Arc of Fire

Chapter 727 -65 “12345, it’s five pairs of weighted wheels!

Lieutenant Alexander Fadin had seen tanks with round turrets before, such as the famously renowned Rokossovsky Type, but its turret resembled a turtle shell more than the one in front of him, which was even rounder.

The tank stopped in front of Lieutenant Fadin, and judging from the noise of the brake system, it didn’t seem as heavy as the Rokossovsky Type, likely a medium tank.

The round turret hatch opened and a Tank Operator climbed out, “Lieutenant Davarish, do you need help? Our battalion’s medical vehicle is right behind, just a short walk away and you’ll see it.”

Lieutenant Fadin replied, “There’s an enemy ambush position up ahead at elevation 202.1! The enemy tanks are using the terrain to expose only their turrets, which are very difficult to deal with!”

The tanker with the pot helmet smiled, “See this 100mm gun? It’s the same model as Whirlwind, and currently, no Prosen tank can withstand a direct hit to the front of its turret from this thing!”

Lieutenant Fadin said, “The enemy has a large number of Long-barreled Fours, I saw at least 20 of them!”

"Don’t worry, Davarish, we’ve got 31! Plus ten more are out of service but will catch up soon. Thanks for the intel, Lieutenant. Your mission is done, leave the rest to us!”

After saying that, the tanker on the turret saluted and then patted the top of the turret: “Forward!”

Just from the power alone, it was better than the T34! As for its defense capabilities, Fadin had some doubts about the new tank’s round shape, but knowing that the design had likely been approved by General Rokossovsky himself put his last concerns to rest.

General Rokossovsky placed special emphasis on tanks’ defensive capabilities, wanting to ensure tank operators survived; so, the new medium tank’s defense wouldn’t be worse than the T34’s.

As Lieutenant Fadin watched the tank drive away, a sergeant began counting, “12345

"What are you counting?” asked a puzzled Lieutenant Fadin.

"The wheels! This tank has five pairs of large road wheels, just like the T34!”

Lieutenant Fadin replied, “You’re not trying to say that just because its road wheels are the same as the T34, it is a T34, are you?”

"No, of course I wouldn’t say that. Moreover, the T34’s wheels are arranged very neatly. This one, there’s some distance between the first pair of wheels and the last four!”

By this time, more pot-helmet tanks had passed by, and Fadin noticed the new-style tanks were longer than the T34, so the spacing between the first and second road wheels had been increased.

Furthermore, the new tank’s turret was placed farther back than on the T34, almost in the middle of the tank.

And the new tank’s hull was lower than the T34’s, giving it a more compact appearance.

While Lieutenant Fadin watched the new tank, an infantryman sitting on the engine deck looked back at him, and someone shouted, “Lieutenant, don’t be in a rush! According to reports, by next year, all tank operators will get new vehicles!”

"So long to wait!” Fadin shouted back, “Why don’t you discuss it with the Tank Operator? He can come down, and I’ll switch with him!”

The infantrymen burst into laughter.

Then the sergeant said, “Looks like you can make your way back to the rallying point on your own, Lieutenant. I’m going to join them here!”

Fadin was shocked, “You traitor, don’t go! I refuse to let you abandon me to join the fight! Suddenly, my foot hurts! I need someone to support me! I order you to support me!”

However, the sergeant was already rushing towards a passing tank with his Papasha.

The infantrymen on the tank reached out and pulled him aboard.

"Sukabule!” Lieutenant Fadin cursed.

The sergeant on the tank saluted Fadin.

The infantrymen on the other tanks, not understanding what was going on, also saluted Lieutenant Fadin.

A minute later, all the armored cavalry on the tanks saluted Fadin for no apparent reason, as if he had achieved some unprecedented feat.

With no other choice, Fadin could only stand there and return the salute, watching the new tanks head toward the battlefield.

…

After Lieutenant Fadin was out of sight, the infantrymen on the pot helmets asked the officer leading them, “What was the deal with that Lieutenant just now? Why did we salute him?” ṙÀƝo͍ᛒΕ𝘚

"No idea, probably his whole unit got wiped out, and he was asking us to take revenge for them? Anyway, it’s always right to salute,” the officer shrugged.

—

"Armored Schultz” was holding a pair of binoculars, patiently observing new dust clouds in the distance.

"They’re approaching quickly,” he said, “It doesn’t seem like the enemy’s heavy tanks. I was hoping to encounter the legendary Rokossovsky Type Heavy Tank and study how to deal with it. Turns out it’s just T34s again, looks like the Anteans’ logistical capabilities aren’t enough to support the sustained combat of heavy tanks.”

Over the radio, the Chief of Staff responded, “Yes, according to prisoners’ confessions, Rokossovsky has abandoned last year’s practice of massing dozens or hundreds of heavy tanks in a single unit, instead forming armored battalions with a strength of 21 heavy tanks. He believes that Antean logistical support can only sustain heavy tank operations of that size.”

