artillery arc

Chapter 625 Tank Battle
At 1510 on the second day of the offensive, the st Guards Heavy Breakthrough Tank Regiment of Ante.

When Captain Podolskov heard the sound of engines in the sky, he grabbed the anti-aircraft machine gun and prepared to fight against the air raid.

At this time, a radio call in Ante language came from the headset: "This is the 25th Fighter Regiment, this is the 25th Fighter Regiment, tank troops, please answer! Tank troops, please answer!"

Podolskov: "This is the 1st Guards Heavy Breakthrough Tank Regiment. I can hear your engines. Please speak."

"There are Proson tank troops deployed in formation ahead of you. Good luck to you."

Podolskov: "Do you see the enemy's composition?"

"There are quite a lot of long-barreled Panzer IVs. We haven't seen any new tanks that the front command has specifically asked us to pay attention to."

"Got it. Thank you." When Podolskov responded, two Yak planes appeared in the sky. They should be his comrades from the 25th Fighter Regiment.

Podolskov picked up a rag and waved it towards the sky.

Two Yak planes flew over Podolskov's tank, one on the left and one on the right. The pilots could be vaguely seen saluting the tank.

As the plane passed by, someone shouted on the radio: "Guards Heavy Tank Regiment 1, this is Coyote, this is Coyote, there is a lot of smoke ahead."

Then the voice of the commander of the 1st Guards Heavy Breakthrough Tank Regiment came on the radio: "Got it, Coyotes, you move aside to avoid unnecessary casualties. Let us deal with the enemy tanks. Our new heavy tanks are not afraid of them at all!"

Podolskov shouted: "Revenge for my heroic brother, Alexei Podolskov!"

A loud cry immediately rang out over the radio: "Revenge for my sister Shuya!"

"Revenge for my father!"

"Revenge for my dear friend Xie Miao!"

Podolskov always felt that after his shout, the speeding tanks ran faster.

Soon a small cloud of dust appeared ahead. Podolskikov raised his binoculars and saw several Willys Jeeps speeding across the grassland. He picked up the microphone and said, "This is the Hero Brother's Revenge. I see the coyote."

Coyote was the radio call sign of the Light Reconnaissance Battalion assigned to the 1st Guards Heavy Breakthrough Tank Regiment, which was responsible for driving Willys Jeeps to clear the way ahead of the tank regiment.

As they were talking, Coyote's jeep drove past the Revenge, and the lieutenant driving the jeep shouted to Podolskov: "Show them some of our power! This is the one that determines whether we can take Venus!"

Podolskov: "It doesn't matter whether we take Venus or not! It's enough to kill the Prosens!"

"Then you better kill more!"

The scouts had already run away while they were talking.

The regiment commander's order came over the radio: "All vehicles put down the infantry and don't let them get involved in the tank battle."

Podolskov turned around and shouted to the infantrymen sitting on the radiator grille: "Go down, guys, there is a tank-to-tank battle ahead!"

The infantry sergeant leading the team grinned and said, "Let's get closer before we get off the vehicle. Have you forgotten what we have?"

As he said this, he patted the new weapon on his shoulder: a rocket launcher.

Podolskov smiled and said, "Okay, we will have to stop firing in an emergency, then you can get off the car by yourselves, be careful not to be run over by your own people."

"okay!"

At this time, the private behind the sergeant pointed forward and said, "Look!"

Podolskov immediately turned around and saw a sky full of dust ahead, as if a sandstorm had blown up on the grassland!
Sergeant: "Wow, this smoke reminds me of the spring sandstorms back home."

“Spring in my hometown?”

"Yes, in our hometown, there will be sandstorms in the spring. The yellow sand raised from the Gobi Desert in the west covers the entire grassland. If you go out without covering your face, your skin will become as rough as that of an 80-year-old man in just one day."

Podolskov was amazed: "I must go and see it if I have the chance. I have never been to our land in the east."

As he spoke, he raised his telescope and observed the billowing smoke and dust.

Major Hans of the 66th Armored Battalion of Plossen was on the turret of his command tank, observing the billowing smoke and dust ahead.

"The enemy ahead doesn't seem to be numerous, only about 20 tanks." He radioed to the soldiers of the entire battalion, "Destroy them!"

It should be said that the Proson armored troops were indeed elite. Without any prior reconnaissance, they were able to determine the number of the enemy directly based on the size of the smoke and dust.

Unfortunately, they did not expect that the opposing 1st Guards Heavy Breakthrough Tank Regiment had already been equipped with all Rokossov I heavy tanks.

This thing basically eliminates the 48-caliber long-barreled 75mm gun of the Panzer IV tank in the front and sides.

To penetrate the Rokossov I tank, Major Hans's soldiers had to advance to a distance of 400 meters from the heavy tank, which completely violated the engagement rules of the Proshen armored forces.

The Proson armored soldiers habitually relied on their superb shooting skills to fire at long distances.

Major Hans turned around, looked at the billowing dust raised by his armored battalion, raised his hand confidently, and chopped forward: "Armor, forward! Crush them!"

----

"Deploy the formation!" The commander's order came over the radio. "The enemy has more people than us. Deploy the formation fully to ensure that we will not be outflanked by a large number of enemy tanks!"

Podolskov: "Captain, have you forgotten that our new tanks are just as reliable from behind?"

"Damn it, what I'm worried about is that our turret's rotation speed can't keep up with the enemy! If the long-barreled Type 4 is used at close range, it can still jam the turret ring or penetrate the weak point. Don't take it lightly, the enemy is an elite armored force! Very elite!"

The team leader responded seriously.

Podolskov said nothing more, silently gave orders, and distanced himself from the wingman's vehicle.

At this time, the gunner shouted: "The enemy tank has entered the effective range!"

Without waiting for Podolskov to answer, the wingman opened fire, and the muzzle blast even blew Podolskov in the face.

Podolskov: "Ivan (pilot), listen to my command. If I say yes, you will stop for seven seconds! Sergei (gunner), aim at the enemy you just measured the range of!"

So the turret of the "Revenge" was slightly turned to the side about five degrees, and the elevation was also slightly adjusted.

"Aiming completed!" shouted the gunner.

"Emergency stop!"

The tank stopped immediately and the body swayed back and forth - after all, in pursuit of productivity and reliability, the suspension system of the Rokossov Type 1 heavy tank was relatively simple and crude, and its stability was not particularly good.

As soon as the shaking stopped, Sergei opened fire.

The smoke and dust kicked up by the muzzle blast suddenly blocked Podolskov's vision, making him unable to see the target's condition for a moment.

The next moment the tank started up and rushed forward in a cloud of dust, and Podolskov saw that the Panzer IV was on fire.

Before he could be happy, an armor-piercing bullet hit the tank's turret, creating a string of sparks that flew past his ears.

He was unharmed, and the sergeant behind the turret shouted, "Vassily!"

Podolskov looked back and saw a private carrying a bazooka fall to the left and fall outside the tank.

"I told you to get out of the car! We have armor protection, but you don't!"

Sergeant: "The enemy is still more than one kilometer away. We can't do anything if we get off the vehicle now! Transport us a little further!"

Just as Podolski was about to respond, the loader’s voice came through the headset: “Okay!”

Gunner Sergei urged: "Captain! Point to the target!"

(End of this chapter)