Chapter 92 Volume III, Chapter 19, General Wavell's Final Efforts: The Tomahawk Project

Rommel Wavell's determination had to be defeated. On May 15th and 16th, the attack on Salum and Kapuzo Fort. Limited success. The tiger cubs encountered initial temporary difficulties. The German 15th Panzer Division moved to Halfaya. Lost on May 26 The preparations for the Tomahawk battle plan underestimated the strength of the enemy. We began our attack on June 15. On June 17, things went against us. Rommel did not pursue the tame horse. On June 2 Telegram sent on the 11th General Auchinleck to replace General Wavell to hand over a superintendent at Cairo office A telegram to Captain Olivier Littleton appointed Secretary of State to the Middle East I telegraphed Roosevelt on the 4th of July president.

We at home are obsessed with defeating Rommel in the Western Desert. All of us, whether military or civilian, agree that this is the most important thing, and there is no disagreement.The tragedy of the withdrawal from Greece, the riots in Iraq and Syria, the bitter struggle in Crete, are nothing compared to the glimmer of hope we should have for victory in the western desert.In London there was little debate about the matter. Of course Wavell was confronted with other difficult problems on a daily basis, but he firmly agreed with us in thinking that crushing Rommel's bold attack and thereby relieving the siege of Tobruk would make up for it all.Besides, he realized how much risk we took to replace the armored vehicles he had lost when his desert flank collapsed.He has confidence in the Tiger Project.He knew what the effort to get him nearly three hundred tanks via the Mediterranean meant.

He is buoyant and does not lose sight of the broad principle that in war, as in life, everything is relative.Our consistent strategic concept is arguably correct.At this time, we had a spy who kept in close contact with Rommel's headquarters, and he provided us with definite information: Although Rommel had real power, his position was very unstable and he had great difficulties.We know that he wants to keep himself but there is very little room for maneuver, and we also know that the German High Command has given him very strict orders not to miss the chance of victory by taking chances.

Prime Minister to General Wavell May 7, 1941 You and your generals can judge for yourself whether the tactical possibility is in Sallum or in Tobruk.But if Tiger's plan succeeds, it's time to go big.As soon as Project Tiger is completed, I will order the Cyclone to be dispatched to you from the island of Malta.Once those German devils lose the initiative, they are far less dangerous and terrifying.Our hearts are with you. Wavell, who had all our information, tried to win the initiative, even with the imminence of the Battle of Crete, before the imminent German 15th Panzer Division, which had made the long march from Tripoli, had not yet arrived in full force. Gassi defeated Rommel before being effectively opened up by the enemy as a supply shortcut.He therefore even thought of attacking Rommel's army before the tanks that had arrived under the Tiger program (Wavell and I corresponded to them as tiger cubs) were ready to fight.In early May, the armored forces in the western desert consisted of nothing more than two squadrons of patrol tanks and two squadrons of infantry tanks stationed southeast of Matruh.Wavell hoped to have this force established as a potent striking force by early June.He thought he saw an opportunity to strike before Tiger Cub was ready.He hoped to surprise the enemy before he was reinforced by the Fifteenth Armored Division.

General Wavell to Prime Minister May 9, 1941 I have ordered all existing tanks to be allocated to Gott's troops for the offensive in the Salloum area.This matter is being actively prepared and should be realized soon.Only in the event of a complete failure of Tiger's plan would I cancel the operation. General Wavell to Prime Minister May 13, 1941 I did not wait for the tiger, and ordered the existing tanks to join Gott's force in attacking the enemy's Sellum area.The operation is to begin in a day or two, and I think Gott can handle the advance of the enemy.If successful, consideration should be given to immediate joint action by Gott's troops and the Tobruk garrison to drive the enemy west of Tobruk.This may have to wait for some of the tanks brought in under Project Tiger, but I am anxious to act as soon as possible before the enemy gets reinforcements.

