artillery arc

Chapter 739: Misfortunes never come singly (6K)

On August 8, Melania was at 3 p.m. Standard Time, one hour ahead of Normandy time.

The First Khazaria Front Headquarters.

Wang Zhong saw Emilia coming in with the liaison officer and the telegraph operator, and he guessed what was going on. He asked, "Landing?"

“Yes.” Emilia’s mouth was cracked all the way to her ears. “Now, you are no longer the only one fighting against Proson in the land of Europa.”

Wang Zhong: "Don't make it sound like I'm fighting Proson alone. There are ten generals and three marshals commanding the troops at the front line alone."

Vasily: "There are two generals and a marshal in this room."

"I am lucky. Everyone knows that my duties are basically taken over by the Marshal." Popov spread his hands. "My daily work is to manage the alcoholism in the troops and teach a lesson to those who are too proud of their success."

Everyone laughed, and Pavlov held out his hand to the liaison officer: "Give me the telegram, we have prepared the map, let's see how to draw it."

A thumbnail map of Carolingian Empire has been hung on a small blackboard in the corner of the room.

As Pavlov read the telegram, Emilia asked, "How are you progressing?"

Wang Zhong shrugged: "The enemy has brought in a lot of experienced combat troops, all of whom are well-fed and strong on the western front. They have caused us a lot of trouble, but we are still advancing.

"Now do you see that gap next to the Baltic Sea? We estimate that two million enemy troops are pouring into this gap, and tens of thousands of enemies are escaping from the gap every day."

Emilia was delighted: "Then as long as we block the gap, the enemy will have nowhere to go, right?"

Wang Zhong: "Yes, the only problem is that the gap is 70 kilometers wide."

Emilia: "You mean, after advancing 400 kilometers at a whirlwind, the last kilometers stumped you?"

Wang Zhong: "Not really. The speed of advancement is only a little slower than expected. Eventually, more than one million Plossen troops will be surrounded and destroyed, and the rest of the defeated troops will retreat to the fortified area near Coburg.

"They will form a very tough group of troops here, but we don't need to attack them because they have almost no heavy equipment such as tanks. They can no longer threaten our main transportation arteries. We can use part of our forces to surround them and go all out to advance towards Prothenia."

Vasily continued to explain: "Because there is no heavy factory near Coburg to produce tanks, even if there is, there is not enough raw material supply. We bombed the port of Coburg, which seriously damaged the throughput capacity."

Wang Zhong: "In short, regardless of the fact that the Allies are urging us to rescue the Melania resistance organization that is in uprising, everything is going well on our side."

"And everything is going well for the Allies on the Western Front," Pavlov said. "At least the telegrams show that everything is going well. The United Kingdom Army is making good progress, while the Allied Forces are making slower progress but are also gaining a foothold. The United Kingdom Army's armored divisions have also landed smoothly."

Wang Zhong: "Where is Plosson's armored division? Have you found a new armored division number in front of us?"

"No." Pavlov shrugged. "The armored divisions we encountered were the same old ones, and many of them had been reduced to only a few tanks. The armored divisions on the Western Front were not transferred here."

Wang Zhong: "Then as long as the armored division launches an attack, the Allied forces may still be pushed into the sea, right?"

Emilia: "Yes, we think the biggest threat is the 21st Armored Division, which is deployed too close to our landing site."

Wang Zhong looked at his watch and said, "Oh, then it should have already started attacking the landing site. The remaining daylight hours are running out today. If we don't attack now, it will be too late."

Vasily: "Maybe this armored division is equipped with night vision equipment like the ones we encountered! So they will attack at night!"

Wang Zhong: "With such equipment, they will definitely be given priority on the Eastern Front. No, I guess the 21st unit does not have night combat capability. They are now either charging towards the beach or dawdling."

----

The commander of the 21st Armored Division put down his binoculars and ordered, "Prepare artillery fire."

