"Salvo ready! Begin to suppress Soviet positions! Fire! "Waving the command flag, the commander of the German artillery position, gave the order to open fire.

Army Group B had artillery pieces under its jurisdiction, ranging in caliber from 200 mm to 150 mm, and the number was even more shocking.

Now at least 40 howitzers of 150 mm caliber are firing at the defensive positions of the Soviet troops.

"Boom!" The cannon shook the dust off his feet and fired a heavy cannonball. Then the soldiers began to clean the artillery, loading it with new ammunition.

A day's fierce assault began with the roar of these artillery. In the eyes of the German artillery observation posts, puffs of black smoke rose from the positions of the Soviet troops.

"Boom!" The first cannon had just fired, and the second cannon over there was roaring.

Then, the third, fourth, and the last cannon fired their own shells.

In the eyepiece of the German observer's artillery mirror, the Soviet fortifications were all submerged in a cloud of smoke, which had long been unrecognizable.

"Boom!" By the time the last cannon fired its own shells, the first gun had already begun the second round of firing.

Such a fierce artillery support, in fact, the German attacking troops have not enjoyed it for a long time.

Because of the rapid advance, the German front-line armored units often left behind the infantry and towed artillery that followed them.

So, in general, the most timely support firepower of the German front-line armored forces was the Stuka dive bombers from the Air Force, as well as a small number of self-propelled guns.

Those assault guns and self-propelled guns were able to barely keep up with the advance of German tanks, playing the role of support and cover.

It's just that now, the German army stayed in Kursk for reorganization and experienced too much, so it also had plenty of time to mobilize its own artillery to support the attack of armored forces.

Once upon a time, people forgot about the power of German artillery, because the Germans themselves often lost their artillery units and advanced alone.

You know, in World War I, Germany almost defeated Britain, France and Russia with Krupp's artillery.

So, in fact, Germany attaches great importance to its own artillery units, and has a very good artillery unit!

These 150 mm howitzers from Germany, as the most popular firepower pillars, have average performance, but their numbers are absolutely amazing.

"What kind of enemy can withstand such fire coverage? They probably have collapsed...... "Removing his eyes from the eyepiece of the artillery, a young artillery observer chuckled.

"If you're a freshman, don't express your opinion." Standing beside him was his superior, the commander of the observation post. He heard the exclamation of the recruit and scolded him coldly.

The commander, who had participated in the Battle of Moscow, knew what a huge price it would take to drive the Soviet soldiers out of their positions.

Sometimes, the opposing positions were repeatedly bombarded, and after a few hours, the Soviets were still on those positions, and even their defensive positions were not completely destroyed.

"The Soviets are much more tenacious than you think!" He looked at the Soviet positions on the opposite side, which had been covered in smoke and dust, and muttered a word.

The Soviets really did not abandon their positions, they were very well prepared on the periphery of Kursk, with various trenches, as well as some bunkers as support.

Although none of these lines were permanent fortifications, they were much stronger than improvised ones.

Under the baptism of German artillery, the Soviet soldiers were still stubbornly holding their positions. They don't intend to take a step back, because to retreat would mean treason.

German shells pierced the air, dragged a long note and crashed into the Soviet lines, exploding a few meters from the trenches.

The bomb then plowed a huge crater into the ground, but did not hurt the Soviet soldiers in the trenches.

The lethality of most shells is negated by the trenches. In fact, there are not many shells that can accurately fall into the trenches.

Artillery covered the German offensive and was just an appetizer. After the artillery suppression began, the Stuka dive bombers often joined in the grand performance.

When the artillery stops, these vultures flying in the sky will suddenly swoop down and make a terrible sound.

That kind of sound is the real sign of despair, because the dive bomber can spot the position of the trench from top to bottom, and drop the bomb it carries with precision.

What's even more terrifying is that as the war progressed, the Germans developed a variety of Stuka dive bombers, such as models equipped with large-caliber cannons for ground targets.

The normal Eastern Front Stuka was armed with two 20 mm cannons, but the modified Stuka "Floor Licker" also carried two 30 mm aviation guns under the wings.

Dense fire strafed along the trenches and could inflict a large number of casualties on soldiers on the opposite side. With that characteristic whistling sound, it can easily collapse the soldiers in the trenches.

This kind of aerial artillery attack aircraft is also a sharp weapon for attacking Soviet tank troops, and it is much easier to use than the traditional Stuka that originally carried bombs.

Sure enough, just as the German shelling came to an end, the whistling in the sky immediately became clear.

The Soviet soldiers huddled in the trenches could only cover their ears and scream in despair, venting the despair in their hearts.

"Uh......h "Buzz......" was like a nightmare, and the sharp sound continued to spread in their ears, making them involuntarily close their eyes.

"Boom!" Then, there was a loud bang, and the earth shook like a mountain. The earth fell from the sky as the explosion spread, hitting everyone's steel helmets with a crackling sound.

A section of the Soviet position was hit by an aerial bomb, the trenches were deformed, and the Soviet troops inside suffered heavy casualties.

Before the Soviet medics could rescue the wounded in this section of the trench, the sharp sound in the sky echoed again.

An aircraft with Seagull-wing wings rushed down the clouds and aimed its nose at the Soviet trenches on the ground.

The plane got closer and closer - it was only when it got close to the ground that it began its own attack.

Under the wings, the muzzles of four dark aircraft guns began to spray tongues of fire, and on the Soviet position, two rows of white smoke began to extend, covering the trenches with people on their backs.