Arc of Gunfire

Wang Zhong saw the Plosson Army coming up like this, and immediately ordered on the radio: "Retreat! All tanks retreat! Avoid close combat with the infantry!"

His No. 422 immediately moved, and in the bird's-eye view, all the platoon command vehicles equipped with radios moved, but the other tanks stopped and fired!

With the enemy in front of them, the tank commanders didn't even notice that the platoon command vehicle started to move!

Fuck, this configuration that only the platoon leader's vehicle has a radio is too pitfall! Whoever approved this design should be shot five hundred times!

But there are always more solutions than difficulties. Wang Zhong was anxious to find a solution, and he really thought of one for him.

Wang Zhong pressed the microphone on his throat: "Platoon command vehicle, use the coaxial machine gun to shoot other vehicles in this platoon, let them know to retreat!"

————

Inside the No. 213 tank, the battle was in full swing.

The shells ejected from the heading machine gun and the coaxial machine gun fell on the floor of the fighting room.

Suddenly, the commander stopped firing and listened attentively: "Is someone shooting at us from behind?"

Then he saw tracer bullets flying from behind to the front through the gun mirror.

He immediately turned his head and looked out from the narrow observation port on the turret, and found that the platoon leader had retreated a long way!

"The platoon leader retreated!" the commander shouted.

The loader Alexi stuffed a shell into the gun barrel: "High-explosive shell, good! The coward platoon leader is scared!"

"No! Then why did he use a machine gun to shoot at us?" The commander thought for a while, "No, this is the general's order, retreat quickly!"

Seeing that vehicle No. 213 retreated, the platoon leader immediately changed his target to shoot at vehicle No. 214.

The commander suddenly had an idea and turned the muzzle to shoot vehicle No. 212 on the far left of the formation next to it with a coaxial machine gun.

The mechanic operated the heading machine gun and swept the enemy who broke through in front.

No. 212 reacted quickly and began to retreat, but it was too late. The Proson infantry approached it from the side blind spot and climbed directly onto the turret. The commander used the coaxial machine gun to sweep down all the Prosons without saying a word. However, since No. 212 blocked most of the firing range, the Prosons in the cover threw a smoking grenade. The grenade landed on the engine cover of No. 212 and exploded immediately, spreading the open fire within a range of several meters and producing a large amount of white smoke. The white smoke completely obscured the vision of No. 213. The commander could only see the members of No. 212, who were covered in fire, jumping out of the tank and rolling on the ground to try to put out the fire. Another grenade was thrown over the burning No. 212 and exploded on the ground. The tank driver on the ground stopped rolling and let the flames burn on his body. The commander was silent for a second and shouted: "Retreat! No. 212 is finished!" He continued to shoot into the thick smoke, trying to stop the Proson infantry from approaching. ————

Wang Zhong looked at the battlefield, his heart aching.

We finally managed to repair five T34s last night, reducing the loss to three, and in just a few minutes, we lost twelve!

In addition to the six platoon leader vehicles, only the armored platoon 1 was relatively well preserved, and there were two vehicles left, 213 and 214!

The bastard who decided to install a radio only on the platoon leader's vehicle should have been taken to target practice with the bastard who decided to combine the commander and the gunner into one person!

Because he was too angry, Wang Zhong didn't even notice the incendiary grenades used by the Prosons - the effect could obviously be achieved with Molotov cocktails, and the Prosons specially developed a grenade.

No matter how angry he was, he still had to think of a way. The good news was that six of the remaining tanks had radios and could be commanded.

The bad news was that the Prosons spread smoke everywhere, and there was no way to fully utilize the firepower of the tanks.

The Skitarii fought bravely, but they didn't have gas masks, and tear gas seriously weakened their combat effectiveness.

The elite Plossen armored grenadiers are cleaning every house skillfully and efficiently!

Although the situation is very bad, Wang Zhong did not stop thinking.

No vision -

Wang Zhong suddenly thought of World War II on Earth, when the Americans fought with Xiao Rizi on Guadalcanal Island.

