artillery arc

Chapter 646: Liberation Fire (Update 44/84)

At 7 on July 9, the Sixty-third Infantry Army was facing the defensive positions of the Plosson Army.

A whistling sound came from the sky, and the experienced Plossen veterans immediately rushed into the anti-artillery holes, while those who were too far away to enter the holes lay down in the trenches.

Immediately afterwards, the ground began to shake, and the shock wave of the explosion continued to plow through the position, overturning everything that could be overturned.

The former recruit Andreas is now a veteran who has served for a year (appeared in the First Mobile Army volume), and has a sign of exemption from military service, so he no longer has to do those miscellaneous jobs.

However, he still partnered with veteran Corporal Koslake and was responsible for an MG42 machine gun in the heavy weapons platoon.

This rare machine gun crew of two veterans huddled in an anti-artillery hole near the machine gun position, sharing the cigarettes they had just received from the quartermaster.

Piaget, a new recruit crammed into the same anti-gun cave, asked, "How come you are so calm?"

Andreas said calmly, "Because we have seen this kind of scene many times. Last summer, we fought against Rokossov's troops in Yeisk, South Antwerp, and we experienced his artillery fire at that time."

Corporal Koslake, now a sergeant, sneered and exposed Corporal Andreas's lie: "The corporal was still a rookie at the time. He looked pale when the artillery fire came. Yes, just like you, a rookie."

Andreas: "Don't tell on me, Sergeant."

The new recruit looked back and forth at the two old hands and asked bravely, "Are the Ants really a bunch of fools with only brute courage, as the instructor in the recruit camp said?"

The two men who were smoking stopped and looked at the recruits together.

Sergeant Koslake: "The training camp behind us said that? What a sin."

New soldier: "What?"

Corporal Andreas: "There are two kinds of Ants. If you look like a child, nervous, and holding a bolt-action rifle... what is the enemy's rifle called?"

"Mosin-Nagant," said Sergeant Koslake.

"Yes, the Mosin-Nagant ones are really just reckless. Just like you! Do you understand? Just like you! But if they are holding a PPSh, wearing a steel helmet, with a firm face and scars, they are cunning and tenacious warriors.

"If it's the Guards wearing green rain capes and holding strange submachine guns that seem to blow when they shoot - ah, you won't see such guys, and recruits like you will die before then."

The recruit's face changed: "Is it so powerful?"

"Yeah, it's that powerful." Koslake said and smoked fiercely.

Andreas said: "Last year we faced Ant infantry equipped with this weapon for the first time in the fog caused by Ant's wizards, and most of them died before they could figure out what was going on.

"Don't be fooled by officers like the quartermaster calling Ant's guards cloaked cockroaches, as if they are weak. In fact, they are just using this method to embolden themselves."

New recruit: "Courage?"

"Yeah, who told you that the Ants are just gray animals who rely on numbers to win? Just let them go to the front line and face those terrible warriors." Kosrek blew out a smoke ring, "They have been fighting for two years."

At this time, a shell fell very close to the anti-gun hole, and the anti-gun hole was suddenly blown down, and a large amount of soil was directly pressed down.

The two veterans were squatting at the entrance of the cave. They rolled out the moment the cave collapsed. However, Andreas rolled too slowly and was half buried in the soil.

Sergeant Koslake was so shocked that he collapsed to the ground. It took him more than ten seconds to get up and pull his old partner out.

Andreas screamed in pain: "My waist is going to break! Why don't you dig it out first and then pull it!"

Koslake suddenly found an engineer shovel nearby that had been blown over by a shell from somewhere, so he picked it up and started digging.

Andreas screamed like a pig being slaughtered: "Not so fast! Ah! Be careful not to dig up my thing!"

"Don't make noise! ​​I haven't found anything yet! Wait until I find it before you make noise!"

After a while, Andreas was finally dug out. Kosrek threw down his engineer shovel and collapsed in the trench.

In fact, you should adopt a defensive posture at this time, otherwise if a shell falls nearby, you will definitely suffer internal injuries.

Recently, the Ants seem to have changed the formula of the warhead charge, and the overpressure caused by the shells is even more terrifying.

Andreas picked up the engineer shovel, turned around and continued to dig the hole he had left. After a few digs, he dug out the recruit's hand.

Sergeant Koslake: "Don't bother. He would have suffocated to death. The new recruits have no experience and think they are safest hiding in the innermost part of the cave."

"Fuck it." Andreas stabbed the shovel into the ground and collapsed.

Sergeant Koslake stared at the hand sticking out of the soil. "You can either take the ring and return it to his wife or fiancée, or you can bury the hand and the ring together."

