Chapter 39: The Predicament
After interrogating the British prisoners, they discovered that the British had turned Tengerten into a tank supply and repair base.
Against the "Matilda" tanks, the German and Italian tanks currently available were almost no match, especially the Italian tanks, which could almost be described as "helpless" against the British.
However, as the saying goes, "Every family has its own problems," and the "Matilda" tanks had their shortcomings that plagued the British. For example, their speed, their fuel consumption... these were bearable, but the most intolerable issue was the frequent engine failures in the desert's high temperatures.
This made the "Matilda" tanks nearly immobile. After the British crushed the Italian army, the "Matilda" tanks broke down one after another on their way forward, and out of over a thousand tanks, only a few dozen actually made it to the front lines to participate in combat. This was one of the reasons why the Italian forces were able to retreat to Tripoli under British pursuit.
So, to ensure that the "Matilda" tanks could be deployed to the front lines during wartime, the British came up with a solution: establishing supply and repair depots along the route.
In this way, the "Matilda" tanks could be repaired on the spot whenever they broke down, which not only eased logistical difficulties but also enhanced the tanks' mobility—a win-win situation.
Tengerten was one such depot, and it was also a critical point for reinforcing Mechili... Mechili was a British base, currently under attack by German forces, so the British had quickly dispatched a group of tanks to Tengerten, ready to reinforce Mechili at any moment.
However, the British hadn't anticipated that these tanks would be captured by the Germans before they could be sent to Mechili.
This point was soon verified in another way: the Germans found an underground warehouse in the town, filled with barrels of gasoline, ammunition, and tank parts.
"Has anyone here received tank training?" Bazell asked.
At that moment, Qin Chuan and the others were building fortifications, and they paused their work when they heard the question.
"No, I don't think so, Captain!" the Baker replied.
After Bazell left, the Baker shook his head and said, "Do they want our soldiers to drive those tanks? My God, those are British tanks. It would take weeks of training just to familiarize ourselves with them and make them effective!"
The Baker's point was valid. A tank is operated by a crew working together in close coordination; without that, it would just flail around on the battlefield like a headless chicken.
"Regardless," Werner said as he dug a shovelful of sand and tossed it out of the trench, "it's better to use them than not. At least we'll have something to counter the British tanks!"
The Baker patted the sand down in front of him and shook his head. "You mean to say... we're supposed to pin our hopes on those eighteen captured British tanks?"
The soldiers fell silent. They all knew the Baker was right. Not only were eighteen tanks insufficient to hold Tengerten's defenses, but even if they could... the British still had artillery, planes, and a large number of tanks. They had the capability to overwhelm Tengerten's defenses. All the German soldiers could do was dig at the loose sand under their feet... sand that barely formed a proper trench.
"Sergeant!" Kuhn approached Qin Chuan, crouching down at the edge of the trench, and asked, "I want to know how many enemies you killed in the battle earlier."
"I'm not sure, sir," Qin Chuan replied. "Maybe eleven."
Qin Chuan was telling the truth because he didn't know how many people had been killed by the grenade he had thrown.
Kuhn nodded and then said, "Do you know you almost did something foolish? You nearly got yourself killed."
"But... isn't that just how it is on the battlefield?" Qin Chuan responded. "I mean, danger is everywhere!"
"You're right, but we can minimize the danger!" Kuhn said. "You're a sniper, not an ordinary rifleman... you should always try to keep your distance from the enemy rather than engaging in close-quarters shooting, understand? Otherwise, you might not be so lucky next time!"
"Yes, sir!" Qin Chuan answered.
Kuhn's advice was, of course, reasonable, especially since Qin Chuan had been exchanging fire with the British from the window, right behind the tank... Looking back, that was almost a suicide mission. If it hadn't been for Keller and Werner showing up in time, Qin Chuan would likely have been out of the fight permanently.
"I think I owe you guys a thank you," Qin Chuan said to Werner and Keller. "You saved my life!"
Keller blushed, his eyes shining with excitement, but as usual, he couldn't find the words to respond.
"It was our duty, Sergeant!" Werner replied. "We were honored!"
After a pause, Werner added, "And so what if we did? Look around..."
Werner spread his hands. "Before long, this place is going to be our grave!"
"Don't be so pessimistic, soldier!" Bazell happened to be passing by and, in a slightly reproachful tone, said to Werner, "Our main force is giving the British a hard time—we'll be victorious!"
Despite his words, everyone knew that the situation in Tengerten was far from optimistic.
Sure enough, as the soldiers were talking, someone suddenly shouted, "The British—they're coming!"
Everyone turned to look in the direction of the shout and saw a cloud of dust rolling in from the west, looking like a sandstorm. The difference was that at the forefront of this dust cloud were over thirty tanks advancing side by side. What looked like a sandstorm was actually the exhaust and dust kicked up by the tanks.
"My God!" someone exclaimed. "There must be at least a hundred tanks!"
This was actually expected. Once Tengerten was occupied by the Germans, the British forces stationed at Mechili were effectively cut off from their supply lines. The British couldn't allow this to happen, so they were bound to send a strong enough force to recapture Tengerten and reopen the supply route.
However, the soldiers were still taken aback by the sheer scale of the British force.
And this was just the beginning.
Before the soldiers could express their amazement, a loud roar came from the sky. A black swarm of fighters and bombers appeared overhead, at least a hundred of them, flying in formation like a flock of geese, heading straight for Tengerten.
"Air raid alert!" Bazell shouted as he jumped into the trench, simultaneously ordering, "Everyone, take cover!"
No sooner had he spoken than the bombers, with a sharp whistling sound, began their dive toward the ground.
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