrooper Division. Its task is to cover the rear side of the 5 th Armored Army and ensure the central attack. The attack group consists of 250,000 officers and men, 900 tanks and assault guns, 800 planes, 2,665,438 artillery pieces and pursuit guns. In order to make a breakthrough in the Ardennes, the Germans concentrated a large number of troops and weapons, but it was still not enough to achieve the purpose of the campaign. The fascist German Command intends to deploy more troops from other parts of the western front and Germany to the Ardennes during the attack. The oil required by the assault group can only guarantee to travel to half the depth of the campaign.

Allied forces have 87 divisions on the western front, including 25 armored divisions. However, the British Command of the US Army believes that the Ardennes area is not suitable for large-scale attacks. Therefore, on the road section with a width of 1 15km, only five divisions (83,000 men, 242 tanks, 182 anti-tank self-propelled guns and 394 guns) belonging to the US Army 12 Army Group (commander is O. Bradley) confronted the fascist German group. This led to the unfavorable situation in the early stage of the campaign.

The Germans carried out Kirin's battle plan before the attack. An English commando team of about 2,000 people, composed of SS special forces and 150 armored brigade, was organized under the command of SS Lieutenant Colonel Schultz (that is, 1943, a small group of paratroopers led by gliders raided a dangerous mountain top in northern Italy and rescued Mussolini, a former dictator under house arrest by the Italian government). The commandos went deep into the allied lines in American jeeps. They divided into small teams, cut off telephone lines everywhere, reversed road signs, and made the garrison reserves go in the wrong direction. Hanging red bars indicated that there were mines on the road and tried their best to create chaos. The American army was frightened by the activities of these German soldiers. In order to search for these German teams, many traffic lines are impassable. 500,000 American soldiers question each other whenever they meet on the road. Hundreds of soldiers were arrested for being suspicious when answering questions, even Bradley, commander-in-chief of the group army. 12 16, an officer of the 66th German Army was captured on the way from the military headquarters to the front, and several operational orders planned with him fell into the hands of the US military, which made the US military respond in time. The second step of this plan, that is, using a complete armored brigade, driving American tanks and wearing American uniforms, marched straight in and occupied the Mas River Bridge, failed to materialize.

The Germans began their surprise attack at dawn on June1944+February 16. Intensive artillery fire bombarded almost all American positions, and the American army was suddenly attacked and suffered huge losses. They failed to organize resistance and retreated one after another. In the middle, Mantefer's 5th Panzer Corps made rapid progress. By 17, the two regiments of the US Army 106 Division were successfully surrounded by a pincer attack, forcing more than 7,000 people to surrender, which was the worst defeat of the US Army in the European battlefield. 18, the pioneer of the 5th Panzer Corps in Mantefel, and the 47th Panzer Corps arrived in Bastok, a highway transportation hub. However, the 47th Armored Division left only the 26th People's Grenadier Division to attack Bastok, while the 2nd Armored Division and armored instructors spared no effort to occupy Bastok. The 6th Panzer Corps of the Dietrich SS attacked from the right, and also reached a ferry on the OnBlaive River, advancing for about 30 miles. Its vanguard column "Peppel Combat Team" arrived and occupied the Maas River ferry. However, when this column spent the night in Staffordshire, it turned a blind eye to the large fuel depot and important bridges with 2.5 million gallons of gasoline on hand, so that the US military reinforcements used it to set up obstacles (burning gasoline and blow up bridges) and block their way forward; On the left, all four divisions under the jurisdiction of Brandenburg's 7th Army crossed the Orr River, among which the 5th Paratrooper Division suddenly arrived in Wilt, 0/2 miles away from/kloc, and built a barrier for the middle troops on the south, with little progress. By February 20th of 10, the German offensive forces had formed a protruding part with a width of about 100 km and a depth of 30-50 km, and continued to advance.

