artillery arc

Chapter 639 Rest Time
On July 7, the maintenance battalion of the 6st Guards Heavy Breakthrough Tank Regiment.

Podolskikov found the battalion commander with a bottle of vodka in his hand: "Come on, this is a gift from a fellow villager. Let's have a drink!"

The battalion commander sighed, "It's not that I don't want to repair it for you, Podolskikov Davarishi. In addition to the broken tracks, your tank also has problems with the gearbox and engine, and must be replaced. I can't sign to allow it to finish repairs in this state!
"I am responsible for the lives of your entire crew!"

Podolskov: "It was running fine before. It was fine! If its tracks hadn't been broken, it would never have finished the battle!"

Battalion Commander: "That's just good luck! I can't let you rely on luck to ensure a smooth operation! No, I can't! I won't sign. Your Revenge must have its gearbox and engine replaced!"

Podolskov was anxious. He stuffed the wine into the battalion commander's arms and said, "Look, we don't have a single tank in the entire regiment! Not even one! If you don't let my Revenge go out, what will the enemy do if they attack us?"

"The enemy is coming with vortexes." The commander of the maintenance battalion was unmoved. "The vortex is more suitable for defense. And the accompanying infantryman Davarishi was digging bunkers yesterday. With the vortex and bunkers, no matter how many tanks the enemy comes, they will be helpless! And there are also T34s from our brother units!"

Podolskov: "T34? T34 is already outdated. It can't even penetrate the front of the enemy's Panzer IV long-barreled gun. It is even more useless against the new tanks with guns that look like fishing rods!"

The new tank we encountered before, called the Type 75 tank, had a 70mm gun, but the barrel seemed to be times longer than the caliber, so it was nicknamed "fishing rod" by the tankmen of the st Guards Heavy Breakthrough Tank Regiment.

Podolskov: "Even if it's the Vortex, it may not be effective against that kind of fishing rod tank! After all, the combat weight of the Vortex is there. It's just a defense-enhanced version of the T34. We are still reliable! It has been proven in actual combat!"

Battalion Commander: "Today, two Rokossov I tanks will be finished with maintenance. Why don't you give this bottle of wine to the crews of these two tanks and ask them to let you drive the tanks."

Podolskov: "This... is not a good opportunity to take away other people's chance to go to the battlefield? We all have blood feuds to avenge!"

The battalion commander was shocked: "Then I have no choice. Anyway, if you don't replace the gearbox and engine and sign, you can't play."

Podolskov: "Why are you like this? What if you delay the great cause of defeating the Prosen people?"

"The order to rest and regroup issued by the front commander shows that General Rokossov has determined that the enemy no longer has much strength to fight back. Do you want to question the general's decision?"

"Of course not!" Podolskov raised his voice a lot, "I'm just a tractor driver, how could I question the admiral's judgment! No one in Ante would question him! What I question is your judgment! My Revenge is fine, it's just that the track is broken, and the gearbox is a little loud--"

"Come on, the gears in the Revenge's transmission are all worn out!"

"It's not smooth yet! I've checked it, it's just the corners that have become blunt. You're just exaggerating, Comrade Battalion Commander!"

The battalion commander was unhappy: "I have been repairing tanks for nearly fourteen years. The first one I repaired was the small bean tank imported from Caroline. Do you know what kind of tank that is? My judgment has never been wrong!"

Podolskov hesitated to speak. Finally, he took a step back, put the bottle on the operating table, took off his military jacket and threw it on the ground, and took a fighting stance: "Forget it, let's use the traditional Ante method to solve the problem today. Whoever wins will have the right! If you lose, just sign it for me!"

The battalion commander nodded: "Okay!"

After saying this, he took off his greasy military uniform.

The military uniform had become hard in some places due to oil stains, so it covered the curves of his muscles. Now that the uniform was taken off, the battalion commander instantly turned into a devilish muscle man. Even among the Ant people, he was one of the most sturdy ones.

Podolskov frowned, carefully looked at the battalion commander's tendon muscles, and cursed: "Sukabulie, you are so cruel!"

After that, he picked up his shirt from the ground, tucked it under his armpit, and picked up the bottle of wine: "I won't bother with you!"

Battalion Commander: "You will thank me for my persistence. I have seen too many tankers lose their lives on the battlefield because of poor tank maintenance!"

"I'll remember that!" Podolskov said this and left without looking back.

The battalion commander watched him leave, sighed, and muttered, "You guys are all in a hurry to die."

At this time, the maintenance worker who was watching the fun said, "Captain, a tortoise shell like the Rokossov-1 should not cause as many casualties as before."

