artillery arc

Chapter 629 Armored Minced Meat
7 hours on July 2, 2330st Khazaria Front Headquarters.

Pavlov threw a document in front of Wang Zhong: "Today's losses are revealed."

Wang Zhong: "From your expression I can tell that the loss is not small."

Pavlov: "If we continue fighting like this for two more days, we will lose all our tanks. We must think of a solution."

Wang Zhong stood up and walked to the map: "We are attacking, and the heavy artillery units can't keep up with the advancing armored spearheads. Even the more mobile rocket launchers can't keep up. After all, the mobility of car wheels on the grassland is not as good as that of tracks.

“No vehicle on wheels other than the Willys Jeep could keep up with the armored forces.

"We have indeed designed a rocket launcher mounted on a Willys Jeep, but it has not yet been deployed on a large scale. And how effective it is in actual combat still needs to be verified."

Vasily: "So at this stage, we can only use armored forces to exchange with the enemy? What about the possibility of mobilizing the vortex troops to ambush the enemy?"

Pavlov: "We have already done so. In fact, the Vortex Force performed well today. The enemy did not deploy many large Max tank destroyers that could penetrate the vortex during the attack, and the Elephant tank destroyers that have been confirmed to exist were not used in the attack because they were too heavy.

"The enemy's tank units suffered heavy losses in the face of the vortex. This is the best news today. The second best news is that we have controlled most of the battle area and can prevent the Prosen people from repairing the damaged tanks."

Ant's maintenance capabilities are insufficient, and the main repair vehicles are still imported from the United States. The quantity itself is not enough, and the quality of maintenance personnel is not as high as that of Proson.

The key to controlling the battlefield is to prevent the Prosons from repairing their damaged tanks. If the battlefield is controlled by the Prosons, half of the tanks that have not caught fire or burned will be repaired within a few days.

Of course, another way to prevent the Prosons from repairing their tanks is to destroy as many disabled enemy tanks as possible before evacuating the battlefield.

Generally speaking, a tank that has been burned is difficult to repair, and even if it is repaired, it will take a lot of time. According to the captured Plossen maintenance unit manual and the confessions of prisoners, this type of tank is generally abandoned for repair, and only the unburned parts are recovered and provided to other vehicles.

Wang Zhong: "There is another good news. The 8th Guards Tank Army has not encountered the enemy's armored forces. They have formed a prominent spearhead, threatening the enemy's entire rear area and echoing our cavalry units."

Pavlov: "According to aerial reconnaissance, the Eighth Tank Army will be hit by an armored counterattack by the enemy tomorrow. Although the Eighth Army has the title of Guards, it was given to the original 51st Tank Army. Their tank crews do not have many veterans. Maybe..."

Wang Zhong looked at the chief of staff and asked, "Are you worried that they will be used as a record by the enemy's tankmen?"

"This is basically what happens to our rookie crews," Pavlov said, speaking coldly. "Some of them only have sixty hours of tank driving experience, and only a few have 200 hours."

Vasily suddenly said, "As consumables for mincing meat, they are more suitable than those veterans who have fought bravely on the battlefield."

Popov: "Don't say such things, you heartless fellow."

Vasily spread his hands and said, "I am just stating the facts."

Wang Zhong: “No, the veterans can at least exchange three for one, but the new recruits will only give the Prosen people wholesale Iron Crosses.

"Can we have the Eighth Army go on the defensive tomorrow? Just tell them to wait for the fuel to be delivered. Build tank bunkers on the spot. This will reduce the enemy's advantage to some extent."

Pavlov nodded. "This is indeed the best way. The Eighth Guards Army has advanced far enough. Defending in place will not delay our overall offensive. I will give the order now."

----

At the same time, Plossen Southern Army Group Headquarters.

Marshal Goron put down the report and sighed, "Even if the results claimed by the various troops are not exaggerated, our losses are hard to ignore."

The Army Group Chief of Staff: "Some armored divisions have only 20 combat-ready tanks left, and the others have either been lost or are being repaired. We were unable to control the battlefield after the battle, which had a serious impact on us."

Marshal Goron turned around and looked at the map. "How did they (referring to Ante) get so many tanks? Were they supported by the United States? Although I know that the claimed results must have been greatly inflated, but... could it be that the enemy has enhanced its maintenance capabilities?"

According to the report of the Plossen headquarters, Ante's maintenance capacity should be only one-tenth of Plossen's. In the previous two years, Plossen seized many Ante tanks that were abandoned after having only minor faults, and thus came to this conclusion.

Chief of Staff: "Last year and the year before, we also had such doubts when we faced the Ante troops that kept emerging from the ground. I thought you were used to it. They just have such production capacity and can make up for it."

