Chapter 38: Life and Death
"Boom!" The grenade exploded outside with a loud bang.
The grenade couldn't destroy the tank, of course, but it could kill or wound the British infantry following behind the tank... and that was Qin Chuan's goal.
Almost simultaneously with the explosion, Qin Chuan jumped off the table, leaped to the window, and raised his rifle... by this time, the tank had already passed the window, leaving the infantry following behind it completely exposed to Qin Chuan.
These infantrymen were dazed and disoriented by the grenade explosion, some lying on the ground, others bleeding from head wounds, and none of them were in any condition to fight back.
"Bang!" Qin Chuan pulled the trigger.
He didn't need to aim; the distance between him and the enemy was only a few meters, so close that he could clearly see the dust and grime on the British soldier's face.
At this range, it was almost impossible to miss. The bullet hit a British soldier without fail, and the impact threw his body backward as if pulled by an invisible string, and he slowly collapsed.
In the eyes of the British soldier, Qin Chuan saw regret and resentment... the grenade in his hand told Qin Chuan everything. If Qin Chuan had been a few seconds slower, the soldier would have pulled the pin and tossed the grenade through the window.
Clearly, if he had succeeded, it would have been Qin Chuan who died.
But in war, there is no "what if." A few seconds can mean the difference between life and death.
"Bang!" Qin Chuan quickly chambered another round and fired again, taking down another British soldier.
By now, Qin Chuan was getting nervous because he noticed there were still seven or eight British soldiers behind the tank. They had recovered from the grenade explosion and noticed Qin Chuan at the window.
Qin Chuan knew what this meant: he had only a K98K bolt-action rifle, while the British soldiers had much faster-firing Enfield rifles. He even noticed one British soldier holding a Thompson submachine gun.
(Note: After the Dunkirk evacuation, the British lost a large amount of equipment. The Sten submachine gun, which was rapidly developed afterward, had not yet been widely issued. In the early stages of the North African campaign, most submachine guns used by the British were American-made Thompsons.)
What would happen next was clear: the British would pin down Qin Chuan at the window with gunfire, then toss a few grenades inside... and that would be the end of Qin Chuan.
"Bang!" Qin Chuan gritted his teeth and fired another shot.
This bullet first hit a British rifleman and then struck the submachine gunner behind him.
Qin Chuan had heard before that secondary injuries were often more deadly than primary ones, but he had always been skeptical until he saw the submachine gunner in the rear fall to the ground as if struck by a heavy blow, killed instantly.
This might be because, by the time the bullet hit the second person, it no longer had enough energy to pass through, so all its kinetic energy was released inside the body. But dead is dead, and how it happens makes little difference.
However, Qin Chuan didn't have time to reload and fire again... the downside of a bolt-action rifle is its slow rate of fire. Several British soldiers had already aimed their rifles at Qin Chuan, and he didn't even have time to dodge... for the first time, Qin Chuan felt death so close. He could almost see the bullet flying out of the barrel and drilling a bloody hole in his head.
Just then, a burst of gunfire rang out, and all the British soldiers fell to the ground, screaming.
It was Werner and Keller, who had popped out from the other side of the street and mowed down the British soldiers with their MP40 submachine guns.
Qin Chuan was stunned for a few seconds before he realized the battle wasn't over yet. He raised his rifle again and fired at the remaining British soldiers.
As bullets flew from the barrel, Qin Chuan noticed that at some point, his back had become drenched with cold sweat.
The British infantry was successfully pinned down on the other side of the street by Qin Chuan and his comrades, while the tank continued to roll forward, unaware of what was happening behind it... tanks have poor situational awareness, especially during combat when the commander doesn't dare open the hatch and can only observe through periscopes, focusing all attention on the front. Whatever happens behind them is left to the infantry or fate.
A German soldier emerged from a building, holding an anti-tank grenade... it was a PWM contact-detonated anti-tank grenade, shaped like a flask with a long neck, commonly seen in chemistry labs. The semi-circular cap at the head ensured accurate aim during the throw, and the handle had a parasol-like stabilizing tail to keep it steady in flight.
The German soldier swung the grenade forcefully toward the tank... the tail opened like a small umbrella in the air, guiding the grenade head-first to strike the rear of the tank.
"Boom," the grenade exploded with a loud blast, setting the tank on fire.
The "Matilda" tank used a gasoline engine, and gasoline is easily ignited. Soon, the ammunition inside the tank began to explode in a chain reaction, and with a loud bang, the entire turret was blown off, crashing heavily to the ground. The crew inside were surely dead, their bodies not even visible.
The German soldiers let out a cheer.
However, before they could catch their breath, the sound of another engine rumbled from the other end of the street.
The soldiers looked at each other in disbelief, wondering how such a small and insignificant town could have so many British tanks. And if the British had so many tanks, why had they deployed them in a town unsuited for tank combat?
This realization also brought a sense of relief to the German soldiers. If those tanks had been lined up outside the town with infantry support... it would have been impossible to capture the town without paying a huge price, especially without the 88mm anti-aircraft guns.
But now, the situation was different because, as everyone knows, tanks aren't well-suited for urban combat.
Buildings in towns hinder a tank's line of sight, preventing it from fully utilizing its long-range firepower and limiting its mobility. On the other hand, infantry can use the buildings for cover, approaching the tanks from all directions and destroying them.
One by one, the British tanks were destroyed by the Germans.
The British quickly realized they couldn't win and chose to surrender.
The Germans were shocked to find that there were thirty-eight Matilda tanks in Tengerten. Twenty had been destroyed in the battle, while the remaining eighteen were captured intact by the Germans.
The British could have chosen to destroy these tanks before surrendering, but they didn't, fearing that the Germans would retaliate and kill them all.
However, as it turned out, even this decision couldn't save their lives.
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