Battle of the Third Reich Chapter 7: Iron and Fire (Part 1)

　　 A French tank with rolling dust appeared in the telescope's field of vision, and Snyder realized that he might have to reconsider the original plan.

　　 He hadn't considered the queue length of French tanks before. The French tank marching column stretched much longer than he had imagined. The space between the front and rear of the tanks was at least 15 meters. It seems that the Luftwaffe did give these Frenchmen a good deal yesterday. In a lesson, these proud Gaul roosters left serious sequelae.

　　 But now this formation has caused the German hunters hiding in the bushes to frown. They don't know where to start.

　　 One after another French tanks drove past Snyder's eyes. Before he could count to eighth, the French tank at the top was already close to the front of the German ambush position, and the report The B1 heavy tanks and the cars mentioned here have not yet appeared from the other side of the road.

　　 can no longer attack the middle section of the French column according to the original plan, otherwise his tank group will be double-sided by the French tanks. Such consequences are absolutely disastrous. Snyder knew that the side armor of the Type IV tank was not strong enough to withstand the bombardment of French 37mm tanks.

　　 Snyder decided to make an early move. He secretly prayed that the French would not react too quickly after the front team was suddenly attacked, otherwise his tank company would fall into a head-to-head battle.

　　"The platoons pay attention, listen to my orders."

　　 Snyder said softly to the communicator: "In accordance with the order, each row chooses its own target."

　　 Snyder held down the microphone and lowered his head to his gunner and said: "We are aiming for the ninth car, the armor-piercing projectile. We must hit it."

　　 "Yes, sir." The gunner Hank replied in a low voice. He turned his head and ordered the loader to: "Armor-piercing shells." Then he leaned on the gunner's scope and began to accurately aim.

　　 Hank gently stepped on the rotating pedal of the turret. Amid the low running sound of the electric motor and the slight metal friction sound of the turret seat, the tank turret followed the target with the short and ridiculous 75mm gun. The movement slowly turned, and the experienced gunner had already pressed the H35 to the reticle in the scope.

　　 "The armor-piercing projectile is ready."

　　The loader Carl pushed a cap-piercing projectile into the barrel, and the tank gun automatically closed the breech block and made a clear metal crash.

　　 "All train groups listen to my orders."

　　 Snyder stood tall on the turret, then shouted loudly: "Fire!"

As soon as 　　's words fell, the roar of a cannon came in my ears. The flaming muzzle flame illuminates the gloomy trees, while the shock wave from the muzzle blows the grass dust on the ground in front of the tank. The thick bushes on the front of the tank were torn open by the strong shock wave of the shells, and the front armor of the tank was covered with broken branches and leaves.

　　 "Hit!"

　　The gun commander cheered loudly in the tank, but Snyder has no time to celebrate now. He eagerly shouted at the communicator: "Attention everyone, leave here immediately and rush out at full speed. Each platoon chooses by itself. Target, shoot freely. Pay attention to the formation, stop shooting shortly, try not to stop."

　　 "Yes, sir!" The four platoon leaders answered firmly in the headset.

　　 Snyder raised his right hand high and waved forward, then shouted at the communicator: "Armored troops! Go ahead!"

　　 After a harsh mechanical starting sound, the dull roar of the Maybach engine echoed over the woods. Snyder's armored company lined up in a neat row and began the assault. The No. 4 tanks overwhelmed their frontal bushes with a nonchalant attitude, and then roared toward the French tank group five hundred meters away.

　　 But at the time, no one noticed a conspicuous gap in this beautiful team, and Snyder's company did not appear where they should be.

　　 "What's the matter! Rawick!"

　　 The poor tank company commander hopped his feet on the commander’s pedal and screamed, but his tank engine just kept making a sharp start-up sound, that is, the thrilling low roar was not heard for a long time.

