bullyxtreme Chapter 149: The collision of steel and steel, the long-range sniping of the Tiger heavy tank
Chapter 149: The collision of steel and steel, the long-range sniping of the Tiger heavy tank
The two lines of defense of the Tsarist Russia at Gongzhuling failed to stop the assault of hundreds of tanks of the 11th Armored Division.
After breaking through the defense line, the heavy tank battalion and the 31st and 32nd tank regiments headed directly along the railway line towards Chuncheng.
The 33rd Mechanized Infantry Regiment cooperated with subsequent motorized troops to carry out clearing operations against the Tsarist Russian troops.
When more than 400 tanks were speeding across the plains, it was like a steel torrent surging forward, unstoppable.
In Taiping Village, about 30 kilometers away from Chuncheng, BT-2 and MC-1 tanks are traveling across the plains outside the village. The number of tanks is endless, as if there is no end in sight.
In the area a little further back in front, there is a BT-2 tank with an upright antenna. This is also a command tank.
Antorev, the commander of the 7th Tank Division, personally served as the tank commander on this tank.
With his status, he can actually sit in the command center.
But he really likes tanks and the feeling of a heavy cavalry charge.
In his words, the armored cavalry charge is the most romantic moment for a soldier.
Therefore, whether in combat or training, as the division commander, he always led by example, which also won the respect of officers and soldiers throughout the division.
His superiors were also aware of his actions, but although the commander of the 7th Armored Division was only a division commander, he was not comparable to an ordinary division commander.
Plus, he was in a highly secure tank.
So his superiors did not object to his behavior.
Major General Antolev half-stuck out of the BT-2 tank, looked at Taiping Village not far away through a telescope, and frowned.
"Damn, we're still a little too slow."
It is about 30 kilometers away from Gongzhuling.
At their current speed of 30 kilometers per hour, it will take another hour to arrive.
At this moment, he wanted to curse Lermontov, the Lieutenant General Commander.
If he had not previously issued an order prohibiting the 7th Tank Division from leaving Chuncheng, they would have been at the front line in Gongzhuling long ago.
This is actually not Lermontov’s fault.
After all, the importance of the 7th Tank Division is obvious.
As the only three tank divisions in the entire army, he, as the army group commander, would be held responsible if any problems arose.
Therefore, the 7th Tank Division can only serve as an ace reserve force and be sent to wherever problems arise.
It is impossible to send it directly to the front line to take risks.
Just as Division Commander Antolev was about to get back into the tank, he suddenly noticed a black dot looming in the clouds about 1000 meters above his head.
Seeing this, his brows were twisted into a ball and his heart sank.
He was sure that this was a plane heading towards them, and it was definitely not their own plane.
Thinking of this, he took the telescope and looked towards the black spot.
A strangely shaped plane came into view.
The reason why it has a strange shape is that it has a double-body model with a frame.
It was the Air Force's FW-189 tactical reconnaissance aircraft.
The mission of this tactical reconnaissance aircraft is to fly in front of the 11th Armored Division and be responsible for air reconnaissance.
When it flew to the Taipingzhuang area, it discovered the main force of the Tsarist Russia's 7th Tank Division galloping across the plain, and used radio to report this information directly to the 11th Armored Division.
Liao Jie, the deputy commander of the First Army and commander of the 11th Armored Division, and the creator of Liao Jie's ammunition, had an inexplicable excitement in his eyes after receiving the intelligence.
"It seems that the 7th Tank Division of Tsarist Russia has arrived!"
At this moment, Liao Jie's tone was full of anticipation.
Their 11th Armored Division fought so many battles across the northern border, but never encountered a decent opponent.
And this time, there is finally an opponent who can go head-to-head.
The 7th Tank Division was one of the Tsarist Russia's ace troops.
The collision of steel will surely be spectacular.
The thought of this made his blood seem to boil.
"Record the order: the 31st Independent Heavy Tank Battalion will charge in the center, the 32st Tank Regiment will flank on the left, and the nd Tank Regiment will flank on the right.
This time, not even a tank can let them escape!"
Then he hesitated for a moment and gave a new order.
"Deputy Division Commander Liu Tianyang is at the command center. Prepare a twin-blade helicopter for me. I want to go to the battlefield and take a look myself."
Such an exciting battle cannot be missed.
Anyway, the sky belongs to them, and the Tsarist Russia’s airports have been destroyed, so no fighter planes can threaten them.
Liu Tianyang, deputy division commander, did not object to this order.
Because he knew that the division commander had made the decision and it was not something he, as his deputy, could stop.
And if he wasn't specifically asked to take charge, he would have gone along to watch.
After all, this is the battle of the century.
As the order was issued, the tank cluster of the 11th Armored Division also made rapid adjustments.
One after another, the Panther medium tanks and Panzer IV H medium tanks broke away from the tank cluster and moved to the left and right.
When the two tank regiments on the two wings are deployed, they will form a large encirclement against the Tsarist Russia's 7th Tank Division, directly surrounding the entire 7th Tank Division.
