Arc of Gunfire

Major Hausen, the commander of the 504th Independent Tank Destroyer Battalion in Plossen, heard the engine sound and looked up at the sky.

A red-painted Pe-3 reconnaissance plane just flew over his battalion.

Not long after leaving Hausen's sight, the plane turned back and circled at a height of several hundred meters, obviously observing the 504th Battalion.

The anti-aircraft machine gun of the Panzer IV tank destroyer opened fire, but it was obvious that the shooter did not calculate the distance well, and the tracer bullet fell to the ground like urine before it hit the plane.

Hausen wanted to observe the plane with a telescope, but the speed of the plane was too fast, and once he zoomed in, he would quickly lose the target.

After putting down the telescope, the major thought of a rumor: Rokossov would personally take a red Pe-3 reconnaissance plane for reconnaissance and command the air force and ground forces in real time.

The entire Southern Army Group was saying that after witnessing the red Pe-3, either the command headquarters would be attacked by the suddenly appearing Ante bomber, and the commander of the own side would be either killed or injured.

Either the enemy's artillery fire suddenly fell on the hidden troops without warning, and the commander of our side was either killed or injured.

Or the commando called Komanda landed at night to launch a surprise attack, and the commander of our side was either killed or injured.

Major Hausen broke out in a cold sweat.

He picked up the microphone: "Don't worry about the Pe3 in the sky, go full speed, Bogdanovka needs us!"

The red Pe3 continued to circle around his car.

Major Hausen always felt that the people on the plane were staring at him.

Could it be that Rokossov himself was on it?

While thinking this, he switched the frequency of the radio and shouted on the frequency used by the air force pilots: "Calling our fighter pilots in the air at this time, please reply if you hear me!"

There was only rustling background noise in the radio.

When Major Hausen was about to call again, someone responded: "I am Air Force Liaison Station 541. The fighters are all protecting Bogdanovka and resisting the enemy's heavy bombers and tactical bombers. There are no fighters in this airspace to cover you.

"By the way, we have to retreat too. "

Major Hausen sighed and threw the microphone on the top armor of the tank destroyer's fighting compartment.

The voice of the commander of the No. 3 Assault Gun Battalion, which followed the 504th Battalion, came from the headset: "We should stop to repair the car. Many vehicles have reported abnormal gearbox sounds."

Major Hausen said firmly: "Let the car with abnormal sounds stop and repair it by itself. Be careful not to block the road. We must move forward at full speed. If there are infantrymen who volunteer to stay to cover these vehicles, pay my highest respects to them."

"Yes." The commander of the No. 3 Assault Gun Battalion was obviously very depressed. "The year before last, it was the Ants who did this. There were Ant soldiers everywhere on this grassland. In just two years, this place has become our burial place."

Major Hausen: "It hasn't become our burial place yet! Watch your speech!"

"Yes."

"Battalion Commander! !" A voice suddenly interrupted the radio, "Look to the north! "

Major Hausen turned his head and saw smoke on the ground.

He quickly raised his telescope to observe: "Cavalry? No!"

Two tank destroyer battalions were running wildly on the road. This road was a high-standard road built by the Proson people for more than a year after they occupied it. No matter how fast the cavalry ran, it was impossible to catch up with the tanks running wildly on the road in the wild.

There is only one possibility, that is Ant's motorized troops.

————

"Company Commander!" The driver of the lead vehicle of the lead company of Ant's 155th Motorized Reconnaissance Battalion shouted to the captain in the co-pilot seat, "We are all jeeps, and we can't do anything with tanks!"

Captain Short: "Shut up! The enemy is not a tank, but a self-propelled artillery, which can be dealt with by mobility! ”

(The two armies have different names for artillery carriers without turrets, and some troops have not fought side by side with the Vortex Destroyer Battalion, so they call the equipment of the 504th Battalion self-propelled artillery)

At this time, the gunner operating the vehicle-mounted machine gun in the back seat said: "Company Commander, there is a red plane in the sky, it looks like our Pe 2 (typical identification error). "

Short: "I see it."

The driver: "Could it be that the marshal is watching us? Then we should do something!"

The company commander put down the telescope and fell into deep thought.

At this time, the radio operator in the back seat said: "Received a call, the other party said it was Marshal Rokossov."

The company commander immediately stood up in the co-pilot seat and took the walkie-talkie: "Marshal Davarich, our troops are infiltrating to the northwest of Bogdanovka according to the plan!"

Marshal Rokossov: "I know, you continue to perform the mission. But I have a request for you. Keep visual contact with the Proson troops to your south at all times. The mechanized infantry of the First Mobile Army is coming. You must synchronize the enemy's coordinates with them at all times. I'm running out of gas and I have to withdraw. "

"Yes! I guarantee to complete the mission!" The company commander raised his chin to the red pendant in the sky and saluted with his empty hand.

Because he held the walkie-talkie in one hand and saluted with the other, he was standing on the off-road vehicle without holding anything.

