Arc of Fire

An hour before the Prussian Army launched their attack.

Major General Franz put down his binoculars and praised, “The 513th Regiment deployed very quickly. As long as the enemy is successfully lured, we are certain to achieve great results.”

Then he turned to another direction, observing the firing position of the 24th artillery regiment equipped with the PAK38 fifty-millimeter anti-tank guns through his binoculars.

After a minute, Major General Franz lowered his binoculars, “Very good, with this we can form a crossfire, and whatever kind of newfangled tanks the enemy has, we’ll destroy them!”

As he spoke, he turned around, “All we need to do is fall back and wait for the Ante Army, eager for glory, to come charging over.”

After taking two steps, Major General Franz stopped, coming up with a new idea. He turned his head and said, “Is the communication vehicle of the 15th Division still around? Evacuate the personnel, and leave the communication vehicle and other vehicles here!”

As he said this, he pointed at the 120 high ground beneath his feet.

“Make this place look like a command post!”

The Major General’s orders were swiftly executed. The armored command vehicles of the original 15th Division headquarters were driven up to the high ground, and all personnel were evacuated, leaving only the vehicles behind.

Franz’s adjutant watched this and finally couldn’t help but come over and say, “These are almost all of the radio equipment of the 15th Division’s command post. If they’re destroyed, it will take a while to replace them, and the command and communication capabilities of the 15th Division will be greatly reduced.”

Franz replied, “But if we can eliminate the enemy’s war hero, it will be worth it. Think about our offensive operations along the way. Although we encountered some fiercely resisting forces, in most places, the enemy collapsed before us!

“The resistance of the enemy has obviously increased now. In the encircled Bogdanovka, there are still troops fighting, and the 6th Army Group has to systematically clear the enemy out of each building!

“At times like this, it’s even more important to strike a blow to the enemy’s morale! Whether this Rokossovsky is the White Horse General or the White Eagle General, we must eliminate him!”

Major General Franz habitually tapped the palm of his hand with his riding crop.

“As long as the armored forces complete the baiting mission, the enemy, without their commander, will become disorganized. We’ll then have the opportunity to seize Loktov. By then, with the railways, won’t it be easy to replace some radio command vehicles?”

In actuality, after such a battle, the 15th Division would have to stop and regroup.

Franz looked at the acting division commander of the 15th Division, revealing a grim smile.

————

Tank number 422 just reached the bunker when the enemy appeared on the horizon.

Wang Zhong immediately switched his viewpoint to observe the enemy situation.

As he watched, his brows twisted into a knot, “So few accompanying infantry?”

If it were from a normal person’s viewpoint, it probably wouldn’t be noticeable since, from the front, the infantry were obscured by the tanks.

But Wang Zhong’s overview could even highlight the enemies, making everything crystal clear at a glance.

So few accompanying infantry didn’t seem like they were preparing for urban “meat-grinding” combat; it rather looked like a case of “not having accompanying infantry would be too obvious, so just throw in a few for appearance’s sake.”

Wang Zhong frowned deeply.

At that moment, he remembered a tactic from Earth’s military history where Sturmtigers feigned a retreat with their armored forces to lure T34s into pursuit, then ambushed them with flat-trajectory fire from eighty-eight millimeter anti-aircraft guns.

Could the Prussians also be using this tactic?

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Regardless, Wang Zhong decided to fire first. Whether or not the enemy was baiting, it was imperative to secure the combat results first.

He raised his hand—then remembered that no one could see him as the T34 tank commanders were glued to their sights, aiming at targets.

He awkwardly lowered his hand and gave the order through his radio: “Fire!”

The next moment, all the platoon leader tanks with radios opened fire.

The other tanks, hearing the sound of gunfire, also followed suit. Half the regiment of T34s fired in unison.

The shells crossed a charred plain and hit four Panzer IIIs.

The enemy fired back, but the T34s were well armored, and now they also had sandbags for cover.

The precise shooting by the Prussian crew hit the target about eighty percent of the time, but the shells were all deflected, striking the brick walls behind the tank shelters.

