Ramp-Rat
Monthly Donor
With the British in a slightly better position, having stopped their advance earlier than they did in OTL. And with the German commander being less aggressive the the one in OTL, more likely to stick to his orders, things can become very interesting. There are strong British reinforcements in the delta, who will have the time to acclimatise and complete their training. The forces up the blue, will have a greater opportunity to rest and refit, while receiving a much gentler blooding in the art of fighting the Germans. Benghazi gives the British a working port that can take some of the strain of the extended transport lines, that have developed due to the advance. Every ton that doesn't have to be hauled by truck, is a great saving in men and equipment.
The establishment of forward airfields, will also help to alleviate the problems of supplying Malta. Convoys can hug the North African shore, and receive close air cover, before making the final dash to Malta from close to Benghazi and receive air cover for most of this section too. Fighter aircraft reinforcements should be able to fly in from the Benghazi area as soon as the aircraft are available. And night time air transport links be a much easier proposition, carrying vital spares, mail and reinforcements/replacements for personnel.
Even with the necessity of providing troops to assist Greece, and in spite of repeated calls by London to do something. A month or two of little or no action, will leave the British in a much better position. Malta resupplied and reinforced, British troops rested, resupplied and where possible rotated with fresh units. The Germans beginning to suffer from the problems of British attacks on their maritime supply lines, something that they are not used to. This will serve to make a cautious general , even more cautious, and less likely to go onto the offensive. Even though this goes against the principles of warfare, as practiced by the Germans.
Once the pace picks up a bit, and the Germans become more aggressive, the British should be able to hold the ground that they presently occupy. Which will give them the opportunity to launch a further attack in about six months time, aimed at capturing Sirte at least, but better still Tripoli. And with Tripoli in British hands it shouldn't be to long before FNA, ether switches sides or falls to British forces. Once the North African shore is in British hands, convoys will not need to go round the cape, but use the shorter Mediterranean route, which if memory serves me right, was worth about five million tons per year in savings. And those savings will have a major impact on events in Europe and the Far East in the coming years.
RR.
The establishment of forward airfields, will also help to alleviate the problems of supplying Malta. Convoys can hug the North African shore, and receive close air cover, before making the final dash to Malta from close to Benghazi and receive air cover for most of this section too. Fighter aircraft reinforcements should be able to fly in from the Benghazi area as soon as the aircraft are available. And night time air transport links be a much easier proposition, carrying vital spares, mail and reinforcements/replacements for personnel.
Even with the necessity of providing troops to assist Greece, and in spite of repeated calls by London to do something. A month or two of little or no action, will leave the British in a much better position. Malta resupplied and reinforced, British troops rested, resupplied and where possible rotated with fresh units. The Germans beginning to suffer from the problems of British attacks on their maritime supply lines, something that they are not used to. This will serve to make a cautious general , even more cautious, and less likely to go onto the offensive. Even though this goes against the principles of warfare, as practiced by the Germans.
Once the pace picks up a bit, and the Germans become more aggressive, the British should be able to hold the ground that they presently occupy. Which will give them the opportunity to launch a further attack in about six months time, aimed at capturing Sirte at least, but better still Tripoli. And with Tripoli in British hands it shouldn't be to long before FNA, ether switches sides or falls to British forces. Once the North African shore is in British hands, convoys will not need to go round the cape, but use the shorter Mediterranean route, which if memory serves me right, was worth about five million tons per year in savings. And those savings will have a major impact on events in Europe and the Far East in the coming years.
RR.
