Arc of Gunfire

Major Schlieffen frowned, looking at the defeated soldiers retreating from the white smoke that had not completely dissipated, his brows twisted into knots.

All Prossen Army tanks are equipped with radios, so he just monitored the radio conversations of the last four crews.

"The enemy is behind! Behind us!"

"We outflank it!"

"It's gone!"

"No. 187! Did you hear No. 187?"

"Attention everyone, we are the only ones left!"

...and then there was no more information, apparently all the Panzer IVs accompanying the attack had been killed.

Sounds like an enemy tank came around and launched a sneak attack?

Does the enemy also have such experienced tankers?

At this time, Major Schlieffen's top ace, Hoffman, said on the radio: "Major, launch another attack! I'm going to meet the enemy's ace!"

"No." Schlieffen refused coldly, "The Panzer III tank is not suitable for supporting infantry operations. The grenade power of the 50mm gun is too small, and it will not have much effect on villages with many masonry buildings."

"But……"

"Do you want to eat the enemy's Molotov cocktail?"

The attacking second armored company had reported that the enemy was using Molotov cocktails extensively, and every building above two stories in the village was dangerous for tanks.

No, any building is dangerous to a tank if the accompanying infantry is blocked by fire.

The Schlieffen Kampfgruppe was originally equipped with two Panzer IV tank companies, but half of them were lost in a few days of offensive operations - most of them were due to mechanical failures and had to be temporarily abandoned.

The double-row road wheels that the empire's military industry department was proud of had a lot of problems during the Carolingian Campaign, and the poor road conditions of the Ant Empire infinitely magnified the shortcomings of the double-row road wheels.

Just now, the Schlieffen Battle Group lost all its Panzer IV tanks, leaving only the Panzer III tanks, which were designed to deal with enemy tanks.

In addition to this, the losses of infantry and half-track vehicles are also worrying. The goal of the Schlieffen Battle Group is to quickly pass through the enemy's undefended or lightly fortified areas and disrupt the enemy's deployment.

However, Major Schlieffen did not intend to give up the attack. He turned to look at the artillery staff: "How many high-explosive bombs do we still have in our vehicle-mounted mortars?"

"Ten rounds per gun, Your Majesty Major." the staff officer replied respectfully.

Shrifen curled his lips: "What about the smoke bomb?"

"Each cannon only has two rounds left."

Schlifen thought for a few seconds and then asked: "How long will it take for the 351st Panzer Grenadier Regiment behind us to come up?"

The chief of staff shrugged: "It depends on the traffic jam. If it's not particularly jammed, it will come in the afternoon. In fact, many people thought that the unit passing by in the middle of the night was the 351st Panzer Grenadier Regiment."

The 351st Panzergrenadier Regiment was also a force that strengthened the Schlieffen Battle Group, but Schlieffen left them behind with a lower degree of motorization for the sake of attack speed.

The 351st Regiment is equipped with an 18-year-old 75mm infantry gun. The high-explosive shells it fires can effectively make up for the lack of infantry tanks.

At the same time, this is also a kind of direct fire cannon, which can be used to cover the enemy's active forces and fortifications with direct firepower.

In addition, the 351st Regiment also has combat engineers, whose flamethrowers and blasting canisters can make the enemy look good.

After a brief thought, Schlifen made a decision: "Gather the broken troops and understand the situation inside, including the enemy's defense layout and firepower equipment. Recruit volunteers from the broken troops as the leading force for the next attack."

On the radio, Hoffman asked in a very regretful tone: "Aren't we going to attack?"

"Of course we must continue to attack, but we must wait until we are more confident before attacking. At least until the supply trucks come to replenish the mortars with ammunition."

After speaking, Schlieffen reassured Hoffman: "Don't worry, the enemy's trump card will definitely be left to you to deal with."

After saying that, he turned off the sending ability of the radio and muttered: "What the hell, Haute Penier is not an important village, how can there be such a determined resistance?"

Chief of Staff: "Maybe it's the hometown of a certain noble, so it's covering the transfer of property? Infertile ethnic groups will burst out with fighting power, isn't that the only thing?"

Shrifen: "Huh. But I have to admit that the enemy commander did a good job. He must have learned something secretly during the exchange with our army."

Before the Prosen Empire tore up the non-aggression treaty, the two countries had a lot of exchanges at the aristocratic level, including at the military level.

After the Ant Empire failed in the Winter War, it also sent some military trainees to Plosen to study.

Maybe the one who commanded the defense of Penier was one of the trainees.

Shrifen thought confidently.

————

When Lyudmila ran to the door of the hospital, she ran into the hymn monk Sufang Batuwendusu.

Both of them stopped and looked at each other.

Su Fang: "Uh, are you here to see him?"

"The same to you?"

"I...received a new hymn, so I came to report it to the Supreme Commander."

Lyudmila: "Oh. Let's go in together. Do you know which hospital bed he is in?"

"He is the commander, so he must be in the hospital bed with the best conditions."

Su Fang said as she entered the hospital first, and then frowned at the smell of blood.

On the hospital bed near the door, an amputation operation was being performed. The bald doctor shouted: "Stop it! There is no anesthesia! Bite your teeth! Otherwise, you may bite off your tongue!"

Then there were screams, and because the person screaming was clenching his teeth, the screams sounded as if covered by a layer of cloth.

Sufang glanced at the bucket next to the operating table, which was full of sawed-off hands and feet.

She covered her mouth and tried not to vomit.

At this time, a burly female nurse appeared in front of Sufang: "What are you two ladies doing here? I see that your hands and feet are intact, and you don't look like you need to be bandaged?"

Lyudmila had been to the front and seen dead people, so she was much calmer than Sufang. She answered loudly: "We are looking for Count Rokossov!"

"Over there!" The nurse pointed to the door on the side.

Sufang ran away, but as soon as she entered the door, she saw another nurse collecting blood-stained gauze. The gauze had completely lost its original color, as if it had been stirred in mud, but the mud was red.

The nurse said without raising her head: "The count is inside."

Sufang nodded and ran into the door like a fly.

Count Rokossov (Wang Zhong) was lying on a bed by the window, with the director of the field hospital standing next to him.

Lyudmila asked first: "How is he?"

Director: "The tension and fever caused him to sweat too much, and he was severely dehydrated and went into shock. We used intravenous drips to replenish water and some fever-reducing drugs. It's nothing serious."

The two girls breathed a sigh of relief and looked at each other.

Su Fang suddenly remembered that she still had a mission, and hurriedly asked: "When can he wake up? I have the latest broadcast of the Agsukov Choir."

Director: "He is not seriously injured, but high fever depends on how long he will be unconscious. I can't tell you. Is it important news?"

Su Fang spread his hands: "This... is just some typical battle broadcasts, telling everyone that the enemy is not invincible..."

"We already know this." Lyudmila interrupted Su Fang, came to the count's bed, and gently touched his hair, "He has actually demonstrated it to us."