"...It was the morning of April 29, 1935, and I will always remember that morning. At around 6 o'clock in the morning, the battlefield around Medina suddenly became quiet. The sound of gunfire, shouts and screams that lasted for a full 30 days finally stopped. Since he had received a notice from Major General Patton the night before, he knew that the 2nd Armored Division of the United States had attacked less than 20 kilometers from Medina, so I knew that we had won! They attacked us with 10 times the strength (actually only 3 times) for a full 30 days.

The star-striped flag and the rice-shaped flag still floated on the spire of the Prophet Temple in Medina, standing firmly! We held it! We won! Although more than 25,000 American officers and soldiers (the British army lost no less than this number) were buried under Medina, the victory of the defense of Medina was enough to comfort all heroes. I am proud of them all, and the United States is proud of them all, and they are the best Americans, and each one is!" - The above is excerpted from Lieutenant General Stilwell's memoir "The Wrong War".

Although the United States eventually lost the Middle East Battle, the winner of the Medina defense battle was indeed the United States. In the following decades, the Medina defense battle was brought to the screen by Hollywood more than once. While cheating countless tears and dollars, it also told the American people that in that world war, American soldiers had fulfilled their responsibilities. Each of them was a hero. Whether they were killed in the battlefield or captured by Indian Assassin and were captured in prisoners of war camps, the United States will never forget them! Because they once fought for the United States!

As the commander-in-chief of the mechanized cluster of the British and American Allied Forces, General Weiville (Welvell, who drank milk tea all the way, was promoted to office because of Patton's contribution) was in a very good mood. He fought all the way from Suwan Plain, defeated hundreds of thousands of Indian Red Army, and lifted the siege of Medina. Moreover, the losses of the 8th Army of the British Army were minimal. Before the Medina rescue operation began, the entire 8th Army was ready to bear heavy losses, but at the beginning of the battle, the stupid Americans took over all the things they had.

The combat mission, especially the 2nd and 4th Panzer Divisions of the United States, rushed to the front all the way, breaking through more than a dozen defense lines of the Indian Red Army. At least 780,000 Indian Asans were killed and more than 10,000 prisoners were captured, which was a great show of power. However, his own casualties exceeded 10,000! Tanks and armored vehicles were also damaged by more than 70%. Weiville felt that if all the US troops in the Middle East were so capable, then this Middle East battle could be described as relaxed and pleasant.

After arriving in Medina, Vevere immediately submitted a proposal for the next phase of combat to Sir Massinbent of Alexander. According to his plan, the British and American allies near Medina should be divided into two groups. The British army advanced southward to the port of Jeddah. Forced the Caliphs there to withdraw from this important port on the west coast of the Arabian Peninsula, and then use the port of Jeddah to obtain supplies from the sea, and then cross the Neizhi Plateau to advance to the Persian Gulf. With the cooperation of the British and American coalition forces landing in the Persian Gulf or the Gulf of Oman, the entire Persian Gulf region was occupied and cut off the Indian Red Army's retreat. After leaving a division to station in Medina, the entire army turned north and returned to Palestine to join the front battlefield.

In Alexander, Sir Massinbent carefully reviewed Weyer's suggestion and then flew to Haifa to discuss with Marshall. Finally, after some bargaining, the United States and Britain reached an agreement. They basically agreed to Weyer's plan, but some adjustments were made. It was not the British 8th Army that alone undertakes the mission of raiding the Persian Gulf. Instead, four British motorized infantry divisions, three British armored divisions, and three American armored divisions formed an armor cluster to complete the task. Moreover, the commander of this armored cluster was not Wayer alone, but was commanded by Lieutenant General Stilwell of the United States and him.