Xiao Rizi is good at night battles, and the Americans are as bad at night battles as always, but the US military guarding Henderson Airport has come up with a way to deal with Xiao Rizi's night attack.

In general, since I can't see you at night, I don't need to see you. I will configure the firepower during the day and just sweep at night.

Each weapon has a specified scale and shooting area. The American soldiers only need to mechanically sweep the entire front to seal it tightly, and then wait for the Japanese to hit the bullets themselves.

Wang Zhong looked at the southeast city area, which was now full of smoke, and decided whether to pull a mule or a horse out for a walk.

First of all, he needed an open area, and this open area must be across the enemy's attack route.

Relying on the bird's-eye view, Wang Zhong immediately found this place: the square in front of the train station.

By the way, the military station headquarters is right next to it, and there is also a square in front of it. The two squares together form an open area with a length and width of more than 100 meters.

The best thing is that the hospital, train station, train dispatching yard and military station headquarters are all on the north side of this square. Blocking the square can protect these core areas.

As long as a fire zone is deployed here, even if the enemy uses smoke, it can be blocked.

But tanks alone are not enough. It would be better if there were some elite veterans to cooperate——

Wang Zhong suddenly found that there was a unit logo belonging to him at the train station.

The Fifth Beshensk Regiment!

He transferred 81 men of the 5th Beshensk Regiment to the train station, hoping to preserve the fire of this regiment.

In this case, 81 veterans might be more reliable than 800 skitarii!

In addition, there are anti-aircraft artillery units near the train station. First find a way to delay the enemy, and then mobilize the anti-aircraft artillery units to block the area more effectively.

As for what to do if the enemy plane comes at this time, let's wait until the enemy plane comes and think about it first. Block the hole in front of us first.

Wang Zhong immediately issued an order: "All tanks are following closely. We must maneuver to the square in front of the train station as quickly as possible! Be careful of the craters on the road!"

The second platoon leader asked: "What about the skitarii who are still resisting? Abandon them?"

Wang Zhong was silent, but after a second, he gritted his teeth and ordered: "Yes, drop them. Their fighting will delay the enemy and buy us time."

Wang Zhong recalled the scene where the skitarii rescued him from under the tank yesterday.

This order was like a knife stuck in his heart, as if a piece of his chest was suddenly missing, and even his breathing became rapid.

The tank completed its turn and drove down the street.

Wang Zhong was immersed in the sudden surge of emotions, and even forgot to dodge the stray bullets fired from behind. Fortunately, the stray bullets themselves were not accurate.

Wang Zhong remembered a documentary about Shangganling that he watched. In it, a platoon leader said: "Actually, I am arranging the order of death. How can I not feel distressed? They are all comrades who get along day and night. But we must line up and fight at the entrance of the tunnel." If the machine gun is sacrificed, it won’t work.”

This is a documentary Wang Zhong watched when he was very young, so much so that he doesn’t even remember the title of the film or the name of this old soldier. Only this sentence transcends the separation of time and planes.

Wang Zhong finally understood the emotion behind this sentence.

He turned around and glanced at the red flag on the antenna behind the tank turret.

The midday sun falls on the red flag.

————

When No. 422 entered the square in front of the train station, Wang Zhong shouted to the Beshensk Regiment people at the station gate from a distance: "Send a squad to the anti-aircraft artillery position to get something that can kill infantry quickly and efficiently." !”

Several people who heard Wang Zhong's words looked at each other and immediately ran towards the anti-aircraft artillery position together.

Second Lieutenant Pavel Alexeevich, the "acting commander" of the 5th Beshensk Regiment, ran over and asked loudly: "What's going on?"

Wang Zhong: "The enemy frequently uses smoke, and the skitarii are not well-trained and equipped enough to stop them. We have to use firepower to organize a death zone here. Do you have machine guns here?"

"There are two."

Wang Zhong immediately found two positions from the bird's eye view, and then pointed them to the second lieutenant: "Place the machine gun in these two places, set the scale to 100 meters, and the reference object for the aiming line is the recliner over there, let your machine gunner remember it When the smoke blocks this position, keep shooting at this area!"

The ensign turned and ran.

