Thunder Strikes Back

Chapter 187
"Commander Panshi 221, I am the commander of the [-]st Armored Division. Please turn on the radio at any time to keep in touch with the division headquarters."

"Panshi 221 understands." Yahini replied cautiously.He suddenly felt a little nervous, and this nervousness was even worse than seeing the black hole of the T72's muzzle in the surrounding mirror.

"Report the situation of the troops, how many vehicles are there for combat?"

"There are still 19 tanks and 10 infantry fighting vehicles left. There are still 4 battle damage and malfunctions, and we can catch up with them after rush repairs." He replied truthfully.The ambush just now caused this elite army to suffer heavy losses on the surface, but he knew that the more serious part might be the damage to morale.

"Listen Sergeant, I know you don't have command training and we don't have time to teach you what to do, since you can always beat 'em, do it your way. You have to use the fastest time Cut off the enemy who invaded to the west of Alipur, the location is at the ferry of the Chenab River, lead this team to destroy the floating ferry facilities there, and wait for the follow-up troops, understand?"

"Understood." The sergeant replied loudly.He suddenly understood why Battalion Commander Younis followed a simple and stupid plan to go down the river.No one told him about this important strategic intention before. Due to the level, the general commander only knows what he needs to do.Of course, he has a good brain and has a general understanding of the overall situation.

"Quick assault, just 10 kilometers away. You must get there before dawn." The division commander said.

Yahini looked at his watch. This terrible time limit dissuaded him from detours. He was destined to follow the river road like the battalion commander. He did not like this plan in his heart, because all the Most people can guess the necessary road just by looking at a map.The last 72 hours of combat experience told him that roads are the most unreliable assault route, and once there is a firefight, it is difficult to use all the firepower.

"Master, do they have any defensive forces?"

"It's not very clear, there are probably a few infantry companies guarding, and there are some artillery positions nearby. There is no threat to you. However, Spanga has just sent an armored regiment to wipe the ass of the 16th Division. According to our reliable information , can’t arrive before dawn.”

"Armor regiment?" Yahini asked cautiously.

"The 50th Armored Regiment. All equipped with T55s."

Understood the teacher, I know what to do. "The sergeant replied. He knew that the enemy's situation mastered by his superiors was not reliable at all, and the Arjun tank company he encountered just now was completely out of intelligence. But the huge fighter was in front of him, and he must not give up. He planned to fight .

"Understood, Master, I'll rush over there and beat the shit out of them."

"Great, it's all up to you."

The staff sergeant switches the switch on the throat talker to intervehicle communication.

"Attention all cars, I will lead the team, and all cars will follow me closely."

"Understood." Several platoon leaders on the radio replied weakly, and they could hear the lack of confidence.In the battle just now, the frontal column did not destroy even a single enemy tank, which really dampened their spirits. Now most of the tank commanders and gunners have doubts about their own abilities.

Yahini is very clear that the accumulation of motorcycle hours in training is difficult to produce an excellent tanker. The first destruction on the real battlefield is irreplaceable, and it is the catalyst for this leap.Yahini himself is such an example. When he destroyed the T72 for the first time, he became unstoppable. He always had an advantage in every battle. Sometimes he could even guess the opponent through the peripheral vision mirror. The captain's thoughts.

"Believe me, we have a great advantage at night. The opponents we will face are just some T55s." He deliberately looked dismissive, as if the T55 was just an ancient weapon.

There was no response on the radio, and it seemed that everyone was not very confident about the advantages.For many years, the Pakistani army has been receiving some kind of subtle propaganda that the opponent's equipment is completely vulnerable.The officers always say, "They can't see you at night; or, their guns can't penetrate us from 200 meters away; Indian commanders are slow to react or something like that." But the battle just now proved that these lies are false of.Many tankers have begun to doubt everything they have heard before, and some have even begun to doubt whether their tanks still have an advantage against a T55.

Now, the new commander has to find ways to reassure everyone.

"You have all seen that I destroyed a total of 29 of their tanks. As long as you follow me, I will teach you how to fight." Yahini began to talk nonsense without shame.Saad, the driver in front, shook his head. He saw every destruction of No. 221, and this record was obviously boasted.He probably counted the trucks or machine gun positions he hit as tanks, but now, besides boosting morale through lies, it is almost his only way. Fortunately, Yahini's bragging is almost as effective as his fighting talent.

"I will be at the forefront, follow me, and I will teach you the tricks of moving forward in concealment."

