After firepower suppression, the Sino-Italian coalition launched a general attack on the Gibraltar Fortress.
The British military airport in Gibraltar was destroyed on the day the Republican army landed on the Iberian Peninsula due to its neutral zone near the border. The Royal Air Navy, which had lost its air supremacy, could not use this fortress to protect the safety of the Mediterranean fleet.
At night, Admiral Cunningham led all the main forces of the Mediterranean Fleet to Casablanca.
The British set up a total of six fortress areas in Gibraltar, including a huge coastal defense fortress on the north and south sides of the port. In addition, a fortress group is also located in the protruding part of the peninsula. These three fortress areas are mainly responsible for sea defense.
The defense capabilities on land are relatively weak.
The fortifications on land are mainly composed of three fortress groups: the Old Castle Fortress Area, Mount Signall Fortress and Mount Gibraltar Fortress. The three fortresses are composed of 6 double-equipped 203mm fortress turrets as the center.
There are also 24 152mm turrets and 12 133mm turrets, and 32 115mm howitzers are also arranged.
Gibraltar Fortress Turret is similar to the battleship turret. Its base is a three-layer reinforced concrete permanent fortification. The concrete thickness is 2 to 3 meters. Most of them are equipped with armor plates several centimeters thick. Each turret is connected by underground passages.
, form a complete defense system.
What is slightly insufficient is the insufficient number of anti-aircraft artillery artillery, and most of them are exposed to surface positions. During the last week of artillery bombardment and aerial bombardment, most of the anti-aircraft artillery located in the fortress area were destroyed.
The shells fell from the sky like a storm and storm, pouring down on the British defensive positions. Most of Gibraltar was shrouded in smoke, and only the flames bursting out of the mountains were seen.
After more than 450 Harrier attack aircraft sent from the North African theater to bomb in turn, at about 9 a.m., 52 H-11e four-engine long-range bombers from the strategic bomber unit were on a squad's Swift fighter
Under the protection, he flew over the war zone.
"Report, arrive above the target!"
"Each aircraft dropped bombs in turn!" Colonel Chen Huaimin, the captain of the 17th Bomber Wing, pointed and issued a bomb drop order.
After the bomb dropper locked the target, he pressed the green bomb drop button and dozens of new bombs with parachutes fell into the air. As he approached the ground, with a dull explosion, a large mass of white gas
Spreading on the British positions, the smell of natural gas was filled with.
Immediately afterwards, dozens of small parachutes were thrown from the escort fighter. About three minutes later, with some slight bursting sound, dozens of huge fireballs with a radius of about fifty meters were on the position.
It shone on it, and there were huge explosions like the sky collapsed and the earth cracked, and the whole earth was shaking violently.
The huge shock wave generated by the explosion propels along the closed tunnel, and even the solid concrete partition walls burst instantly in front of this huge impact. Some bunkers at the center of the explosion collapsed immediately, and most of the surface positions were
It was destroyed in this moment.
What's even more terrifying is that within a explosion range of dozens of meters, the high concentration of carbon monoxide generated during the explosion caused the officers and soldiers on the position to suffocate and die due to lack of oxygen. The bodies of these people were intact and due to lack of oxygen,
He looked pale and the scene was terrifying.
Almost in an instant, most of the surface positions located in the Old Castle District and the Signar Mountain Fortress were destroyed, which almost collapsed the British army, who had already had poor fighting will.
After the bombing, the artillery troops continued to suppress artillery for about fifteen minutes. Later, the 55th and 56th Regiments of the 19th Land Brigade, which served as the entire battle commando, began toward the Old Castle Fortress and Signa from both east and west directions respectively.
Ershan launched an assault. With the roar of motors, more than 120 tanks appeared in the sight of the British guarding.
Unlike the Pacific battlefield, the Marines fighting in North Africa basically fought in flat desert areas and were not equipped with lighter 37 B aquatic tanks, but were equipped with the most developed with the Germans, just like the army.
Advanced 39 C Leopard Heavy Tank.
This new main tank weighing 47 tons uses a torsion rod and spring combined with a more complex suspension system, which increases manufacturing costs. It has relatively superior off-road performance, and the front armor uses wedge armor up to 120 mm thick.
Anti-tank guns equipped by the British army are difficult to penetrate its armor.
16 350mm mortar vehicles built specifically for siege, weighing more than 110 tons, entered an attack position about 4,000 meters away from the fort under the cover of the armored convoy, and as these siege guns began to fire, more than two meters thick.
The concrete fortifications were penetrated and exploded by these heavy shells. The originally solid concrete building, which weighed more than 700 kilograms, cracked with huge smoke and dust when it exploded, just like a pre-built explosion during mining.
Medicine, stones as big as millstones splashed up among the mountains and then rolled down.
With these dull explosions, the entire fortification group between the old castle and the Signar Mountains, which were originally considered indestructible, was immediately damaged like never before.
Under the cover of artillery, the assault troops jumped off the infantry fighting chariot and quickly approached the trench at the foot of Mount Signar. The remaining British troops in the fortifications were still resisting. In an instant, several hidden fire points fired at the same time.
The bomb rain poured down at the Marines who were charging, and the entire attack of the Republican army was stagnant.
The 3rd Company of the commando on the other side took advantage of the enemy's attention to the second Company of the assault battalion, and broke into a collapsed bunker from a gap on the right side of the trench at the foot of the mountain, and launched a fierce battle with the British army inside.
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"Storm in!" More than 20 soldiers, led by the platoon leader, rushed into the underground fortifications. Accompanied by a fierce gunfire and grenade explosion, the Republican army had already invaded the fortification group carefully constructed by the British army.
As the battle progressed, more and more strongholds were occupied by the Republican Army. The Republican soldiers who entered the event began to clear the British troops entrenched in various firepower points one by one along the underground traffic trenches.
At 6:13 pm on February 3, a Republican army's iron-blooded flag was erected in the mountains of Signall Mountains filled with smoke. Guns and explosions were still sounding in the mountains, but it began to begin
Less than 10 hours after the launch of the general attack, the British claimed to be able to hold on to the main position of Gibraltar Russe, which was claimed to be able to hold for more than half a year, was captured by the Republican army.
At night that day, Lieutenant General Erwin organized a night attack by the British army that was still defending Mount Gibraltar. However, the weak British army had no fighting spirit and immediately retreated after being counterattacked by the Caihe Army. Instead, the Shangren Army attacked with the situation.
Go to the outer positions of Mount Gibraltar.
On the morning of February 4, the subsequent Marine Corps 21st Brigade occupied the Gibraltar port area. Lieutenant General Erwin fled on a submarine before the port was lost. The British command of the Gibraltar Fortress fell on the commander of the 15th Brigade of the Army.
Commodore Hill.
On the morning of February 5, Brigadier General Hill, who was trapped in the Fortress of Mount Gibraltar, saw no hope of reinforcements and led the remaining less than 5,000 British troops to surrender. The claimed indestructible Fortress of Gibraltar was captured by the Republican army in less than three days.
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The fall of Gibraltar Fortress became the turning point of the entire war. After fighting the channel of the Strait of Gibraltar, the Republican army easily entered the North Atlantic from the Mediterranean, which threatened the British mainland. Moreover, since the Republican Navy is much stronger than the German Navy, it can be used to be at any time.
It is possible to cut off the British's sea access.
After the fall of Gibraltar, the originally arrogant British man had to start facing some issues about defeat.