Iron Cross

On November 30, 1942, the weather was just as the weather forecast revealed. Heavy rain began to fall around Tobruk and in the northern area of ​​Cyrenaica. It was really a strange thing. The rain here was different from that of The rain on the plains and the rain in the forest came quickly, violently and suddenly. The raindrops that fell were as big as ancient coins. The raindrops were numerous and dense, pouring down from the sky in a vast white field, leaving patches of small raindrops on the beach. pit. Soon the small pits merged into puddles, and the puddles began to overflow. The floodwater merged into the river bed and turned into a raging torrent, sweeping away dead branches, bones of cattle and sheep, and rocks, rushing down and destroying everything in its path. Everything: bridges, coves, roads. The crude runways built at desert airports were also damaged by floods, making it impossible for planes to take off and land. Bunkers, trenches and other fortifications were filled with water up to their knees, and there was no place to stand. On December 1st, the heavy rain continued, as if all the rainfall in the year would be concentrated in these two days, but the rainfall was much less than on the first day.

Taking advantage of the heavy rain, Guderian commanded the troops to secretly adjust their deployment and stockpile a large number of tanks, self-propelled rocket launcher batteries, half-track armored vehicles carrying armored grenadiers, and Stalker destroyers in the main assault direction. In the previous three weeks of attacks, the German army focused its attack first on the troops of the colonies and British allies, and the priority was to attack the British troops facing Cairo. Therefore, their vigilance was also the highest, but this time The African Army's combat target is firmly locked on the British 7th Armored Division facing Morocco. This force, known as the Desert Rats, is the strongest armored force of the British army. It has also been attacked in previous battles. Minimal troops. Guderian believed that they were the least vigilant, and taking the 7th Armored Division first could effectively shock the entire Eighth Army.

Although everyone believed in the power of the Tiger, they were also worried about this plan to attack from a stronger position. Guderian himself was much more confident than them. He believed that without the Italians holding back, if the plan was eliminated, After the air forces of both sides provide sufficient supplies and equipment, in terms of ground forces alone, the few troops he has are enough to kill the 8th Army - now, such a good opportunity has finally come.

"Gentlemen, don't worry. Although the Desert Rats are cunning, they are simply not enough to face the power of the tigers..." Everyone laughed, including Major Rudel, who was participating in such a high-level combat meeting for the first time. and Major Meckl laughed too.

Although the heavy rain caused a lot of inconvenience, not many soldiers on both sides complained about the heavy rain. The Germans waited for the rain they desperately wanted to facilitate the attack, while the British soldiers who had been suffering in the desert could finally enjoy themselves. I had to take a bath on the ground. Even drinking water was a problem in desert operations (but the German troops could take turns withdrawing into Tobruk to take a bath), not to mention such a luxury thing as taking a bath. Seeing the rain falling from the sky, many people felt itchy all over. stand up……

Before the war started, the engineers were the hardest working. They had to clear the mines on the troops' advance path. However, the rain greatly eased their work pressure - the surface washed by the rain had undergone major changes, and the mines became very serious. They are easy to identify, and some simply pop up on their own, and you can easily kill them all. By 4 o'clock in the morning on December 1, a road more than 150 meters wide, enough for tanks and other armored vehicle formations to pass, was was cleared out.

The clock ticked past 6 o'clock, and three green flares flew into the sky. The German army's fierce attack began, led by the two heavy armored battalions 501 and 502. Captain Nolde, commander of the 1st Company of the 501st Battalion, took the lead. He drove the No. 111 car that had been painted with khaki armor and led 5 Tigers to rush out of the position and roared towards the British position. On the left and right wings are assault groups composed of other Tiger tanks. Behind each assault group are T-34s and armored grenadiers. In order to maximize the surprise, Guderian did not even prepare for artillery fire. Just let the armored troops rush out.

The terrain in the desert is as vast and flat as the ocean, with almost no obstacles. There are only some undulating sand dunes and hills that can slightly cover the whereabouts of the troops. Therefore, this kind of battle is highly dependent on mobility. The armored forces of both sides chased, fired, and destroyed each other like fleets on the sea. In the absence of reliable defenses, without tanks as the backbone of defense, ordinary soldiers would be helpless. Therefore, the quantity and quality of tanks determine the success or failure of the battle, and today this advantage obviously belongs to the Germans - on the front of the 7th Armored Division, Guderian concentrated 2 Tiger battalions and 4 T-34 battalions , the total number of tanks is close to 400, while the total number of Desert Rat tanks opposite them is less than 200. Whether it is Valentine, Stuart or Sherman, no tank can match the quality of the Germans.

