Chapter 134 Volume 4, Chapter 24, The Eighth Army is in a desperate situation

Defensive communications at Auchinleck and Tobruk in a crisis General Klopp's mission Rommel's attack Desperate situation Confusion and surrender Enemy with great spoils Complete change in enemy plans Malta is no longer their target Lee Qualities of General Chi The Eighth Army's Retreat Opinion of the Middle East Defense Committee June 21 My Telegram to General Auchinleck on June 22 Rommel's Pursuit Auchinleck himself commands the extraordinary operations of the New Zealand Division Air Force Full Support Prepared for Resistance in the Nile Delta Auchinleck Obstinate General Smuts and the Surrender of Tobruk My Letter to Mr. Fraser and Mr. Curtin July 11th Rommel's Cease No. The Eighth Army overcame the difficulties.

General Auchinleck had issued an order in February that although Tobruk was an important supply base for our attack, if we were forced to retreat, and if the enemy had effectively surrounded the city, I had no desire to hold on go down.If this situation seems inevitable, I will evacuate the site and do the maximum damage to the site.Because of orders of this kind, the defense there was not well carried out.Many mines have been removed for other purposes, gaps have been made in the barbed wire to allow vehicles to pass through, and tank trenches have been filled with sand so that they are no longer an obstacle in some places.Only the west and south-west sides of the ring are well defended; elsewhere, especially in the east, the situation is very bad.

At the same time, there is also a large amount of supplies, ammunition and gasoline piled up there. General Leech proposed keeping the western line of Tobruk as part of a general line extending southeast to Adem, with the support of a mobile force further south, to prevent encirclement.He reported to Auchinleck that such an arrangement might leave Tobruk surrounded by the enemy, perhaps only for a short period of time.If this proposal is not feasible, there is no other way but to withdraw the entire defensive force.Auchinleck initially disagreed with the plan.He telegraphed to Li Qi on June 14, saying: Tobruk must be kept, and the enemy cannot surround it.That is to say, the Eighth Army must hold the front from Akrumah to Adem and the area to the south.Later, he telegraphed that the transfer of troops must be centered on the defense of Tobruk and other strong strongholds, but the Eighth Army must never be encircled in Tobruk.

It never occurred to us at home that the withdrawal of Tobruk was in the plans or thoughts of these two commanders.The Cabinet's opinion must be that even if the Eighth Army is driven back, we should, as we did last year, make Tobruk a thorn in the back of the enemy.As I mentioned in a previous chapter, in order to confirm that Auchinleck really shared this view, I sent him a telegram on June 14, before I left for Washington, saying: I assume you have no intention of giving up Tobruk under any circumstances. Auchinleck replied the next day that he just didn't want the Eighth Army to be surrounded in Tobruk, and he had no intention of abandoning Tobruk.His order to General Leech was intended to keep his army from being surrounded at Tobruk.

We feel that this reply seems ambiguous, so we put it more precisely: The War Cabinet's understanding of your telegram is that, if necessary, General Leech will have the full force he needs to secure the place. To this telegram Auchinleck replied on June 16: The War Cabinet's understanding was correct.General Li Qi is using what he thinks is enough troops to defend the place, even if the place becomes an isolated island, he must stick to it. At the same time, he sent the following telegram to General Leech: Although I have stated to you that Tobruk will never tolerate encirclement, I realize that the defenders there may be temporarily isolated until we begin our counteroffensive.

If I had seen this telegram then, I would not have been satisfied. General Klopp, commander of the 2nd South African Division, was ordered to defend the fort.The supplies and ammunition are sufficient for the defenders to use for 90 days.General Klopp believed that Tobruk could play its due role in the overall plan, which included the Eighth Army holding the two strong positions of Adem and Berhammed outside the ring position.The defenders consisted of four infantry brigades (fourteen battalions), a tank brigade with sixty-one infantry tanks, five field and medium artillery regiments, and about seventy anti-tank guns. [1] In addition, there are about 10,000 logistics personnel and transportation personnel concentrated around the port and its base facilities.There were a total of about thirty-five thousand men in the ring, a force roughly equal to that which had held Tobruk when it was first besieged a year earlier.The first attached map shows how the defenses are deployed.

