Chapter 428: The Pursuit

Would a man as sharp as a hungry wolf like Wittmann let his prey escape? Not this time. The moment he saw the British tanks begin to reverse

Would a man as sharp as a hungry wolf like Wittmann let his prey escape? Not this time. The moment he saw the British tanks begin to reverse and retreat, he ordered his “driver” to charge.

The Tiger tank’s engine let out a massive roar. The pistons, driven by expanding gases, began to work frantically. As the driver engaged the clutch, the tank immediately lurched forward.

The wide tracks, driven by the drive sprockets, rolled forward with the roar of the engine, instantly smashing the remaining rubble that blocked their path. The Tiger was thrown high by the slope of a collapsed wall, then came crashing back down onto the flat ground due to gravity, kicking up a cloud of dust.

Then, the Tiger tank with the number 007 painted on its side opened up its throttle and, at its maximum possible speed, began to charge towards the retreating British armored force.

“Gunner! First tank on the left! Rough aim! Let our driver know when to stop!” Wittmann commanded loudly over the constant shaking of the hull. “Hull machine gun, open fire! Drive those British infantry away from our front! We don’t have time for these small fry!”

“Halt!” with a shout, Wittmann’s Tiger came to an agile stop. The main gun adjusted for two seconds, then fired an armor-piercing round. The immense recoil caused the Tiger to rock back and forth twice.

Boom! The shell struck its target once again. The rain pattered against the German tank’s steel hull with a crisp, rhythmic sound that was incredibly pleasing to the ear. And the image of two German tanks charging forward in the rain was seared into the minds of every German grenadier and British soldier who witnessed it.

Seeing the British rout, one German tank after another charged out from their concealed positions, so many that the British were astonished. They had no idea there were so many German tanks here, nor did they expect these tanks to be so merciless as to launch a full-scale attack.

Many years later, people would still remember this crazy, rainy night, remember the scene of the German panzer forces, churning up mud and water like tigers bursting from a cage, as they charged the British armor. In the misty rain, the German armored forces had once again created a miracle, a miracle that belonged only to them.

Wittmann and his teammates, with the strength of a single tank company, had fought a classic defensive counter-attack. Five German Tiger tanks pursued the British for three kilometers, only calling off the slaughter when they reached the small village they had abandoned earlier. Along the way, an entire British armored regiment left behind the wrecks of over fifty tanks.

Germany had used textbook tactics to stun the British armored forces and had thoroughly woken up the arrogant British. If the Battle of France had made people begin to realize the power of the German panzer forces, then it was only after the Battle of the Woods and this small village tank battle that the whole world truly understood the immense gap between their own armored forces and those of the Wehrmacht.

With Wittmann giving one fire command after another, British tanks burst into flames in the heavy rain, one by one, like a series of eternal lamps, their flickering flames illuminating the gray battlefield. In a short 50-minute engagement, a British tank regiment had been successfully counter-attacked by a single German tank company, losing almost half its tanks.

This second lieutenant tank commander, named Michael Wittmann, had proven with his actions the excellence of the German panzer forces, his own brilliance in armored tactics and command, and the fact that the only thing that could influence the rankings of German tank aces was luck, and nothing else.

After this slaughter, Germany’s number two tank killer refreshed the record for single-tank kills and leaped to become the new number one tank ace in Germany—because the original ace, Rein, was currently resting on the Eastern Front and not participating in any combat missions.

This was Wittmann. This was Michael Wittmann, who could seize every opportunity, who, if given a single chance, could continuously expand his advantage until he had destroyed his opponent, ensuring they would never rise again.

If Rein was the cold god of death who fought with a detached indifference to life and death, then Wittmann was the sharpest blade, hidden in the shadows, ready to deliver the most fatal blow. Although their styles were slightly different, for the enemies of the German panzer forces, they would likely wish never to meet either one of them.

Taking advantage of the continuous spring rain, the British launched an unprecedentedly powerful counter-attack, committing almost all the forces they could find. The British VI and VII Corps, including 150,000 infantry, were thrown into the battle, which reached a white-hot intensity from the very first minute.

In the cold, heavy rain, the German grenadiers held their defensive positions. Tracer rounds were exceptionally bright against the gray sky. In foxhole after foxhole, German soldiers, most of them soaked to the bone, shivered as they fired, pouring the ammunition from their weapons into the counter-attacking British forces.