"I believe in you, you will definitely lead us to victory." Finally a car captain replied on the radio.Although most people here lack confidence in themselves, they still hold a skeptical attitude towards Yahini.At least he was able to go deep alone every time, and he was able to retreat completely, at most, the water tank or a few road wheels were damaged.Enemy shells always seemed to bypass his Panzer 221, a myth in the brutality of war.

"We're going to have to give up the road if we're going to beat them."

Yahini still remembers the moment when he destroyed the first tank.He remembered the huge active infrared searchlights and guns on the platoon of T72 tanks.The enemy turned the turret blankly, obviously unable to see No. 221 hidden behind the dune.Its door is parked on the high road, so conspicuous, like a series of targets.

"Saad drove under the embankment," Yahini said.

"what?"

"Go down quickly."

The rumbling tank started slowly, bypassed the burning wreckage, and drove under the road.Tankers have known for years that they must drive under the embankment when marching, giving way to motorized infantry; even without infantry, tankers don't like roads.However, with the passage of time, such experience has been gradually forgotten, except for occasional off-road performances, these steel behemoths have become more and more dependent on the road network.

In order to prevent the continuous encroachment of the Thar Desert in all directions, the highways in Sindh Province usually fill the roadbed with soil very high, which will leave wide soil-absorbing ditches on both sides.That's why Rahini was able to spot the enemy at a great distance that night, but the enemy couldn't spot him.

Twenty or so chariots drove down the embankment slope of the road one by one, hiding the huge car body behind the road.The cannon is approximately level with the road.

Yahini leaned forward.The still burning village can be seen facing across the river.With three hours to go before dawn, his time is running out.

"Brothers, go forward!"

The driver pushed the rod with both hands, and the tank easily pushed down the trees blocking the way, and then roared forward.

Five kilometers away, an Indian army had just crossed the Chenab River. They hastily placed 5 anti-tank mines on the kilometers, and then hid by the river with anti-tank rockets.This reinforced company is directly under the engineering brigade, not a professional anti-tank unit, but there is no extra troops near the ferry to fight against it.

Half an hour ago, Spanga scolded Janaguri for acting without authorization on the phone, but this did not change the fact that the main force of the 16th Infantry Division was stuck on the Ali Burjdoi line and could not turn back.Until Colonel Sandel crossed the division headquarters and reported directly to the lieutenant general that an enemy force was coming down the Chenab River, Spanga was unaware of the daring lone advance of the 16th Infantry Division.Due to Janaguri's deliberate delay, the division's position on the headquarters map has not been updated, and it has remained at the same progress as it was 12 hours ago. It is almost at the same level as the forwards of other units. This is what Spanga expects situation.But in fact, the front line of the 16th Infantry Division has been stretched to 200 kilometers, protruding a lot from the other troops on the south wing, like a snake that has been fed up, stuck in the hole and unable to move.Spanga urgently mobilized several troops from various places in an attempt to rescue, not only to save Janaguri, but also to save his plan. Before his main force broke through the Indus River, he could not sit back and watch the northern line be broken.

An Indian infantryman hides vigilantly in the paratrooper pit, carefully discerning the movement on the north side of the road.He could see the flashing flames in the distance, which was the place where the firefight had just been fought, and he guessed that the enemy would come from that direction tonight.

"I seem to hear some movement." The soldier said to his companions on the side.

"I didn't hear it."

"Listen carefully. It's the sound of the engine and the sound of a tree falling."

"Don't be afraid, they will hit a landmine soon. Just keep an eye on it, I'll go find the company commander."

"Wait, I'll go with you."

The two hurriedly crawled out of the foxhole and ran to the company headquarters behind.

The restless company commander was squatting in the command post. He was a little skeptical when he heard the news. He suspected that the soldiers might be so nervous that they had auditory hallucinations.However, when he walked to the kilometer, the roar of the engine in the distance was very clear.He knew that it was the enemy tanks coming, and there were more than one.

"Soldiers, don't be afraid, they will run over the mines soon. Then we can go around and shoot them in the side."

While speaking, the roar suddenly increased a lot.The company commander raised the low-light binoculars.But nothing can be seen on the road.He knew the specific location of the mine deployment, there should be a sound.

"They are still far away, about a kilometer away. Don't worry, our mines can stop them for several hours."

"But... I always feel something is wrong." A soldier reminded him that he didn't have night vision equipment, but he could tell that the heavy convoy couldn't be a kilometer away just by hearing.

"I really didn't see any enemy armored vehicles." The company commander said.But now he could clearly feel the vibration under his feet, and it became more and more obvious.

"Oops, I know what's going on." He saw 300 meters away, on the other side of the road, a person was looking at him with a telescope.

(End of this chapter)