Chapter 917: A Guarantee

The world was vast, so vast that while some toasted in opulent hotels to the successful test flight of the Third Reich’s jet fighter, others complained about the taste of mashed potatoes over dented aluminum lunch boxes.

While the top brass of the German Air Force rejoiced over their new secret weapon, the German armored forces on the distant Eastern Front were firing the first shots of a new battle against the armored forces of the Soviet Red Army. Near a village not even on the map, dozens of tanks from both sides engaged in a large-scale battle, and the German armored forces did not win with the overwhelming advantage they had imagined.

“Maintain alert. A few hours ago, four of our Panther tanks were destroyed here by Soviet tanks. They have at least two Stalin tanks and over ten T-34s. It should be a tank regiment.” Rein lowered his binoculars and then pressed his throat mic to keep his men on their toes. Their tanks advanced in a wedge formation through the half-meter-high grass. The smell of gunpowder on the battlefield was heavy; even from a great distance, Rein could smell the foul odor.

An entire armored company wiped out on the front line—this was a rare occurrence in the combat records of the German armored forces. The enemy’s armored strength was gradually increasing, and the most common German tank, the Panther, was becoming easier and easier to destroy. After all, it was a design from nearly ten years ago. It was perfectly normal for tanks capable of destroying it to appear on the battlefield now.

“Captain Rein! I see a burning Panther tank! Its ammunition has cooked off. My God… the crew doesn’t seem to have escaped in time,” the commander of tank No. 114, on the far right of the armored company, reported, holding his binoculars. “I think the battlefield should be in that direction. The smoke is too thick; I can’t see anything clearly.”

“No suspicious targets spotted. The Soviets probably didn’t expect to run into our armored units here. They clearly weren’t prepared. The battlefield is a mess, Soviet infantry corpses everywhere,” Markus, whose tank was responsible for guarding the other flank of the company, reported. He hadn’t seen any signs of a Soviet tank ambush.

“Full speed ahead! Covering formation! We’ll close in, take that high ground, and then sweep the entire battlefield,” Rein ordered loudly after observing the surrounding terrain. “Tank 115, we’re starting to accelerate towards the high ground. Your covering mission is canceled. You can catch up.”

From behind a bush not far away, a puff of black smoke erupted. A King Tiger tank charged out of the bushes and then rapidly closed in on Rein and the others. The lead tank, No. 111, was incredibly fast and soon charged up the small hill, which was about a few dozen meters high.

“All clear! I can only see a small village. No sign of the enemy. I think they retreated after that encounter,” the commander of tank No. 111 reported to everyone over the radio.

Rein moved his binoculars to the other side. On the battlefield where the fierce battle had just taken place, a Panther tank could be seen riddled with holes. Further beyond this tank, at least ten Soviet tanks of various types lay scattered. The Soviets had clearly paid a heavy price for these few German Panther tanks.

“Anyone willing to go over there with me and take a look?” Rein asked the several tank commanders who had gathered around, slinging his assault rifle over his back. “Tank 111, stay on the high ground and maintain alert. Tank 112, set up a crossfire behind that rise over there. Cover each other.”

Markus looked at the small village in the distance and offered a word of caution. “Rein, I’ll bet the Soviets haven’t gone far, even if they’ve retreated. We should set up a defensive position here and wait for the infantry to catch up before we act.”

Another tank commander also chimed in. “Captain, going over to look at that battlefield is a job for the reconnaissance company. We don’t need to go and study how those Panther tanks were destroyed by the enemy. That’s not our job.”

“This place feels off, so I have to know what kind of enemy I’m facing,” Rein said with a smile, patting Markus on the shoulder. “I need to know the enemy’s scale, number, and even their combat methods, so I can draw up a reasonable defensive plan, right?”

He gave a self-deprecating laugh and then continued, “I know I’m not a qualified company commander, because I always like to do dangerous things on my own. But then again, I’m the only one here who does this kind of thing often, so I’m experienced, aren’t I?”

He then looked at the worried Alice and explained, “Don’t worry. I’m just going to take a look at that battlefield, to figure out the enemy’s tactics. It’s not like I’m doing anything dangerous.”

