Looking down from a high altitude, the desert of Libya seems to be flat, with sand and sand. However, when you go down to the ground, you will find that there are still many low vegetation and huge white rocks in the desert near Tobruk.

Although these vegetation and rocks cannot block a No. 4 tank or No. 3 assault gun, the AK38 50mm anti-tank gun with a height of only 1.05 meters can be hidden behind these stones and low vegetation that cannot be named. With a little camouflage, it can be integrated with the surrounding desert Gobi.

Lieutenant Bolauchtel, the company commander of the 14th Tank Destroyer Company of the Great German Brigade, was running around the sand at this time, checking the position layout of his 12 artillery squads. It was different from the situation encountered on the Western Front battlefield. This time, the tank destroyer company was used in attack operations, dragged by half-track armored vehicles and advanced with armored clusters. After the mechanized scouts in front exchanged fire with British tanks, the tank destroyer companies immediately stopped advancing and began to deploy anti-tank gun positions on the spot.

"Everyone is here, the British are going to attack." Seeing that an anti-tank gun position was deployed, Lieutenant Bolauchtel shouted and issued an order. "When our tank retreats, then open fire, and attack the British Crusader cruiser tanks first."

The 14th Tank Destroyer Company of the Great German Brigade is an old force. It participated in the Polish Battle and the Western Front Battle, and fought with the French and British tank troops many times. It has a very rich battlefield experience. Now, with the powerful penetrating AK38 50mm anti-tank gun (500 meters right angle through 78mm vertical homogeneous steel plate), the soldiers of course were ready to go and responded loudly with high morale.

"I got it, Lieutenant!"

"We will teach the British a lesson!"

At this moment, the rumbling motor roaring from the east became louder and louder, which was the sound of the German armored clusters that lured the enemy and the British tanks that were hooked up as they drove.

The "enemies-attracting combat" organized by Lieutenant General Feng Thomas is actually a very easy trap to be seen. It is to use a battalion of the 5th Tank Regiment, the 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion (belongs to the 21st Armored Division) and the Great German Infantry Brigade to form an armored cluster, detour south of the British defense line, and after being blocked by the British tank cluster, they exchanged fire and retreated.

In theory, such a trap cannot deceive Major General Craig, the experienced British armored cluster commander. But the question is whether Major General Craig's reaction is faster or the German anti-tank gun fires faster!

Taking over the top of a wheeled armored command vehicle, Major General Craig held up his telescope and looked for a long time, only to see a vast area of ​​sand and dust. The tank fighting he was expecting did not happen. The attack formation composed of nearly 400 Matilda 2 tanks and Crusader cruise tanks kept moving forward, and they were getting further and further away.

Major General Craig put down his telescope and said to his chief of staff: "It seems that there is no firefight."

"Our tanks have been advancing," replied Chief of Staff Colonel Phillips, "and the German armored clusters were retreating. Both sides were moving, so there was no large-scale exchange of fire."

The tank turrets of this era did not have laser rangefinders and two-way balance systems, and the guns could not hit the target during the march, so the tanks in action did not fire.

"Why didn't the Germans fire? Is it because we have too many tanks?" Major General Craig frowned, he had already smelled the trap!

"They may have to lead our tanks to the preset anti-tank gun position!" Colonel Phillips had even guessed Rommel's plan.

"Order the tank cluster to stop moving forward!" Major General Craig also issued the order to stop moving forward as soon as possible, but it was too late.

Because the 48 AK38 50mm anti-tank guns from Germany's four anti-tank destroyers (including the 21st Armored Division, the 15th Armored Division, the 90th Lightweight Division and the Great German Brigade) were driven along with the armored cluster, and it took less than 20 minutes to deploy on the battlefield. Just as Major General Craig issued the order, these anti-tank guns, 58 No. 4 tanks and 4 47mm guns installed on the semi-tracked vehicles (one belongs to the 17th Company of the Great German Brigade, and the other three belongs to the 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion of the 21st Armored Division) were also fired.

"On 12 o'clock! British tanks!" Lieutenant Ribbentrop said, "It's a crusade, aiming and firing!"

"!" Sergeant Schumacher personally manipulated the artillery, aimed at a moving British tank, and shouted loudly.

"!Reloading!" A private with muscles on his arm pushed a shell into the bomb bay.