I have the positive and complete agreement of the chiefs of staff of the armed forces.How comforting it is to have the same opinion at home and abroad! Air Force Chief of Staff to Lieutenant General Ted May 14, 1941 Today, the Chiefs of Staff fully agreed with your estimate, and the Prime Minister and I then had a full discussion.He is very pleased with the general arrangement, and is delighted that you are in charge of this important and complex air battle that is about to take place. 2. The following general assumptions about progress and emphases for each period may help you without impeding your freedom of action.

3. Victory in Libya should be ranked first in terms of time and importance. The results will shape how Germans and Iraqis view the situation in Iraq. 4. Our purpose in Iraq is to rebuild a friendly government in Baghdad, so you should do your best to help, but you must not hinder victory in the western desert. 5. It is believed here that Operation Searing Plan (the German attack on Crete) may be carried out after the smaller-scale battle in Libya but before a smaller-scale battle. Whether this larger-scale battle can be launched depends on It depends on the situation of the tiger cub.Due to the complexity of the military operation, Colorado (Crete) may be attacked later than expected, which you can consider, but not act on.

6. One obvious result is worth a dozen clever precautions.With regard to Iraq, Syria and preparations in Palestine, we can make long-term plans later.The paramount importance of military operations in the desert will justify taking the necessary risks elsewhere. A force under General Gott, consisting of the 7th Armored Brigade with about fifty-five tanks and the 22nd Guards Brigade, now advancing northwestward along the upper walls of the trench, on May 15th Seloum and Fort Capucho were captured on the 1st, while the armored brigade on the left marched towards Sidi Arzuiz.The enemy quickly turned to a counter-offensive and recaptured Capucho Fort in the afternoon of the same day, causing heavy casualties to the Durham Light Infantry Battalion who conquered the port.The 7th Armored Brigade had to withdraw from Sidi Arquiz.The enemy uses about 70 tanks, whose strength exceeds our original imagination.Although we still held Salloum that night, we decided to withdraw the whole army on the next day (16th), leaving only the garrison at Halfaya and the pass on the inner wall of the Sidi Suleiman trench.

Wavell's report on the operation was not very positive.He said that after the initial advance cleared the Salloum-Bardiya area of ​​the enemy, the enemy counterattacked with tanks and forced us to retreat to Halfaya.We were able to hold the Sallum outpost, and a sortie by the Tobruk defenders was partially successful.We have hit the enemy hard.We are happy to hear this news in China. Prime Minister to General Wavell May 17, 1941 We are also satisfied with the outcome of the operation.You have launched an offensive without tiger cubs, advanced thirty miles, captured Halfaya and Sallum, captured five hundred Germans, and inflicted heavy losses in men and tanks.The loss of twenty infantry tanks and the casualties of a thousand or fifteen hundred men did not seem too high a price to pay for this victory.

2. The news from Tobruk is also very good, especially the enemy's losses are greater than ours.The enemy was indeed worried about Tobruk, and apparently satisfied reports were made when the calm in that place had subsided.It seemed extremely important to continue fighting in Tobruk. 3. The enemy is sending reinforcements in an attempt to re-stabilize the situation.That's exactly what we're looking for, because they probably can't stand the constant and intense fighting.Both Dill and I believed that sustained pressure would pay off well, because we knew the enemy was in dire straits.We're sure you'll keep fighting in Salum and Tobruk.The enemy probably won't be able to make up for the lack of troops the way you can.Imagine that you are making full use of your powerful mechanized field artillery in both places, forcing the enemy to run out of ammunition, which we understand is short of ammunition.If it would not be a personal burden on you, we would be grateful if you could assign an officer on your staff to write and send every night a detailed report of the important facts and situations that your headquarters has learned of.This is all the more necessary when a war of such great importance to the world situation as the Western Desert Campaign is in progress.

