novelden Chapter 148 Experience Determines the Battle
Chapter 148 Experience Determines the Battle
The German tank troops were well-trained. Their Panzer IV tanks knew that they had no chance of winning a head-on battle against the Churchill. Under the cover of the Panthers, they quickly moved to the flanks. Although their 57mm guns were not very effective in hitting the Churchill's front, they should have been more than enough to deal with weak areas such as tracks and fuel tanks.
"Boom!" A Type 4 tank that had moved too far forward was hit. The huge explosion overturned it, and the tank quickly caught fire. The soldiers inside the tank had no chance to escape.
"Boom!" A Churchill accurately hit a Panther, breaking its tracks. Just as it was about to destroy the Panther, its flank was hit by an armor-piercing shell. The metal jet generated by the shell immediately killed the soldiers in the tank, and thick smoke rose from the tank.
Christine sneered. In just over 10 minutes, Tank No. 155 had destroyed or damaged 4 Churchills.
"Boom--", accompanied by a huge explosion, the No. 156 tank that was covering Christine made the entire turret fly into the sky and landed more than 10 meters away. The fragments of the explosion hit Christine's No. 155, making a "ding-dong" sound.
"Heavy artillery! Heavy tank gun!!" Christine was shocked. She opened the turret cover and, regardless of everything, half of her body stuck out of the turret, picked up the telescope and observed the surrounding situation.
About 1000 meters away, several huge tanks were moving slowly and clumsily. Their long, cold gun barrels told Christine that no German tank could escape its attack!
Christine shouted repeatedly, "The enemy has heavy tanks. Watch out for them! They're heavy and slow. We need to use our strengths to eliminate them first!"
Christine got into the tank and continued to call, gathering the tanks of her company together and rushing towards the M6A1 heavy tank!
As the two armies engaged, especially as the 7th Division's rocket artillery covered its own armored grenadiers, Kruwell had already ordered the 144th Tank Regiment to follow up and launch a direct attack on the 7th Division. His opponent, Stran, seemed to know Kruwell's next move and immediately ordered the main force of the M4 tanks to rush forward. At the same time, the M6B1 Hunters also moved, searching for suitable prey.
"Boom--", less than a few dozen meters after rushing out, an M4 was locked and hit by a Type tank destroyer hidden in the distance!
"Boom——" another shell hit the flank of another M4. Fortunately, the speed saved it and the shell just passed through its back.
"Boom——", the Hunter 105 anti-tank gun roared with anger, blowing the hidden three-wheeled vehicle into the sky!
"Boom!" The German anti-tank gun also flew over quickly and exploded in front of the Hunter that fired. The M6B1 Hunter had moved to another hidden spot 2 to 30 meters away and was calculating the trajectory of the ballistic missile that had just flown. The enemy must have an 88mm anti-aircraft gun position behind the opposite sand dune!
"Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh--", another group of rocket launchers that had been hidden began to show their power, covering the suspected enemy anti-tank artillery array with firepower. Soon, a deafening explosion was heard in a hidden position on the sand dunes occupied by the 21st Division.
Kruwell received a report from his deputy that six 6mm guns of an anti-tank company had been destroyed. At this time, Kruwell realized that the enemy had clearly come prepared, and their equipment and organization were completely new and targeted.
Stellan also made a fatal mistake: sending out the M6A1 too early. Although it achieved some results and tied down most of the enemy's main force, its heavy weight and slow speed made it a major target for the Germans! In just over 10 minutes, four of them were destroyed and two were damaged. Fortunately, the M4 echelon arrived in time and intersected with the German Panthers. Otherwise, the entire M2A4 column would likely have been wiped out.
The German three-wheeled vehicles were becoming more and more active, especially in such a chaotic environment. At this moment, most of the tanks of the 7th Division that were damaged or destroyed were caused by the damn three-wheeled vehicles.
The Hunter M6A1s also used their high mobility to continuously attack German tanks and three-wheeled vehicles. They fought to this point without any damage, and destroyed many German tanks and many three-wheeled vehicles, almost controlling the 7th Division's operations on the battlefield.
Stellan finally understood how wise Commander Kuang's decision was. Without hesitation, he ordered the M5A1 light tank to make a full-speed detour, determined to take this opportunity to deal a fatal blow to the German army's back!
Cruwell was no fool. As an experienced man, he immediately realized the change in the battle situation and ordered the various units to retreat in turn, the grenadiers to hold their positions, and at the same time, he ordered the 146th Regiment, which had not been deployed, to maneuver to both sides to guard against the enemy's sneak attack.
When Stellan saw that the German army began to retreat, he got excited and ordered a full-scale counterattack. In an instant, units of the 7th Division rushed out from various hiding places, and various artillery pieces were no longer hidden, firing fiercely at the German camp.
This was the moment Kruwell had been waiting for. The 88mm anti-tank guns and 75mm anti-tank guns immediately showed their true colors, and the shells flew like sharp swords towards the advancing 7th Tank Division. The tanks in the charge were constantly hit, and many tanks caught fire, and some even exploded.
The 7th Division's armored vehicles and motorized infantry were intercepted by German grenadiers stranded at the front, leading to a chaotic battle in which the outcome was uncertain. Lacking protective armor, the 7th Division's hunters dared not charge recklessly, maneuvering in a limited area, occasionally delivering devastating blows to the counterattacking German armor.
The front line was deadlocked! The M5A1 light tanks swerved to infiltrate the German rear, only to be met by an entire German tank regiment. The commanding major, realizing he had fallen into a trap, decisively ordered a retreat. The engagement lasted less than 10 minutes, and the light tank column managed to escape death at the cost of only five tanks.
When Stellan received the report, it was as if he had been enlightened. He immediately realized that he had made a foolish decision. He hurriedly ordered the units to retreat in turns, and at the same time ordered the rocket artillery group to cover the enemy's front line with firepower to cover the evacuation of various units.
Cruwell calmly watched the British retreat in an orderly fashion, making no move to counterattack. The enemy's deadly tank destroyers had inflicted considerable damage on his own tanks. There was no need to act rashly like the enemy commander at this moment, as this would only result in massive losses and easily jeopardize his hard-earned advantage.
Both sides restrainedly returned to the starting point, and the yellow sand gradually dissipated, leaving behind a devastated battlefield in the middle area, scattered armor, sporadic corpses of soldiers, and more broken tanks, armored vehicles, etc., some of which were still burning, foreshadowing the cruelty of war!