Adel Schultz nodded in satisfaction, “Rokossovsky is indeed a worthy opponent. Achieving victory over him would be very prestigious indeed!”

As soon as the words were said, Adel saw the approaching Ante tanks.

He couldn’t help but frown, “This tank isn’t in the recognition manual! It’s the enemy’s new type of tank!”

Actually, battlefield recognition is quite a tricky affair, especially at such long distances.

But the silhouette of the enemy’s tanks differed so greatly from those Adel had encountered before that he recognized at a glance that this was an entirely new tank.@@novelbin@@

"Attention all units! We are about to encounter a new type of enemy tank; it’s possibly the previously reported medium tank, which was said to be nearly wiped out in the fight against our Type 6 heavy tanks. That means the tank’s defense capabilities are not as strong as the legendary Rokossovsky Type!”

"Don’t worry too much, just aim and shoot!”

Adel Schultz paused, feeling that these words were not quite enough, and he cautioned further, “For new tanks, aim for their traditional weak spots, such as the driver’s viewport, the driver’s hatch, and the machine gun port on the mantlet! If all else fails, aim for the turret ring to jam the turret!”

"Or use a high-explosive shell to destroy the enemy’s aiming device!”

The Chief of Staff reminded him, “Such orders don’t need to be given by you as the commander of a combat group; the company commanders, all veterans, will remind the tank operators!”

There were many veterans in the Prosen Armored Troops; indeed, what Adel had said was somewhat superfluous.

As the famously dubbed “Armored Schultz,” how could he not be aware of these things! But he just couldn’t help but remind his subordinates because these new types of tanks gave him a bad feeling.

He asked the Chief of Staff, “Are you sure these medium tanks were entirely destroyed by the Type 6 tanks?”

"Yes, the battle report stated the tanks had been destroyed, but the remaining Type 6 tanks were also eliminated by the Ante armored cavalry that charged at them.”

Sweat broke out on Adel, “You mean our heavy armored forces were wiped out? Then who ended up controlling the battlefield?”

"The Anteans did, the report said the Ante infantry advanced, so there was no way to control the battlefield to repair the damaged Type 6 tank prototypes.”

Adel took out a handkerchief and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

As a seasoned officer, he had long known the deception played by the High Command in the battle reports.

Based on the High Command’s battle reports, the clash between the Type 6 heavy tank and the enemy’s new medium tanks likely resulted in mutual destruction; a heavy tank coming to a draw with a medium tank was not a cause for celebration!

Adel announced, “Attention all, the enemy’s new medium tanks may perform beyond our expectations. All units should collaborate with the infantry and anti-tank gun forces to obliterate the enemy

Before he could finish speaking, the first wave of fire began.

Adel immediately dropped the microphone and picked up the binoculars to observe the effect of the attack.

None of the Ante tanks stopped advancing, at least Adel Schultz didn’t see any of them stop.

The first volley failed to penetrate the enemy’s armor!

However, it seemed the Anteans also hadn’t spotted the tanks in Schultz’s combat group.

The Ante armored troops’ situational awareness was always not too sharp.

The second wave of bombardment began. This time, Adel kept the binoculars to his eyes and he clearly saw the sparks struck on the enemy tanks by the long-barreled 50mm and 75mm shells.

Although they were still at a distance, Adel had already seen someone aiming at the enemy’s mantlet and turret ring, yet it seemed they had no effect.

It was said that it was hard to jam the turret rings of the Rokossovsky Type heavy tanks, which the Anteans must have designed specifically to avoid being frequently jammed by the Prosen armored troops’ impeccable marksmanship, as had happened last year.

Then the enemy returned fire.

The sound of the firing made Adel’s heart flutter—that sound looked like the 100mm guns on the enemy’s new style of tank destroyers!

Could it be that the Anteans now standardly equipped 100mm guns?

Flames shot out from the turret hatches of a Panzer IV, and the tank operator, engulfed in fire, crawled out of the tank and rolled on the grass, with prepared infantrymen rushing over with buckets of water.

The Ante tanks continued firing, and while not incredibly accurate, any hit would turn a Prosen tank into a bright, fiery torch.

The aftermath of a 100mm shell piercing through was devastating; hardly any tank hit would not catch fire.

This was like at the start of the war, when the Prosen 88mm gun hit Ante tanks—the impact meant ignition, and if ignited, they would burn until scrapped. Tank operators who managed to escape would suffer substantial burns and be unable to return to the front line for a while.

The radio was filled with the screams of Prosen tankers, likely the desperate cries of those who couldn’t extract themselves from the tanks before being engulfed in flames.

Adel made a tough decision: “Release smoke, abandon positions! Let the infantry and anti-tank guns wear down the enemy!”

The Chief of Staff warned, “The enemy tanks have armored cavalry on their backs! The infantry might not be able to defeat them!”

"We’re not truly giving up our positions; we’re just trying to hold the enemy, to create an opportunity for an encirclement. The enemy’s all medium tanks, their side and rear defenses can’t possibly be as strong as the front! Quick!”