Wang Zhong then used the radio to command several command tanks: "First row, take your two vehicles to the front of the birch tree in the northwest of the square, aim directly in front of you, mainly use the machine gun on the vehicle body to shoot, and the main gun will continue to fire high-explosive shells , just do this when the enemy’s smoke appears!”

A platoon leader immediately drove over with cars 213 and 214.

Wang Zhong continued to rely on the bird's eye view to arrange the remaining tanks into appropriate positions to form a crossfire.

At this time, a few people who had just been sent to the anti-aircraft artillery position came back with two GAZ trucks. There were four heavy machine guns mounted in the truck bed.

"General! Is this enough?"

"Enough, that's enough!" Wang Zhong was overjoyed and immediately designated the location.

There was another problem to worry about. He loudly called to the skitarii guarding the station: "You don't need to guard anymore. Go to the military station and keep taking out the machine gun bullets and send them to the tanks and machine guns. I will let the tanks open the hatch. , you just hand the bullet belt in!"

The Skitarii immediately turned around to call to the other guarding Skitarii and rushed to the depot headquarters.

Everything was ready. Wang Zhong took a deep breath and looked at the red flag again.

I hope all the sacrifices will bring good results.

At this time, someone from the station came out with a telephone cord and a phone, and went straight to Wang Zhong: "Rokossov Battle Group Headquarters phone number!"

Wang Zhong answered the phone: "Hello? I'm Rokosov!"

Pavlov's voice appeared over there: "We received a telegram from the 63rd Army, which was sent from a place 30 kilometers away from us. They have sent a rapid force to reinforce us as soon as possible."

Wang Zhong: "Is it a tank?"

"No, there are no mechanized troops in episode 63, just some trucks for logistics."

Wang Zhong: "Then let them hurry up. The situation here is very dangerous. The enemy should be in front of the train station soon!"

After Wang Zhong finished speaking, he realized that Pavlov knew to call him at the train station, so he should know the current situation in the city.

Pavlov: "I guess you are thinking that I can find you at the train station because you know the situation... No, I just called the southeast defense line and no one answered, so I made a series of calls everywhere. Finally, the commander of the station said you In front of the train station.”

"Then you are really good." Wang Zhong said perfunctorily. At this moment, several Prossen people showed up at the intersection opposite the square.

Tank No. 213 hit them with one shot, blowing up two of them and retracting the rest.

Then smoke bombs are thrown out.

Wang Zhong shouted on the radio: "Remember, if there is smoke in your respective assigned areas, keep firing. If there is no smoke, hit people!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the tank team facing the street opened fire.

The anti-aircraft vehicle also turned its gun and fired at the smoke.

The enemy made no next move. Wang Zhong confirmed from an overhead perspective that the enemy behind the smoke had no further plans to take action and shouted "ceasefire".

After the gunfire stopped, the square fell into silence.

At this time, Wang Zhong remembered that he was still holding the phone: "Pavlov, the situation is very urgent. We can only barely resist the enemy and ensure that the station and depot headquarters are okay, but the enemy may divide his troops to sneak attack on the brigade."

Pavlov: "I have ordered the machine guns to be set up and the anti-aircraft guns to be leveled."

"That's good." Wang Zhong paused and said, "Don't die."

"Same to you, General."

The phone was hung up.

At the same time, the enemy's actions began. The mortars fell on the square, and the smoke quickly spread from the landing point to the surroundings.

coming!

Wang Zhong: "Watch me fire and fire again!"

Soon smoke filled the entire square.

Although everyone was wearing gas masks, it seemed like it was just ordinary smoke this time. Enemy mortars may not be equipped with tear gas shells.

Then Wang Zhong clearly saw the enemy's infantry appear.

Wang Zhong: "Fire!"

All the machine guns of Tank No. 422 opened fire at the same time, and also fired a high-explosive round at the pre-aimed position.

Wang Zhong saw with satisfaction from the bird's eye view that a dozen of the Proson soldiers who rushed out were knocked down at once.

But more Proson soldiers poured out from various intersections on the south side of the square.