It was not until the morning of 17 that the main commander of the allied forces admitted that the German full-scale attack had begun, and Eisenhower urgently dispatched the 82nd and1kloc-0/airborne divisions to Bastok-St. Vitter for reinforcements to stop the Germans from advancing westward. General Gavin's 82nd Airborne Division was sent to Santovito defense line, while General mcauliffe's American1KLOC-0/Parachute Division rushed to Bastok. 19, Eisenhower held a meeting of senior generals in Verdun to discuss countermeasures. The meeting decided to adopt the policy of attacking the south and defending the north. The specific deployment is: Barton's American Third Army went north to attack the German salient; Devers's American Sixth Army moved closer to the north to protect Barton's right wing; The American troops in hodges 1 must resist the Germans who invaded the Ardennes from the north and south, hold their positions by the throat in the west, and prepare to counterattack from north to south, and surround the Germans with Barton's American troops 3.

12 On February 23rd, the weather improved, making it suitable for flying, and the allied aviation began to take active actions.

12 On February 22-26, the Third Army of the US Army launched a counterattack against the south wing of the enemy attack group. On the same day, the Germans also demanded that the American troops trapped in Bastok surrender, but all they got was mcauliffe's answer: "stupid eggs!" This American slang has a profound meaning and has since become a beautiful talk in the history of World War II. On the same day, the German army launched an attack on Bastok, but the progress was slow, and it failed to win this important town until Christmas. On February 24, 65438, Barton's third army destroyed the barrier built by the German seventh army on the left wing to ensure the central attack. Patton then ordered General Garfield's 4th Armored Division to "run like hell" to rescue Bastok trapped in the German encirclement. In the early morning of February 26th, 65438+, the 2nd Battle Group of Garfield 4th Armored Division fought its way out, broke through the German siege of Bastok, and joined forces with the US Airborne Division 10 1. The next day, large troops entered the city along the open road, strengthening the city's defense.

The 2nd Panzer Division of the 5th Panzer Corps and the armored instructors of the 47th Panzer Corps bypassed Bastok and attacked the US 1 Army in the north. Cyrus was the culmination of the German advance, only five miles from the Maas River. So the central front formed a bulge (the Ardennes campaign is also called the bulge campaign or the bulge campaign). At this time, the weather improved, and the US military immediately dispatched a large number of planes to violently bomb the German armored forces, making them unable to move during the day and in trouble. 12 on February 25th, a fierce battle broke out between the 2nd armored division of the German army and the 2nd armored division of the US 1 7th Army. By the end of that day, the German 2nd Armored Division had killed 2,500 people, captured 1050 people and lost 8 1 tank (originally 88). The 2nd Armored Division of the US Army won the title of "Activity Hell". On the 26th, the Germans began to retreat.

By February 25, 65438, the German group had broken through the front line and advanced more than 90 kilometers in depth. Its vanguard tanks have arrived in Dinan, which is only 4 kilometers away from Ma Jiahe. The British Command of the U.S. Army took resolute measures to strengthen the troops in the Ardennes, and transferred several divisions from other parts of the battlefield.

By the end of 65438+February, the German attack on the Mas River had stopped. But the fascist German Command did not give up its plan. 1944, 12, 3 1 night, the Germans began to attack the 7th Army in Strasbourg, Alsace. 1 945 65438+1October1,the Germans dispatched 1000, and raided airports in France, Belgium and the Netherlands, destroying 260 allied planes. The fascist German Air Force lost about 300 planes. But the allied situation is still grim. German ground troops broke through maginot line and attacked northern Alsace. On October 3rd, 65438+ year/kloc-0, the allied forces turned to counterattack, Barton's 3rd Army attacked from Bastok to northeast, and hodges's 1 Army attacked from north to southeast. On this day, the Germans also launched the fiercest attack on Alsace, thus launching the fiercest battle in the Ardennes. The two sides fought bloody battles for five days, and finally the Germans failed to win the city.

