Chapter 1404 Tiger Roar France 4
Bremani's mission is simply to lead the opponent astray and make the opponent attack in the wrong direction, while Becker leads the main force to fight from the opponent's vulnerable flanks! The scope covered a low-profile Type 29 tank destroyer, and the gunner calculated the advance according to the opponent's displacement speed, and then decisively activated the gun, and an armor-piercing projectile flew out to not only penetrate the side armor of the target, but even the side armor on the other side! Directly beat this once-incomparable monster!
"The main force of the other side is on the flank, ready to meet the enemy!" Walker wasn't very worried about the sudden accident, he was more mentally prepared than anyone else. On the one hand, this preparation came from his analysis of the equipment of the Germans, and on the other hand, because the opponent who could allow Patton, the iron rooster, to draw a company of Type 29 tank destroyers from the precious reserves, was definitely quite terrifying! As a high-ranking general, he knew very well that the essence of war was exchange, so he was not too distressed by the more than 20 tanks of various types that he had begun to lose, and they had already realized their value, forcing back an enemy army, testing the depth of the opponent's new tanks, and on the other hand, drawing out the opponent's main forces. The salvo just now was really sharp. 8 tanks of various kinds turned into a pile of wreckage in more than ten seconds, but the number of the other side should not be very large, judging from the situation just now, at most, it is less than 2 companies and more than 20 tanks. Now that the goal has been set, all that's left is to fight! Let's get rid of the opponents on the side first!
The strength of a fully formed armored unit is reflected in its comprehensive capabilities, and not long after Becker's sudden attack, a smoke screen was released by the accompanying mortars, and a smoke screen was pulled out on the flank of the American army in a very short time. There is no thermal imaging camera in this plane. Naturally, there is no ability to attack through the smoke screen, except for a few experienced veterans who determine the location of the target and counterattack by passing in the smoke screen, most people can only scratch the target covered by the smoke screen 1000 meters away.
"Alternate cover retreat, watch out for our flanks!" Becker commanded with a grimace. Now the situation is very clear, the other side has long been prepared for its own tactics, and before the smoke screen clears, all enemy units should have aimed the thickest frontal at themselves. A fight between the tiger and the rhinoceros is inevitable!
The moment when the smoke clears. The two sides finally saw their opponents clearly, and the Americans decisively used their numerical superiority, with the Type 29 tank destroyers in the middle, and the tanks on the flanks ready to outflank. The slender muzzle on the tank destroyer was aimed at the behemoth in front. The loader loaded the armor-piercing bullets that had been prepared for a long time. The gunners stared at their distant targets and estimated the distance between them, and a platoon of tank destroyers used the last of their time to sprint, the opponent was difficult to entangle, and the armor was thick. More than all the armored targets they had encountered before, so tank destroyers, who have always liked to kill their opponents from a distance, were better able to shoot than if they were close!
"Fire!" At a distance of 1,000 meters, the Tiger tank fired the first salvo, more than a dozen shells whistled and flew towards the target, a tank destroyer that was sprinting suddenly shook violently, and a dazzling fire suddenly burst out from the heavy inclined armor, and then, the tank slowly stopped, and the long barrel also hung down. The hatch was then opened, and several U.S. troops escaped through the hatch.
"1000 meters! I managed to wreck a Type 29 tank destroyer from 1000 meters away, and the damn arms dealers didn't lie to me! A Tiger commander said excitedly, and there was cheering inside the tank, they didn't even dare to dream of such a thing. When they first received the tanks at the factory, they scoffed at the claims of technicians who patted their chests and promised that they could penetrate the target from a distance of kilometers. But now it seems that the artillery of the Tiger tank is really trustworthy.
The powerful power of the Tiger tank also shocked the Americans. QUITE A FEW TANK DESTROYERS BEGAN TO FIGHT BACK, FIRING 90MM SHELLS AT THEIR TARGETS, BUT THE ATTACK FROM 700 WAS NOT A BIG PROBLEM FOR THESE THICK-SKINNED TANKS. THE 110 MM INCLINED UPPER NOSE ARMOR AND THE 220 MM THICK TURRET EASILY DEFLECTED THE OPPONENT'S ATTACK. These former sharp weapons did not cause much actual damage to the tank, except for leaving deep and shallow pits in the armor, and of course, individual shells that hit the barrels and observation holes still made these behemoths ineffective. In the course of intense firing between the two sides. The Tiger tank successfully destroyed 20 Type 29 tank destroyers at the cost of 2 incapacitated tanks and 2 tracks broken!
