Chapter 769 They Installed Telephones on Tanks

What made Manstein even more uneasy was that the French army fought in an organized manner.

When the tanks were not under enemy fire attack, the French infantry always rushed into the houses on both sides to search and fight before the tanks.

They threw two grenades in through the door or window, and after the explosion, they quickly rushed into the building with submachine guns and shotguns to clear it out.

Under the French army's attack of submachine guns and grenades, the German soldiers lurking in the buildings could not be said to be vulnerable, but often the battle was over after only a few gunshots and explosions.

The tanks continued to advance cautiously. Sometimes they would stop and adjust their tank guns to fire at a window, causing the German soldiers hiding inside to scream.

Manstein exclaimed that the infantry and tanks had perfect coordination, with the infantry covering the tanks and the tanks covering the infantry.

What made Manstein even more unbelievable was that the pace of the French infantry and tanks was highly consistent.

He couldn't imagine how the French army was able to advance its two arms in an orderly manner as a whole, and how the tanks knew for sure which house they were targeting when they opened fire.

(Note: At this time, Manstein had not yet discovered that the "Charles B1" had a telephone installed)

The tanks continued to move forward, and not far ahead of them, behind the corner was the first line of defense set up by Manstein.

Manstein's decision to set up a defensive line at the corner was a careful consideration.

He knew that when a tank turned a corner along a street, not only would it have to slow down, but it would also be difficult for the tank crew, who were looking out through the observation holes, to see their opponents.

At this time, the German anti-tank guns can attack the target with confidence.

Manstein deployed a total of 10 anti-tank guns on this main street called "Marais".

Four gates were located in the middle of the street. They were two lines of defense made of sandbags, supported by an infantry company.

The other six guns were hidden in the houses on both sides. The gunners made necessary adjustments to the buildings so that their firing range could cover the corners from a high position.

Once the French tanks were destroyed at the corner, it would easily cause a jam and completely block the French army at the other end.

However, the French army's response was more flexible than Manstein had imagined, which surprised and even frightened Manstein.

The first people to observe the "danger" behind the corner were the French soldiers who were conducting reconnaissance past the tanks.

As soon as they leaned forward, the German army opened fire on them with all kinds of guns.

The French soldiers did not charge forward. They stopped professionally and organized personnel to drag back the two injured soldiers.

A captain shouted to the rear: "Enemy around the corner, three o'clock direction, 100 meters!"

"Three o'clock, 100 meters!"

"Three o'clock, 100 meters!"

…

Manstein was surprised to find that the tank turret had been pre-adjusted to the angle according to the distance and direction reported by the captain.

Then, the two tanks slowed down and turned the corner, stopping just as the turrets emerged, and the tank guns were slightly adjusted.

“Boom boom!”

The German sandbag fortifications were instantly blown to pieces, and corpses and sand were thrown into the air and then fell down by the shock wave amid screams.

The German anti-tank guns tried to fight back, but too little of the tank was exposed, and it was tilted towards them. Several shells were either blocked by the buildings or missed the target. One shell hit the target but was bounced away, causing almost no damage to the tank.

"What the hell?" The French coordination shocked Manstein to the point of his head tingling: "Why can their tanks respond to the infantry so quickly and so perfectly?"

Although Manstein was not a tank soldier, he knew the difficulties of tank combat during the training during this period.

Tank crews hide inside thick armor and have poor external perception, so it is not easy for them to coordinate with infantry.

For example, right in front of you.

How can infantrymen convey the correct information to a closed tank, letting the tank crew know that there is danger around the corner, and even knowing the angle and distance of the danger in advance so they can adjust the angle of the tank gun in advance?

It's incredible, it's like they can talk to each other!

The staff officer beside him could not answer his question. He could only stare blankly at the battlefield, over and over again, but still could not find the reason.

“Boom boom!”

"boom!"

…

For the next few minutes, the French army did nothing, the infantry did not advance and the tanks did not move.

They used the exposed turret and front armor to withstand the German firepower, and the 37mm gun fired one shot after another at the German defense line.

The German army opened fire at full force, using all kinds of rifles and machine guns to fire like popping beans, and also used a lot of K bullets.

However, when they hit the French army's new tanks, it was like scratching an itch, and sparks flew out with a series of clangs and clangs.

They actually wounded several French soldiers.

The reason was that the density of the bullets was too high. Several bullets bounced back by coincidence and hit the other side of the corner at a strange angle, injuring the French soldiers who were hiding against the building.

A French soldier with a leg injury yelled: "These bastards can hit me even if they fire with their eyes closed!"

Many anti-tank guns hit the tanks, but none of them were able to penetrate them effectively.

The output of French tanks is different.

Every shell they fired could cause a bloody storm on the German defense line.

In particular, the tank on the right seemed to feel that it was not enough to fight like this, so it continued to move forward for a distance, straightened the body, and aimed the 75mm gun inside the body at the German defense line.

“Boom! Boom!”

The power and firing rate of the 75mm gun were beyond the capability of sandbag fortifications to withstand.

Amid the smoke and the baptism of a violent storm, it wasn't long before the German defense line was filled with collapsed sandbags, tilted Maxim machine guns, and anti-tank guns that were blown to pieces.

In the streets, leaked sand and soil mixed with corpses and broken limbs, looking like a pile of unevenly mixed fertilizer, red, black, green, and all kinds of colors.

At this time, the French infantry continued to advance and seize buildings along both sides.

The German anti-tank guns deployed on the buildings were still firing.

A shell hit the front armor of the tank, and flames and thick smoke rose in an instant.

But nothing happened. The huge impact force left a dent in the tank's metal shell. It was estimated that the crew inside the tank were hit by the sound waves, which made its reaction seem a little slow.

However, another tank immediately discovered the location of the anti-tank gun.

The 75mm gun was slightly adjusted, and two consecutive shells "boom boom" blew the target hiding on the third floor and the concrete wall into pieces.

In an instant, body parts and concrete fragments fell from the sky like flowers scattered from heaven. An anti-tank gun barrel that had been blown out of shape fell and jumped on the ground with a clanging sound.

Manstein, who was observing the battle from the church, finally saw it clearly. He took down his telescope in disbelief, and raised it again the next second to observe carefully, exclaiming: "It's a telephone! These bastards, they installed a telephone on the tank. Charles actually installed a telephone on the tank!"

(End of this chapter)