In addition, Sir Mashinbent and Marshall also disagreed with "forced" the Caliph's army to hand over the port of Jeddah. Because they had already held an "open and honest" negotiation with Caliph Hussein and Lin Zuoda in Port Sultan three days ago, and reached an agreement to fight against the Soviet-India. Note that it was the United States, Britain, the Middle East War Zone Command and Caliph Hussein, not the agreement reached between Britain and the United States and the Arab Empire! In fact, Britain and the United States do not recognize that the Arab Empire's policies have not changed at all!

According to this agreement, the port of Jeddah will be temporarily managed by the United Kingdom, the United States and the Caliphate, and the United States will use this port to transport supplies to the Weville-Stilwell cluster in Medina. At the same time, in the next stage of the battle, the Caliphate will also fight side by side with the British and American allies.

As for the post-war arrangements, Sir Massinbent and Marshall said that the Caliph should conduct formal negotiations with the five countries of Britain, the United States, China, Germany and Italy, and it was not convenient for them to intervene. However, the Allied Middle East War Zone could still open a convenient door for the Caliph to seize more territory in the southwest of the Arabian Peninsula, on the condition that the Caliph's armored division was assigned to Weville - the command of the Stilwell cluster...

"Very good. Order the Caliph's Armored Division to arrive at Medina within 48 hours to report and prepare to head to the Inechi Plateau in three days." Weiville was quite satisfied with the content of the agreement, but what satisfied him the most was that he had another Caliph's Armored Division in his hand as cannon fodder.

"Mr. General, it's 400 kilometers from Jeddah Port to Medina. Is 48 hours a little short?" Major General Slim's expression was not at all happy: "And Lieutenant General Lin Zuoda, the Chief of Staff of the Caliphate, is very likely to not abide by the agreement. I think we should not cause trouble. We should use Jeddah Port to convert supplies as soon as possible to supplement the troops' combat losses. The two armored divisions of the US military suffered a lot in the previous battles and need to be supplemented as soon as possible."

"The loss is great, but the results are even greater. The Belov Cluster, one of the three main forces of the Middle East Indian Army, lost at least 250,000 people in the battle in the past month, and has now collapsed on the Neizhi Plateau. The Yakir Cluster and the Fediko Cluster have been in a tough battle in Syria and Transjordan. At most, only a small number of troops are deploying defenses in the Persian Gulf. The current situation is obvious. I believe the Caliph is also very clear. If he wants to occupy a place in the oil production area of ​​the Persian Gulf, he will soon send the armored division. Then we will let them and the United States take the lead." Vevere was a little proud. Belov, a famous Soviet general who was invincible in India, is now his defeated general!

Moreover, the progress of the Middle East War was also very smooth. The British and American Allies also reported frequent success in the frontal battlefields of Syria and Transjordan, and had already entered a counterattack three days ago. Now the US military has occupied Damascus and Amman, and has wiped out the two Indian armies there! At the same time, it has greatly expanded the front to the north and western fronts. The British army is in good condition, and has occupied the Sirhan Valley, and the forward has even attacked the Hamad Plateau of the Neizhi Kingdom.

As for the planned Persian Gulf landing, the plan also went very smoothly. The ships reached by a huge fleet including 4 aircraft carriers and 10 battleships and 150,000 landing troops have passed the Suez Canal and are now gathering and standing by in the port of Djibouti in French Somalia. Once the Weville-Stilwell cluster is resting, it will launch a landing operation, break into the Persian Gulf and occupy Basra and Avas, and put the main force of the Middle East Indian Red Army into the pocket.

Weiville predicts that once Basra and Avas are occupied by British and American troops, the only option for the main force of the Middle East Indian Red Army is to flee to Persia and Turkey with lightweight equipment. Under the siege of the British and American Allies, it will be a big miracle that 20% of the Indians will run back in the end!

Slim is also full of confidence in this combat plan. Although this plan is a bit bold, the Indian Red Army in the Middle East is currently retreating step by step. What else is there to worry about? However, there is always a trace of ominousness in his heart: "Mr. General. Currently, China and Germany are both still holding their troops. If the Indian Red Army is defeated on the battlefield in the Middle East, is it possible for the Soviet Union to appear in person?"

