"Sir, the bombers are coming."

Zhuo Fan was taking care of how Cui Yushan, the commander of the engineering tank battalion, should deal with the houses and obstacles, and Fan Shaobo ran over from the oblique spur with the signal soldiers. Looking up, an air support formation consisting of sixteen H-5 and twenty ghost car dive bombers had already appeared in the sky. Because the target was small and difficult to distinguish during the ground attack, and there were many incidents of accidental injury, as soon as he saw the group, Zhuo Fan immediately asked the Polish reconnaissance battalion to withdraw. The armored soldiers also covered the top of the tank with the national flag, so as not to let these killers in the sky lose sight.

"See? In the direction of entering the south of the city, there is also a complex of central municipal buildings. I will let the artillery shoot yellow flares and bombard intensively according to the smoke position! Help me clear the building obstacles! Do you understand? In Zhuo Fan's loud care, Fan Shaobo's head was faster than a rattle.

"The first group, the Seongnam complex, is 7,300 meters away. The second group, the target municipal building, is 11,600 meters away, due north, yellow smoke grenades, 6 rapid shots! ”

"Boom, boom."

Twelve 105-mm self-propelled guns, in accordance with the coordinates of the battalion commander, opened fire intensively at the breach south of the city and the municipal building complex in the center of the city, and orange smoke soon rose from around the two targets. "Azimuth 17, wind southwest, wind speed 21 yellow smoke. Repeat! The signal is yellow smoke, intensive bombardment! Intensive bombing! ”

"Vultures receive, condors receive. Clear the airspace, descend to an altitude of 1500 meters, the bomber goes first, dive the second wave attention! Target yellow smoke, yellow smoke. ”

Shortly after the sound of a long plane was heard on the shortwave radio, the 16 H-5s took the lead in lowering the speed and cutting into the city from the west after making a turn in the suburbs. The humming sound of the engine attracted a Soviet anti-aircraft artillery counterattack, but the Alkarek air defense system, which had been bombed many times, was almost paralyzed, so the bombers did not encounter much hindrance. A string of 120-kilogram high-explosive bombs was dropped on two yellow smoke targets. As mentioned earlier, due to the cold, the average thickness of the walls of buildings in the Soviet Union and Central Asia was one meter, and the Ural region was even more extreme to 2 meters or even 2.5 meters, so the Air Force was equipped with heavy high-explosive bombs for the Central Asian troops, and the 50-kilogram small bombs still in use in Europe were almost useless here.

Although 16 H-5s are not much, the 320 high-explosive bombs are still two bombing sites with unimaginable destructive power. In the indistinguishable continuous explosions, rows and rows of houses were torn down, and a large number of Soviet soldiers were crushed to death by the buildings. The swollen blast spread through the rubble and the entrails of the stump, and the entire city trembled violently. Even sitting in an engineering tank assembled a few kilometers away, you can feel the ground tremble. Looking at the crumbling buildings and the mushroom clouds symbolizing death, the tankers sitting in the cars had dry mouths.

Like the countries participating in the war, the Wehrmacht was going through the most important phase of expansion after the start of the war. The number of armored divisions has increased from 14 at the earliest to 38 at present. The number of infantry divisions increased to 8, and with the addition of various types of fighter tank battalions, the number almost tripled. In the face of this surging tide of army expansion, no country can guarantee that so many experienced armored troops will be taken out at once, so the combat capability of the armored forces of the Republic of China is actually regressing! It is only because of the superiority in equipment that it does not show decline. Fortunately, this regression is only temporary. When the troops fight for a while, they will quickly recover and even train more ace cars.

The 2022nd Project Tank Battalion is the product of rapid expansion, and except for battalion and company-level officers, all of them are rookies with only 200 hours of motorized experience. Although they caught up with the good days of becoming the Tiger Division. I also learned from the veteran to draw a tiger's head on the tank, but the tiger is also divided into a tiger king and a tiger cub. They are now a pack of tiger cubs with no teeth and no claws.

"Battalion commander, are we rushing in like this?"