Chief of Staff: "They're just paratroopers!"

"But they had the bazooka, and you saw the remains of the motorized reconnaissance battalion."

As far as the commander of the 21st Armored Division could see, there were only burning debris. The reconnaissance battalion had suffered heavy losses in its attempt to attack the town held by the paratroopers.

Chief of Staff: "The paratroopers can't carry too many rocket launchers. Maybe they have used up all these anti-tank weapons in order to resist the attack of the motorized reconnaissance battalion!"

"Prepare artillery fire! We will launch the attack in half an hour!"

----

Captain Iverson asked the deputy battalion commander beside him in confusion: "Why doesn't the enemy attack? We have run out of rocket launchers. If they attack, we can only use Molotov cocktails and smelly socks filled with TNT to deal with the tanks."

Deputy Battalion Commander: “How should I know?”

At this time, the sound of artillery shells breaking through the air was heard in the sky.

As soon as Ivanson lay down, the ground began to shake.

The deputy battalion commander shouted: "Damn, this is at least 105 mm! It is indeed the armored division's firepower!"

Before he could finish his words, a corner of the wall of the house they were in collapsed.

A soldier stood up and tried to run outside, but Ivanson grabbed him and said, "You're crazy! If I were you, I would rather be buried than go outside!"

Obviously, being buried might still be saveable, but being hit by a shell would be absolutely hopeless.

At this time, soldiers were running around all over the town. Veterans and non-commissioned officers were trying to calm the new recruits down: "Get down, don't run around! Running around will make you die easily!"

The pastor strolled leisurely amid the rain of shells, holding a Bible in one hand and a submachine gun in the other. Once he found a wounded soldier still alive, he knelt down in front of him and muttered to him close to his face: "Son, I can't treat your wounds, but I can hear your last prayer, and I promise it will be conveyed to God."

After saying this, he put his ear close to the wounded soldier's mouth, trying to listen to the unfortunate man's last prayer.

Then the pastor realized that most of the time he heard his mother.

Half an hour passed.

Ivanson ran out of the house, which had become a dilapidated building, and saw the pastor still walking on the street as if nothing had happened - he was the only person standing on the entire street.

Deputy Battalion Commander: "Where the hell did you find this lunatic?"

"In the swamp, when I saw him he was fishing for his Bible and communion box."

"Damn it." the deputy battalion commander cursed.

At this time, everyone could hear the roar of the engine, as well as the noise of the running mechanism and gearbox.

Deputy Battalion Commander: "Everyone, take your positions! The enemy armored division is attacking!"

As Ivanson ran toward his company's defensive position, he shouted, "It's getting dark soon. Tanks won't attack after dark! We just need to hold off the initial attack!"

Just as he finished speaking, a high-explosive bomb hit the two floors in front of him, pushing him back as he ran and causing him to fall to the ground.

By the time Evanson recovered, the second shot had already arrived.

A large brick hit Iverson.

After a brief silence, he shouted: "Does the enemy want to level all the houses in this town? Where does he get so much ammunition and time?"

But the roar of the tank engines did not stop, indicating that there were still tanks moving towards the town.

Another two-story building was hit.

Ivanson understood that the enemy was preparing to demolish the building while rushing in for hand-to-hand combat.

Ivanson got up and ran into the building that had been hit by a high-explosive bomb. "Are you all right?"

"The machine gun team upstairs is finished! But we are fine." the subordinate replied.

Iverson: "The enemy is clearing the second floor, because they can throw Molotov cocktails from the second floor. Bazooka?"

"Two more!"

Iverson: "We shouldn't have used rockets so freely against the reconnaissance team just now. What about the enemy's anti-tank weapons?"

"You mean this?" Someone picked up Proson's strangely shaped anti-tank funnel. "I'd rather use this to open the tank's hatch."

Iverson: "Take it. Even if it can't be used as an anti-tank weapon, it can be used as a hammer."

