bookrandom Chapter 244 The Bloody Battle
Chapter 244 The Bloody Battle
Despite the loss of a grenadier regiment and a tank detachment, the city of Gabes and the port area were still not captured, and the enemy's heavy artillery was still suppressing the passage to the west through Gabes.
Von Arnim knew perfectly well that a breakthrough from Gabès would cost far more time and incur far greater losses than a direct breakthrough from the Sixth Army's barracks. He knew that if the rapid column continued to linger in this area, not only would it fail to encircle the US forces and force them out of Tunisia, but it would even risk being mired in the quagmire of war. Air force operations had been extremely frequent in recent days. As they advanced further, the German and Italian air forces of the African Theater were being subjected to a torrential barrage of attacks from the US and British air forces. He knew full well that if the surrounding British and American naval and air forces arrived, it would be a true disaster for him.
Von Arnim acted decisively and ordered a turn, attacking the military camp area defended by Li Mo'an.
"Boom!" A 155mm grenade exploded on a sand dune not far away, instantly raising sand and dust more than ten meters high. Within the area of several hundred meters around, it seemed as if a sand rain that covered the sky and the sun was falling.
"Notify everyone to stay calm. No matter what problems you encounter, you must stay steady and wait for orders!" Pu Zhengsong quickly gave the order, while staring through the telescope at the group of German tanks that had appeared like black dots.
"Notify the group army to support the artillery group. Once the Germans enter the 500-meter range, fire your artillery. Use explosive shells to turn this area into a sandstorm." Pu Zhengsong calmly gave the first order, then turned to the engineer commander next to him, "How many men can you spare?"
The engineer commander appeared remarkably calm. Of the 2500-man regiment, only about 1000 remained. Yet, these soldiers, like enraged lions, were determined to avenge their fallen comrades. Each one was ready to die. The commander replied succinctly, "Everyone!"
Pu Zhengsong was actually well aware of the situation in the Engineer Corps. He had a clear answer from his commander, and he was confident. There was no room for hesitation on the battlefield. He immediately ordered, "Disperse one company's troops as skirmishers. As soon as the artillery fires, immediately use the dust cover to charge forward. Remember, bring plenty of anti-tank mines, especially magnetic mines."
The regimental commander was, after all, a professional demolition expert, and he immediately understood the younger but already renowned division commander's intentions. With such intense artillery bombardment, the Germans would inevitably be unaware of the ambush and mines. They were eager to break through and would undoubtedly want to quickly capture this area. The dense tank formations were the perfect opportunity for a surprise attack.
The captain turned around and was about to rush over, but Pu Zhengsong grabbed him and said cautiously: "Remember, you can't go in person, let someone else lead the team. Now is not the time for you to die!"
In reality, both men knew that the chances of survival for the 100 or so men who were sent out were extremely slim. The regimental commander wanted to lead the troops himself, but Pu Zhengsong didn't want him to be sacrificed. The regimental commander understood Pu's intentions and nodded affirmatively. Then, crouching low, he ran toward the engineer ambush.
"Boom, boom, boom—" Countless shells landed a few hundred meters ahead, filling the air with explosions and filling the sky with smoke and yellow sand. Over 100 engineers, led by a deputy battalion commander, scattered in twos and threes, charging resolutely into the sandstorm. Soon, the roar of intense German machine gunfire rang out, followed by a continuous stream of explosions. Occasionally, there were the agonizing roars of Chinese soldiers. There were also the screams of German soldiers.
The battle didn't last long. After twenty or thirty minutes, the roar of the German tanks' engines grew louder and louder, and the yellow sand on the ground began to tremble. The experienced Pu Zhengsong immediately ordered, "All mortars open fire, smoke bombs!"
Mortars and some soldiers launched smoke bombs at the already vaguely visible cluster of German tanks. Instantly, a thick cloud of smoke filled the area in front of the position, obscuring everything. Enemy artillery fire followed, blanketing the area around the position. The soldiers, prepared, retreated into their deep bunkers. The exploding shells kicked up countless clouds of yellow sand, burying them beneath the earth.
Pu Zhengsong, already in an M4 Sherman, ordered his tanks to attack via intercom. Forty-seven tanks, divided into two columns, emerged from their ambushes in the sand, using smoke as cover to penetrate the German tank cluster. This was Pu Zhengsong's unavoidable choice. To withstand the Germans' new Tiger and Panther G tanks, the M47s had to engage in close combat, employing close-range artillery fire to potentially penetrate the German tanks and secure his own survival.
The Germans clearly didn't realize their opponents would engage them in this manner. Several tanks were hit and burst into flames. Suddenly, amidst the hazy smoke, the first tank battle of Gabès erupted. Tanks clashed with each other. There was no real battle to speak of, no experience or reflexes to compare; it was pure luck. Even a Tiger tank, hit by a single shell, was doomed to destruction.
Of course, the danger was even greater for the M4s. If they were hit, they would essentially explode, leaving them with little chance of escape. On a battlefield like this, escaping from a tank was unlikely to guarantee survival. The moment the artillery stopped firing, the soldiers of the engineering battalion immediately emerged from the sand and rushed recklessly into the engaged tank group. The German tank group's attack, coupled with the previous assault by over 100 engineers, meant that the assaulting German tanks had no accompanying grenadiers or infantry to protect them. This gave the Chinese engineers an opportunity to unleash a barrage of mines, grenades, and Molotov cocktails on the German tanks, further disrupting the battlefield situation.
The German colonel in charge quickly ordered all crews to retreat. However, Pu Zhengsong was not willing to miss such an opportunity. He ordered his troops to fully engage the German army. There was even a spectacular scene where the weak M4 crashed into the huge Tiger tank.
Li Mo'an, who was more than 1000 meters away, saw the situation clearly and immediately ordered the supporting artillery to fire back to the rear, not letting the German support troops catch up. The German army did not show weakness and began to attack the Chinese artillery positions with a large amount of artillery fire.
By this time, von Arnim had realized the Chinese's intention: to buy time while they prepared for the rear. Meanwhile, the US Air Force reappeared overhead, launching repeated airstrikes against the German lines. Von Arnim, driven to despair, ordered a full-scale assault. He had to break through this point as quickly as possible, otherwise all his plans would be in vain.