Chapter 53: Tank Duel 4

  What is called a textbook battle, this is a textbook battle. The British and German armies both strictly followed the textbooks to conduct marching and combat, but the results were diametrically opposite. The first encounter of the British First Armored Division's 180 Sherman M4 tanks was knocked out one-tenth. This result surprised the division commanders on both sides.

  The commander of the 101st Armored Division, Colonel Rude, was just like that. Behind the German tank formation, Colonel Rude watched the entire play from start to finish using a long-range observation mirror on an armored command vehicle and also heard the shouts of the tank commanders over the radio. As a seasoned armored combat commander, Hess opened his eyes wide, originally tanks could be used like this. It was exactly the same as what was introduced in the armor manual, because the manual was compiled by these instructors. If all subordinates were as fierce as these instructors, there would be no need to worry about fighting, just give those enemy tanks a name and that's it. Hess made up his mind to keep these instructors in his own armored division. With these treasures in hand, nothing else needs to be worried about.

  But Lude didn't think that with his level, it was impossible to keep these instructors in his unit. Because this is the entire German nation's population of hundreds of selected armored instructors. These people are all elites, each one is a rare talent. Letting these people go to the front line as combat troops is simply a waste of talent. In other words, if all these people were consumed in this battle, Germany's armored forces would also be exhausted. This situation was unacceptable to any high-level German officer.

  That's the power and prestige of Andri's old man, who has connections with countless people, which allowed General Kettler to get these people. Once Andri is found, their mission will be over, and they will fly directly back to Berlin under air force escort. They won't serve Rud at all.

  The commander of the British 1st Armoured Division, Raymond Briggs, was a major general. At just 38 years old, Raymond Briggs was a miracle in the entire army. Because he was the first to take command of a division before the age of 40, for those who were still brigade commanders at the age of 48 or 49, or even 50, Raymond Briggs was a miracle.

  The British Army has always adhered to the principle of "no mustache, no solid work". Even the British prince cannot hold a general-level position and military rank before the age of 40. But Raymond and Briggs are not like this. It has nothing to do with his personal ability, but only because his starting point is higher than others.

  His grandfather was a legendary figure in the British Navy, with a noble title conferred by the king, and held a high position in Britain. He had his heart set on cultivating his own son as his successor, namely Raymond Briggs' father. However, Raymond Briggs' father had other ambitions and refused to join the military, which led to many physical altercations between the two.

  Later, because of the war in the Far East, Raymond's grandfather Briggs led his troops to fight. He didn't have time to take care of his own son anymore. His son actually went to join the Conservative Party and embarked on a political career.

  Although Raymond Briggs' father disliked the military, he had a remarkable talent and luck in politics. He mixed with politicians and formed a deep friendship with Churchill. Later, when his son grew up and was also suitable for politics, he did not stop him again, but used his connections to solve many problems for his son.

  However, this was also conditional, that is, Raymond and Briggs must join the army after growing up. As a condition of exchange, Raymond's and Briggs' old man agreed.

  However, an accidental incident caused a twist in this matter. Raymond Briggs accidentally fell into the river while playing with his friends when he was young and developed aquaphobia after being rescued by his family members. The treatment did not work out well. Later, when applying for the naval academy, he was also eliminated in the first round due to his fear of water. His grandfather could do nothing about it.

  But the stubborn old man actually sent Raymond and Briggs to military academy, fortunately they passed this time.

  Of course, Raymond Briggs graduated smoothly and became an officer. At that time, the war had just ended, and many wartime officers had returned to their original positions, let alone a newly graduated reserve officer who had not been on the battlefield. It was quite difficult to get promoted in peacetime.

  But it also depends on who. Raymond and Briggs change places every two years, and with each change of place comes a promotion. Sometimes the orders for promotion are so mysterious that even Raymond and Briggs themselves do not understand them, such as when their names appear at the end of the list of those who have made outstanding contributions to the suppression of the Indian Rebellion, when in fact they did not even know where India was.

  All of this was, of course, the handiwork of Raymond Briggs' grandfather. By the time he was 35, Raymond Briggs was a full Colonel in the Army. His grandfather had died by then.

  World War II broke out, and Raymond Briggs was sent to France as a brigade commander with 5,000 men under him. However, during the French campaign, Raymond Briggs was not well-known until British Prime Minister Chamberlain stepped down and Raymond's father was brought into Churchill's war cabinet, which improved his situation.

