Before the development of modern night vision equipment, night warfare was a tactic used by less equipped armies to deal with enemies with superior firepower. For instance, in the early stages of WWII, the Japanese avoided night battles against Chinese forces because they couldn't leverage their superior firepower. When facing American troops, the Japanese resorted to night combat to minimize the firepower disparity.
In later times, more than 70% of U.S. military operations were conducted at night, utilizing advanced night vision equipment to greatly disadvantage less-equipped opponents.
On the road to Plymouth, British tanks moved cautiously, one after another. Although the Chief of the Imperial General Staff had explicitly warned against moving tank units at night due to the potential for trouble and losses, Churchill was stubborn in his decision. The Chief of the Imperial General Staff could only obey, mobilizing armored units from all over to Plymouth overnight.
For those units far away, transportation by rail or vehicles was necessary, while those closer to Plymouth proceeded under their own power.
Unfortunately for this British tank company moving on its own, they encountered an ambush by German paratroopers.
The reconnaissance troops ahead had already reported the types and numbers of British tanks to the units behind. The paratroopers quickly dug small pits in the middle of the road, just big enough for one person to lie in.
"Alright, everyone. It's time to show our courage."
German paratrooper training can transform a recruit into a mature airborne soldier with high honor and loyalty in just eight weeks. One of the training programs is called psychological conditioning (or courage training), where soldiers lie on the ground as tanks roll over them, passing between the tracks without moving, a test of courage and willpower that would scare the pants off the less brave.
Now, this team of German paratroopers only had five Panzerfausts as heavy weapons, but each soldier carried two magnetic anti-tank grenades, which, if used correctly, could be very effective.
The leading sergeant decided to have them dig pits in the middle of the road, waiting for the British tanks to pass overhead so they could attach the anti-tank grenades to the tank's undercarriage. These grenades had two types of fuses; one would explode after about seven seconds, the other after around ten minutes.
However, this method was fraught with danger; if the tank driver suddenly decided to turn or swerve, the person in the pit would be crushed.
After some discussion, Merkel, known for his quick reflexes among them, was chosen to lie in the pit and attach the grenades to the tanks. He couldn't carry all 20 grenades at once, so others hid in the bushes beside the road to pass him more grenades. Fortunately, the dense shrubs and the cover of night made it difficult for the British to spot them.
Once Merkel lay down, the others covered him with a thin layer of dirt, leaving only his eyes and nose exposed for camouflage. Tank drivers already have limited visibility, and at night, they're lucky just to stay on the road, making it hard to notice anything on the ground.
As the British tanks approached, Merkel felt the ground shake, with dirt particles jumping on his face. The sound of the heavy engines grew louder, intensifying the vibrations.
"Damn it, if I die, I want to be cremated. I don't want to experience this crap again." Merkel took a deep breath as he watched a tank's thick tracks pass over his head, attaching a magnetic anti-tank grenade to the undercarriage and pulling the fuse, being extremely careful not to mix up the two types of fuses.
Since it was a night march, the tanks kept a long distance between each other to avoid collisions, which actually made it easier for the German paratroopers hidden by the road to pass grenades to Merkel.
One tank, two tanks, three tanks...
From initial fear to numbness, Merkel mechanically attached grenades to the tanks.
After attaching them to the 18th tank, he noticed no more were coming. The sergeant came over, pulling him up, and Merkel asked, puzzled, "Weren't there supposed to be 20 tanks? Did I miscount?"
The sergeant laughed, "You counted right; two broke down at the back. Well done, Merkel, I'll put you in for a medal, the Iron Cross, First Class!"
Merkel just nodded slightly; after the life-and-death trial, he suddenly felt detached from worldly gains, thinking human emotions like joy or sorrow were merely commonplace...
"Boom! Boom! Boom boom boom!!"
Before Merkel could delve deeper into philosophical thoughts, a series of explosions echoed, lighting up half the sky with fierce flames.
"Yeah!"
"Hooray!"
"Great!"
The paratroopers erupted in cheers; they had taken out 20 British tanks with just one platoon, without any losses, how could they not be excited?
Merkel, too, was swept up in the celebration, returning to his human emotions. He thought about telling his father about the medal first. His father had also received the Iron Cross in the last war. If he knew Merkel had earned the First Class Iron Cross, he would be proud, wouldn't he?
Meanwhile, the crew of the two tanks that had broken down also heard the explosions, climbing out to stare in disbelief at the distant fire.
"What's going on here?"
"Rat-tat-tat!"
The crew members standing on top of their tanks, gazing at the distant fire, were suddenly riddled with bullets. Two German paratroopers equipped with "Vampire" individual infrared night vision systems approached from the roadside. Thanks to the rapid development of German technology, the use of more efficient nickel-cadmium batteries made this "Vampire" system significantly lighter than in the original timeline.
One paratrooper carefully checked the bodies of the tank crew to ensure no one was alive, then kicked the tank's track. "What do we do with this? Take it back?"
The other paratrooper laughed, "You think you can drive it? We're going through mountains and forests; what's the use of this big thing? You going to carry it?"
...
The Chief of the Imperial General Staff was at his wits' end, not knowing what to do. Bad news of ambushes by German paratroopers came from all directions, and he realized his armored forces had already suffered considerable losses.
"All 20 tanks from Bridport were wiped out? How many German paratroopers were there? What? Not clear?!" The anger of the Chief of the Imperial General Staff hadn't subsided when he received more bad news about the sabotage of railways by paratroopers.