Chapter 514: Continuous
Rein lowered his binoculars, his eyes sharp. His position allowed him to clearly see the Soviet tanks attacking the German positions, but he still did not order his own tanks to return fire. For such a large-scale infantry attack, it was impossible not to have more tanks providing cover. Yet, so far, only one T-26 tank had appeared on the main front. This reeked of danger.
To put it bluntly, it was obvious that it was an ambush, because the other side’s acting was simply too poor. So he radioed the grenadier company command on the main front and had them deal with the lead T-26 tank themselves. Rein’s ambush position would remain concealed, waiting for the Soviets to play their trump card first.
He bet that the Soviet commander opposite him was extremely angry right now. If the garrison here hadn’t run away like mice the previous evening, they wouldn’t have to be fighting so desperately to retake this place that had originally belonged to them.
Unfortunately, he had no time to laugh at the Soviet commander opposite him now. From his vantage point, the Soviets had committed at least 800 men in the second wave of the attack. The number of attacking troops had not decreased, but had actually increased by more than 200. This included nearly 300 routed soldiers who had just been driven back to the battlefield, and a full-strength battalion of 500 men who were new to the fight.
It seemed that this small town, designated Y107 by the Germans, was even more important to the Soviet strategic deployment than he had imagined. Thinking of this, Rein’s resolve to defend this small town became even firmer. What’s that saying? As long as the man is here, the tower stands?… Hmm, something seems a bit off there…
Rein continued to watch the deadlocked battlefield with a cold eye. He had no intention of joining in. His intuition told him that a large number of Soviet tanks would appear in the rear later, and that would be his real chance to show his skills.
Sure enough, a few minutes later, German reinforcements arrived on the battlefield. And these reinforcements were even stronger than imagined—a full four Stuka Type 2 attack aircraft. The four planes, their engines roaring, appeared over the battlefield and immediately threw the Soviet soldiers into disarray.
One German Stuka Type 2 flew over the Soviet troops, its two terrifying 20mm cannons plowing two deep “furrows” in the ground. These two “furrows” were filled with blood, and the shredded flesh and severed limbs of Soviet soldiers. A 20mm cannon shell hitting a person was basically a guaranteed kill. A single strafing run had thrown the Soviet ground forces into complete chaos.
The German troops on the ground, seeing that their reinforcements had arrived in time, immediately launched a fierce counter-attack, once again inflicting heavy casualties on the Soviet forces who had just been so full of momentum. Although they had only killed about 150 soldiers in total, it was clear that the Germans had now overwhelmed their opponents in terms of morale and had regained their spirit.
What pleased Rein was that the other three German Air Force attack aircraft did not linger over the Soviet infantry at the front but flew into the distance and began to attack the unseen area on the other side of the hills, even dropping a dense barrage of bombs and continuously strafing.
The experienced German Air Force had its own methods for ground support. They would certainly not just indiscriminately bomb an empty area. There must be a higher-value target on the other side of the hill to have attracted the attention of these aerial killers. Based on Rein’s experience, it was either an artillery position or a staging area for tanks. Either one of these would solve a lot of problems for Rein.
After about ten minutes of continuous bombing, probably because they had run out of ammunition, the German planes began to switch their positions. Three planes flew back to the front of the German positions and began to attack the Red Army infantry on the ground with their cannons, while the other Stuka Type 2, fully loaded with bombs, flew into the distance to continue bombing the unseen targets.
As these planes departed, the Soviet troops also gradually recovered from the chaos. Rallying their routed forces, the Soviet commanders began to organize an even more frenzied attack. Not long after, one after another, improved Soviet KV-1 tanks appeared in the distance, and among these tanks were several even larger steel behemoths, the KV-2.
The Soviet commander was no fool. The returning German bombers must have reported the presence of high-value targets here to their airfields. A larger formation of bombers taking off from there would likely appear here in a few dozen minutes. By then, the situation for the Soviet ground forces would be even more difficult. So they now committed all the forces they had on hand, preparing for a desperate, all-or-nothing attack.
A tide of Soviet tanks began to charge the German positions. The roar of their engines seemed to make the very earth tremble. Behind the first row of tanks, more tanks continued to appear. Even Rein was taken aback by the number of Soviet tanks. I only have 3 tanks on my side, and they have at least 100, right? he thought to himself.