4. When do you plan to let the tiger cubs participate in the battle? General Wavell to Prime Minister May 18, 1941 The enemy army was stronger than we had imagined, and had forced us to retreat to the defensive until the tiger cubs joined the battle.This will not happen until the end of the month, and it would be better to give them time to adapt to local conditions, but it depends on the situation.The enemy is building up forces in the frontier and may have to move on.You should have heard the surrender of the Duke of Aosta, which effectively ended the war in East Africa. Wavell reported on 20 May that a tank battalion of the German 15th Panzer Division was believed to have arrived at the front.In this way, the chance of defeating Rommel before he got reinforcements was lost.Despite advance preparations, there were serious delays in unloading, assembling and making them suitable for desert operations.After many infantry tanks arrived, it was found that the mechanical parts were not very good. General Wavell to Prime Minister May 25, 1941 thanks for your call.We realize that our burdens and responsibilities here, great as they are, are nothing compared to the tasks so heroically undertaken by you. The work of weaning the cubs is well under way, but even the tigers are suffering from teething ailments. 【１】 [1] Weaning, directing the tank to adapt to local conditions.Teething pain is a British slang term, which originally refers to the discomfort of a baby's first teeth, and it is a metaphor for temporary difficulties in the beginning of a career.translator My wife said: I remember that there were some Sundays when people in Checkers were very anxious, even angry, because the new tanks that were brought in could not be put into battle immediately. But disaster soon struck.During the following week, frequent movements of enemy armored vehicles were observed.We learned from later seized documents that Rommel was planning a violent offensive in order to ease the situation in Tobruk, and that he was determined to take Halfaya and hold it, making my situation in Tobruk even worse. difficulty.He deployed most of the newly arrived German 15th Panzer Division, except for sending a small reconnaissance unit to the south, concentrating the main force on the border between Fort Capuzzo and Sidi Oma.Halfaya was held by a mixed battalion that included the 3rd Battalion of the Colstream Garrison, an artillery regiment and two tank squadrons.The rest of our border guards, except for the reconnaissance patrols sent to the south, have retreated a considerable distance to the rear.The enemy advanced on Halfaya on the 26th of May, and that night captured the heights north of the pass, from which the entire position held by Colstream's garrison was clearly visible.A counter-offensive attempt to retake the high ground failed.The next morning, after heavy shelling, the enemy launched a joint attack consisting of at least two battalions and sixty tanks, which put our small force in a very dangerous position.The reserve force was too far away to take part in the battle, so there was no choice but to withdraw this army altogether.The goal was achieved, but with heavy losses.Only two of our tanks are still in service, and the Colstream Garrison has lost eight officers and one hundred and sixty-five soldiers.Having achieved their objective, the enemy tried to gain a foothold in Halfaya.The position they had taken, as they had hoped, became a great hindrance to us three weeks later. Preparations for the Tomahawk campaign are still actively underway, but there is a dark side to optimism. General Wavell to Chief of the Imperial General Staff May 28, 1941 Armor will be the deciding factor, and all available armor is now in the Tomahawk battle plan.Due to various difficulties, the reorganization of the 7th Armored Division was repeatedly prolonged.Moving forward from Matruh, it won't start until June 7 at the earliest, and it may be later. 