Chapter 510: Truly Vast
The vast Ukrainian plain has always been rich and beautiful, but at this moment it was being destroyed by the flames of war. Smoke billowed everywhere. Refugee carts and people clogged the highways, crowded together with the routing Soviet Red Army.
From time to time, German fighter planes would fly over their heads. These planes were all returning to base because they were low on fuel or out of ammunition. In most cases, they would ignore these low-value Soviet targets. After all, there were simply too many Soviet targets now. It wasn’t that they didn’t have the opportunity to bomb them, but that they simply couldn’t bomb them all.
Rein lowered his binoculars, pouted at the German fighters flying further and further away in the sky, then jumped down from the turret of his Tiger tank. He leaned against the side of the turret and glanced at Alice, who was wiping down the hull machine gun.
It had to be said, after three years in the army, a sow looks like a goddess. Looking at Alice’s shapely rear, wrapped in the fabric of her uniform trousers, Rein had to use a great deal of effort to tear his gaze away. He resentfully stuffed a piece of bread into his mouth, then unscrewed his canteen and took a swig of cold boiled water to calm his agitated body.
A German scout on a motorcycle with an iron gorget around his neck passed by Rein’s Tiger. He stopped his vehicle and gave Rein a salute. “Sir! The nearby Soviet troops are retreating in the direction of Kiev. The other scouts and I have not spotted any enemy tanks.”
Rein nodded, then politely opened the storage compartment at the back of the tank’s turret, took out a can of food, and tossed it to the dust-covered scout below. He thanked him for the information. “Thank you! You’ve worked hard.”
This was the way of things in the army. If you occasionally gave some things to the scouts, they would work harder when they were on reconnaissance. Sometimes, a few minutes of early warning or intelligence could prevent some fatal mistakes. To make fewer mistakes, or rather, to try not to make mistakes at all—this was the secret to survival on the battlefield.
The vastness of the Ukrainian plain had stretched the German forces to their limit. The 502nd Heavy Tank Destroyer Battalion, where Rein was, was now scattered all over the place. The battalion headquarters and the 2nd Company were three kilometers away. The 3rd Company was about five kilometers away on his flank. And now, Rein’s own 1st Company had also been divided into three parts, scattered everywhere.
On the way to Kiev, tank 114 had fallen behind due to a mechanical failure caused by a clogged fuel line. To reach this village on time, tank 111 had been ordered to stay behind and cover the straggling vehicle. So, as the commander of the 1st Platoon of the 1st Company, Rein now only had three tanks under his command for combat.
Of course, advancing with them were the grenadiers of the 1st Company, 1st Battalion, 1st Regiment of the 3rd SS Panzer Division. These soldiers were responsible for reconnaissance and cover. It was only because of these tireless grenadiers that Rein had dared to push all the way to the village they were now in.
An hour ago, the grenadiers had spotted some routed Soviet troops who had fallen behind them near the village. So Marcus’s tank, 112, had volunteered and, along with tank 115, had provided cover for 40 infantrymen to go and intercept them. They had done this no less than five times along the way, and each time they had had an unexpected harvest.
The grenadiers had captured at least 1,000 routed Soviet soldiers along the way, almost 10 times their own number. About 20 soldiers were escorting these prisoners back to the regimental camp in the rear, so this grenadier company was also not at full strength now, with only about 80 soldiers.
So there were only about 40 German infantrymen left near Rein. Excluding the company’s mortars, communication personnel, and various other non-combatants, there were not even 30 men who could fight. This unit was also resting, leaning against the outer walls of the village’s buildings, fast asleep from exhaustion.
They were simply too tired. They had not had a proper rest for four consecutive days. These German soldiers had put on their raincoats and all their warm gear and were now just lying on the ground, snoring loudly.
Bruce and Andre were also sleeping. They were also very tired. Although they were not walking on their feet, they really should have had a rest these past few days. Because the two of them were snoring like thunder in the tank, Alice could not stand the noise, and was too embarrassed to sleep in the tank as well, so she had come out to clean the machine gun. Perhaps the only sound more desperate than an engine is the snoring of a few foot-picking brutes?
The more advanced the weapon, the more high-quality soldiers are needed to maintain it, so that the advanced weapon can be used to its full effect in battle. Do not underestimate any military technological revolution; every such development marks a steady improvement in the quality of the army’s grassroots.
If you only have a rifle, then the soldier needs to frequently disassemble and clean it, and then oil it for maintenance. But what if it’s a motorcycle? Then the soldier needs to inflate the tires, add lubricating oil, and even repair some simple mechanical failures himself.
