Grand Alliance (Kirov Series) Read Online Free PDF Page A

post a single brigade on defense and have the other two
available for other duty.
    From
Sollum and Halfaya Pass the rugged escarpment stretched south and east for
nearly 80 kilometers, ending about 25 kilometers south of the coastal town of
Sidi Barani. The escarpment was a godsend, like a stony castle wall that could
not be outflanked by the fast moving German columns. So into this castle Wavell
moved the bulk of the 9th Australian Division, and all the service and support
troops that had been clustered around the ports. He knew he was yielding the
small advantage of using Bardia and Sollum to supply his troops, but knew that
if he had left them there, they would have been invested along with their
brothers in Tobruk.
    Even as
he made these dispositions, Wavell was hastening the remainder of his ANZAC
Corps west in the 2nd New Zealand Division. Instead of making the dangerous sea
transit to Greece, he now had this division to stand on a defensive line well
south of Sidi Barani, but it was his last full division reserve of any strength
in Egypt. He might cobble together one more division sized force with the
Carpathian Infantry Brigade, and the British 22nd Guards that were now
mustering to the defense. Added to the 2nd Armored, no more than a brigade,
this was all that he had left, and that unit would be  lucky if it could muster
thirty operational tanks.
    Rommel invested
Tobruk on January 25th, and then showed every intention of crossing the border
soon after he was satisfied the Italians were in position. He now had two
strong German units at hand, the 5th Light being reinforced by the early
arrival of the 15th Panzer Division. Keitel had made good on his promises to
Rommel in more than one way. He had sent him that second division, and was even
now gathering elements of what would become the 90th Light Division, and
sending them to Tripoli.
    At the
same time, the Fallschirmjagers on Malta had been slowly building up strength,
enough to clear most of the northwest quadrant of the island, occupy a
defensive position known as the Victoria Lines there, and seize the vital
airfield at Ta’qali. This allowed the Germans to land much needed supplies
there, and move troops onto the island more rapidly. The Italian Folgore Paras
had also landed on the smaller island of Gozo to the north, and were preparing
to take the main town of Victoria. The remainder of the defenders had fallen
back on the vital port of Valetta to make their final stand. The meager air
defenses had been pounded to dust by the intense combined German Italian air
campaign, and what remained of that force was now grounded or evacuated.
    To
speed the battle there along, the Germans decided to send a single regiment of
the 1st Mountain Division, which landed at the small fishing ports in the north
between Gozo and Malta. From there they quickly moved south to join the
Fallschirmjagers, which were building up to near division strength on the
island by nightfall on January 28th when Rommel made the decision to cross into
Egypt. That was the day Fedorov had organized his rescue mission for General
O’Connor with Popski, and the fleet put to sea on the 29th.
    The
following day, while Fedorov’s group hunkered down in the desert sandstorm,
Rommel was pushing his two divisions east with the two Italian motorized units.
1st Battalion, 61st Motorized of the Trento division were the first troops to
reach Bardia, jubilantly reclaiming that coastal fortress for El Duce. The
Armored cars of the 7th Bersaglieri Battalion pushed on ahead and swept into
Sollum by mid day on the 29th of January. They still had 23 operational
Autoblinda 41 armored cars out of the 30 they had started with way back at Agheila
on the Gulf of Sirte, a maintenance feat that was seldom equaled in this harsh
terrain.
    On
their right, the tanks of the Ariete Division pushed quickly through the undefended
fort at Capuzzo, and reached Halfaya Pass. There they stopped to refuel and
repair while they waited