[1] Tobruk's order of battle: Second South African Division 4th and 6th South African Infantry Brigades Two South African mixed battalions transferred from the 1st South African Division 7th South African Reconnaissance Battalion (Armored Vehicles) 11th Indian Infantry Brigade 201st Guards Brigade 32nd Army Tank Brigade (4th and 7th Battalions) 2nd and 3rd South African Field Artillery Regiments Twenty-fifth Field Artillery Regiment 67th and 68th Medium Artillery Regiments On June 16, after only a two-day hiatus, Rommel resumed his offensive.After a series of heavy attacks, he took Adham, Belhammed and Akrumah.On June 17 he defeated our 4th Armored Brigade at Sidi Rezeg, reducing them to twenty tanks.By the 19th Tobruk was surrounded, and there was no effective armored force from outside to support or rescue the defenders until the arrival of additional tanks.At 6 a.m. on June 20, the enemy launched a heavy bombardment of the southeastern part of the Tobruk circular position held by the 11th Indian Infantry Brigade with artillery and dive bombers.Half an hour later, the attack began.They took the 21st Armored Division as the forerunner, supported the 21st Armored Division with the 15th Armored Division, and launched an attack together with the Italian Armored Division and a motorized infantry division.With our own armored formations on the outskirts of Tobruk now wiped out, Rommel was able to throw all his strength into the blow.One battalion of the Indian brigade was under the greatest pressure as it held a most weakly defended area.Soon after the offensive began, the enemy broke through and penetrated them.Since our air forces had retreated to distant airfields, we were also unable to cover the troops with fighter jets.

General Klopp ordered his tank force and part of the Colstream garrison to counterattack.Because this counter-offensive was hastily organized and launched at different times, it failed.The remaining British tanks were driven into a huge pot-shaped field.This zone is southeast of a road junction called King's Cross; the remnants of Indian troops are fighting the enemy there.But their efforts were in vain.By noon our tanks were down to a few and our support batteries were in enemy hands. The enemy tanks moved west and north in separate directions, but the main force headed straight for King's Cross.At 2 o'clock in the afternoon, Rommel himself arrived there.He ordered part of the force to attack Tobruk directly.Although this part of the force suffered serious losses under our bombardment, it reached the Ridge of Solaro by 3:30 in the afternoon, and reached the outskirts of Tobruk by 6:00 in the afternoon.Another part of the force was sent due west of King's Cross, and advanced up the hills towards Pilastrinum.They were met by a brigade of guards; the brigade was hastily defended here, for we did not expect them to come from this direction.

The Guards Brigade, heavily supported by artillery, fought fiercely throughout the afternoon and evening and suffered heavy losses.Some places had fallen into the enemy's hands, and the brigade headquarters had been taken by the enemy, but by evening the enemy had been forced to halt his advance.The situation is critical.The western and southern fronts of the circular position are still intact, and the Gurkha troops guarding the extreme left are also continuing to fight, but most of the Tobruk fortress has been occupied by the enemy.All our reserve forces are being stared down by the enemy and cannot escape.We ordered the destruction of base facilities that were at risk.

In the city of Tobruk, the use of these backup means of transport was also ordered to be shut down and planned to be destroyed shortly.These vehicles are important if the remaining defenders retreat. At 8 o'clock in the evening on June 20, General Klopp reported to the Eighth Army headquarters: My headquarters has been surrounded.The infantry in the ring was still fighting hard.I'm holding on to resistance, but I can't say how much longer.He asked for instructions, and the answer he got was: It is best to break out tomorrow night; if not, break out tonight.He called a meeting of his senior officers for their opinion.