But the captain still stood straight, as if there was a flat ground under his feet.

Rokosov: "I believe you, over."

As soon as the voice fell, the red plane in the sky turned, flew over the motorized reconnaissance battalion, and flew towards the east.

Captain Short sat down, still holding the walkie-talkie in his hand: "You all heard it, keep visual contact with the enemy until our mechanized troops catch up. "

The deputy company commander immediately said on the radio: "Why is it just visual contact? Why don't we rush to the front of the enemy, occupy the high ground and wait for them? Our jeep is equipped with a 45mm anti-tank gun and anti-tank mines. , we can fight a blocking battle!”

Captain Short thought for a while and said, "Okay, deputy company commander, you lead the third platoon to maintain visual contact, and I will lead the first and second platoons to rush forward to ambush."

Deputy Company Commander: "Wait a minute! According to tradition, I, the Deputy Company Commander, should be the one responsible for getting someone killed, right?"

"Obey the order!" said the captain and company commander, "see you at the Martyrs Cemetery."

"yes."

————

Major Haosen watched Yangchen running next to him gradually running forward, and he had an ominous premonition in his heart.

The red Pei 3 has left. According to rumors, the commander of the 504th Battalion is either dead or injured.

It seemed that Ant's motorized unit that overtook the car in front was responsible for the good deeds.

He pondered for a few seconds, then took out the diary placed on the shelf on the right side of the destroyer combat room, turned to the first blank piece of paper, and wrote on it:

"Today I saw the red banshee. Legend has it that every troop commander who saw it would be killed or wounded soon after.

“So I’m writing this in the hope that one day this diary will be in the hands of my wife and daughter.

“I am an ordinary Proson officer, and I have never done anything that dishonors the honor of a soldier, but I did ignore the atrocities committed by my companions against the Ant people.

"Now, I have to pay the price for this neglect. I don't feel unwilling. This is my retribution, a destined death."

…

————

The first and second platoons of Ant's 155th Motorized Reconnaissance Battalion Leading Company arrived at Highland 171.2 on the map at 2000 hours, and found that there were already people on the high ground.

"Who is it?" the sentry on the side of the road shouted in Antese.

"Who are you!" Captain Short shouted back.

At the same time, the driver turned on the headlights, illuminating the entire road, so that the person asking the question had to raise his hand to cover his eyes.

Under the illumination of headlights, a group of people dressed as civilians and carrying weapons were laying landmines on the road.

A man dressed as a priest jumped out of the darkness and shouted: "Misunderstanding, misunderstanding! Turn off the lights! Don't be discovered by the enemy!"

Captain Short patted the driver's shoulder, and the headlights turned off.

Priest: "We are the Bogdanov Kaulyanov district brigade! We are carrying out the mission assigned by Marshal Rokossov, blocking an enemy mechanized corps here!"

Captain Short: "We are also here to block the enemy's mechanized force. It is a Proson self-propelled artillery unit! There are estimated to be 70 to 120 self-propelled artillery! You will need the rocket launchers and anti-tank weapons we brought. Cannons and mines.”

After saying this, he jumped out of the car and held out his hand to the priest.

The priest came up and held his hand: "I've waited for you, comrade!"

"Tell me the situation! We are not familiar with the terrain and don't know where to ambush!"

Priest: "How can we use an ambush? Lie down on the roadside and hit the enemy tanks with rocket launchers when they come over. We also prepared Molotov cocktails and waited for the mines to blow up the enemy ranks.

"We have set up heavy machine guns on the mountain and will shoot at the enemy's infantry. If the situation is bad, we will retreat to the mountain to defend."

Captain: "You can retreat to the mountain after laying the mines, and just give us the Molotov cocktails. Once we are wiped out, you must continue to resist and resolutely block the enemy here. This is the order from the marshal."

Priest: "The marshal also gave us an order. Don't worry, we have much more experience with incendiary bottles than you."

After he finished speaking, the guerrillas next to him echoed: "That's right. It's been two years since we threw it away. We still have a points table for burning enemy vehicles. We can use the points to exchange for vodka and Spam cans - but cans are hard to come by now. After eating, no one changed it.”

Another guerrilla laughed and said: "I would rather change to the MP40 bullets stolen from the Plossen warehouse. I killed six chain dogs last time (referring to the Plossen military police)."

"Obviously three."

"Six! I promise it's six!"

The captain looked at these guerrillas and suddenly realized that they might be better at fighting than his new recruits, so he agreed: "Okay, I will leave the veterans who have received rocket launcher training to cooperate with you and let the new recruits go up the hillside! "

"Company commander!" the pilot shouted immediately, "I don't want to go to the hillside!"

"You know how to drive a car, and you're a high school student, and you have to go to the hillsides. Look at what our land has become. It's up to you to rebuild after the war. Follow orders."

Local priest: "Now our commander also does ideological work part-time?"

The captain shook his head: "No, even the priest died and we haven't been replenished yet, so I can only work part-time. Okay, everyone get out of the car and hide the car behind the hillside."