Chapter 421 Desert Tiger VI

Looking down from the sky, the desert Gobi of Libya seems to be flat, with nothing but sand. But when you get down to the ground, you will find that there are still a lot of low vegetation and huge white rocks in the desert near Tobruk.

Although these vegetation and rocks cannot block a No. 4 tank or No. 3 assault gun, the Pak38 50mm anti-tank gun, which is only 1.05 meters high, can hide behind these stones and unnamed low vegetation, and with a little camouflage, it can blend into the surrounding desert Gobi.

Lieutenant Boraukuster, the commander of the 14th Tank Destroyer Company of the Great German Brigade, was running around on the sand at this time, checking the position layout of his 12 artillery squads. Unlike the situation encountered on the Western Front, this time the tank destroyer company was used in the attack operation, towed by a half-track armored vehicle, and advanced with the armored cluster. After the mechanized scouts in front exchanged fire with British tanks, the tank destroyer companies immediately stopped advancing and began to deploy anti-tank gun positions on the spot.

"Everyone, take your positions, the British are going to attack." Seeing that an anti-tank gun position was deployed, Lieutenant Boraukuster shouted and issued an order. "Wait until our tanks retreat before firing, and shoot the British Crusader cruiser tanks first."

The 14th Tank Destroyer Company of the Great German Brigade is an old unit. It participated in the Battle of Poland and the Western Front, and fought against the French and British tank units many times. It has rich battlefield experience. Now with the powerful Pak38 50mm anti-tank gun (500 meters right angle through 78mm vertical homogeneous steel plate), the soldiers are of course eager to fight and responded loudly with high morale.

"Got it, Lieutenant!"

"We will teach the British a lesson!"

At this moment, the rumbling sound of the motor from the east became louder and louder. This was the sound of the German armored cluster that was luring the enemy and the British tanks that were hooked when they were driving.

The "entice the enemy operation" organized by Lieutenant General von Thomas was actually a trap that was very easy to detect. It was to form an armored group with a battalion of the 5th Tank Regiment, the 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion (belonging to the 21st Armored Division) and the Great German Infantry Brigade, which detoured from the south of the British defense line and retreated after a brief exchange of fire after being blocked by the British tank group.

Such a trap theoretically could not fool Major General Craig, the experienced commander of the British armored group. But the question is whether Major General Craig's reaction was faster or the German anti-tank guns fired faster!

Sitting on the top of a wheeled armored command vehicle, Major General Craig held up a telescope and looked for a long time, only to see a vast expanse of dust. The tank fight he expected did not happen. The attack formation composed of nearly 400 Matilda II tanks and Crusader cruiser tanks kept moving forward, and they were getting farther and farther away.

Major General Craig put down his telescope and said to his chief of staff: "It seems that there was no exchange of fire."

"Our tanks have been advancing," replied Colonel Phillips, the chief of staff, "and the German armored group is retreating. Both sides are moving, so there is no large-scale exchange of fire."

The tank turrets of this era do not have laser rangefinders and two-way balance systems. It is impossible to hit the target when firing while moving, so tanks in action do not fire.

"Why don't the Germans fire? Is it because we have too many tanks?" Major General Craig frowned, he had smelled the smell of a trap!

"They may want to lead our tanks to the preset anti-tank artillery position!" Colonel Phillips even guessed Rommel's strategy.

"Order the tank group to stop advancing!" Major General Craig also issued an order to stop advancing at the first time, but it was too late.

Because the 48 Pak38 50mm anti-tank guns of the four German anti-tank destroyer companies (belonging to the 21st Armored Division, the 15th Armored Division, the 90th Light Division and the Grossdeutschland Brigade) were deployed on the battlefield in less than 20 minutes. At the same time when Major General Craig gave the order, these anti-tank guns, 58 Type 4 tanks and 4 47mm guns mounted on half-track vehicles (one belonging to the 17th Company of the Grossdeutschland Brigade and the other three belonging to the 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion of the 21st Armored Division) also fired.

"12 o'clock! British tanks!" Lieutenant Ribbentrop, who had already boarded the No. 5 vehicle equipped with a 47mm gun, shouted with a telescope, "It's a Crusader, aim and fire!"

"Armor-piercing bullets!" Sergeant Schumacher personally operated the gun, aimed at a British tank on the road, and shouted loudly.

"Armor-piercing shells! Loaded!" A second-class soldier with muscular arms pushed a shell into the ammunition bay.

"Fire!" Sergeant Schumacher shouted.

