artillery arc

Chapter 702: Military and Civilians Are United

Major Hausen, commander of the 504th Independent Tank Destroyer Battalion in Plossen, heard the sound of the engine and looked up at the sky.

A red-painted Pe 3 reconnaissance plane just flew over his battalion.

Not long after leaving Hausen's sight, the plane turned back and circled sideways at an altitude of several hundred meters, obviously observing the 504th Battalion.

The anti-aircraft machine gun of a Panzer IV tank destroyer opened fire, but it was obvious that the shooter did not calculate the distance well, and the tracer bullet fell to the ground like urine before it hit the plane.

Hausen wanted to observe the plane through a telescope, but the plane was going too fast and he would quickly lose the target once he got closer.

After putting down the telescope, the major thought of a rumor: Rokossov would personally fly a red Pe-3 reconnaissance plane for reconnaissance and command the air force and ground forces in real time.

The entire Southern Army Group was saying that after seeing the Red Pei III, either the headquarters would be attacked by the suddenly appearing ANT bombers, or the commander of the army would be killed or injured.

Either the enemy's artillery fire suddenly and without warning falls on the troops in hiding, and the commander of their own side is either killed or injured.

Or a commando unit called Komanda would land at night and launch a surprise attack, killing or wounding their commander.

Major Hausen broke out in a cold sweat.

He picked up the microphone and said, "Don't worry about Pe3 in the sky. Go full speed ahead. We are needed in Bogdanovka!"

The red pepper continued to circle around his car.

Major Housen always felt that the people on the plane were targeting him.

Could it really be Rokossov himself?
While thinking this, he switched the radio frequency and shouted on the frequency used by air force pilots: "Calling our fighter pilots in the air right now, please reply if you hear me!"

There was only a rustling background noise on the radio.

When Major Hausen was about to call again, someone responded: "This is Air Force Liaison Station 541. The fighters are all protecting Bogdanovka and resisting the enemy's heavy bombers and tactical bombers. There are no fighters in this airspace to cover you.

"By the way, we have to retreat as well."

Major Hausen sighed and threw the microphone on the top armor of the tank destroyer's fighting compartment.

The voice of the commander of the No. 504 Assault Gun Battalion, which was following the th Battalion, came from the headset: "We should stop to repair the vehicles. Many vehicles have reported abnormal gearbox noises."

Major Hausen said firmly: "Let the vehicles with abnormal noises stop and repair themselves. Be careful not to block the road. We must move forward at full speed. If there are infantrymen who are willing to stay and cover these vehicles, please pay my highest respects to them."

"Yes." The commander of the No. 3 Assault Gun Battalion was obviously in a very low mood. "The people who did this two years ago were all the Ante people. This grassland is full of Ante soldiers who were left behind. In just two years, this place has become our burial place."

Major Hausen: "It has not become our grave yet! Watch your words!"

"Yes."

"Battalion Commander!" a voice suddenly interrupted the radio, "Look to the north!"

Major Housen turned his head and saw smoke and dust on the ground.

He quickly raised his telescope to observe: "Cavalry? No!"

Two tank destroyer battalions were running wildly on the road. This road was a high-standard road that took more than a year to build after the Plossans occupied it. No matter how fast the cavalry ran, it was impossible to catch up with the tanks running wildly on the road in the wilderness.

There is only one possibility, that is Ant's motorized troops.

----

"Company Commander!" The driver of the lead vehicle of the 155th Motorized Reconnaissance Battalion of Ant shouted to the captain in the co-pilot seat, "We are all jeeps, we can't do anything to tanks!"

Captain Short: "Shut up! The enemy is not a tank, but a self-propelled artillery. We can deal with it by maneuvering!"

(The two armies have different names for artillery carriers without turrets, and some troops have never fought side by side with the Vortex Tank Destroyer Battalion, so they call the equipment of the 504th Battalion a self-propelled artillery)
At this time, the gunner operating the vehicle-mounted machine gun in the back seat said: "Company commander, there is a red plane in the sky, it looks like our Pei 2 (a typical misidentification)."

Short: “I saw that.”

Pilot: "Could it be that the Marshal is watching us? Then we should do something!"

The company commander put down his binoculars and fell into deep thought.

At this time, the radio operator in the back seat said: "Received a call, the other party said it was Marshal Rokossov."

The company commander immediately stood up from the co-pilot's seat and took the walkie-talkie: "Marshal Davarich, our troops are moving northwest of Bogdanovka according to the plan!"

Marshal Rokossov: "I know, you continue to carry out the mission. But I have a request for you, keep visual contact with the Prosen troops to your south at all times. The mechanized infantry of the First Mobile Army is coming, you must synchronize the enemy's coordinates with them at all times. I am running out of gas, I have to withdraw."

"Yes! We will ensure that the mission is accomplished!" The company commander raised his chin towards the red pendant in the sky and saluted with his free hand.

Because he was holding the walkie-talkie in one hand and saluting with the other, he was now standing on the off-road vehicle without holding on to anything.