Marshal Goron pursed his lips and thought for a long time, then said, "I'm going to call His Majesty. If he wants us to defeat Rokossov, he has to bring back the armored units that were transferred from us! Or he has to transfer new armored units to us from the country."

----

A few minutes later, the Eagle's Nest.

"The armored units that have been transferred away cannot be returned to you!" The emperor stood up and spit into the phone. "Without these armored units, you can't defeat Rokossov? The number of armored units in your hands has exceeded the number of armored units in General Moltke's hands two years ago!"

Marshal Goron replied on the other end of the phone: "But the enemy is no longer the clay-footed giant that they were two years ago! Two years ago, their forces were just large in size, and even an armored division with 200 tanks would be completely wiped out by our infantry division!
"But now, if our infantry division is attacked by 200 tanks, the position will be in danger and it will be breached if we are not careful!" After a brief pause, Marshal Goron added: "What's more, the enemy also has the damn Rokossov Type 1 heavy tank!"

Hearing the syllables "Rokossov", the emperor was startled and asked: "What Rokossov? What type one?"

"Rokosov 1 is the designation of the enemy's new heavy tank! And they call that heavy rocket launcher the Urban Cannon!"

The emperor cursed: "This Rokossov actually named the tank after himself! I am embarrassed to call the new tank Reinhardt I! How shameless!"

Several senior generals who were listening exchanged glances silently.

Marshal Goron: "He may be trying to boost morale. For the Ante soldiers, Rokosov means victory. If you don't give us the armored forces this time, he will win again!"

"You clearly give me astonishing exchange ratios in your reports every day! Are you saying that those exchange ratios are lies?" the emperor asked.

"Of course not," Marshal Goron replied calmly, "The enemy's losses may be exaggerated due to observation and our lack of control over the battlefield, but not so much. But our losses are real! My armored division has only 20 tanks left in combat readiness! If we don't get reinforcements, we can only temporarily stop the attack and wait for the tanks that need short-term repairs to complete their repairs!"

"We can't stop the counterattack! We can't!" The emperor raised his voice. "If we stop the counterattack, we will play into Rokossov's hands!"

"I know, so Your Majesty, I need reinforcements. Rokossov's armored forces have penetrated nearly 70 kilometers into our territory, and his cavalry is roaming around in our controlled area. We are now..."

Suddenly, gunshots were heard from the other end of the line.

The emperor was shocked: "Why are there gunshots? Marshal Goron, please answer!"

----

Marshal Goron looked up sharply when he heard the gunshots, and then the reassuring sound of MG42 firing was heard.

Not long after, the anti-aircraft regiment of the army group headquarters also opened fire.

The Army Group Headquarters Air Defense Regiment was equipped with the latest anti-aircraft tanks. Because of its square fighting compartment, the soldiers nicknamed this tank "home car".

Marshal Goron could hear the Emperor's howling through the receiver: "What's going on? Where did the gunshots come from?"

The marshal ignored the emperor for the moment and asked loudly: "Why are you firing guns?"

Soon the commander of the headquarters guard regiment rushed in and saluted: "Report to the Marshal, the enemy cavalry unit has attacked us."

Marshal Goron: "Are you raiding here? The nearest Ante striker should be about 80 kilometers away!"

"I don't know this, but we did kill several Ante cavalrymen. Judging from the scale, there should be more than two companies of cavalrymen who rushed into the village under the cover of night." The guard regiment commander reported truthfully.

As if in response to his words, the sound of POPSO gunfire and shouting in the Ante language were heard from the yard outside.

Marshal Goron: "What are they saying outside?"

The staff officer who understood the Ant language immediately responded: "Say, 'With so many cars, it seems like we've caught a big fish. Quickly turn on the radio and report.'"

Marshal Goron suddenly felt his hair stand on end: "What did they say? The last sentence!"

"Hurry up and start the radio report."

Marshal Goron: "It's bad, Rokossov likes to blow up the headquarters! Prepare to move!"

Chief of Staff: "If we move, the headquarters will temporarily lose its command of the troops, which is not good, right? Anyway, Rokossov's artillery can't reach here for a while."

Marshal Goron thought about it and agreed, then he replied: "You are right, strengthen the defense."

After saying that, he put the receiver back to his ear.

Emperor Proson was very anxious: "Why are you firing guns? Has Rokossov rushed to your headquarters? Hello?"

Marshal Goron: "Rokosov's cavalry has rushed to my headquarters. Now there are at least 200,000 Rokosov's cavalry wandering around in our controlled area. The common people are helping them, so they can roam around and attack our small forces and logistics."

The emperor gnashed his teeth and replied, "You must stop Rokossov's attack! I will send you reinforcements! Once you defeat Rokossov, settle accounts with these civilians! Completely settle accounts! They actually dared to assist the enemy. They are no longer ordinary civilians. We must strike hard!"

(End of this chapter)