"Let's fire!" Sergeant Schumacher shouted.

"Boom!" One shot flew towards his target with a loud bang. The huge impact force shocked the Crusader tank. Then he rushed forward a few more steps and a stream of black smoke emerged and paralyzed on the sand.

There were as many as 110 anti-tank guns and tank guns that fired at the same time! Therefore, there were as many as forty or fifty British tanks that were shot at the same time. The huge tank attack formation seemed to rush into the death trap. The dozens of tanks rushing in the front were either fired into fire or black smoke emerged and slumped on the sand. However, the British tanks behind were still charging with their heads covering their heads, and they didn't know whether they were reckless or fearless. Anyway, these British people did not react at the first time.

"British tanks! Go to the target!" Lieutenant Bolauchtel of the 14th Tank Destroyer of the Greater German Brigade half-kneel beside a 50mm anti-tank gun and shouted at the top of his voice. His 12 anti-tank guns are on the front line, and now they are less than 500 meters away from the British tank cluster. The opponent's 40mm tank gun can easily kill all the 12 anti-tank guns that have opened fire and exposed the target! Therefore, the soldiers of the 14th Company must destroy as many tanks as possible before the enemy reacts.

"Fire!" Lieutenant Bolauchtel saw a 50mm push into the barrel and immediately ordered the fire.

"boom!"

Almost as the sound of gunfire sounded, a crusad tank more than 400 meters away burned with thick smoke, and then more British tanks were hit.

In less than 2 minutes, all German tank guns and anti-tank guns fired at least 2 rounds, and more than 80 British tanks were hit on the battlefield. However, the remaining tanks had already reacted and stopped moving forward one after another, starting to turn the turret to find a target to fight back.

However, the gunners of these British tanks ignored the low AK38 50mm anti-tank gun on the chaotic battlefield, but instead regarded the taller No. 4 tank, which was also farther away, as the target. They used their insufficient 40mm tank guns to prevent the 50mm frontal armor of the No. 4 tank at a distance of 600-700 meters. At the same time, the No. 4 tank 75mm can easily explode the Matilda No. 2 tank!

The firefighting on the battlefield quickly turned into a one-sided massacre. Although the British tanks had an absolute advantage in number, they were hit hard in a very short time. Within 15 minutes, the battlefield was full of wreckage of British tanks.

British Major General Craig, who was commanding in the rear, was stunned by this scene. He was commanding the most powerful armored troops on the North African battlefield 15 minutes ago, and now his armored troops have been hit by annihilated attacks, and his opponent is only dozens of German No. 4 tanks (he was too far from the battlefield and no low 50mm anti-tank gun was found).

"How is this possible?" Major General Craig opened his mouth wide and it took him a long time to spit out this sentence. "We have more than 400 tanks, and they only have dozens of them!"

"General, we are defeated..." his chief of staff Colonel Phillips also gasped, "The armored forces are over!"

Major General Craig never had the energy he had when he beat the Italian armored forces a few months ago, but asked his chief of staff in vain, "What should we do?"

"Only retreat, general."

"Retreat? Retreat to Tobruk?"

Colonel Phillips shook his head: "I don't think Tubrook can't hold on anymore, we must retreat to Egypt!"

The easy defeat of armored troops by the German army has determined the fate of Tobrook. Although relying on the solid fortifications left by the Italians, the British army can still hold on for a while. However, sea control and air control are both in the hands of the Germans, and there is no hope for ground troops to trap the lonely city. Therefore, before the Battle of Tobrook began, the British Middle East Command formulated a strategy of "retracting to Egypt in adverse circumstances to defend."

"Yes! We have to go to Egypt!" Major General Craig nodded, "Tell Lieutenant General Cunningham the result of the battle... We can't beat the Germans and must retreat!"

"You can't let the British people here in Tobrook run away!" Rommel also received news of the British armored forces' defeat at this time. "If they were allowed to escape to Egypt, it would be difficult to eliminate them."

Even if the British army here in Tobruk fled back to Egypt, they would almost be empty-handed and it was a dream to defend Egypt. However, these people would be transported to India by British ships to replenish them, and in a few months they would become another elite force. This would make the battle in the Middle East and East Africa more troublesome and would not be conducive to further liberating India.
Chapter completed!