1945 65438+1October 6th Churchill turned to Stalin for help. The Soviet army is preparing for a new strategic attack, and it is not ready yet. However, in order to fulfill the obligations of the allies, the Soviet army launched the battle of the Vistula River-Oder River on June +654381October +02 in 5438, eight days ahead of schedule. Due to the Soviet attack, Hitler's headquarters was forced to reduce its active actions on the western front and transfer its troops from the western front to the eastern front. From the second half of June 1945 to the beginning of February, he was transferred to the 13 division with the strongest fighting capacity in the Soviet-German battlefield, including six tank divisions and motorized divisions, 800 tanks, assault guns and other technical weapons (this history has been avoided by western countries, and Churchill gave it to Stalin in June 1945).

On June 8, 65438 10, Hitler finally ordered the Germans to retreat. 65438+1October 12, the Soviet army launched an attack on the eastern front in advance to cooperate with the action, and Hitler had to deploy troops from the western front to fight on the eastern front. The allies quickly took the opportunity to advance. 65438+ 10/6, US Army 1 in hodges and US Army No.3 in Barton successfully joined forces, and by June 28th, 65438+ 10, they all retreated to their starting positions in the Ardennes under the pursuit of British and American troops. The losses (including death, injury and disappearance) of both sides in the Ardennes campaign were: about 77,000 allied troops and about 82,000 German troops.

Comments: In this battle, the German battle plan is a very good plan. If he had enough manpower and material resources to back him up, he might have succeeded if he hadn't fought on two fronts, but he didn't. The failure of Germany's attack in Ardennes means that the adventurous attempt of Hitler's German leadership group to win a decisive military victory in western Europe has gone bankrupt, which means that their plan to force the US and British governments to refuse military and political cooperation with the Soviet Union to completely defeat fascist Germany has completely failed. The Battle of Ardennes was the climax of the Western Front. A large number of German troops and weapons were forced to transfer to the Soviet-German battlefield, suffered losses in the Ardennes, and lacked reserves (from 1945 to 1 until the end of the war, the reserves were transferred to supplement the troops fighting against the Soviet Union)-all these greatly weakened the German troops on the western front and promoted the victory of the American, British and French troops in the subsequent offensive battles, which were essentially chasing and retreating. In this campaign, the Germans suffered 8 1834 casualties, 324 chariots and 320 planes were lost. Allied forces suffered 76,890 casualties (including 0/1,000 dead/kloc-0, 47,000 injured and 23,000 missing), lost 733 chariots and 592 aircraft. Although the losses of the Germans are comparable to those of the Allies, the Allies can easily make up for the losses, but the Germans can't. The Germans have invested in the last elite troops. Since then, the Germans have been unable to stop the allied attack on the western front.

Battle of kharkov

1943 From February 2 to March 3, during the Soviet-German War in World War II, the Japanese army in Voronezh launched an offensive campaign against the Germans, which was part of the total Soviet offensive in the southwest of 1943. The purpose of the campaign is to crush the basic forces of the German "B" army group in Kharkov and liberate the Kharkov industrial zone. The battle code is "Star".

Due to the successful battles of Oster Rogoz-Rososh and Voronezh-Castenot in June of 5438+0943, there was a gap of 400 kilometers in the defense of the German army in Kursk and Kharkov. At the beginning of February, the Japanese army in Voroney (the 60th, 38th, 40th and 69th Army, the 3rd Army of Tanks and the 2nd Army of Air Force) pursued the Germans. The commander is General Gorikov). Facing the Germans are the near 15 infantry division and tank division of the Second Army and the "Leng Ci" campaign cluster (commander is Marshal Manstein). Most of them suffered heavy losses. The Japanese army in Voroney immediately prepared and carried out the offensive campaign of Kharkov without intermission. The battle was carried out under complicated conditions. Before the start of the campaign, the troops below the army had been fighting for nearly two and a half months, and the personnel and military technical equipment were seriously inadequate. The staff are tired and the muddy season is coming again. The rear of the army is fighting to surround nine German divisions.

