artillery arc

Chapter 731 Hometown Road Sign

Late at night on July 7, at the headquarters of the First Front of Khasalia, a summary of the first day of the offensive was finally placed in front of Wang Zhong.

"The troops that have advanced the furthest have advanced eighteen kilometers... that's pretty standard." He put down the document.

Pavlov: "It is noteworthy that the loss rate of new tanks has not increased as we predicted. Obviously, the Prosens should have equipped a lot of units with 105mm anti-tank guns."

Plossen's heavy armored battalions were basically equipped with King Tiger tanks with 105mm tank guns, and the Leopards were also equipped with new armor-piercing shells that could penetrate the Rokossov Type .

Therefore, when Pavlov made the plan, he deliberately increased the loss probability of Rokossov Type 54 and T.

But it seems that the actual loss rate is not much higher than last year.

The chief of staff stared at the data in front of him for a long time and then said, "I guess - it's because the quality of the enemy's troops has declined? Isn't this estimate a bit too optimistic?"

The others in the room looked at each other.

Even Wang Zhong, who had read the script on Earth, was not quite sure. After all, he only knew that the quality of Sandezi's troops declined in the later period, but he knew it through memoirs and had not seen the specific data compilation.

For example, in Carius' memoir "Tigers in the Mud", he mentioned that the Tiger Hunting Battalion that was later assigned to him was full of rookies. Although they were in a position where they could easily destroy dozens of Allied tanks, they did not achieve any results.

However, Wang Zhong was not clear when the decline in the quality of soldiers began and how fast it was declining.

After all, even in the very late stage, San Dezi still fought many tactically beautiful battles.

In short, Wang Zhong and others looked at each other in confusion.

Popov: "Well, let's send someone to investigate the prisoners carefully and come up with an assessment report."

Wang Zhong: "Yes, this report can also reflect from the side how much war potential Proson still has. I suggest that someone be assigned to the case and get it done as soon as possible!"

Vasily volunteered: "Then I will supervise this matter! Everyone knows that I am your adjutant, Marshal, and I will definitely work hard."

Wang Zhong nodded: "Okay, you take care of this."

----

In fact, it was not only the front headquarters that noticed the decline in the quality of Plossen's troops.

While following the advancing troops, Yegorov's headquarters encountered a large number of Prosen prisoners.

"Wait a minute!" Yegorov slapped the driver's neck hard with his hand, "Stop, stop! Let me see what's going on!"

After the jeep stopped, Yegorov picked up the flashlight, turned it on and shone it into the pile of prisoners.

"Good boy." He got out of the car and shouted to the back, "Bring me a translator who knows Prosen!"

Soon the translator ran up from the back of the convoy and reported loudly: "Commander Davarish, I am fluent in Prosen, please give me instructions!"

"You, ask how old these children are."

the translator asked immediately.

The baby-faced recruit said firmly, "Eighteen years old!"

"You're lying!" Yegorov said angrily, "You look only sixteen years old!"

Without waiting for the translator to reply, the baby-faced recruit spat at Yegorov and started cursing in Prosenskrit.

Yegorov turned the flashlight to the next prisoner, "Oh, this one looks adult, how old are you?"

As he questioned him, he pulled the prisoner's arm and looked at the badge on it.

"If there is no exemption badge, it means you are not a veteran."

According to the tradition of the Plossen Army, veterans do not have to clean the house or take on various miscellaneous tasks. Veterans who are qualified will wear an exemption badge.

As soon as the translation was finished, Private Plosson spoke up: "As big as the private who just spit on you, General Ant."

Yegorov changed the question: "How long have you been training?"

"Six months." This time the Plossom prisoners answered in unison.

Yegorov: "What about the veterans in the army? There must be veterans to lead you, right?"

The translator performs his duties faithfully.

The baby-faced recruit said at the beginning: "We are a newly formed anti-tank artillery unit, and we don't have many veterans. The officer said that we will soon be tested and become veterans, and then it will be our turn to protect and train the inexperienced recruits."

