Arc of Gunfire

Lieutenant Colonel Fane returned to his heavy armor battalion.

The brand new heavy tank No. 6 is ready for use.

The lieutenant colonel asked the battalion chief of staff who came to greet him: "What's going on?"

"The enemy's reconnaissance plane flew over us for the first time and was driven away by the accompanying air defense battalion."

Finn's heavy armored battalion received special care. It was not only equipped with high-quality infantry and motorized reconnaissance units, but also equipped with an anti-aircraft battalion equipped with Panzer IV tank anti-aircraft vehicles.

This type of anti-aircraft vehicle, nicknamed the "furniture truck", is currently the latest self-propelled anti-aircraft gun of the Prossen Army. The newer "Tornado" self-propelled anti-aircraft gun has not yet been equipped with a large number of equipment.

Lieutenant Colonel Fein was speechless: "What we are gathering has been exposed. Today's attack will not be easy."

"But we have a brand new Panzer 6 tank! Even the enemy's vortex tank destroyer and the new turtle-like heavy tank can't penetrate the new Panzer 6 tank head-on!" the chief of staff said confidently. , "This is specially strengthened against the enemy's 100mm cannon!"

Lieutenant Colonel Fein nodded: "Yes, after strengthening, the total combat weight will be close to 80 tons. When maneuvering to the attack assembly area, a few wheels will be broken and then replaced with new ones. It will take 12 to 18 hours! Our new tank is really It’s amazing.”

Because the yin and yang was too obvious, the chief of staff hesitated, not knowing whether he should answer the question.

Lieutenant Colonel Finn himself skipped this topic: "I want to personally attack and ask the commander of car No. 202 to vacate his seat for me."

The chief of staff was shocked: "Are you going to attack personally? Why?"

Lieutenant Colonel Fenn looked at the horizon and was silent for a few seconds before replying: "Recall a little the pride of my youth."

"What?" the chief of staff asked doubtfully.

Lieutenant Colonel Finn: "Only loyal tanks will give us a steel tomb."

The chief of staff still didn’t understand: “Do you want me to gather everyone to sing together?”

Lieutenant Colonel Finn: "You are a typical Prossenian, my good chief of staff."

The chief of staff smiled and said: "Thank you, I grew up in my family's manor when I was a child, but later the manor was sold to a big landowner, and we also moved to Brandenburg and became city residents. But I have always lived in the traditional Junker aristocracy. standards for yourself!”

Lieutenant Colonel Fenn nodded: "Prossen is lucky to have soldiers like you. It is Prossen's misfortune to have soldiers like me."

The chief of staff, who originally wanted to continue to show his loyalty, was immediately embarrassed.

Lieutenant Colonel Finn: "Go and deliver the order. No, I will go to car No. 202 myself."

After saying that, he turned around and strode towards the tank group that had formed an attack formation, and directly found the No. 202 vehicle.

The commander saw Lieutenant Colonel Finn approaching and climbed out of the turret: "Lieutenant Colonel, are you planning to personally command the attack after a long absence?"

"Yes." The lieutenant colonel climbed onto the tank, took the earphones from the commander and put them on. The horizontal bars of the earphones pressed against the big-brimmed hat.

He got into the turret, looked back at the armored battalion that was ready to go, and then, like Officer Prosen in the promotional photo, he picked up the microphone and ordered: "Attention, all battalions, tanks, move forward!"

The roar of engines was originally lingering over the assembly area, but now it was like thunder rolling across the grassland.

The original commander of car No. 202 jumped out of the car, stood aside and saluted the lieutenant colonel, and watched the tank slowly start.

At this moment, the roar of engines was heard in the sky, and several Ant Air Force bombers dived down from high altitude.

The accompanying "furniture truck" began to fire, and the anti-aircraft artillery shells continued to blast black clouds in the sky.

Ant Air Force dropped the bomb in advance, and the bomb exploded into tall mud pillars in the tank formation.

Lieutenant Colonel Finn: "Did anyone get shot?"

"The bomb landed next to me, Battalion Commander. I guess I need to recalibrate the scope, but otherwise it's fine."

Lieutenant Colonel Finn: "It's not too late to calibrate when we encounter the enemy. Move forward!"

Someone on the radio shouted excitedly: "Today we will let the turtle shells of the Ant people know how powerful we are!"

The Ant turtle shell, which has recently caused the Proson Armored Forces to suffer a lot, is relatively short and is indeed not as "tall and powerful" as the Panzer 6 tank.

Lieutenant Colonel Fane did not respond, just listening to everyone's energetic chatter on the radio.

Car No. 202 roared forward.

…

An hour later, a large amount of dust appeared ahead.

Lieutenant Colonel Fein picked up the microphone: "There is dust ahead, prepare to engage the enemy!"

"It's already been prepared!"

"I won the first victory for Panzer 6!"

Lieutenant Colonel Finn raised his telescope and looked ahead.

According to the intelligence obtained at the Armored Corps Headquarters, the enemy's Rokosov-1 heavy tank should not be able to move much after several days of fierce fighting.

Lieutenant Colonel Fein fully hoped that what he encountered this time was T34. The Panzer 6 tank can crush them without any pressure. Last year, the Panzer 6 tank using the old design showed its talents in the summer battle, using Ant's T34 and KV as targets.

The new Panzer 6 tank, with all its data now fully improved compared to the old design, will definitely be able to achieve even more exaggerated results.