　　 "I don't know, sir! It was okay half an hour ago, but now it's... Damn thing, get me moving!" Rawick was also sweating, and he quickly checked. The readings of the various instruments, turning every major electrical switch back and forth, proficiently repeat the starting action over and over again, but the tank engine still has no movement.

　　"Quickly follow up, attack, leave me alone!"

　　 Snyder stood outside the turret while waving his hands vigorously while yelling at the wingman tank commander who was looking at him suspiciously. As the wingman of the company, he must follow the long car. , So car 302 did not follow the offensive queue and stayed. The captain nodded quickly, and with a roar, even the second car rushed out of the bushes, leaving only a thick puff of smoke drifting slowly among the bushes.

　　 "Damn, you **** thing!"

　　 Snyder jumped and cursed at his car. The road far away was full of guns and explosions. His company had already been on fire with the French, but he was still the commander of the company. The woods and his tank vomited. Snyder was almost mad, but the No. 301 tank did not give the commander a little face. In addition to the hateful starting sound, the engine kept Snyder from hearing the sound he wanted to hear.

　　 "No matter what, I'm going to the front to command! Hank, you and the others stay here, this car is now under your command! Use a cannon to teach the French severely." Snyder said to start No. 301 Losing confidence completely, he decided to leave his car and catch up with his company on foot. Although it would be dangerous to do so, he couldn't do anything while staying here. The battlefield situation changed rapidly. He had to direct the battle on the front line. Now he regrets why he didn't sit in the No. 302 tank.

　　 "But sir, this is too dangerous." Hank stopped loudly.

　　 But Snyder didn't answer the gunner's words, and he began to crawl out of the turret. Just as he stepped out of a leg from the turret, the engine of No. 301 roared fiercely with a crisp crackling sound. The tank company commander who was caught off guard was taken aback by a sturdy start. The result was poor. The tank was dropped from the turret at one point.

　　 "God, this thing is really a **** dog bastard, hahahahaha." Snyder couldn't help but be overjoyed, and he realized that only such crude swear words could express his current feelings.

　　 "No need to say anything, go ahead at full speed. Armour-piercing bullets." Snyder jumped back into his seat and commanded loudly to his men.

　　 "Yes, sir."

　　 "The armor-piercing projectile is ready."

　　 Listening to the brief and powerful answers of his subordinates and the roar of the engine, feeling the vibration and shaking of the tank when it is moving, and smelling the propellant smoke that has not yet dispersed in the turret, Snyder feels that his condition has never been better. .

　　 With the sound of breaking branches, No. 302 rushed out of the woods and came to the dazzling sunlight. Its gray armor plate is still scattered with all kinds of broken branches and leaves, like a heavily armed ancient German warrior, covered with all kinds of small pieces, roaring and rushing towards his enemy.

　　When Snyder rushed out of the woods and came to the battlefield, he realized that the situation was not as bad as he thought. Although there was no unified command, his company still performed very well.

　　 These tank captains are all experienced veterans, and the four platoon captains are even more veterans. After discovering that the company commander hadn’t kept up with the team, they didn’t panic. The rich combat experience gave them a tacit understanding in private. The four tank platoons were divided into four small clusters to cooperate with each other. A French tank was broken into scrap.

　　 At this time, on the narrow road and on both sides of the road, more than ten H35s have been driven into the **** of fire and smoke, and the constantly exploding ammunition is like the fireworks in the festival. From the various French tanks The exit splashed around, making the debris look like little angry volcanoes.

　　 The corpses of French tankers twisted and scattered around their car. Some soldiers held their pistols tightly before dying. These modern cuirassiers proved them and their predecessors with their blood. Both are fearless warriors, but unfortunately, their opponents are much stronger than their predecessors encountered this time.

　　Snyder’s first attack caused heavy losses to the French armored soldiers. Although the H35 is currently the best tank in France, although it has a very good bulletproof shape and heavy frontal armor, the German tanks accurately hit their vitals. Its side armor is only 23 mm thick, and a German 75 mm cap-piercing projectile can easily penetrate it 1,500 meters away, not to mention that the distance at the time was only a short 500 meters.

