Arc of Gunfire

On the morning of August 4, the Norman Principality.

The commander of the 21st Armored Division met the deputy commander of the 506th Parachute Regiment of the 82nd Airborne Division in a house.

The deputy commander was lying on the table, with a simple splint made of wooden boards found somewhere on his right leg, and blood kept dripping from the bandage onto the table.

"Yo," he said in Ansa, "Isn't this General Plosson who drove us into the woods outside after a night of fierce fighting? Congratulations. But our guys will continue to block you behind the hedge outside. You will step into the green hell!"

After a brief pause, the deputy commander continued: "The one who commands them is Captain Ivanson. I know him. When he graduated from West Point, he was the last one! He will deal with you like the nemesis of you Plosson people on the Eastern Front!"

The commander sneered and did not take the captive's words seriously.

But the hedge is indeed a thorny problem.

The characteristic of the terrain of the Norman Principality is that there are a lot of hedges, and some places are difficult for people to pass.

Hedges block the view, making it very difficult for armored units to exert their long-range firepower.

But on the other hand, it is also difficult for anti-tank gun crews to see armored units at a distance. Anti-tank gun crews have an advantage when firing at armored units, mainly because they can hide well through camouflage and fire at the enemy first at a long distance.

The memoirs of veteran tankmen in World War II on Earth all emphasize that well-hidden anti-tank guns are more threatening than enemy tanks.

The existence of hedges means that anti-tank gun crews must engage tanks at close range. After discovering each other, the tanks' armor and machine gun firepower will have an advantage.

Deputy regiment commander: "Hell is ahead for you!"

After listening to the translation, the division commander sneered at the deputy regiment commander: "We know that you have no anti-tank weapons. Our contact with the 400th Division in the beachhead direction has not been interrupted. You have not completely controlled the beachhead, and it is impossible to have enough weapons support."

The deputy commander of the United States paratroopers laughed without waiting for the translation to finish: "My boys have explosives and grenades. They will use courage to stop you. Wait and see! Also, don't underestimate the industrial capacity of the United States!"

————

August 4, 0430 in the morning, Oma Beach.

The prisoners of the Plosson coastal defense force gathered on the beach, anxiously waiting for their fate. If it was the Plosson army during the attack, they would probably have dug their own graves by now-the Plosson army did this to the prisoners of inferior nationalities during the attack, directly executing them without occupying logistical resources.

But the Allies did not do this, at least not now.

Suddenly, a prisoner pointed at the sea and shouted, "Oh my God, what is that?"

All the prisoners stood up and looked at the huge monster approaching on the sea.

The caisson-type artificial dock "Chad Shah", an ugly monster created by the United States with industrial capacity.

This huge monster itself has no power for long-distance sailing. It relies on 20 tugboats to cross the strait. When it approaches the beach, it starts the turbines that are forcibly piled on it.

After the caisson docks and sinks to the bottom, these turbines will turn to provide electricity for the cranes on the dock.

Now, the huge monster is rushing towards the beach.

The anti-tank obstacles on the beach had been completely cleared by the engineers with explosives last night.

And the piled bodies had not been collected in time, and the military registration cards of the dead were hastily removed.

The caisson dock directly hit the beach full of bodies, crushing all the helmets and flesh.

The prisoners sitting behind the sand bank ran back in fear, but heard the sound of the United States soldiers loading their submachine guns.

The interpreter fired a shot into the air, stabilized the prisoners and shouted: "Don't run back, the caisson dock will not rush onto the sand bank! It's safe here."

At this time, the caisson dock had already hit the sand bank, and the sea water pushed up by the dock crossed the sand bank and splashed the prisoners.

Then the fixing bolts on the dock ignited the charge, and the force of the gunpowder shot all the steel bars at the head into the sand.

The explosion frightened the prisoners so much that they fell to the ground and dared not move.

Then the water pump started to run and filled the caisson with water.

At this time, the second caisson dock was docked on the beach further east.

Half an hour later, the simple dock was completed, and the first Liberty ship docked directly. Trucks drove from the gangplank onto the long gantry bridge, drove onto the beach continuously, and entered the inland from the road opened by the engineers.