Lieutenant Colonel Finn held up his telescope and observed patiently, and finally saw the outline of the enemy tank.

Something is wrong.

Lieutenant Colonel Finn put down the telescope, rubbed his eyes, and raised it again.

The silhouette of the enemy tank looks nothing like the T34.

Lieutenant Colonel Fein has not personally seen the legendary Rokosov-1 heavy tank that looks like a turtle shell, but has only read the identification manual issued by General Prosen.

He felt that the outline did not look like the "Rokosov Type 1" in the identification manual.

And after so many days of fighting, the Rokosov Type 1 should not have so many.

Lieutenant Colonel Finn saw at least twenty silhouettes.

Furthermore, the Rokosov Type 1 is said to be very fast, but it shouldn’t be that fast, right?

It is a heavy tank after all!

As for the outlines in front of me, Lieutenant Colonel Fein looked at them for a while and they had grown several times in size. They were obviously approaching at an alarming speed!

Lieutenant Colonel Fein made a prompt decision, picked up the microphone and ordered: "Attention, everyone, stop the car!"

With a wail of the gearbox, the entire battalion under the lieutenant colonel came to a halt.

The company commander below quickly asked: "Lieutenant Colonel, what's going on?"

"Something's wrong with the enemy. They're approaching too fast! Let's stop and try to control the distance and shoot from a long distance!" Lieutenant Colonel Finn ordered, "All tanks fire the first wave at 1,800 meters and strive for the first hit."

For the Prosen tank crews, the first hit at 1800 meters is not a difficult goal to achieve. Their training and advanced sights are enough to support this.

Each company commander began to convey Lieutenant Colonel Fein's order: "Everyone listen to the order, fire from 1800 meters, the first hit!"

"Those who miss will have to use the toilet for a week!"

Lieutenant Colonel Fein cut into the in-car communication: "There is no need to turn the turret, there is one approaching directly in front. Did you see it, Cole?"

Gunner Cole replied: "I saw it, I have taken aim. I can hit the target at a distance of 2,000 meters. Please control the timing of firing independently."

"No, once we fire, other vehicles will follow suit and we will fight again at 1,800 meters." Lieutenant Colonel Finn said decisively.

"All right."

Because the old designed main gun of the Panzer 6 tank could not penetrate the front of the enemy's vortex tank destroyer, the new Panzer 6 main gun was much longer and was called the Long 88 gun. Its armor-piercing capability was far better than the 88 mm of the anti-aircraft artillery unit. gun.

It is said that the designers originally planned to equip the upgraded Panzer VI tank with a 105mm tank gun, but in the end because it was too heavy, it was changed to a long 88mm gun.

If Prosen's designers think the tank is too heavy, then it really is.

Now it’s time to test the armor-piercing capabilities of the long-barreled 88mm gun.

Lieutenant Colonel Finn himself used the scale of the telescope to measure the enemy's distance.

Because we don’t know the specific parameters of the enemy, this estimate should be inaccurate. Lieutenant Colonel Fein estimated the vehicle width data of the Rokosov Type 1 in the identification manual, so that if this was the Rokosov Type 1, or an improved and upgraded version of the Type 1, the distance data would be more accurate.

I don’t know which set of data the gunner used to estimate.

When Lieutenant Colonel Fein's estimated distance was shortened to 1,800 meters, the gunner of No. 202 opened fire.

The muzzle flash from the cannon directly blocked Lieutenant Colonel Finn's sight.

But now there was a strong wind blowing on the grassland, and the dust caused by the muzzle flash was blown away by the strong wind. Lieutenant Colonel Fane happened to see the target hit.

It seems that the shell was bounced away. It seems that it is still a bit difficult to penetrate the Rokosov-1 armor at a distance of 1,800 meters.

Enemy tanks also returned fire.

It should be an emergency stop to shoot, but from this distance it is really hard to tell that the enemy has stopped suddenly.

The shell hit the armor of No. 202 with a duang sound, leaving a shocking scratch on the corrugated imitation magnetic coating.

Lieutenant Colonel Fane was relieved. At least the enemy could not penetrate the front of the No. 6 tank.

The next step is to see who can penetrate the other side first as the distance gets closer.

Just as he thought this, the second wave of enemy attacks arrived.

It's a smoke bomb!

Lieutenant Colonel Fein was a little surprised. Using smoke grenades meant giving up long-range shooting and engaging in close combat.

But what kind of close combat is going on between heavy tanks and heavy tanks? Is long-range shooting worse than armor-plated bombs?

Suddenly, Lieutenant Colonel Fane was shocked.

Unless the enemy isn't a heavy tank at all.

Considering that the closing speed is much higher than that of ordinary heavy tanks, these tanks are medium tanks! It is the follow-up model of T34!

So they knew that their defensive capabilities were not as good as the newly designed No. 6 tank, so they gave up long-distance shooting and planned to rely on speed to rush up and fight at close range!

Lieutenant Colonel Fein switched to radio mode and shouted into the microphone: "Back up! Everyone back up! The enemy is a medium tank, and they are going to rush up and fight us in close combat!"

"What? But the shape doesn't look like T34!" a company commander asked.

Lieutenant Colonel Finn: "Think about the speed at which they approach! Only medium tanks like the T34 can approach at this speed! Don't engage in close combat with them! They have armored cavalry on their backs, and close combat is too detrimental to us! Back up!" "