Chapter 505: Slaughter in the Great Desert

Boom! A German tank aimed at a British Matilda that was continuously advancing in the distance and, after a few seconds, fired fiercely. The shell it fired flew directly towards the target, drilling a large black hole in the front of the British tank’s turret.

The Matilda tank then slowly came to a stop, smoking and bursting into flames. Just a second later, the tank’s driver leaped out of his vehicle as if his pants were on fire and ran frantically to the rear without looking back.

There were still nearly 100 shells of various types inside the burning tank. As the temperature rose, they could explode at any moment. So, the moment a tank was penetrated, the crew inside had to escape as quickly as possible. Otherwise, they were very likely to be sent to heaven by the cook-off of the ammunition.

Of course, in addition to the ammunition, there was also the terrifying gasoline engine and its fuel. These fuels were also very prone to exploding, so after being hit, the entire tank was basically a giant bomb that could go off at any moment.

Before the British tank driver could run too far, the stricken tank was completely blown to pieces by a massive explosion. The huge turret was thrown into the sky by the blast wave and landed on an open space a dozen meters away. And not far from this exploding tank, another American M3 tank, as if it had not seen the tragic fate of its comrade, continued to charge forward at high speed.

Boom! Not far from this M3 tank, the 75mm cannon on the hull of an American M3 Lee tank opened fire fiercely. The shell also hit a German tank not far away. A pitiful self-propelled anti-tank gun modified from a Panzer II was hit by the shell and exploded like a firework.

On a small mound, a German MG42 position suddenly opened fire. Tracer rounds drew straight lines as they charged into the crowd of American troops. In an instant, flesh and blood flew everywhere. A dozen or so American soldiers were immediately hit by the bullets and fell to the ground, struggling and groaning in pain.

However, just a few seconds later, this machine-gun position was suppressed by American firepower. The remaining American GIs opened fire fiercely. Twenty or thirty M1 Garand rifles fired at the same time, and a hail of bullets was directed at the German machine-gun position.

This was the first time the Germans had found that they did not have the upper hand in terms of firepower. In the past, on their positions, one machine-gun nest could often arrogantly fire off an entire ammunition belt before relocating. But now, the American troops would basically organize a counter-attack the moment a German machine gun opened fire.

A veteran German soldier squatted in a trench, pulled the pin on a hand grenade, waited two seconds, and then, without looking, threw it out of the trench. A huge explosion followed, and the sand and dust kicked up even hit his steel helmet.

He raised his G43 rifle, stood up, and aimed at the attacking American soldiers opposite him, centering his sights on an enemy soldier who was directly facing him. Crack! He fired calmly. The American soldier opposite him fell backward at almost the same moment.

This German soldier did not pause for a moment. He immediately turned his rifle and aimed the black muzzle at another person in the distance. Crack! A clean shot, and another opponent was hit and fell.

A cloud of dust rose beside him. A bullet hit the ground not far from him. The German soldier quickly ducked down. He had just curled up to avoid the incoming bullets when he saw a comrade beside him get shot through the chest by an enemy bullet and fall in agony in the trench.

“Medic! Someone’s been hit!” the German soldier shouted. But before his voice had faded, a hand grenade rolled into the trench. He turned his head and saw the smoking grenade. He cursed in his heart, “I’ll XX you, you XX.”

Boom! The hand grenade exploded. A steel helmet lay in the sand, the white palm tree symbol on it looking so weathered. The Americans had charged up to this German position. On the high ground, they saw a broken machine gun and the bodies of a dozen or so German soldiers.

And behind these American soldiers, nearly a hundred Anglo-American soldiers could no longer stand up to fight for their country. Before the surviving American soldiers could breathe a sigh of relief, the sound of gunfire from the distance rang out again. A bullet flew from afar, taking the life of another young American.

“Sniper!” someone shouted. Everyone was so scared they dropped to the ground. A moment ago, there had been dozens of American soldiers standing on the position, but now not a single one could be seen. It was as if they had heard the command to “hit the dirt” and had executed it without hesitation.

Beside these prone American soldiers, an M3 Lee tank slowly drove past, the cannon on its turret spitting fire. And behind this M3 tank followed a second and a third. The American armored forces, coordinating with their artillery, launched a fierce offensive. Germany was clearly at a loss as to how to deal with this fire suppression.