The prisoner Plosson watched all this in amazement.

They didn't know that there were four simple docks like this, and the Liberty Ships were continuously sending soldiers and vehicles to land.

Of course, these were stopgap measures. To truly solve the logistics problem, they had to take over Qin Castle, where the port had enough cargo throughput to supply millions of troops to advance into the heart of the Carolingian region.

————

Captain Evanson led the remnants of the 506th Battalion to count the anti-tank weapons in their hands in the woods outside the town.

"Let's retreat, Captain." A sergeant suggested on behalf of everyone, "There is no anti-tank means at all, even the grenades have been thrown away, and the grenades we have now are still the ones we seized from the enemy before the retreat."

"Yes, the enemy's wooden-handled grenades are not as convenient to use as our grenades."

"It's quite easy to use when throwing."

"Quiet!" Captain Ivanson raised his voice, "We can't retreat. The beach is behind us. The enemy's armored forces will cause great casualties to the friendly troops landing on the beach. According to the order we received, as long as we hold on until the afternoon, we can get support from the armored forces-"

"Captain! Tank!"

The non-commissioned officers who gathered together for a meeting immediately grabbed their weapons and were about to disperse and return to their own troops. Ivanson raised his hand to stop them and asked loudly: "Which tank is it?"

"From the beach!"

At this time, everyone heard the engine sound, which was indeed coming from the direction of the beach.

Ivanson led everyone to the edge of the woods and saw a strange "tank" driving towards this side along the road.

After the tank approached, Ivanson asked on behalf of everyone: "Where is your turret?"

Tankman: "The turret can't fit this 90mm gun, so the master above said there is no need to install it."

Ivanson looked at the huge 90mm anti-aircraft gun, which did not look like it could be stuffed into the turret of the Sherman.

He asked again: "What about your armor protection?"

The tanker patted the shield on the cannon: "This is it, it can withstand the attack of .50 machine guns."

Evanson opened his mouth wide: "You rely on this to fight Plosson's armored forces?"

"Hey, listen carefully, paratroopers, I have seen the enemy's heavy tanks in the Kingdom of Sardinia. They call him Kongtaige (the Plosson pronunciation of Tiger King). Our Sherman is as paper-made as paper. If I face that thing again, I would rather have no armor, at least we can run faster. Before running away, I can still get a fucking shot!"

Evanson glanced at the Purple Heart medal on the chest of the senior sergeant who spoke, and immediately felt that his words were very credible.

Ivanson: "Okay, I'll give you some powerful camouflage, and try to get you to fire a few shots."

"That's a big help, paratrooper."

The senior sergeant commanded the "tank" to drive into the woods. At this time, a jeep drove to the edge of the forest, and the major in the car asked: "82nd Division?"

"Yes." Ivanson answered and saluted, "Salute you, sir."

The major returned the salute and extended his hand: "Salute you. The 3rd Armored Division is unloading the ship. These tank destroyers are lighter, so they came down first. Hold on until the afternoon, and the main force of the 3rd Armored Division will come to reinforce you!"

Ivanson shook the major's hand: "Yes We will hold out against these headless knights until the afternoon."

"Headless knights?" The major laughed, "They are quite suitable for them. Their 90mm guns are not vegetarians!"

————

The commander of the 21st Armored Division turned to his adjutant and said, "Evacuate this deputy battalion commander and the seriously wounded who surrendered. Count the tanks."

"We have finished counting. There are still 61 Leopard tanks and 56 Panzer IV tank destroyers available."

Division commander: "Very good, tell all the platoon leaders of the tank platoons that the enemy is a group of paratroopers without anti-tank weapons, heading for the beach!"

"Yes!"

Soon the sound of tank engines rang over the entire town.

The division commander himself walked onto the armored command vehicle and said to the signalman, "Report to the Western Front Command, we are counterattacking the beach, the last obstacle has been cleared, and our troops are unimpeded, unimpeded!"

————

Captain Ivanson heard the roar of the tanks.