Some believe that effective resistance is no longer possible.With most supplies already in the hands of the enemy and ammunition running low; continuing to fight would mean in vain and heavy casualties, and everything that can break through should be allowed to break through.But other officers were in favor of continuing the fight.Because the means of transportation necessary for the withdrawal have been taken away by the enemy.Meanwhile, a rescue column was expected to arrive from the south.All remaining forces should therefore be concentrated in the southwestern corner of the ring and fought until reinforcements arrived.At two o'clock in the middle of the night, the moon had already set. If it was possible to break out of the minefield before then, it was impossible now.General Klopp held a wireless conference call with General Leech and told him that the situation was akin to a slaughterhouse.To continue the resistance would have suffered horrific casualties; he was still fighting with all his might.General Leech instructed him: Every day and every hour of resistance goes a long way toward our cause.I don't know the tactical situation there, so it's up to you to use your own judgment as to surrender.The entire Eighth Army has been watching your heroic efforts with admiration. At dawn on the 21st, General Klopp sent negotiators to demand surrender; at 7:45 in the morning, German officers arrived at his headquarters to accept the surrender.Many of his troops, some of which had hardly ever fought, received his orders with suspicion and dismay.To some of his commanding officers he was obliged to tell them his orders himself, for there was no other way of conveying his orders.According to German records, we had 33,000 prisoners.There were also small groups of troops, in disregard of General Klopp's orders, who attempted to escape the encirclement by various means, but, due to lack of means of transportation, almost completely failed.Only a small group of people managed to rush out. These are the 199 officers and men of the brave and fearless Colstream Guard and 188 South African soldiers.They collected some trucks and set off in groups.They broke through the ring and broke through the encirclement in a wide area.As night fell, they reached the Egyptian border, seventy miles away. The defenders hoped for the help of rescue forces, but all failed.The 7th Armored Division was reorganizing in the desert to the south.On the 20th they were ordered to send a force to support them.However, Rommel's speed was too fast.Even before they set out, it was all over. The Germans seized a great deal of supplies.Here is the report of General Westphal, who later became Rommel's chief of staff: Lots of loot.Among them were enough supplies for 30,000 people for three months and more than 10,000 cubic meters of gasoline.Without these trophies, our armored divisions simply would not have been able to get enough food and clothing for the next few months.Supplies from the sea arrived only once, in April 1942, enough for the troops for a month. 【１】 [1] See Westphal: "Army in Chains", p. 180.Regarding the number of gasoline seized, Westphal's report is not accurate.The gasoline stored in large quantities at Tobruk was destroyed before the fall of the place. News of the capture of Tobruk without a long siege completely changed the plans of the Axis powers.They previously planned that after the capture of Tobruk, Rommel should station his troops on the border of Egypt, and the next important operation would be to use air and sea troops to capture Malta.Until June 21, Mussolini repeated these orders according to the above-mentioned plan.The day after the fall of Tobruk, Rommel reported that he proposed to eliminate the few British troops on the frontier, thereby opening the way to Egypt.The condition and morale of his army, the great stores and supplies he had captured, and the vulnerability of the British, all prompted him to strike at the heart of Egypt.He asked for approval of his proposal.At the same time, Hitler also wrote to put pressure on Mussolini, asking him to agree to Rommel's proposal. Fate offers us an opportunity that never appears twice on the same battlefield.The Eighth Army was practically wiped out.Tobruk's port facilities remained largely intact.Leader, you now have an auxiliary base.Its significance is all the greater since the British built a railway from there almost to the territory of Egypt.Last time when the British had no hope of success, they could almost reach Tripoli, only to stop suddenly in order to send troops to Greece.If we do not pursue the victory now and completely wipe out the remnants of the British Eighth Army, then the same thing will happen again. 