Chapter 267 The French Doomsday (37)

"Halt!"

The commander of the German tank battalion, Lieutenant Frank, ordered the tank column to stop advancing. He opened the hatch, leaned out, and used binoculars to observe the British tanks several kilometers away.

"What's going on, sir?" The tank platoon leader beside him also leaned out, asking.

Frank pointed to the British tanks in the distance. "Bauer, take a look. Something feels off to me."

Bauer, the tank platoon leader, picked up binoculars and observed. The British tanks in the distance were scattered on both sides of the road, tilted in different directions, with turrets facing various directions. After lowering the binoculars, Bauer nonchalantly said, "Probably abandoned by the British again. Not enough fuel, can't move. Nothing unusual."

Indeed, it wasn't uncommon. On their journey, they had encountered numerous abandoned tanks and armored vehicles. Initially, the British would use grenades and explosives to destroy these vehicles, but later, they seemed to find it wasteful and left them behind, at most removing some critical components.

Not long ago, they even came across a dozen fully intact tanks. These tanks were neatly parked by the roadside with their engine compartments open, yet the engines and other equipment were still inside.

"But there are quite a few abandoned tanks this time, and Matilda II as well? That's rare. It seems they are running out of fuel, a favorable situation. Lieutenant, let's catch up and take them down."

"...", Frank, silent until now, suddenly brightened. "Bauer, what type of tanks were abandoned by the British before?!"

"Matilda I." Bauer looked disdainful. "Those are just good for intimidating infantry, embarrassing to call them tanks."

Frank slammed the hatch cover. "Exactly, that's why I felt something was off. They used to abandon Matilda I, but look at those now, Mk I (A9) Cruiser Tanks and Matilda II tanks. They are equipped with 40mm tank guns, which pose a threat to us at close range."

"Hmm?" Bauer picked up the binoculars again and carefully observed. "You're right, Lieutenant. Do you think it's a trap set by the British?"

Frank sneered. "These foolish Brits need a good lesson. Let them understand what it means to bite off more than they can chew. Everyone, get ready for combat!"

"Wait, Lieutenant." Bauer smirked. "Since these Brits set a trap for us, why not play along with them?"

Frank raised an eyebrow and then nodded with a smile. "Good idea. We shouldn't waste such a perfect target. Which crew in our platoon hasn't achieved any kills yet?"

"David and Edman's crews."

"Good." Frank instructed over the communicator. "David, Edman, advance and open fire at a range of five hundred meters." Retracting into the tank, he ordered, "Prepare armor-piercing rounds!"

On the opposite side, General Lumsden, personally serving as the tank commander in a Matilda II tank, watched as the German tanks rumbled toward them. There was no sign of the Germans sending anyone to inspect, and he couldn't help but feel relieved. "Prepare for battle!"

2000 meters.

1500 meters.

1000 meters.

600 meters.

However, just as General Lumsden, filled with anticipation, expected the Germans to continue advancing, they gradually came to a halt. Only two tanks continued forward for a distance before stopping and pointing their pitch-black gun barrels in their direction.

"?" General Lumsden was a bit puzzled. What's going on? Were they exposed, or were the Germans just firing a few shots to test them?

"Don't move, everyone! Even if I'm hit, you must continue the mission!" The situation was a bit awkward now. At this distance, the German tank guns could penetrate their armor, while their tank guns were ineffective against German armor. Even if they wanted to launch a charge, from starting the engine to accelerating to top speed, the German tanks could fire several rounds, leaving only a few tanks within three hundred meters.

So General Lumsden could only grit his teeth and continue pretending. He silently prayed that the Germans were just firing a few shots for testing.

"Boom!"

"Boom!"

Those two tanks successively fired, and in an instant, the shells effortlessly pierced through the frontal armor of two Mk I (A9) Cruiser Tanks, causing a series of intense explosions!

Frank, observing the situation on the opposite side through binoculars, raised an eyebrow slightly. "No movement?" However, he immediately ordered, "David, Edman, continue firing!"

"Boom!"

"Boom!"

"Boom!"

"Boom!"

The two tanks successively fired four shells.

Watching six tanks lost in the blink of an eye, General Lumsden felt his heart bleeding. These brave soldiers, following his orders, didn't escape from the tanks in the end, losing their young lives.

Did the Germans really catch on? If they did, why only these two tanks opened fire? But if it was a probing fire, firing so many shells seemed overly cautious, didn't it?

"Still no movement?" Frank on the opposite side frowned in confusion, beginning to doubt his own judgment. Could he have been wrong? Were these really just tanks abandoned by the British? After all, heavier tanks consume more fuel, and maybe the British decided to leave behind these fuel-consuming tanks.

Moreover, other crews in the platoon were also dissatisfied. Giving all the achievements to these two crews was a bit too biased, according to them.

"Everyone, open fire freely!" Since there weren't many tanks left, with two rounds of firing, they could probably handle them all.

Just as General Lumsden couldn't grasp the Germans' intentions, over twenty tank barrels on the opposite side almost simultaneously spewed out a streak of flames.

"Oh my God!" General Lumsden was startled. Before he could say anything, it seemed like he heard an impact sound. Then, he knew nothing. The 50mm tungsten-core armor-piercing shells penetrated the Matilda II tank's armor effortlessly, behaving as if encountering tofu. In a terror-inducing display, dozens of unevenly sized fragments wreaked havoc inside the tank's compartment, creating a cacophony of rattling and banging. In a moment, the tank's interior became a blood-soaked mess.

One by one, the British tanks were hit and caught fire. Armored soldiers, engulfed in flames, crawled out of the burning tanks, collapsing on the ground, emitting heart-wrenching screams. In no time, they burned into unrecognizable flesh.

"Hey, I told you!" Frank excitedly shouted. "Take down all the remaining tanks!" These guys could endure quite a lot, they almost fell for the deception.

There were now fewer than 30 British tanks left. They wanted to counterattack, but before they could start their engines, the second round of German artillery struck. When they finally managed to start the tanks and charge towards the Germans, only a pitiful 12 tanks remained. Before these tanks could advance 50 meters, they were systematically destroyed.

"Continue advancing, be cautious of the surroundings! There might be more ambushes!" Frank's words had just fallen when a loud bang was heard. A shell hit their frontal armor, but instead of penetrating, it was deflected by the sloped armor.

"Reverse! It's an anti-tank gun!"

"1 o'clock direction! Distance 600 meters!"

The tank rapidly halted, and then the gunner opened fire. A shell flew towards the location of the anti-tank gun, penetrating the outer emplacement and destroying the anti-tank gun.

"Continue the search! There's definitely more than one anti-tank gun here!"