"General, the 71st and 72nd Infantry Divisions have been holding their ground for five days. They have inflicted heavy casualties on the British Indian Army. However, their ammunition is nearly depleted. They can hold out for no more than three days; after that, they will have no choice but to break through and retreat. If they don't, they will be encircled and annihilated by the British Indian forces!" General Rundstedt reported.
General Ludendorff nodded, "I understand."
The strength of the German army was largely due to their overwhelming firepower. This left their enemies with few options when facing such a formidable force.
However, the great power of their firepower came at a significant cost in terms of manpower and logistics. Without ammunition, the German weapons were no different from firewood. Once a close-quarter battle ensued, despite the physical strength of the German soldiers over their frailer Indian counterparts, the saying "two fists cannot fight four hands" would ring true. If that occurred, the Germans' fate would be grim.
Since the last world war, the German army had never seen an entire infantry division wiped out. If the Germans were to lose two infantry divisions on the Indian front, it would be an unprecedented disaster—one the likes of which would be a record, though a terrible one. Even though General Ludendorff had earned the trust of QinTian, he could never bear such a burden.
Thus, Ludendorff had no other choice.
"Send a telegram to the 8th Armored Division! Launch an offensive in two days, directly targeting the British main force. The British Indian forces in India are not numerous—only around 200,000—and they are concentrated north of Ajmer. I need the 8th Armored Division to crush them. The 73rd and 74th Infantry Divisions will accompany the 8th Armored Division. Once we defeat the British Indian forces, expand the gains as much as possible and destroy the enemy!" General Ludendorff ordered.
Had the 71st and 72nd Infantry Divisions on the front lines had sufficient ammunition, he would have preferred to delay the offensive. This would have forced the British Indian forces to pay an even higher price when they eventually attacked the German positions. Unfortunately, time was no longer on their side.
"Yes, General!" General Rundstedt immediately set to work on the orders.
On the morning of April 3rd, the German 8th Armored Division, along with the 73rd and 74th Infantry Divisions, launched their attack. To ensure that the infantry divisions could keep pace with the armored division, Ludendorff had requisitioned a large number of trucks for their use. The speed of the vehicles' wheels far outstripped that of human legs.
Though the British Indian forces were located fifty kilometers away, the German 8th Armored Division attacked after only three hours. It was barely 10 a.m. when the assault began.
The sudden attack caught the British Indian forces completely off guard. Even though the British troops were far more capable than the Indian soldiers, facing a steel tide of over 200 tanks left them with only one option: to flee for their lives.
Although the exiled British government in Canada had already begun joint development of new tanks with the Americans, those tanks were not yet ready for deployment. Thus, the British Indian forces had no advanced tanks to rely on. Their best bet was anti-tank weapons or desperate assaults with hand grenades and explosive packages.
Such tactics were little different from those used in the previous world war.
In the face of the German armored juggernaut, these tactics were doomed to fail.
As the German tank tracks crushed their positions, the performance of the British forces was little better than that of the Indian troops.
"My God! Where are the anti-tank guns? We must stop the German tanks, or our positions will collapse!" a brigadier general bellowed.
But his soldiers paid no heed to his orders. Faced with the German tanks, they believed their only chance of survival was to flee immediately. To remain and fight was certain death.
Since the fall of their homeland, many British soldiers had sworn to revive the British Empire, but their morale had plummeted. They had already developed a deep fear of the Germans. When facing them, they lacked the courage to continue fighting. Though their combat skills may have been far superior to the Indian troops, their fighting spirit was not much different.
"Crunch, crunch!"
The sound of tank tracks crushing the British Indian forces' defenses filled the air. With the assistance of the 8th Armored Division, the 73rd and 74th Infantry Divisions broke through the British Indian lines. They began clearing the remnants of the enemy and expanding the victory.
The British Indian forces could not hold their ground. Many soldiers surrendered without a fight. Some of them had fled to India from Britain, and though their combat ability had once been strong, they had already been struck with terror. In such a state, their performance was abysmal.
The collapse of the British Indian forces had a devastating effect on the entire army. Before the Germans had even launched their main assault, the British Indian forces had already begun their retreat. And this retreat was not ordered by their commanders or by Lord William Nicholson. The Indian soldiers, on their own, decided to withdraw. It was not due to any strategic reason; they had been completely terrified by the Germans.
The British Indian forces that had been besieging Ajmer had already suffered tremendous losses. Upon hearing that the main British Indian forces had been routed by the Germans, and that several of the other armies had already retreated, they too lost the will to continue the fight. If the Germans managed to encircle them, they would have no chance of survival.
Without any orders, the forces surrounding Ajmer also fled in disarray.
When Lord William Nicholson learned of this unexpected turn of events, he was stunned, unable to believe what he was hearing.
Before the decisive battle, he had been full of confidence. After all, he had assembled a force of 1.8 million troops, including 200,000 elite British soldiers. Yet, he had never anticipated that it would be the British Indian forces—upon which he had placed his hopes—that would be the first to crumble. It was clear now: once again, they had failed in this great battle.