【１】 [1] Quoted from Cavalloro: "Supreme Commander", p. 277. Leaders don't need to be persuaded by others.The hope of conquering Egypt was filling him with glee.He therefore postponed the attack on Malta until September, while Rommel, somewhat by surprise to the Italians, was promoted to field marshal and ordered to occupy the narrower passage between Alamein and the Catara Basin as a future The starting point of the military operation, its ultimate goal is the Suez Canal.Kesselring took a different view.He believed that the Axis powers would never be secure in the desert until they had captured Malta, and this change of plan worried him greatly.He pointed out to Rommel the dangers of such foolhardy ventures. Hitler himself had no confidence in attacking Malta because he did not believe in the capabilities of the Italian army, which would inevitably become the main force of the expedition.If they do attack, they are likely to be defeated.But it now appears that the harrowing fall of Tobruk must have saved the island from a great test.Every real soldier, whether he has been in this battle or not, is certainly not relieved by the situation.Responsibility should rest with the Supreme Command, not General Klopp, let alone his soldiers. General Leech proved himself to be a capable staff officer and, later, a persevering commander.Still, it was a bad arrangement to transfer him from Auchinleck's position as deputy chief of staff to command Eighth Army.These two tasks are distinct and should be kept separate.His personal relationship with Auchinleck denied him the opportunity to develop his independent mind, which is indispensable in directing the heat of battle.The lack of clarity of intent resulted in the misuse of force due to unclear lines of responsibility between Auchinleck and his staff officer, General Leech.This misuse of force constitutes, in its nature and consequences, an unfortunate chapter in British military history.It was impossible to judge the matter at that time, because the commanders of Tobruk were all prisoners of war.Now, however, this momentous fact is known to all, and the truth of the matter should no longer be obscured. The remnants of the Eighth Army had by this time retreated behind the border.In a telegram of June 21, the Middle East Defense Council in Cairo described other options available to them: The first way is to fight the enemy in the fortifications of the frontier.This approach risks losing all our infantry defending our frontier positions, since there are not enough armored units.The second method is to use highly mobile forces to hold the enemy on the border, while withdrawing the main force of the Eighth Army to the defensive position of Port Matruh.This approach, combined with our Air Force's diversionary role, will give us the best chance of buying time to retool and build a fighting force capable of attacking.We have decided to take the second approach. I do not like this decision and send the following telegram from Washington: Prime Minister to General Auchinleck June 22, 1942 Chief of the Imperial General Staff Dill and I fervently hope that you will stand firm on the borders of Salum.There is no doubt that the enemy has come under great pressure.Strong reinforcements are on their way.Gaining a week's time could be decisive.We do not know the exact date of the evacuation of the New Zealand division, but had hoped to be before the end of the month.The 8th Armored Division and the 44th Division are about to arrive.We agree with General Smuts that when the danger from the north lessens you are free to draw men from the Ninth and Tenth Armies.That way, you can take turns attacking with the three divisions now stationed east of the Suez Canal. 