artillery arc

Chapter 715 916 Winter Offensive (8K)
November 11, 3 hours, the junction of the First Khazaria Front and the enemy.

Filippov heard the whistling sound and put down his telescope.

He was accustomed to hearing the sounds of artillery preparation at the regimental headquarters, but the new regimental chaplain seemed not to be used to it yet.

Filippov: "Why, it feels new to stay in the regimental bunker and listen to the gunfire, right?"

"Indeed." The young priest looked a little uncomfortable, and kept playing with the holy emblem with his left hand. "But I am more worried about whether I can do this job well, Filippov Davarishi. I was a company chaplain last week. This is a big jump."

Filippov: "Three months ago he was a battalion commander, and last year he was a company commander. This is the damn war. You have to get used to it, priest Davarich."

"I'll try my best." The priest continued to fiddle with the holy emblem with his left hand.

Filippov stopped looking at him. Just at this moment the regiment's artillery opened fire, and the sound of the artillery made everything in the regimental bunker tremble.

Filippov's regiment was reinforced with a company of Su-76 self-propelled artillery, and their artillery positions were near the regimental headquarters bunker.

Amid the rumble of artillery fire, the telephone rang. Filippov picked up the receiver and said, "Headquarters, please speak."

"Captain, this is the first battalion. The artillery fire is too close to our starting position. What's wrong with the artillery? Bomb the enemy, please bomb the enemy!"

Filippov: "I can only ask the regiment's 76 guns to fire backwards. I can't command the artillery fire of the division and the army. I told the artillery observers that they can directly contact the superior artillery units and not to come to me for everything."

"Okay, Captain Davalishi!"

After saying that, the person on the other end hung up.

As soon as Filippov put down the receiver, the new regimental chaplain asked: "Is the artillery fire inaccurate?"

"Yes, it may be that the wind today is stronger than expected. The artillery observer should report these matters to the artillery unit immediately."

Priest: "Perhaps this is also the first time for them to direct such a large-scale artillery fire, and they lack experience."

"It's possible." Filippov sighed.

----

A battalion commander, Prokov, went into the artillery observation post and shouted to the observer in front of the artillery telescope: "What are you doing? The army's artillery fire is about to hit our starting position. Correct their landing point quickly!"

The officer in charge of the observation post was a lieutenant colonel, who was higher in rank than Major Prokov, and he said in a high-handed tone: "Please don't interfere with our work!"

"Please don't take our lives!" Prokov retorted, "It will take another two hours to prepare the artillery fire. God knows whether there will be shells falling on our starting position later. The enemy has not yet prepared for counter-artillery fire, and we are blown up by our own people first!"

Lieutenant Colonel of Artillery: "All firing parameters have been measured in advance and verified by test firing. It is impossible—"

Prokov grabbed the lieutenant colonel and dragged him to the gunner's telescope: "Don't you have eyes? Can't you see where it's going to fall?"

At this time, the observer in charge of the artillery telescope spoke up: "It seems to be off, but I - I'm afraid it's my illusion -"

"What?" The lieutenant colonel was shocked. He pushed the second lieutenant observer away and put his eyes to the eyepiece of the artillery telescope. "Let me see - Boryushkin, you idiot, is this an illusion? Call the army artillery headquarters immediately."

The operator who had been waiting by the phone for a long time picked up the receiver and reported after a few seconds: "Connected."

Lieutenant Colonel: "Fire correction—"

The second lieutenant named Boryushkin tried to hand the tools in his hand to the lieutenant colonel, but was pushed away.

The lieutenant colonel relied entirely on his experience and the scale on the artillery scope to report a series of correction parameters.

Five minutes later, he stepped away from the gunnery scope and said to Prokov: "Come and see, Battalion Commander Davarich, now your soldiers will not be hit by their own men."

Prokov approached the gunnery scope, observed for a few seconds, and then said, "Very good, Lieutenant Colonel Davarich, I'm glad that your professional skills have not become rusty. I thought that the artillery level of our batch of artillery cadets dropped after they were transferred to infantry."

Lieutenant Colonel: "In fact, it has indeed dropped a lot. The Prosons are particularly fond of attacking artillery observation posts. When enemy tanks discover artillery observation posts, they immediately open fire, and their priority is even higher than that of anti-tank guns."

