Chapter 207: Confrontation

The Mosin-Nagant rifle that they had fought with on the battlefield fell next to the body of its owner, and no one paid attention to it anymore. The glinting bayonet blade was still stained with the mottled blood of the invaders, and the steel tracks rolled in along with the trembling of the earth. But it only took the blink of an eye to crush it completely.

"At three o'clock, Ivan's machine gun team, main gun preparation, high-explosive bomb loading."

"High explosive bombs are good!"

"Aimed!"

"Fire!"

boom--

The 75mm Type 34 high-explosive grenade spiraled out of the barrel rifling with muzzle fire. It showed no mercy. The high-explosive grenade had almost no trajectory at a firing distance of less than 200 meters, and it hit accurately immediately. The Soviet machine gun team in the commander's mouth exploded instantly.

The TNT charge of up to 680 grams of warhead warhead is simply not something that flesh and blood can withstand. The Soviet main shooter who is responsible for controlling the DP28 light machine gun and the ammunition hand beside him were violently attacked before they even had a chance to react. The explosion shock wave and fragments instantly tore apart and ceased to exist.

"The machine gun team has been dealt with, keep moving forward! Follow the tanks! Fire!"

The German infantry who followed closely behind their own tanks and used infantry-tank coordination tactics methodically pressed forward little by little toward the Soviet position. The German Type IV C tank, which was moving forward at a constant speed in forward gear, covered the infantry. And because the speed of the vehicle is low, the vibration of the vehicle body is small, which can basically ensure the accuracy of firing of the main gun under slow movement.

They were pinned down in the trenches by the German tank's main gun coaxial machine gun and the hull's heading machine gun. Any Soviet machine gun team that dared to show up and fire would incur a 75-shot attack without even having a chance to fire all the bullet discs. Millimeter high-explosive shells were a mess, and the bulky Kolyunov and Deshika heavy machine guns had already been scrapped by all German tanks and were completely lost.

Although the 21st Infantry Division of the Ministry of Internal Affairs Border Guard fought desperately and refused to retreat, it was obviously unable to withstand the German offensive force advantage supported by armored forces with its mere flesh and blood and vastly different defensive forces.

After the weak infantry anti-tank artillery firepower was exhausted, it seemed that it was only a matter of time before the precarious position was penetrated by the German army.

The continuous siege on land for many days and the protracted and continuous bombing by the Luftwaffe had already stretched the Soviet artillery in the direction of Leningrad.

There was no way to replenish the artillery that was consumed in the battle. Even the large-caliber heavy artillery shells used in daily firing came from the inventory reserves and fired one less round. The Soviet artillery, which has always pursued the supremacy of firepower density and pursued artillery doctrine, was in the embarrassing situation of being suppressed by German artillery fire in the direction of Leningrad for the first time since the war began.

Holding a telescope in his forward observation command post, he watched the German small-caliber 75mm infantry cannon and mortar shells continuously falling and exploding on his own defensive positions, coupled with the continuous pressure and attack by the German armored forces. .

Colonel Donskoy, commander of the 21st Border Defense Division of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, felt like he was out of breath. He threw the telescope out of his hand and was instantly out of breath.

"If we continue like this, we will be crushed to death by those Germans sooner or later! Inform the division's artillery regiment to fire immediately and launch intercepting barrages to force their tanks back!"

Compared to Colonel Donskoy, who was furious and panting like an old cow, the political commissar on the side was obviously more calm than the military chief.

"I just went to see Gaskov's artillery regiment. Their current ammunition reserve is only enough to cover the salvo fire for no more than ten minutes. After that, they can only pick up the bayonet on their rifles and go to the front line to assist in the defense. "

"Military matters should be decided by you, the military director. I just want to remind you that we must be cautious about the situation we are facing now."

"Make a decision, Comrade Commander."

After hesitating repeatedly under the persuasion of his political commissar and gradually calming down his breathing, Colonel Donskoy finally made the right decision under the guidance of reason.

"In five minutes, call Gaskov and ask his artillery regiment to fire a barrage salvo for five minutes at a position three hundred meters from the forward position and then cease fire immediately. It is strictly forbidden to fire without my order! Every artillery shell must be Save planning, things are different now.”

After listening to the order given by his partner, he immediately turned around and walked to the phone beside the table to pick up the microphone. He knew how dangerous the barrage volley distance of 300 meters from the forward position was for his own side, but the political commissar had no other idea. In other words, even if he was accidentally injured by his own artillery fire, it would still be better than having the Germans rush up and occupy the position.

Just one minute after the phone call, the roar of heavy artillery came one after another, and instantly exploded less than 300 meters away from the Soviet forward defense position.

The firepower of the division's 152nd and 122nd heavy artillery was indeed extraordinary. The Soviet field artillery unit, which fired salvos on the scale of an organic divisional artillery regiment, inflicted great damage on the German troops who were about to break through the position.

Several German tanks that were instantly shrouded in heavy artillery barrages were hit by large-caliber grenades with parabolic trajectories on the fragile domes. Like champagne that had been opened, the tanks instantly exploded and burst out with a fiery and dazzling explosion. Death flames.

The German offensive force, which was directly wiped out by a wave of Soviet heavy artillery barrages, folded in nearly a full battalion of infantry and a dozen tanks in just five minutes.

According to past experience, the German army would definitely retreat tactically and reorganize the attacking forces after suffering such severe losses, but the German army, which was already within reach of victory, was obviously unwilling to end this wave of offensive in such a whimper.

After integrating the remaining troops of the previous wave that were temporarily suppressed by the Soviet artillery, another wave of new attacking forces immediately rushed up again with a more powerful infantry-tank coordinated offensive.

Seeing through the telescope that his expected tactical goal was not achieved, Colonel Donskoy gritted his teeth in hatred, but at this moment, the rumbling sound like a train coming from the rear of the German starting position interrupted Colonel Donskoy's brain circuit and suddenly sounded.

"No, it's the German artillery's retaliatory counterattack! How can it be so fast!?"

Based on the direction and trajectory of the incoming artillery fire, the German artillery, which accurately calculated the direction and approximate position of the Soviet artillery position, did not take long to adjust all the parameters and launched a retaliatory counterattack against the Soviet artillery position.

The German artillery, which had long realized that its opponent was in a worse situation than before, finally regained its face in the siege of Leningrad.

The Soviet field artillery, which had a much smaller supply of ammunition and artillery than before, could no longer crush the German artillery as before. The German artillery, which had always been like a younger brother to the Soviet artillery, finally raised its head and even dared to engage in artillery battles.