Arc of Gunfire

Commander Wedel pounded the table angrily: "Where are my backups? Where are the other armored corps? Where are the panzer grenadiers? We agreed that these troops will be in place today, and we just need to launch an attack with peace of mind. What's the result?"

"We did attack. Where is the promise from the Army Group Headquarters?"

Chief of Staff: "Now the enemy's cavalry is being destroyed everywhere, and the headquarters has reimbursed almost all staff officers and clerks. We should be lucky that supplies are still being delivered normally these days."

Weidel shook his head: "I never knew that our staff system at Prossen was so fragile."

Chief of Staff: "I guess I should shrug now, but that's not what an Asgardian officer is supposed to do."

Weidel sighed, and at that moment a communications staff officer entered the armored command vehicle and whispered a few words in the chief of staff's ear.

"What's going on?" Weidel asked.

Chief of Staff: "We have lost contact with the 505th Heavy Armor Battalion equipped with Panzer 6 tanks. They just reported that they encountered the Anters' new medium tanks."

Weidel's eyes widened: "New medium tank? Did you misjudge when you saw Ant's turtle shell in panic?"

The chief of staff looked at the communications officer who came to report the news. The latter shook his head: "I don't know. Before the communication was interrupted, I repeatedly confirmed with them that they were talking about new medium tanks, and I also emphasized that these tanks are very fast!"

Weidel: "Is it fast? According to reports from other troops, the new turtle shells of the Anters are not slow either. After all, they are said to be less than fifty tons.

"Damn it, our No. 5 tank is actually the same tonnage as that turtle shell! But its protective capabilities are completely different! What did the designers at the rear do?"

Chief of Staff: "If they can get that road wheel, they shouldn't have any hope."

Weidel cursed and said no more.

He was pacing back and forth in the headquarters, and suddenly he was inspired and asked: "Has there been any report from the front line about where that new tank has gone?"

The chief of staff replied on behalf of the communications staff: "Coming here, no, it should be said that if the enemy wants to complete the pincer offensive and encircle our army, he has to come here."

Weidel immediately ordered: "The anti-aircraft artillery regiment of the Army Headquarters immediately switches to flat-fire mode, the guard regiment prepares for combat, and all those who have received combat training must get their weapons!"

"Our tanks are all used up, but it doesn't matter. We still have more traditional ways to deal with the Ants who break through! The enemy's armored forces are advancing so fast, and there must be no direct artillery to cooperate. We will make it difficult for them to go around! "

"Yes!" The officers in the room responded in unison, and then began to check their weapons.

Weidel came to the window and looked at the soldiers taking action outside. After a brief thought, he gave a new order: "Send out a motorized reconnaissance battalion and search for the enemy tank column that is advancing towards us along the road. We must Find out their quantity and model.”

The ordering soldier responded, turned around and ran away.

The chief of staff came to Wedel and said worriedly: "We only have one Panzergrenadier division. We have just contacted them. It will take more than ten hours for them to arrive at the military headquarters. Now there is only one regiment of regular guards around the military headquarters. Troops, everything else is logistics.

"In this case, shouldn't we temporarily avoid the enemy's attack? After all, we can keep the green hills without worrying about having no firewood!"

"Where to avoid?" Weidel glared at the chief of staff.

The chief of staff was forced to take a step back by his authority.

Weidel said almost word for word: "They should send me a braver chief of staff. If you want to run, just run. I can even give you an order so that you don't have to undergo a military trial."

"And I want to be with my tank troops. My soldiers disappeared like soap bubbles in the sun in front of the enemy's steel torrent. In this case, I cannot escape from the battle!"

The chief of staff asked: "What can be done? The 88mm gun equipped on the No. 6 tank is longer than that equipped by our air defense battalion. You should know that the power of the same shell will be significantly improved when fired with a longer gun body!"

"The long 88-meter gun of the Panzer 6 tank can't deal with the 'evil ghost'. Do you actually want to rely on the anti-aircraft battalion's 88-meter gun to create a miracle?"

Weidel stared at the chief of staff: "No, no, we did not choose to defend because we have an 88mm cannon that can counter everything.

"You can see what the Ants did! The T34 they drove couldn't penetrate the reinforced frontal armor of our Panzer IV tank, and the long-barreled gun of the Panzer IV can safely name them and create a very exaggerated exchange. Compare..

"Did the Anters back down? No. They chose to fight with courage and blood until the end, and they succeeded, and we are here.

"It's time for the Ants to see the courage and stubbornness of the Prosans, my chief of staff."

The chief of staff hesitated for a long time, then showed an expression of "I risk my life to accompany a gentleman." He sighed longly: "Okay, general, let me..."

Before the chief of staff could say "let", Weidel's adjutant came in carrying two anti-tank "funnels".

