"First of the People..." Zeitzler was a little anxious, "Have you given up the oil resources in the direction of the Caucasus? We finally took down Rostov and opened the door to the Caucasus."

"The two strategic focus of the eastern line and the southern wing will make us lose sight of each other!" Hoffman said firmly, "Our focus is to eliminate Stalin's heavy army group. Oil resources are not the focus, at least not the current focus. In fact, the Caucasus is a very important strategic fulcrum, not only because there is oil there, but also because the British and Americans replenish blood to the Russians through the Caspian Sea and Iran channels. We must cut off this line."

"If we turn to defense, Stalin may get the breath he dreams of and even recover faster." Goodrian used his words with caution, but the anxiety was obvious, "and then it will put more stress on us."

"Gentlemen, I know Stalin better than you. Once we retreat, he will not rest in person. For him, the early recovery of the land we occupied is the only way for him to restore authority. As long as we show some signs of retreat, he will definitely pounce on us, just like the Battle of Jamiansk and the Timxingo offensive in the summer." Hoffman smiled coldly, "What's more, our transition to defense on the Eastern Front does not mean that we do nothing. We will shift our strategic focus to other directions, and then the British and Americans will kick his ass."

"What does the Head of State mean?" Guderian and Zeitzler fell into deep thought at the same time. Could it be that the Head of State wants to restore the "Sea Lion" plan? This is a more difficult goal.

"My target is the southern line." Hoffman stood up and pointed in the habitual tone of the head of state, "In North Africa and the Mediterranean, our troops are too weak, and the poor Italians are even more vulnerable and cannot be counted on at all. We are facing British people who are several times more numerous and more well-equipped, not to mention that there is information that the Americans are planning to land in North Africa. If we do not want to face two-line battles like the last war, we must eliminate this hidden danger as soon as possible."

Every day, all kinds of contradictory, vague and loophole-filled information are presented to the head of state. Of course, there are many insightful opinions here, but more are speculations, arbitrary and conjectures. However, since Hoffman is a time traveler, he can naturally tell which are useful and those are perfect garbage. The Battle of Alahman is imminent, and the "torch" operation of the US military landed in North Africa is also close, and if it is not adjusted, it will be really over. So he took the opportunity to understand the situation and selected all reliable inferences and made strategic adjustments based on this.

Hoffman smiled mysteriously: "North Africa has another great harvest. In Libya and Algeria, there are oil fields with considerable reserves and low mining difficulties. The British and French had exploration records before the war. They did not start because the mining cost was higher than the Middle East. Only the stupid and lazy Italians were kept in the dark without knowing it."

"First of the People, is this true?" Guderian also stood up excitedly. As a commander of an armored group, he knew too well the importance of oil to combat. When he heard that there was such good news, he could not sit still.

Zeitzler suddenly realized: he thought the head of state's new North Africa strategy was to open up oil channels to the Middle East and then surround the Russians from the flanks, but now it seems to be a brand new package. If North Africa really owns oil as the head of state said and it is not difficult to exploit, the strategic value of the southern line will be greatly improved. Compared with it, the direction of Stalingrad will not be so prominent.

"Another advantage of fighting in North Africa is that we can fight land wars with the British that they are not good at." Hoffman waved his arm excitedly. "It is much easier to destroy a British in the desert than to destroy a British on an island."

"Rommeel knew this news would definitely cheer for the wise decision of the head of state." Although Guderian had a smile on his face, the sour smell could not be concealed no matter what.

"It's not him, it's you!" Hoffman smiled, his voice full of temptation. "Rommeel has suffered from stomach problems recently. I am determined to give him a rest. I want to appoint you as the commander of the reorganized Imperial 'African Army' to command all the land operations in Africa and the Mediterranean theater. Are you willing?"

"I am willing to serve you, Head of State!" Guderian stood at attention, standing straight, and looked very excited - although the position of commander of the African Army Group does not seem to be as good as the position of the three major army groups on the Eastern Front, it is also expected if it is really the leader who can stand on the North African front as he said.

"First of the People's Republic of China, what are my combat targets? How many reinforcements can I get?" After being excited, Guderian felt a little uneasy when he remembered the weak strength of the African Army's two armored divisions and one light infantry division (both of which were not satisfied).

"In view of the needs of combat in desert areas, I am going to send you 2 armored divisions and 3 motorized infantry divisions to strive to be in place within one month, and specific numbers will be dispatched after the appointment of Zeitzler tomorrow." Since it has been adjusted to a key strategic direction, Hoffmann's capital is not small. "By the end of the year, in addition to replenishing the battle losses one after another, you can continue to count on the support of 2 armored divisions and 4 motorized infantry divisions, and these troops will all be German troops.

I have a package of plans on the southern line. There will be corresponding strategic measures on the sea and in the air, and there will be corresponding coordination with the Italians. At least the Italians will not let you drag you down. However, your goal is also very difficult, there are two in total. The first is to defeat the British North African Legion and occupy Egypt; the second is to repel the possible landing attempts of the Americans. If these two goals can be achieved, we can effectively protect the North African oil fields to be mined without land infestation."

"Do it well!" Hoffman patted Guderian on the shoulder, "Rommeel won the marshal's scepter because of taking Tobrook. I believe your merits will not be inferior to him."

"Yes, Head of State! I will do my best for this." Guderian's excitement was beyond words.

"General Zeitzel, your task is also very heavy." After giving the assignment of Guderian, Hoffman ordered, "I am determined to adjust or form three front commands. The Western Front General Command is responsible for commanding troops from Norway to France and the local area, the Eastern Front is responsible for all troops from Finland to Krim, and the Southern Front is responsible for Africa, the Mediterranean and the Balkans. All institutions and troops that were originally in conflict with this must be readjusted. We must take advantage of the favorable opportunity of the Russian front to switch to offensive defense to complete the rectification of the troops and

Supplement and make unified adjustments and enrichment of the troops. It is not advisable to form a new number of troops at this stage. After the adjustment, the minimum standard of our army's combat effectiveness should be increased. One division of our army should overwhelm a Russian army, and should be able to withstand the attack of a Russian infantry army during defense operations. By the end of this year, more than half of the 180 divisions on the Russian front line should complete the reorganization task, and by the turn of spring and summer in 1943, it should be the day for us to settle accounts with Stalin."

Zeitzler looked puzzled: "I can find a way to replenish the dear head of state, institutions, personnel and materials, but there may be a considerable gap in technical weapons, especially tanks and artillery."

"I will ask Sperer to find a way to produce the arms, and we must not delay the reorganization." Hoffman waved his hand, "In my name, I notify the strategic meeting to be held tomorrow night, and personnel at the chief of staff of all army leaders and above will participate. You will explain the future strategic policies. Once the direction is determined, you must act immediately. Our enemies will not give us too much time."
Chapter completed!