2. I think I should tell you that, as far as I can see, it is difficult to say how much this operation will gain.I hope that this battle will drive the enemy west of Tobruk and re-establish land communication with Tobruk.To the extent possible, we should try to achieve greater success.But the last few battles have revealed some troubling problems.Our armored vehicles were too light to withstand the fire of enemy fighters, and because they did not have mounted cannons, they could not withstand the German eight-wheeled armored vehicles, which had guns and had greater speed.This makes our reconnaissance work very difficult.Our infantry tanks were too slow to fight in the desert and had already suffered considerable damage from the enemy's powerful anti-tank guns.Our patrol tanks were no match for German medium tanks in either power or speed.There are still too many technical hurdles.We shall not be able to fight with as much confidence as we did with the Italians, despite our inferior numbers.The above factors may limit our achievements, making it necessary for us to be constantly and constantly reinforced by suitable armored forces, and to maintain adequate reserves. On May 31, General Wavell telegraphed the technical difficulties he had encountered in reorganizing the 7th Armored Division.The earliest date he could launch the Tomahawk campaign was June 15th.He sensed the danger of delaying the launch of the campaign, when the enemy would take advantage of the opportunity to get air reinforcements and storm Tobruk; but on the other hand he felt that the coming battle was mainly a tank encounter, and he would have to create a Chance to win, and the time bought in waiting will double the hope of success. I now waited with longing and misgivings for our offensive in the desert, which might produce results that would make the progress of the whole campaign in our favour.In order for the 7th Armored Division to be able to master the tiger cub proficiently, it took an extra two weeks.I fear that during this time the German Fifteenth Panzer Division may have been shipped to Rommel in its entirety. From our intelligence we now know that the enemy's troops which have been or are being transported into Eastern Cyrenaica are the German 5th (Light) Panzer Division and the 15th Armored Division, as well as the Italian Armored Division of Ariette, Special Ranto Motorized Division and Brescia Infantry Division.Another Italian infantry division was in reserve at Derna. The Germans have taken advantage of Benghazi very quickly, and the greater part of their army may have been supplied through the port to a large extent, which is disturbingly contrasted with our performance at the beginning of the year. Wavell telegraphed that most of the enemy forces were deployed in front of Tobruk, with about 130 medium tanks and about 70 light tanks.According to our estimate, there were only a hundred medium tanks in the forward area, a force equivalent to seven German battalions and nine Italian battalions.We therefore believe that two-thirds of the enemy's tank strength is left behind seventy miles from the frontier.If the Tobruk defenders can temporarily contain the surrounding enemy forces with a single attack, then in terms of armored vehicles on the border, we can have an advantage of 100 to 180 tanks from the beginning.Wavell commented that such estimates are wrong.As far as is currently certain, the Germans did not use Italian tanks at all in this frontier campaign.The Germans managed to mass a large part of their own armored vehicles forward without us being aware of it.In fact, they put in over two hundred tanks against our one hundred and eighty tanks. Tomahawk combat planning had begun as early as June 15th.General Clay commanded our Armored Corps, and General Meserve commanded the 4th Indian Division and the 22nd Guards Brigade.The total force was about 25,000 men, under the command of General Beresford Pierce.At first, the fighting went fairly well.Although the enemy's defense around Halfaya withstood the pincers from the north and the south, the garrison brigade captured Fort Caputso in the afternoon, taking hundreds of enemy troops prisoner.Parts of this brigade advanced again towards the defenses west of Salloum, but were held back by the enemy.The 7th Armored Brigade, advancing to cover the outer flanks, reached a position west of Fort Capuzzo without encountering enemy tanks.On June 16, there was no progress in the war.The enemy forces in Halfaya and Sallum stood firm against our army, and a strong enemy tank force appeared in the afternoon, with the obvious intention of outflanking our attacking forces from the west. The 7th Armored Division, including the Armored Brigade and supporting units, was mobilized to meet this threat.They engaged the enemy near Sidi Oma, but were outnumbered and forced to withdraw.Thus, one flank of the main attack, which should be covered by the division, is in jeopardy. The next day, June 17, everything went