　　 The French armored unit was unprepared and was hit hard by the Germans. The cuirassiers who exposed their soft flanks lost a full six tanks in the first salvo of the German tank company. , And two other vehicles were seriously injured.

　　The sudden attack caused the French armored forces to plunge into chaos for a time. The surviving tanks quickly drove off the roadbed, but the tanks of the rear team speeded up to catch up, and the French tanks crowded into a group.

　　 It’s even more incredible that no one was able to tell where the attack came from and what attacked them. This made some tank captains even looked up and searched in the sky. The trail of the German plane is up. Only when the German tanks rushed out of the woods and approached 300 meters away from them, the French understood who had attacked them.

　　 But the shortage of radio equipment prevented them from quickly organizing defenses. In the chaos, no one paid attention to the semaphore of the command vehicle. As a result, two H35s became the record of German armored soldiers during this period. When the French tanks were freed from the chaos and arranged in a defensive formation, all fifteen H35 tanks were left with only three poor at this time. The German tanks have approached within one hundred meters, which has reached the distance of hand-to-hand combat.

　　 Four tanks lined up, seventeen No. 4 tanks lined up in three diamond-shaped shock formations, and quickly advanced towards the three French tanks. At the same time, they were shooting with machine guns to escape from the destroyed tanks in time. French tank driver.

　　 Since escaping from their tanks, the brave French soldiers have been firing self-defense pistols at the control towers of German tanks. Although this attack can’t do anything to the tanks, they have targeted the vehicles standing on the control towers. The elders posed a big threat. In order to protect their own safety, the German tankers had to fire on the tough French counterparts. The fearless courage of the French tankers left a deep impression on the German tankers present.

　　The three shock formations quickly dispersed. One of them restrained the French tank's firepower in the front, while the other two began to round the flank of the French tank. At this time, Snyder's tank entered the battlefield.

　　 "Be careful to stay in line! Don't go round and just press it up." Snyder shouted into the communicator.

　　 "Yes, sir. How did you come?"

　　The problem of four rows of rows made Snyder's heart cramp.

　　 "Some minor faults occurred earlier, which have been eliminated."

　　 Snyder replied grimly.

　　 At this time, the follow-up troops of the French tank troops appeared on the road. Several military cars painted in crude camouflage drove towards the battlefield quickly. Following those cars were a group of light trucks and a British army. For the domestic bulldog communication vehicle, they might have picked up speed after hearing the explosion in front. It seems that these Frenchmen have not yet understood the situation on the battlefield. The cars are rushing towards the German tank group recklessly. Snyder can't help but smile when he looks at the defenseless targets.

　　 At this time, the last three surviving H35s were desperately driving backwards in reverse gear. They must not turn or turn around to escape now, which would expose their fragile sides in front of the German tanks. The French tankers worked hard to maintain their frontal armor to face the enemy. They hoped to rely on their 40mm thick front armor to withstand German attacks. As long as they are not destroyed before their backup troops arrive, then they might Can also get a glimmer of life.

　　 H35 was originally slow to advance, and even more sluggish when it retreated. While retreating, the French tankers continued to use their short-barreled 37mm artillery and machine guns to make weak resistance. In addition to causing some damage to the external equipment of the German tanks, these weapons against the No. 4 tank Its front armor can't pose any threat at all. If the distance is a little longer, the crew in the tank will not even feel that they have been hit.

　　German tankers are now looking at the battle in front of them from a game perspective. Finally, three No. 4 tanks approached H35 and used high-explosive armor grenade to end the battle of the three tanks. Finally struggled. In the violent explosion sound, Snyder clearly saw the turret of one of the tanks being lifted high, and then it rolled and hit the ground on one side. A huge fireball mixed with black smoke rose into the air. It looks like a fire dragon with its wings outstretched towards the sky, with a hint of grandeur and beauty in its horror.

