Chapter 89: Toward Africa (2)
Baek Dong-seok, the commander of the Indochina Expeditionary Force, flew to Cairo as soon as he received Your Excellency’s order, leaving the rest of the preparations to his staff. In Cairo, there were Lieutenant General Richard O’Connor, the commander of the 8th Army, and General Claude Auchinleck1, the commander of the Middle East Command.
Baek Dong-seok exchanged greetings with the British generals and discussed how they would cooperate in the future.
“First of all, the African theater is basically no different from the sea. Tanks and trucks are the naval ships here. The concept of a front line has no meaning here.”
Baek Dong-seok also understood that the desert land had no value.
“The most important resource is water. Without water, no army can endure.”
Therefore, operations in the inland areas where it was difficult to secure drinking water were not easy.
Even if they secured wells, operations in the desert without proper roads had to take on a great risk.
“In the end, it means we have to move along the coastal road.”
That was the summary of what the British generals said.