wrong.The garrison brigade remained at Fort Capucho that morning and faced Sallum.A fairly strong force, said to be equipped with a hundred tanks, took Fort Capuzzo from them.The 7th Armored Brigade had only about twenty operational patrol tanks at this time, and spent the night near Sidi Suleiman.The enemy force which had compelled them to retreat from Sidi Oma the night before was advancing on Halfaya, threatening to cut off the garrison brigade.To meet this threat, Clay proposed that the 7th Armored Brigade attack from the south, while the 4th Armored Brigade, relieved of its task of cooperating with the Garrison Brigade, would attack from the north.However, just as the 4th Armored Brigade moved out, another enemy armored column approaching from the west threatened the flank of the Guard Brigade.The 4th Armored Brigade repelled the attack, but the enemy pressure continued to mount, so Messevi told Clay that he could not leave the Armored Brigade for fear of being cut off from the infantry. At this decisive moment, General Wavell flew to Beresford, General Pierce's operational headquarters.He still hoped that an attack by Clay's armor would help turn the tide.He boarded a plane and flew to the location of the 7th Armored Division.No sooner had he arrived than he learned that General Meserve had made the decision alone that, since he was threatened both on the flank and in the rear (at least two hundred tanks, according to his current estimate), he must withdraw immediately to avoid being encircled.He has issued orders in accordance with this decision.Faced with the fact that Wavell and Clay were on the desert flank, they agreed to the decision.Our attack failed.The retreat of the whole army was orderly under the cover of our fighter jets.The enemy did not pursue, partly because enemy armor was heavily attacked by RAF bombers.But there may be another reason.We now know that Rommel's orders were to be entirely on the defensive, to recharge his batteries for the fall battle.It would be directly contrary to those orders for him to allow himself to be chased across the frontier now to the detriment of his loss. The tactic of using fighter jets to directly cover our forces, while effective, resulted in the dispersion of our forces and a corresponding increase in air casualties.The next day, when the enemy air forces intensified their activity, we decided to change our tactics, continuing to exercise some degree of cover, while attacking in larger formations over a larger area.When the retreat began on the 17th, the enemy air force had made four raids on our army on a considerable scale. Our fighter team not only repelled three of them, but often flew low with the bombers to attack the enemy columns.Such attacks undoubtedly hindered the movement of the enemy army and caused it to suffer heavy casualties.Our pilots were of great help to my retreating troops, but encountered some obstacles because it was not easy to distinguish enemy troops from our own. During the three days of fighting, our army suffered a little over 1,000 casualties, of whom 150 were killed and 250 were missing.The lost tanks included 29 patrol tanks and 58 infantry tanks. Most of the patrol tanks were destroyed by the enemy.A considerable portion of the infantry tank losses were due to mechanical damage and no means of transport to haul them back.The best part of the enemy's one hundred tanks was also said to have been destroyed.Our army captured 570 enemies and buried many enemy corpses. Although this battle was small in comparison with the previous campaigns in the Mediterranean, its defeat was a painful blow to me.A successful desert campaign would have meant the downfall of Rommel's brash army.We could have broken the siege of Tobruk, and the enemy's retreat would have been as swift as the advance to the west of Benghazi.It seems to me that it is for this highest purpose that we risk all the dangers of Project Tiger.Regarding the course of the 17th battle, I have not received any news.Knowing that the result would be forthcoming, I went to Chartwell Hall, where I was to be left alone, with the doors shut.Here I have received a report of the course of the battle.For hours I wandered gloomily among the valleys. Anyone who has read the telegrams between General Wavell and myself and the Chiefs of Staff will be prepared for the decision I took in late June 1941.We have a feeling at home that Wavell is a broken man.It may well be said that we have