Chapter 3: Tank Warfare
Running along behind the exhaust fumes and dust, Qin Chuan and the group of German soldiers soon arrived in front of the dunes.
The tanks suddenly slowed down, and the troops halted as well. Qin Chuan curiously poked his head out and saw a line of British tanks appearing on the hill ahead, one after another, their dark cannon barrels protruding ominously from the dunes...
At first, Qin Chuan didn't feel fear upon seeing these tanks. He was used to thinking in terms of a peaceful society, so his first reaction was that this was just a traffic situation—both sides would honk their horns and then go their separate ways.
But Qin Chuan quickly realized this thinking was completely wrong: this was a battlefield, those were enemy tanks, and, even worse, there were far more enemy tanks than their own.
Before Qin Chuan could react, the sound of fierce gunfire and explosions erupted.
The whole world instantly turned into chaos: shrapnel flew everywhere, bullets pinged off the tank armor with a noise like popping corn, and there were screams, shouts, and orders... Everything suddenly erupted all at once.
Qin Chuan had no time to think about firing his gun; all he could do was curl up as tightly as possible behind the tank, hoping that this would all end soon.
But that was clearly just wishful thinking, because once a battle begins, it only ends when one side is defeated.
A German soldier who had just poked his head out was hit in the face by a bullet and fell back with a thud. He collapsed right in front of Qin Chuan, the bullet having pierced just below his nose, leaving his face a blur of blood as it gushed out like a fountain. Even more horrifying, he didn't die immediately; he clutched his head, trembling in pain, trying to scream but unable to make a sound, his legs twitching frantically until, gradually, his movements slowed, weakened, and finally stopped altogether.
Qin Chuan couldn't help but scream. He didn't know why he was screaming or what he was screaming; he just wanted to vent the fear inside him, or he would go mad.
Then, with a loud "boom," a wave of heat rushed from the tank... The tank Qin Chuan had been hiding behind had been destroyed.
In fact, by this time, there were very few German tanks left.
The main German tank was the "Panzer III," while the British had "Matilda" tanks.
Although the "Panzer III" had a larger caliber gun than the "Matilda" (by this time, the "Panzer III" had been upgraded to a 50mm gun, while the "Matilda" still used a 40mm gun), the "Matilda's" 78mm front armor was nearly twice as thick as the "Panzer III's" 47mm armor.
This created an awkward situation: the British tanks could easily penetrate the German tanks' armor, but the German tanks had difficulty doing the same to the British tanks.
"Retreat!" Qin Chuan heard someone shout.
Qin Chuan, frozen in fear and having forgotten to run, was jolted back to reality by this command, and he quickly scrambled to his feet and started running...
The baker shouted angrily from behind, making Qin Chuan realize he had done something wrong again, but he couldn't care about that now. He just wanted to get away from this place as quickly as possible or hide behind someone else... He even wanted to tell everyone that this war had nothing to do with him, that this wasn't his world.
But Qin Chuan had indeed made a mistake because "retreat" doesn't mean "run away." A retreat is a coordinated withdrawal where units cover each other; otherwise, you expose your back to the enemy, inviting a massacre, especially when the enemy has tanks... The tanks' machine guns and cannons would slaughter anyone fleeing in their path.
However, Qin Chuan was lucky because the British tanks were on the hill, and as they descended to pursue the Germans, they had a steep angle that prevented them from aiming far ahead. Otherwise, Qin Chuan would have been riddled with bullets by now.
But the German soldiers behind Qin Chuan were not so lucky.
Their attempts to cover each other during the retreat caused them to lose the optimal time for withdrawal. The British tanks rolled down the hill one by one, and predictably, they unleashed a massacre on the German soldiers with their cannons and machine guns.
"Damn it!" Rommel, watching the battle from the sky, couldn't help but shout, "Anti-tank guns, cover them!"
The pilot quickly relayed the order via radio.
But the response was disheartening:
"General!" the pilot reported, "Our anti-tank guns have already opened fire, but they can't penetrate the enemy tanks. There's nothing we can do against them!"
The 5th Light Division was equipped with PAK 36 anti-tank guns, which could only barely penetrate 50mm at a range of 500 meters, far from enough to pierce the British "Matilda" tanks' 78mm armor.
Rommel couldn't help but think, "It's over." The very thing he had feared was finally happening... At this rate, not only would the German and Italian forces fail to pursue the British, but they would also be driven back in disarray, possibly even losing Tripoli.
"Order them to hold the line!" Rommel commanded. "Whatever it takes, push the Brits back!"
"Yes, sir!" the pilot responded, though he couldn't help but think: Hold the line? With what? Continuing to hold out in these circumstances would only lead to slaughter.
And Qin Chuan was one of those being slaughtered.
He ran for his life, the sound of British tank treads, machine guns, and cannons close behind, with shells occasionally exploding nearby. Several times, the shockwaves from the explosions knocked him off his feet.
The only thing that comforted Qin Chuan was the "Matilda" tanks' slow speed; otherwise, they would have already caught up with him.
"Block them!" Qin Chuan heard a German officer shouting orders.
When Qin Chuan looked back, he felt a pang of guilt... His comrades were still fighting on the battlefield. Though their efforts seemed futile, like trying to stop a car with an outstretched arm, they were doing everything they could, using explosives, grenades, and anything else to slow the British tanks' advance. Remarkably, they even managed to destroy two tanks.
But it was clear that this wouldn't change the outcome. The British tanks advanced steadily, like an unstoppable wall, with ranks of British soldiers in their distinctive dish-shaped helmets following behind, occasionally popping out from behind the tanks to fire... and with every burst of gunfire, another German soldier fell in a pool of blood.
At that moment, Qin Chuan felt something was wrong. Historically, the Afrika Korps had surged forward in their early campaigns, reaching as far as Egypt. So why were they now being so thoroughly routed by the British?
And if this situation continued, the German forces were on the verge of a complete collapse.
Did the Germans really lack the equipment to counter the British "Matilda" tanks?
No, they had it, but they might not have realized it yet.
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