Yegorov shone the flashlight around again and found that almost no one among the Plossen prisoners doubted the officers' words.

"What about you officers?" Yegorov's chief of staff finally caught up, "You can't be the only ones on the battlefield, right?"

"He died," said the baby-faced recruit.

Yegorov sighed: "If I were to command a bunch of rookies like this, I would rather die in battle early."

Chief of Staff: "But our troops are already full of new recruits like this."

"Really?" Yegorov's eyes widened. "Is that so?"

"Yes, it's just that the rookie has grown into a tough guy," said the chief of staff.

Yegorov spat: "You said that, I don't know what expression to make."

Suddenly, he seemed to have thought of something, and his expression brightened: "It was the division commander who brought us out of this dangerous situation! The division commander saved our country and turned the rookies into veterans!

"You, ask the people of Plossen if they have someone as great as the commander!"

The translator said with a bitter face: "How can you ask that?"

The army bishop suggested: "Just ask him who he thinks can lead Proson out of his current predicament."

The translator did so.

The recruit Plosson was embarrassed when asked. This question was a bit beyond the scope for a recruit who had not yet reached adulthood. He hesitated for a while and replied, "I think Marshal Erwin Romer can do it."

After listening to the translation, Yegorov cursed, "Asshole! How can this Romer be compared to our division commander! Let him think about it again!"

The military bishop stopped Yegorov and said, "Come on, stop making things difficult for the child. I can't stand it any longer! Let's go. We are still ten kilometers away from the new headquarters! If we delay any longer, it will be dawn soon. Maybe the Proson Air Force will launch an air strike!"

"You're right." Yegorov climbed onto the jeep and suddenly laughed for no reason. "We beat Prosen so badly that he had to send these new recruits to the battlefield. We are damn good."

The others in the jeep also laughed.

The jeep started and plunged into the night.

----

July 7, 18 hours after the offensive began.

Henry Skarlitz suddenly shouted, "Stop! Stop at the sign ahead!"

Captain Podolskov slapped the top of the tank: "Stop! Stop in front of the road sign!"

Henry vaguely heard a "duang" sound, as if it was the sound of a wrench and a heavy object colliding, and then the tank stopped, but it was obviously too late, and it stopped only seven or eight meters after it rushed past the road sign.

Henry jumped out of the car, walked to the road sign in three steps, and looked at the place name written in Proson and Melania.

He rubbed his eyes and confirmed that the line above the Proson language was indeed Melania's language.

The road signs in Ante cannot be in Melanian, and this has nothing to do with how long it has been occupied by Proson.

At this time, Melania's People's Army infantrymen who were advancing on foot also came over. When they passed by Henry, everyone looked at the road signs.

“Shit, did I see Melania?”

The lieutenant who said this wiped his eyes vigorously.

"Oh my god, it's really Melania's language!"

“Have we entered Melania’s territory?”

"That's not right. Shouldn't we see a boundary marker or something first?"

"You are stupid. The Prosen people think they are a thousand-year empire and will rule these lands forever, so they tore down all the boundary markers, thinking that this will be a country from now on!"

"Really? So we're in Melania's—in the homeland?"

"Hey, you, you've never been back to your hometown, right? Here we are!"

Among the Melania People's Army, there are many Melania descendants living in Ant. After all, before the independence of modern Melania, most of the country's land was ruled by Ant.

In order to commemorate the Ante Queen who annexed Melania, the Antes named the capital after her until now: St. Catherine's Castle.

Henry stood there, staring at the road sign, as if he wanted to memorize every detail of this ordinary road sign.

"Henry!" Podolskov's voice came from the direction of the tank, "If you don't come up, we can't set off. We are going to block the road!"

Henry turned around at this moment, and an "explosion" sounded. Henry and the others thought they were attacked and fell to the ground, only to find out that it was a flashbulb. In this era, flashbulbs would have a small explosion, which was actually equivalent to setting off a small flash bomb.