What responded to them here was a dense fire net with no blind spots.

Within a few dozen seconds, more than fifty Proson soldiers fell, and the others all lay on the ground and did not dare to move.

Wang Zhong pulled the anti-aircraft machine gun on the top of the turret and relied on the plug-in to accurately kill the enemies lying on the ground.

Anyway, if you ask, you will be fooled, and no one will notice anything unusual.

The enemy began to crawl on the ground, but the fire net was too dense. Even if Wang Zhong did not deal with it at a fixed point, the enemy would be killed by stray bullets even if he climbed dozens of meters.

Is this America's unique magic that she used to massacre her childhood?

It really works!

Wang Zhong was having fun shooting the machine gun when he ran out of bullets.

He hurriedly changed the bullets - after the experience of the BT-7 anti-aircraft machine gun jamming last time, which caused the death of all the people in the car, Wang Zhong carefully straightened the ammunition belt before completing the loading of bullets.

He immediately started shooting.

Finally, the enemy gave up the attack and retreated into the buildings on the south side of the square.

Immediately afterwards, the enemy's vehicle-mounted mortars began to fire high-explosive shells.

Shells continued to fall on the north side of the square.

Wang Zhong retreated into the tank, put on the hatch cover, and waited for the enemy's second attack.

In the next two hours, they repelled seven more Prossen charges.

In the end, all the enemy mortar smoke grenades were used up, and the smoke in the entire square gradually dissipated, and it became a confrontation between the two sides across the square.

Wang Zhong did not have much accompanying infantry, and the tanks did not dare to rush over. The enemy did not have effective anti-tank firepower, and there was nothing he could do against the tanks parked in the square.

The square became so quiet that the crows in the sky descended and began to peck at the eyes of the dead people on the ground.

Wang Zhong breathed a sigh of relief, at least the enemy's offensive was blocked——

Suddenly, he spotted enemy infantry on the east side crossing Loktov's main street.

The garrisoned Skitarii opened fire!

Wang Zhong: "We will go over to support, and the other tanks will stay where they are!"

Without waiting for his order, the driver Belyakov turned the No. 422 tank around.

Almost at this time, Wang Zhong heard the trumpet sound.

He seemed to have heard this kind of horn in a movie about the Napoleonic Wars. It should be the cavalry charge!

cavalry?

Wang Zhong looked to the northeast, and then saw a large number of cavalry on horses and black cloaks rushing into the streets of Loktov from the north.

Like a wave they dispersed into countless trickles and penetrated the streets of Loktov.

The horses galloped, and the Proscenians had no time to react - or in other words, they did not expect to encounter such a large-scale cavalry attack on a modern battlefield.

Although they were cavalry, this unit did not raise their sabers, but carried pistols and submachine guns.

They kept shooting while advancing like a whirlwind.

There is a bombardier in every three cavalry, and the grenades are accurately thrown from the windows into the enemy buildings.

Wang Zhong watched all this with his mouth open, and then remembered what Pavlov said two hours ago: the Sixty-third Army sent a "fast" force to support Loktov.

It’s such a quick method!

At this time, after several hours of hand-to-hand combat in the city, the Proson infantry was at the end of its tether, and the devastating cavalry charge shattered their last will to fight.

At this time, four cavalry officers rode tall maroon horses to Wang Zhong's car. The leading general glanced at the white horse mark on Wang Zhong's tank.

Then he saluted Wang Zhong: "The 7th Cavalry Corps salutes you, Brigadier General Rokossov. Our fifteen thousand cavalry are sweeping the entire city. You have worked hard."

Wang Zhong let out a long, long sigh of relief.

——"When defending, fortifications, tactics and firepower configuration are all important, but the most important thing is the continuous flow of reinforcements."

————

One hour after repelling the enemy's attack, at 1530 hours on July 8.

Wang Zhong commanded the 422 vehicle to return to the preliminary launch position where they were at the beginning of the enemy's attack.

The surviving residents have moved the fallen skitarii to the road and lined them up close together.

"Stop." Following Wang Zhong's order, the tank stopped.

