Tobruk

"Full speed ahead!"

"Faster!"

Despite the vehicles already racing down the road at top speed, the orders to hurry kept coming down the line.

Qin Chuan could understand Colonel Slein's anxiety… the earlier bombing had cost the German forces thirty vehicles, over three hundred soldiers, and a significant amount of ammunition, leaving the already under-strength 1st Infantry Regiment even more stretched thin.

But now, the 1st Infantry Regiment had no choice but to keep pushing forward, reaching Tobruk as quickly as possible and launching their attack.

This would help the German convoy avoid a second airstrike by the British. In fact, the 1st Infantry Regiment could not afford another bombing; otherwise, they would be unable to launch an attack on Tobruk.

Two reconnaissance planes had been shadowing the convoy in the sky the entire time. Borrowing Kuhn's binoculars, Qin Chuan looked up and recognized them as British "Mosquito" reconnaissance aircraft.

Qin Chuan knew there was no way to shake them off… these were some of the few wooden-structure planes of the era. Because they were made of wood, they were light and fuel-efficient, allowing them to stay in the air for up to 12 hours.

So, the Germans couldn't just wait for them to run out of fuel and return to base.

Looking at the map, Qin Chuan began to worry. At their current speed, it would take the Germans another twenty minutes to reach Tobruk, and in that time, the British would have enough time to launch another bombing run on the convoy.

But soon, Qin Chuan realized he was wrong, as the vehicles suddenly braked to a stop, and someone shouted, "Disembark and prepare for battle!"

"What's happening?" Qin Chuan asked.

"We've arrived!" Basel replied, jumping down from another vehicle. "The British defensive line is just ahead!"

Qin Chuan let out a small "oh"… the map indicated Tobruk as the city center, but the British were obviously not foolish enough to concentrate all their forces inside the city.

In fact, by the time Qin Chuan and the others had assembled, the battle ahead had already begun… showing just how anxious Colonel Slein was. But he had every reason to be; time was of the essence.

Qin Chuan wasn't entirely sure of the situation, as the Tobruk battle they were facing was not the same as the historical battle of Tobruk… In history, the main force defending Tobruk was the 9th Australian Division, which had barely escaped Rommel's encirclement, supported by elements of the British 1st African Division (later renamed the 11th African Division when the Eighth Army was formed).

As mentioned before, the Australian forces, being a colonial army without the elevated status or privileges of British soldiers, actually had stronger combat effectiveness than the British.

This allowed them to hold out in Tobruk for eight months against Rommel's forces, which was one of the reasons for the German defeat in the First Battle of El Alamein. Rommel, unable to take Tobruk, pushed his forces into Egypt to attack El Alamein. As a result, all the supplies and drinking water needed by the Germans had to be transported from Benghazi or even further ports across the desert to the front lines. This supply situation eventually made it impossible for the Germans to continue the fight.

However, the Tobruk assault in front of them was different.

Firstly, the 9th Australian Division was still trapped by Rommel's main force around Mechili, so they couldn't possibly be defending Tobruk.

Secondly, the Germans had appeared at Tobruk suddenly, leaving the British with little time to prepare.

But Qin Chuan's assessment was only half correct.

The first part was accurate—the main British force was locked in a fierce battle with Rommel's main force at Mechili. In Tobruk, only two engineer regiments and an infantry battalion rushed in for emergency support.

As for the British being unprepared…

Much of the British defenses and fortifications in Tobruk were inherited from the Italian forces… Tobruk was Libya's easternmost port near Egypt. As an important border port, the brave and heroic Italian army had built numerous bunkers and barbed wire fences there, and then handed them over to the British without a scratch.

After capturing Tobruk, the British immediately used it as a base for counterattacks, as supplies could be continuously shipped there and sent to the front-line British forces. To ensure the safety of Tobruk's port, the British had two engineer regiments repairing and upgrading the Italian fortifications.

Qin Chuan quickly realized this when, during the subsequent attack, the Germans found themselves up against a tough obstacle…

The second and third infantry battalions were leading the attack, given the heavy losses in Qin Chuan's 1st Battalion.

As usual, the German forces advanced towards the British defensive line in several sections, covering each other… the British defensive line didn't look any different from others, with a few trenches and barbed wire in front of them. And as everyone knew, trenches and barbed wire in the desert weren't particularly effective; German soldiers could destroy them with a few mortar shells.

However, the British defensive line wasn't as simple as it appeared.

When the German soldiers got within about 500 meters of the line, British machine guns opened up, sending bullets flying at the advancing troops, pinning them to the ground.

Qin Chuan noticed that these machine-gun bullets weren't coming from the trenches but from hidden firing ports in unseen fortifications.

Qin Chuan quickly realized the seriousness of the situation… constructing firing ports in the desert's sandy terrain usually meant well-hidden bunkers, as the loose sand couldn't support a secure firing port—it would collapse before the enemy even attacked.

Sure enough, when German soldiers fired mortar shells at these firing ports, blowing away the outer layer of camouflaged sand, they revealed concrete bunkers inside.

Everyone was stunned…

The 1st Infantry Regiment had no heavy weapons, not even anti-tank guns, yet they were now facing British bunkers!

To make matters worse, the area in front of the British bunkers was open, allowing the enemy's machine guns to fire at any advancing troops without obstruction.

"Are there any other gaps in the British line?" Werner asked.

Qin Chuan grimly shook his head… If the British could build bunkers here, they certainly wouldn't leave gaps elsewhere.