The Desert War: Book 4 of the Ladybird Expert History of the Second World War (The Ladybird Expert Series) by James Holland

Author:James Holland [Holland, James]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781405929820
Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
Published: 2018-07-11T23:00:00+00:00

The panzers were now overstretched and being pummelled by the RAF’s Desert Air Force, while the British had pushed forward and finally relieved Tobruk. Rommel tried to counter-attack but could make no headway against strong defence: it was now the turn of British artillery and anti-tank guns to halt the Axis armour. When the Italian Motorized Corps failed to join the attack on Tobruk on 5 December, Rommel accepted it was time to pull back. After one final assault on 7 December, he broke off and his battered forces sped back across the bulge of Cyrenaica. So the see-saw North Africa campaign continued.

Meanwhile, across the Mediterranean, Malta was soon to feel the wrath of the Luftwaffe once more. No one was more obsessed with the Mediterranean than Hitler, who constantly feared for his southern flank. With faith in his Italian ally completely gone, he now sent Field Marshal Albert Kesselring to command all Axis forces in the south.

Kesselring was known as ‘Smiling Albert’ because of his cheery manner, but this hid a grim ruthlessness and devout allegiance to the Führer. He correctly understood that the war in North Africa would be won or lost by whichever side won the battle of supplies, so with this in mind he determined to crush Malta as an offensive base.

Fliegerkorps II arrived on Sicily in December and in the New Year began pummelling the island. Over the next four months, its cities and harbours were smashed, airfields wrecked and air forces all but destroyed. Malta was an offensive base no more. It had become the most bombed place on earth.

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