Steel Soviet Union

The final result of a wave of forcible penetration and frontal assault not only achieved the set goal.

He also took away the Germans' high-level command post, kicked out a frontline ambulance station, and finally killed a stubborn colonel and deputy division commander.

This is indeed a great harvest, but it still does not prevent Alsim, Sulovechenko and his team from quickly busying themselves with what must be done next and stepping up preparations for the next wave of battles.

"What are your next plans? The Nazi paratroopers have withdrawn, but I guess they will come back soon, maybe with some stronger weapons to deal with us."

Alsim, Sulovechenko, and the platoon leader of the IS7 heavy tank platoon who led the team to support.

The three on-site commanders gathered together to discuss countermeasures. They squatted on the ground next to the platoon leader's huge IS7 heavy tank and simply drew two lines with chalk to indicate the battlefield.

"You can't just guard against those paratroopers. No one can say whether the Nazis on the other side of the river will rush over to help, just like you can't say whether these Nazi paratroopers who have already been beaten to death will attack. It’s like asking for help from across the river.”

Sulovechenko, who was the first to speak, was worried that the defeated paratroopers might come back quickly, while Alsim was more worried about whether the Nazis on the other side of the river would suddenly rush over.

After all, the gang of Nazis across the river are obviously more of a threat than the enemies they are facing now.

That group of SS troops had relatively complete units, more troops, and more importantly, they had heavy firepower and equipment that the group of Wehrmacht paratroopers on the north bank of the bridge did not have.

Although the Wehrmacht and the SS were incompatible with each other, not only the Germans themselves knew it, but also the Red Army, whose prisoner-of-war camps had long been filled with Germans of all kinds. And judging from what we saw and heard after the invasion of Berlin, the possibility of the SS supporting the Wehrmacht was not very likely, at least in terms of probability.

However, military science has always been a rigorous science. There is a truth in this science that "you must not place your hopes on the enemy's incompetence."

A competent commander should always keep the initiative in his own hands no matter what. In the spirit of revolutionary optimism, even in adversity, we must turn passivity into initiative and seek any possible fighting opportunities instead of waiting for death.

This is the truth and motto that Malashenko always implements in his every word and deed.

Arsim, who regards Malashenko as his "only idol", is also following the same example, and is subtly affected by Malashenko's words and deeds, and changes little by little. Some changes are not even made by himself. perceived.

"So you plan to divide your forces to defend?"

"It's okay if you want to understand it this way. My specific plan is to leave enough manpower in the building, not only on the enemy side we are currently facing, but also to leave enough reserves south of the bridge to deal with unexpected events.˜"*° •.˜˜.•°*”˜Of course, the observation posts at high places must also be properly arranged to ensure that every move of the SS scum across the bridge cannot escape our eyes, so as to prevent the enemy from happening before it happens.”

""

A reality that had to be faced was that after the brief but fierce bloody battle just now, the strength was only one mechanized infantry company and a tank platoon of commandos, which was indeed not enough at the moment.

There is only one mechanized infantry company attached to a tank platoon, and it has suffered casualties from about half the platoon. It is necessary to use such a small force to defend the street entrance of the garrison point without support in the short term, and in the worst case scenario, to withstand the fierce attack from the north and south at the same time by the enemy forces several times larger than our own.

This can no longer be said to be a difficult task. Even if you just think about it briefly, this is not a job that ordinary troops dare to take on. Not everyone has the appetite to eat a delicacy like "cheese on two buns" without choking to death.

"Okay, I support it. It is true that the Nazis on the south side of the bridge have to be guarded against. But there is relatively good news, remember? These idiots blocked the bridge. The bridge is unusable for everyone. Now their Tanks can’t get to the bridge, so even if they support us, they will only send light infantry and light vehicles across the pontoon bridge.”

"As for the tanks, well, they can probably be used as fixed firepower points on the other side of the bridge. It's better than sending tanks over to attack the defense line."

A quiet nod of approval was Alsim's response, followed by a more detailed plan.

"If there is nothing to add, then this is the situation. Each platoon enters the buildings on both sides. The battle on the street on the first floor has heavy firepower and does not require too many people. It is enough to leave half a platoon to defend the line. "

"Collect all the weapons that can still be used, including those left by the Germans, and prepare the guns and ammunition. The little belongings we brought with the car are probably only enough to survive another round. If the situation goes bad, we will have to Expect to use those German fire sticks on top."

"The key point is to collect all suppressive weapons such as machine guns. Go to the commanding heights and set up the guns. The firepower will be stronger and the shooting will be more comfortable later. No matter how powerful it is, it is too much."

"No problem. The tanks and infantry fighting vehicles will provide any necessary fire support. However, we don't have enough artillery shells. That's the problem with the IS7. All the artillery shells on and off the entire vehicle combined cannot sustain a tug-of-war. This vehicle Only suitable for quick wins.”

Although the literal diameter of the bullet is only 8 mm larger, the actual size of both the warhead and the propellant cartridge is more than one circle larger than the 122 Heirloom ammunition produced by the Army because it is made from naval ammunition.

Therefore, even though the IS7 is wider and fatter, its size far exceeds any previous generation Starling heavy tank, reaching the absolute pinnacle of the entire Starling heavy tank family.

However, the ammunition capacity of its ammunition rack has not increased but decreased compared to the previous generation Stalin heavy tank. The standard ammunition load is 25 rounds. Without considering the risk of explosion, it can hold 30 rounds by force. It requires more extreme use of force. Well, maybe I can get a few more rounds in, so the total ammunition for the entire vehicle is thirty-three or four rounds.

But whether it is 25 rounds or 33 or 4 rounds, there is no essential change if there are a few more rounds or a few fewer rounds.

That is to say, the IS7 is really not a main heavy tank suitable for protracted battles and tug-of-war.

The too-sparse main gun ammunition makes the IS7, once caught in the quagmire of a protracted battle, only become a movable steel machine gun bunker in the end.

This is also a problem that Alsim must consider and face now: direct-aimed heavy artillery support can be available, but it must be used sparingly. After the fierce battle just now to stabilize the position, the remaining total reserve of the three vehicles combined is now The amount of ammunition has dropped below 50 rounds, and evenly distributed on each front of the vehicle is less than 17 rounds.

With the support of the IS7's semi-automatic loader and its outrageous rate of fire that is not commensurate with the huge caliber, how long do you think this shell can last? Um?

The good news is that although there are not enough shells for the tank's main gun, the 25mm cannon on the BMP43 infantry fighting vehicle, which has more ammunition and carries excess ammunition when setting off, has enough ammunition and can completely open its mouth. Hit whatever you want.

It just so happens that the wave of enemy attacks within the expected range will inevitably be dominated by light infantry. This will be the case for enemies coming from the south of the bridge or the north of the bridge.

The large amount of anti-infantry artifacts against the foreseeable huge amount of infantry may be the only good news that Alsim can be sure of now.