Prokov showed the artillery scope to the lieutenant colonel, "The good news is that we recently discovered that there are more and more greenhorns among the Prosen people. Last week, the patrol I led personally captured three young boys who looked only seventeen years old."

"After three years of fighting, they finally started to mobilize greenhorns to go to the battlefield." The lieutenant colonel looked outside the observation post, "I've already sent so many children away."

Prokov was silent. As an infantryman he sent away more children.

----

At the Proson Army position, Sergeant Andreas huddled in the anti-artillery shelter, smoking silently.

Kosrek was sharing his experience with the new recruits: "The Antes' bombardment usually lasts for two hours. After the bombardment stops, sometimes they will suddenly launch another short burst of fire, with the aim of killing us who have entered the position.

"The short burst may not come, but the enemy's infantry will definitely set out from the starting position after the fire preparation. So we must enter the position, and we will be unlucky if we are covered by the short burst."

A new soldier asked: "If we are killed by short bursts of fire, won't the enemy take the position?"

"No, after a short burst of shooting, the second group of people hiding in the anti-artillery position will replace the unlucky ones who died. That's why you are divided into two groups." Koslake said, looking at the second group of recruits.

At this moment, a shell happened to fall near the anti-artillery shelter, and a large amount of dust fell from the ceiling and stuck to everyone's helmets.

Soldier A looked up worriedly: "The top of this bunker is made of wood. Will it collapse suddenly?"

Koslake: "Yes, so you see Sergeant Andreas is sitting at the door of the bunker, so that he will not be buried when the bunker collapses. At that time, he will be responsible for telling the officers who are counting the casualties who are buried here."

Andreas smiled at the recruits and said, "If you have a suicide note, give it to me now. I will try to escape to the next line of defense alive, and then help you mail it."

Soldier B asked, "Is it really okay to make defeatist statements in public like this?"

"Chain Dog won't come to the front line, so don't worry." Koslake replied.

"Chain dog?"

Andreas: "It's the military police. You may find this name offensive now, but it won't be long before you will join us in calling them that."

The recruits looked at each other.

New Soldier B: "So is the front line always like this? Doesn't anyone have the confidence to defeat the Ants?"

The only two veterans in the bunker looked at each other and then laughed together, louder than the sound of the artillery shells exploding.

After laughing, Andreas said: "When I arrived at the front line like you, I took the train for two weeks. I mean, I took the train for two weeks after entering Ant, and finally walked for almost a week to reach the front line.

"How long did it take you to get to the front? Three days! You crossed the border and it took you three days to get to the front, and you walked! Do you know where the missing distance went?"

"Where did it go?"

Koslake: "Lost. After Sergeant Andreas arrived at the front, except for the first few months of attack, the rest of the time was almost spent in retreat, constantly marching, stopping to catch his breath and then continuing to march.

"That guy named Rokosov was always chasing after us. We would stop and resist occasionally. To be honest, we fought pretty well, and our division also fought well, but there was always a breakthrough, and then we had to retreat endlessly.

"So you see, it's not that we don't want to win, but we are getting further and further away from victory. And our enemies' faces are always filled with the desire for victory."

Andreas: "I think that in this situation, we still have the morale to hold our ground, which is enough to prove that we are the best fighters in the world!"

Kosrek agreed, "Yes, I think so too. Veterans like us will continue to fight and kill the Ants mercilessly. They may be winning soon, but they will never win so easily.

"Maybe one day, we will kill all the Ants on the battlefield, and victory will come. Maybe."

Soldier B: "Will you come?"

"I think so," Andreas said, "but before that, I don't know how many new recruits like you will be sent away. You see, I am too lazy to remember your names. I will just call you 'that new recruit', 'Curly', 'Freckle Face', and after a while, I will call you A, B, C, and D."

New Soldier A: "I thought those nicknames were just a habit on the front line, a ceremony to welcome us into the big family!"

The two veterans burst into laughter again.

Just at this moment, another shell fell nearby, and sand fell sparsely from the ceiling, giving people the illusion that their laughter was shaking the sand off.

At this time, the captain of the heavy weapons company ran along the trench, stopped at the entrance, and looked at the people in the bunker in confusion: "What are you laughing at?"