"That depends on whether we will advance to the Persian hinterland and Turkey," said Weiville. "In fact, the Soviet Union did not need oil from the Persian Gulf. They could not use up their own oil. Unless China, Germany and the Soviet Union could reach a peace agreement, the main force of the Soviet Red Army would not be drawn out."

Although the British and American Allied forces won consecutive battles in the Middle East, most British and American commanders dare not look at the Soviet Union, the Soviet Union, the teacher of the Indian San! Because in the past month of combat, the number of casualties between the British and American armies has exceeded 160,000! And it is still rising. Therefore, the calls for attacking the oil-producing bases in the Caucasus region of the United States have become much less popular in the commanding departments of Britain and the United States. At least before China and Germany completely defeat the Soviet Union, it is best not to think about this, otherwise the number of casualties of hundreds of thousands per month will not be fun.

In fact, it is already good to be able to win the oil-producing zone in the Persian Gulf. Even if the Soviet Union cannot get the oil-producing zone, Britain and the United States can still get 80% of the future world oil market, which is enough to use oil as a weapon to differentiate European countries. As long as Germany cannot integrate Europe, China, a hodgepodge, will sooner or later break up...

Just as the two British generals were fantasizing about co-leading the world with the United States, an officer hurried to the door and shouted without shouting a report: "General, the 9th Infantry Brigade, the 9th Infantry Brigade who stayed at Tarobu is urgently telegraphed, and a large number of Indian Red Army troops are moving towards them from the east! In addition, the air force reconnaissance also found an unknown number of Indian Red Army troops on the northern foot of the Hanzhi Mountains!"

"What?!" The two British generals jumped up at the same time. Slim rushed over and snatched the telegram from the British official. After scanning his eyes, his face turned pale.

"What's going on? What's going on?" Weiville also roared.

"Prince, General, it may be that the Belov group, which we defeated, was reinforced and made a comeback!" Slim looked at the disobedient Weiville, and his ominousness became stronger and stronger. There was not much information revealed in the telegram, only knowing that a large number of Indian Red Army suddenly appeared near Tebuk. The specific number was unclear, but it was definitely indispensable. As for the Indian army discovered by the Air Force on the northern foot of the Hanzhi Mountains, Slim did not take it seriously. He thought it was just a small group of troops, maybe they were dispersed and fled into the mountains by Patton's armored troops.

"Tell the 3rd Infantry Division that it is necessary to defend Tebuck anyway! Order Lieutenant General Okinlek's First Armored Army to attack immediately and must arrive at Tebuck within 48 hours!" This time Weiville's reaction was not slow at all. Now the British army is about to fall into the siege, and we can no longer count on the Americans.

"Admiral, the First Armored Army is the main force of the 8th Army. Without this army, we would not be able to implement the plan to assault the Persian Gulf." Stilwell arrived at the news at some point, and when he heard the order issued by Weiville, he interrupted.

"General Stilwell, do you mean... the Indians' attack on Tebk was a feint?" Weiville seemed to have recovered from calmness when reminded by Stilwell.

"This possibility is very high." Stilwell said: "In the past month, the Belov group has paid an extremely heavy price to siege Medina while blocking our armored forces. At least 250,000 people have been wiped out by us. How could it be possible to recover so quickly? So this time Belov was just bluffing, with the purpose of attracting us to the north and let our armored forces go between Teblo and Medina to waste time."

"So what about the Indian army in the Hanzhi Mountains?" Weiville asked again.

"That should be a small force," Stilwell analyzed: "Our hundreds of thousands of troops had just fought a decisive battle east of the Hanzhi Mountains. It was normal for some of the scattered Indian troops to escape into the mountains, so there was no need to make a fuss."