"That's right. Aren't there a lot of Siberian tigers and leopards over there? How do you get us in the lead? ”

Facing a small town almost shrouded in explosions and smoke, the rookies who went to the battlefield for the first time had their hearts beating faster and their faces pale. The steel helmet was sweating like rain, and I couldn't turn around and leave. Battalion Commander Cui Yushan knew that his subordinates were frightened by the real battlefield, and deliberately laughed loudly: "You don't understand, the harder the Air Force bombs, the fewer enemies we will encounter later." Hehe, don't worry, just our engineering vehicles, Lao Maozi's firepower can't even break the armor skin. ”

Cui Yushan didn't lie, their battalion was equipped with a 36D multi-functional engineering tank nicknamed "Gonggong". The term was chosen because the designers hoped that the tank would be as terrifyingly destructive as the "co-worker". Their hard work is not in vain, this multi-functional engineering tank is indeed very powerful, using the 36C Spitfire tank as the prototype, the shape is similar to the 36 type main battle tank, the front is installed with a bulldozer blade, rear winch and other conventional engineering equipment, but also the main gun is replaced with a 70 mm low-pressure infantry gun that has been eliminated, and the waste is used to ensure that the tank has a good close-range suppression ability. In addition to suppressing the gun at close range, the engineers installed a flamethrower for it, and the location of the flamethrower was placed side by side to the left of the turret. In this way, not only does it have more barrier-breaking and suppressive capabilities than a single Spitfire tank, but it also has stronger self-defense. The most critical thing is that the 36D is also the first tank to install protective side panels, so even if it is attacked by infantry at close range, as long as it is not a direct shot of armor-piercing shells, it is difficult to destroy the side tracks and transmission mechanisms of the tank, and the survivability is stronger. The disadvantage was that the weight increased to 41 tons due to the large number of operating parts, and the need for five crew members, so the interior was more crowded than the Type 36 main battle tank.

Perhaps the words of the battalion commander worked, or perhaps they had confidence in their tanks, and the rookies gradually calmed down. As Fan Shaobo signaled the end of the bombardment, four minesweepers with chain drums and plough rakes took the lead. Seeing the minesweeper start, Cui Yushan immediately picked up the microphone: "Listen to all cars!" Raise your shovel and bulldoze everything you see! Don't panic when you encounter enemies, kill them with 70 guns, flamethrowers and coaxial machine guns! Note! Do not fire from the back, our infantry will protect in the back! ”

"Let's go! Kill it! Cui Yushan closed the thick top cover and popped out five words into the microphone.

As a veteran officer who participated in the Kazakh battle, Cui Yushan does not have the ability of Zhao Dengyu, nor is he as talented as Zhuo Fan in command, his ability is the tenacity and tenacity in his body. Even if he was assigned to lead the rookie engineering battalion, he still insisted on doing his best. Twenty-seven 36-ding "co-workers" raised their shovels. Four columns followed the minesweeper and rushed towards the breakthrough, and Zhuo Fan immediately ordered the infantry to be dispatched, and at the same time two Type 36 main battle tank companies were dispatched to protect it.

In the face of the mighty steel-armored beasts, Major General Komens, commander of the 62nd Infantry Corps of the Soviet Army stationed here, immediately reorganized the troops that were bombed by the planes. Although most of his troops were drained, leaving only two infantry divisions of dissatisfied, he was not discouraged, but used the streets and buildings to build defensive lines, and learned from the experience of Kyzylorda, and organized hundreds of assault teams to try to hold the city. Of course. He also had his own secret weapon, which was a company of 12 KV2 heavy tanks that had just arrived from Moscow and was supposed to support Zhukov. Seeing the tank group on the horizon, he immediately ordered a company of heavy tanks hidden on the outskirts to help.

But he would never have thought of the opponent he encountered this time. It is Zhuo Fan, who has been repeatedly studied by him and fought a classic city resistance battle in Kyzylorda.

After a series of minesweepers cleared mines, the gates of Alkarek were finally opened. Cui Yushan took the lead and rushed into the city circle filled with gunpowder. As soon as the smoke turned from thick to light, a thick quilt arched from the rubble 400 meters to the left caught his attention. Under the quilt, a black hole with a 37-mm muzzle was facing you. On either side of the muzzle, two more PTRS anti-tank rifles with long barrels also poked out. As the star weapon of the last great war. Anti-tank rifles were at one time massively armed by various countries. PTRS was developed in 1938 and was not originally purchased by the Soviet Army, but after the Battle of Ahvaz it was found that the infantry was seriously lacking in anti-tank weapons, so it began to be equipped in large quantities.