So Ivanson looked at the major officer commanding the anti-tank battalion and found that he was meeting with several lieutenants. The officers of the tank destroyer battalion that had just landed had not suffered any losses.

Unlike the 506th Parachute Regiment, the highest officer was Captain Ivanson.

Ivanson looked at the "tank" not far away from him. The senior sergeant was standing on the body of the car, observing the distance with a telescope. His gunner was not looking at the sight, but looking around.

Ivanson and the gunner met eyes, and the latter smiled slightly. Ivanson guessed that he had not been baptized by the battlefield, otherwise he would not have smiled so carefreely.

The senior sergeant shouted: "Enemy tank! Right in front, just crossed the hedge!"

The gunner immediately tensed his body and put his eyes on the sight.

The major battalion commander who was gathering officers for a meeting shouted "disband", and the lieutenants immediately ran to their company.

Ivanson also looked at the gap in the hedge and saw a Panther tank, and a tank destroyer behind it was deployed to the right.

Soon, more Plossen tanks appeared, and the enemy's armored division deployed an attack formation. On the tank's gun shield, you can see the emblem of this division, which looks like a combination of the letters B and D of Ansa.

(In the history of the Earth, the 21st was annihilated in North Africa. The reorganized 21st later used a new division emblem, but this one in this plane is the original 21st)

Evanson put down the telescope. He knew that whether he could stop the enemy depended on these headless tanks that had just been reinforced.

When he looked at the headless tank, he found that the senior non-commissioned officer had squatted behind the gun shield. The command of the entire company was obviously handed over to the young captain.

The captain stood on his car and raised his right hand.

"Fire!" He shouted, and his hand chopped down handsomely, regardless of whether the gunners could see this action.

The 90mm gun fired.

The muzzle wind blew Evanson's neck subconsciously.

When he looked at the enemy, several Panthers were already on fire.

The enemy's counterattack was imminent, but the camouflage that Evanson and his team had helped to make came in handy. Only a few unlucky "Headless Horsemen" were hit, and the rest were being loaded in full swing.

The second wave of shooting began. The frontal armor of the Panther tank was obviously unable to withstand the attack of the 90mm gun at a distance of 500 meters.

The enemy's second wave of counterattacks also followed.

Ivenson heard the sound of being shot next to him. When he turned his head, he saw the senior sergeant rolling down the tank and his men scattered.

Only then did the tank's heat dissipation cover burst into flames.

After the tank crews lay down a few meters away, the explosion came too late.

Evenson was shocked. He had never learned any courses related to armored combat at West Point Military Academy, but now it seems that there are really many advantages to not having armor!

————

The commander of the 21st Armored Division stood on the armored command vehicle and used binoculars to observe the enemies in the woods.

"Adjutant, use the radio to call the entire crew. The enemy tanks have no turrets and only small shields. Shooting the woods with machine guns can effectively kill them!"

"yes."

The order was quickly carried out, green tracer bullets from the Prossen machine gun lighting up the woods.

The enemy's attack efficiency is visibly reduced.

The division commander put down his telescope and said triumphantly: "How could we be defeated by such a patchwork of tanks! Deploy an armored company and encircle it from the side. The cannons of these tanks don't look like they have 360-degree steering machines. Attacking from the side can Harvest them!"

"yes."

The division commander watched with satisfaction as an armored company of 18 Panthers outflanked the side of the woods.

At this moment, the leading Panther tank was hit.

Open flames spurted out from the turret hatch, more than one meter high!

Then, a tank the division commander had never seen crossed the hedge.

Teacher: "What the hell?"

————

"It's Pershing!"

Evenson heard the senior master sergeant shouting as he lost his tank.

"It's the Super Pershing tanks of the 3rd Armored Division! Beat them up!"

Super Pershing after Super Pershing climbed over the hedge and used its 90mm cannon to open up the unprepared Prosen tanks.

However, the Prossens reacted, and a Pershing was hit. It didn't seem to be penetrated, but the rotation of the turret stopped immediately.

Apparently the experienced Prossen tank crew, unaware of the Pershing's defensive capabilities, chose to target the turret ring.