As soon as he finished speaking, machine gun fire rang out.

Ivanson: "Towards F Company! We're almost there too!"

Just as he finished his words, a cannon shot was heard not far away, and a building in the distance was hit.

Iverson: "The tank is nearby! Cut off the infantry and prepare to fire the bazooka!"

As he was speaking, a gun barrel appeared outside the first-floor window, followed by the tank turret.

The whole building began to shake.

Ivanson shouted, leaned out of the window and fired outside. The bullets immediately knocked down two Proson soldiers.

The Union paratroopers in the house opened fire.

Ivanson finished firing a magazine and shouted while changing the magazine: "Anti-tank, GOGOGO!"

The bazooka shooter immediately opened the door and fired at the side armor of the tank outside.

The tail flame of the rocket launched into the room, filling the whole room with smoke and dust.

"Damn it, Barber! Can't you just go out and fire it? You're choking us to death!" someone shouted.

"No, because I'm afraid of death!" Barber threw away the disposable launch tube and retreated back into the room.

The bazooka in this time and space became disposable due to Rokossov's design.

Ignoring his subordinates' arguments, Iverson leaned on the window to check the results of the attack.

Flames and thick smoke came out of the tank's cooling vents and it stopped immediately.

Ivanson: "The attack was effective, take one down! Continue——"

He leaned out and fired, then saw a Grizzly assault cannon turning towards him, its stubby barrel being calibrated.

Ivanson drew back and lay down, shouting, "Take cover!"

As the shells hit, the entire wall facing the grizzly bear disappeared in an instant, turning into flying broken bricks and wood chips.

Several people were hit by the broken bricks and fell backwards.

Ivanson pushed away the broken wall that fell on him and struggled to get up.

He saw a figure rushing out of the smoke and dust, and he opened fire reflexively.

After knocking down three people, he finally remembered to confirm whether the person coming from the front was an enemy or a friend.

He tried hard to see the enemy's attire clearly, but his eyes seemed to have suddenly become severely myopic, and everything he saw was double, so he couldn't see the fallen person clearly.

——Wait a minute! He was startled. He could identify him by his helmet. Proson’s helmet would not be entangled with camouflage nets, and it also had obvious ear protection!
Ivanson knocked down two more men in helmets with ear protectors and used up the last of the ammunition in the magazine. He pressed the button next to the magazine, trying to catch the magazine that had slipped away, but his reaction was a beat too slow.

When the magazine fell to the ground, he touched the magazine bag casually, but found nothing.

It’s broken. The explosion just now blew away the magazine bag.

Iverson thought again about the leg bag he had lost. During the airborne landing last night, shrapnel from an anti-aircraft shell had cut the strap of the leg bag, causing him to lose his weapon forever.

Can't these suits be made stronger? Another man in a steel helmet with ear protection rushed into the room.

Iverson took off his helmet and threw it at the opponent. He took advantage of the opportunity to pull out his Smith & Wesson pistol and fired several shots at the enemy.

At this time, his hearing finally recovered, and the sound of the Thompson submachine gun firing sounded so pleasant.

The priest rushed to Evanson and said, "Child, I can't treat your wounds, but I can hear your last prayers—"

Iverson: "Are you going to shoot while I pray?"

"Why not?"

Ivanson snatched the priest's gun and knocked down another Proson man. After making sure that no one continued to rush in, he took out the magazine from the priest's magazine pouch.

Pastor: "I can give all of this to you, so I can feel more comfortable."

Iverson: How did you do that?

Pastor: “What?”

"So calm!"

Read the error-free version at 69shuba! 6=9+shu_ba is the first to publish this novel.

Pastor: "God bless me!"

Ivanson shook his head: "Maybe. Quick, we need to move! Go prepare the position!"

----

"Report to the division commander."

The commander of the 21st Armored Division looked back at the communicator.

Reporter: "We have almost occupied the city, but it is already dark and there are still many paratroopers resisting in the city."