Andreas replied: "Our morale is high, Captain."

They are all laughing so happily, which shows that their morale is high.

The company commander patted Andreas on the shoulder and said, "Okay, very good! You two are the most senior non-commissioned officers in the heavy weapons company. I'll be counting on you later."

Andreas raised his hand and saluted. "Leave it to us, Captain. But why are you running in the trenches under fire? It's dangerous."

The captain looked at Koslake and said, "I'm here to find Koslake."

Koslake was surprised: "Looking for me? What's wrong?"

Company Commander: "I want you to promise me that I won't die."

Koslake: "This is God's purview. Do I look like God to you?"

"We are from the same hometown, both from Argonne. And you have lived from Barbarossa to now. If you promise me that I will not die, I will believe it." The company commander stared at Kosrek.

Koslake: "You are an Argonne. I thought you were an old Junker."

"How is that possible! My ancestors did have a manor, but it wasn't in East Plossom."

Andreas: "Just agree to it, sir. How many times can we get the chance to do things for you in this life? For example, I am a farmer in the mountains. I don't even have many opportunities to salute you in my life!"

Koslake: "Well, I promise you won't die, sir."

The heavy weapons company commander nodded, turned and ran along the trench.

Kosrek looked at Andreas: "What's our company commander's name?"

Andreas shrugged. "I don't know. I usually call him the company commander."

"Then you're egging me on again?"

"Don't you feel sorry for that kid? His military trousers are a little too long and can only be stuffed into his boots. His face is as childish as my nephew's."

Koslake stopped talking, took out a cigarette from his pocket, struck a match, lit it, and smoked quietly.

The shells continued to fall.

----

After an unknown amount of time, the artillery fire gradually subsided, and Kosrek stood up: "Okay, the first group, follow us! The second group, wait. If the Ants fire short bursts, you will wait until the artillery fire stops before taking up your positions!

"We must move quickly, because by then the Ante infantry will surely be there! These lunatics will drink before they attack, and they won't be afraid of being accidentally injured by their own artillery fire."

Andreas had already rushed out of the bunker and was running along the trench.

He quickly arrived at the machine gun position, dug the machine gun and tripod out of the pit next to the position, and set them up.

Koslake arrived at the position a step late, and the two of them completed the inspection of the machine gun with ease.

Their position is a side-firing position, which can effectively kill the enemy's attacking skirmish line, but once discovered, they will immediately be attacked by the enemy first, and will also be more likely to be rushed into hand-to-hand combat distance by the Ant infantry.

Precisely because it is dangerous and requires superb shooting skills to effectively kill the enemy, two veterans were assigned to this machine gun position.

All the recruits are stationed at the heavy machine gun positions in the front. At those positions, all they have to do is adjust the handwheel of the tripod and move the machine gun left and right. Even a monkey can do it.

After the two veterans were ready, the Ant people's attack formation appeared. There were no tanks and the skirmish line looked sparse.

Koslake: “The breakthrough direction is not here.”

"Good news, at least we don't have to retreat today."

At this time, the machine gun in front opened fire.

Kosrek was shocked: "Why are you shooting from such a distance?"

The Ant veterans did not lie down at all, they just changed from walking briskly to running briskly.

Andreas: "Maybe it was an order from the company commander. I heard they have a new theory, saying to open fire early and use ammunition to exchange for the enemy's physical strength."

"Shit."

The veteran duo did not shoot, waiting for the enemy to get closer.

Finally, the enemy passed the horse carcasses that were used as targets on the battlefield.

Kosrek opened fire, and his machine guns covered Ant's attack formation from the side.

The cover the Ants found could only block frontal fire, and Kosrek was reaping their lives like the god of death.

Andreas: "Hit the officer! There's an officer observing, over there!"

Although Andreas's statement was unclear, Kosrek still swung the Grim Reaper's scythe at the officer.

The officer was shot and fell, and the remaining Antes began to retreat.

Kosrek stopped shooting immediately. Before he could say anything, Andreas began to dismantle the machine gun and prepare to move position.

----

Prokov searched for the enemy's flanking machine gun position, and although the enemy soon ceased firing, he still found it.