It was like a huge gluttonous mouth, and the Tsarist Russian 7th Tank Division rushed forward without any knowledge.
In fact, at this time, Antolev, as the division commander, also knew that there might be danger ahead.
Because the planes of the Restoration Army have been spotted in the sky.
But at this time they had no way to retreat and could only rush forward.
"Order each tank unit to form an attack formation. The enemy is probably waiting ahead of us."
As Antorev's order was issued, more than 300 tanks began to change their formations one after another, forming wedge formations.
This is also a standard offensive formation.
It can be seen from their rapid changes in formation that this tank division is indeed an elite force.
It was in stark contrast to other Tsarist Russian infantry divisions.
When the Tsarist Russian tank group completed its formation change, the dust it raised could already be seen in the distance.
But there was a gentle slope in front of them, and they could not see the cluster of Tiger tanks advancing at a speed of 20 kilometers per hour on the plain.
A total of 45 Tiger heavy tanks advanced in a ladder formation.
This is also a flexible enemy engagement formation that can ensure firepower from the front and sides.
It can also be converted into a wedge formation or a vertical formation at any time.
A column formation is a formation used for moving on narrow terrain.
"Quickly seize the gentle slope ahead!"
After seeing the gentle slope ahead, Division Commander Antorev gave orders again.
If they could seize this gentle slope, they could shoot down at the tanks of the Fusion Army from a high position, thus having the advantage of terrain.
The BT-2 fast tank is faster than the MS-1 tank and can reach a speed of 52 kilometers per hour.
So one BT-2 fast tank after another took the lead and accelerated towards the top of the gentle slope.
The heavy tank battalion also discovered this gentle slope, but their speed was not as fast as that of the Tsarist Russian tanks.
Therefore, as the battalion commander, Hao Jie decisively gave up the idea of occupying the gentle slope, and instead ordered the tank battalion to stop about 1 kilometer away from the gentle slope.
At the same time, all the gun muzzles were pointed at the top of the gentle slope.
He planned to use the Tiger tank's heavy frontal armor to withstand the enemy's artillery fire, and at the same time use the 88 gun's advantages of long shooting range and high accuracy to snipe the enemy within a range of 1 kilometer.
Although he was not clear about the performance of the tank guns of the Tsarist Russian tanks.
However, the enemy's tank gun, with a maximum caliber of only 37 mm, certainly lacks accuracy and power at this distance and cannot pose a threat to them.
One Tiger heavy tank after another stayed in place, quietly waiting for the arrival of the Tsarist Russian tank group.
Georgy was the corporal commander of a BT-2 fast tank, and the tank he was riding was also the most advanced BT-2 fast tank in the current Tsarist Russia.
This type of tank only started production last year, and they only began to receive these tanks at the beginning of this year, and completed the replacement of the entire division in April.
The BT-2 fast tank has a combat weight of 11 tons, a speed of 52 kilometers per hour, and the thickest front armor is only 13 mm.
The weapons are a 37mm tank gun and two 7.62mm machine guns.
This tank gun is not weak compared to tanks of the same era.
"We're coming!"
The moment the tank rushed to the top of the hill, Georgi shouted excitedly.
"Captain, look ahead of us!"
At this time, the driver shouted in a somewhat terrified tone.
Georgi quickly leaned over to the periscope and looked.
At this time, as long as you are not blind, it is not difficult to see the cluster of Tiger heavy tanks lined up in a horizontal row in front of the gentle slope.
When Georgy saw the Tiger heavy tank pointing its gun at him, he felt his heart stop at that moment.
Just looking at its size and tank gun, they knew that it was something they couldn't afford to mess with.
It was also the first time he saw a tank of such a large size, which somewhat subverted his understanding.
"Damn it! Back off!"
It's too late to retreat now.
Two Tiger tanks were already targeting them.
"boom..."
When Georgy saw the flash of fire from the huge 88mm tank gun of the Tiger heavy tank, his mind went blank.
The shells also gradually enlarged in his pupils.
"boom......"
One of the 88mm high-explosive bombs accurately hit the BT-2 fast tank.
In the violent explosion, this small tank weighing only 11 tons was directly blown apart.
None of the members inside the tank could escape.
Soon another BT-2 fast tank drove to the top of the slope.
These tanks also came under concentrated fire from Tiger heavy tanks.
When more than a dozen BT-2 fast tanks were blown up at the top of the slope, the tanks behind them also found something wrong.
"All tanks, speed up and charge forward!"
One by one, signal flares soared into the sky, which was also a signal for a quick attack.
At this time, dozens of tanks jumped to the top of the slope.
The Tiger heavy tank's tank gun was simply unable to hit it.
Tsarist Russia finally saw the culprit behind all this.
"hiss!"
When the Tsarist Russian tank soldiers saw the cluster of Tiger tanks, they couldn't help but gasp.
"Fight back! Fight back!"
Some veterans reacted more quickly. After a moment of distraction, they began to fight back.
The 37mm tank gun was aimed at the Tiger heavy tank hundreds of meters away from the enemy from a high position.