The enemy tanks did not falter, remaining in place and continuing to aim at the T34s in the bunkers.

Just then, Vasily’s voice came through the static in Wang Zhong’s headset: “The enemy is shouting to fire another round! Something feels off!”

The words had barely ceased when tanks on both sides opened fire—obviously, the enemy’s fifty-millimeter guns reloaded a bit faster.

Three more Panzer IIIs billowed with thick smoke.

Then the enemy started to lay down a smokescreen. The infantry, which had been hiding behind the tanks, also threw smoke bombs, cutting off the T34s’ view from inside the shelter.

Wang Zhong clicked his tongue, and at that moment, he was certain that the enemy was indeed baiting.

————

Within tank number 213, the tank commander yelled, “The enemy is retreating! They’ve released smoke to obstruct our vision!”

The loader, Aleksei, stuffed a shell into the breech: “Then what are we waiting for? Charge out and wipe them all out! We can push through directly and destroy the enemy’s command post, then blow up their artillery positions!”

“No!” the commander shouted loudly, “We can’t move until the platoon leader tanks move! The platoon leader tanks can hear the General’s orders!”

Aleksei pursed his lips, visibly displeased, as if someone had snatched a medal right off his chest.

————

At that time, Wang Zhong pulled out his map, turned to the side, and spread the map on top of the tank turret.

Previously, Wang Zhong had personally surveyed the terrain from outside the city up to Karlinovka. Last night, as the Guardian Army and engineers went out to lay mines, Wang Zhong had confirmed the terrain once again.

Now, he was very familiar with the area outside Lokotov city.

While examining the various markings he had personally drawn on the map during reconnaissance, Wang Zhong murmured, “If this is an eighty-eight gun ambush, it should be here!”

A good ambush position should meet several conditions: first, it must provide an excellent field of view; second, it should have forests or similar features for cover; third, it should offer a retreat path.

Referring to these three conditions, Wang Zhong quickly found several suitable locations on the map.

However, considering the direction that the enemy tanks retreated, Wang Zhong ultimately narrowed it down to three positions.

Firmly holding the map, he climbed out of the turret, jumped to the ground, and ran into the nearby house, picking up the temporarily installed phone.

This house not only had a phone but also an artillery sighting scope. It was originally an artillery observation post, with two artillery cadet officers on duty inside.

As soon as the cadets saw Wang Zhong enter, they immediately saluted.

“At ease!” said Wang Zhong offhandedly as he picked up the phone. “Connect me to the artillery position!”

One gun at Position A had survived previously, so today Wang Zhong simply merged both artillery forces to prepare for a combined fire tomorrow, giving the enemy a little shock of heavy artillery.

“Artillery position?” Wang Zhong looked down to check the coordinates he had marked on the map and read them out. “Immediately launch an attack on the following three coordinates… a salvo at each coordinate.”

“All three targets?” the artillery asked after receiving the coordinates. “Should we fire at all of them? They’re quite far apart!”

No, not far, just enough to form a crossfire, Wang Zhong thought.

Wang Zhong raised his voice, “Yes, hit all three targets!”

If the heavy artillery could knock out the enemy’s 88mm guns, that would be great; after that, they would only need to worry about the likes of the 50mm caliber PAK38 cannon.

If he remembered correctly, the 75mm caliber PAK40 anti-tank guns, capable of effectively suppressing T34s and KV1s, wouldn’t reach the front until November.

The artillery on the phone double-checked the firing coordinates and, after confirmation, said, “We’ll fire immediately, General! But… what are we targeting?”

Wang Zhong replied, “I surmise that the enemy’s anti-tank gun positions are at these locations. The tanks at the enemy’s front pretended to surrender; I believe this might be a ruse to lure us.”

The artillery was shocked, “You… you’re ordering us to fire at these places based on a hunch?”

“No, I’ve done reconnaissance personally before; these places are highly suitable for setting up anti-tank gun positions.”

If this were the game “Steel Division”, Wang Zhong would definitely set up his own anti-tank guns at these three points.