So he reported a string of coordinates to the messenger: "Quick, tell the mortar platoon to cover this position!"

The messenger turned and ran away, and Prokov continued to observe through the telescope.

The enemy position was so well camouflaged that it was almost impossible to tell that it was a machine gun position, and the movements of the machine gunners could not be seen. But Prokov had a hunch that they would move.

This side-firing position must be occupied by a veteran, as Prokov also deployed his troops in this way when he arranged his own defensive positions.

The veterans don’t wait until the mortars fall.

The first mortar shell exploded near the flanking position, far away from the machine gun bunker that Prokov had observed. However, the mortar's accuracy was such that it could only rely on coverage to ensure a hit.

Shells fell one after another, and the rising smoke and dust obscured Prokov's vision.

At this time, Tanya, a nurse from the battalion medical team, ran to Prokov and said, "Commander, I saw the wounded man was still moving! I want to bring him back!"

"You're crazy, Nurse Davarish! Didn't you see that the enemy's side-firing machine guns just knocked them all down?"

Tanya: "But now the mortars are bombarding the enemy's side-firing machine guns, right? I can just go over and save them! The enemy can't hit me from the front!"

"No! I don't approve! You are not allowed to go and don't cause trouble for the soldiers!"

Tanya bit her lip, turned and ran away. Prokov: "Nonsense!"

The messenger who ran back saw this and said, "She will run there by herself. You may not know, Captain, she was very famous in the previous unit."

Prokov turned his head and looked at the messenger: "You know?"

"Before I was injured, I was in her former unit and joined our battalion three months earlier than she did. She carried me down from the front. I heard that during the Battle of Abavakhan, she and Marshal Rokossov's orderly guarded the beachhead and attracted a large number of enemy forces.

"There were only two nurses alive at that time. She was the third Tanya on that position."

Prokov: "The third one?"

"Yes, it just so happened that more and more nurses named Tanya were added to the battlefield, and she was the only one who survived. We all thought she could be the first nurse to get a gold star."

Prokov: "It's too late. Several nurses have won gold stars. They all told you to read the newspaper more."

"Really? I see."

----

Tania rushed all the way to the front, observed for a while, and confirmed that the battalion mortar was still bombarding the flanking position, and then prepared to climb out of the trench of the starting position.

Finally, she was held down by someone.

"Nurse Davarish, we can't let you go out!" the lieutenant holding him down shouted, "It's too dangerous!"

Tanya looked at the lieutenant's chest and saw that he had fewer medals than her, so she said, "Comrade Lieutenant, I know the battlefield better than you!"

While speaking, she deliberately puffed out her chest to show off the medal on her chest.

The lieutenant was shocked by the medal and hesitated for a moment. At this moment, Tanya had already rushed out of the trench.

The lieutenant could only shout: "Covering fire!"

The company's heavy machine guns immediately opened fire, and tracer bullets fell one after another on the edge of the enemy's trench.

Tanya ran all the way into the bomb crater, lay on the edge of the crater to observe for a while, then jumped up and ran again.

She advanced hundreds of meters by "frog leaping" and finally reached the wounded. She lay on her side, opened the medical bag on her waist, and began to bandage the wounded.

At this time, three soldiers from Proson's side climbed out of the bunker and approached Tanya.

At the same time, the enemy's machine guns also opened fire, and bullets crackled on the earth slope that served as a cover.

Seeing this, the lieutenant ran to the machine gun position, took over the machine gun, and tried to stop the enemy with overshooting.

However, the Prosen people were not afraid at all, and even more of them climbed out of the trenches and tried to surround Tania.

The lieutenant dropped his machine gun and drew his pistol: "Comrades, are we not as brave as the nurses? Hurrah!"

After saying that, he was the first to rush out of the trench.

Others in the trenches also rushed out shouting "Ura" and rushed towards the Prosen position.

----

The captain of the Proson heavy weapons company heard the "Ura" sound and stuck his head out to find that the Ant people were rushing towards him like a tide.

"Shoot the Ants!" he shouted.

Heavy: "But our men are on the beam!"

Company Commander: "Bullets will fall, overshoot and shoot!"

Heavy: "How far do I have to adjust the overshoot roller?"

"500!"