Ivenson used his binoculars to watch the tank battle taking place outside the woods, completely forgetting that he was also on the battlefield.

"Captain!" His subordinates shouted, bringing him back to reality. "The enemy infantry is coming!"

Ivenson hurriedly turned around and saw that the Proson infantry was trying to use the wreckage of the tank to get to it.

"Fire! Machine gun fire! Don't let them go!"

————

August 5, Melania time 1730 hours.

Wang Zhong stood in front of the map of the Western Front, looking at the connected landing areas.

Pavlov: "The famous general Erwin Romel obviously failed to replicate the miracle in the Kingdom of Sardinia."

"Because he was captured." Emilia's voice floated over.

Wang Zhong immediately turned around and saw the girl coming over waving the newspaper in her hand: "The Times was just flown in. The underground organization captured Erwin Romell who wanted to personally command the 21st Armored Division."

"What?" Wang Zhong laughed directly. Isn't Romell at the headquarters in this world?

On the other side of the earth, because during the Normandy landing, Rommel went home to celebrate his wife's birthday and missed the most critical 48 hours, so he got the nicknames "Rommel is not around" and "Manbupot" among military fans. "Everyone must attack" and "Gu Bushuai" are also known as the four famous generals of Sandezi.

I didn't expect this nickname to have influence across time and space.

Of course, this may also be the end of the world line and the choice of Steins;Gate.

However, the Erwin Rommel of this world survived. After the war, maybe he could become a photographer.

Wang Zhong took the newspaper from Emilia's hand and glanced at it. Then he remembered that his Onsa language was "easy to read and read", so he gave it to Vasily directly.

Vasily immediately began to translate: "News from this agency, Marshal Rokossov after Ant - Hey, is there anything about the marshal here?"

Wang Zhong: "Read yours and leave it alone!"

Vasily: "After Marshal Ante Rokossov captured Marshal Plosin, we on the Western Front also successfully captured a Marshal Plosin - good guy, that's what happened, here comes the credit! "

Wang Zhong: "In my name, the entire army is electrified. The Allied forces have landed in the Carolingian and established a foothold. They have also captured the commander-in-chief of the Western Front in Plossen, Marshal Erwin Romell. If our commanders and soldiers do not Go all out and Prosonia may be attacked first by the Allies."

Popov: "Would it be more appropriate to add the name of His Majesty the Tsar to this power supply?"

Pavlov: "He is a saint, equal to the Tsar, so be it."

Vasily put away the newspaper and glanced at Emilia: "We have been fighting for so long, hoping to invade Prosonia and completely defeat the enemy and end the war. If we were suddenly picked by the Allies, it would be terrible to think about it. How disgusting."

Emilia: "Then you have to work hard. If the Allied forces can land in the Principality of Normandy, they can land in Hamburg, which is closer to Prosonia."

Wang Zhong: "You don't need to tell us, we will work hard. We will complete the siege by August 10th at the latest."

————

August 8, on the Baltic coast.

Before the jeep stopped, Wang Zhong jumped out of the car and looked at the sea reaching to the sky.

Lyudmila said as she got out of the car: "It's not like you haven't seen the sea before. Didn't you go to the White Sea to check the location of the villa before?"

Wang Zhong: "This is different! The White Sea leads directly to the Aegean Sea, and it's a larger inland lake. This is a real sea, leading directly to the North Sea and the North Atlantic. Peter the Great made so much effort for an outlet to the sea."

Lyudmila stood beside Wang Zhong, shoulder to shoulder with him.

The two of them looked at the sea and were silent for a long time.

Lyudmila said: "Seeing this sea, does it mean that the war has finally entered the final stage?"

Wang Zhong: "Yes, if it's fast, the war should be over in half a year, at most a year. I mean, the war of Europa."

After that, we have to climb the Naroda Peak.

Lyudmila took his hand and said, "What about after the war? Will you continue to fight?"

Wang Zhong: "No, I might go to run the aerospace industry. It's too expensive to expand territory on Earth. Let's expand the high frontier."

Lyudmila smiled: "I know it. The never-ending throbbing in your heart is like the waves of the Baltic Sea."