According to the campaign attempt, the 40th Army (commander is Lieutenant General Moshenko), the 69th Army (commander is Lieutenant General Kazakov) and the 3rd Army of Tanks (commander is Lieutenant General Rybalko) launched a major assault on Kharkov from Novoskar and Valuyiki, and attacked the city from the northwest and south. The 60th Army (Commander Lieutenant General Cerna Kovsky) launched an auxiliary attack on Kursk from the west of Castenot. The 38th Army (commander is Lieutenant General Chibisov) should attack Oboyan. The 6th Army of the Southwest Army (commander is General Wa Tuting), which is engaged in the Battle of Donbass (commander is Lieutenant General Haritonov), should make a surprise attack on Balaclaya and Keira Si Nuo Geller to ensure the fighting from the south.

The battle began on February 2, and the 3rd Army, the 69th Army and the 6th Army of the Southwest Army of Voronezh launched a surprise attack first. On February 3, the 60th and 40th armies began to attack. However, the Soviet attack encountered great difficulties from the beginning. The Germans relied on carefully constructed fortifications for tenacious resistance, and the Soviet frontal attacks were repeatedly repelled, causing heavy casualties. The 60th Army cooperated with the Bryansk Army 13 Army (commander was General Lietier) (commander was Major General Pukhov, 14 was promoted to Lieutenant General in February), crushed the German resistance on the Jime River, advanced to Kursk on February 6, and attacked the city in a roundabout way from north to south. On the morning of February 8, the city was liberated, and then Ligoff was attacked. The 40th Army and the 69th Army smashed the German resistance in the Oskol River area, and began to develop the attack to the southwest, bypassing Kharkov from the northwest. The 40th Legion liberated Korocha on February 7, Belgorod on February 9, and entered the northern and northwestern suburbs of Kharkov on February 13. The 69th Army liberated Volchansk on February 9th and started fighting in the northeast suburb of Kharkov on February14th. The 3rd Army of Tanks bypassed Kharkov from the south and reached the North Donets River in Chuguyev on February 5th, but failed to cross the river during the March. The Germans transferred the 1 "Adolf Hitler Sineitai" armored division of the SS from Kharkov area (the commander was SS general josef dietrich) to defend this area. However, due to the threat of being surrounded by the German Kharkov Group, on the night of February 9, the army began to gradually withdraw from the North Donetsk region to Kharkov. The 3rd Army of Tanks forcibly crossed the North Donets River and blocked the advance of Soviet troops with excellent continuous resistance along the way. On February 14, it entered the southern suburbs of Kharkov. On February 15, the 40th Army, the 69th Army and the 3rd Army of Tanks of the Soviet Union began to attack the city. Although the Germans had considerable advantages in tanks (200 vs 80) and fierce resistance, the army group still liberated Kharkov on February 12, 2006 at about 12.

In the development attack, the Japanese army in Voronezh advanced to Larisk, Suja, Lebedin, Oposhnia and Ming Koffka on March 3rd. However, the Soviets have gradually fallen into the trap carefully arranged by manstein. Prior to this, the German army had concentrated huge forces and launched a counterattack against the southwest army on February 19. The southwest army retreated to the North Donets River, exposing the left wing of the Voronezh army. On March 3, the Japanese army in Voronezh was unable to attack because there was no reserve team, and turned to attack.

The Russian army and the Japanese army in Voronezh advanced 100-260 km, and both sides suffered huge losses. The characteristics of the Soviet army in this campaign are: preparing for the battle in the process of pursuing the enemy, starting the battle with the strength of the last battle, and attacking on a wide front without intermission. However, the gains made in the attack in the direction of Kharkov failed to be consolidated, because the Soviet army did not have a strong reserve.

The Soviet army launched a winter attack at the turn of 1942- 1943, and in mid-February of 1943, it advanced to Dnepropetrovsk and Zaporoge, threatening to divide the entire eastern front of the German army. The German high command hopes to save the crisis by withdrawing troops from Donbass, dispatching reserves from the west and establishing assault groups for counterattack. Prepare to smash the southwest army advancing on the Dnieper River first, and drive it across the North Donetsk River, and then carry out a surprise attack on the Voronezh army in the Kharkov area to recapture Kharkov and Belgorod. Since then, it is planned to carry out an assault in the opposite direction from Belgorod in the south and orel in the north to the general direction of Kursk, and hit the Soviet troops active in this area hard.