2. The situation you have reported naturally embarrasses me, because it will bring us back to the situation we were in eighteen months ago, and the work we have done during these eighteen months will have to start from scratch start.Nevertheless, I do not think that we will not be able to hold the Nile Delta effectively, and I hope that no one will be given the wrong impression by the surprise blows which the enemy has dealt us.I have no doubt that your firm will, determination and long-term readiness to take risks at any time will restore the original situation, especially especially when a large number of reinforcements are about to arrive. 3. Here in Washington, the President is deeply aware of the events that have taken place; he and other senior authorities in the United States have expressed their willingness to give us the greatest help.They authorize me to inform you that the 2nd American Armored Division, which has received special training in desert warfare in California, will leave for the Suez area on or about July 5th and can reach you in August.You no longer have to send the Indian Division and the 288th Indian Armored Brigade back to India as originally planned.In addition to what the Chief of Staff said in his telegram, additional measures are being taken to divert the planes destined for India to the Libyan battlefield. 4. Your main job at the moment is to encourage all your troops to resist resolutely, not to accept the kind of abnormal decision made because of seeing Rommel's little heavy armor.Be sure to make all your manpower play a full role at this critical juncture.His Majesty's Government will gladly share with you the responsibility of this most active and courageous defense. However, Auchinleck still insisted on his own opinion. Rommel quickly organized the pursuit and crossed the border into Egypt on June 24.He met only resistance from our light mobile columns and from the tenacious and excellent fighter squadrons of the Royal Air Force; these fighter squadrons did indeed cover the retreat of the Eighth Army towards Matruh.The Eighth Army's position there was not strong.Around the city, there is an organized defense system; but to its south, there are only a few disconnected and weakly defended minefields.As with the abandoned frontier positions, if the Matruh Line is to be successfully held, it must be defended by a strong armored force on its southern flank.Although the 7th Armored Division had been reconstituted to a force of nearly a hundred tanks, it was still not up to the task of guarding. General Auchinleck himself arrived in Matruh on 25 June and decided to take command of Eighth Army personally from General Leech.That's what he should have done when I posed the question to him in May. Prime Minister to General Auchinleck June 28, 1942 I am very pleased that you have taken command.Don't get distracted by anything other than fighting.No matter where you fight, you must fight to the end.Nothing matters but the destruction of the enemy's armed and armored forces.Powerful reinforcements are about to arrive.We are sure that you will get the final victory. General Auchinleck quickly came to the conclusion that it was impossible to finally gain a foothold in Matruh.He had already begun to make arrangements to occupy Alamein's position a hundred and twenty miles behind.In order to prevent the enemy from advancing (even temporarily), he made the following deployment: Tenth Army, together with the 10th Indian Infantry Division and the British 50th Infantry Division, held the Matruh Line.To its south, the 29th Indian Infantry Brigade and the New Zealand Division under the command of XIII Corps; the former defending a six-mile-wide gap between the minefields.The 1st and 7th Armored Divisions defended the desert flank. The New Zealand division, transferred from Syria to Matruh on June 21, was finally brought into action on the 26th on the ridges around Minkakem.That night the enemy broke through the lines of the inadequately mined 29th Indian Infantry Brigade.The next morning they swarmed into the gap, and then swooped in behind the New Zealanders, laying siege to them from three sides.Fighting to the death all day long, in the end, it seemed that the New Zealand division could not escape the fate of being wiped out.General Freiberg was badly wounded, but he had a worthy successor.Brigadier General Inglis decided to break out.Shortly after midnight, the 