Chapter 50: Wales, Clash of Steel!
From a purely military technological perspective, the end-of-war German technology of World War II, including the flying wing aircraft, cruise missiles, air-to-air and air-to-ground missiles, the Ratte tank, and the legendary flying saucers, left people astonished, amazed, and frustrated. These products that transcended their time, if they could be put into practical use and mass-produced, the outcome of wars would still be uncertain.
Aside from these somewhat elusive wonders of war, the German army also possessed a large number of advanced weapons in the later stages of the war, which played a significant role on the battlefield. These included the G43 semi-automatic rifle, nimble bombs, and the FG1221 night vision device - the world's first infrared night vision device. Tanks equipped with this night vision device, such as the Panther, undoubtedly became the most formidable attacking weapons in night battles and achieved astonishing feats, such as destroying an entire Allied tank platoon on the Western Front!
However, in 1940, German military technology could only be considered "advanced" rather than "superior." The night combat mode of the navy, army, and air force remained confined to tradition, with no specialized night fighter aircraft even developed yet. For the tank units of the army, fighting blindly in the dark was impractical. They needed at least some faint light to determine the opponent's position. Because of the unique nature of night combat, in many night battles on the Western Front, numerical superiority did not necessarily guarantee victory.
In a field northeast of Cardiff, as two Panzer III tanks and armored infantry pushing towards the village were mostly in position, an 80mm heavy mortar mounted on an SdKfz half-track fired two illumination shells towards the village.
The fierce white light instantly pierced the darkness, revealing the dark green fields once again:
Two British tanks had already charged into the makeshift German battalion headquarters established in the village, with several more moving slowly northeast of the village. The battle for the village was yet to be decided, with German infantry mainly defending in squad and platoon-sized units; the staccato of MG34 machine guns echoed, and shells or grenades occasionally exploded everywhere. Hundreds of British soldiers were on the offensive side, but their own attacking power seemed weak apart from the firepower support provided by the tanks.
A Panzer III entering the field from the right side of the road immediately fired at the British tanks as soon as the illumination shells lit up, experiencing the trials of the Polish campaign and the battles on the Western Front, the veteran soldiers' shooting was quite accurate. One shell directly hit the Matilda's hull, while another shell landed beside its track - for these thick-skinned monsters, the hull and tracks were apparently easier to penetrate than the turret!
Amidst the electric sparks, the two Panzer III tanks fired again, the armor-piercing shells fired by the 42-caliber 50mm tank guns whistled and hit the British tank's hull!
A violent explosion even more intense than before!
Under the glaring white light, the Matilda's turret continued to rotate, and after a moment, the barrel stopped, followed by a sudden burst of bright yellow flames!
German tankers had witnessed such scenes on the Western Front many times before, so after two consecutive shots, their tanks were already moving again. Although several Matildas nearby were also firing for a short time, most of these shells whistled past the battlefield, with most falling far behind the German tanks.
After advancing a dozen meters, the two German Panzer III tanks stopped to fire again. Guided by the illumination shells, their shells were accurate and fierce, but the 50mm armor-piercing shells still couldn't do much against the thick armor of the Matilda. At a range of nearly 500 meters, British shells had the opportunity to penetrate the armor of German tanks, but the gunners seemed to have forgotten to bring telescopic sights, as not a single shell fell within two meters of the German tanks, let alone hitting directly - thus, the first British-German tank battle during the war in Wales came unexpectedly, but it was nothing more than a lively yet ineffective battle.
However, the German infantry, who were ambushed by the British, were boosted in morale when their tanks arrived. Several MG34 machine guns fired fiercely, and the dense bullets firmly suppressed the British infantry trying to seize the German positions on the edge of the village!
"Retreat! Retreat!"
An armored car rushed near the German position, and a German officer shouted hoarsely, trying to call the infantry there - their radio, possibly lost since the beginning of the battle, couldn't be contacted no matter what.
Although there was a temporary turn of events on the battlefield, these German infantrymen had suffered heavy casualties in the battle, and their ammunition was not enough to sustain them for too long. What's more, if these few British tanks redirected their attention to themselves, it would be extremely difficult to confront tanks with infantry alone, especially with the "Iron Fist" depleted and the scarce anti-tank grenades!
The two Panzer III tanks kept maneuvering on the periphery, attracting the attention of the Matilda. Taking advantage of this opportunity, the German infantry voluntarily withdrew from the village under the cover of the armored car. When the last batch of infantry had retreated into the depths of the field, the Panzer III tanks also began to reverse while firing.
After the British fully occupied the village, they did not actively pursue.
"The Matilda... didn't destroy a single one!" The Type III assault gun hidden in the darkness had already shut down its engine, allowing its crew to speak softly in a relatively enclosed space. This slightly disappointed remark came from the young gunner, Frank.
"Isn't their weakness in the rear? I said we had to kick their asses to be effective! Six... six AP shells would be just enough to destroy them! Right, Frank!" Corporal Root, who often boasted about his taxi driving skills in Berlin, was naturally optimistic and confident, having such a companion, there was no need to worry about living in constant anxiety.
