When the British saw a large number of German tanks appear in front of them, their fighting spirit was already lost.

They habitually thought that the Germans would defend in the trenches as before, using barbed wire and anti-tank ditches to stop their tanks from advancing, and bullet screens of machine gun bullets and various caliber shells to block their charge.

Even though it was a near-death experience, the British soldiers believed they could still rush into the trenches in the end.

Because they had the cover of tanks, and there were quite a few of them—over 70 tanks charging towards the enemy in a grand procession.

This was Monty's tactic, which he called the "Shield Array Tactic."

The name was derived from the shield array used in Ancient Rome.

As the name suggests, the "Shield Array Tactic" meant that if the tanks in the front line were destroyed by the Germans or withdrawn from the battle due to malfunctions, the tanks in the rear would immediately speed up to fill the gaps and continue pushing forward.

However, the battle didn't develop as they imagined.

The British soldiers exclaimed one after another:

"Damn it, the Germans are launching a counterattack with tanks!"

"And they have more tanks than we do, and bigger ones at that."

"What are we going to do?"

...

The soldiers turned their eyes towards Captain Monty, their brigade commander.

Captain Monty hastily raised his binoculars to observe the enemy situation and ordered, "Don't worry, their tanks are copies of ours, we can defeat them!"

Saying this, he raised his revolver and fired two shots into the air, shouting, "Forward, warriors, kill them all!"

"Kill!" the British soldiers shouted as they charged towards the German tanks.

They sprinted towards the tanks at full speed, because they were trained to launch an all-out charge as soon as one was initiated.

As a result, some of them fell in the uneven snowy terrain and were crushed under the tracks of the tanks that followed.

Even in death, they couldn't understand why the tanks didn't know they were right in front.

The tank soldiers inside were equally puzzled.

The gunner had already raised his machine gun to aim at the enemy, but suddenly, he saw nothing but the backs of their own soldiers blocking his line of fire.

Many British soldiers were blocking the driver's observation windows as well.

The tank soldiers were anxiously shouting inside the tank, "Get out of the way, you fools!"

But no one heard them.

Compared to the chaos and even infighting among the British soldiers, the German Army advanced methodically.

The German tanks deliberately found flat ground to stop, making slight adjustments to their gun barrels to aim at targets.

Meanwhile, the infantry in the rear emerged in batches to shoot at the charging British soldiers.

"Bang bang!"

"Bang bang bang!"

...

The British soldiers fell one by one, collapsing in all sorts of bizarre postures in front and behind the tanks.

Those who were already dead were fortunate; those who were not soon found themselves crushed by their own tanks, with blood and gore splattering everywhere.

"Boom boom!" The German tanks opened fire.

At a distance of less than a hundred meters, the main weapon of the "LK2" tanks was the Krupp 37mm short-barreled gun. Although it wasn't a dedicated anti-tank gun with strong armor-piercing capabilities, it could easily penetrate the 12mm armor of the "Whippet" tanks.

One by one, the British tanks emitted blue smoke and came to a slow halt. Those hit in the engine caught fire with explosions, filling the air with black smoke and the smell of burning.

(Note: The "Whippet" tanks were equipped with four machine guns and no cannons, so there wouldn't be any ammunition explosions.)

The British tanks in the rear followed closely according to the "Shield Array Tactic," but were soon turned into heaps of scrap iron.

Soon, the enemy and friendly tanks were crowded together at the front lines.

The charging British soldiers could only launch their assaults through the gaps between the tanks, their originally cohesive offensive now split into narrow streams.

What faced them were the dark muzzles of the German guns, forming an impenetrable steel defensive line in conjunction with their tanks.

Many British soldiers never got the chance to pull the trigger.

Because their comrades were blocking the way, and they saw nothing but the backs of their own people in front of them.

Suddenly, the people in front fell, the German muzzle flashing before their eyes. Before they could react, they saw the bursts of flame from the gun barrels and then collapsed into pools of blood.

Realizing that the attack had failed, Monty quickly ordered, "Retreat, everyone retreat!"

However, the German tanks resumed their advance.

They plowed through the corpses of the British soldiers and the wreckage of the "Whippets" with the terrifying sound of clashing steel, and like wolves among a flock of sheep, they moved into the British infantry.

Each German tank was followed by an infantry platoon of dozens of soldiers.

Although not many, they knew how to work with the tanks. They knew where the observation windows were, the shooting angles, and even how to guide the tanks by striking the armor with the butts of their guns.

British soldiers fell in rows in front of the defenses, and orderly retreat turned into rout. Everyone fled in panic, even Captain Monty had to join the escape.

Captain Monty, with the protection of his guards, crawled back to the trenches.

He panted heavily, his spirit dejected, as the attack he had planned for days ended in a devastating defeat, with enormous casualties.

Damn it, how am I going to report this to General Haig?

However, the shouts of the soldiers made him realize that the battle wasn't over yet.

"Captain!" a guard reported, his tone filled with terror, "The Germans haven't stopped; they're attacking our defensive line!"

Monty turned to look back, only to see the German tanks still rumbling towards the defense line, now led by even larger medium tanks.

"Organize the defense!" Captain Monty shouted hoarsely, his eyes filled with bewilderment and fear, "Stop them!"

But without exception, all the British soldiers were at a loss.

Some lay on the trenches, raising their rifles; some stared blankly at Monty, and more of them gazed in terror at the approaching tanks.

How were they supposed to stop these tanks?

With their rifles? Or bayonets?

Suddenly, someone began another retreat.

The dark mass of men abandoned the defense line like a tide and ran towards the next line of defense, rendering Monty's shouts futile.

...

At the British Expeditionary Force Headquarters, Haig poured himself a glass of French wine, intending to enjoy a moment of peace before hearing news of victory.

Seventy tanks, three infantry divisions, with a total strength of over 60,000 men.

Although there would be some casualties, taking down this defense line shouldn't be a problem.

As for the casualties, it would just mean issuing another conscription order at home.

However, he had only drunk half a glass when a guard ran up to him, out of breath, and reported, "General, I think you should leave."

"What?" Haig looked at the guard in confusion.

"The Germans have counterattacked!" the guard replied, "They'll be here soon!"