Fortunately, although the number of Soviet tanks was vast, their quality was uneven. About five KV-2 tanks were the most threatening targets. The remaining KV-1s that were worth taking seriously numbered only about 40, and the other 50 or so tanks were the flimsy T-26s, which were basically just welfare packages for the Germans.
At this time, Rein had no need to be polite. At his command, the three tanks suddenly opened fire at the same time, directly hitting the dense formation of Soviet tanks in the distance. A shell fired from the 88mm cannon of a Tiger tank hit a T-26, directly penetrating its armor, then exiting through the other side and penetrating another T-26 before finally coming to a stop.
Then the two Soviet tanks exploded at almost the same time, sending up two beautiful, huge fireballs. Rein’s cannon had hit two tanks with one shot. Marcus had aimed at an improved KV-1, and his shot had directly blown the enemy tank’s turret off. Tank 115 had also hit its target. This perfect opening made the German soldiers on the main front cheer.
They had originally been frightened by the number of Soviet tanks, but seeing their own tanks open fire and achieve such a brilliant result in one go calmed their racing hearts. After all, the combat effectiveness of their own tanks was not low either; there was no need to be too afraid of the enemy.
Unfortunately, the battle would not end with one surprise attack. The Soviet tanks immediately realized they were under attack. These improved KV-1s and the later-production T-26s were all equipped with radios, so their reaction speed was much faster.
However, they still had not found the position of the German tanks. They were constantly firing at several of the obvious hiding spots on the main front but had not seen a shadow of the enemy tanks.
Rein would not show mercy just because the enemy had not found him. The German tanks were famous for their high rate of fire, and his tank dominated the German panzer forces in this regard. The second shot was not a volley; the three tanks fired their second round with less than a second between them.
Three more shells flew towards their targets, exploding in brilliant sparks in the dense formation of Soviet tanks. This time, a sharp-eyed Soviet tanker spotted the trajectory of the shells. They began to turn towards the woods and adjust their turrets.
Of course, by this time, there were already 7 Soviet tanks burning fiercely on the position. The dancing flames showed the immense power of the German tank cannons and also the superb accuracy of the German panzer crews.
One must know that the three tanks on Rein’s side were not ordinary crews. He himself had already raised his kill count to an astonishing 85. Marcus had also painted six thick lines on his barrel, representing 60 kills. And tank 115 had long been an ace with over 20 tank kills. The three of them could be said to be the elite of the elite. For the Soviet tank unit to try to get the better of these men was more difficult than climbing to heaven.
Boom! This time, the cooperative advantage of Rein’s crew was clearly demonstrated. They were a full second faster than Marcus’s crew, who had fired second. The roar of the cannons was no longer a single volley, but a staggered sequence.
In this round of firing, the first shell to fly out hit an improved KV-1 that was in the process of turning, coincidentally drilling into the junction between the tank’s turret and hull. This was one of the most vulnerable parts of a tank, so this KV tank cleanly exploded and turned into a pile of twisted scrap metal.
Boom! A KV-2 tank fired its shell. Due to panic and the gunner’s skill level, the shell landed at least 150 meters away from the German tanks. Based on the German tankers’ experience, this Soviet tank would not be able to fire its second shot for at least half a minute.
“This one’s mine!” Marcus said with a grin. He had his gunner slightly adjust the angle of his cannon and fired a shot at the tall steel behemoth. The shell slammed directly into the terrifyingly huge tank, but because the angle was too oblique, it was deflected by the thick armor on the KV-2’s turret.
“…” Marcus had an urge to curse. This was the first time he had seen his shell fail to penetrate an enemy tank’s armor. Is this Soviet tank a solid block of iron? he cursed in his heart. But habit still made him give the correct command. “Load armor-piercing! Fire another shot! Quick! We didn’t penetrate it!”
From the commander’s periscope, he saw the steel monster turning its dark, 152mm cannon towards his tank.
Published: 2025-09-01T04:01:49.000+00:00
Last Edited: 2025-12-07T17:59:43.000+00:00
URL: https://www.patreon.com/caleredhair/posts/mtr-c514-137832234
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