Arc of Gunfire

At 2330 hours on July 2, the headquarters of the 1st Khazalia Front.

Pavlov threw a document in front of Wang Zhong: "Today's loss has come out."

Wang Zhong: "Looking at your expression, I know the loss is not small."

Pavlov: "If we fight like this for two more days, we will lose all our tanks. We have to think of something."

Wang Zhong stood up and came to the map: "We are attacking. The heavy artillery units can't keep up with the advancing armored spearheads. Even the more maneuverable rocket launchers can't keep up. After all, the mobility of car wheels on the grassland is better than that of cars. Not on the track.

“No vehicle on wheels other than a Willys Jeep could keep up with the armor.

"We did design a rocket launcher carried by Willys Jeep, but it is not equipped on a large scale yet. And the effectiveness of its actual use still needs to be verified in actual combat."

Vasily: "In other words, at this stage, we can only use armored troops to exchange with the enemy? What about the possibility of mobilizing the vortex troops to ambush the enemy?"

Pavlov: "We have already done this. In fact, the Vortex troops performed well today. The enemy did not invest many Big Max tank destroyers that could penetrate the Vortex during the attack, and the Elephant tank destroyer that is currently confirmed to exist Because it was too bulky, it was not used in the attack.

"The enemy's tank troops suffered heavy losses in the face of the vortex. This is the best news today. The second best news is that we control most of the fighting area again and can prevent the Prosins from repairing those damaged tanks."

Ant's maintenance capabilities are insufficient. The main repair vehicles are imported from the United States. The quantity itself is not enough, and the quality of the maintenance personnel is not as high as that of Proson.

The main purpose of controlling the battlefield is to prevent the Prosins from repairing damaged tanks. If the Prosins control the battlefield, half of the tanks that are not on fire or destroyed on the battlefield will be repaired within a few days.

Of course, another way to not repair tanks for the Prossens is to hit all the paralyzed enemy tanks as much as possible before evacuating the battlefield.

Generally, it is difficult to repair a tank that has been overheated, and even repairing it will take a lot of time. According to the captured Proson maintenance unit manual and the confessions of prisoners, such tanks are generally abandoned for repair, and only those that have not been burned are recovered. Parts are provided for other vehicles.

Wang Zhong: "There is also good news. The Eighth Guards Tank Corps has still not encountered the enemy's armored forces. They have formed a prominent spearhead, threatening the enemy's entire rear area and echoing our cavalry units."

Pavlov: "According to aerial reconnaissance, the Eighth Tank Army will be attacked by the enemy's armored counterattack tomorrow. Although the Eighth Army has the title of Guards, it was given to the original 51st Tank Army, and their tank crews did not There aren’t many veterans, maybe…”

Wang Zhong looked at the chief of staff: "Are you worried that they will be used as a record by the enemy tankers?"

"This is basically the fate of our novice crews." Pavlov spit out the cold facts. "Some of them only have 60 hours of tank driving time, and it is rare that they can drive 200 hours."

Vasily suddenly said: "As consumables for mincing meat, they are more suitable than those veterans who have gone through life and death on the battlefield."

Popov: "Don't say such things, you heartless guy."

Vasily spread his hands: "I'm just stating the facts."

Wang Zhong: "No, the veterans can at least exchange three for one, and the recruits will only wholesale iron crosses to the Prosen people.

"Can you let the Eighth Army switch to defense tomorrow? Just tell them to wait for the oil to be delivered. Build tank bunkers in place. This can reduce the enemy's advantage to some extent."

Pavlov nodded: "This is indeed the best way. The Eighth Guards Army has advanced far enough. Defending in place will not delay our overall offensive pace. I will give the order right now."

————

At the same time, the headquarters of Army Group South of Plossen.

Marshal Gron put down the report and sighed: "Even if the results claimed by each unit are not watery at all, our losses are hard to ignore."

Chief of Staff of the Army Group: "Some armored divisions have only 20 combat-ready tanks left, and the others are either lost or under repair. They were unable to control the battlefield after the battle, which had a serious impact on us."

Marshal Gron turned and looked at the map: "How did they (referring to Ant) get so many tanks? Were they supported by the United States? Although I know that a large amount of water must have been poured into the declared victory, but...could it be that the enemy has enhanced its maintenance capabilities?"

According to the report of Plossen's headquarters, Ant's maintenance capabilities should be only one-tenth of Plossen's. In the previous two years, Plossen had captured many Ant tanks that were abandoned with only minor malfunctions. came to this conclusion.

Chief of Staff: "Last year and the year before last, we also had such doubts when faced with the Ant troops that kept emerging from the ground. I thought you were used to it. They just have such production capacity and can supplement it."