The war correspondent said in Melania Trump's language: "Don't be nervous! I'm just recording this scene. Believe me, this photo will appear on the front page of the Times in a few days! Maybe it will become one of the classic photos of this war."

Henry: “Are you Melania?”

"I am a special correspondent for Melania's government in exile. Can I take a picture of you guys riding on the tanks?"

Henry: “Of course!”

He got up, climbed onto the tank nimbly, and made a "please" gesture to the reporters.

Podolskov was very nervous. He put on his bumper cap straight and adjusted his clothes so that the medals on his chest did not cover each other.

The flash went off, and the reporter smiled and said, "Very good, I wish you good luck in the battle!"

Podolskov: "I don't understand what he said, but I know we are going to move forward, pilot, move forward!"

The Hero Brother's Revenge roared and spewed out thick smoke as it moved forward.

----

About twenty minutes later, a small town appeared in front of the Revenge for Hero Brother.

Several carriages were destroyed at the city gate, and the bodies of the horses pulling them were piled on the roadside along with the carriages. A woman in a headscarf was lying next to the bodies, scratching them with a knife.

"Stop!" Henry patted Podolskov on the shoulder.

This time the tank stopped very quickly, just slightly missing the old lady.

The old lady heard the roar of the tank and looked up at Henry: “Aren’t you from Plossen?”

"We're not, old mother," said Henry. "Are there any Plossons left in town?"

"Yes, they said yesterday that they would fight to the death and asked us Melania people to take up arms. A few kids who wanted to be honorary Proson people responded. You have to be careful and don't be fooled by their faces! Shoot these bastards to death as soon as possible!"

Henry: "Didn't they give you any trouble?"

"Of course there isn't any. Be careful. The anti-tank piles on the road were built by us women. We cut corners on the job. If you hit them hard, they will break!"

Henry said "Oh", then took out the sausage from his pocket: "Ma'am, take it, go quickly, hide outside, and come back when the gunfire stops! Behind us are Melania's troops, they can all understand what you say!"

The old lady was stunned: "Are they all Melania people? The Prosen people said that the Ants are coming back to enslave us!"

"We are the secular Melania People's Army. We are not on the same side as the Ante nobles. We are back to liberate our country!"

Podolskov understood the word "liberation" in Melania's language, and echoed: "Yes, liberation, we are here to liberate! We are different from the nobles before!"

The old lady looked at Podolskov suspiciously, but the sausage in Henry's hand looked to be of high quality, so she took the sausage and walked eastward, looking back every few steps.

Henry: "Let's go into the city. The anti-tank piles are all shoddy and can be directly smashed. The enemy has occupied the city center."

Podolskov: "When entering the city, the anti-tank piles were just stepped on the accelerator and rammed into them. They were all cutting corners."

The Revenge for His Heroic Brother started up again, passing by the wreckage of the carriage, the roadside compost, and several dilapidated wooden houses before encountering the first brick and stone building.

There are signs on the buildings with Melania in the language.

As the tank passed by, Henry saw a 13 or 14-year-old kid sticking his head out from the second floor and shouting, "Go! Go! The enemy is ambushing you!"

Before he could finish his words, the child was dragged back by his parents, the windows were closed, and the curtains were drawn.

Henry: "Stop! The locals say the enemy is ambushing us. We should send the infantry down to check out the situation."

"You're right." Podolskov was also a veteran, and of course he knew the best solution to this situation, so he ordered the tank to stop.

Henry: "Get off the bus! Your legs and feet must be numb after sitting for so long! Stretch your muscles!"

Melania People's Army soldiers jumped out one by one and spread out on both sides of the tank.

Henry, carrying his "weight launcher," trotted in front of the tank and moved along the street.

His men immediately took turns advancing to keep up with him.

Henry ran all the way to the corner before stopping, following the wall and cautiously leaning out.

The next moment, machine gun fire swept over, bullets crackled on the brick wall, and the ricocheting fragments scratched Henry's eyes.

"Sukabule!" Henry cursed like an Ante, covering his eyes with his hands. "My eyes!"

