Arc of Gunfire

Recruit Andreas and Corporal Kosrek were chatting when they suddenly heard the sound of an engine.

The corporal came to the window facing the city of Yeisk, looked out, and saw motorcycles and wheeled armored vehicles of the Motorized Reconnaissance Battalion passing by on the street.

Andreas also came over: "What's going on? Didn't you say that the enemy is going to attack?"

"The enemy didn't come, so we sent people out to conduct reconnaissance." Corporal Kosrek said, "That's what makes us machine gunners. We don't have to do this kind of thing, and it's not our turn to organize patrols."

"Patrol team?" Andreas asked doubtfully, "I participated in the patrol team during the training camp."

Kosrek asked in surprise: "Is there also a patrol organized in the country?"

"No, our training camp is in Melania. There are Melania's guerrillas around it, called the National Salvation Alliance. It is said that in the coastal provinces, there are United Kingdom aircraft that will airdrop weapons to them. "These weapons are transported inland and attack us from time to time."

Kosrek scolded: "These bitches, when we attacked Melania, many of them did not have enough to eat and had no jobs. The Great Depression destroyed everything. We asked them to join the glorious empire, and they are still ungrateful." !”

Kosrek paused and asked again: "You joined the patrol, and then what?"

"It was a siege on the Allied stronghold. Our patrol team was responsible for the peripheral interception. We discovered several guerrillas. The second lieutenant leading the team fired a signal flare in the direction of the enemy. We recruits fired our guns in the direction where the signal flare fell. You can't see where the enemy is at all.

"Then the second lieutenant called for a ceasefire, and we ceased fire. I didn't feel like we were participating in an actual battle at all. I thought to myself that we must have hit nothing. But then we found four corpses, and we had no idea how we were hit."

After listening to Andreas' words, Corporal Kosrek laughed: "It's a good experience for new recruits. When you are a machine gunner, you can't see who you hit most of the time. Most of the time you just hold your hand. The handle of the machine gun moves from side to side at a constant speed.

"Aiming is determined by the handwheel on the tripod. How many turns of the handwheel you turn will determine what the trajectory of the machine gun looks like."

The machine gun fixed on the tripod actually has a very small vertical range of movement. To significantly adjust the pitch of the machine gun, you have to rely on the handwheel. The scale on the machine gun is only useful if the machine gun is disassembled and fired only on a bipod. When mounted on a tripod, the handwheel acts as a scale.

Kosrek continued: "A machine gun on a tripod can even hit a person 1,500 meters away. Do you know what a person looks like 1,500 meters away? It's just an ant. You can't aim at it. It's physically impossible - unless You put a sniper scope on your machine gun.

"Just turn the handle to the 1,500-meter position and shake the handle like this."

The corporal made a motion of shaking the handle of the machine gun from side to side.

"That's how the battlefield is. Being able to see exactly who you hit is a special case. And to be honest, it's better not to be able to see it. When you see it, you will realize that you are killing people who are about the same age as you, and you will have nightmares. . This is especially important for us machine gunners.

"Remember what I said about Agsukov?"

Andreas nodded: "Remember, Corporal, you used more than 20,000 rounds of bullets to eliminate thousands of Anters."

"Yes, they went to clean up the battlefield afterwards and asked me to come with them, saying that I could get some loot from the Ant people, but I refused."

Andreas: "In order not to have nightmares?"

Corporal: "To avoid nightmares. Isn't that natural?"

At this time, there was the sound of tracks pressing across the road below.

Andreas looked out the window curiously.

The corporal said: "It must be the No. 2 tank. The only reliable fire support for the reconnaissance force is the 20-gun on the No. 2 tank. They will be beaten to death when they encounter the enemy's armored forces."

Sure enough, Andreas saw the No. 2 tank mixed in with the motorized reconnaissance force.

He said: "No. 2, they are everywhere in Melania. There are also No. 1 tanks. The National Guard Division is equipped with a lot of equipment. No. 1 can no longer be seen on the front line."

"The engineers still use them, using them to throw explosive packets like trebuchets." The corporal made a gesture.

Andreas lay on the window sill, looking at the advancing reconnaissance battalion below, and asked: "Corporal, if the reconnaissance battalion finds that the enemy really has no intention to attack, will we attack? When we attack, will we operate the machine gun on the tank?" ?”

"Of course not. When the time comes, we will sit on half-tracks and follow the infantry. When necessary, the platoon leader will shout, 'Get off you pigs, and the machine gunners will occupy the high ground.' Then we will climb to the highest point within sight. The building may be a barn, a small slope, or a wreck.”

"And?" Andreas asked.

"Then go up and shoot until you die." The corporal shrugged, "I feel like I should die in Agsukov. After all, the second machine gun team is ready. It just depends on when the Anters come to claim their money." This is my life."

Andreas didn't know how to answer it, so he could only lie on the window sill and watch the reconnaissance team drive in.

