Chapter 24 Extraordinary Courage, Exceptional Boldness

Phew...

Just as the sharp sound pierced the air, Logan was forcefully pressed to the ground by a powerful force, biting into a mixture of soil and grass.

Before he could even utter an expletive, a violent explosion sent waves of excruciating pain through him. His poor eardrums seemed to have lost function, and his head was filled with a relentless buzzing, as if he were trapped inside a giant bell being struck repeatedly with a hammer!

Struggling to lift his head, he saw a large smoking crater about five or six paces ahead. If he hadn't hit the ground in time, he might have been not just wounded but crippled!

Logan instinctively mouthed a word of thanks to Lieutenant Stefenberg, who had pressed him down. But this time, he couldn't hear his own voice, a situation he had never experienced before. A chill ran down his spine.

Stefenberg moved his mouth as if speaking to him, but Logan couldn't hear a word!

No way! Did he just go deaf? Unable to hear others speak, unable to hear beautiful music, unable to hear a woman's moans? Damn it, what's the point of living?

He was suddenly dumbfounded!

The once noisy world suddenly fell silent, the stark contrast causing dizziness. Logan nearly lost his balance, but Lieutenant Stefenberg steadied him just in time.

Unable to hear, Logan gestured to his deputy that he couldn't hear anything. Even the usually composed "Weapons Encyclopedia" wore an expression of deep anxiety, opening his mouth as if signaling the paratroopers not to fall behind.

In the flickering light, Logan strained to identify familiar faces: Tobias had lost his hat and looked panicked, but at least he still held onto his rifle; Groth crouched on the ground, supporting an injured comrade with one hand. Who was this unfortunate fellow? It seemed to be Hubi Kavak, a private from the second assault team, judging by his efforts to clutch his left arm, indicating a hand injury.

After stumbling forward for some distance, they came upon a drainage ditch less than half a meter deep. Fortunately, the embankment was several decimeters higher than the ditch, serving as a decent temporary position.

With a position to temporarily rely on, the paratroopers picked up their weapons and began firing towards the north. But these bullets were probably not enough to pose a substantial threat to the distant British targets!

Bang!

Logan suddenly heard a muffled sound. Instinctively turning his head, he saw a four-man German artillery crew firing a 37mm anti-tank gun near the abandoned armored car!

Boom!

A wave of sound hit him, and Logan turned his head to see the shell landing far behind him, instantly igniting an abandoned truck!

Sound, it was sound! Could he hear again?

Although the sounds were somewhat distorted, hope flickered in Logan's heart. Maybe there was hope after all! (In fact, with the advancement of ammunition technology, temporary deafness due to explosions on the battlefield is not uncommon. It's just that Logan, being a novice, had little experience in this regard! Ha ha ha!)

"Hey, buddy, things aren't looking too good!"

Stefenberg, beside him, heard the complaint and looked at Logan with joy. "Lieutenant, are you okay?"

"Um, much better!" Logan scratched his head, realizing it was covered in dirt and sand.

"That's good! We need to figure out a way out of this, or we'll all be trapped here!"

Logan gritted his teeth. The situation seemed unusually chaotic. The attackers had yet to reveal their true selves, and the German casualties on this side of the road were already severe. But fortunately, the soldiers were well-trained, and many had begun to counterattack under the leadership of the officers!

Bang!

The German artillery crew nearby opened fire again. But before they could load the next shell, a shell suddenly emerged from the darkness, and a blinding fireball instantly erupted, throwing one German gunner several meters away like a ragdoll. The other three were mercilessly thrown out of their positions!

"Damn, looks like we've encountered the British Matilda!" Logan shouted loudly. "Dealing with these tough guys requires an 88mm gun!"

"You mean the 88mm heavy anti-aircraft gun?" Lieutenant Stefenberg asked. "I saw them half an hour ago in the motorized artillery convoy of the Fuhrer Guard Flag Regiment. They may have reached Monk by now!" Stefenberg's estimate was somewhat disappointing.

"How far are we from Monk?" Logan asked, calculating in his mind. Considering the road conditions and travel time, they were probably about 7 or 8 kilometers away, which was about the same distance to the canal position. Essentially, they were trapped in the middle of the battlefield!

"It's hard to say. It would take at least an hour and a half on foot!" Stefenberg continued, "If we head to the canal position, it might be a bit further, but our defense there is stronger! The problem is... once this road is cut off by the British, the main force of the Fuhrer Guard Flag Regiment will be trapped in Monk!"

"Damn it! If only we could take out these tanks!" Logan said frustratedly.

With the cover of night, it wouldn't be difficult to withdraw this small squad of less than twenty paratroopers from the battlefield, either to the canal position or back to Monk. But... if they retreated now, their subordinates might thank them, but the reputation of retreating in the face of the enemy might cost them many potential opportunities. How would Dietrich view him? How would Studente view him? And Little Beard?

While Logan's mind was in turmoil, Lieutenant Stefenberg did not rush him with incendiary words. He analyzed, "The enemy launched an attack from the northeast. If I'm not mistaken... they might be troops from the British 3rd Division. Just this morning, we were planning to ambush their division headquarters!" Stefenberg analyzed soberly.

"You mean... Montgomery's troops?" Logan suddenly had a slightly self-mocking thought: It was understandable to be caught off guard by a famous general, wasn't it? If it weren't for his leniency, this guy might have gone to meet their old King George V!

"Yes, according to our intelligence, it should be a motorized unit with many tanks and vehicles!" Stefenberg said.

After hesitating for a few seconds, Logan clearly told himself: Small schemes and methods can only play a peripheral role. If he wanted to make a difference in the war, great courage and wisdom were indispensable!

"Let's take stock of the casualties!" This voice was unprecedentedly calm.

Lieutenant was taken aback, then loudly replied, "Yes!"

Logan quickly surveyed the situation around him. With just rifles and grenades, it was a stretch to deal with armored vehicles, let alone British infantry tanks! However, every weapon had its weaknesses. He vaguely remembered from an old war movie that American soldiers were helpless against German heavy tanks, but they ingeniously led the German tank into an alley where it couldn't turn around and attacked its rear, eventually killing the behemoth!

"The so-called thick armor like a turtle shell probably only refers to the front!" Logan quickly turned his gaze to the German artillery crew that had been knocked out by enemy artillery fire. Four gunners had already been killed, but their anti-tank gun remained in place - compared to human flesh and blood, these iron contraptions weren't so easily destroyed!