But the captain still stood straight, as if there was flat ground under his feet.

Rokossov: "I believe you, over."

As soon as the words fell, the red plane in the sky turned, flew over the motorized reconnaissance battalion, and flew towards the east.

Captain Short sat down, still holding the walkie-talkie in his hand: "You all heard it, maintain visual contact with the enemy until our mechanized troops catch up." The deputy company commander immediately said on the radio: "Why only visual contact, why don't we rush to the front of the enemy, occupy the high ground and wait for them? Our jeeps are equipped with 45mm anti-tank guns and anti-tank mines, so we can fight a blocking battle!"

Captain Short thought for a moment and said, "Okay, Deputy Company Commander, you lead the third platoon to maintain visual contact, and I will lead the first and second platoons to rush to the front to ambush."

Deputy company commander: "Wait a minute! According to convention, I, the deputy company commander, should be the one to do the job of sending myself to death, right?"

"Obey orders!" said the captain, "See you at the Martyrs' Cemetery."

"Yes."

----

Major Hausen looked at the dust beside him gradually moving forward and had a bad feeling in his heart.

Red Pei 3 has left. According to rumors, the commander of the 504th Battalion is either dead or injured.

It seems that this was done by the Ant motorized troops that overtook the front.

He pondered for a few seconds, took out the diary on the shelf on the right side of the tank destroyer's fighting compartment, turned to the first blank page, and wrote on it:

"Today I saw a red banshee. Legend has it that any troop commander who sees it will be killed or injured soon after.

“So I’m writing this down, hoping that one day this diary will be in the hands of my wife and daughter.

“I am an ordinary Plossom officer. I have not done anything dishonorable to the honor of a soldier, but I did ignore the atrocities committed by my companions against the Ants.

"Now, I have to pay the price for my indifference. I don't feel unwilling, this is my retribution, it is my destined death."

……

----

The first and second platoons of the leading company of the 155th Motorized Reconnaissance Battalion of Ant arrived at Hill 2000 on the map at 171.2 hours and found that there were already people on the hill.

"Who is it?" the sentry on the side of the road shouted in Ant language.

"Who are you!" Captain Short yelled back.

At the same time, the driver turned on the headlights, illuminating the entire road, forcing the person questioning to raise his hands to cover his eyes.

Under the illumination of the headlights, a group of people dressed as civilians and carrying weapons were laying mines on the road.

A man dressed as a priest jumped out from the darkness and shouted, "It's a misunderstanding! Turn off the lights! Don't let the enemy find you!"

Captain Short patted the driver on the shoulder and the headlights went out.

Priest: "We are the Bogdanovka Ulyanov District Battalion! We are carrying out the mission assigned by Marshal Rokossov to stop an enemy mechanized corps here!"

Captain Short: "We are also here to stop the enemy's mechanized forces. That is a Proson self-propelled artillery unit! There are an estimated 70 to 120 self-propelled artillery pieces! You will need the rocket launchers, anti-tank guns, and mines we brought."

Then he jumped out of the car and held out his hand to the priest.

The priest came up and shook his hand: "I've been waiting for you, comrade!"

"Please explain the situation! We are not familiar with the terrain and don't know where to set up an ambush!"

Priest: "How can we set up an ambush? We just lie on the side of the road and shoot at enemy tanks when they come. We also prepared Molotov cocktails and wait for the mines to stop the enemy formation.

"We have set up heavy machine guns on the mountain and will shoot at the enemy's infantry. If the situation gets bad, we will retreat to the mountain to defend."

Captain: "After you have laid the mines, you can retreat to the mountain. Just give us the Molotov cocktails. If we are wiped out, you must continue to resist and resolutely stop the enemy here. This is the order issued by the marshal."

Priest: "The marshal has also given us orders. Don't worry, we have much more experience in using Molotov cocktails than you do."

After he finished speaking, the guerrilla fighter next to him echoed: "That's right, it's been thrown away for two years. We still have a score table for burning enemy vehicles, and we can use the points to exchange for vodka and Spam cans - but now the cans are unpalatable, no one wants to exchange them."

Another guerrilla laughed and said, "I would rather exchange for the MP40 bullets stolen from the Proson warehouse. I killed six chain dogs last time (referring to the Proson gendarmes)."

"Obviously there are three."

"Six! I promise it's six!"

The captain looked at these guerrillas and suddenly realized that they might be better fighters than his rookies, so he agreed: "Okay, I'll leave the veterans who have received bazooka training to cooperate with you, and let the rookies go up the hill!"

"Captain!" the driver yelled immediately, "I don't want to go to the hillside!"

"You can drive a car, and you're still a high school student. You need to go to the hillside. Look at what has become of our land. It's up to you to rebuild it after the war. Follow orders."

Local priest: "Now our commanders are also doing ideological work part-time?"

The captain shook his head. "No, even the priests have been killed, and we haven't been given any replacements yet, so I have to do this part-time. Okay, everyone get out of the car and hide it behind the hillside."

(End of this chapter)