Soon the machine guns opened fire, but the captain barely saw the Ante fall.

He lowered the magnification of the telescope and found that all the bullets from the overshooting had landed behind the Ants.

"Roller 400! Adjust it quickly!"

At this time, the Ant people's machine gun fired, crackling and hitting the edge of the trench. The company commander felt a punch on the shoulder and fell backwards.

"Company commander! The company commander is dead!" the machine gunner shouted, "Avenge the company commander!"

The machine gun fired indiscriminately, accompanied by the hysterical shouts of the machine gunner.

----

The lieutenant shot a Proson man at close range with his pistol, then slid behind the slope where Tanya was hiding.

The other Ante warriors surged over the slope like a tide, stabbing the Prosen people who turned around and tried to run to death one by one with their bayonets.

Then the skirmish line rushed into the trenches of the Prosen people.

The lieutenant looked at Tanya angrily: "If anyone died just now, they died for you, Comrade Nurse!"

Tanya: "There will be casualties in an attack, but now the attack is successful, isn't it?"

While she was speaking she was still bandaging the wounded.

The lieutenant looked at the wounded, then at Tanya: "Comrade Nurse, I hope you will be as brave as you were when I was shot!"

"I will," Tanya replied, "I promise I will!"

The lieutenant held his breath for a few seconds, but couldn't utter a word. He turned around and followed his men into the Plossom trenches.

At this time, the Proshen machine gun deployed about 100 meters behind the first trench was still firing, and it seemed that someone was shouting hysterically.

----

Move forward a few minutes.

Kosrek stopped when he heard the "Ura" sound and looked towards the Ant position.

Andreas also poked his head out, then muttered in confusion: "Charge like this?"

The machine gun in front fired, and then Andreas was surprised to find that one of his own was outside the trench, blocking the machine gun's firing line.

Andreas: "What the hell? What happened on our way to transfer?"

Koslake: "The position is about to be lost!"

Andreas: "Let's move to the second position! The communication trench is nearby."

"No." Kosrek stuffed the machine gun in his hand into the hands of Andreas who was carrying the ammunition, and turned the submachine gun on his back to the front. "You run back with the machine gun, and I will fulfill my promise."

Andreas: “Huh?”

Kosrek was already crouching and running wildly along the trench, leaving Andreas behind.

"Damn it." Andreas cursed, threw the ammunition box away, put the machine gun on his shoulder, and ran in the other direction.

----

Koslake advanced along the trench with a submachine gun. He knew from the sound that the first trench had been lost and there might still be some infantrymen resisting in the trench.

We cannot rely on the few infantrymen in the screen trench to stop the Ants, and the machine gun positions must be moved immediately.

The distance is more than a hundred meters, and the Ant people will rush over soon.

Just as he thought of this, Kosrek heard a sound, and immediately turned his gun around, stopped and waited for the Ant people to appear.

The Ant man appeared unprepared, and when he saw Kosrek who was ready for battle, he immediately raised his gun, but was still knocked down.

Kosrek continued to move forward, but this time he did not run. Instead, he was always on guard against the Ant people who might rush up.

The battlefield is now in chaos, and Koslake must be careful. The old soldier Ante just lost his life because of carelessness.

The good news is that the machine guns are still firing, which means that the Ants have not yet crossed the screen trench and taken the machine gun positions.

But judging from the sounds, the machine gunner has lost his mind. The barrel of the gun will soon turn red from the continuous firing, and the trajectory of the machine gun will become a mess.

Koslake didn't know whether the company commander was still safe, so he quickened his pace slightly.

Hearing the roar of Ante language from the front, Kosrek felt that it was a hand-to-hand fight, so he hurriedly took two steps and turned the corner in front - the trenches dug by experienced troops were all W-shaped.

Sure enough, a Proson man was struggling with an Ant man. Kosrek rushed forward and hit the back of the Ant man's head with the butt of his rifle, knocking him to the ground, and then fired a short burst of shots at him.

"Thank you." The rescued corporal forced a smile and stretched out his hand, as if he wanted Kosrek to pull him up.

Koslake stepped over him and continued to walk quickly.

After turning another corner, Koslake finally saw the machine gun position. He crossed the screen trench and loudly asked the machine gunner: "Where is the company commander?"

