War Photographer's Notebook

Chapter 37 Detonation
In front of the No. 19 position, out of the trench, two anti-tank guns, under the skillful manipulation of the Soviet soldiers, fired shells enough to penetrate the side armor at the German tanks that entered the range of fire.

On the other hand, on the German side, they had already noticed the existence of this trench after the exchange of fire two days ago, so shortly after the start of the war, almost all mortar shells fell here, even those tanks The first goal is to solve this huge destructive nail first.

But in this nail, apart from the artillery that specifically picked the tanks and a few soldiers using anti-tank guns, the firepower of the rest of the machine guns aimed at the infantry behind the tanks.

Further behind the machine gun fire point, there are several reserve artillery squads led by veterans hiding in thick bunkers. Once the two anti-tank guns that were fired from the mortar bombardment suffered casualties, they would immediately fight back. superior.

Even next to them, under the wrecked tanks that served as a defensive circle, there were a few soldiers holding explosive packs and even cluster grenades in their arms.Whenever a tank is about to crash into the wreckage of these two tanks, and whenever the comrades around them with anti-tank guns cannot destroy the approaching tanks, they will rush out of the bunker without hesitation in accordance with the order arranged in advance , perish with those tanks!

Among these soldiers who can be called death squads, there are recruits who joined a week ago, and veterans who joined only a few days ago. urine.

But even so, whenever they heard the whistle, the soldiers waiting at the entrance and exit of the bunker would still rush out without hesitation, shouting slogans that maybe only they could hear, and igniting the fuse without nostalgia.

Amidst the violent explosions that sounded from time to time, more and more tanks were laying down or even dying around the trenches, but fewer and fewer soldiers were holding explosives in the bunker.

Even the soldiers with anti-tank guns or machine guns jumped out of the trenches, took the wreckage of German tanks as cover, hid under the low and hot chassis, and pulled the trigger again and again at the targets that were close at hand!
And whenever someone was injured or injured, before the barrel of the gun cooled down, someone would immediately push the corpse of his companion off the top.

On the other hand, in position 19, the only remaining anti-tank gun and the surrounding soldiers holding anti-tank guns were also not idle.They almost used the two trapped anti-tank guns and the death squads as bait to kill the supporting tanks in the past.

As for the remaining enemies who rushed straight to position 19, they were completely handed over to the simple mines that had been planted on the battlefield in advance a week ago, and those anti-aircraft tanks that had to concentrate fire on the same tank to successfully destroy the opponent. Tank gun!

Finally, a mortar shell hit an anti-tank gun in the trench ahead, and the shrapnel exploded instantly destroyed this vital artillery and its crew members!
Vanya, who was in charge of staring here, clenched his fists and hammered hard on the sandbag wall in front of him, not even noticing that dark red blood was gushing from the open wound on his temple.

Under the helpless gaze of him and Wei Ran, the only remaining anti-tank gun in the trench did not last long before it was completely destroyed by the opponent's mortar that seemed to have eyes!

Wei Ran, who had been preparing for a long time, quickly shook the handle of the phone a few times. After waiting for two seconds, he immediately cut off the phone line with pliers and connected it to a simple detonation control panel made of wooden boards.

On the other end of the phone line, almost at the moment when the clear bell rang, a soldier who had been preparing for a long time immediately threw the detonating explosives into the bunker where the shells were stored, and then tore off the phone line and connected it to the detonating wire in his hand. Then decisively blew the whistle that he had been biting in his mouth.

In the crisp whistle, the remaining surviving soldiers immediately carried a shell on their backs and retreated while covering each other. At the same time, the last anti-tank gun at position 19 and the surrounding machine guns, anti-tank guns and even submachine guns also began to suppress sex shot.

But even so, there were less than ten soldiers who came back from the trench alive in the end!After they ran back to position 19 with a few shells that could still be used, the last anti-tank gun that completed the cover task immediately turned its muzzle and continued to fire at the tank that had almost rushed behind the barbed wire!
On the other hand, on Wei Ran's side, Vanya grabbed his neck and asked loudly, "Answer me, you won't mistake the detonation sequence, right?!"

"From small to large! From far to near!"

Wei Ran immediately responded with a loud voice, and at the same time, Vanya's indifferent expression when he shot and killed the collapsed soldier with a pistol on the first night when he arrived at the 19th position couldn't help but pop up in his mind.

"Since you don't plan to be a deserter, guard your position. After all the blasting is done, if you haven't been blown to pieces by the opponent's mortar, go to the anti-tank gun to find Aleutian."

After Vanya finished speaking, he patted Wei Ran on the shoulder in satisfaction, and then left the bunker without hesitation, took the members of the death squad who had just returned, and ran along the wide trench to the direction that Captain Aleutian was in charge of.

On the other hand, Wei Ran, at this time all his attention is on the telescope fixed on the observation hole that is only the width of a fist!

While he was waiting anxiously, in the field of vision of the telescope, a group of German soldiers passed through the piles of tank wreckage, cheered and jumped into the front trench of the No. 19 position that had been ravaged by mortar shells.

"Wait, wait, wait!"

Wei Ran stared at the opponent's actions, only 150 meters away, with the help of binoculars, he could even see the mud stained on the opponent's soldier's helmet!

Finally, a soldier raised his finger to point to the direction of the bunker, and at the same time, Wei Ran accurately pressed the wire held by his left hand on the telephone wire that was connected to the detonation control panel a few minutes ago!
Just as the tingling and tingling caused by the electric current at the fingertips was transmitted along the nerves to the brain, the farthest end of the trench exploded almost at the same time.

A full dozen 76mm anti-tank shells and almost as many 120mm mortar shells successfully exploded under the impact of the detonating explosives.

The huge shock wave directly lifted the German soldiers who had just occupied there and even the wreckage of the two anti-tank guns into the air and splashed everywhere!

Driven by the shock wave, a bloody breeze blew along the firing holes to the back of the sandbag wall.

Wei Ran, who was in charge of the detonation, was stunned, then closed his mouth tightly and put his eyes back on the eyepiece of the telescope.He didn't know if he was considered a veteran now, and he didn't know how many lives were taken away by the explosion that he decided just now.

But he knew that even though he could see clearly through the telescope at the very beginning of the explosion just now, it would never be the same as when he stabbed the German sniper to death with a bayonet in the city of Stalingrad last time. He uncontrollably spat out the boiled potatoes that he had eaten enough for the past few days.

　There is something during the day, so update it in advance.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)