Chapter 634: This Is Impossible

September had arrived, bringing a hint of refreshing coolness to the Ukrainian plain. However, the daytime temperatures remained hot. The lush green scenery was set against the backdrop of explosive clouds rising on the horizon, giving everything a faint smell of gunpowder. The Ukrainian plain was far from welcoming the peace it longed for; at least near the front lines of the German and Soviet armies, the war had not gone away.

Two Panther tanks were driving unhurriedly along a road 17 kilometers east of Brovary. One Panther’s gun barrel was painted with three white bands, while the other had one thick white band and one thin one. According to the German standards for kill markings, one of these tanks had already destroyed three enemy tanks, while the other was an ace with eleven kills.

As the war progressed, most of the German ace tank crews were transferred to heavy tank destroyer battalions. In these battalions, they could be the first to be equipped with the thicker-armored and more powerfully armed Tiger tanks, becoming an even sharper main force of the panzer divisions and achieving even greater results.

However, due to the vast number of Soviet tanks and the limited production capacity of the Tiger, not all German tank ace crews could switch to the more advanced Tiger tank right away. More German tank crews were still using the Panther. At least when driven by these skilled crews, the Panther’s power was still enough to intimidate any opponent.

“Careful. The guys from the reconnaissance battalion said the Soviets took control of the nearby positions half an hour ago. It’s very dangerous for us to be moving like this, Boss!” In the headset, the commander of the tank behind cautiously advised the ace commander in front. After all, they were now well and truly in enemy-occupied territory, and this was not a time to be careless.

The intelligence on the enemy situation this time was rather vague; many things were not clearly described. The German unit holding the position had been a squad of about 15 men, but because the Soviet attack was too fierce, the soldiers of this squad were completely annihilated before they could send back much useful information.

The brief description contained many ambiguous phrases. For example, the soldiers of the squad mentioned “a large number of enemy troops” and that the enemy used “new-model tanks,” but no one knew what the real situation was.

Subsequently, the German army sent out reconnaissance units to conduct a counter-reconnaissance of the direction of the Soviet Red Army’s attack. The results were not ideal. They were blocked on the periphery by Soviet infantry and could not determine exactly how many tanks were behind the Soviet lines, nor could they confirm the models of those tanks.

This kind of vague intelligence was useless for guiding the basic operations of the frontline soldiers and could not even be used as a reference for formulating tactics. The Soviet troops were clearly also experts in combat, which was why they used their less valuable infantry, even at the cost of exposing their fire points, to prevent German infiltration and reconnaissance of the nearby area.

What was even more frustrating was that no one could say for sure what the “new-model Soviet tank” mentioned by the German infantry was. In fact, many German infantrymen had seen Soviet tanks, but most were the common T-26 and KV-1 models. Therefore, the new Soviet tank mentioned by the squad before it was wiped out could have been the rarer KV-2, the newest T-34, or even a Soviet tank that had never been seen before.

This made the situation difficult to deal with. If it was the KV-2, the Germans would need to use Tiger tanks to take out these behemoths. But if it was the new T-34, the Panther would obviously be sufficient, and there would be no need for the heavier and clumsier Tiger to rush over.

In the end, the nearby German armored force, a Panther tank destroyer battalion directly under the division, decided to send two of its own Panther tanks to check out the situation first. If they ran into trouble, they would request support from the nearby heavy tank destroyer battalion. After all, they didn’t know the true scale of the enemy force, so rashly calling for support was a very unwise way to handle the situation.

“The Soviets were scared out of their wits by us long ago. Now their counter-attacks are only localized. There’s nothing to be afraid of!” the German ace tank commander in the lead vehicle said into his throat microphone, answering the commander behind him, while holding a pair of binoculars with his other hand to observe the other side of the road.

Although he spoke with contempt for the enemy, destroying so many of their tanks was definitely not something that could be achieved by relying on the tank’s performance alone. He too was a warrior forged in the crucible of the battlefield and was certainly no fool. So, he continued to carefully observe the enemy situation in the danger zone, hoping to find the target he was looking for at the first opportunity.

This was not an ordinary Soviet armored detachment; at least, the enemy was not a group of rookie idiots. These Soviet tankers did not do what was common: rush across the road to expand their counter-attack as soon as they succeeded, nor did they set up a second-rate ambush position in the woods by the roadside that could be spotted at a glance.