"Yes," said another. "When we were repairing the T34, every member of the brigade was replaced within a few days. Sometimes even the brigade commander and the chaplain were replaced. This time, at least % of the people are still there."

The battalion commander nodded and said, "Yes, I used to think that all the good people died on the battlefield, and the rest were just crooked people. What would happen to our country in the future? Now some good people can finally survive.

"Thanks to General Rokossov, thank him for the turtle shell, so I can't allow them to drive defective tanks to the front line. Listen carefully, Podolskov might come to steal the tanks, don't let him succeed, remove the gearbox and throw it outside!"

"Yes." The maintenance workers answered in unison.

----

Plossen 2nd Armored Corps Field Maintenance Plant.

Major Tim entered the workshop and came to the maintenance worker who was assembling the complicated double-row road wheels of the Type 5 tank: "How is it going?" Maintenance worker: "You see, this damn road wheel, it takes several hours just to assemble it! The person who designed this thing is damned!"

Major Tim: "But the tank crews said that this thing is quite reliable when driving. The tank doesn't shake much and can even shoot while moving. There is also a chance to maintain mobility when stepping on a mine - I mean, stepping on our mines."

The charge on Ant's mines is so terrible that even the double-row road wheels and wide tracks can't do anything about it.

Maintenance worker: "The tankers don't have to remove all the road wheels just to replace one wheel. That's just bad design, I think."

"Stop complaining, so how many can you fix today?"

The repairman stopped and looked around the repair shop, which was full of welding flames. He said, "About seven cars. I can't guarantee the others. These seven cars have been repaired for more than two days. It's time to send them out."

Major Tim: "So 7 vehicles can be repaired by July 8th, right?"

"No, I can't guarantee that. Who knows how serious the failures of other vehicles are. We haven't had much rest since the Ants began their attack. Look at the dark circles under my eyes. If it weren't for the medicine that the Asgard Knights took, which might affect the accuracy of welding, I would have wanted to ask them for some."

Major Tim silently took out a cigarette and stuffed it into the maintenance worker's pocket: "Just smoke it, don't touch the medicine of the Asgard Knights."

The maintenance worker shook his head. "I can only smoke to stay awake for a short while now. Maybe my nerves are numb. Damn, I can still say the word nerves! Look at old Hank. He is already unconscious.

"I don't know if we will fail if we continue like this, but someone in this workshop is going to die suddenly, and it could be me, Major!"

Major Tim: "Hold on for a few more days, then we can go back home for vacation."

"Really? Can he really return home?" the maintenance worker asked, "Has the marshal been caught?"

"No." Major Tim answered in a less than firm tone.

Maintenance worker: "Damn it, you don't know either! But it's all spread. The army group headquarters was indeed attacked. The military police even shot several people yesterday because they said the current marshal is a stand-in!

"Yesterday I saw a note in the lounge. I guess it was left by the local woman who cooked for us. It said the marshal had been captured and we will be captured soon. Rokossov will wipe us out like a whirlwind!"

Major Tim was shocked: "What? There is such a note? No, we have to notify the military police and arrest all the suspects!"

"Please be kind. If the cook is replaced by a man, we will be in trouble, Major! And the military police also want to arrest women. Look at the silly way they smile at women during the inspection!"

Major Tim: "No, this is a serious incident, I must report it, this is my duty, someone must pay the price for this note!"

"Even if the maintenance speed is reduced?" the maintenance worker asked.

Major Tim: “Of course.”

The maintenance worker asked again: "What if we lose? Think about it, the families of those women will bring the ANT soldiers to identify them. You also want to survive, right, Major!"

Major Tim pursed his lips, remained silent for a few seconds, and said, "Your thoughts are very dangerous. If arresting you would affect the maintenance efficiency, I would have reported you to the military police."

Maintenance worker: "Major, aren't you also a potential supporter of mine? I'm not the only one who thinks this way. Even some people in the military police think the war is over."

Major Tim raised his voice: "Stop talking! Don't force us all to go in! The Imperial Household Ministry has minions in the army!"

The maintenance worker kept his mouth shut.

Although Major Tim was young, he had a prominent family background and was considered a member of the old Junker aristocratic officer camp. When the officers were chatting, he actually heard some rumors.

It seemed that if this battle was defeated miserably again, something unspeakable would happen within the empire.

But Major Tim had no idea what it was.

For some reason, he was looking forward to this happening, perhaps because the war had lasted for too long since the invasion of Melania.

Of the friends who joined the army with Major Tim, only three are left now. If the war ended earlier, perhaps the three could have been reunited.

If only the war had ended sooner.

(End of this chapter)