4th New Zealand Brigade broke up its battalions, bayoneted all its guns, and moved due east across the fields.They traveled a thousand yards without encountering the enemy.Then, the gunfire rang out.The whole brigade charged in line.The Germans did not expect this move at all, and were completely defeated in hand-to-hand combat under the moonlight.The rest of the New Zealand division took a roundabout route to assault south.Rommel described the story this way: The ensuing frenzy of fighting involved my own field headquarters.The exchange of artillery fire between my troops and the New Zealanders reached an astonishing intensity.Soon my headquarters was surrounded by burning vehicles and thus became an enemy target, under constant close-range fire.After a while I could stand it no longer; I ordered my troops and headquarters to retreat to the southeast.The chaos of that night is simply unimaginable. 【１】 [1] See Desmond Young: "Rommel", p. 269. That's how the New Zealanders broke out completely.The whole division regrouped near El Alamein's position, eighty miles away, in excellent discipline and spirit.They were in good order, so they were immediately brought in to strengthen Alamein's defenses. Prime Minister to General Freiberg July 4, 1942 I am deeply touched to hear that you have been injured recently and have received new honors.I hope your injury is not serious and you will be able to return to command your glorious division soon.Best wishes to you and your soldiers. The two divisions of the Tenth Army deployed around Matruh returned to safety in spite of many difficulties.On June 27 they had turned south to meet the enemy who had breached the line, but were unable to stop their advance.The enemy launched a violent attack, threatening the coastal road.The Tenth Army was ordered to retreat eastward.They fought their way until they were finally stopped by an enemy force.They struck south again, across the desert to Alamein.The Thirty Army had already withdrawn to Alamein.There they joined the Tenth and Thirteenth Corps, and on June 30 all the troops were placed on the new front or behind it.The soldiers were more frightened than frustrated. During this turmoil, Kathy has been very active and helpful. I asked him to take control of the situation in the rear and in anxious Cairo. Prime Minister to Secretary of State June 30, 1942 I would love to let you know how much I value your role in this extremely important situation and the changes in Commander personnel that I have long hoped for and advocated for.While Auchinleck is fighting in the front, you should insist that all troops in the rear be mobilized and ready for battle.Everyone in uniform must be ready, as they were when Kent and Sussex were invaded.Anti-tank teams armed with sticky bombs and shells should defend every fortified area or every fortified building to the death, making every stronghold a victorious stronghold and every trench the last.That's the spirit you have to try to instill in your soldiers.It is not allowed to retreat in an all-round way, and it is not allowed to live in peace.Egypt must be held at any cost. I also knew that the Eighth Army could never escape in an orderly manner without the full support of the Air Force.The air force continued to operate from forward airfields until the enemy had actually passed those airfields.They were now able to fight the advancing enemy from their fortified base in Egypt. Prime Minister to Air Admiral Ted July 4, 1942 We at home are watching with enthusiasm the brilliant and incomparable efforts of the Royal Air Force in the present Egyptian war.Your officers and men are playing a vital part in the valiant defense of the Nile Valley; reports of this are coming here from all sides.The Battle of Britain [1] was repeated far from the mainland.We are sure that you will always be friends with your honorable soldier. [1] The Battle of Britain refers to the battle between the British Air Force and the Luftwaffe over the British mainland from August to October 1940. Alamein's position stretched from Alamein Station to the impassable Katara Basin, thirty-five miles to the south.As far as the existing defensive forces are concerned, this is a very long line of defense.We have done a lot, but apart from the semi-permanent fort around