Chapter 257 It would be great if the 88mm anti-aircraft gun was installed on the tank! (Second update!)
The British army was busy counterattacking during the rainy season, while the German army was busy hiding from the rain.

The damn rainstorm caused the German soldiers to complain a lot.

"Where are the tents? Why haven't our tents been delivered yet?" A German tank commander asked somewhat dissatisfiedly as he looked at his subordinates trapped in the tank.

"No, there are not enough rainproof equipment. No one expected that there would be heavy rain in the desert. It is said that even our division commander had to hide in the tank." The driver said gloatingly.

"However, we can get together with those infantrymen. They are hiding in the tents now, and the rain probably won't stop for a while." The gunner also suggested.

Hearing this, the German tank commander thought it made sense. After all, hiding in a tank for a long time would make the body unable to move freely and would rust over time.

It would be better to go out and squeeze into the tent with the infantry.

More importantly, he didn't think the British army would launch a counterattack in such heavy rain.

"Then let's go to the infantry's tents to hide from the rain and listen to them bragging." The German tank commander thought about it and decided to lead his troops to the infantry's tents to hide from the rain.

When we arrived at the infantry position, we found that their environment was not very good either. It was better for them to be in a tank, at least they would not get wet in the rain.

"You don't have a tent?" the German tank commander asked a soul-searching question.

The German infantry lieutenant in charge of defending the position glanced at the German tank commander and said lightly.

"No one expected it to rain heavily here, so no one brought a tent."

"The logistics department is now rushing to transport tents, but the roads are blocked and the tents cannot be transported for a while. In addition, the troops are short of ammunition, so the logistics department is busy transporting ammunition and food. As for tents, a company can only get three or five tents, which is only enough for half of the people to shelter from the rain."

"So you made a wrong calculation by coming to our place to take shelter from the rain. You might as well go back to your tanks. At least you can take shelter from the rain there."

Hearing this, the German tank commander was speechless.

I didn't expect that the infantry was not as good as their armored troops.

"Want one? The logistics department just delivered a pack of cigarettes that they owed me for several months. I don't know if they can pay off the cigarettes they owe me before the end of the war." The German lieutenant handed over a cigarette.

The German tank commander sniffed, took the cigarette, skillfully took out a lighter, lit the cigarette, then took a deep puff of the cigarette, and after it was filtered through his lungs, he gently exhaled a smoke ring.

I have to say that the German tank commander is definitely a heavy smoker. Just looking at the smoke rings, not everyone can do it.

"Great." The German lieutenant praised.

"Would you like some compressed biscuits?" Perhaps it was a cigarette that started the conversation. The German lieutenant enthusiastically handed over the compressed biscuits that had just been delivered by the logistics department.

Looking at the compressed biscuits in front of him, the German tank commander quickly shook his head.

They have already had enough of this stuff.

If there is no alternative, they simply won’t eat it.

"Forget it, let's just eat canned food. You guys keep it." The armored troops' food is much better than that of the infantry.

Hearing the word canned food, the German lieutenant swallowed subconsciously.

You have to know that before the capture of Alexandria, their infantry didn't see a can of food for a week.

They are all special forces such as armored troops.

Each branch of the military has different combat missions, so the food distribution is also different.

Submarine soldiers have the highest food standards.

Of course this refers to the meals back at the base.

When fighting at sea, they are not even as good as armored troops, and are almost the same as infantry.

After all, it’s a confined space and there’s not even much room to sleep.

Not to mention having a big meal, normally it would be compressed biscuits, various canned foods and so on.

The so-called grand feast is basically just a legend.

The only military service that can truly enjoy high standards every day should be pilots.

As long as you are not doing any missions, you can enjoy delicious food every day.

"Hans, bring some canned food over for the infantry brothers." Looking at the infantrymen chewing on compressed biscuits and drinking cold water, the German tank commander thought for a while and ordered his men to get a few cans of food.

Just consider it for the sake of the cigarettes.

"Thank you for your generosity." The German lieutenant was surprised but not overly polite. Both parties had been cooperating for more than a year and were quite familiar with each other.

"I don't know when this damn bad weather will end. I'm sure that as long as the heavy rain stops, the British army will launch a counterattack." The German lieutenant complained while eating compressed biscuits.