“2nd vehicle! The battlefield reconnaissance report from the recon company earlier, did it confirm that the enemy’s infantry defensive positions were eliminated and one Soviet machine gun was destroyed?” he asked, frowning as he looked at the most likely place for enemy tanks in the distance.

“Yes, Sergeant Major. The intelligence from the recon company was very clear. They killed about 24 Soviet soldiers, with one man killed on our side,” the commander in the tank behind replied, also using his binoculars to search for targets. He was not as bold as the ace commander in front and didn’t dare to make any boasts.

In World War II, all tank observation systems were relatively simple. They could not provide the commander with a quick 360-degree all-round view, nor could they allow the commander to comfortably observe the tank’s surroundings, and there were many blind spots. That was why, during the war, most German tank commanders liked to stick their heads out of the tank hatch to command. This allowed them to better understand the situation around the tank and to have their tank react more quickly and correctly.

“It seems the Soviets didn’t gain any advantage, so they withdrew with their men, just like they did a few days ago north of Brovary,” the ace tank commander in front said, lowering his binoculars. Because he really hadn’t found any threatening or suspicious targets at a distance of 500 meters, in his view, the Soviets must have withdrawn.

After all, in the experience of the German armored forces, there were not many enemy tanks that could threaten the frontal armor of a Panther at a distance of 500 meters. So they were accustomed to looking for threats and suspicious spots within this range. Who would set up an ambush outside the effective penetration range of their own guns, right?

BOOM! With a loud bang, a shell accurately hit a section of the road not far away, kicking up a cloud of dirt and gravel. Because it was so close, some small stones even flew onto the German tanks, clanging against the armored steel plates. A cloud of dust was even raised, obscuring the German ace commander’s vision for a few seconds.

“Enemy contact! They’re firing! They’re aiming and firing at us!” the German tank commander behind shouted into his throat microphone. As he yelled to alert his comrade, he ordered his own tank to evade the enemy’s fire. “Slow down, reverse! We might be targeted!”

The Panther tank in front did not stay put either. A tank only needed to stop to adjust its gun angle and prepare to fire when it had a good firing angle and a clear view of the target. At other times, especially in dangerous situations, it should try to stay in motion.

“I can’t find their firing position! I can’t find their firing position! Did you see it? 2nd vehicle, did you see it? Answer me!” In the radio of the lead Panther, the ace commander’s voice repeated anxiously, over and over. But the commander of the tank behind, even after looking for a long time with his binoculars, could not find the exact location of the enemy’s fire.

“I’m looking for the smoke from their firing, but there’s no obvious smoke rising nearby. I can’t see it. It might be in the woods to the side, I’m not sure!” the commander of the tank behind also began to panic. This kind of battle where you couldn’t find the enemy was too terrifying. A battlefield where you could only take hits without being able to fight back was more despairing than hell itself.

Whoosh! Another shell whistled past, making the air around them tremble. This shell didn’t hit anything, grazing the top of the imperial tank.

“Find them, quick! We can only return fire after we find them! Judging by the power, it should be the main gun of a KV-2. From the rate of fire, there’s more than one!” the ace commander came to his own conclusion and quickly ordered the tank behind him to join the search for the enemy. After all, finding the enemy was the first step to counter-attacking.

Through his binoculars, the gaze of the commander of the rear Panther swept back and forth. He scanned a section of the distance with his binoculars, then lowered them to carefully observe the direction from which the shell had come. Soon he saw a plume of blue smoke that was already about to dissipate, but the distance seemed unbelievable.

In the end, he decided to report his findings to the ace commander in front. After all, it was the only truly suspicious target area he had found in all this time. “On our flank, at a range of about 1100 meters, there’s dust being kicked up. I think the enemy tanks are there!”

“This is impossible! How could they open fire from 1100 meters?” the ace commander was stunned when he heard this conclusion. “Not even a KV-2 can! These damn Soviet bastards! Are they insane?”

Published: 2025-09-13T02:45:35.000+00:00
Last Edited: 2026-01-31T18:58:22.000+00:00
URL: https://www.patreon.com/caleredhair/posts/mtr-c634-this-is-138783099

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