artillery arc

Chapter 640 Startup
At 7 on July 8, Plosson Asgard's Second Armored Army Headquarters.

The commander of the 2nd Panzer Army, Weidel, was listening to the final report before the offensive began.

"The number of tanks in our army has now recovered to 100, of which 27 are new Type VI King Tiger tanks. These tanks should have been put into counterattack on the 3rd, but the poor road conditions prevented these tanks from maneuvering to the starting positions in time." After the army chief of staff finished reading, he raised his head and looked at Weidel.

Weidel sighed: "100 tanks. When we had only tanks left a year ago, the Ants had already lost thousands of tanks!"

Chief of Staff: "The enemy's Rokossov I tanks and Vortex anti-tank destroyers are very effective, and although our new weapons have also reached the front line, most of them have broken down on the way. It is not our fault, General."

Weidel was silent for a few seconds, then asked, "How many troops do we expect the enemy to have in front of us?"

"According to reports from aerial reconnaissance and the motorized reconnaissance battalion, the enemy forces we are facing are the 11st Guards Heavy Breakthrough Tank Regiment, the 17th, 24th, 26th and th Guards Tank Brigades. It is said that the st Guards Heavy Breakthrough Tank Regiment is led by Rokossov himself."

Weidel turned his head sharply: "Are there so many?"

The chief of staff quickly explained: "Ante's armored brigade is actually not as well organized as our armored battalion. The number of tanks in their brigade is roughly equal to half of our battalion."

Weidel: "But the number of tanks we have is only equivalent to a battalion."

An armored battalion of Proshen can have 90 to 110 tanks. Now the entire Second Armored Army has only 100 tanks in combat readiness, which is only the organization of a battalion.

Chief of Staff: "The enemy has also lost a lot of tanks. Today we estimate that the enemy can only launch an attack on us with about 100 tanks."

Weidel: "Then why does everyone look so sad?"

"Because the intelligence we received showed that the enemy in front had received support from a brigade of new assault guns, the kind with 100mm main guns. And they probably used the past two days to build a defensive position."

Weidel: "I see. You mean, we definitely can't push back the enemy's attack today, right?"

The chief of staff hesitated for a moment and replied, "Yes. In addition to the armored forces, the Ants also have a large number of infantry. A considerable portion of the infantry under Rokossov's command are cloaked veterans of the Guards. They have all been educated in hatred and are highly motivated."

As soon as the chief of staff finished speaking, one of the officers who came to the meeting said, "I don't think they need hatred education, they will just hate us."

Everyone turned to look at the lieutenant colonel who was speaking.

The lieutenant colonel spread his hands and said, "Don't you know what we did in our homeland? If the Ants have hatred education, the teachers of this education are us."

Weidel: "Be careful what you say, Lieutenant Colonel Finn. We won't report our companions to the military police and the Imperial Household Ministry, but that doesn't mean they can't hear it."

"Thank you for your reminder."

Weidel: "This is the situation. We will launch the attack at 8 o'clock tomorrow morning. After destroying the enemy's tank troops, we will continue to advance towards the enemy's infantry troops and completely cut off the enemy's attack spearhead.

"You may have heard that the Third Armored Army has collapsed, and even its headquarters was destroyed by the Ants. We have received many of the Third Armored Army's defeated soldiers.

“But we still have to attack, because we are the Knights of Asgard, and we are Plossom soldiers. Throughout Plossom’s long history, Plossom soldiers have never refused to fight just because they are doomed to lose.

"Disband!"

All the colonel-level officers at the scene stood up, ready to return to their units to participate in this final counterattack.

I don't know who suddenly started:

Whether it is a strong wind, a blizzard, or a scorching sun!
This is the Plossen military song "The Song of the Armored Troops", which every Plossen tank driver can sing.

Then the others who were about to leave stopped and joined the chorus:

Whether it is a hot day or a cold night.

Even though the dust is blowing in our faces, we are still in a good mood, still happy!

As everyone sang, they stomped their feet in time with the rhythm; the orderly sound of their leather boots tapping the ground sounded like war drums.

Our tanks were speeding, heading towards the storm.

With the roar of the motor, we moved as fast as lightning, and under the protection of armor, we rushed forward to meet the enemy.

Weidel looked at his subordinates who were holding their heads high, and his expression gradually softened. Finally, he sang along with them:
Once the enemy's army appears in front of us, we just step on the accelerator and rush straight to the enemy camp!

What is our value?
What is the value?
It is our highest honor to die fighting for our country.

The song's passionate melody rushed out of the small room and into the sky.

A hint of paleness appeared on the eastern horizon, and the entire sky was dyed a glazed color by the sudden morning light.

The song entered its final section.

