Wittmann guessed that the enemy must have reported the battle situation after escaping back, and would have said the important fact that "the enemy's tank probably only had one King Tiger, and no more were encountered."
But strictly speaking, Wittmann's seemingly reasonable guess can only be said to be partially correct, or even a small part of it.
Indeed, Wittmann guessed that the American tanks that escaped back would report the situation on the battlefield, which was correct.
But what Wittmann didn't guess was that the US tank commander who fled back in panic actually lied about the battlefield situation just now.
Because he was worried about suffering such a heavy loss despite such a huge disparity in strength, he decided to lie about the enemy's strength to a very strong level.
How strong is it exactly?
It wasn't that strong at all. It encountered half a German heavy armored battalion and elite infantry of no less than the same organizational level ambushed them at a preset position. They suddenly opened fire and were caught off guard before retreating with such heavy losses.
So aren't you afraid that someone will expose his lies? After all, there are many people who escaped back alive, including a large number of infantrymen.
This is indeed a possibility, but the US tank commander has considered it more carefully.
The infantry were frightened and ran down the slope of the road for the first time. They did not participate in the battle and did not understand the specific situation. What they said cannot be believed. You have to listen to the report of our tank soldiers. We were the ones who rushed directly to fight the Germans.
Strong man.
The reality is that there are not many tank soldiers left at all. The three Pershings that escaped alive add up to a dozen or so. It is relatively easy to keep these people's mouths under control. As for those left on the battlefield,
Dead people don't speak.
What? What would you do if someone who was seriously injured spilled the beans after being rescued?
What a joke, by the time the large troops return to the battlefield ruins, the day lilies will be damn cold, and the seriously injured will have to be turned into corpses, and the mouths of corpses are the best at keeping secrets, so there is no need to worry.
The living tank soldiers are, firstly, their direct subordinates, and secondly, they are still top soldiers who have never seen much of the world. They can scare you with the excuse of "be careful not to save your comrades even if they die, or even go to court-martial after you escape."
Scary, this plot line of everyone colluding with each other to lie and make up a story was so perfectly accomplished.
No matter what, we have to deal with the current situation first.
If you don't lie, you will definitely go to a military court. If you lie, you won't necessarily go to a military court.
"Smart people" must know how to choose the lesser of two powers. They must at least give it a try for a glimmer of hope, right?
At least that's what a tank commander himself thinks, and after intense psychological games and careful deliberation, he can only say that this is the final decision made based on personal will.
After receiving the news without much confirmation, Major Anderson, who did not realize that he had been deceived by collusion, was very angry, angry that the Germans did not follow martial ethics and carried out an ambush.
However, after some careful consideration, he claimed that he had a powerful new secret weapon, and called in air support to explore the road ahead and protect the escort, so he still decided to take the risk and give it a try to see the damaging effect of the powerful new weapon on German sticks.
How exactly.
These sound like very complicated psychological games and twists and turns. Of course Wittmann knew nothing about this, and he had no idea that the plane just now was taken off because of a shameless person's lie.
Summoned.
To be honest, with Major Anderson's fiery Chicago character, he would not be able to catch the lone Tiger King and immediately come over to kill him without saying a word, seeking revenge.
Wittmann, who was holding the commander's periscope in his hand, could only see that the American column getting closer and closer to the grove was becoming more and more clear. The long-barreled Sherman leading in the front had already entered a fighting posture, the hatch was closed, and he climbed up.
The U.S. infantrymen on top of it were manning heavy machine guns on the vehicle's roof and were ready to fire at any time.
The American infantrymen who were following them all got out of their vehicles one by one, and tried to follow behind the armored vehicles for protection. One or two of them looked frightened, as if they were facing a powerful enemy.
"They knew there were enemies here, and look how frightened they were."
I know there may be enemies in this area, but I don't know where they are.
Wegener's confident smile came from this, and of course he soon received a response from Wittmann behind him.
"Don't rush yet, Sherman is not worth it. Wait until they get closer and drive to the corner. It depends on the situation. Wait for my order."
"You have the final say, boss."
Wittmann was very concerned about the "super tank" described by Herschel. He wanted to see with his own eyes what that thing looked like, and wanted to find out the enemy's situation before taking action. And he knew that if the description was true, there would be nothing wrong with it.
There is no doubt that this is the greatest threat among US military tanks, and the targets that pose the greatest threat must be eliminated first. This is a must.
"I smell the Krauts, be careful, they're nearby."
"Damn it, don't scare me! Where are the Germans? I only saw our tanks burning over there. Are they hiding in the woods?"
"Shh! It's right behind the tank wreckage, I can feel it! And why is it in the woods? At least a battalion is hiding in such a small woods and being strafed by fighter jets without moving. That's impossible."
The American infantrymen who were pretending to be clever and frightening themselves were still muttering and whispering behind Sherman. After receiving the radio order, the leading Sherman had already driven off the dirt road after passing the corner, and the turret and vehicle body were heading directly towards the direction just now.
At the ruins of the battlefield, they were ready for battle, and the American infantrymen who followed them down the dirt road also felt as if they were facing a formidable enemy.
More and more U.S. tanks that passed the corner came down the dirt road one after another. They were no longer in a line, but moved forward in battle formations. This unusual and abnormal behavior directly shocked those who witnessed it all through the gun scope.
Wegener said he couldn't understand.
"What are these Yankees doing? Are they going to fight with the remains of their own people? There's nothing in that place."
Wittmann also couldn't understand why the Yankees were facing the empty battlefield ruins, posing as if they were facing a formidable enemy, and pressing forward with all their might, let alone someone's lies.
It was the root cause of all this, but Wittmann, who was thinking along the lines, could also realize that this incomprehensible situation was not a bad thing.
"Let them disperse and change the battle plan. When they turn their backs to us, fire and hit the two biggest monsters first!"
Wittmann was originally worried that it would be more troublesome if the Yankees sent infantry out to search the woods while the main force was still lined up on the dirt road facing his own artillery line and did not fully go around the corner to spread out.
That will force you to fire, but your own firepower can only take care of units in a straight line, and the following US tanks will be blocked by the wreckage in front of them, causing your own killing efficiency to be greatly reduced.
But now, the US military actually got off the dirt road without knowing why, turned around and headed towards the battlefield ruins to kill the generals in preparation for war. They completely ignored the situation in the woods and did not even search. I really don’t know if they were directed by the battlefield ruins.
What kind of thing attracts you to do this?
But this is ultimately a great thing, at least for myself.
"Almost, aim at the back of that big guy's head! Get ready to shoot!"