After speaking, he, along with the commander of tank No. 114, who had volunteered, cautiously made their way, one after the other, towards the battlefield, which was still smoking and burning with fierce flames. The tank wrecks there were a dense mass, and the crackling sound of the raging fire was somewhat hair-raising.

Thick smoke billowed from the destroyed Panther tanks. Some of them were still on fire, making it impossible for anyone to get close easily. Of course, there were even more tragic Soviet tanks, for example, the twenty small T-26 tanks that had been destroyed by the Germans. Because they had been hit by the main guns of the Panther tanks, few of them could be found in one piece.

The two of them leaned against the hull of a T-34 tank whose turret was missing. After making sure no one was around, they slightly adjusted their positions. They had examined the destroyed Panther tanks and had also looked at many of the surrounding Soviet tank wrecks.

“A very professional combined attack… They first used the T-26 tanks to draw the Panthers’ fire, then used their high speed to rush the flanks. Then they committed the T-34s and Stalin tanks, destroying these not-so-experienced Panther crews from the side,” Rein said, his eyes scanning the area as he roughly guessed the situation of the battle.

He pointed to the woods by the side of the village and then gestured. “The enemy is still in the woods. They’re waiting for our attack! If I’m not mistaken, they should be eating right now. No wonder they haven’t continued to attack but have retreated into the woods to hide.”

“My God, you can actually figure out what they’re doing. That’s amazing. Can you teach me how you guessed they were having dinner just from the traces on this battlefield?” the commander of tank No. 114 was stunned by Rein’s reconnaissance ability. He asked in a low, stammering voice.

“It’s not that difficult. If you dared to look up, you would see a few Soviet sentries squatting by the bushes, eating from their mess tins,” Rein was almost amused by his subordinate’s stupidity. On the tank, they were all skilled warriors. Off the tank, it was as if they had become different people, complete cowards.

Following the direction Rein’s finger was pointing, the commander of tank No. 114 finally summoned the courage to poke his head out and got a clear look at the few Soviet soldiers who were chatting over there. He pulled his head back and swallowed. “I won’t be discovered, will I? What do we do now?”

“If you shout any louder, I think we won’t need to go back to the tank to call for air support,” Rein said, pressing down on the commander of tank No. 114. He then observed the other’s every move through a gap in the tank wreck behind him and then said in a low voice, “Let’s go back. They haven’t spotted us.”

By the time the two of them had returned to their starting point, a truckload of German grenadiers had already arrived on the other side of the high ground. They were helping to build a simple tank position, and many were setting up a 60mm mortar.

Rein found the leader of these men, a grenadier platoon leader, and briefly explained the situation. “The enemy has a good number of tanks. I don’t know exactly how many, but the report said at least two Stalin tanks. I didn’t find the wrecks of any Stalin tanks on the battlefield in front, so those two should still be around.”

“In the afternoon, we’ll probably have to hold off one of their attacks, to take out about 20 of their tanks and at least 100 of their infantry,” Rein said, pointing at the map. “We’ve taken the high ground. They will inevitably move to the left and right flanks. That’s their usual tactic.”

“Are you sure?” the platoon leader asked with a frown.

“What I’m sure of is that they’ve used this outflanking maneuver once before and won that battle,” Rein replied. “If I were the Soviet commander, and I wasn’t at a disadvantage, there would be no need to change the tactic I’m best at, right?”

“So you’re saying I should strengthen the fortifications on both flanks and extend my defensive line as much as possible to prevent their flanking tactics?” The platoon leader had clearly been convinced by Rein’s judgment and asked with a very humble tone.

“No need. I will command the tanks to launch a counter-attack on the left flank to push back the outflanking enemy. You just need to pay attention to your own right flank defense and hold off the enemy’s attack,” Rein said, pointing to the right, not far away. “Set up a defensive position there. After we’ve routed the enemy on one flank, we’ll come back to help you drive off their tanks… Can you do it?”

The platoon leader laughed, then took out his map and marked the area he needed to defend with a pencil stub. He replied with great sincerity, “My men should be able to hold for about an hour, if…”

“You have the support of two tanks, so don’t worry about the anti-tank problem. I’m only using three tanks for the attack,” Rein said, cutting him off.

“My God, you’re crazy,” the platoon leader said, staring at Rein. “If you’re not joking… then I also guarantee you that if we only have to deal with infantry, we can hold this place until 1940.”

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