artillery arc

Chapter 657: Armored Attack Begins

Wang Zhong looked at the photo and fell into deep thought.

Pavlov: "You don't want to get on a plane and investigate yourself now?"

Wang Zhong: “But now this is the best way to quickly find out the situation of the enemy’s new armored forces.

"I am worried about our troops that will launch an attack today. Yegorov's First Mobile Army and Yanemy Vesilevitzky's Melania First Army are both mixed forces, and they can still resist the enemy's armored attack.

"The 8th Guards Tank Army that also launched the attack today is more experienced. After all, they have the title of Guards.

"However, the 55th Tank Corps that will attack today is a new unit that just came up from behind, and only 15% of its personnel have experience!

"What if this army encounters a counterattack from the enemy? Once we have determined the location of the enemy's new troops..."

Pavlov: "You can't change today's offensive deployment unless you tell the 55th Army not to attack. How are you going to tell the guys in the 55th Army?
"You're saying, 'I found the enemy's armored forces gathering, if you can't defeat them, you'll just die.' What a huge blow to morale that would be! You're the star of victory, they adore you and look up to you!"

Wang Zhong: “But they will live!”

"After a direct encounter with the enemy's armored forces, many of them will still be alive, and those who survive will become experienced veterans." Pavlov waved his hand to reinforce his momentum. "And you should have gotten used to this kind of thing, right? Last winter in Abavakhan, you never showed mercy."

Wang Zhong: "That's because if we don't do this, we can't defend Abawahan."

"It's the same now. Someone has to consume the enemy's armored forces. Are we going to wait for them to run away on the grassland for hours?" Pavlov said firmly.

At this time, Vasily came in with two unfamiliar officers. He had obviously heard the argument just now, and as soon as he came in, he said loudly: "Maybe we don't need to sacrifice lives to consume the enemy's armored forces."

Wang Zhongmeng turned around and asked, "What did you say?"

Vasily stepped aside and said, "This is the commander of the 3rd Guards Tank Brigade, Fyodor, who just arrived, and the priest Zhilin who accompanied the army. Their brigade is equipped with new tanks, the ones with pot-shaped heads that have not yet been named."

Wang Zhong was overjoyed: "Another brigade?"

Fyodor saluted Wang Zhong and said, "Yes, General. The 41 new tanks that just rolled off the production line have all been equipped to our brigade. In addition, I have good news. The production of new tanks has increased to two per day. We can equip one and a half brigades in a month!"

Wang Zhong was very happy: "You are here at the right time. The brigade that participated in the battle encountered the enemy's Type 6 heavy tank unit head-on and suffered heavy losses. Our maintenance capabilities are not good, especially the ability to repair new tanks. Now the brigade is still in a disabled state.

"But the enemy now has a complete tank division, which may rush us after our offensive begins, and it is expected that the enemy will bypass our vortex force and directly attack the assaulting armored force."

Fyodor: "That's great, leave it to us!"

Wang Zhong: "Have your troops finished unloading the truck?"

"It's done, checkmate!"

"Then you will return to the troops immediately and reinforce the 55th Army. This army has no combat experience, and % of the crews have only hours of driving time."

"They are all new recruits." Brigade Commander Fyodor said with a serious expression, "They will suffer heavy losses if they encounter Prosen's armored forces."

Wang Zhong: "That's why I want you to reinforce them. They are about to launch an attack. If you set out now, you can meet up with them in the evening."

After saying that, Wang Zhong patted the brigade commander on the shoulder.

"understand!"

Fyodor was about to turn around when Wang Zhong called him, "Wait a minute. We have a tradition here that generals ordered to the frontline must eat some hot food before leaving."

"I know, the last meal! Only a few lucky ones can survive now!" Fyodor looked eager to try. "It is said that if you can survive, it means you have passed the test and become your angel!"

Wang Zhong thought, I’ve had enough. Although this is a world with miracles, isn’t it agreed that secular people don’t believe in this? Why are they all more superstitious than each other?
Become my angel? Lyudmila is my only angel now!
But seeing Fyodor's excitement, Wang Zhong didn't want to dampen his spirits.

Unexpectedly, Fyodor said again: "General Yegorov has escaped death many times in Abavakhan and has become your angel!"

Wang Zhong couldn't help but said, "Him? An angel? No, no, no, he looks like a bear, he doesn't look like an angel."

Pavlov laughed. "He looks like a druid in human form."

Fyodor: "That's good too."

Wang Zhongxin said that as long as you are happy, he gestured to Vasily and said, "Let's take you two to dinner."

----

On the same day, at 0600 hours, the 55rd Battalion of the 38th Tank Brigade of the th Army attacked the starting point.

Lieutenant Alexander Fardin was about to leave the battalion headquarters when he was stopped by the battalion commander.

Battalion Commander: "I heard that you are the only one among this batch of students who graduated as a lieutenant? The colonel who selected you is a one-armed one, right? How did you impress him?"