Boom! A cloud of smoke suddenly erupted from under the foremost M3 Lee tank. An anti-tank mine had blown off its track and had made the heavy hull of the tank tremble.

As the engine continued to run and the wheels continued to turn, the tank’s track was immediately pulled to the front of the vehicle, where it piled up like a small mountain. And at almost the same moment, a German Panzerfaust anti-tank team attacked this now-immobilized behemoth from the side.

The rocket penetrated the tank’s hull, destroying the soldiers and equipment inside. However, this German anti-tank team was not able to escape either. The American soldiers around the tank opened fire fiercely, and the two German soldiers were hit almost simultaneously and riddled with bullets.

Three or four German soldiers, carrying their weapons, tried to retreat to the defensive line behind them. But their movements were spotted by the driver in an American tank. The tank’s machine gun immediately began to roar, and these few German soldiers were hit by the bullets and fell on their way to retreat, closing their eyes forever.

A German armored car was destroyed, bursting into fierce flames. A dozen or so American tanks swaggered forward, continuing their fierce assault, followed by American infantry and armored cars.

Boom! An American tank was destroyed by a German cannon lying in ambush on the side. The massive impact even momentarily changed the tank’s direction of travel. Soon, someone with sharp eyes spotted the concealed German cannon. It was an 88mm anti-aircraft gun that had been deployed nearby for air defense.

This type of cannon could not only engage aerial targets but was also a formidable anti-tank weapon. So, when they learned that the American tanks were coming, this cannon had not hastily retreated but had had the nearby German troops set up a circular defensive position to cover it as it destroyed as many American tanks as possible.

Although they had discovered this 88mm cannon, the American tanks found that they still had no good way to deal with it. The Germans were firing with ease from over 1,300 meters away, and the American tanks clearly did not have the same accuracy as the German anti-aircraft gun at that range.

With a whistle, the Germans fired a second shot. Although this shell did not hit a tank in the front row, it grazed a tank’s turret and directly hit an armored car in the rear. The powerful force destroyed the entire front engine compartment of the armored car, and even destroyed the driver’s cab and troop compartment behind it.

Boom! Boom! It seemed that silence was not the solution. The American forces immediately began to return fire. Taking advantage of their numerical superiority in tanks, they fired fiercely from over 1,300 meters away, blasting the German 88mm anti-aircraft gun position with a thick cloud of smoke.

Boom! The Germans fired their third shot. At a distance of over 1,200 meters, it accurately hit a second American tank. The shell tore through the tank’s armor as easily as a red-hot knife cutting through butter. Soon, the second American tank was burning, and then it exploded violently.

However, the Germans’ good luck seemed to have run out with that shot. Soon, at the call of the American forces, artillery support, which was even more timely than air support, visited the German position. A dozen or so large-caliber shells landed near the German 88mm gun, and this cannon, which had posed a serious threat to the American forces, immediately fell silent.

With the 88mm cannon no longer firing, the American tanks, now unopposed, immediately charged the German positions. The German troops, without the support of heavy anti-tank weapons, began to retreat, giving up some unimportant defensive positions. A dozen or so German soldiers were hit by the pursuing American tanks, while most of them routed to the rear. The Americans had captured another German-controlled area.

Watching the battle continue unabated, Patton’s brow furrowed more and more tightly. He did not believe that the Germans’ strength was only this much. The main reason for their current weakness was that nearly half of their armored strength on the main front was missing. And for him, this was not good news.

To withdraw forces meant one of two choices: either they were preparing for a counter-attack, or those forces were no longer nearby. No matter which of these was true, the situation for the Anglo-American Eighth Army was now very bad.

“Send reconnaissance units to the south! Withdraw the M4 Sherman tanks from the main front! I think Rommel will attack our flank,” Patton finally chose a relatively steady approach. He would use his most elite troops to defend his own flank, to guard against a possible German attack.

“General, is this necessary?” the chief of staff asked his superior, puzzled.

“I think it’s very necessary! Rommel has used a flanking maneuver twice. He thinks I won’t guess he’ll use it a third time. So I’m guessing that’s exactly the kind of trick he’ll try this time!” Patton said with certainty, squinting his eyes.

Published: 2025-08-31T02:18:47.000+00:00
Last Edited: 2025-12-04T03:38:27.000+00:00
URL: https://www.patreon.com/caleredhair/posts/mtr-c505-in-137750183

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