Capítulo 36: Attack
"Why do we need to occupy this godforsaken place?" asked the Bear.
"Because there's a road here that leads to Mechili!" the Baker replied. "Occupying it can stop the British from escaping, and it can also cut off their logistical supply and reinforcements!"
Werner was taken aback. "So, you're saying we might have to face enemies from two directions? And we're just a single regiment?"
"Yes!" the Baker replied.
"This is insane!" Werner exclaimed. "We can't possibly do it, especially in this kind of terrain!"
"Has our commander gone mad? Defending in this terrain will make us sitting ducks for the British tanks!"
The Baker responded, "Remember, our commander is Rommel. When has he ever been normal?"
The soldiers fell silent at this, as they all knew Rommel's history... This was the guy who, during World War I, captured 400 Romanian soldiers with zero men, took a hill held by 100 Italian soldiers with just 100 men, and captured 150 Italian officers and about 9,000 soldiers with just a single company.
The German soldiers were all thinking: Rommel probably believes that because he achieved such feats in World War I, others can do the same. So, in his eyes, manpower and equipment aren't issues at all... after all, if one company can defeat 10,000 Italians, then surely one regiment can easily hold Tengerten, right?
As the German soldiers discussed, Qin Chuan was pondering a problem.
Initially, he wasn't worried about this battle because, historically, the first regiment never even attacked Tengerten... as previously mentioned, the regiment had lost more than half its men in the desert and had abandoned almost all its heavy equipment and ammunition, leaving them with no choice but to find and join up with the main German forces.
In fact, at that time, the regiment was so weak that even if any British unit had found them, they could have easily been wiped out.
But now, things were different.
Qin Chuan had changed everything. The current regiment was no longer a self-preserving force; they were nearly at full strength, with all their heavy equipment and ammunition intact. As a result, they wouldn't abandon their mission to find the main forces...
Qin Chuan hadn't thought of this earlier, but now, facing Tengerten, he suddenly realized that he might have made a foolish mistake, dragging himself into a deep pit.
But then again, if Qin Chuan had done nothing before, he might already be a dried-up corpse in the desert.
It wasn't just Qin Chuan and the German soldiers who were troubled by this; even Colonel Kollein, the commander of the regiment, felt very uneasy when he saw Tengerten.
He even sent a telegram to Rommel, describing in detail how the terrain of Tengerten was unsuitable for defense... if the regiment attacked Tengerten as planned, they might be caught in a pincer attack by the British and be completely wiped out.
"We didn't do our reconnaissance properly!" Colonel Kollein said to his staff officer. "We had no idea Tengerten was like this!"
"You know, Colonel," the staff officer replied, "the Italians are more concerned about their pasta than about war. Their intelligence is always flawed, and their maps are no exception!"
This was quite true. Not long ago, during a battle between the Italian army and the British, there was a gap several dozen kilometers wide in the Italian defensive line, which the Italians were completely unaware of... the British easily exploited this gap and penetrated the Italian rear.
When Rommel heard about this, he simply said, "My God, that gap was several dozen kilometers wide. How did the Italians manage to overlook it?"
But, as Colonel Kollein suspected, his explanation in the telegram wouldn't make any difference.
Rommel soon replied, "The British are already in disarray under our attack. Capture and hold it. Now, victory is ours!"
"In disarray?" Kollein was skeptical, thinking Rommel might be too optimistic.
Having faced the British several times, Kollein knew his troops had no effective weapons against the British Matilda tanks... the PAK 6 anti-tank guns were practically useless.
So, if the British brought in just one tank battalion, they could easily crush the regiment under their tracks, like squashing a small dog.
But Kollein had no choice. He had to obey orders, so he gave the command, "Attack, as ordered!"
The order to attack quickly came down, and Qin Chuan couldn't help but feel a sense of dread—what he feared most was finally happening.
Although he didn't want to, Qin Chuan joined the other soldiers in making final preparations for the battle. He had no other choice.
"Sergeant!" Alfredo came over to Qin Chuan, his face pale. "I've completed my mission. Can I be excused from this battle?"
"Where could you go, Captain?" Qin Chuan asked while checking his rifle. "We're deep behind enemy lines now, surrounded by enemies!"
"I don't know!" Alfredo spread his hands. "But at least I wouldn't have to go to the battlefield, right?"
Qin Chuan looked at Alfredo and suddenly understood—enemies weren't really a threat to Alfredo because he was a pacifist; he could surrender.
Qin Chuan shook his head, loaded a magazine into his rifle, chambered a round, and said, "I advise you to abandon that idea, Captain. You're only safe if you stay with us!"
"Why?" Alfredo asked. "I'm just a burden to you all now, aren't I?"
"In that, I agree!" Qin Chuan said, tightening the strap on his canteen. He didn't want the canteen swinging around and hindering his movement.
"Then why can't you let me go?" Alfredo pleaded. "At least mention it to the lieutenant!"
"Because you know too much!" Qin Chuan replied. "Like how many of us there are, how much heavy equipment we have, and even some of our operational objectives... think about Berger. Do you think they'll let you leave the unit alive to surrender to the British?"
Alfredo's face went pale.
"So..." Qin Chuan asked, "do you still want me to mention it to the lieutenant?"
"No, no..." Alfredo shook his head, visibly distressed.
Qin Chuan patted Alfredo on the shoulder and then called out to the nearby machine gunner, "Bohm, give him your pistol. He needs a weapon to defend himself!"
"Yes, Sergeant!" Bohm handed the pistol to Alfredo.
Alfredo hesitated for a moment before reluctantly taking the pistol.
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