Chapter 105 Bloody Smolensk (VI)

As a product of the joint cooperation of German arms giants Krupp and Rheinmetall, the Type 18 105mm cannon howitzer, which carries the noble atmosphere of the two arms tycoons, has a tragic fate.

Due to the undercurrent competition between Krupp and Rheinmetall, the Type 18 105mm cannon howitzer, which began to bid for design in the 1920s, was not finalized until the early 1930s, and entered the mass production stage after the German military accepted it.

The long-delayed design project and the secret competition between the two arms giants made the Type 18 105mm cannon howitzer, which was highly expected, not very popular with the German army since its birth because of its excessive weight and caliber that could only be regarded as a light divisional artillery among Western powers.

But even so, the Type 18 cannon howitzer, with a total production of more than 1,400 guns, was still given its own place.

Thanks to the weapon characteristics of the Type 18 howitzer, which can fire at a large angle and lower the muzzle depression angle for direct shooting, the German army, which originally planned to break through the Maginot Line from the front for offensive operations, specially developed a 105mm full-caliber armor-piercing grenade for it to destroy solid concrete armored mixed fortifications.

Range test data shows that when the Type 18 105mm howitzer uses this armor-piercing grenade to shoot directly at homogeneous steel armor targets, it can ensure that it penetrates a 125mm homogeneous steel armor target placed vertically at a 90-degree angle at a distance of 500 meters.

In other words, in terms of anti-armor performance alone, the performance of the Type 18 105mm howitzer is comparable to the 88mm anti-aircraft gun that is the life-saving straw of the German army.

But even so, the high cost and heavy weight of the 18-type howitzer, which is far more than that of ordinary anti-tank guns, make it impossible for the divisional artillery support firepower to be used as front-line anti-armor firepower to appear in the most needed position to deal with the Soviet tank troops in time.

Why Malashenko encountered these opponents that he should not have faced, the result is purely coincidental.

The German 29th Motorized Infantry Division, which received the task assigned by the superiors and was ordered to occupy Hill 142 to provide artillery support to the German troops attacking Smolensk, did not expect that they would encounter a full-scale attack by the newly established First Heavy Tank Breakthrough Battalion under Malashenko.

As the saying goes, a cornered dog will jump over the wall, and a cornered rabbit will bite. The commander of the 29th Motorized Infantry Division of the German Army, who was frightened by the rumbling Soviet KV1 heavy tanks, had no choice but to order the Type 18 howitzers that were originally raising their muzzles to provide long-range artillery support in the direction of Smolensk to turn their muzzles around, load the reserve armor-piercing grenades that had basically never been used, lower the gun barrels and hide them to prepare to shoot at the Soviet heavy tanks.

The powerful 105mm Type 18 howitzer did not disappoint. The 105mm full-caliber armor-piercing grenades designed to attack the heavy concrete armored mixed fortifications on the Maginot Line showed extremely powerful anti-armor power. The 12 Type 18 howitzers only took less than half a cigarette to turn the first 8 Soviet T34 tanks into a pile of parts.

After realizing that the German army in front of him was using 105mm field howitzers to shoot at him, Malashenko, who had just woken up from a dream, was not scared by the German army's "torture". At this moment, the situation was already getting worse and worse, and only by destroying these German artillery could he get a glimmer of hope.

"Attention, all crews, these Germans are using 105mm field howitzers to shoot at us. This is not a new type of anti-tank gun!"

"Don't be afraid of the powerful firepower of these German howitzers. These guys use split ammunition and the firing rate is not very fast! Go up and crush them at full speed. This is our only hope! Comrades, Ura!"

"Ura!"

"Ura!"

Facing these Type 18 howitzers that are powerful enough to make the armor of their own KV1 heavy tanks look like paper, Malashenko, who burst out with a strong courage to fight to the death, chose the most passionate way to bury these German artillery - go up and crush them at full speed!

When the slogan of "Ura" roared in the entire battalion communication channel, accompanied by the roar of a 600-horsepower diesel engine, reverberated over the German positions, the two Soviet infantry divisions that had been following the heavy tank breakthrough battalion led by Malashenko also began to swarm in from the gap in the German positions that had been torn open.

"For the motherland! For Stalin! Attack!"

"Ura!!!"

The Soviet political commissar, who led the way and raised his Tokarev TT33 pistol and shouted loudly, was like setting off an entire explosives depot. Hundreds of Red Army soldiers holding various weapons in their hands followed closely and roared "Ura", and then the voice of the political commissar was instantly overwhelmed by the unstoppable momentum of the wave behind pushing the wave in front.

A brutal fight that burned flesh and steel was like a meat grinder, involving tens of thousands of troops from three infantry divisions and a heavy armored battalion on both sides of the Soviet Union and Germany.

The Soviet machine gunner, holding the DP28 light machine gun bipod to stabilize the gun, ran forward like crazy after pulling the trigger. The Soviet political commissar, who had run out of bullets, threw away the Tokarev TT33 pistol in his hand, jumped on a German rifleman and punched him.

The German MG34 machine gun team, which had five gun barrels red in a row, saw that there were no spare barrels available. After looking at each other, the main and deputy machine gunners almost simultaneously picked up their engineer shovels and rushed towards the Soviet rifleman who was already a few steps away.

The German major battalion commander, whose entire defense line was on the verge of collapse and finally lost, also roared like a beast. The Iron Cross medal hanging on the collar of his uniform followed the steps of his owner like a trembling edelweiss and launched the final charge.

After fourteen KV1 heavy tanks were destroyed or paralyzed, the crews of the Soviet First Heavy Tank Battalion, who rushed forward with their machine guns and turret main guns roaring, had already been bloodshot. Driven by savagery and revenge, their fierce steel bodies launched the final funeral for the terrified German artillerymen.

"Show no mercy! Crush them! Leave no survivors! Use the blood and flesh of these Germans to lubricate our tracks. I will hang these shredded Iron Cross medals on the outside of my turret as commemorative medals!"

Malachenko, whose pupils were completely replaced by deep red bloodshot, was almost losing his mind. The words roaring loudly on the radio communication station were the best proof of his true state of mind.