Don’t think that Bruce was just responsible for loading shells for Andre. He was also a maintenance worker who could open the tank’s engine compartment and clean the oil filter and strainer. He was the one who maintained and repaired the small problems on the tank, including replacing the heavily worn tracks and road wheels.
Of course, Baumann was not just a driver. He also needed to maintain the tank’s engine. He was familiar with the Tiger’s engine to a terrifying degree. Just by the vibration of the engine and the sound it made when it was running, he could tell what was wrong.
And then there was Rein… well, he was the only commander who was only responsible for killing people. Right now, he was eating to replenish his strength, because on the way to this village, he had had Andre keep watch while he slept for two hours in the shaking tank.
He took out a newly drawn map of the vicinity and began to carefully confirm his surroundings. The local Ukrainians, due to their resentment of Soviet oppression, were very welcoming of the German army’s arrival. Their cooperative attitude had greatly reduced the pressure on the Germans. For example, the map in Rein’s hand had been modified and detailed by the local Ukrainians on a German military map.
Because this place was too vast, although the Germans had meticulously planned and prepared, they were still unable to grasp all the tactical-level maps of the Soviet Union. By taking the opportunity to help the Soviets build railways, the Germans had managed to survey some important areas along the railway lines and create tactical-level maps. But the maps of some other remote areas were suspected of being of poor quality.
However, with the help of the locals, Rein’s map now had a lot of useful information marked on it. For example, the general location of some forests and hills, and the direction and distance to the nearby villages. The information provided by these locals was much more accurate than the road signs. It had to be said with regret that the Soviet Union’s infrastructure was more than a little behind that of the European countries.
Some of the secondary roads marked on the map were, in fact, just bumpy little dirt roads. If they had followed the original map, the German tanks and trucks would probably still be crowded on the Ukrainian border in eastern Poland. It was only with the guidance of some volunteer guides and the locals that the German army had managed to complete what had seemed like a simple advance.
About four kilometers south of Rein’s current position was a small town. This small town straddled a small river about 10 meters wide and was a relatively famous place in the vicinity. The Soviet troops should be gathering in that small town. If nothing unexpected happened, capturing that place would more or less open up the main road to Kiev.
The vast plain was an excellent combat environment for armored forces. Rein was confident that he could take out the Soviet troops blocking his way on the plain and advance to the vicinity of that small town. He still needed to confirm one thing, to ask the grenadier company commander who was following him if he was confident of capturing a strategic point with just a few dozen soldiers.
“What are you thinking about?” Alice asked, having finished cleaning the machine gun. She had washed her hands at a nearby water source and was now standing by the tank, shaking her hands and smiling at Rein.
“Nothing,” Rein said, folding the map and carefully putting it into his map case. He then pointed to the smoking area in the distance. “We might be heading there a little later. I estimate there will be a tough fight.”
Alice nodded, then reminded him, “This morning, the battalion radioed to say that the ammunition resupply will be delayed, so we have to be a bit more economical with what we have left… The machine gun ammunition is fine, but we’re still 20 shells short of the normal amount of cannon rounds.”
They were certainly not short of machine gun ammunition. When they had left the battalion a few days ago, Rein had used his familiarity with the old man in the logistics department to get an extra 1,000 rounds of ammunition, so they were very well supplied. But they were not so lucky with the cannon shells. After all, there was no safe way to stuff an extra few dozen shells into a tank.
Coincidentally, they had had two encounters with Soviet tanks on the way, and Rein’s tank had fired about twenty shots. So now he only had 50 shells left, and if you didn’t count the high-explosive rounds, the number of armor-piercing shells was even smaller.
“It’ll probably be tomorrow evening before the battalion’s supplies arrive,” Rein said with a sigh. He knew how chaotic the supply situation near the battlefield was. In most cases, the company and platoon level commanders had to arrange for it themselves. The more modern the war, the larger the scale of this supply.
“The Soviet Union is so big. You only know how big it is when you see it with your own eyes,” Alice said with emotion, leaning against the tank. As she spoke, she spread her arms, as if she wanted to embrace the whole world. “If we were in Poland, with the distance we’ve traveled, we’d probably be in Warsaw by now. But we’re still so far, so far from Moscow.”
Gulp. Rein swallowed hard and shifted his gaze to the distance.
It really is vast…
Published: 2025-08-31T02:27:36.000+00:00
Last Edited: 2025-12-05T14:56:52.000+00:00
URL: https://www.patreon.com/caleredhair/posts/mtr-c510-truly-137750648
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