In the early morning, British Corporal Quinn woke up early. He was woken up by the cold - the air was very humid, and the more wet blankets he wrapped around his body, the colder he got, making his sleep unreliable at all. He squatted in tents that were leaking everywhere, soaking wet and shivering with cold. Now he finally understood why there were so many dry river beds on the Cyrenaica plateau. Under the impact of the two extreme climates of heavy rain and drought, the former The riverbeds, which were so dry that they were smoking and with cracked soil, have now turned into small rivers. Some rivers have a larger flow than some rivers in his hometown. The scene unfolding in the desert is truly incredible.

He was about to stretch when he suddenly heard the low sound of engines coming from the east. The sounds of countless engines - tanks, armored vehicles, half-tracks and motorcycles were mixed together, like a symphony with a changed tune. , he was shocked, immediately rushed out of the tent, jumped into the waterlogged trench and rushed forward, trying to get to his post as soon as possible - it was a 17-pound gun deployed at the front of the position, waiting for him to roll and crawl forward. When we arrived at our post, we saw several beetle-like black spots appearing in the distance. After a while, they turned into a mass of black dots and rushed towards the position.

"Germans!" A panic swept through the hearts of everyone in the artillery crew, and the shrill siren sounded. The whimpering screams made people feel even more frightened. Quinn saw many soldiers in disheveled clothes coming out of the tent, deep in thought. He stepped one foot at a time into the mud, and his face changed into a completely ferocious look - I don't know whether it was because of nervousness or the sting of stepping on the stone. After all, the 7th Armored Division is a well-trained unit, and it can still react very quickly when caught off guard.

The observation post saw clearly that the German tanks were steadily crawling forward, and the sound of their tracks became more and more clearly audible. Piles of tanks were arranged in triangular formations, approaching the British position with great momentum. At the forefront were the Tiger tanks, which were responsible for clearing the battlefield of the toughest elements, especially anti-tank firepower. The German Army Weapons Bureau has conducted experiments. The latest 17-pounder gun put into the battlefield by the British has strong penetrating power within 1,500 meters. It can kill both No. 4G and T-34 with one hit. However, It is not enough to deal with the Tiger, and 1,500 meters is a relatively ideal sighting distance for the Tiger. Basically, 2-3 guns can ensure a hit.

Now, the anti-tank firepower points exposed at the front have been cleared one by one by the Germans. Although the poor 17-pounder gun is powerful, it is a thick, bulky fat man. It must be towed by other vehicles to move, which is impossible. It is moved by manpower, but when the road conditions are so bad, not to mention wheeled vehicles cannot move at all, there are also fixed targets for the Tiger.

"At 1 o'clock, anti-tank position, 1,600 meters away..." Captain Nolde calmly told the gunner the position and distance - another benefit of rain erosion is that the British anti-tank firepower points that originally relied on various shelters will inevitably exposed.

With a "bang" sound, an 88mm high-explosive round was stuffed into the barrel and fired quickly. The accuracy was incredibly high. After a boom, the 6-pound anti-tank artillery was blown up and the position piled up with sandbags immediately Turned into ruins.

Quinn, who witnessed the whole process, had no time to observe a moment of silence for his comrades. The artillery crew leader had already roared "Fire!" and he quickly fired the artillery. After a boom, the German tank on the opposite side was still rumbling forward, "15 meters to the left... ", another shell was fired, but it still missed the target. Now the Germans finally reacted, and the turret began to adjust towards Quinn. But the British artillery crew adjusted the azimuth angle faster, and Quinn fired the third shell almost subconsciously.

With a "ding" sound, the shell hit hard on the right side of the Tiger's front armor. The crew members were shocked, but the 100mm thick homogeneous armor with a 50-degree inclination obviously withstood the test and immediately Quinn was shocked when the shell bounced away. He glanced at the ruler and saw that the distance was less than 1,450 meters. What kind of tank was this? The armor is so powerful? The gunner seemed shocked by the enemy's toughness. He paused for a full second before shouting the next order: "Lie down!"

"Why don't you fight?" Quinn thought so, but his body's reaction was not slow. He immediately threw himself on the muddy ground like a conditioned reflex, and the rainwater mixed with yellow sand and sludge poured straight into the corners of his mouth and nostrils. , but he was not in the mood to think about this. He only heard a loud "bang" sound. The 88mm shell severely hit the shield and gun mount of the 17-pound gun. The poor steel was exploded into countless parts on the spot, accompanied by A large pile of body parts next to him flew into the sky. When the stunned Quinn finally woke up, he found that he had become a prisoner of the German Panzergrenadiers who were following behind. From the other party's mouth, he learned about the remaining members of the artillery crew. All the gunners including the gunner who gave the "lie down" order were dead, and he was the only lucky one to survive.