"Dead!" the machine gunner replied without turning his head, still firing. His machine gun was already smoking and the barrel looked like it was about to melt.

Koslake: "I asked you where the company commander is!"

"beside!"

Only then did Koslake see the company commander lying in the trench, his entire upper body covered in blood.

He rushed forward, completely ignoring the company commander's injuries, and carried him away.

After taking two steps, he finally felt guilty and turned back to shout to the machine gunner: "Retreat! Go to the second line of defense!"

The machine gunner howled.

Kosrek shook his head and ran with the company commander on his back.

There was the sound of a grenade exploding behind me, and the machine gun temporarily fell silent. However, after a few seconds, the hysterical gunfire started again.

After a few seconds, the machine gun stopped abruptly. It was not known whether it had finally jammed or the Ants came up and executed the crazy machine gunner.

It was only then that Koslake remembered that the machine gunner seemed to be from his own platoon.

Is it called pockmarked face?
He ran wildly while reminiscing.

At this time, the machine guns on the second line of defense sounded, and it should be Andreas who arrived at the position.

The battle for the position would probably continue for some time. Koslake did not go to the second line of defense, but ran to the field medical station with ease.

Twenty minutes later, he rushed into the medical clinic and went straight to the operating table.

The nurse (male) had just lifted a wounded soldier off the operating table when Koslake threw the company commander onto the table: "Doctor! Look at my company commander!"

The military doctor looked at the blood on the company commander's body and said, "There's so much blood, there's no way he can be saved. Carry him away!"

"You didn't even look at him!" Koslake said.

Military doctor: "Carry them away! There are so many wounded here! And the procedure is that the first aid station ahead will classify the wounded first, then send them here, and then I will classify them according to the severity of the injuries."

Koslake: "The front-line first aid station is destroyed. If I don't go back, the position will soon be destroyed. Maybe it will be destroyed if I go back, but I promised this child to take good care of him!

"Doctor, are you sure you want to mess with a man who's about to die? He doesn't care anymore!"

The doctor glanced at Koslake, sighed, and reached out to touch the captain's neck: "He is already - well, he is still alive, but with this amount of bleeding, he will not live for long. According to the principles of injury triage, this should be given priority.

"Nurse!"

The male nurse immediately responded, "Doctor?"

"Plasma, and a tourniquet. Let's see where he's injured."

Kosrek breathed a sigh of relief, turned off the safety of his submachine gun, took a last look at the company commander, turned around and ran towards the battlefield.

----

Andreas stood alone at the machine gun position, using precise point-fire to eliminate the approaching Ants.

Because the location of the second line of defense was chosen very cleverly, the Ants' artillery observer could not see Andreas, and he had been firing for so long but no shells had fallen.

If the Ants don't use tanks, it will be impossible to take the second line of defense today.

But tomorrow their artillery observers will be on the first line of defense and the telephone lines will be set up, so the situation may be different.

Suddenly, Andreas heard footsteps behind him, so he stopped shooting, turned around, picked up his submachine gun and aimed it at the intersection leading to the machine gun position from the trench.

The machine gun fixed on the tripod could not turn around to fire, so the machine gunner could only rely on his submachine gun.

This is why Andreas insisted on carrying a submachine gun even though the load was already very heavy.

The next moment, a familiar face appeared in the field of vision. Koslake was also holding a submachine gun. The two were stunned when they met.

"Damn, I thought the Ants killed you," Koslake said.

Andreas didn't bother to answer and continued firing his machine gun.

Koslake stepped forward, held up the bullet belt, and acted as his assistant shooter.

Finally, the Ants who were charging towards the second line of defense retreated to the first line of defense.

Andreas stopped shooting, breathed a sigh of relief, and then looked at Kosrek: "Where's the company commander?"

"Leave it to the doctor, damn it, you did the job I promised you!"

"I didn't ask you to keep your promise."

Koslake took out a cigarette and said, "Forget it. The company commander is going back to recuperate. He will probably go home. He should be able to take good care of my family."

"I hope so." Andreas also took out a cigarette and borrowed a lighter from Koslake to light it.

The two men lay next to the machine gun and smoked.

(End of this chapter)