Capítulo 187: Chapter 265 The French Doomsday (35)
In the original timeline, the Anglo-French coalition didn't just retreat, they also launched counterattacks.
In an effort to halt the German advance and defend their lines, Lord Gort, the British Expeditionary Force commander, ordered a counterattack near the small town of Arras in northwest France, aiming at the German flank. The goal was to delay the German offensive and prevent the encirclement of the British forces.
To be frank, the British executed this counterattack brilliantly. When the moment of confrontation arrived, the Germans were caught off guard, and in the first engagement, they were defeated. The reason was the use of the concealed Matilda II tanks by the British. The armor of these tanks, especially the frontal armor, was exceptionally thick, rendering the standard 37mm anti-tank shells of the Germans virtually ineffective against the Matilda. Some soldiers even risked firing at Matildas from a distance of 5 meters, putting themselves in danger, yet they still couldn't penetrate the Matilda's armor. At this point, the bravery of the soldiers had lost its meaning, as all they could do was watch the Matildas rotate their turrets, systematically destroying the German anti-tank guns, and then rampage through the German positions. The German casualties were severe, and even Lieutenant Möst, Rommel's adjutant, was killed by the British just one meter away from Rommel.
In the face of urgency, Rommel brought in the 88mm anti-aircraft guns and 105mm field guns from his division to be used as anti-tank artillery in the defensive line. At the last moment, many explosives were set around the position to hinder the Matilda tanks. The British Expeditionary Force, after suffering losses, was forced to halt its advance. Subsequently, with the support of the German Air Force, Rommel launched a successful counterattack, driving the British back.
As the secret weapon of the British Empire, the Matilda II tank made its first appearance in this counterattack near Arras.
In the late 1930s to the late 1940s, the British military classified tanks into Infantry Tanks and Cruiser Tanks. For Infantry Tanks, the requirements were strong armor protection, moderate speed to allow infantry to keep pace during assaults, and no need for excessive offensive power—a machine gun on the tank was deemed sufficient. While these requirements were not high, there were strict cost limitations, the entire vehicle cost only £6,000.
Soon, Vickers, the largest arms manufacturer in Britain, designed the Matilda I tank with only one vehicle-mounted machine gun for infantry support. The Matilda II tank, compared to the original Matilda I, had several improvements. The thickest part of the armor now reached 78mm, and the original turret, equipped with a 7.7mm machine gun, was redesigned to feature a 2-pound (40mm) high-velocity tank gun.
Although this counterattack ended in the failure of the British forces, the Matilda Heavy Tank, considered an "ace", could be described as nearly invincible.
Even Erwin Rommel, the "Desert Fox" who would later dominate North Africa, exclaimed in awe when he saw the Matilda Heavy Tank from a distance, saying, "If only we had such tanks." In the early stages of the war, aside from using minefields to obstruct Matildas and deploying infantry for close-quarters demolition, as well as utilizing the powerful 88mm anti-aircraft guns, the Germans had practically no weapons that could stop the Matilda's advance.
However, this time was different. The German Jackal tanks were equipped with the 50mm KwK 39 L/60 tank gun, with a vertical armor penetration depth of up to 88mm at a distance of 500 meters. The infantry not only had Hetzer tank destroyers equipped with equally powerful tank guns but also had individual rocket launchers with an armor penetration depth of 220mm.
Having witnessed the French B1 heavy tanks being defeated in a miserable manner, Lord Gort didn't dare to easily order a counterattack with his armored forces. After all, Prime Minister Churchill had repeatedly emphasized the importance of bringing the expeditionary force back intact.
However, refraining from a counterattack didn't mean they would be out of danger.
At this moment, General Lumsden, the commander of the 1st Armoured Division of the British Expeditionary Force, sighed deeply as he looked at the just-received fuel supply report.
The 1st Armoured Division of the British Army was established after World War I and was the first real armored unit formed by the British. Some British commanders recognized the importance of preparing armored units for combat during World War I, where tanks were first used in actual warfare. While many countries were still relatively unfamiliar with tanks at that time, the British had already pioneered the use of mechanized forces in the war. Therefore, after the war, some British commanders aimed to capitalize on this momentum and establish a truly meaningful armored unit.
The 1st Armoured Division consisted of two armoured cavalry brigades composed of tanks and armored cars, one tank brigade, two mechanized infantry battalions, and some artillery and engineering support units.
At this time, the British 1st Armoured Division had 500 tanks, with the majority being light tanks. They had retreated all the way from Brussels, continuously pursued by German infantry and armored units, losing countless supplies on the way. They had left nearly a hundred tanks behind to obstruct the German advance, but even now, they had not managed to shake off the pursuing Germans.
The most critical issue was that among the lost supplies, there were a significant amount of fuel resources. The transportation lines in France had already been cut off by the Germans, and there was no way for them to receive supplies. As an armored unit, once their fuel supply was interrupted, they would essentially become a pile of useless metal.
Lord Gort repeatedly urged them to retreat faster, but they were not infantry that could simply walk away. Without fuel, were they supposed to carry the tanks on their shoulders?
General Lumsden roughly calculated and realized that the remaining fuel would only allow his division to reach a place about fifty kilometers from Dunkirk before having to shut down all engines.
Now he had only two options: either blindly charge forward, going as far as they could until they couldn't move anymore, at which point the tank crews would dismount and continue on foot; or abandon another batch of tanks and concentrate the fuel, allowing the remaining tanks to reach Dunkirk. However, they had already lost nearly a hundred tanks, and if they discarded another batch, it would mean handing over half of the armored division's tanks to the Germans.
"Damn it, this is too pathetic!" When rabbits get anxious, they bite people, not to mention the proud soldiers of the British Empire.
Cursing fiercely, General Lumsden called the communications officer. "Send a telegram to Lord Gort, informing him that I will personally lead an armoured brigade and an anti-tank artillery regiment to counter the Germans, buying time for the main force!" Being closely pursued like this, even if they could retreat to Dunkirk, they might not even have the chance to construct defensive lines before being flattened by the German armored units.
When he announced this decision to his subordinates, many volunteered to stay behind, but General Lumsden vetoed all of them. "Don't waste words; my decision is final. The Germans will catch up soon, so hurry up and gather fuel!"
Estado de energía semanal
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