Chapter 123: Strangling Yelnia (V)

As a further improved version of the German hand grenade during World War I, the M24 long-handled hand grenade, which was introduced as an offensive grenade, not only has a huge body nicknamed "potato masher", but its warhead charge of up to 170 grams of TNT equivalent is also enough to compete with the standard hand grenades of various countries in World War II at the same time.

Such a powerful offensive hand grenade is stuffed into the tracks of the KV1 heavy tank in the form of a bundle of seven cluster grenades, with a total of more than one kilogram of TNT explosive equivalent. Although it is not enough to penetrate the thick 75mm homogeneous steel armor on the side of the KV1 heavy tank body, it is still possible to blow the tank tracks connected by simple rigidity into two pieces.

Boom——

Amid the huge explosions of cluster grenades, they stopped and anchored one after another. A full 12 KV1 heavy tanks with broken tracks were forced to brake and stop immediately after a pause. Faced with the continuous exchange of fire from all directions and the loud shouts in German and Russian, these KV1 heavy tanks, which had completely lost their ability to move and were trapped, were obviously at a loss as the turrets swayed.

Although Malashenko had expected that the SS would be more difficult to deal with than the Wehrmacht, he never expected that things would develop into such a scene. These SS soldiers who used cluster grenades to blow up Soviet tanks with a dying mentality can be said to be desperate. This almost semi-suicidal crazy attack did bring great shock to Malashenko, who had never seen such a scene.

"I have seen people who don't care about their lives, but I have never seen such a crazy one. What is the difference between these SS guys and those Showa Japanese devils? They are just short of tying explosive packs to crash into tanks!"

No matter how much Malashenko's complaints and shocks reached at this moment, the attack launched by these SS soldiers, most of whom were killed on the spot by Soviet infantry, did achieve the expected purpose and was effective.

The 12 KV1 heavy tanks whose tracks were blown off were now trapped in place like a beast with broken legs and could not move. What kind of situation would a tank that completely lacked one of the three important indicators of firepower, protection, and mobility face on the fierce battlefield? Such a result is self-evident for Malashenko, a later time traveler.

As expected, just as Malashenko was thinking about the next command plan in the fierce game in his inner world, the German army, which had seen its own suicide squad attack successfully and paralyzed the Soviet heavy tanks on the spot, immediately began to make up for it.

The intricate infantry trench transportation network on the position undoubtedly provided great convenience for the German soldiers to maneuver and hide.

The Soviet infantry, who had just rushed into the first infantry trench and was fighting with the German soldiers for control, obviously had no time to care about other things at this time.

On the other side, the German assault team took advantage of the flank infantry trench and sneaked into the paralyzed KV1 heavy tank just a few meters away and immediately began to move. The gasoline bottles that were burning in their hands flew straight towards the immobile Soviet heavy tanks like rain.

When the liquid gasoline and artificial rubber were mixed and put into the incendiary bottles, the viscous semi-solid liquid immediately burned like melted chocolate, and flowed into the tank along the engine hood heat dissipation window at the upper end of the rear of the Soviet KV1 heavy tank.

Although the Soviet heavy tank power compartment used non-volatile and viscous diesel as the power fuel, it would hardly be ignited and exploded by such a degree of open flame.

However, the German Molotov cocktails mixed with artificial rubber in a certain proportion in liquid gasoline are no longer the same as they used to be. Not only is the duration of its burning exponentially magnified by the addition of artificial rubber, but the large amount of black smoke released when the artificial rubber burns is extremely deadly to the Soviet tank crew members who are fighting in the narrow environment of the car.

This kind of concentrated fire attack by multiple incendiary bombs, like a rubber tire ignited in the engine compartment of the tank, quickly made the Soviet tank crew members who originally planned to continue fighting cough and could not bear it. Then, without receiving a clear order from Malashenko, they began to open the escape hatch and prepared to abandon the car and escape.

The German assault team waiting in the trenches nearby was obviously waiting for such a moment to come. They immediately raised the muzzles of the MP38/40 submachine guns and Mauser 98K rifles in their hands and fired a burst of concentrated fire. The Soviet tank crew members who had just leaned out of the tank turret to escape were tragically hanging on their own vehicles.

Such scenes were not just isolated cases. The German assault teams ambushed in the crisscrossing trenches almost started to act at the same time and almost all succeeded.

Among the more than ten Soviet KV1 heavy tank wrecks that were oozing thick black smoke from the inside out, the fire in a number of KV1 heavy tank wrecks had been penetrated by these sticky semi-liquid and pervasive flames into the fighting compartment of the vehicle body and then burst into increasingly fierce flames.

When the ammunition racks soaked in raging flames and smoke finally reached the critical temperature point and a strong ammunition explosion occurred, Malashenko finally realized that all this was premeditated by the German army and woke up from his dream in the huge explosion.

As for why the soldiers of the Great German Infantry Regiment on the first defensive position did not take such action when the position was conquered, the SS Imperial Division assault teams wearing SS double lightning collar combat uniforms are the best answer.

The soldiers of the SS Imperial Division, who have a purer fighting will, have no more experience in dealing with Soviet heavy tanks than the Great German Infantry Regiment of the Wehrmacht.

But these Waffen SS, whose minds and hearts are filled with fanaticism and unconditional obedience to the Führer, are obviously more brave and desperate than the Wehrmacht, which is a traditional military group of Prussia.

These fanatical armed believers who are not afraid of death for the Führer's righteousness are naturally less likely to be afraid of Soviet heavy tanks. Words such as cost and casualties do not exist in the dictionary of these crazy SS. In their eyes, there is only a way for the Soviet heavy tanks to be destroyed by their own side.

"No wonder these guys were tried as a war criminal group after the war. They don't follow any rules or bottom line when fighting! Bastards!"