Chapter 176: Chapter 254 The French Doomsday (24)
Engaging in close combat with overwhelming enemy forces, especially when facing a significant numerical disadvantage, is akin to using a bayonet against a larger force. Even if one manages to confront ten enemies alone, being eliminated is only a matter of time.
In the initial round of firing, the German forces destroyed nearly 20 French tanks. However, the remaining number of French tanks still outnumbered them several times. If they engaged in close combat at this moment, they would be surrounded and overwhelmed.
Moreover, getting too close would increase the likelihood of the thick frontal armor of their tanks being penetrated.
Therefore, they needed to leverage the superior range and accuracy of their tanks, keeping a distance from the enemy and eliminating them from afar would be the best strategy. However, they couldn't turn their tanks to expose their rear to the enemy. Like most tanks, the front armor of the Jackal tank was the thickest, followed by the sides, and the rear armor was the most vulnerable. If the tank's rear faced the enemy, a single enemy shell could penetrate and destroy them.
That's why Hans ordered everyone to reverse, ensuring that the thickest main armor was always facing the enemy. Although reversing was slower than advancing, it effectively prolonged the time of contact.
After two rounds of firing, all the B1 heavy tanks, which posed the greatest threat to the German forces, had turned into roaring bonfires. The remaining tanks were the less threatening S35 medium tanks and R35 light tanks.
From the surface, it seemed like the French were chasing the retreating Germans. In reality, it was the French tanks being destroyed one by one.
Finally, realizing the loss of nearly one-third of their tanks, the French seemed to wake up and stopped pursuing. They traded this one-third loss for only four German tanks, which were voluntarily abandoned by the Germans. Such a deal was too unfavorable; anyone would find it hard to continue.
The company commander's B1 heavy tank had long been blown up, leaving only two platoon leaders discussing what to do.
Given the current situation, continuing the pursuit would undoubtedly lead to the complete annihilation of their entire force. However, refraining from pursuit would be swallowing an unbearable humiliation. After all, with so many tanks lost, this grudge could not go unanswered.
Their discussion had not yet yielded results when the German forces reversing in front of them also came to a halt.
"It seems these bastards are scared!" Hans, observing the stationary French tanks through the periscope, sneered and loudly commanded, "Everyone, maintain formation, attack!"
Seeing the German tanks charging towards them, the two platoon leaders, still deliberating on their strategy, panicked. Simultaneously, they issued contradictory orders.
"Attack!"
"Retreat!"
Their subordinates faithfully carried out the conflicting orders. Half of the tanks turned around and rushed back, while the other half boldly charged forward. However, before they could cover a few meters, a swarm of dark aircraft appeared in the sky behind the German forces.
"Retreat!"
"Retreat!"
The platoon leader who had just ordered an attack shouted hysterically for a retreat. It was worth noting that the French Air Force was essentially crippled, making it impossible for them to deploy aircraft on such a scale. What was approaching must be the German air force.
The German armored forces had already dominated them on the ground, and now with the arrival of the air force, how could they continue the fight?
On the other side, Hans, who was preparing to open fire, saw the French tanks abruptly turn and retreat.
"???" What's going on? Could it be some kind of feigned retreat tactic?
Just as he hesitated whether to pursue, a tremendous roar echoed in the sky. Even inside the tank compartment with the noisy engine sounds, such a commotion was audible, indicating that more than just a few planes were coming.
Hans pushed open the hatch, sticking his head out to look at the sky. He saw a vast swarm of aircraft approaching.
"Ilyushin Il-2 attack planes.", Hans muttered with a bit of annoyance. These guys arrived at the perfect time.
As the fleet flew over their heads, he noticed that the leading attack plane had a shiny black fuselage, making it particularly conspicuous.
"Could this be the legendary 'Tank Killer'?" He had heard about a legendary figure named Rudel in the air attack forces who had destroyed nearly thirty enemy tanks from the Polish campaign to the present, along with hundreds of other vehicles.
The leading attack plane went into a dive, flying to a low altitude of about 200 meters from the French tanks. Four rockets were launched from the wing-mounted rocket launcher, homing in on the retreating French tanks. Three rockets precisely hit three tanks, while the last rocket exploded violently behind one tank. After moving forward for a distance, that tank slowly came to a stop, motionless.
"Wow!" This ace effortlessly destroyed four tanks with four rockets. Hans was left dumbfounded, wondering if these rockets had eyes.
The Ilyushin Il-2, as a dedicated ground-attack aircraft, carried powerful weapons, including two 23mm autocannons and two 7.62mm machine guns, along with a rocket launcher.
The original Soviet Il-2 was equipped with the RO-82 rocket launcher, capable of carrying 8 RS-82 rockets. Later, the single-seat variant of the Il-2 improved the rocket-carrying capacity, enabling it to mount 14 RS-132 rockets or a combination of 8 RS-82 and 8 RS-132 rockets, at the cost of removing bomb racks. In some units, the rocket-carrying capacity was even increased to an incredible 24 rockets!
However, given that even Soviet pilots did not hold RS-82 in high regard, Wilhelm had the research department develop an 85mm rocket, significantly enhancing its power.
The current German version of the single-seat Il-2 could carry 24 85mm rockets.
However, rockets had their flaws—namely, their accuracy was far inferior to barrel artillery.
The structure of World War II-era air-to-ground rockets was relatively simple, or rather crude. They commonly used a simple 2 to 4 tail-fin configuration to maintain direction. However, these efforts were often negated by natural conditions due to insufficient initial velocity and the lack of spin.
For instance, the RP rocket, when flying, would see its dispersion radius increase by 5 meters for every 15 kilometers per hour increase in crosswind. The stability of rockets relying solely on tail fins was poor. Therefore, fundamentally speaking, the RP rocket and the Soviet Katyusha were the same thing. Especially when the RP rocket was launched at a distance of 900 to 1800 meters, its dispersion rate was practically indistinguishable from Katyusha.
So, to hit moving tanks with rockets, it had to be done at an extremely close range, and it required considerable technical skill to achieve.
Just as Hans sighed with genuine admiration, the other attack planes followed suit, diving down. A myriad of rockets filled the sky, raining down on the fleeing French tanks. While the other pilots' skills were far from Rudel's, the quantity compensated for the lack of precision. In the blink of an eye, the remaining dozens of French tanks were completely wiped out.
After eliminating this tank unit, the attack plane formation did not return. Instead, they flew forward in a mighty formation.
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