Chief of Staff: "We should have bypassed the city and headed straight for the beach."

"It's too late to say anything. We can only wait until tomorrow," said the commander.

Chief of Staff: "The Marshal said that the first 24 hours of the landing are crucial! Even if we launch the attack at night, we should continue! We can turn on the headlights, and the enemy will not be able to see us clearly under the lights!"

Division Commander: "Since the first 24 hours of landing are so crucial, where is the key Marshal?"

The chief of staff was speechless for a moment.

----

Plossom Army Western Front Headquarters.

General Schmidt: "Why haven't the other four Panzer divisions set out for the beach?"

"Because of the airstrikes, Admiral, and the enemy's control of several key bridges, our armored divisions and trucks cannot cross the bridges."

Admiral Schmidt: "Then plan a route that doesn't involve crossing the bridge!"

Chief of Staff: "We were incorporated into the Western Front Command after that incident. Many of us are not familiar with the country roads."

That incident naturally refers to the assassination of Emperor Plossen and the tragic death of the emperor's close friend. After that, because Marshal Erwin Romer was also suspected of being involved in the incident, his headquarters and accompanying officers were completely replaced. The new people were better at monitoring Marshal Romer than planning operations.

Admiral Schmidt sighed.

He said: "Marshal Romer once said that all troops should be placed near the beach and once the landing began, we should do our best to push them into the sea. But we rejected his advice based on our experience on the Eastern Front. The Eastern Front tactics were to delay Ant's attack with the front-line troops, split Ant's attacking forces with solid support points, and then deploy armored divisions to counterattack.

"We just stopped Rokossov this way during last year's winter offensive."

(In fact, Rokossov did not intend to launch a large-scale leap forward, but only to level the front line, but senior generals of Proson generally believed that Rokossov had failed)

Admiral Schmidt: "If Marshal Romer shows up now, I'll apologize to him."

----

Erwin Romell opened his eyes and looked into the dark room.

"Where am I?" he asked.

"In the resistance organization's headquarters." Plossen replied with a heavy accent, "Your men sent you to a civilian hospital, but they didn't expect this to be our headquarters. By the way, the church next to it is our ammunition depot. We often use the pumpkin carriage to deliver ammunition to the resistance organizations in the city."

Erwin tried to see who was speaking, but it was pitch black and he couldn't see anything.

"It is ungentlemanly not to reveal one's true colors during a conversation."

"We are a resistance organization. We have done all kinds of dirty things to liberate our country. Marshal Romel, give up. It is impossible for you to return to the headquarters and lead the resistance."

Erwin sighed, "How long have I been unconscious?"

"It's been eighteen hours since you came here."

Erwin: "Have the Allies been driven into the sea?"

"As far as I know, no. In fact, the telephone exchange in town is always connected to the seaside town of Fatan. Many people have called to ask, and the Allied forces are continuously entering the inland from Fatan."

Erwin: "As long as Qin Castle has not been lost, there is hope for a turnaround. If I return to the Western Front Command, I can transfer the 30th Army of South Caroline and the th Army of Jialai, plus my armored division——"

"You're not going anywhere," the voice in the darkness said. "You're not going anywhere!"

----

San Camodo town, bridge across the river.

The United Kingdom's 1st Parachute Division, which occupied the bridge, had been fighting fiercely for a day and was now resting in batches.

The sentry resisted the urge to sleep and kept alert to the surroundings.

Suddenly he heard someone coming through the hedge and shouted, "Lightning!"

"Thunder!" The other party responded to the secret signal and jumped out from the darkness.

The leader was wearing a beret, but the color seemed different from that of the 1st Parachute Division.

"Who is it?" the sentry asked.

"Commanda Sixth Commando, we blew up the Leopold railway gun 25 kilometers away yesterday, and now we are rushing to join the battle!"

The burly Komanda commando came up to the sentry.

"Where's your commander?"