  It was then quite simple, the Dunkirk retreat, North Africa and Italy campaigns, and the battles against Rommel all featured Raymond and Briggs in key roles.

  Raymond Briggs was promoted again to become the commander of the 9th Brigade, 8th Army in North Africa. In Britain, brigade commanders were usually generals, but Raymond Briggs was only 37 years old and had not yet reached the general's age limit of 40, so he became the youngest and lowest-ranking commander among all British brigade commanders. Other brigade commanders jokingly called him "Little Devil".

  All this changed with the arrival of Montgomery, who was eager to take actual command of the army in North Africa and had to replace some people. In England, Churchill had already given him instructions, Montgomery knew that Raymond and Briggs were 'his own men', while at that time there were not many people under his command, so he directly promoted Raymond and Briggs as the division commander of the 1st Armored Division.

  A strange phenomenon occurred, every time the First Armored Division held a meeting, Raymond and Briggs had to stand up first and salute the two brigade commanders under them, and then the two brigade commanders would report to Raymond and Briggs. There was no way around it, as Raymond and Briggs were only colonels, while the two brigade commanders under them were both major generals. According to British military regulations, when meeting an officer with a higher rank than oneself, one must salute first.

  It's okay, Raymond and Briggs performed well in the Battle of Halfaya Pass, leading the First Division to a good fight. Among many generals, they stood out from the crowd. They were warmly received by Churchill, who knew that Raymond and Briggs had been troubled by the issue of military rank, so he temporarily granted them the rank of "Acting Major General" with the power of the War Cabinet, and of course no one in the cabinet would object.

  Not even the War Office raised any objections this time. The War Office had already lost face in North Africa, and Raymond and Briggs were at least army men, so the War Office could save face by letting them take credit this time.

  Many senior generals in the army had been helped by Raymond Briggs' grandfather when they were young, so the "acting" was quietly dropped and Raymond Briggs became the first person to become a major general before the age of 40.

  Raymond and Briggs' military command abilities are also mediocre. Fortunately, Raymond and Briggs have also experienced many battles and have seen the big picture.

  But today's scene still stunned Raymond, Briggs. The British First Armored Division commanded by Raymond, Briggs was a trump card armored division of the United Kingdom, with 300 tanks alone, including 180 American-made 'Sherman M4'.

  There were also 120 Matilda II tanks, but these Matildas were really too slow and couldn't keep up with the Sherman M4. Raymond Briggs had to divide the First Division into two echelons, the first echelon consisting entirely of Shermans.

  The Sherman M4 was far superior to the Matilda II in both firepower and speed. As a result, neither of the two brigade commanders wanted to lead the Matilda II tank formation, so they had to draw lots to decide.

  But this time, as soon as the Sherman M4 in front came into contact with the enemy, the mood of the two brigade commanders immediately turned around. The brigade commander who was commanding the Sherman M4 in front was regretful and thought to himself, "How did I end up with such bad luck and get stuck with this role that's getting beaten up?" He completely forgot about his excited expression when he drew the long straw just a moment ago.

  The most unbearable was still Raymond, Brigadier Commander. In the past, fighting with German and Italian troops was a breeze, not to mention the 'Sherman M4' 33-ton tank, even the British-made 'Matilda' II tank fought against the Germans with great fanfare.

  As long as they didn't enter the direct line of sight of Rommel's 88mm anti-aircraft guns, the British tanks were almost invincible. In the past, it was always the German tanks that turned around and ran when they saw the British tanks, because the German tanks simply couldn't move against the British tanks, and the Italian tanks were even more like a white radish, you could do whatever you wanted to them. What's going on today? The German tanks opened fire from 3000 meters away and took out eight Sherman M4s with high-explosive shells.

  Finally, at a distance of about 2000 meters, the Germans opened fire just as the Shermans were approaching their range. After only 10 rounds, all 10 Shermans were knocked out, with hits on the thickest frontal armor of the turret.

  This is a joke, are these tanks sent by the devil? Is it that the affair with the pastor's wife has been discovered by the pastor and he told God, and God sent these tanks to punish him. All this left Raymond Briggs' commanding officer wondering whether it was an exclamation mark, a big question mark or just a full stop.

  Raymond Briggs felt a chill run up his legs, the sweltering command car suddenly seeming as cold as an icy tundra. He simply stood there, staring blankly through his binoculars at the events unfolding in the distance.