worn the tame horse to the limit.The extraordinary missions of five or six different theaters are brought together in one commander-in-chief, and the battles in each theater gain and lose from time to time, especially in losing battles. The pressure created by these situations is something that few soldiers have ever encountered .I was dissatisfied with Wavell's arrangements for the defense of Crete, especially because he did not send a few more tanks.Against his advice, the chiefs of staff of the armed forces advocated for that small but extremely fortunate foray into Iraq, which resulted in Habbaniah's relief and overall success in the region.One of their telegrams caused him to apply for resignation in a huff, and although he did not insist on his resignation, neither did I.Finally there was the battle-axe plan, which Wavell faithfully carried out, worthy of the risks I had run in successfully transporting the cubs.I am dissatisfied with the arrangements made by Middle East Command when accepting tiger cubs.The tanks had been transported to support them across the treacherous Mediterranean, at great risk, and our luck was rare.I admire the spirit with which he fought this small but potentially important battle; I admire the courage with which he flew around that vast and chaotic battlefield with complete disregard for his personal safety.However, as mentioned above, it seems that this campaign did not cooperate well, especially the assault from the exit of Tobruk, which is an indispensable basic coordination operation. More important than all this was the fact that our desert flank had been breached by Rommel. This fact undermines and overturns the plans we have embarked on for the use of Greece.These plans, with their unforeseen dangers but also their attractive rewards, appear to us to be the most crucial part of the Balkan campaign.General Ismay, who was with me every day, recorded the following words: All of us working in the center, including Wavell's personal friends and advisers, had the impression that he was greatly affected by the breakthrough of the desert flank. Influence.His intelligence had gone wrong, so the sudden pounce had been completely unexpected.I seem to remember Aiden saying that Wavell aged ten years overnight.I remember someone commenting that Rommel had torn Wavell's newly won crown from his head and threw it in the desert.These are not real thoughts, but words spoken in a moment of grief.All this can be judged correctly only in connection with the reliable documents of the time included in this volume, and no doubt with many other valuable pieces of evidence which have subsequently been discovered.But the fact remains: after implementing the Tomahawk plan, I concluded that a personnel adjustment was due. General Auchinleck is currently the Commander-in-Chief of India.I didn't like the attitude he took at Narvik in the Norwegian campaign.He seems to place too much emphasis on safety and certainty, two things that don't exist in war.He always wants everything to be met according to what he considers to be the minimum requirements.However, I am deeply impressed by his talent, his demeanor and noble personality.After the Battle of Narvik, he took over the Southern Theater Command, and I have heard comments from many official and private sources attesting to the vitality and tight organization he had brought to that important theater.He was appointed Commander-in-Chief of India, and people praised him.We've seen how swiftly he moved Indian troops to Basra, and the zeal with which he single-mindedly put down the Iraqi insurgency.I am convinced that by appointing Auchinleck, an angry new man would be given the complex and difficult tasks of the Middle East; Wavell, on the other hand, would be given time within that vast Indian command to work on those new tasks. , Imminent challenges and opportunities to restore his energy before.I found no opposition to my views in the Cabinet and in the military circles in London.The reader must not forget that I have never acted on my own terms, and therefore I have always aligned myself with and pooled the views of the political and professional circles.So I sent the following telegram: Prime Minister to General Wavell June 21, 1941 I have concluded that it is in the best public interest to appoint General Auchinleck to succeed you in command of the Middle East forces.Your command and command of your troops, in victories and in defeats, I greatly admire, and