"Who is it?" someone on the bridge ran over while asking.

"Commanda's Sixth Commando." Commanda saluted the major who came over, "We are here to help. What is the situation now?"

"We have repelled several attacks by Plossom's 701st Infantry Division. They are now regrouping in the woods to the south. They have heavy artillery. We are running out of ammunition. Do you have any more?"

Captain Komanda replied: "A little bit. But the Prosen are not good at night fighting. We can show them some of our strength."

"Are you good at night fighting?"

“We are Komanda.”

Major: "That makes sense. I'll send someone familiar with the forest to serve as your guide."

At this moment, Captain Komanda raised his head and looked northwest - the beach was over there.

"Do you hear the Highland bagpipes?" he asked.

The major also looked to the northwest: "No, I-oh, it seems there is a bagpipe sound."

Captain Komanda: "Why use bagpipes as identification friend or foe signals? It reminds me of a madman who is on a mission with Ant."

Major: "Is that Sir Jonald? I heard he's a strange man who uses a longbow and a longsword on the battlefield."

"Yeah, weirdo."

By this time the sound of the bagpipes was loud enough for everyone to hear, and even birds in the forest where the Prosen were entrenched were awakened and flew into the sky.

Then, the sound of the tank engine, covered by the sound of the bagpipes, also reached everyone's ears.

Major: "And the armored forces, thank God, they finally arrived."

"Reinforcements!" shouted the sentry standing guard on the arch of the bridge, leaning his whole body out of the steel beam of the bridge. "Over there, reinforcements!"

The Highlander playing the bagpipes came into everyone's sight. He walked slowly, and the tank behind him moved forward slowly.

But the infantry on both sides of the tank ran at the officer's command, ran across the approach bridge and climbed onto the bridge.

The chaotic footsteps caused the steel beams of the bridge to tremble slightly.

----

The Eagle's Nest, the smoking room.

His Majesty the Emperor does not smoke, so during breaks in meetings senior generals would gather in the smoking room.

"It looks like we will have to fight on two fronts for at least the next month," said General Moltke. "Even if we succeed in driving the Allies into the sea, we won't be able to spare the strength to deal with Rokossov on the Eastern Front."

Marshal Celtic: "It is more realistic to organize a defense along the Vistula River, but I don't know how long we can hold out. After this battle, the quality of the Empire's troops will drop drastically."

"This is still the best case scenario." General Moltke sighed.

Although no one present said it, they all knew the worst case scenario.

The Allied Forces were not driven into the sea, and the Plosson Imperial Army had to fight on two fronts. At that time, it was not a question of declining quality of troops, but a question of whether there were enough troops.

At this time, the confidential secretary came into the smoking room with the message: "His Majesty requires us to hold a meeting."

The generals put out their cigarettes and walked towards the door.

----

"We must conduct a thorough mobilization and form a national stormtrooper. All adult males over the age of 12 must be mobilized to join the battle!" said the emperor in a cold tone.

The senior generals looked at each other in bewilderment.

Emperor: "In Abavahan, the Ants used this method of mobilizing all the people to stop us. They even molded the young soldiers into heroes! If they can do it, the more outstanding Prosen people can do it too!"

No one answered.

The emperor continued his monologue: "We copied the enemy's anti-tank rocket launcher, and even children can use it. If one child is exchanged for one tank, the enemy will soon have no tanks left!
"We will produce submachine guns that even children can use, as well as lightweight grenades that children can use to detonate among the enemy. The Prosen people will survive! And then they will usher in glory again!"

The emperor stopped, looked at everyone, and suddenly became hysterical: "Didn't you hear? What do your eyes mean? Do you think I'm crazy? No, I'm not! This is the only solution now! It is the only way out for the Prosen people!

"We started a war for living space! Now we will continue to fight for living space! We will shed our last drop of blood for living space!

"The nation's! Yours! And mine! And mine!"

(End of this chapter)