For the first time, the Type 29 tank destroyer was beaten in a frontal armored confrontation. This shock is huge for the US military. There were even cases where some American troops were preparing to flee the battlefield, and they began to reverse their vehicles, not caring whether they would collide with friendly troops behind. However, at this point, Walker thinks he has one last chance to turn the tables. That is, to outflank the tank troops from both flanks, although the Tiger tanks on both sides are trying to intercept the opposing attacking forces, but the US army has a large numerical advantage after all, there are always some tanks rushing over, and then aiming their artillery at the huge side of the Tiger!
A Type 29 tank, which was maneuvering at high speed, came to a halt, quickly turned its gun to a Tiger, and fired a decisive shot. The shell flew from 700 meters and hit the side of the Tiger's narrow turret, but the poor angle of incidence and the angle of the turret itself prevented the shell from penetrating the armor. The other tank was more fortunate when a shell hit the suspension of the Tiger tank. With the sound of a metal torsion bar breaking, the tank tilted to the side.
The Type 29 tank that suddenly burst in from the side did cause some trouble to Becker, and no matter how powerful the Tiger tank was, it could not guarantee that the side could resist the 75MM tank gun and tungsten alloy armor-piercing shells at close range! What's more, whether it is the running equipment, the side of the turret or the joint of the hull, it is a vulnerable part, which cannot be defended by armor alone! In the continuous fighting, four more Tiger tanks were damaged, but two of them were still able to fight. "Alright, let's get ready to put in the reserves!" Becker played his last hole card!
Facts have proved that in the face of the rough skin and thick flesh of the Tiger tank, the Type 29 tank is still difficult to deal a devastating blow to it even if it goes around the side, not to mention the defensive strength of the inclined armor of the front of the side of the hull and the turret, even if it penetrates the external armor, the charge inside the 75MM armor-piercing bullet has some gap in the destructive power of the huge tank, which may cause some casualties, but it is difficult to make a final decision. Plus terrain occlusion. THERE WERE VERY FEW VULNERABLE PARTS OF THE HULL, AND FROM A DISTANCE, THERE WAS ONLY ONE LARGE TURRET IN THE SCOPE, AND THE PROTECTION OF THE TURRET SIDES COMBINED WITH THE ANGLE OF INCIDENCE OF THE SHELLS MADE IT DIFFICULT FOR THE 75MM GUN TO PENETRATE. Thereupon. The end result was that the opportunity to outflank the Americans at a great expense was a loss-making deal, especially when Becker's reserves came on the field, and the situation on the battlefield was even more one-sided!
"When we found out that reinforcements were rushing out of town, I knew we had lost this time. The Germans' new tank resembled a war elephant with thick armor draped in heavy armor. They are relatively slow, but they are strong and powerful. My crew fired eight shells into the side of a Tiger tank, hitting at least four of them, the closest one was fired from 400 meters away, but the turret was still pointing at us quickly, and at the last moment, I chose to run away, I pushed open the hatch and jumped off the battlefield, and a few seconds later, an armor-piercing bullet pierced my car. Faced with such goals. We have no choice at all, and the other party's reinforcements have become the last straw that crushes us! A U.S. soldier who survived the war wrote in his postwar memoirs.
The German reserves were like the ancient Teutonic knights to charge, they maintained a neat formation and entered the battlefield at medium speed, and the 88MML56 heavy gun was their cavalry! These terrifying weapons of mass destruction easily killed the US tanks in the bitter battle from a distance. Forward, Stop, Aim, Shoot! Kill all opponents you can meet with a high cycle of efficiency. With the roar of artillery, the Type 29 tanks were reduced to their parts state, and only blackened metal fragments and crumbling wreckage proved that these things once existed. Several U.S. tanks were destroyed almost every minute, and as events passed, the number of remaining U.S. tanks on the battlefield rapidly declined. "I've never been in such a desperate battle, and I feel like I'm not fighting, but I'm letting my officers and men kill themselves. Looking at the scene on the battlefield, I felt a deep sense of guilt. Walker lamented these in a telegram sent to Barton after the war.
