Chapter 771: The Collision of Steel
The "LK2" tank made a dull "rumbling" sound in the rain, like the roar of a wild beast, and its exhaust fumes lingered restlessly on both sides for a long time and were reluctant to leave.
The tracks rolled over the puddles, splashing muddy water onto the faces of the German soldiers behind them, but the soldiers were unaware.
Their attention was all focused on the French tank cluster that was looming across the street.
That was the Shire's army.
It is the invincible First Armored Division, the first unit in the world to use tanks, and also the unit with the most mature tactics and the most combat experience.
The German soldiers dared not slack off at all because they knew that would mean death.
The soldiers seemed to smell the breath of death, their breathing became heavier, their hands holding the rifles turned white from exerting too much force, and every step they took seemed extremely difficult.
Getting closer.
The good news is that judging from the formation, the French army does not seem to have many tanks, only about thirty or so.
Erwin shouted to encourage the soldiers from behind: "They must have split up their forces. We have the advantage in numbers!"
If it weren't for a few broken-down vehicles, the number would be almost twice that of the French army, Erwin thought.
But then his heart tightened.
What Charles meant by dividing his forces was that his other unit had already rushed to Metz, which meant that everything the German army was doing now was meaningless and it could not delay Charles's speed even for a second.
No, Erwin gritted his teeth. If he could defeat the tanks in front of him with his numerical advantage, he could still force Charles' main force to respond.
Getting closer.
The German soldiers saw the general outline of the French tanks, and these guys in front of them seemed different from the "Charter A1" they had imagined.
But the German soldiers didn't think much about it.
What else could it be besides "Char A1"?
The tanks were good enough, they kept winning, and there was no need for Charles to develop a new tank.
Getting closer.
The body of the French tank finally appeared in front of everyone through the rain, and even the 75MM caliber gun barrel on the right side of the body was clearly visible.
The German soldier was stunned and his feet visibly stopped.
The speed of the "LK2" tank also slowed down a bit. It was obvious that the tank soldiers also found something wrong. Several tank commanders opened the hatches and looked outside in panic, as if asking for help.
An infantryman screamed:
"My God, that's a new tank from the Ciel, we've never seen one like it!"
"It has two guns, what should we do?"
"Tanks this big must have thicker armor. We can't defeat them!"
…
Erwin shouted from behind:
"We have no way to retreat, soldiers. We can only move forward."
"Listen to me, we may not be able to penetrate their frontal armor, but we can definitely penetrate the sides."
"We still have a chance. We have a numerical advantage. We can use our speed to get around the flank. Victory will definitely belong to us!"
The soldiers managed to calm down.
What General Erwin said makes sense. There is no such thing as running away when tank groups meet.
Because they flee before fighting, the enemy tanks will follow closely and destroy all of their tanks one after another.
then.
"Use speed to get around to the flank."
"Use speed to get around to the flank."
…
The orders were passed down one after another, including to the tank soldiers.
However, before they were ready, the French tanks on the opposite side stopped one after another.
The German soldiers suddenly felt a suffocating pressure. This was the French tanks preparing to shoot.
Erwin wiped the rain off his face and shouted, "All units, speed up!"
At this time, the only way to speed up is to affect the enemy's aim, especially the 75mm gun installed in the vehicle body.
But it was too late.
Before his order was passed on, a burst of artillery fire was heard from the opposite side, and shells hit the German tank group in large numbers.
No howling.
The distance between them was too short, and the shells were triggered not long after they flew, and thunder-like explosions could be heard.
Seven or eight moving tanks instantly turned into a fireball as they were directly hit by the 75mm gun.
The 75 gun used a grenade, but its initial velocity and shell caliber were enough to penetrate the front armor of the "LK2" tank, which was only 14 MM thick, and then explode inside the tank.
The scene was enough to be described as shocking and terrifying.
The shell caused an explosion of the ammunition and gasoline inside, and the entire car body disintegrated from the inside out in an instant, with parts and armor fragments flying everywhere like shrapnel in the flames.
The German soldiers following the tanks fell down with wailing sounds. Some had their eyes pierced by screws, some had their calves broken by wrenches, and some had half of their heads cut off by steel plates...
The battlefield was like a switch was pressed, and instantly turned from a confrontation into a bloody hell.
Even Erwin, who was watching the battle from behind, felt a chill in his heart.
Although the French army only has 30 or so tanks, if each one is equipped with two guns, the firepower will be doubled.
In particular, the 75 gun has a very fast firing rate, with a theoretical firing rate of up to 30 rounds per minute, which is much faster than any other tank gun.
In a blink of an eye, the German tank group was blown into a mess, with corpses, blood and tank wreckage everywhere.
The German infantry were terrified. Some of them fled desperately, some lay on the ground motionless, and some raised their hands in surrender. They no longer had any intention of coordinating with the tanks.
The "LK2" tanks, perhaps because of their insufficient external perception, were unaware of the tragic situation outside and continued to speed up and rush forward.
Several of them managed to break into the French tank group.
Erwin secretly praised that "LK2" had the advantage of speed in close combat, and might be able to throw the French army into disarray and turn defeat into victory.
But the next second Erwin was in despair.
"Lk2" slowed down when approaching the side of the target, and at the same time the turret rotated sideways, and suddenly opened fire when it missed the target body.
The shells hit the broad flank of the French tank at close range.
Just when Erwin was about to cheer, he found that the French tanks continued to fire as if nothing had happened, whether it was the 37mm gun on the turret or the 75mm gun inside the body of the tank.
"No." Erwin was incredulous. "It clearly hit the side armor."
"General." The staff officer looked through the telescope for a while and replied, "It didn't penetrate!"
"This, this is impossible." Erwin glared at the staff officer fiercely. "They are only a few meters apart and hit at a vertical angle. This situation can even penetrate 40MM armor."
"General," the staff officer said innocently, "I saw the dents on the armor."
Erwin was stunned.
He actually knew what happened. The fact was that the tank was not penetrated, otherwise it would not have been able to fight.
He just didn't want to believe it.
God, Erwin lamented in his heart, if even the side armor cannot be penetrated, is there any possibility of victory?
All "LK2" are targets for the enemy, they are dead!
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