It’s not that they were dissatisfied with Rommel’s decision, but they thought that the damn weather made them unhappy.

"You're right. The British army will surely counterattack when the rain stops. But before that, we may be the first to launch the attack. Don't forget, our armored forces are the most powerful in the world." The German tank commander said proudly.

"That makes sense, but do you think the British army will take advantage of the heavy rain to launch a counterattack? After all, our air force cannot be used at all at this time. If they launch a counterattack, our advantage will be weakened by more than half." The German lieutenant finished the compressed biscuits in his hand, then looked at the heavy rain in the distance and asked speculatively.

Hearing this, the German tank commander was stunned, and then he looked at the heavy rain in the distance.

Maybe it was because the rain was so heavy that no sound could be heard except the sound of splashing water.

Moreover, the lightning and thunder in the distance covered up some of the sounds very well.

If the British army launched a counterattack at this time, it would indeed be a trouble for the German army.

"That shouldn't be the case. The British army is not foolish. Fighting in heavy rain will greatly affect their combat effectiveness." The German tank commander said after a moment of hesitation.

Hearing this, the German lieutenant shook his head and said.

"No, if I were the commander of the British army, I would definitely use the rainstorm, because it can cover up the roar of the engine very well. When we find the traces of the British army, I am afraid they will also fall into panic."

It has to be said that these words made the German tank commander feel a little uneasy.

If that's the case, then we're in trouble.

Thinking of this, the German tank commander decided to let the others return to the tank, start the tank, and be on standby at all times.

"Captain, this will consume a lot of fuel." The driver scratched his head and said.

"Start first to prevent a sneak attack by the British army." The German tank commander thought about it and said reluctantly.

"Yes." The German driver didn't know what to say. After all, he still had to follow the commander's orders.

I returned to the tank with complaints all the way, and soon I heard the roar of the engine.

When the other tank crews saw this, they all took out their radios to ask what was going on.

When they heard that it was to prevent a sneak attack by the British army, many crew members showed sarcastic expressions.

A sneak attack during a rainstorm?
Unless the British army is crazy.

Otherwise, what about this horrible weather attack?
That's a joke.

result!

The next piece of news from the reconnaissance platoon stunned the German tank commanders.

"British troops spotted five kilometers away, suspected large numbers of tanks heading towards our position."

"How is this possible?" The German tank commander looked a little ugly. He didn't expect that the other party was right.

The British army actually took advantage of the heavy rain to launch an attack.

This was indeed beyond his expectations.

They originally thought that they could take advantage of the heavy rain to rest, but now it seems that the British army will not give them this opportunity at all.

"Fortunately, we carried an 88mm anti-aircraft gun, otherwise it would be dangerous this time." The German lieutenant said helplessly.

He really didn't expect that he was actually guessed right.

Fortunately, he was not a straightforward person. He immediately issued a combat order and called on his subordinates to take up the position.

The German tank commander also returned to the tank, which had already started, and could now drive directly towards the British tank to buy time for the tanks behind him that had not started. Soon, he saw a British tank driving towards them through the periscope.

"They are American-made M3 light tanks. Damn, so many tanks. The British army must have planned this for a long time." The German driver said in shock.

boom!
A shell hit the American M3 tank directly in the distance.

Because of the heavy rain, the visibility was affected and the target was not hit.

But it still scared the British tank soldiers.

"Damn it, we found German tanks. They actually discovered us." The British tank commander roared in horror.

"Don't panic, aim and fire." The voice of the armored company commander came over the radio.

The overall performance of the M3 tank is still good, but at this time the tank needs to stop before firing.

boom!
Here, just as we stopped, another shell brushed past the turret.

It's not easy to hit the target at a distance of 1,100 meters.

There are very high requirements for the crew's coordination and the commander's command.

Basically, at this distance, the main purpose is to intimidate the other party.

Whether you can hit the target is not important; the key is to scare the opponent.

Moreover, the German tank commander's goal at this time was to delay the attack speed of the British tanks and buy time for the subsequent tanks to start.

"No, the distance is too far. We can't hit the enemy at all." The German gunner's voice was full of helplessness.

If they were driving a Panzer IV, there probably wouldn't be so much trouble.

The 75mm main gun can blow up the enemy with just one shot.