Andreas turned his head and took a look. After a brief hesitation, he took off the ring and put it in his pocket, muttering, "Who knows if we can go home."

"But for the enemy, they are about to go home." The sergeant raised his head and listened to the continuous explosions. "In my hometown, when spring starts to thunder like this, it means that spring plowing is about to begin and the busy year begins."

Andreas shook his head. "I don't want to hear that sound again in my life. I bet I'll have nightmares when there's a thunderstorm in the future, and I can only sit on the bed and smoke. Shit, where's the cigarette?"

Kosrek took out his cigarettes and tossed one to Andreas.

The corporal took out a match and struck it, and the two of them borrowed light from each other to light their cigarettes.

The lingering smoke seemed to block out the overwhelming and earth-shaking noises around.

Sergeant Kosrek suddenly said: "For the Antes living in our occupied areas, this is the fire of liberation. They will miss this fire for the rest of their lives."

Andreas did not answer, and concentrated on smoking.

————Plossen’s First Land Stuka Battalion, five minutes after the Ante Army’s artillery fire was ready to stop.

Amid the sound of whistles, land Stukas drove out of the bunkers one after another and drove to the launch positions that had been marked long ago.

"Remember the pre-calculated firing parameters!" The officer rode past the half-tracked rocket launcher and kept shouting, "As long as we fire according to the firing parameters, we can accurately cover Ant's attack force, completely destroy the enemy's first wave of offensive, and cause heavy casualties!"

The operators were busy adjusting the tilt angle of the launch frame hanging on both sides of the sdkfz half-track vehicle.

Soon, a signal flare was launched into the air, and the command to fire spread throughout the launching position.

The rocket, like a gas tank, rushed into the sky with a tail flame and rushed towards the "Ante's attack force".

Someone laughed wildly: "Hahahaha! The Ant people are in trouble now! Maybe the attack this morning will be thwarted!"

----

Five minutes later, Ant attacked the starting position.

After the earth-shaking explosion stopped, Sergeant Anton poked his head out of the starting trench and looked at the messy ground in front of him: "My goodness, are the Prosens planning to blow up the ground so that we can't attack?"

Captain Sergei slapped his head and said, "Stupid! This is preparing to cover us! Fortunately, General Rokossov changed the offensive process and took the enemy's anti-artillery preparation into account!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a whistling sound came from above their heads.

Captain Sergei looked up at the sky. "This is probably a secondary attack on the enemy's artillery unit. It will also kill all the stupid Prosons who have entered the position."

After listening to the whistling sound for a while, Captain Sergei finally seemed to get tired of it and looked away.

Anton: "So when do we attack?"

"Wait for the whistle."

Just as he finished speaking, a whistle sounded from the west side of the trench.

Captain Sergei also blew his whistle, waving his hand to signal the soldiers squatting in the trenches to stand up.

Then, the classic scene appeared. The company chaplain rushed out of the trench in one step, waving a small pistol: "Everyone, forward!"

After saying this, the priest walked in front with a pistol in hand.

Captain Sergei also jumped out of the trench and shouted to the priest: "According to the church's order, the priest cannot be the first to go!"

Priest: "To hell with orders! I want to be the first one to go!"

Behind the two men, rows of infantrymen emerged from the trenches, holding submachine guns and marching in unison in high spirits.

The priest waved his hand and said, "Filipov, sing!"

"What are you singing?"

"You are from here, sing some of your popular songs!"

Filippov was silent.

Captain Sergei turned around: "What's the matter, Filippov? Sing!"

Then a weathered voice began: "I remember a small town in my hometown, peaceful, quiet and melancholy."

No one noticed that the singer changed the lyrics, from "countryside" to "hometown".

"There's a church, a station and a tree-lined avenue
"Sometimes I can see in the crowd

"That familiar, dear figure...

"She was wearing a blue sunhat

"Wearing a blue blouse

"The figure of a girl in a dark skirt

"Ah, my fleeting love!"

The chorus begins with everyone who knows how to sing the song singing in unison:
"Tanya! Tanyusha! My Tatyana!
"Do you still remember that hot summer?

"I can't forget that time
“That time to love!”

Two summers ago, young people sang this song while fighting here and then left their homes.

Two years later, young people are still singing this song and walking on the land of their hometown.

Sparrows flew up from the bushes and chirped above the skirmish line, as if welcoming the returning warriors.

Many of those who left their hometowns back then have never returned, and the "Tania" in their dreams may have already passed away.

Everyone understands that everything in the memory may no longer exist, but it still cannot stop the excitement.

Over the heads of the marching infantry columns, artillery preparation continued.

The vengeful shells could be heard exploding continuously on the Prosen positions, like thunder in early spring.

(End of this chapter)