　　 The exploding fireball seemed to have alarmed the French cars that were rushing towards the battlefield. They slowly stopped, and after staying in place for a few seconds, the French finally saw the rushing towards them. German tanks and the burning wreckage. The car team quickly began a chaotic U-turn, and then retreated at a faster speed than before.

　　Snyder is of course unwilling to give up these prey delivered to his door. The smooth early battles and the poor performance of the French armored forces in command made him build confidence in or the final victory. He felt that relying on his company might be true. It can stop the advance of the French armored forces and reverse the situation of the entire battle.

　　 The German tanks started to chase down the escaped enemies along the highway at their highest speed. The command and communications vehicle convinced them that it was a French command that was fleeing in front of them. No matter what the level of this command, destroying it would be a great achievement.

　　 But the speed of the No. 4 tank can’t be compared with the car in any way, especially when the opponent was trying to escape for his life, he only chased it for less than 300 meters, and the French had already climbed over a small **** on the road. Vanished from Snyder's vision. Before that, the French had thrown away everything that would hinder their escape speed, including the 105mm anti-aircraft gun that Snyder was worried about. Snyder couldn't help looking at the cannon abandoned on the road. Ashamed of the French officers, if they had half the courage of those French tankers, then it is likely that they would have escaped.

　　 Snyder didn't know until after the French battle was over. In fact, he was completely wrong at the time. The French officers did not lack courage, but they didn't know that anti-aircraft artillery could be used to fight tanks.

　　 "All stopped moving forward, we can't catch up with them. The French still have six B1 tanks that have not appeared. We have not yet won. Pay attention and change to a defensive formation."

　　 Snyder stopped the advancement of his team and the company began to re-form. Under the command of each platoon leader, the German tanks quickly formed an arc-shaped defensive formation centered on the company.

　　 "Now the platoons are reporting losses." Snyder said loudly.

　　 "There is no loss in a row."

　　 "No loss in the second row"

　　"There was basically no loss in the third row. The communication antenna of car 332 was blown off. I ordered him to follow me."

　　"There was basically no loss in the four rows. The pair of road wheels of car 343 was damaged, but it did not affect the movement."

　　 "Very good. This means that we have a beautiful victory in front of us. When this battle is over, I think you will add another medal to your chest." Snyder said with a smile.

　　 "Yes, maybe you will get a first-class iron cross." The platoon leader Zaft answered with a smile.

　　"The French are coming!"

　　 Following the yelling of a car captain~IndoMTL.com~Everyone looked towards the small slope. I saw a tall black shadow slowly appearing on the top of the slope, and after a short pause, it began to slowly move towards the German tank group under the soil slope.

　　"It is a French B1 type. Please pay attention. We have never played against it. Be careful. Everyone starts to retreat and keep a distance."

　　 Snyder commanded loudly, and the German tank group began to retreat slowly. It is a means of insurance to keep the distance before the opponent is clear.

　　 When one after another tall shadows appeared on the top of the slope, Snyder felt a little uneasy from the bottom of his heart. There were obviously more than six B1 tanks in front of him. Did the French armored forces gain new The reinforcements, or that they are just their strikers.

　　 Snyder never thought at the time that the battle would be the real beginning, and he and his tank company would face the most severe test.

　　 The first real armored battle in this battle will be between Snyder’s company and France’s most elite tank unit.

　　 This is the beginning of the French army’s last struggle. Was the resistance made by this little tank company of Snyder the last straw that broke the backbone of the huge camel of the French army? Afterwards, Snyder himself was included. , No one can say clearly.

　　 There is another thing that Snyder didn’t know, but even if someone told him at the time, he might not believe it, just when he faced the French main armored force that was three times larger than him. At the same time, a support force with the highest level in the history of the German Army is advancing rapidly towards him.