He climbed out of the turret and jumped to the ground to a Skitarii soldier clutching a smoke grenade.

Wang Zhong remembered this young man. Before the enemy attacked, Wang Zhong's order to him was to wait for the monks to notice the incoming enemy planes, and then throw smoke bombs on the empty bunker to lure the enemy planes to dive and drop bombs on the bunker.

Unexpectedly, the enemy's Stuka did not come, but Xu Jin's barrage and infantry came.

Wang Zhong took off his hat and bowed his head in silence in front of the young people.

A wrong judgment by the commander could lead to the loss of many lives. Wang Zhong once again realized this deeply.

At this moment, piercing air raid sirens rang throughout the city.

Wang Zhong raised his head. Brother Peter probably couldn't find Wang Zhong on the phone, so he just reported the situation to the air defense force.

Wang Zhong climbed onto the tank, stood on the tank and looked up. He could see the enemy aircraft fleet on the horizon without changing his perspective.

After switching the perspective, Wang Zhong discovered that the fleet actually had as many as 20 Dow 215 bombers and 30 Stuka dive bombers!

It can be seen that the enemy really hopes to occupy Loktov before the 63rd Army!

Wang Zhong ended the bird's-eye view and shouted to the surroundings: "The enemy plane is coming! Hide in the cellar! Hide in the cellar quickly! Leave the body alone and throw it on the street! Go into the cellar quickly!"

Alexander and the others also climbed out of the tank.

The door of the building next to it opened and an old lady shouted: "Young man, come in! My cellar is still empty!"

Members of the No. 422 crew immediately rushed through the door.

Wang Zhong took one last look at the fleet of aircraft in the sky.

At this moment, he saw something higher than the planes reflecting the sun's rays.

It's a plane!

Fifteen MiG-3s threw away their auxiliary fuel tanks, dived from high altitude, and rushed towards the enemy aircraft.

In the first round of shooting, five Road 215s fell to the ground dragging thick smoke.

Immediately afterwards, the fleet circled back and rushed into the bomber group again.

Tracer bullets fired from machine guns crisscrossed the air.

The enemy probably didn't think they would be intercepted by the fully-organized Ant Air Force, so they didn't send out escort fighters at all, so the sky soon became a one-sided slaughterhouse.

At this time, the air defense sirens on the ground also stopped, and the people who had just been running desperately to the cellar all walked to the street, watching the fierce battle in the air as if they were watching a fireworks display.

Every time an enemy plane was hit and a long plume of smoke erupted, the people on the ground would let out deafening cheers.

Some naughty children climbed directly to the roof to watch this wonderful performance.

The battle in the air soon came to an end.

The remaining enemy planes abandoned their bombs outside the city and dived to low altitude, trying to accumulate speed and escape.

The intercepted MiG three aircraft group chased out of people's sight.

The whole scene fell silent.

Wang Zhong heard a child asking: "Mom, have we won the battle?"

His mother replied: "We won the battle. The enemy's plane was driven away."

The child asked again: "Then why didn't our plane come earlier? Then our grandparents wouldn't have died."

The woman just silently held the child in her arms and gently stroked his hair.

At this moment, the Ant fighter jets chasing the enemy came back, forming a flying geese formation and flying over the city.

Wang Zhong recognized it. The leading plane was the one that shot down the enemy's high-altitude reconnaissance plane yesterday!

At this time, from an overhead perspective, he clearly saw the pilot taking out a chimney, biting the head of the chimney with his teeth, and lighting the fuse.

So the chimney sprayed out colored gas, and as the plane moved forward, a long line of colored smoke was drawn into the air.

The other planes followed suit, and the fifteen MiG-3s dragged a colorful trail past the ruined streets of Loktov.

The crowd roared with deafening cheers and threw everything they could get their hands into the sky.

At this moment, Wang Zhong suddenly felt victorious.

At the same time, the child on the roof suddenly shouted to the people below: "Your Excellency General! There are troops coming from the northeast!"

Wang Zhong hurriedly looked to the northeast, and sure enough he saw a large number of infantry troops marching in four columns on the road.

The main force of the 63rd Army finally arrived.