The officers of the Second Asgard Armored Corps sang in unison:
If fate forsakes us,
If we can no longer return to our hometown,
If the bullets shot at us and ended our fate,
End your destiny!
At least our faithful chariot will give us a steel grave! ————

ANT 7st Guards Heavy Breakthrough Tank Brigade assembly area, 8 hours, July 0600.

Podolskov returned to his crew's tent with a sad face and spread his hands to everyone: "No hope, Lao Deng just won't sign. He insists on replacing the gearbox and engine."

The driver Ivan shrugged: "Then let's get a T34. It can kill the Prosen people."

The loader said worriedly, "The T34 will definitely not be able to defeat the enemy's new tanks, right? That fishing rod gun is not even enough to defeat the armor of the Rokossov I. Our Revenge was almost penetrated. We should strengthen the armor of the Rokossov I."

The gunner patted the loader on the back and said, "So what? We are not afraid of sacrifice. It doesn't matter if we die."

Podolskov: "No, no, we have to live to take revenge! General Rokossov taught us to save ourselves and destroy the enemy. What's that sound?"

He stopped talking and turned to look in the direction where the voice came from.

The rest of the crew also came to him, stood in a row and looked in the same direction.

"Violin?" said the driver Ivan hesitantly.

Podolskoff nodded. "Yes, but I don't know. I only heard a violin once at a church concert. It seemed to be in D major, and it was quite long. (It was actually Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto in D major. Podolskoff didn't remember the long name.)"

Driver: "I used to hear it often. There was always a girl playing at the intersection of my neighborhood. Every morning when I went to work, I would see her standing next to the flower bed in the middle of the street, playing the violin."

Podolskov: "Really? You pursued her?"

"How is that possible? I'm a worker and I don't even have a suit."

Podolskov: "You are right. Go ask the priest! He will definitely tell you that there is no barrier between you two. If you like someone, you should pursue him bravely!"

The driver didn't answer, but took out a flat wine flask and took a big sip.

At this time, someone drove over on a captured BMW motorcycle, shouting as he walked: "New tanks are coming! New tanks are coming!"

The Podolskov crew was originally listening to the violin, and now their attention was drawn to it.

Podolskov shouted: "Petro! What new tank?"

The man driving the BMW turned around and said, "This morning, we discovered an enemy tank assembly area during aerial reconnaissance, so the front reserve troops are moving towards us. They are all new tanks that have just arrived! New models! I heard they haven't been named yet!"

Podolskov and his men looked at each other, and waved his hand energetically: "Let's go and take a look!"

After saying that, he jumped into the jeep first, followed by a group of people. A few seconds later, the Willys Jeep drove away.

A large group of people had already gathered around the new tank, and the originally empty grassland became noisy.

Someone recognized Podolskov and shouted from a distance: "Are you here to see the new tanks too?"

"Come and see what's going on!" Podolskov responded, his eyes fixed on the new tank on the steppe.

The new tank is very low overall, and its oval turret is a bit like the Rokossov-1 type, but rounder, and looks like a pot lid turned upside down on the body of the tank.

When the driver Ivan saw the pot-covered hair, he was amazed: "It looks like the defensive ability is quite good."

The gunner's focus is on the gun barrel: "Is its barrel longer than ours? The penetration must be higher, enough to face the enemy's new tanks!"

Finally, the jeep arrived in front of the new tank. Podolskov pulled the handbrake, jumped out of the car, and shouted to the people on the tank: "How much is this tank? It looks lighter than our tank!"

The tanker on the egg-shaped turret replied: "It is said to be 34 tons, used to replace the TW! Wow, this gun will definitely not fail to penetrate the reinforced front of the Panzer IV."

The commander of the new tank laughed: "Panzer IV? Are you kidding? Our gun was specially lengthened a little bit based on the original one. They said it was a precautionary measure to deal with the enemy's new tanks in the future!"

Podolskov quickly jumped onto the new tank and patted the gun shield on the front of the turret: "How is the frontal defense?"

The commander of the new tank: "It is similar to the Rokossov I. The main reason for this tank's side and rear defense is not as good as the Rokossov I. After all, the Rokossov I is a heavy breakthrough tank, just like the heavy cavalry in the past, it has to charge the enemy head-on.

"Our main feature is that it runs fast and has high reliability. Look, when we set out, we had 45 cars, and after running so far, we still have 27 cars left!"

Podolskov nodded repeatedly: "Great! Great! Our First Breakthrough Tank Brigade now only has a few vehicles left that can fight, and this one is still repaired. This new tank is really great."

As soon as he finished speaking, someone blew a whistle and drove a motorcycle from a distance. The person in the motorcycle bed held a loudspeaker and shouted: "Everyone, hurry back to your units! The enemy is approaching! Damn it, don't gather around the new tanks. Anyone who can survive can drive one. Hurry back to your units!"

(End of this chapter)