On the artillery positions, raindrops hammered on the barrels of the German 150mm guns. The several cannons in this artillery battalion had exhausted their entire reserve of shells within the first two hours of the battle. So, in the continuous rain, they could only wait for more shells to be brought up from the rear.

To increase the firepower and assault capability of the landing force, most of the support artillery units transported by the Germans were “Friedrich” rocket launcher units; 150mm cannons were a minority. The front-line troops mostly relied on 105mm howitzers and 120mm mortars for support.

Therefore, in some sectors, the German troops were pinned down by the numerically superior British artillery. Many defensive lines were in danger of being breached because the British artillery barrage was simply too intense.

However, the German defenders proved to the British what kind of army deserved to be called the world’s best. In the open field, they endured the biting cold and all sorts of adverse conditions, stubbornly resisting the British attack.

The brutal battle for the positions reminded Montgomery of the Battle of Verdun in World War I. The Germans, relying on hastily constructed defensive works, managed to drag the battle out late into the night.

The British army lost 15,000 soldiers and still failed to break through the German grenadiers’ defensive lines. In some sectors where the British attacks stalled, the Germans were even able to spare troops to organize local counter-attacks, forcing the British to retreat.

“Fighting like this is not a solution,” Montgomery said with a sigh, staring at the map. “The German armored forces are indeed not an enemy we can defeat at present. If we continue to get entangled with these elite German tanks, we will not only fail to retake the planned positions but may even lose our limited reserves.”

“But, General, the Prime Minister has given strict orders that we must retake several of the most important port towns. If we cannot complete the mission, it will be difficult to answer to the Prime Minister and the King,” his aide-de-camp said, conflicted.

“I didn’t say we should stop the attack, just that we need to change our methods,” Montgomery said, pointing to the map. “A full-frontal counter-attack will get us nowhere. It would be better to concentrate all our forces and launch a fierce attack on these two places: Norwich and Great Yarmouth! If we can be lucky enough to retake Norwich, that would be for the best. If not, then we’ll try to make something happen at Great Yarmouth.”

In truth, the British attacking forces were not entirely without success that day. They successfully forced the German Army Group A to lift its siege of Bungay, relieving the city which had been surrounded on three sides. In this sector, large-scale infantry battles took place, with the British losing over 1,200 men to kill 617 Germans, retaking several kilometers of ground. The accompanying reporters hailed it as the “Great Victory at Bungay.”

That night, the weather finally improved. The rain, which had caused 1,500 non-combat casualties for the Germans, finally stopped. Although the sky was still dark with clouds and wind, the Germans had managed to hold their positions on the most difficult day. This outcome left the British counter-attacking force dejected, while the German defenders cheered.

The British did not attack during the night, which gave the German troops a much-needed respite. Unable to fly reconnaissance planes, the Germans were unsure of the true scale of the British counter-attack and thus were unaware that the British were redeploying their forces.

Following Montgomery’s order, his battered armored forces began to concentrate in the Lowestoft area, preparing to launch a surprise attack on Norwich and Great Yarmouth from this direction. Accompanying these armored units was an infantry division from the VII Corps.

Britain had a very complete network of roads and railways. Although many of the roads and rails in the landing area had been destroyed by German bombers, the British could still move their forces very quickly. They arrived in the battle zone the next afternoon and, at 2:15 PM, launched their attack on the German defensive lines.

This time, the German defenders’ reaction was not so swift. Rundstedt did not know about the movement and concentration of the main British force. He could only passively strengthen all his defensive lines and hold his reserves, waiting for the British thunderbolt. It was only when the Second Battle for Norwich began that he realized his opponent had changed tactics and had concentrated his forces to fight for the Norwich area.

There were not many German reserves nearby, but Wittmann’s 502nd Heavy Tank Destroyer Battalion, which had just finished the battle of the small village, happened to be located between Bungay and Norwich. And so, this battalion, whether lucky or unlucky, was ordered north to reinforce the vital city of Norwich.

And just as the 502nd began to move out, the curtain had already been raised on the Second Battle for Norwich. The difference was that this time, the British were attacking, and the Germans were defending.

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