Machine gun bullets swept across the street and hit the buildings on the other side.

However, the machine gunner was obviously inexperienced. He was too excited and fired wildly without even seeing the target.

Corporal Vernon, who followed Henry forward, said, "Why do they feel like new recruits? But the sound of the machine guns is from the MG series. The regular troops we met have all started using Maxims, so how can new recruits from the local garrison use MGs?"

"It's a bit strange." Henry pulled out the spoon he carried with him, used the smooth back of the spoon as a mirror, and peered out of the wall. "The machine gun is on the second floor opposite. It's a three-story brick building. I think the Rokossov-100 type -caliber cannon can directly solve the problem."

Corporal Vernon: "Not so good. The enemy tank's position is not exposed. The enemy should have tanks, right?"

At this time, the machine gun fire stopped.

The obviously inexperienced shooter shot the barrel red and needed to stop and replace the barrel.

Henry: "There is a bunker just outside the corner. Take it and prepare to provide fire support! Take a small team with you, Vernon!"

After saying that, Henry threw down the spoon, got out of the corner with a submachine gun, and started firing at the machine gun on the second floor.

Corporal Vernon shouted, "Duke, Young! You two follow me!"

After saying that, he rushed out and ran across the street.

The People's Army soldiers whose names he called also ran to catch up.

At this time, Henry had used up all the bullets in the magazine. He took a last look at the three members of Vernon's team and hid back around the corner.

The machine gun opened fire again, but the target was still where Henry was hiding. The bullets crackled around the corner and even shattered the brick wall.

Just then, Vernon's squad opened fire, and the machine gun fire was immediately suppressed.

While reloading, Henry shouted to his men, "Next group, get ready. After you go out, walk along the right wall and find new cover to form a crossfire with Vernon's team!"

At this time, the door of the shop next to Henry opened, and a bearded old man poked his head out: "Are you Melania's people?"

Henry: "Yes, old man, you better hide quickly. Our tanks may fire soon, and these buildings will be blown to pieces!"

"You can't hit the Proson people's bunker inside the yard. I'll take you through the yard, and you can throw grenades when you get out!" The old man held Henry's shoulders tightly. "I know this will work, because my grandson is a guerrilla! Trust me!"

"What about your grandson? Wouldn't it be better to let him lead the way for us?"

"Sacrificed, anyway, just follow me! After we drive the Prosen people away, I can give you free haircuts!"

Only then did Henry notice the shop on the corner with a sign that read "Barber Shop".

Uncle: “Come on!”

Henry: "You three, follow me! We're here to attract the attention of the Prosen people!"

The three people Henry pointed out nodded and followed the old man into the house.

At this time, the enemy stopped shooting again, probably because they were changing the gun barrel.

Henry dodged again and poured water on the second floor.

The sound of the weight launcher firing was like blowing air, but the crackling sound when the bullet hit the target was so loud that even Henry could hear it.

Vernon's squad, which occupied the opposite position, also opened fire. Bullets clattered onto the small building where the enemy's machine guns were located, and flashes and smoke were everywhere.

Suddenly, a grenade flew into the window of the small building from the side.

The explosion occurred, and the machine gunner Proson was blown out of the sandbag and fell to the ground on the first floor.

Henry rushed towards the small building while holding a submachine gun and firing.

He was just attracting the enemy's attention. In fact, the people who followed the old man around had already appeared downstairs of the small building.

Several grenades were thrown into the first floor of the small building. After a series of explosions, the whole building fell silent.

Henry was halfway through his dash when he heard an engine, and looking back he saw his heroic brother, the Revenge, rounding the corner.

"Don't worry!" Henry shouted, "Maybe the enemy tanks are still hiding! We can deal with them!"

Podolskov, who was on top of the tank, spread his hands and said, "You want to take all the credit for liberating the city, but we won't allow that! And if you use tanks, your casualties will be much less!"

Henry shook his head and rushed forward with his gun.

(End of this chapter)