Cannon Fire Arc

Chapter 824: Chapter 44 General Andrei Fails Again (8.6K)_2

As soon as the voice fell, a BMW motorcycle with a sidecar raced down the highway in a cloud of smoke and came to a screeching halt in front of Tank 217.

The officer in the sidecar climbed out, ran excitedly up to Tank 217, and patted its hull: “Thank you so much, really, thank you! You saved my troops!”

Judging by the rank and insignia, Karl figured that this was the battalion commander of the Assault Gun Battalion that had been trapped between the enemy and the marshland.

Lieutenant Karl felt it was impolite to converse while standing atop the vehicle’s hull, so he jumped down, but before he could steady himself, the excited Assault Gun Battalion commander gave him a bear hug.

Battalion Commander: “We had given up hope. We were on our way to support the 290th Division, but halfway there we suddenly found ourselves surrounded by the marshes and the enemy! The enemy tanks must have passed by on the highway while we were resting in the woods; I thought the commotion on the highway was our own troops!”

Lieutenant Karl furrowed his brow. The enemy might have been slack, but this Assault Gun Battalion commander seemed far too relaxed. Could it be that this war had devolved into a competition of who was worse?

After the hug, Lieutenant Karl earnestly requested the Assault Gun Battalion commander: “We are preparing to blow up the northeastern village to block the enemy’s main forces and could use the assistance of your Assault Gun Battalion.”

“Understood. I will have two Assault Gun companies deployed on either flank to avoid an Antean tank flanking attack. The third Assault Gun company I will deploy in the forest over there, perfectly positioned to strike the flanks of the Antean tanks attacking you!”

The Battalion Commander pointed to the woods west of the highway.

“But we hope to have infantry cover in the forest; without turrets, an Assault Gun unit could be in trouble if approached by enemy infantry.”

Lieutenant Karl: “You will have infantry support.”

“That’s good; I’ll go back and give orders to my troops.” With that, the battalion commander took a step back and saluted Lieutenant Karl.

The lieutenant returned the salute leisurely, as if he were the officer of higher rank.

At this moment, infantrymen arrived in the communications company’s vehicle, cramming the top of the vehicle and even using the radio antennas as handrails.

Once the communications vehicle stopped, the same Lieutenant who had briefed Karl earlier got off first: “Reporting, Lieutenant, we saw your two vehicles in combat—it was exhilarating!”

Lieutenant Karl: “Noted. Now I have a mission for you infantrymen. Follow the Assault Gun Battalion commander over there; he has a company that needs to set up an ambush in the forest, and you need to cover them.”

Lieutenant: “What? We just came out of that forest!”

“Then send a platoon back there, and have the other platoons stay in the village.”

The Lieutenant turned and shouted at the disembarking infantry: “Third Platoon onto the Assault Guns; get ready to return to the forest we just left.”

While the infantrymen grumbled, Lieutenant Karl spoke to the communications company platoon leader: “Is medium-wave radio operational?”

“Yes, your commander.”

“Contact Battalion Headquarters. We’ve encountered a large group of enemies. The defensive line of the 290th Division has definitely been breached; we need infantry and anti-tank gun support!”

————

Another hour passed, and dust with engine noise began to creep into Lieutenant Karl’s ears from the direction of the northeast highway.

The lieutenant immediately climbed off his camp bed, not bothering to fold it, and dashed onto the highway to observe the approaching dust cloud with binoculars.

Something seemed amiss right away.

“Why is the enemy in marching formation?”

When marching, especially on roads, tanks always form in a single file column to make efficient use of the highway.

But this formation in combat was a surefire way to get slaughtered.

Lieutenant Karl muttered to himself skeptically: “Didn’t any surviving Anteans think to inform their following troops that this place has been captured?”

The Gunner commented: “It’s possible. They were just hastily launching their tanks when we attacked them. With such laxity and panic, it’s not surprising they forgot.”

Lieutenant Karl surveyed once more with his binoculars, confirming that indeed the enemy was approaching in a single column, and the spacing between the tanks was too close; if the first tank were to be stopped, it could cause a ‘pile-up’.

“Regardless,” Karl picked up the radio. “Assault Gun Third Company, Assault Gun Third Company!”

“This is Third Company, go ahead.”

“Attack the enemy tank column’s rearmost vehicle.”

“Your Excellency, those are T34W models; we can easily penetrate their flanks. I’ve just assigned targets, ensuring each Assault Gun has one, and we aim to destroy the last 20 tanks in the enemy’s column with the first volley.”

“Excellent, leave it to you.”

Putting down the handset, Lieutenant Karl checked the enemy line for the third time—he just felt that the enemy arranged into a formation, resembling Changshan Snake, was a trick.

But after several reviews, he still couldn’t see any issues.

Besides, they were T34Ws; their main guns probably couldn’t penetrate the frontal armor of a Sturmgeschütz III assault gun at a distance, let alone the armor of a Tiger King.

It seemed today the Prosen Armored Troops were going to have an astonishing kill to death ratio here.

Just like in the first year of the war!

No, Lieutenant Karl suddenly remembered his experience from the first year of the war. While other tank units were racking up kills against Anteans tanks to earn Iron Crosses, his tank was penetrated only a few days after entering Antean territory.

He was then the machinist, and the piercing shot was right beside him. The driver had been hit and turned into a bloody mess; the Gunner in the turret’s foot was struck by a shrapnel, screaming in agony.

The commander was yelling: “Abandon the tank! Everyone, abandon the tank!”

That was Lieutenant Karl’s first battle, and he crawled out of the tank, tumbling into a nearby shell hole, only then the commander stared at him and said, “Your shoulder is wounded, bandage it quickly!”