those victories with which your name is associated will go down in the history of the British Army and will be part of our final victory in this hard war. an important contribution.But it seems to me that after such a long and daunting task as yours, this most threatened battlefield needs a fresh eye, a novice.I am convinced that you are the most suitable person and the most excellent officer to take over as Commander in Chief of India.I have consulted the Governor-General of India on this matter.He assured me that you would be warmly welcomed in India for assuming this great post and task, and added that he himself would be proud to be associated with a man of what, in his own words, a brilliant record.It is therefore my intention to nominate you to His Majesty the King for this position. 2. I have ordered General Auchinleck to leave immediately for Cairo.When he arrives, you are to assist him in acquainting him with the situation and to study together with him the measures that the two of you will take together in the event of the apparently imminent German advance eastward.I believe he will arrive by air in four or five days at the latest.After you have settled all the issues with him, you should go to India as soon as possible.There is no need to announce this matter, and it should be kept a secret until you respectively arrive at your post. Prime Minister to Governor General of India June 21, 1941 Please convey the following message to General Auchinleck.I have sent another call to General Wavell. After very careful consideration of the whole situation, I have decided to ask the King to appoint you as His Majesty's Commander-in-Chief in the Middle East.You should proceed immediately to Cairo to replace General Wavell.General Wavell will succeed you as Commander in Chief of India.You should discuss the whole situation with him, and you should also study with him what joint measures you will take to prevent the German army's apparently imminent advance eastward.Please let me know the date of arrival. This transfer should be kept under wraps until you assume your new position. Wavell accepted the decision with equanimity.He was about to fly to Abyssinia, which turned out to be extremely dangerous.His biographer wrote that after reading my telegram he said: "The Prime Minister has done a good job.There should be someone with new eyes on this battlefield, there should be a novice.With regard to assuming the new post of Commander, he submits himself entirely to the decisions of His Majesty's Government. For several months I had been troubled by the apparent inadequacy of staff officers in Cairo.I feel more and more that our struggling Commander-in-Chief is carrying all sorts of unnecessary burdens.The Commander-in-Chief himself, along with other commanders, had requested relief and assistance as early as April 18th.Two of his professional colleagues had agreed with him.We consider it necessary here to establish some kind of authority to deal with political questions concerning more than one department or area within the broad limits of the policy laid down by His Majesty's Government, and therefore this authority is of course directly directed to the War Cabinet and not to the War Cabinet. Any department is responsible.When Mr. Eden visited Cairo, the Commanders-in-Chief felt the convenience of having senior political authorities close at hand.After he left, they felt lost. On June 4th I appointed General Henning to the extraordinary position of my new Superintendent.This officer had acted for the Chief of the Reich General Staff while he was abroad, and was therefore acquainted with war cabinet procedures and the whole situation of the war.I hope he will preside over all matters of supply and technical management in Wavell's place.I intend to ask him to examine the entire logistical establishment in detail, with particular attention to the enormous tank and aircraft repair shops, and the daily development of railways, roads, and port facilities.In this way, the relevant commanders do not have to worry about many trivial matters, but only need to concentrate on fighting. My son Randolph was serving in the desert when he had been with the Raiders, which are now mostly scattered.He is a member of parliament and has a wide range of contacts.I do not hear from him very often, but, on the 7th of June, I received the following telegram from the Foreign Office, which he received from Cairo with the knowledge and