"Do you think I'm a sniper?" Frank said sarcastically.
"Hey, Frank, you don't have to underestimate yourself. A sniper uses a gun, and you use a cannon. There's no inherent superiority between the two!" The commander interjected.
"Boss, you said it so well!" Root quickly patted Frank on the back.
Ignoring Root's remark, the commander climbed out of the hatch. At this moment, a messenger on a motorcycle had just arrived, his BMW still buzzing.
"Lieutenant, Captain Osow has taken command here. He orders you to quickly flank to the east of the town. When we launch an attack from the southwest, you will seize the opportunity to attack the British tanks! Be vigilant against the north, the breach there has not been completely sealed and enemy infantry may still enter!"
The German lieutenant, sitting in an armored communication vehicle, said somewhat annoyed, "Got it, I know! We've had a little problem with our radio, but it should be fixed soon!"
"Good luck, sir!" The messenger saluted and rode off on his BMW.
The lieutenant gathered the two assault gun commanders and the sergeants of each infantry squad, "Alright, everyone, let's move out to the east of the town!"
The German forces had stopped firing illumination shells, and the view returned to the dark chaos. The sounds of gunfire still seemed distant, with only the roar of engines nearby. With their low-profile chassis, the two Type III assault guns moved quickly and stealthily through the fields - their 40 km/h road speed and 24 km/h off-road speed might be insignificant in the future, but they still held a considerable advantage over the British. While the cruising speed of the Matilda I was 12.8 km/h and that of the Matilda II was 24 km/h, their cruiser tanks might reach 40 km/h, but their combat capabilities were inadequate, often helpless against German tanks.
After the two Type III assault guns flanked, they quickly advanced to the fields near the village - at this moment, the reinforced German tank unit launched another attack from the southwest. On the battlefield, the shells exchanged between the two tanks lit up the night intermittently, and the explosion's flames flickered, revealing the steel behemoths' silhouettes from the darkness.
"Keep moving forward, I need to get within 400 meters!" The commander's expression was grim as he observed the battlefield through the observation port, the sharpness emanating from his small eyes could often be found in some ace snipers or fighter pilots.
"No problem!" Corporal Jenkinson, who operated relatively independently in the driver's compartment, skillfully maneuvered the 20-plus-ton steel tank, turning left and right, and occasionally speeding forward, making it difficult for the enemy's shells to hit.
"To the left! That damn Matilda just turned, it's still exposing its side to us... Good! Our Panzer III hit it!" The commander rejoiced slightly, but he soon found that after the explosion's light disappeared, the Matilda continued to move slowly, and its turret quickly turned towards their side, then it fired at them!
"Stop, Root! Turn right in place, look, Frank, the building on the right!" The commander suddenly shouted through the intercom.
"I see it! Michael, load AP rounds!" Sergeant Blackford shouted.
"AP round... loaded!" The burly loader patted the gunner's back.
Sergeant Blackford made the final adjustments to the 75mm gun's angle with the circular wheel outside the turret, aiming the barrel at the Matilda's exposed "rear."
Boom!
The Type III assault gun, stopped in place, looked like a giant black toad, spitting out fireballs from its mouth, its body suddenly trembled backward, and the ground around it stirred up dust.
Bang!
The shell hit the Matilda II infantry tank more than 300 meters away in a flash, and a huge fireball rose from its engine position, its light blue base shining vividly in the darkness!
"Nice shot, guys, now it's the one on the left!" The commander shouted over the intercom.
Sergeant Blackford quickly turned the wheel, aiming the barrel at the front of the second Matilda.
Boom!
The other Type III assault gun followed suit and fired first. Theoretically, the 75mm gun with a 24-caliber and the 50mm gun with a 42-caliber had similar armor penetration capabilities at a distance of 500 meters. However, in actual combat, the Type III assault gun often played a greater role than the Panzer III equipped with a short-barreled gun when using AP rounds. However, they still hadn't recorded hitting Matilda or Matilda II tanks from beyond 400 meters - in fact, the number of engagements between the two sides on the Western Front was quite few.
"Missed? Damn it!"
The German gunner muttered in frustration. In the night combat environment, visual observation was limited, and the shots from the two Type III assault guns slightly missed their targets - and at this moment, a surprising scene for the German tankers occurred. The "Matilda II" that had been hit in the rear of the hull and caught fire before was slowly moving again. Yet, this was not "playing possum." Its turret also turned, and it quickly aimed its gun at the Type III assault guns, then fired!
"Is this the advantage of dual engines?" The German tank commander exclaimed, one of the features of the Matilda was that it was equipped with two engines - when one engine was damaged or malfunctioned, it could still move at low speed, maintaining a certain combat capability with the other engine.
Boom!
The shell accurately hit the "playing possum" Matilda. When its engine burst into flames for the second time, this headache-inducing thick-skinned monster finally fell silent.
"This is really annoying! We urgently need a more powerful gun!" Sergeant Blackford said panting. Although the tide of victory had gradually turned in their favor.