Weidel waved his hand: "Take these two things away! I would rather use the vodka from the headquarters kitchen to make Molotov cocktails than take these two embarrassing things."

The adjutant looked a little embarrassed: "This... after all, this is a professional anti-tank weapon. At least we should use it interchangeably with Molotov cocktails. This will look more professional. Holding only Molotov cocktails will make us look... just..."

The adjutant didn't say anything more. Maybe he himself hadn't thought about how it would look.

Weidel snorted.

At this time, the sound of a motorcycle came from outside. Weidel hurriedly leaned over the window and looked out. He just saw a motorcycle with bullet holes driving to the door.

The Proson soldier in the trailer had been shot and killed. The soldier driving the motorcycle stumbled off the motorcycle and rushed into the room: "Report! We encountered enemy armored forces less than fifteen minutes away from the headquarters!"

Weidel: "Combat alert. The enemy should be delayed by setting up an impact formation. Let's hit them hard!"

As soon as the voice fell, another messenger rushed in: "Report, the air defense observation post saw a lot of dust in the southwest direction. It looks like a large-scale tank force is advancing."

"Got it, let the 88 gun prepare to fire."

The messenger saluted, threw a "yes" and turned away.

Weidel picked up the anti-tank funnel that the adjutant had just brought, weighed it in his hand, and shook his head: "No, it's too funny for me, the commander of the armored army, to use such a hammer to deal with enemy tanks. No, give me a submachine gun, and I'll take that to the battlefield."

Adjutant: "I brought these two just in case! Are you going to the battlefield yourself?"

"Is there anything wrong with that? The Ants have been promoting for half a year, saying that their General Rokossov personally raised the red flag and went to the front line at the most dangerous time, which stopped our attack. I can't go to the front line?"

At this time, the guard regiment commander came over with a submachine gun and a magazine bag.

The standard magazine bag of the Proson people is still hung on the waist, but the soldiers fighting on the front line basically like to pick up the chest hanger of the Ant people, especially the chest hanger of the Ant Guards.

But the logistics system of Proson does not recognize the Ant chest hanger, and the waist magazine bag that is disliked by everyone is still allocated.

Weidel ignored the magazine bag, just picked up the submachine gun and walked out with it.

As soon as he went out, the sound of 88 guns came from the anti-aircraft position. Obviously, the enemy's armored forces had entered the direct range of the anti-aircraft guns.

Weidel didn't think about it and walked straight over there.

On the way over, the four 88 guns had fired several rounds.

The commander of the anti-aircraft battalion saw Weidel coming from a distance and came forward: "General! Why are you here? It's very dangerous here. The enemy has not confirmed our position yet. When they find us, this will become the first line of fire!"

The Second Armored Army Headquarters has been stationed here for some time. The anti-aircraft battalion has built very professional fortifications. Each 88 gun has a breastwork and camouflage net for protection, so it is not easy to expose the position even if it opens fire.

At least it is difficult for the enemy who is far away from one kilometer to determine the position of these cannons.

Weidel: "What were the results?"

"No results." The anti-aircraft battalion commander shook his head, "We hit several targets, and several of them stopped briefly after being hit, but soon resumed action. It should be that the people inside were just stunned. The enemy's new tanks have very good defense!"

Wedel: "Didn't you try to aim at the tracks?"

"The enemy's new tanks are too short, and it's hard to hit the tracks, especially when there is grass blocking them." The battalion commander said, "Now the grass outside is as high as the knee, and it's really hard to aim at the enemy's tracks. Especially at a distance of more than 1.5 kilometers, the enemy's sights are very difficult to hit. They are only a little bit in size.

Weidel frowned slightly: "How could it be, we should have replaced the high-power optical sight?"

"Yes, but only the parts other than the lens were delivered, and the lens was not delivered to us. So now we are still using the old sight - we can't use the new sight without the lens to deceive ourselves."

Weidel held his forehead: "I understand, you keep firing until the enemy kills you. Are there enough shells?"

The battalion commander nodded: "This is one of the few good news, General."

Weidel nodded and came to the artillery team's sight next to the cannon.

He hadn't seen it yet, an enemy shell hit the flank of the position, and the sand and gravel raised by the explosion fell on the camouflage net.

Battalion commander: "The enemy is hiding and has not discovered our exact position."

Weidel looked at the crater left by the explosion, and then turned his head to look at the anti-aircraft gunners who were firing fiercely, and then put his eyes on the eyepiece.

Then he saw the outlines of tanks full of people.

Weidel: "Huh, like the chariots of ancient Rome."

Adjutant: "The Ants like to carry out armored cavalry assaults like this. The efficiency is amazing, but the infantry casualties are relatively high."

Wedel: "Admirable courage, admirable opponent."

He straightened up and looked at the approaching smoke with his naked eyes.

"We are not an army that only relies on technological advantages! It's time to let the Ants realize that we are also excellent warriors!"