It's better to conquer them than to command the steel torrent

Chapter 277 | Burn them!
But ten minutes earlier, the lead tank encountered some defeated Imperial Russian soldiers who claimed that a group of enemies they had never seen before had suddenly attacked the supply depot.

That's weird!

Lieutenant Colonel Evans judged that it was a U.S. reconnaissance unit because of its surprisingly fast reaction speed, and because usually only reconnaissance units are equipped with wheeled armored vehicles.

So what's so scary about it? How could a mere armored vehicle possibly be a match for Matilda?

The Matilda II infantry tank was designed by British tank designers under numerous peculiar restrictions. It was inexpensive, costing only £6000, and had excellent protection capabilities, with frontal armor as thick as 3 inches (76.2 mm).

Of course, the Matilda II was far from being a bargain. Its maximum speed was only 26 km/h, and it was only equipped with a weak 2-pounder (40 mm) gun. Moreover, it was almost never equipped with high-explosive shells because the British had not yet seriously solved the problems of explosive charge and fuse.

Mistakenly believing that the enemy in front of him consisted only of some armored vehicles, Lieutenant Colonel Evans was full of confidence, thinking that the Americans were overestimating themselves.

Despite reports from his crew that they sensed one or two hundred enemies nearby, he didn't take it seriously.

US Army infantry?

It's ridiculous. Even if Matilda stayed still and let them blow her up, they would probably only be able to break the tracks.

On the other hand, Lieutenant Colonel Evans was subconsciously unwilling to back down, even though a tactical retreat was the safer decision at the moment.

Because of the friendly forces—the Imperial Russian tank forces—they had achieved countless glories and won unparalleled honors since the outbreak of the war.

In comparison, the performance of the British armored forces was lackluster, with virtually no opportunity to demonstrate their capabilities.

Infantry tanks are slow and designed to support infantry operations, but now they can only slowly follow behind the overwhelming Imperial Russian forces.

Even if you don't expect to win glory, you shouldn't at least not embarrass yourself, right?

If we choose to retreat now, we'll probably never be able to hold our heads up again.

As the proud commander of the Royal Tank Force of the British Empire, how could he tolerate such a disgrace!

Lieutenant Colonel Evans believed himself to be invincible.

As the battle began, several armored vehicles from the armored reconnaissance battalion were the first to maneuver to the left, roughly aim at the tanks, and then began firing.

A barrage of large-caliber machine gun bullets struck the tank, clanging and clattering, with tracer rounds shattering and sparks flying.

Although they only intended to draw the enemy's attention, they did not expect the British armored forces to react so quickly, with three or four Matildas opening fire in succession.

"!"

The sound of metal clashing is particularly crisp!
A single 40mm armor-piercing round easily penetrated the thin armor of the Type 36 armored vehicle.

The fist-sized warhead, still brimming with power, killed the pilot in its path, smearing fragments of his flesh and blood unevenly on the surrounding bulkhead, before drilling into the engine compartment behind.

During this process, hot metal fragments flew everywhere, leaving the gunner's legs a bloody mess.

"Damn it, I've been shot!"

"Fuck your mother!"

"Drive! Xiao Wang?!"

Wang Yu is dead!

The commander and gunner pushed open the hatch. The former was the first to climb out, but the latter, whose legs were injured and bleeding profusely, was unable to exert any strength.

Bullets from enemy tanks whizzed past, or struck the armored vehicle with a sharp crack. The commander tried his best to pull the gunner out, but was hit in the arm by a bullet and fell backward, splashing a lot of mud and water.

The fire inside the armored vehicle's engine compartment spread to the fuel tank, bursting into flames in an instant, and the entire armored vehicle was engulfed in flames in the blink of an eye...

"Enemy armored vehicle on fire!"

"We took it down!"

"Those Americans had no idea they were courting death!" If it were during the Cold War, with anti-tank missiles, armored vehicles might have been able to destroy tanks.

But now, facing the heavily armored Matilda II infantry tank, the 15.5mm heavy machine gun of the Type 32 four-wheeled armored vehicle is simply powerless.

At that moment, on the rooftop in the northeast corner of the town, Han Qingye, witnessing this scene, said worriedly, "Commander, Commander, the armored reconnaissance battalion can't win! What should we do?"

Shank, holding his binoculars and staring intently, said, "No rush, let's wait and let the bullets fly for a while."

"Ok?"

"How is the chemical defense company doing?"

"They're ready right away."

"Tell them that tanks without infantry cover are vulnerable. Charge and attack fiercely, and don't let them disgrace our 8th Mechanized Infantry Division!"

Before long, the lightly armed chemical defense company soldiers rushed out of their starting positions.

The chemical defense company launched its attack primarily from the southwest and due south, heading straight for the enemy tank units deployed along both sides of the road.

In the wide, damp plains, the soldiers approached rapidly in loose, dispersed formations, the light from the spotlights casting long shadows of them.

"Enemy infantry are approaching from the south!"

"Watch out! They're coming!"

Sensing the sudden change in the situation, the radio channels were filled with shouts from British armored soldiers, and Matilda turrets were firing wildly at the figures in the field.

The Bertha machine gun spewed out tongues of fire several tens of centimeters long, and a barrage of bullets rained down on the surging chemical defense company soldiers.

To the horror of the British armored troops, the tank units' fierce strafing failed to achieve the desired suppressive effect.

Those 'American infantrymen' maintained an unusual calm, advancing silently one after another, leaping forward in turns. Those who were shot often ran several meters forward due to inertia before collapsing to the ground.

Seeing that his men had already charged into the enemy ranks, Shang Ke breathed a sigh of relief, put down his binoculars, and glanced at his watch.

It is 3:49 a.m.

"Move closer!"

"beat!"

"Second Squad! Charge in!"

"Let's fight a good, decisive battle! Long live the king!"

Once they were close enough, the soldiers erupted in excited shouts, attacking the steel beasts that were within arm's reach with anti-tank grenades and disposable rocket launchers.

When the hollow charge warhead explodes, it gathers the energy of the detonation wave, turning the hemispherical copper warhead shroud into a molten jet that penetrates the seemingly thick armor of the enemy tank!
Some of the British armored soldiers vaguely heard a strange language, unlike the American English spoken by the Americans.

Of course, they didn't have time to think deeply about this anomaly.

Amidst deafening shouts and resounding explosions, Matilda cars burst into flames or transformed into fiery fountains that shot flames into the sky.

The fighting intensified, with chemical defense soldiers even deploying flamethrowers and some even climbing onto tanks, opening hatches, and firing inside.

"Zoom in!"

"Damn it! Burn them!"

Lieutenant Colonel Evans anxiously directed his troops to fight back desperately. Suddenly, an orange fire dragon burst out from beside the tank and instantly engulfed the Matilda.

British armored soldiers drove their tanks in a panicked frenzy, even firing at each other with their vehicle-mounted machine guns at the 'American infantry' who had climbed aboard the tanks, while desperate cries filled the radio channels...

(End of this chapter)