Alexander was very surprised: "How do you know that the one who selected us is a one-armed man?"

"Because he was the old brigade commander of my last unit. He was the selection officer because his hand was broken. He was very strict. How did you get him to make an exception and give you the rank of lieutenant?"

Lieutenant Alexander: "I shot three times while driving a moving tank, and all of them hit the target, so I was awarded the title of lieutenant." The battalion commander's eyes widened: "Shooting while moving? There is no such subject, right?"

Both the T34 and T34W have only very simple stabilizers, making it basically impossible to shoot while moving.

Lieutenant Alexander: "The tank we tested was an old T34. I was the gunner myself. I fired in coordination with the vibration of the muzzle. As long as I got the timing right, I could hit the target."

"Sukabulie!" The battalion commander expressed his feelings with this sentence, "Well, let the Prosen people have a good taste of your power!"

Lieutenant Alexander: "No, the T34W uses a three-man turret. I can't shoot myself, so I should still use emergency stop shooting."

"It's all right." The battalion commander waved his hand, "Go ahead, I look forward to your performance."

Lieutenant Alexander saluted, turned and left the battalion headquarters, running towards his tank.

Everyone who had just had a meeting has returned to the crew and is explaining the battle plan to the crew members, as well as where to rendezvous after abandoning the vehicle.

Now the Ante Army armored units will set up abandonment assembly points, requiring all tankers to find a way back to the assembly points after abandoning their vehicles, instead of abandoning their vehicles as before and then turning into infantry on the spot to continue fighting the damn Prosen people.

This is also a change brought about by the military reform advocated by Rokossov, with the ANT forces paying more attention to technical arms.

Alexander returned to his crew: "Okay, assemble! Listen carefully, if you abandon your vehicle during the battle, you must return to Vosonka on your own. The brigade's recovery troops will be waiting for you there, and then you will be organized into a new crew with others and continue fighting.

"Do you understand? No matter who is missing, we have to go to Vosongka!"

"I understand, Lieutenant!" said the driver Qiulin on behalf of everyone.

"Final check! Have you brought the ammunition and fuel? And water. The weather is so hot today. You will definitely sweat a lot after fighting for a day. You will need to drink plenty of water! Don't get heatstroke and faint in the tank!" Lieutenant Alexander raised his voice particularly loudly.

This is what the instructors taught me in the tank school.

The gunner picked up the gasoline barrel at his feet and said, "I got a few barrels like this. I rinsed them clean and filled them with water. Although there is still a smell of oil, just bear with it."

"Very good!" Alexander waved his hand, "Get in the car."

Not long after we boarded the car, flares rose into the sky.

Lieutenant Alexander Fardin picked up the radio receiver: "Tyulin, forward!"

As he gave the order, other vehicles started up, and the armored battalion, which had been arranged in battle formation, crossed the straw fence that blocked the way ahead and galloped across the fields of Khazaria.

Then, as if it had been agreed long ago, the Il-2 attack aircraft formed an attack formation and flew over the tank brigade.

Someone on the radio said: "I heard that this type of aircraft is now specialized for this purpose. It was requested by General Rokossov."

"Yes, I heard that too. Pilots all think this type of aircraft is difficult to use. The machine guns have no sights and it is difficult to accurately hit targets on the ground. Also, because it cannot dive at a large angle, the hit rate of rockets and bombs is not good."

"Is it true or not? But it looks very impressive. It really boosts morale when it flies over our heads!"

While the discussion was going on the radio, a second wave of air force troops passed over the tanks.

Lieutenant Alexander looked up and suddenly discovered that there were a large number of parallel white lines higher in the sky.

Other crews also noticed it: "What is that white line in the sky?"

"You don't understand, right? Those are heavy bombers from the Air Force, they look like B25s or B26s supported by the United States! They should be going to bomb Shepetovka."

"Speaking of Shepetovka, I remember that's where Petro came from?"

Pietro is one of the few tank commanders in the battalion with combat experience, and it is said that he has fought in the war for two years.

"Why isn't Petro talking? Tell us what kind of place Shepetovka is!"

"Yup!"

Normally the battalion commander and the priest should have stopped this kind of idle chatter, but now they both tacitly kept silent.

Finally, Petro's voice appeared on the radio: "Shepetovka is... a very beautiful city. It was once very beautiful. There is the largest train dispatching yard in Khazaria, the first tractor factory set up by the church, and later the Shepetovka tank factory, where the T34 was developed..."

Immediately, there was a chorus of complaints over the radio: "Who told you to say that?"

"Yeah! Tell us what we want to hear, like what's delicious and what the girls are like!"

Pietro: "I don't know. When we retreated, many girls were evacuated. When the tanks drove out of the city, I suddenly saw many girls' bodies lined up neatly on the roadside. Proson airstrikes on the evacuated convoy, and the bodies of the girls were gathered and buried on the spot."

There was radio silence.

Alexander sighed and lifted one of his headphones so he could hear the roar of the engine.

(End of this chapter)