Marshal Gron pursed his lips and thought for a long time, then said: "I want to call His Majesty. If he wants us to defeat Rokossov, he has to bring back the armored units that were transferred from us! Or give them from home. We just need to mobilize new armored units.”

————

A few minutes later, the Eagle's Nest.

"It is impossible to return the transferred armored troops to you!" The emperor stood up and spat on the phone. "You can't defeat Rokossov without these armored troops? You already have more than two armored troops in hand." The number of armored units in General Moltke’s hands years ago!”

Marshal Gron replied on the phone: "But the enemy is no longer the clay-footed giant from two years ago! Their troops were only of limited size two years ago. Even an armored division with 200 tanks would be completely annihilated by our infantry division. !

"But now, if our infantry division is attacked by two hundred tanks, the position will be in danger and it will be broken through accidentally!"

After a brief pause, Marshal Gron added: "What's more, the enemy still has a damn Rokosov Type 1 heavy tank!"

Hearing the syllables "Rokosov", the emperor was shocked and asked: "What Rokosov? What type?"

"Rokosov Type 1 is the serial number of the enemy's new heavy tank! And they call that heavy rocket launcher Urban Cannon!"

The emperor scolded: "This Rokossov actually named the tank after himself! I am embarrassed to call the new tank the Reinhardt Type 1! How shameless!"

Several senior generals who were listening silently exchanged glances.

Marshal Gron: "He may be trying to boost morale. For Ant soldiers, Rokossov means victory. If you don't give us armor this time, he will win again!"

"You clearly show amazing exchange ratios in the reports you give me every day! Do you want to say that those exchange ratios are all lies?" the emperor asked.

"Of course not," Marshal Gron replied calmly. "The enemy's losses may be exaggerated due to many factors such as observation and our failure to control the battlefield, but they are not exaggerated so much. But our losses are also real! I have The armored division has only 20 tanks left in combat readiness! If we don't get reinforcements, we will have to temporarily stop the attack and wait for the short-term repair tanks to be completed!"

"We can't stop the counterattack! We can't!" The emperor raised his voice. "If you stop the counterattack, you will play into Rokosov's hands!"

"I know, so Your Majesty, I need reinforcements. Rokossov's armored forces have penetrated nearly seventy kilometers deep into us, and his cavalry is running around in our control area. We are now..."

Suddenly, gunshots were heard on the other end of the phone.

The emperor was shocked: "Why are there gunshots? Marshal Gron, please answer!"

————

Marshal Gron raised his head when he heard the sound of gunfire, and then the reassuring sound of MG42 firing came.

Not long after, the air defense regiment of the Army Group Headquarters also opened fire.

The air defense regiment of the Army Group Headquarters is equipped with the latest anti-aircraft tanks. This type of tank is nicknamed a "family car" by the soldiers because of its square fighting room.

The receiver in Marshal Gron's hand kept hearing His Majesty the Emperor's howl: "What's going on? Where is the gunshot coming from?"

The marshal ignored the emperor for the moment and asked loudly: "Why are the guns firing?"

Soon the head of the headquarters security regiment rushed in and saluted: "Report to the marshal that the enemy's cavalry troops have attacked us."

Marshal Gron: "They all came here in a surprise attack? This place should be about 80 kilometers away from the nearest Ante forward!"

"I don't know this, but we did kill several Ant cavalry. Judging from the scale, there should be more than two companies of cavalry rushing into the village during the night." The head of the security regiment reported truthfully.

As if in response to his words, the sound of bobosha shooting and shouting in Ant language came from the yard outside.

Marshal Gron: "What are you saying outside?"

The staff officer who understood Antese immediately replied: "With so many cars, it seems that we have caught a big fish. Start a radio report quickly."

Marshal Gron suddenly counted down his hair: "What did they say? The last sentence!"

"Expand the radio report quickly."

Marshal Gron: "It's broken, Rokossov likes to bomb the headquarters! Get ready to move!"

Chief of Staff: "If we transfer, the headquarters will temporarily lose its function of commanding the troops, isn't that bad? Anyway, Rokossov's cannons won't be able to hit here for a while."

Marshal Gron thought for a moment and thought so, and then replied: "You are right, strengthen the defense."

After speaking, he put the receiver to his ear again.

Emperor Prossen was very anxious: "Why are you firing the gun? Rokossov has rushed into your headquarters? Hello?"

Marshal Goron: "Rokossov's cavalry broke into my headquarters. Now at least 200,000 Rokossov's cavalry are wandering in our control area, and the people are helping them, so they can move around and attack us. Small forces and logistics.”

The emperor gritted his teeth and replied: "You must block Rokossov's attack! I will send reinforcements to you! Once Rokossov is defeated, these people will be liquidated! Completely liquidated! How dare they assist the enemy? These are no longer ordinary people, we must take a heavy blow!"