————

Ant Army, position outside the city.

The battalion commander of the 1st Tank Destroyer Battalion was observing the enemy: "It's strange, how come the black smoke of the fire is mixed with white smoke like sand and dust?"

Then he saw the enemy's motorized reconnaissance team leaving the city.

He immediately picked up the microphone: "Genghis Khan, Genghis Khan, the enemy has left the city, it is a motorized reconnaissance unit! The direction of leaving the city is not within my attack range."

The turbulence gun scope scale is 2200 meters, which was set by Lieutenant General Rokosov himself.

Even if there is a farther scale, with the level of Ant's optical lens, it is impossible to shoot accurately, so the First Tank Destroyer Battalion really can't take care of the enemy's reconnaissance unit leaving the city, and can only report to the higher level.

At this time, a strong voice came from the radio: "Let the armored unit deal with it, the First Guards Tank Battalion, it's your turn!"

The commander of the tank destroyer battalion frowned: "This violates radio discipline, right? You can't say the number - wait, division commander?"

"Yes, it's me. I just arrived and don't know what your call sign is. Anyway, the reconnaissance battalion that was eaten out must not let the other side find out that we didn't attack because the infantry was not in place."

The battalion commander was embarrassed. He could hear that the second half of the sentence was to fool the Proson people, but he kept muttering in his heart: Can the Proson people believe such a fool?

At this time, the voice of the commander of the 1st Guards Tank Battalion appeared on the radio: "Division Commander, you are finally here! So we are under your command now?"

"Yes, the general's tank brigade has arrived, all new tanks, your duties as the reserve are over! Now you are under my command again, Yegorov!"

The commander of the destroyer battalion frowned.

The gunner who also heard the conversation on the radio asked: "Such an obvious flaw, can the enemy believe it? The general said that we should be lenient with the enemy, isn't this a violation of this principle?"

The commander of the destroyer battalion shrugged. At this time, the sound of an engine came from the right rear, he turned his head and saw the smoke in the distance, it should be the 1st Guards Tank Battalion that was dispatched.

At this time, the jeep unit responsible for monitoring the other side reported: "There are also enemies leaving the city on our side, about the size of a reconnaissance company, with Type 2 tanks, we can't deal with it."

Egorov: "The tank battalion of the 225th Division will handle it, don't worry about it!"

————

"Report."

Major General Witte turned around and looked at the staff: "If you have something to say, just say it."

"Radio monitoring, heard the conversation of the Ante Army, and confirmed that the enemy unit number in our northeast is the 225th Division. The enemy number in the southeast is unknown, but the commander is called Yegorov."

Major General Witte's brows were twisted into a knot: "Yegorov?"

His adjutant immediately stepped forward: "He is Rokosov's favorite general. According to the communiqué of the headquarters, he has followed Rokosov since the city of Roniezh and has experienced many battles together. He is a very powerful enemy."

Major General Witte: "So the one in our southeast is Rokosov's direct line of guards 1st mechanized infantry? What is the origin of the 225th Division in the northeast?"

Everyone present shook their heads.

"Never heard of it."

"Without the title of Guards, it should not be an elite unit, right?"

Major General Witte shook his head: "But Yegorov trusts this unit very much-"

At this time, someone came in to report: "The reconnaissance unit leaving the city in the southeast reported encountering an enemy tank unit. After notifying us, they lost contact and are estimated to have been destroyed."

Colonel Busey said confidently: "Look! A reconnaissance company was beaten to the point where it had no ability to report. With the poor shooting skills of the Ants, at least dozens of tanks were firing in unison!"

"Report," said the communications staff who came in first, "We also intercepted a conversation. The man who claimed to be Yegorov claimed that there was no attack because the infantry did not come up."

Major General Witte paced in the room with his hands behind his back.

At this time, the chief of staff of the Said Division said: "We have two complete battalions of armored forces. Although the first battalion suffered some losses yesterday, it was mainly the Type 3 tanks. The number of long-barreled Type 4 tanks in combat readiness this morning was 27. The two battalions together have 58 long-barreled Type 4 tanks, plus Captain John's 8 new heavy tanks and 150 Type 3 tanks. We can definitely go out of the city and fight the enemy."

Major General Witte thought for a while and asked Colonel Busse: "Are you sure that it was some assault guns that destroyed our heavy tanks?"

"Yes, it was assault guns." Colonel Busse said firmly.

"No," Major General Witte said to the chief of staff, "assault guns are good at defense, and our armored attack is exactly what the other side wants. Call back the reconnaissance team heading northeast, so as not to lose scouts in vain. Send a telegram to the army group, my division is besieged by the heavy group of Ante, please ask the follow-up troops to catch up as soon as possible."

After a brief pause, Major General Witte continued: "Also copy to the headquarters of the Southern Army Group, especially emphasize that we have encountered Rokossov, Rokossov!"