The Soviet attack in Kharkov is proceeding according to the Soviet plan, but the Soviet army has gradually fallen into the trap of the German army. After the Soviet attack began, Manstein began to plan the German counterattack plan. He decided to retreat first to extend the Soviet supply line. When the Soviet army is stretched, he will take the elite 1 panzer corps as the main force, first break the Soviet southwest army (6th, 1 guards, 5th army assault, 3rd and 5th army tanks, and the commander is General Marin Noszky), and then head north. In order to lure the enemy deeper, the Germans gave up many places. In order to defeat the Soviets one by one and buy time for gathering troops, the Germans in the north will go to loyal opposition. In the continuous attack of the Soviet Union, the Soviet front became longer and longer, while the Germans took the opportunity to complete the troop assembly. The "Southern" Army Group (4th Army, SS No.65438 +0 A Army-SS No.65438 +0 Adolf Hitler Sineitai, 2nd Imperial Armored Division, kempf Campaign Cluster and Hoillet Campaign Cluster, with Marshal Manstein as the commander) originally scheduled to be established on February 3rd, 2008 launched a counterattack. The 4 th air force implemented support. The German army is dominated by SS 1 "Adolf Hitler Sineitai" armored division and "Greater Germany" armored grenadier division, SS 2 "Imperial" armored division and SS 3 "Skull" armored division are the northern group, and the 48th Panzer Corps (7th and1KLOC-0/armored unit) of the 4th Panzer Corps continues.

On February 19, the Germans launched a counterattack against the right wing of the Southwest Army in Donbass, and the Soviet Southwest Army suffered heavy losses. By March 2, the assault fifth army (commander is Lieutenant General popov) was destroyed, forcing the weakened regiment of the Southwest Army to retreat to the other side of the North Donets River on March 3. This has greatly worsened the situation of the Japanese army in Voroney, which is engaged in Kharkov offensive campaign with the left-wing army. Its left wing shows its flank. The headquarters of the German "Southern" Army Group changed its military deployment. In Voronezh, southwest of Kharkov, the 40th Army (commander is Lieutenant General Moskalenko), the 69th Army (commander is Lieutenant General Kazakov) and the 3rd Tank Army (commander is Lieutenant General Ribar Branch) are on the left. A powerful army group (the 4th Tank Army and the "kempf" campaign cluster) was established face to face. The Japanese regiment in Voroney also suffered heavy losses in the previous offensive war. The tank unit * * * has 70 tanks, with no reserves, insufficient fuel, ammunition and weapons and equipment, and the rear is stretched to 250-300 kilometers. German troops are 1 times more than Soviet troops, artillery 1.6 times more, tanks 10.4 times more, and planes are more than twice as many.

In order to save the crisis, the Soviet High Command ordered the 3rd and 69th Army of Japanese Army in Voroney to hand over the left-wing tanks to the Southwest Army. They have been attacking the German left wing since February 23rd, but little progress has been made. After defeating the Southwest Army, the German main force turned to the north, and the Third Tank Army, which bore the brunt, was immediately surrounded. In view of the situation formed, the Soviet Voroney Japanese army stopped attacking on March 3 and turned to the whole region for defense. On March 4th, the 4th Army of German tanks launched a surprise attack on the 3rd Army of tanks with only 50 tanks. Although the Soviet army resisted stubbornly, it could not resist the powerful attack of the German army. By March 5th, except for the 6th Guards, the 3rd Tank Army was basically destroyed. On March 6, the Germans began to attack Kharkov. The Germans shifted their main assault direction to the junction of the 69th Army and the 3rd Tank Army, and put the Russ Army into the battle here the next day. On March 10, there was a gap of 60 kilometers between the 69th Army and the 3rd Tank Army. Due to the shortage of troops, the Soviet army could not bridge this gap. On March 10, the Germans advanced from the south to Bogodukhov and rushed to Kharkov, which was defended by the 3rd Army of Tanks from the north. On March 14, the Germans besieged the city. The Soviet army was forced to give up Kharkov, broke through in the early morning of March 17, and retreated to the left bank of the North Donets River. The remnants of the third tank army were transferred to the southwest army. 17 From March, the Germans attacked Belgorod from the west and south, and captured the city on March 18.