Moreover, the armor thickness of the Type 4 tank is much greater than that of the Type 3 tank, so it can be used for close-range shooting without having to worry about being blown up by the enemy.

"Close range and shoot." Finally, the German tank commander issued a very dangerous order.

"Commander, if that happens, we will be targeted. The armor thickness of the Type 3 tank simply cannot withstand the firepower of the enemy's tank guns." The gunner said again.

Hearing this, the German tank commander said in a deep voice.

"We have to buy time for those tanks that are starting up, otherwise once the British tanks get within range, our tanks will be sitting ducks."

Now that things have come to this, there is nothing else to say. We can only grit our teeth and continue shooting at close range.

When they reached one thousand meters, they could already feel the pressure from the British tanks.

A total of two hundred M3 tanks looked very spectacular.

At least the German tank commander felt heavy-hearted.

I'm afraid they won't be able to go back this time.

boom!
boom!
boom!
One shell after another passed by their tanks.

If the heavy rain hadn't affected our vision, we would have been hit long ago.

They dare not stop now, because once they stop, they will be destroyed.

"Hurry, there is a dirt slope at the nine o'clock direction." The German tank commander bravely opened the hatch, then stuck his head out and took out a telescope to observe the situation on the battlefield.

Visibility was low due to heavy rain which impaired vision.

Fortunately, his hard work paid off and he finally found a slope suitable for firing.

The driver received the order, turned skillfully and accelerated.

It stopped steadily on the slope.

Because of the shooting angle, British tanks were difficult to aim.

It's either too high or too low.

Or you can just go through the slope directly.

"Ten o'clock direction, armor-piercing shells, fire." The German tank commander raised his telescope and ordered loudly.

"Yes." The gunner adjusted the turret and then stepped on the trigger.

boom!
An armor-piercing bullet tore through the air, cutting a straight line in the continuous rain and flying towards the distant target.

The British troops in the distance didn't know it yet, but the shell was heading straight for an M3 tank that was accelerating forward.

boom!
The armor-piercing bullet accurately hit the front armor of the M3 tank.

There was an explosion!
The tank caught fire instantly and all the crew members inside the tank were killed instantly.

The British tank commander in the rear was stunned. It was almost nine hundred meters away, and he could hit the target with one shot.

As expected, the German army's shooting skills were far superior to theirs.

"Concentrate fire and kill the enemy." The British army was no pushover. When they saw their tanks being destroyed, they immediately roared for revenge.

A number of M3 tanks stopped attacking and began to rotate their turrets, firing wildly at the German tanks.

boom!
boom!
boom!
Several armor-piercing shells hit the German tanks.

The result was no hit.

But it scared the German tank commander.

It's really scary.

"Captain, how about we retreat?" the German driver said with a tingling scalp.

This is really exciting.

If you're not careful, you're doomed.

boom!
A shell exploded next to them.

The impact of the explosion made them dizzy.

"Keep holding on." The German tank commander shook his head and continued to command his men to fire calmly.

boom!
Because there were so many British tanks, there was no need to look carefully.

This time the armor-piercing shell hit the turret of an M3 tank, but due to its caliber, it did not destroy the opponent.

"Damn it, if it's a Panzer IV, we can definitely destroy the enemy." The German tank commander looked helpless.

The Type 4 tanks were first supplied to the German troops on the Eastern Front, and it was considered good enough for their North African Corps to have the Type 3 tanks.

If there were any Type 4 tanks here, they would have been slaughtered indiscriminately.

boom!
At this moment, a British tank on the opposite side suddenly exploded, and a fireball shot up into the sky.

"Huh?" The German tank commander was stunned, but when he turned around, he saw that the former German lieutenant was instructing his subordinates to support them with 88mm anti-aircraft guns.

Compared with their 50mm caliber tank gun, the 88mm anti-aircraft gun is not very effective in hitting tanks after being laid flat.

Basically one shot at a time.

In just a short while, several British tanks were destroyed.

Many British tanks were frightened and stopped their attack.

"It would be great if we could install the 88mm anti-aircraft gun on the tank. It would be the king on the battlefield." The German tank commander muttered as he looked at the 88mm anti-aircraft gun.

Little did people know that not long after, the German army did design a heavy tank with the 88mm anti-aircraft gun as its main gun.

(End of this chapter)