The British forces stationed in Canterbury had no fewer than five hundred tanks. These tanks were all dispatched from London after the battle began. Additionally, another five hundred tanks were held in reserve in London.
The British "Hound" tank, resembling the French "Renault" 17 tank in appearance, was light in weight and thinly armored, yet it boasted relatively high speed. Armed with a 37mm tank gun and a 7.62mm machine gun, it was comparable in performance to the German Panzer I. Both tanks' guns could easily destroy each other, but in terms of reliability and mobility, the "Hound" tank lagged far behind. Moreover, the disparity in the training and experience of the crews further amplified this gap.
"General Haig, we will launch the counterattack first thing tomorrow morning. All tanks will be deployed, and infantry will be reassigned from the First Army Group. This time, we must decisively crush the Germans!" General Hamilton commanded, his face grim.
"Understood, Commander!" General Haig replied.
"Then, should we attack the Germans at Bruin or those at Karmat?" asked General Benson.
Hamilton pondered for a moment before responding, "We will first assault the Germans at Bruin, then move on to Karmat. The enemy's strength is too formidable to divide our forces. Dividing them would only lead to defeat at their hands."
General Benson nodded in agreement, remaining silent.
Clearly, General Hamilton intended to commit his full strength, placing everything on the line. He was acutely aware that the situation was dire for the British forces. A misstep could result in utter defeat in this critical battle.
At dawn on September 1st, four British armored brigades and three infantry divisions launched an assault on Bruin. Prior to the attack, the British had assembled over five hundred artillery pieces to pound the German positions.
The British had suffered heavy artillery losses in previous engagements, either due to German artillery suppressing them or bombing by the German Luftwaffe. The artillery corps had been nearly decimated. To capture Bruin, the British were pulling out all the stops.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!" The deafening roar of 114mm howitzers and 83.8mm field guns rained down shells upon the enemy.
"Speed it up! Fire as quickly as possible! If the Germans' planes arrive, we will be forced to retreat!" The British artillery commander barked.
The gunners knew that German air support would soon descend upon them, so they scrambled to fire as much as possible before the inevitable airstrike began.
Shells slammed into the German positions, creating craters everywhere. The hastily constructed defensive works from the previous night were no match for the British bombardment.
Under the relentless shelling, the Germans began to suffer substantial casualties.
"Emergency request for reinforcements! We need to suppress the British artillery or we will be decimated under their barrage!" The commander of the 1st Panzer Division ordered.
At sea, ten German battleships and twenty-four pre-dreadnoughts raised their turrets. Following the coordinates provided by the army, they made final adjustments for their barrage.
"Fire!"
At the command of the gunnery officer aboard the Bavaria, three triple-barreled 380mm guns roared into action.
The other battleships followed suit, their guns thundering across the waters. Heavy shells from the naval guns hammered the British artillery positions.
"Whoosh! Whoosh!"
The piercing whistle of incoming shells filled the British artillery positions, and the gunners' faces went pale. They, of all people, knew what this meant.
"My God! Run! German naval guns!"
Without waiting for orders, the British artillerymen scattered in all directions, like rabbits fleeing.
"Boom!"
A tremendous explosion rocked the British artillery lines. Guns were torn apart, and even the gun barrels twisted like corkscrews. The gunners were mercilessly shredded by the blast.
While the German naval bombardment wreaked havoc, the greatest threat still came from the Luftwaffe. Over a hundred F2 fighters provided cover for more than a hundred H1 bombers, relentlessly pounding the British artillery positions.
"Damned!" General Haig cursed as he observed the unfolding disaster. The artillery had barely had a chance to make an impact before being decimated. This setback only made the battle harder.
"We cannot wait any longer. Order the tank units to attack immediately!" General Haig commanded.
"Yes, General!"
Despite the artillery's minimal effect on the Germans, Haig understood that delaying any longer would invite even greater losses as more German aircraft flooded the battlefield.
"Attack!"
With the order given, over five hundred British tanks surged from their positions and charged towards the German defenses.
"General, tanks! The British have deployed a massive tank force!" A staff officer relayed to the commander of the German 1st Panzer Division.
"Such a large number of tanks! The British are going all in this time."
"Order the anti-tank units to prepare! We'll first whittle down their tanks, then send in the armored forces to eliminate them!"
Despite the fact that the 1st Panzer Division had only around 170 tanks remaining after a grueling day of combat—roughly a third of the British tank force—they were not afraid.
The difference in armored strength was vast. The British tanks were like infants learning to walk compared to the Germans' hardened veterans.
Anti-tank guns were deployed along the front lines, their crews taking aim at the rapidly advancing British tanks.
"Fire!"
"Boom!"
A 37mm round screamed toward an advancing Hound tank, striking its thin armor.
The projectile punched through the tank's armor with ease, causing a catastrophic explosion as it ignited the ammunition storage. The tank was instantly consumed in a fiery inferno.