Vic's Heavy Machine Gun

The sound of gunfire and artillery quickly merged into a cacophony, like a long-awaited opera suddenly bursting into song, catching everyone off guard. As the whistles blew, German soldiers emerged from every corner and building, launching an assault on the British defensive line under the cover of tanks, artillery, and machine guns.

These assaults were merely a ruse, designed to draw the British forces' attention and fire. The idea was that by doing so, the anti-tank guns targeting the school wouldn't attract too much attention and provoke a large-scale British counterattack. In reality, the British forces were stronger than the Germans at this point, largely because the German 88mm flak guns couldn't get into position or effectively destroy the British Matilda tanks from a distance. The Matildas were practically invincible, and if the British launched a counterattack using them as cover, the Germans would be in serious trouble.

However, the British, true to their nature, were conservative and unlikely to counterattack unless they had an overwhelming advantage. This approach was a mistake, as the real strength of tanks lies in their mobility, and using them defensively, as the British were doing, reduced them to mere pillboxes or bunkers.

Qin Chuan hadn't fired his rifle yet.

The reason was simple: he hadn't spotted any British soldiers targeting the anti-tank guns. This was one of the advantages of the PAK 36 anti-tank gun—standing only 1.1 meters tall, it was much shorter than a standing soldier, making it difficult to detect on the battlefield. The gunners often enhanced this by stacking sandbags or draping torn cloth and plants over the gun shields for additional camouflage.

So, even though the anti-tank guns were steadily firing round after round at the school's load-bearing walls, the British didn't pay much attention. Some even thought the guns were aiming for British tanks and had simply missed, causing the shells to hit the school's walls.

Qin Chuan understood this: the snipers in the area were there to cover the anti-tank guns, and since no one was targeting them, the snipers didn't need to fire.

However, not all the snipers understood this. Soon, the sniper hidden in a window started shooting, followed by another sniper hidden in a hole in the wall, who also eagerly fired several rounds.

Qin Chuan frowned at this. Perhaps it was his fault for not making it clear earlier—he had assumed the snipers would understand his directive to "focus on covering the anti-tank guns."

Their premature shooting had unintended consequences: previously, few British soldiers had paid attention to this street, but now, in their search for the snipers, they discovered the anti-tank guns.

"Bang!" Qin Chuan pulled the trigger.

He hit a British officer hiding behind some sandbags. This officer had clearly spotted the anti-tank guns, as his binoculars were trained in that direction.

Worse still, the officer had poked his head out to examine the impact points of the shells, his face filled with shock as he realized the Germans' objective—or rather, their plot. But he would never share this realization, as a bullet pierced his head just as he was about to duck back behind the sandbags.

However, Qin Chuan wasn't sure if it was his shot that killed the officer, because at the same moment he fired, a shot rang out from his upper right.

It was the lieutenant, who had taken up a sniper position on the roof. He and Qin Chuan had aimed at the same target and fired almost simultaneously.

As to who actually killed the officer... neither the lieutenant nor Qin Chuan could tell, since they both used the same rifle and the same type of bullet. Even if the bullet were retrieved from the officer's body, it would be impossible to determine whose it was.

"Bang!" Another shot rang out.

Qin Chuan fired again, this time killing a heavy machine gunner.

It was a Vickers heavy machine gun, the first time Qin Chuan had encountered one on the battlefield.

The Vickers machine gun was water-cooled, requiring constant water to be added to the large water jacket around the barrel to prevent overheating. It was a lightened version of the Maxim machine gun, known for its formidable firepower and an important weapon in the British Army.

But water was precious in the desert, and although the British had robust logistical support, they weren't extravagant enough to sustain the Vickers machine gun in such an environment.

This forced the British to mostly abandon the Vickers heavy machine gun, only deploying it in water-rich cities for defensive purposes. Agdabia was such a city.

The Vickers was positioned above the street where the anti-tank guns were located, with a commanding view. Qin Chuan knew that with its rate of fire of 500 rounds per minute and the angle it had, it could turn the anti-tank gunners into mincemeat with just a single pull of the trigger. So Qin Chuan acted preemptively.

"Bang!" Qin Chuan fired another shot.

By now, he was starting to feel overwhelmed, as he had to keep the Vickers in check. The Vickers had two or three assistant gunners, along with nearby infantry constantly replacing those who were killed. Qin Chuan was armed with a bolt-action rifle, and his shooting speed was just barely enough to keep up with the replacements.

In short, if he missed even one shot, the anti-tank guns would likely be wiped out.

Soon, the lieutenant also recognized the danger and joined in the effort to keep the Vickers under control. The two of them, alternating shots, quickly piled up bodies around the Vickers machine gun.

However, the British infantry soon located their sniper positions... Qin Chuan disliked engaging the enemy at a distance of only 300 meters, as it neutralized the advantage of the snipers and instead highlighted the high rate of fire of the Enfield rifles.

For example, several British soldiers were firing their rifles in rapid succession, their bullets flying at Qin Chuan and the lieutenant like raindrops, pinning them down.

Meanwhile, the British quickly sent more men to operate the Vickers... Once the Vickers started firing, it wouldn't matter whether you were a sniper or an anti-tank gunner; you would be mercilessly suppressed by its torrent of bullets.

But what could they do now?

Keep shooting at the machine gunners?

That would require taking enormous risks.

But if they didn't, the entire plan could fall apart...