Chapter 756 Anti-tank Gun

Manstein handed Erwin a cup of hot coffee and stood waiting by the side. He hoped that Erwin would sober up before getting down to business.

But Erwin shook his head nonchalantly and said, drinking his coffee, "I can still think, Colonel, come on."

Manstein raised his eyebrows and said, "You country bumpkin from Heidenheim, if it weren't for the fact that you have fought with Charles and have actual combat experience, I wouldn't bother with you."

"Your strategy against Charles is wrong, General," said Manstein, with the usual indifference and arrogance of the nobles in his words.

Erwin smiled softly: "Strategic error? You mean..."

"You are learning Charles' tactics." Manstein's answer was simple.

"Yes, I am indeed learning Ciel's tactics." Erwin admitted generously, "But I don't think it's wrong."

Erwin looked up at Manstein and said, "No one knows tanks better than him, and no one knows tactics better than him, including you, Colonel. So, put away your arrogance!"

If this guy dares to say that he is better than Ciel, I will kick him out immediately.

However, Manstein calmly replied: "Yes, you are right."

This confused Erwin, and he looked at Manstein with a bewildered look on his face. Didn't he realize that his words were contradictory?

Manstein explained slowly:

"I have no doubt that Charles is an excellent strategist and tactician. He invented the tank, understands it, and is very good at using it. No one can match him."

"But what I'm saying is that you can't defeat him by learning his tactics, General."

"Because the Charles' tactics are used to deal with infantry and trenches, and to penetrate. But you learned the Charles' tactics and hope to use them to deal with the Charles' armored forces."

Erwin suddenly realized that this arrogant guy might be right.

Before this, he simply thought that Charles' tactics were correct, so he immersed himself in studying and applying them on the battlefield.

But the targeting of these tactics has never been considered.

Now that Manstein had reminded him of this, and combined with previous battle examples, Erwin felt that this seemed to be the case.

Manstein took a document from his briefcase and handed it to Erwin:

"You were successful in the early stages of the Antwerp battle because your opponents were enemy infantry."

"The same is true of the battle of Dunkirk."

"But Ciel never fought you head-on as you wished. Instead, he sneaked through your back lane and won in the end, without exception."

"It's not that you played badly, but your strategic direction was wrong, a very serious mistake!"

After a pause, Manstein added: "On the contrary, the battle of Truk Forest, which you thought was a disastrous defeat, was strategically correct. It was the closest you ever came to defeating Charles."

Erwin laughed bitterly and said self-deprecatingly, "You mean to say that the 1st Tank Division being almost completely annihilated is actually a victory?"

"This is not the fault of the war, General." Manstein was not at all reserved towards his superiors. He sat down in front of Erwin and drank his coffee. "No one would have thought that Charles could invent the incendiary bomb. It changed the outcome. This is not something we could have predicted."

"That's good comfort, Colonel." Erwin smiled. "Thank you very much."

Although the words sounded nice, there was a rejection in his tone. He also couldn't stand the behavior of the aristocratic officers.

"You misunderstood, General." Manstein didn't care about it. He replied expressionlessly: "This is not consolation, but telling you how to deal with Charles..."

"I understand what you mean," Erwin interrupted Manstein. "You want to tell me that we should face Charles' tanks head-on, right?"

"Yes." Manstein nodded and secretly praised in his heart.

He has a very good understanding, which is rare for an officer who has not received higher military education, and can even be said to be a genius.

No wonder he could stand up to Ciel.

Manstein elegantly took a sip of his coffee and continued, "As long as we intercept Charles's armored forces, he will not be able to cut through our infantry, defense lines, and trenches. We will have a chance of winning."

"That's easy to say, Colonel," Erwin objected. "You should know how difficult this is."

Erwin did not say it explicitly, which was considered a question for Manstein.

If Manstein didn't know the answer to this question, it meant that he didn't understand Charles' tactics and he was not worthy of giving him instructions.

A barely perceptible smile appeared on Manstein's lips:

"Of course, General."

"The difficulty is that Charles's movements don't have a fixed route. He can change direction or destination at any time."

"Moreover, his troops are very fast, and he has air superiority and is always aware of our military's movements."

"It will be almost impossible for us to intercept his troops."

As he put down his coffee cup, Manstein met Erwin's eyes. "I wonder if you are satisfied with my answer, General?"

Erwin glanced at Manstein in surprise.

Although this guy is annoying, he is actually a real talent, unlike other noble officers who just talk nicely.

"So," Erwin asked, "you knew all this, but you still wanted to stop the Shire's army?"

Erwin didn't think this was a wise move.

The reason why Charles' troops were intercepted in the Truk Forest last time was simply because the 1st Tank Division happened to be on the retreating train, otherwise it would not have been able to arrive in time.

What’s even more frustrating is that Charles was burned down in the end!

Manstein did not answer. He took the briefcase beside him, took out another document and handed it to Erwin.

Erwin flipped it open and looked at it, then asked in confusion, "What is this?"

"Anti-tank gun, General," Manstein replied. "It can be quickly maneuvered and deployed. More importantly, it can penetrate about 15mm of armor at a distance of 500 meters, and 25mm of armor at a distance of 300 meters."

(The picture above shows the German TAK1918 37mm anti-tank gun, which entered service in 1918. It is Germany's first generation of anti-tank guns, weighing only 175 kg, can be towed manually, and the gun wheels are detachable for concealed deployment)

Erwin was surprised by the data of this anti-tank gun: "15mm penetration at 500 meters, 25mm penetration at 300 meters?"

This means that the side armor of the "Char A1" can be penetrated at a distance of 500 meters, and its front armor can be penetrated at a distance of 300 meters.

At this distance, the "Char A1" has not even seen its opponent.

Manstein nodded affirmatively:

"We can use it to form a rapid reaction force to chase and intercept, buying time for our main force."

"We can also use it to cooperate with our tank units."

"Or assign it to infantry to enhance their anti-tank capabilities."

(End of this chapter)