Weiwei still felt that it was not reliable. While hesitating, Stilwell further suggested: "Admiral, the key now is not Tebk at all. It doesn't matter, even if it is occupied by the Indians. We can still obtain supplies from Jeddah and then go straight to the Persian Gulf. As long as we cooperate with the landing troops to take the Persian Gulf, we can put the enemy in our pockets. The Middle East Battle will be won. Therefore, the British 3rd Division should be allowed to evacuate Tebk."

Wavell was convinced by Stilwell, and he looked back at Slim: "William, how much supply is now shipped to Jeddah Port? When can it be delivered to Medina?"

"Three ships of supplies were delivered, including one ship of supplies, ammunition and fuel, with a total of more than 31,000 tons." Slim replied: "But it takes some time to transfer these supplies from Jeddah Port to Medina, because Medina is 400 kilometers away from Jeddah Port. Admiral, perhaps we can go to Jeddah and resupply there."

"Go to Jeddah... is there enough fuel?".

Slim thought for a moment and nodded: "No problem. If you set out now, you can reach Jeddah within 48 hours, and spend 48 hours resting and replenishing, so that you can march into the Persian Gulf in four days."

"Okay! That's it." Weiville pondered for a moment, and said with a heavy emphasis.

When the joint proposal of Wavell and Stilwell was sent to Alexander by telegram, the generals of the Allied Middle East Theater Command were debating how to deal with the Indian Red Army that appeared near Tebuk?

"How is the situation? Can you confirm whether it is the main force?" Marshall flew to Alexander as soon as he got the news. Now is the critical moment of the Middle East battle, so he must be more careful.

"It's not clear yet, but General Wavere and Lieutenant General Stilwell both suggested continuing the Persian Gulf operations." Sir Massinbent handed Marshall the telegram he had just received, and he was a little hesitant. In order to carry out the Persian Gulf landing operations, the British and American Allies had drawn 10 divisions from the front of the Middle East War Zone, and 27 divisions were now concentrated in Medina. If the Persian Gulf operations were to be carried out as planned, then these 37 divisions would not be used to fight against the Indian Red Army for a long time. In this way, the number of British and American Allies who remained on the battlefield would be less than 800,000 (ground troops), and their opponents were likely to be as many as 2.5 million!

"Admiral, the Indian army is likely to launch a new round of counterattacks," Eisenhower, who arrived in Alexander with Marshall, analyzed: "They are likely to have already drawn the Indian Red Army in the Persian Gulf. This is the best time to implement Persian Gulf operations. As for the problem on the front battlefield, it should not be big. We just need to transfer the troops into defense and be able to cope with it."

Marshall realized that he did not have enough intelligence to judge the enemy situation. The Indian Red Army, which suddenly appeared in the Tebuk and Hanzhi Mountains, was likely to be a sign that the enemy was about to launch a counterattack, or it might be a fake shot to attract the attention of the Allied forces so that the defeated Indian troops could withdraw to the Persian Gulf. Once he made a mistake in his judgment, he would miss the opportunity to fight and cause more casualties.

"If the Indian Red Army's counterattack scale doubled compared to the last time, can we defend it?" Marshall asked.

"Impossible," Alexander, chief of staff of the British army shook his head, and then said with great confidence: "The Indian army had already invested their main force in the last offensive, and there were 150 divisions that had been identified. According to reliable information, their troops in the Middle East had a total of 200 divisions."

"If all 200 divisions were put into the attack, can we withstand it?" Marshall asked again. His words were actually not at ease with the British army's combat effectiveness. If 800,000 American troops were fighting on the front line now, he would have approved the requests of Wavere and Stilwell without hesitation.

"We will transfer all 10 divisions on the border of Egypt to the east of the Suez Canal, so that we will have 1 million troops." How could Sir Marcinburnte not understand Marshall's words? His statement also won Marshall's approval.

"Jazz, I believe there is no reason for 1 million British and American troops to be defeated by the Indians!" Marshall took a deep breath and finally made up his mind: "So I support the suggestions of Lieutenant General Stilwell and Admiral Wavell!" To be continued...)
Chapter completed!