encouragement of our Ambassador, Sir Miles Lampson Issued under: Private code.Randolph Churchill to Prime Minister I don't know how we can begin to win without a strong civilian here who is on the ground day in and day out politically and strategically.Why not send a member of the War Cabinet to preside over the whole operation?The sent wartime cabinet members, in addition to a small number of staff around them, also need two people with outstanding abilities to deploy supplies and guide inspection, intelligence and propaganda work.Most people of insight here have already felt that there is a need to carry out fundamental reforms in accordance with this idea.Just mobilizing personnel is not enough. It seems that now is the time to change the system, which is mature and beneficial.Forgive me for disturbing you, but I think that the situation is indeed dire and that urgent measures must be taken if any success is to be achieved. This telegram really made up my mind.Two weeks later I replied to him saying: I have recently given much thought to the ideas contained in your helpful and insightful telegram.So I took immediate action. I had invited Captain Oliver Littleton to join the government as Trade Secretary in October 1940.I have known him since his childhood.His father, Alfred Littleton, had been Secretary of State for the Colonies in the Balfour cabinet in 1904, and had been a young private secretary to Mr Gladstone before the Home Rule split.For many years he was an excellent member of the House of Commons.His son was raised in a political environment.He served in the 1st Regiment of the Guards, fought through some of the toughest battles of the First World War, was wounded several times, and was decorated several times.I remember visiting him in the hospital after he was gassed in 1918.He was lucky that time, the gas bomb exploded at his feet, burning his whole body, and if it had been a more conventional, more humane, high-explosive bomb, he would have been killed up.After retiring from the army, he entered the business world and served as the general manager of a large hardware company.I knew his talents were outstanding, so I did not hesitate to draw him into the parliament and give him a heavy responsibility.His tenure as Trade Secretary commanded the respect of all parties in our Coalition Government.I did not like his proposal in 1914 for clothing ration cards, but I found both the Cabinet and the House of Commons in favor of it, which was undoubtedly necessary at the time.Although he had much to learn as a newcomer in the House of Commons, my extraordinary selection, as it turned out, was well suited.He was a multi-faceted activist, so I now felt that he was in every way suitable for the new and unprecedented post of War Cabinet Secretary to the Middle East.This would take another large part of the burden off the shoulders of military chiefs.I found that my ideas were quickly picked up by my colleagues across the political parties.Therefore, I sent the following telegram: Prime Minister to General Wavell June 29, 1941 The King is pleased to appoint Captain Oliver Littleton, the former Trade Secretary, as Secretary of State in the War Cabinet, and Lord Beaverbrook as Minister of Munitions.Captain Littleton will leave England by plane on the 30th with a small number of secretarial staff, and will arrive in Cairo on July 3rd.他的身份是戰時內閣駐中東代表，他的主要職責是要替中東最高司令部主持一切非軍事的事務，並遵照英皇陛下政府的政策，就地迅速地解決關係到幾個部或幾方面、而一向須向國內請示的許多問題。這和你四月十八日電報的意見一致，不過更進了一大步。我給利特爾頓上尉的指示，將於下次電報中述及。 奧金萊克將軍抵達後，請即轉告此事，並轉告邁爾斯‧蘭普森爵士。關於利特爾頓上尉的行程與使命，在他抵達任所之前，應嚴守秘密。 這些新的安排，以及由此引起的行政上的反應，是同中東總司令的易人相配合、相適應的。我發給羅斯福總統的電報就是我對上述情形的最好的總結。總統這時正給予這個戰場以最重要的物質支援。 首相致羅斯福總統 一九四一年七月四日 我們決定更換中東總司令是根據下列幾點理由。韋維爾曾全殲意大利的軍隊，征服意大利在非洲建立的帝國，戰績是輝煌的。他又曾百折不撓地抵抗德軍的進攻，並且，自從這一戰役開始以來，就同時在三四個方面指導戰事與策略。我必須認為他是我們最卓越的將領。但是，雖不應公開說明，我們卻感覺到，他在長期肩負艱鉅任務之後，已經精力不濟了。 這個受到最嚴重威脅的戰區，需要一位具有新目光和精力充沛的人物。可以接替他的職務的最適當、最卓越的軍官，惟有印度總司令奧金萊克將軍。我們確信，奧金萊克將給尼羅河流域的防務帶來新的活力和謹嚴的作風，而韋維爾將成為一位深孚眾望的印度總司令。當我們的沙漠側翼向東移動時，他將在目前劃歸印度的整個廣大活動範圍以內，協助奧金萊克。韋維爾將以印度總司令的資格指揮伊拉克的軍事行動。 韋維爾毫無怨言地接受了這項決定。他說：他認為，我們進行這次人事調整，並在中東的許多問題上提出新的主意，採取新的行動，是明智的。印度總督曾向我保證，韋維爾的輝煌成就將使他獲得印度軍方和輿論的熱烈歡迎。 目前中東德軍的攻勢暫趨平靜，這為我方總司令的易人提供了一個方便的機會。奧利弗‧利特爾頓也正在此時被任命為國務大臣，代表戰時內閣駐在該戰區內，分擔各位總司令身上的一向是他們額外負擔的許多非軍事任務，例如同自由法國人的關係、同阿比西尼亞皇帝的關係、被我佔領的敵國領土上的行政管理、宣傳工作與經濟戰等等。駐中東國務大臣也將監督總監（另一新設職位）的活動，包括當地與美國供應品有關的一切事項。 總監（海寧將軍）將替陸軍總司令分擔有關後勤和供應安排的具體事務。 我希望，這一切人事更動將給我們在中東的活動帶來莫大的生氣和推動力量，並保證來自聯合王國、海外的英帝國和美國的龐大人力、物力獲得充分的利用。哈里曼肯定會向你報告一切。我們正請他在開羅等待利特爾頓的到達（現在預計於七月五日抵達），以便集中各種情報，並商定有關接收美國供應物資的辦法。