klisemfg Chapter 240 Brutal Battle
Chapter 240 Brutal Battle
Von Arnim's attack began ten minutes later. Thirty Tiger Guards charged the vanguard, and numerous tanks, their guns elevated to maximum angles, rained down high-explosive and fragmentation shells, unleashing a bloody hail of destruction on the 10th and 30th Divisions defending the front lines. Over 13 troops on the front lines lost over 17 men in this single round of German bombardment. Less-than-fully-fortified positions, especially concrete piers, were reduced to rubble by the artillery fire, inflicting heavy casualties on the unprotected soldiers.
After a round of artillery fire, the survivors struggled to crawl out like beetles emerging from a sand pile. Only then did they understand the profound meaning behind Chief of Staff Kuang's request that they dig as deep as possible, because sand can bury them but can also serve as a barrier to protect them.
"The enemy tanks are coming! Hurry back to your position and prepare to counterattack!"
Commanders at all levels shouted at the top of their lungs, and the soldiers who had regained consciousness quickly took refuge in the remaining positions, preparing to face the fierce attack of the German armored tanks. Some soldiers had never seen such a huge Tiger tank before, and watching its slowly approaching steel behemoths, they couldn't help but feel a surge of fear in their hearts.
"No retreat, anyone who retreats will die!"
The officers and law enforcement officers, their eyes wide with anger, shouted incessantly, and finally, after executing some of those who had lost control of their minds, they forcibly suppressed the commotion on the battlefield. The soldiers, following their training tactics, formed groups of three or five. Some clutched giant anti-tank grenades, others cradled a single anti-tank mine, and some held a few improvised incendiary cocktails made from wine bottles. A small number of anti-tank rocket launchers were also present among them.
As the German Tiger tanks closed within 200 meters of their positions, 20mm rapid-fire guns hidden in armored vehicles and cars opened fire. Shells rained down upon the German tanks like a hurricane, sending a cloud of shells billowing over them. Using these weapons as cover, a dozen anti-tank teams swiftly maneuvered into the path of the German tanks. They managed to conceal themselves in the sand, with only their vigilant eyes visible.
"Boom—boom—boom—" the Tiger tanks, using their precise firepower, eliminated these rapid-fire guns one by one in a targeted manner. In just a few minutes, not a single rapid-fire gun in the Chinese position could continue to roar, evidently destroyed by the Germans. However, their heroic sacrifices only bought a dozen demolition teams a fleeting opportunity to close in on the German tanks.
Experienced German tanks continuously mowed the sandy ground before them with their coaxial machine guns, their rounds occasionally stirring up clouds of dust and blood, along with shredded human flesh. Unable to withstand the pressure, some soldiers crawled from beneath the sand and frantically charged the German tanks. However, they were met with even more ferocious machine gun fire. The German MG43 general-purpose machine gun, known as the battlefield meat grinder, continuously blasted with the sound of sawing wood, reducing these seemingly brave but reckless soldiers to a pulp.
Seeing the Chinese soldiers' frail counterattack, some German tank crews began to grow arrogant. The leading Panzer 12, like a ferocious beast, revved up its power and charged directly at a vaguely humanoid figure. He intended to crush the Chinese man into a pulp, a display of his own might.
However, this time, he miscalculated. The hidden humanoid was actually one of the massive explosive devices meticulously buried by the direct engineering regiment. It had fortunately escaped the German artillery and machine gun fire. Coupled with the arrogance and insolence of the Panzer 12, as it ruthlessly pressed down on the explosive device, mistaken for an ambush soldier, there was a resounding "boom!" As if by an invisible giant hand, the massive body of the Panzer 12 was lifted twenty to thirty centimeters from the ground before falling heavily to the ground. Immediately afterwards, a massive ball of flame, like a ferocious dragon, burst from the tank's interior, instantly engulfed in flames.
The German tank crews had clearly been knocked unconscious or killed by the violent explosion, and no one from the burning tank had escaped. This sudden turn of events stunned the surrounding Tiger crews, some even stopping in their tracks. Even the MG43 machine guns, which had been raining down bullets, seemed to have been cast under a spell, their roars stagnating.
At this critical moment, the few surviving anti-tank teams swooped in like cheetahs, raining explosive packs, cluster grenades, and Molotov cocktails down upon the German tank formations. The Germans, reacting quickly, mowed down these brave soldiers, but the explosives they had hurled before their deaths unleashed a devastating final blow within the German tank formations.
“Boom—boom—boom—” Huge explosions echoed one after another, deafening. “Puff—” a Molotov cocktail collided with the tank’s hull like a meteor, exploding. A ball of flame immediately spread across the entire tank like a demon.
"Retreat! Retreat!" The German commander had no choice but to shout the order to evacuate. In the thick smoke, he could vaguely see more Chinese rushing towards him like a surging tide. If the tank group, which had already lost its edge, were surrounded by a group of soldiers armed with all kinds of explosives, the consequences would be unimaginable and they would absolutely not be able to bear it.
The German army's first assault with 30 heavy Tiger tanks as the vanguard ended in such a hasty manner. In front of a ruined position, the German army left behind 7 tanks. When the last Tiger tank that was ignited exploded with a shocking chain reaction, it also marked that the German army's fast column had lost its edge, and the Chinese army stabilized from the initial chaos!
Li Mo'an was watching all this through a telescope at a distance of about 1000 meters. He felt relieved but also felt a sharp pain. The 13th Division was guarding the front of the German attack. In the battle just now, not counting the losses from the artillery bombardment, the troops that had just been dispatched to block the counterattack had lost at least a battalion of troops.
Beside him, the commander of the 13th Division had tears on his face. He obviously did not expect that he and these passionate soldiers, the warriors who fought for the country, would sacrifice themselves in an unfamiliar battlefield without having the chance to display their abilities.
Li Mo'an patted his shoulder and sighed softly, "This is the battlefield, the world's most advanced and bloodiest battlefield. We have so much to learn, and we are so behind the times. This is the only helpless way to learn how to fight the most vicious enemy!"