El Alamein, this line of defense is mainly composed of a number of separate fortifications.However, the two wings are still reliable, and the strength of the Eighth Army has also been strongly reinforced.After that beautiful battle, the New Zealand division was in order.The Ninth Australian Division was soon there, and had an excellent reputation.Since the line of communication was very short and Alexandria was only forty miles away, the reorganization of the Eighth Army did not take long.Auchinleck, who had been in direct command of the Eighth Army, seemed to be quite the less prudent strategist he had been in his earlier days, when he had to take care of the decisive battle while defending the Syrian and Persian forces. Danger lurking around.At this moment he wanted to gain the tactical initiative immediately.As early as July 2, he began his series of counterattacks and continued until the middle of this month.These counteroffensives threatened Rommel's shaky advantage.On the morning of the day when the no-confidence resolution was being debated alongside the counter-offensive fire, I sent him a telegram of encouragement. Prime Minister to General Auchinleck July 4, 1942 I can't help but be very pleased with the way things are going.With luck, I'm sure you'll be fighting for the upper hand as relentlessly as you say. The surrender at Tobruk of the South African division under the South African commander was a terrible political and military surprise to General Smuts. prime minister to general smuts July 4, 1942 When I returned from America last week, I was distressed by my less than confident colleagues in the House of Commons.It is therefore only now that I have had the opportunity to tell you how much I am saddened by the terrible loss of your brave South African division and how much I admire your indomitable spirit in teaching South Africans to face such grave blows. 2. We have worked together for many years, and our thoughts are often the same.So I don't need to say much about the tragic events of the past three weeks.I still expect everything to be salvaged.President Roosevelt gave me 300 latest Sherman tanks, which are far superior to the Grant type, and 100 105mm automatic howitzers as anti-tank weapons.These things are expected to arrive in Egypt in early September.The President also gave us as many as one hundred or so Liberator planes, which can arrive within July.Two squadrons of heavy Halifax bombers from England were to be engaged within ten days.Another sixty American fighter jets were also being rushed across the Atlantic to Egypt via Takoradi.All of these are additional reinforcements on top of our regular air assistance.As you probably know, the 8th Armored Division is currently landing.They had three hundred and fifty tanks, mostly Valentines.The British 44th Infantry Division would land on July 23, and the 51st Division a month later.Whether these forces can play their due role will depend on the current campaign in El Alamein. General Smuts was unflappable.His mind often wanders freely in the reverie of the God of Destiny.No one knows better than him how coping with triumph and disaster And treat the two liars in the same way. General Smuts to Prime Minister July 7, 1942 Your most exciting telegram and news from the Middle East yesterday, heralding a change in the situation in El Alamein, made yesterday the happiest day I've had in recent days.I do think Rommel went too far, and if Auchinleck still commanded himself, not only would Tobruk be avenged, but our counterattack would take us all the way to Tripoli and deliver Egypt and Malta.The reinforcements you speak of will be of great help to this great object; I hope they will not be diverted to other fields.Not only would Egypt be secured in this way, but a base would thus be established for future counter-offensives against the weakest partners of the Axis powers, which could have other important consequences.I believe that in this way, a possible attempt by the Germans to reach the oil fields in Iraq via Syria would also be thwarted.So I am in favor of fully developing our victories.Thanks to Rommel's boldness and depth, I believe this victory is within sight. Auchinleck could run into serious difficulty.His transports had suffered heavy losses during the long