In order to prevent the complete collapse of the front, on March 6th, the Soviet high command base camp suspended the planned attack in Leningrad, and moved the 1 army tank (commander is Lieutenant General katukov tanker) to the south and concentrated in Oboyan area. The 64th Army (transferred from the vicinity of Stalingrad with Lieutenant General Shumilov as the commander) and the 2nd1Army (transferred from the Central Army with Lieutenant General Chistyakov as the commander) also moved in these directions. Because these troops would not arrive until late March at the earliest, at that time, the 1 Guards cavalry east of Kharkov had only one unit, but it was they who stubbornly blocked for three days, giving the Soviet troops time to assemble. In the next few days, the Soviet army was able to join the reserves of the Southwest Army and the Japanese army in Voroney-the 2nd and 3rd Guards Tanks and the 203rd and167th Infantry Units. By this time, the Germans were already exhausted after the war. Due to the limited forces and insufficient reserve forces, the Germans had to pursue the same unit that defeated the Soviet offensive forces. Until the Germans continued to fight, the troops were extremely tired and the German attack became weaker and weaker. With the arrival of Soviet reinforcements and the beginning of the muddy season, the German attack was forced to stop.

Due to the measures taken by the Soviet high command base camp, the direction from the south to Kursk was reliably covered. The Japanese army in Voronezh retreated100-150km during the defensive engagement, and stopped the Germans on March 25th at the Kra-Si Nuo-Paulier, Belgorod and the North Donets River to Chuguyev, forming the southern line of the so-called Kursk projection. A large-scale battle is about to begin (see the Battle of Kursk).

Comments: During the entire Battle of Kharkov, the Soviets lost 240,030 people, 65,438 tanks and self-propelled artillery, 52,965,438 cannons and 4 17 aircraft, and the Germans also suffered huge losses. Marshal Manstein, the German army, used the method of luring the enemy deep to hit the Soviet army hard, thus temporarily stopping the Soviet attack and playing an important role in the temporary resistance and stability of the southern line. Two Soviet commanders, Gorikov and Malinowski, misjudged the German attempt in the final stage of the campaign, overestimated the strength and ability of their own troops, and had a negative impact. The role of strategic reserve is particularly important in the campaign. The Soviet army suffered heavy losses because it did not have a strong strategic reserve, and the German army failed to destroy the Soviet army because it did not have a strong strategic reserve. In fact, the western allies of the Soviet Union stopped their active actions in North Africa in February and March, and stepped up their operations regardless of the requirements of the Soviet high command, which also had a lot to do with the German army's ability to transfer troops from other war zones to the eastern front.

Battle of anzio

/kloc-at the beginning of 0/944, the allied forces were stopped in front of the German "Gustav" line. Although the Allied 15 Army Group, which consists of the 5th Army of the US Army, 8th Army of the British Army and 5th Army of the British Army, is under the command of General Alexander, with four brigades of the 19 Division and nearly 4,000 planes supporting it, it has never been able to break through the German army. Among them, 15 division of 10 army defended Gustav's front line, and 8 divisions of 14 army were located in the north of 10 army as backup, responsible for eliminating guerrillas in northern Italy, ensuring smooth traffic lines and alerting the northern coast of Italy.