"Boom!" An armor-piercing shell flew towards its target with a loud bang. The huge impact made the Crusader tank tremble violently, and then it barely rushed forward a few steps, and then a puff of black smoke came out and paralyzed on the sand.

There were as many as 110 anti-tank guns and tank guns firing at the same time! Therefore, there were as many as 40 or 50 British tanks that were hit at the same time. The huge tank attack formation seemed to rush into a death trap. The dozens of tanks in the front were either turned into a pile of fire or paralyzed on the sand with black smoke. However, the British tanks behind were still charging with their heads covered. It was not known whether they were reckless or fearless. Anyway, these British people did not react at the first time.

"British tanks! Aim at the target!" Lieutenant Blaukustel of the 14th Tank Destroyer Company of the Grossdeutschland Brigade was half-kneeling next to a 50mm anti-tank gun, also shouting at the top of his lungs. His 12 anti-tank guns are at the forefront. They are now less than 500 meters away from the British tank group. The opponent's 40mm tank guns can easily kill all 12 anti-tank guns that have fired and exposed their targets! Therefore, the soldiers of the 14th Company must destroy as many of their tanks as possible before the enemy can react.

"Fire!" Lieutenant Blaukustel saw a 50mm armor-piercing bullet being pushed into the barrel and immediately ordered to fire.

"boom!"

Almost at the same time as the gunfire sounded, a Crusader tank more than 400 meters away burned with thick smoke, and then more British tanks were hit.

In less than 2 minutes, all German tank guns and anti-tank guns fired at least two armor-piercing rounds. More than 80 British tanks were hit and emitted fireworks on the battlefield. But the remaining tanks had already reacted, stopped advancing, and began to turn their turrets to find targets for counterattack.

However, the gunners of these British tanks ignored the low Pak38 50mm anti-tank gun on the chaotic battlefield, and instead targeted the taller and farther away Panzer IV tank. Their underpowered 40mm tank guns cannot hit the 50mm frontal armor of the No. 4 tank at a distance of 600-700 meters. At the same time, the 75mm gun of the No. 4 tank can easily blow up the Matilda No. 2 tank!

The exchange of fire on the battlefield quickly turned into a one-sided massacre. Although the British tanks had an absolute advantage in numbers, they suffered a fatal blow in a short period of time. In less than 45 minutes, the battlefield was littered with the remains of British tanks.

British Major General Craig, who was commanding from the rear, was stunned by this scene. 45 minutes ago he was commanding the most powerful armored force on the North African battlefield, but now his armored force has suffered an annihilating blow, and his opponent Just a few dozen German Panzer IV tanks (he was too far away from the battlefield to notice the low 50mm anti-tank gun).

"How is this possible?" Major General Craig opened his mouth wide, and it took him a long time to utter such a sentence. "We have more than 400 tanks, and they only have a few dozen!"

"General, we are defeated..." His chief of staff, Colonel Phillips, also gasped and said, "The armored forces are finished!"

Major General Craig no longer had the high spirits he had when he defeated the Italian armored forces a few months ago. Instead, he asked his chief of staff in confusion, "What should we do?"

"We can only retreat, General."

"Retreat? To Tobruk?"

Colonel Phillips shook his head: "I think Tobruk can't be defended anymore. We must retreat to Egypt!"

The easy defeat of the armored forces by the Germans had decided the fate of Tobruk. Although relying on the strong fortifications left by the Italians, the British army could still hold on for a while. However, both sea and air control are in the hands of the Germans, and there is no hope for ground troops to be trapped in an isolated city. Therefore, before the Battle of Tobruk began, the British Middle East Command formulated the strategy of "contracting to Egypt and holding on to it under unfavorable circumstances."

"Yes! We have to go to Egypt!" Major General Craig nodded, "Tell Lieutenant General Cunningham the results of the battle... We cannot defeat the Germans and must retreat!"

"We cannot let the British here in Tobruk escape!" Rommel also received news of the tragic defeat of the British armored forces at this time. "If they are allowed to escape to Egypt, it will be difficult to eliminate them."

Even if the British troops here in Tobruk escape back to Egypt, they will be almost empty-handed. It is a dream to defend Egypt. But these people will be transported to India by British ships for reinforcements, and in a few months they will be an elite force capable of fighting. In this way, fighting in the Middle East and East Africa will be more troublesome and will not be conducive to further liberating India.

"They can't escape, General." Lieutenant General Goltz replied with a smile, "Now the 7th Airborne Division can be dispatched. They will block the British's way, so that we can wipe them all out in the desert of North Africa. "