"General, should we continue the offensive?" the Commander of the British 3rd Infantry Division asked.
Originally, their orders had been for the infantry to launch an attack once the tank units broke through the German defensive line, retake the positions occupied by the Germans in one stroke, and wipe out those German troops.
But now, their tank units had nearly been crippled in the fighting. If they sent in the infantry again, it would be no different from sending them to their deaths. Thus, the commander of the 3rd Infantry Division feared that General Hamilton and General Haig would order them to continue the attack.
General Hamilton said nothing. The disastrous defeat of the tank units had left him utterly devoid of confidence as well.
"Put the plan on hold for now!" General Haig said. Clearly, he could not send the troops to die for nothing.
"Yes, General." Only then did the Commander of the British 3rd Infantry Division breathe a sigh of relief, his heart, which had been hanging in his throat, finally settling back into his stomach.
The British offensive thus ended with the roar of a tiger and the tail of a snake. Their heavy losses had caused their entire plan to fall through, and made the current situation even more unfavorable for them.
After returning to headquarters, General Hamilton's expression grew even uglier.
"General Haig, the Germans' combat strength is simply too formidable. It has completely exceeded our expectations. Even the tank units' attack failed to produce results. I'm afraid we are going to lose this battle!" General Hamilton was beginning to despair.
He had originally hoped to defeat the German military in this decisive battle and claim a great victory in one fell swoop. But now it seemed that he had imagined everything far too