The famous "Gustav" defense line runs through Italy from the Mediterranean coast more than 60 kilometers north of Naples to Otunnu on the Adriatic Sea. The center of the defense line is the towering Cassino peak. At the foot of this steep mountain peak is the only road to Rome-No.6 expressway. When the Germans occupy Cassino Peak, they can block Highway 6 from the top and cut off the passage of the allied forces into Rome. The whole line of defense was covered with cleverly constructed concrete fortifications and minefields densely covered with mines. In addition, thanks to the natural barrier, it is definitely easy to defend but difficult to attack. Therefore, during the four months from1September 1943 to1June 1944, the allies paid tens of thousands of heavy casualties and still failed to make a breakthrough.

In June of 5438+0 1 year, General Alexander made a battle plan codenamed "Pebbles", and prepared to invest 1 division to land on anzio Beach north of Gustav Line, in order to cooperate with the frontier troops to break through Gustav Line. However, due to 1944, the two attacks launched by the allied forces on Gustav defence failed in early February, and the allied forces are making every effort to organize the Normandy landing to be launched in June 1944, some elite troops and equipment in the Mediterranean theater have been transferred to Britain one after another. In view of this, Clark, commander of the 5th Army of the US Army, suggested canceling the plan, which was immediately endorsed by Alexander.

12 1 British prime minister Winston Churchill, who just concluded the summit of the United States, Britain and the Soviet Union in Tehran, felt that the allied forces had assembled superior land, sea and air forces in the Mediterranean, and the Normandy landing would not be launched until June of the following year. He really didn't want to be idle for half a year, so he urged the Mediterranean allies to take action, capture Rome, liberate the whole of Italy and threaten southern Germany. He consulted with Eisenhower, Alexander, Cunningham and other Mediterranean war zone generals, and the "pebbles" that had been put on hold were put forward again. At Churchill's insistence, the strength of the plan was increased from 1 division to 2 divisions. Churchill compared it to a wild cat with sharp teeth and claws, tearing open the weakness of the Germans and breaking their hearts in one fell swoop!

However, at that time, there was no landing ship capable of transporting two divisions in the Allied Mediterranean Theater. At the same time, the battle of Normandy was in full swing. Landing ship is the top priority of campaign preparation, and the Mediterranean theater must not affect the preparation of Normandy campaign. For a time, the landing ship seemed to be an insurmountable difficulty. The British and American Joint Chiefs of Staff carefully studied the use of landing ships, and Churchill also asked President Roosevelt to send more landing ships. Under Roosevelt's personal questioning, the Allies carefully coordinated the use of landing ships, delayed the departure of 56 landing ships from the Mediterranean, and finally pieced together 87 landing ships, barely able to transport two divisions, but these landing ships could only be used in the Mediterranean war zone for two days, and then they would be transferred to Britain-Churchill, who was eager to fight, accepted this harsh condition.

1944 65438+1On October 8th, Churchill approved the "cobblestone" project and landed in anzio with two divisions.

Anzio, a small fishing port, is located100km north of Gustav's defense line and 45km south of Rome. Before the war, it was a weekend resort. The beach is crystal soft and surrounded by trees, but it is about to become a bloody and cruel battlefield!

The commander-in-chief of the Allied Campaign was Admiral Cunningham, who had just succeeded Eisenhower as commander-in-chief of the Mediterranean theater. The landing force is the sixth army transferred from the sequence of the fifth army of the US Army. The commander is Major General Lucas of the U.S. Army, with two divisions, 1 paratroopers and five marine battalions, with about 50,000 people. Among them, the American 3rd Infantry Division with Truscott as the division commander and the British 1 Infantry Division with Penny as the division commander are both elite divisions of the Allied Forces. After many battles, the American 3rd Infantry Division experienced the battles of Tunisia, Sicily and Salerno, while the British 1 Division participated in the expeditions to France, the Dunkirk retreat and North Africa. Both teachers are deeply loved by their subordinates and are generals with great military talent!

The navy, under the command of American Major General Lori, has more than 150 landing ships and 126 warships, divided into two formations. The southern landing formation was commanded by Lori, consisting of 5/KLOC-0 transport ships, 5 landing ships, 4 artillery landing boats, 34 infantry landing boats, 33 other ships and