Chapter 57: A Solution
Qin Chuan was right—the British had begun repairing the fortifications left by the Italians as soon as they captured Tobruk three months earlier.
Since Tobruk was a deep-water port, the British could easily transport the steel, cement, and other materials needed to construct bunkers from their colonies. As a result, the entire 30-mile (48-kilometer) defensive line was completely closed, with no gaps.
The Tobruk defensive line consisted of two main lines. The outermost was the Red Line, which had 140 concrete bunkers spaced between layers of barbed wire. Each bunker was manned by 20 soldiers, equipped with both light and heavy machine guns, an anti-tank gun, and enough supplies to hold out for seven days.
It's worth noting that most of these bunkers were built underground, with only the firing ports and the bunker tops exposed above the surface, making them difficult to detect and target. The British even piled sand around them, making them look like small sand dunes.
Two miles behind the Red Line was the Blue Line, a deep minefield reinforced with barbed wire and dotted with fortifications every 500 yards, each armed with numerous machine guns and anti-tank guns.
It wasn't hard to see that these fortifications were designed to counter the German armored units… if the German tanks attempted to attack this defensive line, they would need to clear out each bunker on the Red Line first. Otherwise, the tanks that bypassed the bunkers to attack the Blue Line would find themselves trapped in a minefield, vulnerable to fire from all directions.
"This is a dead end!" Alfredo said angrily to Qin Chuan. "Sergeant, look at what you've done… you've led us all into a dead end!"
"Enough!" Werner grabbed Alfredo by the collar and shoved him aside. "Italian, do I need to remind you how many times the sergeant saved your life? Without his help, you wouldn't have made it this far!"
The other German soldiers cast scornful looks at Alfredo.
"Don't let his words get to you!" Basel comforted Qin Chuan. "The colonel was right—even if we can't do anything after reaching Tobruk, it's better than staying in Tengerten and being wiped out!"
"Yes, Sergeant!" the Baker added. "Keep in mind that we've captured and destroyed a lot of enemy supplies along the way—that's enough to make the British hurt!"
"And the chocolate!" Werner said, popping a piece of chocolate into his mouth and tossing the wrapper into the wind. "I think that's what the British will miss the most, don't you think?"
The soldiers couldn't help but laugh, and Qin Chuan was surprised by how calm the German soldiers were in the face of what seemed like certain death. After all, how many people in this world can face death with such composure?
To Qin Chuan, Alfredo's reaction was more understandable.
"We might still have a chance!" Kuhn said, though it was unclear if he was trying to comfort Qin Chuan or if he actually believed it. "The British are short on manpower, and their military discipline is rather poor!"
"Uh-huh!" Basel nodded in agreement.
Basel could see this as well. If the British had enough troops, there would at least be a few soldiers in the trenches. And if they had better discipline, they would have waited until the Germans got closer to open fire… that would have caused greater casualties among the Germans.
This also revealed the British soldiers' fear: they were too afraid to defend the trenches and hid in the bunkers instead. They were too afraid to let the Germans get close before firing.
"But that doesn't change the fact that we can't break through this defensive line!" Basel said. "We need artillery, we need tanks, but we have none of that… while the enemy has an almost endless supply of bullets!"
This was undoubtedly true, as Tobruk was a port where British supplies were continuously arriving by sea and being stockpiled. So, they certainly had no shortage of ammunition, and it wouldn't be long before they received reinforcements—from the sea, from Mechili, and even air support…
"Why don't we surrender?" Alfredo said, his voice trembling. "There's no point in fighting anymore, is there…"
Before Alfredo could finish, the Bear punched him.
"Shut your mouth, Italian!" the Bear growled. "Or I'll shut it for you—permanently!"
With that, the Bear intentionally flashed his pistol at Alfredo, who quickly fell silent.
As they spoke, the third battalion launched another attack, but predictably, they were quickly driven back by the intense British firepower… leaving nothing behind but a few bodies on the battlefield.
"Prepare for sacrifice!" Basel told the soldiers.
The soldiers knew what Basel meant. After several failed attempts to break through the enemy lines, the next step… was likely to be a mass assault on the enemy.
Although this had already been proven ineffective, the Germans now had no other choice.
Sure enough, before long, an order was heard:
"All units, prepare for battle!"
"All units, prepare for battle!"
…
The soldiers checked their weapons, and Werner grabbed two grenades from the ammo box, attaching them to his belt. He also suggested that Qin Chuan do the same.
"Sergeant!" Werner said, "These grenades can help us clear mines if necessary!"
Qin Chuan knew Werner was right, but he wasn't in the mood to think about it… to Qin Chuan, the type of attack the Germans were about to launch was akin to the line battles of musket-era warfare, where both sides stood in formation and shot at each other—the difference being that the enemy was hiding in bunkers with machine guns.
Maybe the German soldiers could do it and had the courage to do it, but Qin Chuan wasn't content with that.
The two "Mosquito" reconnaissance planes circling overhead seemed to sense the Germans' desperation. They swooped down, flying low over the German soldiers' heads, taunting them. The German soldiers cursed at them but were powerless to do anything… the Mosquitoes were fast, with a top speed of 684 kilometers per hour, while the best fighter plane in Europe at the time, the Spitfire, had a top speed of only 660 kilometers per hour. Besides, it didn't matter if the Mosquitoes conducted reconnaissance, so the Germans didn't want to waste bullets on them.
However, this gave Qin Chuan an idea. He immediately shouted to Basel, who was a few meters away, preparing to lead the troops in a charge, "Captain, can we delay the attack? I need to see the colonel!"
"Sergeant!" Basel replied without turning around, "Unless you have a way to break through the defensive line, otherwise…"
"Yes, I think I have a solution!" Qin Chuan responded. "Although I'm not sure if it will work!"
"Are you joking?" Basel turned to look at him. "We have nothing—what solution could there be?"
"Captain!" Werner shouted. "It doesn't hurt to try, does it? Why not give it a shot?"
"Yes, Captain!" the Baker agreed. "We're all going to die anyway, aren't we? I'm willing to try anything, even if it has a very low chance of success!"
"Alright!" Basel nodded and then looked to his right, saying, "The colonel is over there!"
Then Basel added, "Sergeant, I'm waiting for your good news!"
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