Chapter 270: The Opponent's Progress
This issue triggered intense discussion among the senior officers of the British Expeditionary Force.
Some officers whispered suggestions to Montgomery, demanding a retreat to prevent the fall of Portugal.
However, Montgomery did not adopt this proposal.
Instead, he turned his attention to Hobart, hoping to hear a different tactical direction from the commander who had previously predicted the German Army's attack.
Hobart picked up a pen and drew across the map.
"Our idea should still be attack."
"We will not dispatch any troops to defend. Instead, we will mobilize all elite forces from the Army and Air Force to march toward Salamanca."
"The German Army is attacking Portugal from the Salamanca direction, so their main supply point must be located in Salamanca."
A thick black supply line appeared before everyone's eyes.
"No matter how fast the German Army is, if they want to reach Lisbon, they must first capture Santarém."
"Capturing a city with armored forces requires a significant amount of time. This is something no degree of tactical proficiency can fully compensate for."
"And we are only one step away from Salamanca."
"As long as we can pose a threat to Salamanca, then the German Army will certainly turn back to defend."
As he spoke, Hobart lowered his glasses, which had fogged up due to the temperature difference.
Leaning over the map, he drew another attack line.
"Furthermore, if Salamanca is endangered, then Madrid will also fall within our attack axis."
"The Spanish will inevitably demand that the German Army assist in the defense. That would indirectly dismantle the pressure of their attack on mainland Portugal."
Hobart's idea was bold.
But it was also extremely dangerous.
Many officers realized this immediately and rushed to raise questions.
"What if the German Army captures Santarém before we take Salamanca?"
"Exactly. This offensive step is too large. Losing Santarém means Lisbon will be left unobstructed, and our only coastal port will be cut off."
"At that point, we will not even be able to retreat."
"I suggest the entire army fall back into Portugal. Our strategic objective is to prevent Germany from mining tungsten, not to fight a decisive battle."
"We have already achieved the strategic goal of inflicting considerable damage on the tungsten mining area. The Germans will not be able to resume production for several months."
"As long as we withstand this wave of German attacks, once follow-up reinforcements arrive, we can launch another operation against the tungsten mining area and repeatedly delay Germany's production schedule."
The one who spoke was a middle-aged officer with a short beard.
Hobart thought for a moment, then simply shook his head.
"No, no, gentlemen."
"You have overlooked one point."
"Our elite forces are currently concentrated around Trujillo."
"The time required to return to Lisbon from here is almost the same as the time required to attack Salamanca. Both would take roughly two days."
"The German Army is less than sixty kilometers from Santarém. They can arrive by tomorrow night at the latest."
"This means that by the time we fall back to defend, the battle for Santarém will very likely have already begun, and the German Army will have already established its positions."
"Under those circumstances, even if we reinforce the city, we cannot force the German Army to retreat."
"But attacking Salamanca creates a real threat to Spain."
Montgomery raised his hand and ended the discussion.
"I believe Hobart's suggestion has great value."
"The Spanish have lost their will to fight. If we attack Salamanca, our primary opponents will be Spanish forces and a small number of German troops."
"However, falling back to defend means facing the elite of the Western Front, spearheaded by the German 3rd Armored Division."
"Therefore, I believe this is worth trying."
"As for the defense of mainland Portugal, three new infantry divisions will land from Lisbon tomorrow noon."
He turned toward Hobart.
"Hobart, you will command the attack."
Since the Commander in Chief had spoken, the officers could only nod and accept this highly risky operational plan.
After everyone dispersed, Montgomery gave Hobart a meaningful look inside the operations room before turning and leaving.
Hobart understood what that glance meant.
It was pressure.
But it was also a sign of trust.
Montgomery had built the stage for him.
Whether he could perform this opera well would depend entirely on his own skill.
On the other side, inside Manstein's command vehicle.
A dim desk lamp swayed inside the compartment, causing the operational map in front of Manstein to tremble with the motion of the vehicle.
The Madura District had fallen too quickly.
A week and a half had actually been a joke. In truth, Manstein had only needed the Spanish Advance Army to hold out for six days.
Unfortunately, they had only lasted about four.
With the entire Madura District lost, the problem had now been thrown from the British into his own hands.
"Can the Spanish stop the British before Salamanca?" Manstein asked.
He was not very worried about supplies.
His troops had acquired a large quantity of provisions in Porto, enough to support their subsequent offensive.
And even if they had not acquired them, they could still obtain supplies in the Galicia region.
The real problem was that the infantry had already launched the attack in cooperation with the armored forces.
The German forces remaining in Salamanca consisted of only the 16th Infantry Division.
The defensive strength was insufficient.
If Salamanca were captured, it would not only mean the loss of one of their supply hubs and the risk of being squeezed from front and rear.
It would also mean that the British Expeditionary Force could use Salamanca as a base to attack Madrid.
As for the possibility of the British ignoring Salamanca and attacking Madrid directly, Manstein had not considered it.
In his view, the British, having been frightened into caution, would not dare make such a risky decision.
"Mr. José said there is no problem," the adjutant replied.
Manstein ignored that answer.
José had previously claimed that the Spanish could hold the tungsten mining area for a month.
The few combat-capable Spanish units were all on the Eastern Front, guarding against Soviet Russia.
The situation in Spain itself had to be estimated according to the worst-case scenario.
"If he says there is no problem, that means there is a problem."
Manstein's tone was cold.
"First, notify Headquarters and request the deployment of two Army units to assist in the defense, in case the British Expeditionary Force chooses not to retreat and defend, but instead attacks Salamanca."
"The frontline offensive remains unchanged."
His gaze fell back onto the map.
"I want to see whether the British will retreat into their shells and wait for death, or whether they truly intend to fight us back and forth."
The following afternoon, the German Army arrived at Santarém even faster than Hobart had estimated.
Using the last rays of the setting sun, bombers carried out successive raids on Santarém's military targets.
The 15th Infantry Division, which had followed the 3rd Armored Division and had gone nearly sleepless, began the battle for the city at eight in the evening under the support of part of the armored force.
Tracer rounds used to adjust firing trajectories drew several white dashed lines across the night sky.
Infantry fighting vehicles sped through the streets of Santarém, carrying German soldiers who organized rapid assaults.
Panzer IVs and Panther tanks faced off against the defending Mk VII light tanks and Valentine infantry tanks, engaging in tank battles at various intersections.
Under cover of darkness, the defenders fought the German tanks, unstoppable during the day, to a standstill.
Furthermore, there was one thing Manstein had not anticipated.
The Portuguese displayed considerable resistance.
This made the battle for the city slower than he had expected.
The British Air Force even provided night support, despite the risk of friendly fire.
On the other side.
Salamanca.
Unlike the German forces, which traded rest for rapid offensive speed, Hobart's 1st and 3rd Armored Divisions moved much more slowly.
Of course, Hobart wanted his troops to match the German rate of advance.
But the quality of his soldiers did not support the adoption of Germany's strategy.
However, there was good news.
To support this attack, the Royal Air Force dispatched two additional fighter squadrons.
Furthermore, the battle for Santarém launched by the German Army had drawn the support of the vast majority of the German Air Force.
This gave the British a temporary air advantage in the Salamanca region.
.....
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