retreat, and the enemy would try to sabotage pipelines and railroads to stall his advance, while his own reinforcements were expected to arrive.Our air superiority and relentless bombardment of the enemy's ports and lines of communication will have an effect anyway. Since the United States is currently our greatest strategic reserve for final strikes against the enemy, you should spend most of your time tactfully directing the war effort in Washington without letting any critical issue of war policy escape our control. I think your contribution in this area is at least no less than your contribution to the Empire's combat.Your contact with Roosevelt is by far the most valuable asset to the war effort, and I hope there is a way to bring this home to your weak, inward-looking colleagues. Prime Minister to Mr Fraser and Mr Curtin [1] July 11, 1942 The division you agreed to remain in the Middle East is doing great in the Western Desert and has brought new honors to the New Zealand Army in this strategic location. [1] Separate telegram to Mr. Curtin: I am glad that the 9th Australian Division is fighting in the Western Desert and thank you very much for enabling them to participate in the battle at this strategic point. The unpredictability of the catastrophe which drove us from Ghajala to El Alamein, and which cost us Tobruk and fifty thousand men, is temporarily checked.General Auchinleck had received strong reinforcements, bringing his strength to one hundred thousand men; and, not far behind them, on the delta of the Nile, twenty thousand more.In this way, his troops approximately doubled Rommel's in number.His cannon is by no means inferior to Rommel, but he is still slightly inferior in armor.This made him cautious for two reasons: first, if Auchinleck retreated, it would be much worse than Rommel's retreat, and Rommel's rear had nothing but desert; second, he was on his way to support General Auchinleck The strength of the reinforcements is far greater than that of the enemy. It was most fortunate that I had four months earlier received from President Roosevelt a shipment of ships to carry an additional 40,000 men to the East, and the destination of these troops was undecided until they rounded the Cape of Good Hope.Without these ships, this reinforcement would not have been possible; and the present unexpected war has proved that this reinforcement is very necessary. While in Washington I received from the President three hundred of the latest and best tanks (Shermans) of the United States Army.This batch of tanks came directly from the U.S. Army, which urgently needed them, and was shipped directly to Suez by a special transport fleet.A hundred 105-millimeter automatic guns, which were certainly better than the 88-millimeter guns, were shipped with them.In addition, a large number of relevant American personnel also went with tanks and artillery.These will all arrive in early September.如果不算第八裝甲師，那麼，除了正在前方作戰的兩個裝甲旅和一個陸軍坦克旅以外，我們在尼羅河三角洲還有四個裝甲旅的人員等待重新裝備。在這些人員中，大約有一半受過沙漠坦克作戰的訓練。因此，我們應該能夠把中東或者說，實際上是任何地方所從未見過的、相對說來是最強大的和訓練最好的裝甲師投入戰鬥。不過，我希望這個問題能早日按照我們的願望作出決定。由於從北方侵入埃及的危險可能增長雖然我還不說它將要增長，我就更希望能早作決定。 同樣重要的是總統在托卜魯克戰役次日答應給我的空中增援。如你所知，雖然中東常常向我們要求重轟炸機，但是由於技術上的或軍事上的原因，到目前為止我們一直不能向中東提供重轟炸機中隊。現在，總統已經派遣了下列的空軍力量來保衛埃及：二十架解放者式轟炸機，它們於轟炸了羅馬尼亞的油田以後正在飛往印度；已經到達印度的另外十架解放者式轟炸機；從美國出發的三十五架解放者式轟炸機。連同我們自己的解放者式轟炸機，這將使我們的重轟炸機總數達到八十五架左右；在本月之內，這些飛機都可以投入戰鬥。同時，我們的兩個哈利法克斯轟炸機中隊也將進入戰鬥；這將使我們的重轟炸機總數達到一百二十七架。我就是要依靠這支力量來襲擊托卜魯克和班加西，以阻止隆美爾的增援；此外，當然主要地還是要用一支戰鬥艦隊來阻止敵人從海上侵入埃及。為了準備重新供應馬耳他食糧，我們還有許多重大的工作要做；但是，由於這涉及到將來的軍事行動，我相信你們不會希望我詳談這個問題。 此外，如果沙漠中的戰鬥失利，我們也已作好保衛尼羅河三角洲的一切準備。在那裡，我們有大量的部隊。他們都已受命參加埃及的保衛戰，就像英格蘭被敵人入侵時來保衛英格蘭一樣。尼羅河三角洲由於長期耕種和灌溉，地面簡直成了世界上最不便於裝甲車輛活動的地面；作為一種戰鬥力量的裝甲部隊，在那裡將大大失掉它的優越性。所有主張撤退的意見都被壓制下去了，目前的決心是為了每一碼土地而戰，一直奮戰到底，不過，如我已經說過的，我不相信這種形勢真會出現。 下議院在這些艱難困苦的日子裡就像在反對拿破侖的鬥爭中一樣，表現得堅如磐石；同時，我也從你的政府和人民的善意中得到了很大的鼓勵。我從來也沒有像現在這樣深信最後的徹底勝利必屬於我們，但是，鬥爭將是長期的，我們一時一刻也不能放鬆努力。 隆美爾確實已把他的交通運輸能力利用到最大限度，他的士兵也已筋疲力盡了。德國的坦克只有十二輛還能參加戰鬥，而英國的空軍，特別是戰鬥機，則再度取得顯著的優勢。 隆美爾在七月四日報告說，他已停止進攻，暫時轉取守勢，以便整頓和補充他的兵力。不過，他仍然有奪取埃及的信心，墨索里尼和希特勒也有同樣的想法。實際上，德國的元首已把對馬耳他的進攻推遲到完全征服埃及以後；他既沒有徵詢意大利的意見，也沒有徵詢他自己的海軍統帥的意見。 七月的頭兩個星期，奧金萊克的反攻對隆美爾壓力非常大。後來，隆美爾接受了這個挑戰，從七月十五日起到七月二十日止，再度企圖突破英國的戰線。到二十一日，他不得不報告說他已受到阻截：危機仍然存在。七月二十六日，他打算撤回到國境線。他抱怨說，他只得到很少的補充；他缺乏人員、坦克和大炮；英國的空軍極端活躍。這樣，在七月底以前，戰爭就一直呈拉鋸狀態，雙方都毫無進展。奧金萊克指揮下的第八集團軍已經度過了難關；它在頑強抵抗的過程中，俘虜了七千名敵軍。埃及安然無恙。