Chapter 112 Impact Moment

Facing the roaring Soviet heavy tanks rolling up waves of turf and mud, the already exhausted Grossdeutschland Infantry Regiment still did not collapse the front line but chose to resist with all its strength.

The German troops, who originally thought they were facing the enemy face to face, would collapse and retreat on their own after the heavy tanks they led broke through the battalion and got close enough. Malashenko, who never expected that the willpower of these German troops would be so strong, couldn't help but be a little stunned. In his commander's periscope, he could tell that these were German troops belonging to the Wehrmacht through the difference in uniforms on their bodies. It also surprised him. Malashenko, who did not know his specific number, was slightly surprised.

"It seems that the only ones who are not afraid of death are not only the lunatics of the SS. There are also brave guys in the Wehrmacht who are not afraid of death. But this is the only way to compare with the achievements of the German army."

Without first-hand experience of a steel behemoth weighing more than 40 tons roaring towards you less than 20 meters away, you will never be able to imagine what such a scene is like.

Vision, hearing, touch, smell

Almost all the senses were shocked by the roaring roar and the body of steel that filled the air. The body of steel rolling in the dust was like a roaring train speeding past in my mind. The weapon known as the king of land warfare naturally has its own uniqueness.

Holding the periscope in front of him, the commander stared silently at any movement on the German position. The German 88-gun that never appeared in his sight was always a worry in Malashenko's heart. This kind of It’s really not a good feeling to be attacked by enemies hiding in the dark in unknown directions at any time.

Fortunately, the No. 1 Heavy Tank Breakthrough Battalion, which was roaring all the way forward, was not bombarded by any 88-gun until it rushed to the first German position.

The slowly rotating tracks, which held up the heavy steel body, rolled over the infantry trenches above the German first line of defense and then continued to advance. The German soldier holding a heavy anti-tank grenade high in his hand had just poked his head out of the trench again to prepare for an attack. The sound of a speeding gunshot interrupted his movements unprepared.

"Go to hell! Fasis!"

The Soviet rifleman who shot away half of the German soldier's arm and the anti-tank grenade he was holding in front of him was not done yet. Then he pulled the weapon in his hand again while whispering curses in his mouth. The gun bolt was loaded, and after a series of smooth and neat movements, he quickly raised the Mosin Nagant in his hand and aimed at the target again.

boom--

The Soviet rifleman who instantly beat the good man's head to pieces in the infantry trench in front of him showed no emotion at all. The hands holding the wooden gun body were already mottled, and the belief flashed in a pair of black pupils. But it is as full of steely perseverance as the weapons in his hands.

This kind of positional contact battle scene is not just an example.

As more and more Soviet KV1 heavy tanks one after another flattened the trenches and rushed into the German positions, the Soviet infantry following them also began to flow in more and more like a tide. Swarming into the German positions, the Mosin-Nagant rifles with bayonets inserted began to compete with the Grossdeutschland Infantry Regiment in an increasingly red and loud roaring manner.

Standing in the middle of his forward command post, holding a telescope in his hand, he witnessed the tragic scene on the first line of defense with his own eyes. Although Colonel Stockhausen, who had led his troops to resist the Soviet attack for several days, was not satisfied in his heart. He was willing to admit such a result, but the fact that the first position had been lost continued to stimulate the colonel leader's nerves with an extremely real visual impact.

"Order Schlieffenberger and his people to retreat to the second position immediately! Remember to retreat from both sides of the second position, otherwise the Soviets will take advantage of the situation and attack directly!"

Following Colonel Stockhausen's order, while struggling to support themselves on the first position, they picked up the engineer shovel and the Mauser 98K rifle with the bayonet, and started playing with the Soviet infantry who entered the trenches. The soldiers of the Grossdeutschland Infantry Regiment who were fighting in close combat were finally able to breathe a sigh of relief temporarily.

The surviving German infantry squads quickly broke away from the Soviet troops who had entered the trenches and retreated in an orderly manner, using machine gun teams and submachine gunners to alternately cover and maintain fire suppression.

Compared to the German troops of the Grossdeutschland Infantry Regiment, whose every move revealed the aura of an orderly and elite division, the formation of the Soviet infantry, which was shouting Ula slogans and rushing forward, was already in disarray.

The Soviet rifleman holding a Mosin-Nagant rifle with a bayonet in his hand even rushed in front of the machine gunner. Even as the German troops retreated alternately, he kept turning back and faced the machine gun team and the machine gun team that responded with suppressive firepower to the pursuing Soviet army. The submachine gunners beat him so hard that he couldn't hold his head up.

The Soviet infantry combat teams that had not yet installed Bobosha submachine guns in batches did not have the fierce firepower that they would have in 1942. On the other hand, the MP38 and MP40 submachine guns in the hands of the Germans simply killed the Soviet infantry in such a good environment. The best reminder of death.

On the other hand, the Soviet machine gunners carrying the DP28 light machine gun in their hands were straddling the trenches with one foot deep and one shallow, but they could only see the backs of their own people and could not find a suitable position to fire the machine gun.

After seeing that his own infantry had gradually broken away from close combat contact with the German infantry, Malashenko naturally refused to let the German troops leave so easily.

Without the worry that firing indiscriminately in a close battle might hurt friendly forces, Malashenko, who could finally boldly and confidently launch a farewell ceremony for the retreating German army, immediately spoke loudly to his crew.

"Seryosha, stop moving forward! Nikolai continues to keep the vehicle heading and the machine guns, Kirill, load the barrel with high-explosive shells, Iushkin, you know what to do!"

Iushkin, who had already endured the itch in his palms, immediately answered with a grim smile, pressing his right eye against the sight of the gun mirror.

"Don't worry, comrade commander, these Germans can't escape today!"

Click--

Boom--

Malashenko, who had already held the inter-vehicle radio communicator in his hand, clearly saw the remains of the German machine gun team that was blown into the sky in the explosion of the high-explosive shells in his commander's periscope. He immediately gave another order.

"All crews stop immediately and send those Germans home! Main guns and machine guns fire at will, destroy them!"

After Malashenko's order was issued, the retreating German troops, who were able to maintain organized fire suppression on the Soviet infantry, were robbed again.

The various 76mm high-explosive shells and 62mm tracer machine gun bullets that came in like free money instantly blew the German machine gun group and submachine gun squad that were responsible for the retreat cover mission to pieces.

The retreating German troops who were robbed did not dare to hesitate any more. They immediately accelerated their retreat, leaving behind a mess of debris and corpses, and quickly bypassed the two sides of the second position that was already on high alert.