Chapter 251 The French Doomsday (21)

Observing the opposing forces through binoculars, David's heart skipped a beat. "B1 Heavy Tanks?" The leaders of the French attacking force were unexpectedly two B1 heavy tanks.

Weren't the B1 heavy tanks destroyed in the first wave of attacks? How come there are still some left? Could it be their reinforcements? David quickly scanned the entire attacking line but didn't see any other B1 heavy tanks.

"What's going on?" Now David was a bit puzzled. If the French reinforcements had arrived, they wouldn't just send two B1 heavy tanks, right? What he didn't know was that these two B1 heavy tanks had experienced mechanical issues on their way here. After half the day spent on repairs, they finally caught up and joined the third wave of the attack.

Regardless, the third wave of the French assault had begun. Perhaps the failures of the first two waves had left a significant impact on them. This time, before reaching a distance of four hundred meters, the French tanks began suppressing fire towards the German position.

Machine gun fire was one thing, but surprisingly, their tank cannons were not idle, continuously unleashing shells. However, the existing tanks did not have stable firing capabilities while moving, and with limited skills among the tank gunners, the precision of their shots was questionable. Most of the shells created dull craters on the front lines of the German position, serving no real purpose.

Bullets from the German side poured down densely. However, after the first two waves of attacks, the French soldiers had learned their lesson. They crowded behind the tanks to avoid the bullets. Consequently, most of the bullets were wasted on the tank bodies.

As the French tanks advanced step by step, their firepower accuracy continued to improve. Occasionally, large and small smoke columns and numerous fireballs rose from the German position.

"250 meters!" Inside one of the B1 heavy tanks, the tank commander Leon stared at the aiming reticle of the cannon, calculating the distance between the tank and the German position.

Although the B1 heavy tank was equipped with two tank cannons, the crew still consisted of four people, and they used a single-person turret. In other words, besides the gunner who operated the 75mm SA32 howitzer, the tank commander also had to serve as the gunner and loader to operate the 47mm SA34 anti-tank cannon.

Therefore, the tank commander's qualifications were considered the best during World War II. Not only did they need to excel in shooting, but they also needed good physical stamina, possess a certain tactical mindset, and have the ability to multitask.

Leon nervously stared at the German position, which was getting closer. Because before their departure, they had learned that the Germans had single-use rocket launchers that could easily destroy their tanks within 100 meters. Although so far, only Somua S35 medium tanks and Renault R35 light tanks had been destroyed by those rocket launchers, Leon dared not underestimate the Germans' weapons. After all, no one could guarantee that the 60mm armor of the B1 heavy tank could withstand the German rocket launcher attacks.

As the German position got closer and closer, more and more bullets hit the tank, changing from a few shots per second to a dense rain of shots every second. The continuous rattling sounded incessantly.

Every sound made Leon feel frightened, afraid that one of the shots would suddenly penetrate the armor, killing them all inside the tank.

"Frank, are we too fast?" Wiping the sweat from his forehead, Leon kicked his driver lightly.

"It seems like it." The driver was also a quite clever guy and understood Leon's intention. He gradually slowed down their tank. Although not very noticeable, their tank gradually fell behind the other B1 heavy tank.

But in this chaotic battlefield, no one paid attention to this detail.

"200 meters!" Leon nervously swallowed his saliva, and his hands trembled slightly as he loaded ammunition. Even he couldn't tell if it was fear or fatigue.

"150 meters!"

"130 meters!"

"100 meters!" Leon's voice trembled slightly. His entire body's muscles were tense, and he seemed as if he were welded to the periscope, unable to move.

Suddenly, he saw several rockets flying towards the enemy position, and one of them slammed fiercely into the front armor of another B1 heavy tank, causing a violent explosion!

"Boom!" Watching the turret of that B1 being blown off, Leon was terrified, screaming hysterically. "Reverse!! Frank, back up!!"

The B1 heavy tank came to a sudden halt and quickly reversed at the fastest speed. Suddenly, a series of heart-wrenching screams came from behind the tank. The infantry, who were advancing closely behind the B1 tank, were knocked down by this unexpected reversal and then crushed by the tank treads.

However, Leon couldn't hear these screams. He had just seen a rocket heading towards their tank. If they hadn't reversed in time, the entire crew would have met God by now!

The fear of narrowly escaping death instantly robbed Leon of the courage to continue the fight. Now, all this young tank commander could think about was how to leave this place quickly and return to a safe place. Forget about France, forget about medals, forget about loyalty – he just wanted to return alive to his wife and children, begging for their forgiveness for his past foolishness, leaving them behind for the sake of those foolish honors.

"Leon, what's going on? Are you running over your own men?" Just as he was lost in these chaotic thoughts, a reprimanding voice came through his headset from the rear.

Leon really wanted to curse those guys who only knew how to hide in the safe rear area. What right did they have to criticize us? However, the remnants of reason told him that retreating in the face of the enemy might lead to a military court-martial, followed by execution. He didn't want to die at the hands of the Germans, let alone at the hands of his own comrades.

But before he could explain, there was a thunderous roar outside. French soldiers swiftly passed through his tank group, launching a final charge into the dense German bullets.

"Long live France!"

"For the homeland!"

"Boom!" Just as this group of French soldiers madly charged towards the German position and the French tanks bombarded the German machine gun nests, a rocket descended from the sky, landing in the midst of the charging French soldiers. A violent explosion occurred, and the shockwave, mixed with shattered fragments, swept in all directions, knocking down a large group of French soldiers around.

Before the French soldiers could recover, a second rocket followed, then a third, a fourth... seemingly endless rockets rained down from the sky, plowing through the forward edge of the German position.

"Oh, my God!" The rear French officer stared blankly at the now blazing front line. "How many cannons have the Germans mobilized?" Judging from the explosion power and density, it was at least a hundred cannons with a caliber of 100mm or above. "It looks like the main German force has crossed the river!" Thinking this, he decisively issued the order for a full retreat.

In his view, this was a quite reasonable command. So far, they hadn't even taken this unarmored high ground. When the German armored forces arrived, they would likely be annihilated.