After clearing out close opponents, Becker once again stabilized the line, and the remaining Tiger tanks began to regroup and launch a counterattack. At this time, the enemy they faced was nothing more than a flock of frightened birds, and Walker and the commanders on the front line were not thinking about how to attack again, but about saving themselves under the slaughter of the Tiger tanks. The remaining tanks and support artillery in the distance began to release smoke bombs, hoping to reduce the accuracy of the Germans' strikes, and individual tanks even turned their heads and walked away. did not hesitate to expose his vulnerable rear to the guns of the Germans. "Actually, I think it's more correct to turn around at this time than to reverse directly. Because neither the frontal armor nor the rear could stop the attack of the new German tanks. A captured U.S. soldier said in his confession. In this head-to-head battle, the U.S. army, which had a 4-fold superiority in strength, was beaten by a mere German heavy tank battalion, which was not only defeated, but even described as torture and killing! Since this battle, the Tiger tank has become world-famous, and has even become a symbol of the German Army, an eternal nightmare in the hearts of Allied soldiers.
"The Americans retreated, shall we continue the pursuit?" A platoon commander asked on the radio.
"Forget it, let's clean it up. Everyone rushed to repair all the damaged tanks, and the tanks that could not be taken away were completely blown up. Looking at the American armored units in the distance, Becker shook his head and said, now they are fighting behind enemy lines, and any damage may lead to the destruction of the combat vehicle. From his first day as commander of the 502 Heavy Tank Battalion, he was told that every Tiger tank was the most important asset of the Imperial Army. These tanks must be kept as much as possible, and if they cannot be saved, they must be completely blown up. In this engagement, more than 10 Tiger tanks were also damaged or disabled. The maintenance unit of the 502nd Tank Battalion must heal the wounded tigers as much as possible.
Very open, one after another repair vehicles converted from the Tiger tank site came to the battlefield, and the damaged Tiger tanks were all sorts of things, some tracks and load wheels were destroyed, some of the barrels were destroyed, and a few of them were destroyed engines or gearboxes. The former is relatively easy to repair, just replace it. If the barrel is destroyed or the turret has a problem, don't fix it first, just keep up with the team, the biggest problem is that the engine is destroyed, although the Germans paid special attention to stability and maintenance when developing the Tiger tank, but some of the Tiger not only the engine was destroyed, but also because of the fire caused other compartments to be destroyed. So, after this engagement, 5 Tigers were left on the battlefield forever. If it were in a normal engagement, they could have been towed back, but behind enemy lines, there was no second option but to blow them up.
"Remove everything that can be used, and let them leave decently." In the midday sun, these unserviceable Tiger tanks give the impression of heroic twilight, and a few hours ago, they were slaughtering all sides on the battlefield, and now, they can only quietly wait for death. When the Germans removed the ammunition, fuel, communication facilities and machine guns, the sappers entered the tank and installed explosives, and each Tiger tank installed at least 100 kg of TNT inside. Engines, gearboxes, artillery, servo motors, and other key equipment are arranged with explosives and detonators. As the sapper pressed the detonation button, the Tiger tanks shook violently, a dull loud noise came from inside the hull, and the closed hatch was rushed open by a huge amount of energy. Then, the whole tank was torn apart in an instant.
"At this moment, I felt like my heart was bleeding. What I lost was not just a weapon, but also a comrade-in-arms, a comrade-in-arms who could trust my life. "BREMANY, WHO WAS ON A DECOY MISSION, ALSO LOST HIS TANK IN THIS BATTLE, AND AT THE END OF THE BATTLE, A 90MM SHELL FIRED FROM NOWHERE PIERCED THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT LOCATED IN THE REAR OF THE TIGER TANK. And caused a fire, and although he extinguished the fire with the efforts of the crew members, the tank was eventually scrapped. This is the first Tiger tank with a record of actual combat losses.
Thanks to the book friend zhouyu1976 and Baby Panda for the reward ~~~~~. (To be continued.) )