Most military enthusiasts are familiar with the African battlefields of World War II, where two military experts reached the pinnacle of their lives and became household names: Rommel and Montgomery. As for the tactical level and command ability between them, which can be stronger? Everyone has their own criteria for judging.
But today's man, whose ability and level are not below Montgomery, even repelled Rommel by more than 500 kilometers and successfully blocked it in the El Alamein region, laying a solid foundation for the later victory of Montgomery in the Battle of El Alamein.
He was born in Aldershaot, England. The loss of his father at the age of 8 is a typical single-parent family. From an early age, he was very individualistic and self-confident, and at the age of 12, he attended the prestigious Wellington College, where he preferred liberal arts, with excellent results in history, geography and English, but not ideal in science. At the age of 18, he was admitted to the military academy and went to serve in British India after graduation.
During World War I, he participated in fierce battles with the Turkish army, and the pondering Auchinlake deeply understood the cruelty of war and the ills of "trench warfare". In his view, traditional military theory was outdated, and only by luring the opponent out of the fortifications could it give effective damage.
Like the two famous generals, he continued to study in military academies after the end of World War I, and also served as a military school instructor. He is keen on the study of strategy and tactics, is good at considering problems from all aspects when formulating battle plans, and is a person who dares to innovate and does not follow the rules.
Because he was born as a civilian, he was not accustomed to the pedantic style and conservative thinking of the upper echelons of the army, and was often excluded. Although capable, he has been sent overseas for a long time. He served successively as Chief of Staff of the British Indian Army, Commander of the Southern Military District, and Commander-in-Chief of the British Army in India until July 1941, when the war in North Africa was tense, and he took over as the Commander-in-Chief of the British Army in the Middle East, with the rank of General.
When he first arrived in Africa, he took over a "mess". After the failure of the British "Operation Tomahawk" plan, the Afrika Korps took advantage of the situation to surround the port of Tobruck. After arriving in office, he organized the scattered troops into the 8th Army while waiting for support, recuperating and choosing the opportunity to counterattack.
Soon, Churchill's three reinforced divisions, as well as a large number of tanks and aircraft, arrived at the front. At Churchill's request, he decided to launch a second large-scale counteroffensive in North Africa, first recapturing the Cyrenaica region, repelling the Afrika Korps, relieving the siege of Tobruck, and then attacking in the direction of Tripoli, code-named "Crusader Warrior".
After the operation began, Tobruk's defenders broke out, engaging the british on the counter-offensive route and attacking the southern flank of the Afrika Korps line on the other. Due to the suddenness of the battle, the Commonwealth army progressed smoothly and soon repelled the German-Italian forces besieging the city of Tobruck. However, the reacting Afrika Korps also began a counter-charge.
The commander of the 8th Army, Cunningham, under the pressure of the Afrika Korps, proposed a full retreat. Oginlake refused and demanded more of an attack. In his view, the British army at this time was difficult, the German and Italian coalition forces were even more difficult, and whoever persisted to the end was victorious. So he sent his deputy chief of staff, Richie, to take over the command.
Ritchie followed Auchinleck's instructions and strengthened his defense while detouring toward the German-Italian rear. The two sides fought around the city of Tobruk for nearly a month, with heavy losses, and the Afrika Korps were even more exhausted, with less than 40 tanks and exhausted materials and ammunition, and had to abandon Tobruk.
It was Auchinleck's "Crusader" operation that finally gave Rommel a taste of defeat for the first time, and under the pursuit of the British army, the Afrika Korps abandoned Cyrenega and retreated to tripoli. At this point, Britain achieved its first military victory over Germany, which Churchill praised.
The depleted Afrika Korps were in dire need of replenishment, while the equally devastated British army needed to recuperate. As a result, both sides are recuperating and choosing a day to fight again. In May 1942, the fighting in Africa caught the attention of Hitler and Mussolini, who sent a large number of troops. Of course, Rommel, who had lost one game, was naturally unconvinced and ready to attack.
In fact, Auchinleck was already preparing to launch an attack in May, but the London headquarters postponed his plan for a month on the grounds that he did not have the advantage, and the posture that was ready for attack lost the opportunity to attack. Rommel seized the opportunity and launched an attack first, and the British army desperately resisted, but still could not block the impact of the opponent.
The Afrika Korps advanced all the way, forcing the defenders of Tobruk to surrender, while Rich's 8th Army was defeated all the way, and the mood of defeat pervaded from top to bottom. He decisively relieved Ritchie of his duties, personally commanded the 8th Army, and in the face of an unabated offensive opponent, all he had to do now was to establish and stabilize a defensive line.
First of all, retreat in a big stride, pull away the contact between the two sides, and exchange space for time. He ordered his troops to abandon the resistance one by one, retreat to the El Alamein region in a big stride, and build a defensive line relying on Alexandria, only 70 kilometers away, which could not only be reinforced and replenished in time, but also had the effect of "waiting for work".
Second, reduce the opponent's advantage and play to your own advantage. Rommel's tactical advantages were speed, maneuverability, and surprise attacks, which were greatly reduced once they left the cover of the Air Force. At this moment, the British army not only had the support of the air force, but also laid thousands of mines on the front, which would slow down the opponent's advance.
More importantly, he broke with the conventional infantry division structure and formed a "battle group" composed of artillery detachments and motorized infantry. It is not only maneuverable and fast, launching counter-charge from time to time to disrupt the opponent's attack rhythm, but also greatly improving in terms of firepower, which can exert a stronger firepower advantage.
At this time, Rommel was already at the end of the crossbow. Since the date of the offensive, they have been fighting for 5 consecutive weeks, without rest, without replenishment, the offensive is getting weaker and weaker, and the British army not only established a new defensive line, but also transported more and more personnel, weapons and equipment to the front. Finally, the two sides formed a confrontation at El Alamein.
Since then, the initiative on the battlefield has thus fallen into the hands of the British. From time to time, Auchinlake sent "battle groups" to attack opponents and specialized in italians. This would not only "avoid the real and attack the false", but also continuously deplete the already small material and ammunition of the AFR, especially gasoline.
With his tenacious style, excellent tactical command and keen strategic awareness, Ochinleck finally gained a foothold in El Alamein. Although nearly 20,000 people were also lost in the bitter battle, the purpose of stopping the German advance was achieved after all. Churchill, however, was not satisfied, and he demanded constant attacks, but was refused.
In his view, war cannot be done in a reckless manner, it must abide by its objective reality, and in the absence of preparation on its own side, it is a waste to sacrifice the lives of soldiers. In a fit of rage, Churchill dismissed him and Montgomery succeeded commander of the 8th Army.
But after Montgomery took office, he still did not attack and continued to use O'Kinglake's tactics, which can not but be said to give Churchill a resounding slap. Since then, Auchinlake has faded from people's vision, but his merits cannot be erased. What do you think? Comments and discussions are welcome.
References: The Complete History of World War II, World War II
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