"Boom!"
A German Panzer I tank, shielding a squad of infantry, advanced on a British position. Despite the presence of a heavy machine gun and a light machine gun in the British defense, the threat of the tank rendered the position perilously vulnerable.
The tank's cannon accurately struck a machine gun bunker, obliterating it. The light machine gun was destroyed in the explosion, though the gunner, by some stroke of fortune, managed to escape with his life.
"Sir, the German tanks are closing in, we can't hold out much longer! We must retreat, or we'll all die here!" shouted one of the soldiers.
"No! We cannot retreat! I have received orders to hold this position. Until we are given the order to withdraw, no one is to leave their post!" The officer replied firmly, shaking his head.
"Boom!"
An explosive shell landed in the trench, and its blast immediately tore the British officer apart, leaving several other soldiers dead as well.
"My God! The officer's been killed by the Germans! We have to flee!" The surviving soldiers scrambled to escape the trench. However, German machine guns mounted on the tanks, along with infantry-mounted squad machine guns, unleashed a brutal barrage upon them. Most of the British soldiers were mowed down, with only a few managing to escape.
With the German tanks serving as the spearhead of the assault, the British defenses were soon overwhelmed.
In barely half an hour, the British lines were riddled with holes, and the German forces were on the brink of breaking through. The once-solid defenses now resembled a sieve.
"Commander, the 1st Panzer Division and the 3rd Infantry Division have breached the British lines and are pushing deep into their defenses!" a staff officer reported.
General Crook nodded. "Order the 1st Panzer Division to press the attack and tear through the British rear defenses. Also, have the 4th and 5th Infantry Divisions follow closely behind. We need to encircle and completely shatter their lines!"
"Yes, sir!" The staff officer immediately set off to issue the orders.
Before the battle began, General Crook had relocated the command headquarters of the 1st Army Corps from Calais to Margate for closer coordination with the advancing units.
The situation was progressing favorably for the Germans. After enduring continuous artillery bombardment and aerial bombardments from the Luftwaffe, the British defenses had already suffered heavy losses. They could not withstand the ferocity of the German armored units. After the Panzer divisions tore through the British front lines, they did not stop. Instead, they pressed on with relentless vigor. Crook hoped that the armor would continue to push through the British defenses, circumnavigating Canterbury and striking from behind.
Meanwhile, the 2nd Panzer Division of the 2nd Army Corps, supported by two infantry divisions, had also ruptured the British 2nd Army's lines and was advancing westward.
Though the British lines were entrenched, the overwhelming German firepower rendered their defense futile. The Panzer divisions' devastating assault broke through one position after another with ease.
By noon, the 1st Panzer Division had shattered the British 4th Infantry Division and captured Appledore. They were now within striking distance of Canterbury. At the same time, the 2nd Panzer Division had crushed the British 17th Infantry Division and seized an important stronghold southwest of Canterbury. The two Panzer divisions were closing in on the city like a pair of pincers.
After a brief rest, both Panzer divisions resumed their offensive, replenishing their ammunition and fuel. However, as their tank losses mounted, the speed of their advance began to slow. Many tanks were not destroyed in battle, but rather were incapacitated by mechanical failures.
Although the performance of the German tanks had improved greatly, reliability remained a significant issue. In high-intensity combat, tanks were prone to mechanical breakdowns, and these non-combat losses were becoming more significant than those inflicted by the enemy.
"Attack! Hurry, continue the assault! We must reach Blean before sunset!" the commander of the 1st Panzer Division shouted.
"Yes, sir!" the soldiers responded with determination.
Despite the losses sustained, the number of British soldiers defeated and eliminated far exceeded their own. In comparison, the British suffered far heavier casualties.
"General, the 2nd Infantry Division has been routed. The enemy has penetrated our defenses!" a senior officer reported to General Haig.
Haig was left speechless. The German armored forces, like a monstrous beast, had crushed their positions. Five infantry divisions' defenses had been breached, and the losses were staggering. The entire line of the British 1st Army had been ripped asunder.
"Send a message to the 6th Army, instruct them to hold the line against the German onslaught!" Haig sighed.
The 6th Army, a secondary force, was inadequately trained and had never been tested in combat. Even the 1st Army had been easily torn apart by the Germans, and Haig had little hope for the 6th Army's performance.
"Yes, sir."
As expected, the 6th Army's performance was far worse than the 1st Army's. Despite having relatively intact defenses, the German Luftwaffe's bombing raids, combined with the armored divisions' relentless assault, tore through them in a single charge.
Soon after, the German armored forces, like the gods of war themselves, effortlessly penetrated the British lines.
In just two hours, the British 6th Army's defenses were shattered. Over three infantry divisions were wiped out, and more than 10,000 soldiers were captured.
By 5 p.m., the 1st Panzer Division had flanked Canterbury from the northwest and captured Blean.
Simultaneously, the 2nd Panzer Division's advance was equally successful. After breaching the British 2nd Army's lines, the 7th Army behind them was utterly vulnerable.
Not long after the 1st Panzer Division seized Blean, the 2nd Panzer Division also took Cartmell in the southwest of Canterbury. Together, the two primary Panzer divisions began to form a pincers that divided the British defenses into several sections.
German infantry, following closely behind the armored units, pressed the attack, delivering further devastating blows to the British forces.