Just not sure if the Prussian General on the other side would share the same “heroic insights”.

Wang Zhong, the military enthusiast, might have some oversights, and the Prussian officer corps is likely more professional.

But it’s always worth a try, right? After all, no one knows how many days these big guns will remain intact; maybe by the afternoon, the Prussian Air Force will come and blow them to the sky.

In that case, it’s better to take advantage of the time and start the bombardment, damn it!

At least it’ll have some momentum even if it misses.

Wang Zhong commanded, “Once the parameters are set, open fire!”

After hanging up the phone, he ran back to the tank.

Gunner Alexandria asked, “Why not pursue directly? The enemy seems to be at the end of their tether.”

Wang Zhong replied, “This is a trap, they are prepared to ambush us from behind with 88mm anti-aircraft guns.”

“What?”

Wang Zhong continued to explain, “Didn’t you notice that there were very few infantry accompanying them just now?”

Alexandria shook his head, “No, no, no, we couldn’t see any accompanying infantry at all; they might have gone prone as soon as the fighting started.”

Wang Zhong emphasized again, “There were very few enemy infantry accompanying them! I believe this is an enticement. I’ve already called in 203mm artillery fire to hit the potential positions of their anti-tank guns.”

Alexandria was astonished, “You were so reckless yesterday, why so measured today? Got scared after yesterday’s recklessness?”

“I always mix caution with boldness!”

Wang Zhong then realized what he had said, Am I Zhang Fei?

Just then, gunfire sounded from behind, followed by the whistling of shells passing overhead.

Alexandria commented, “They really fired… Isn’t this a waste of 203mm ammo? I heard that there aren’t many 203 rounds left!”

Wang Zhong confidently said, “Just wait and see, the enemy will take a good beating!”

————

When General Franz heard the whistling of the shells, his adjutant tackled him to the ground instantly.

Franz cursed, “What are you doing? Those shells clearly won’t fall here! You can tell by the whistle!”

As soon as he finished speaking, a large shell landed on the position of a 50mm PAK38 anti-tank gun team that had been ambushed, instantly sending both the gun and the gunner sky-high along with the gun position.

Franz watched in shock as the dust cloud resembling the explosion of an underwater torpedo rose.

He quickly snapped out of his shock, “It’s from a 203! The enemy has observation teams around us!”

He made the same judgment as his younger brother!

But then the points of impact of the shells clearly deviated from the anti-tank gun positions.

This accuracy—either the enemy’s observation team is too incompetent, or—it’s just a blind shot!

Franz’s scalp tingled, “That White Horse General, he has surveyed the terrain and knows where to place the anti-tank guns!”

There was no reason for this Junker noble to conclude that it was the White Horse General’s doing.

Franz ordered, “Tell the anti-aircraft battalion to abandon their positions! If it’s a blind shot, they won’t only hit here!”

At that moment, the whistling came again.

The second wave of shells fell near the hedgerows on the western side of altitude 120.

Franz was more certain, “This is also a suitable place for setting up anti-tank guns! Move out fast! Tell the anti-aircraft troops to retreat quickly! The third wave is coming!”

Major General Franz shouted frantically, pushing his communications staff to yell through the field telephone in clear language, “513th battalion! The general is ordering you to move out!”

The call was effective; the 513th battalion began to pack up their laid-out spades, and though they moved quickly, like the stubbornness characteristic of the Prussians, they couldn’t hurry the process.

The sound of the shells tearing through the air approached.

The men from the anti-aircraft guns who were packing up scattered and threw themselves to the ground, even those on the trucks scrambled underneath the vehicles.

The 203 hit the ground!

The first four shells were far off target, but the last one hit the ammunition truck of the 513th anti-aircraft battalion.

An orange fireball rose from the ground and then turned into a mushroom cloud.

It was just that in this era, no one had seen an actual mushroom cloud from a nuclear blast; otherwise, it would have been utterly nerve-wracking.

Major General Franz watched the mushroom cloud, furiously muttering that name, “Aleksei Konstantinovich Rokossovsky, damn you!”