"! Ten o'clock position. Battle defense artillery! Fire! Number 4, left, go to the left and knock down the house! While in a cold sweat, Cui Yushan reacted quickly and gave the order to attack. But the rookie gunner, who had already filled the shells, made a mistake in his panic. Without waiting for the turret to turn into position, the shell was fired. The 70-mm grenade exploded 50 outside the blocking position. Doesn't do any damage at all, but instead reminds the enemy of his location.

"Be careful." Before Cui Yushan could scold his mother, the 37-mm anti-aircraft gun in the smoke on the opposite side spewed out a ball of fireball. Like the Republic of China, after experiencing heavy losses in the early stages of the war, the quality of the Soviet army also deteriorated seriously, so the concealed anti-aircraft artillery mistakenly aimed the muzzle at the turret. As the thickest part of the tank, the rookies who sat nervously in the car for a long time only heard a loud bang, and then everything was fine.

"See? See! They can't penetrate us, fire, fire! When Cui Yushan took the opportunity to boost morale, the two PTRs were dumbfounded. Because they aimed for a long time, they found that this strange tank with a bulldozer blade in front could not see the track rotation mechanism.

No matter! At the same time as the two bells were fired, and the sparks on the side panels were splashed, Cui Yushan's tank had already turned to its position. Although the 70mm infantry guns used in the last war have been retired for many years, they are very useful as a close-range suppression weapon because of their low chamber pressure, speed and power. The gunner made no mistake this time, and the discarded 70mm low-pressure gun fired two shells in quick succession in seven seconds, and the coaxial machine gun also fired wildly at the PTRS. In the bombardment explosion, the anti-aircraft guns under the quilt were blown apart, and before the two anti-tank rifle teams could escape, the engineering tanks on the left side of the detour raised their shovels and pushed the two-meter-high wall directly.

The crackling and collapsing houses made it impossible for the Soviets to hide, and a dozen soldiers screamed and tried to flee to the side. Cui Yushan had been waiting for this opportunity for a long time, and when he saw the Soviet infantry pouring out, he immediately detained the flamethrower. A hundred-meter-long flame rushed out from the front of the engineering tank, and the first two Soviet soldiers were directly wrapped in the flames, and the remaining soldiers did not expect the engineering tank to breathe fire, and their clothes and hair were ignited by the flying sparks, and in the blink of an eye, they turned into fireballs that screamed and screamed everywhere.

Realizing that their car was so sturdy and powerful, the engineering battalion gradually came out of the chaos. Twenty-seven multi-purpose engineering tanks are like twenty-seven "co-workers" who hit the mountain, wielding a dozer shovel to knock down all buildings and walls that obstruct the view. This tactic was unexpected by Major General Komens and the Soviet officers, and after the houses and walls were bulldozed, not only did they expose all the carefully arranged blocking points, but they also watched a large number of soldiers buried directly by the brick walls, and even if they were able to escape, they were repeatedly attacked by artillery and flames because of the exposure.

In just half an hour, the engineering tank battalion was like a professional demolition team that did not need to think about damage, knocking down all the obstacles on the road. Even in the case of a sturdy building. It can also be bombarded with cannons first, then rushed up to push down and break through, and finally machine gun fire or flamethrower strafing enemy infantry, which is simple but extremely lethal. The recruits enjoyed it, and the commanders even used the internal channel to show off their "achievements".

Although Alkarek is the state capital, it is not a fortified fortress full of concrete and steel in Tashkent, and the 500-horsepower supercharged diesel engine is enough to ensure that the "co-workers" can push most civil buildings. Seeing that the entire city would be bulldozed if this continued, Major General Komens immediately ordered a heavy tank company to attack. Plug the final weights.

Twelve KV2s were spotted by Thunderbolt fighters protected by the sky shortly after tearing off their camouflage and rushing out of the bunker. The appearance of this big-headed monster startled the pilot, and he hurriedly called to the ground: "1200 meters to the northwest, on the street to the left of the municipal building, is a heavy tank!" Note. It's a heavy tank of unknown model! "Heavy tanks?" Zhuo Fan, who had been standing beside Fan Shaobo, was also taken aback. First of all, the pilot said heavy tanks, which excludes the most powerful T34/57 known at the moment, which, by Wehrmacht standards, must be over 40 tons!

Fan Shaobo was faster, and when Zhuo Fan was still thinking, he sketched the location of the pilot's report on the city photos taken in advance, and saw that the circled street was less than 1,000 meters away from Cui Yushan's engineering battalion. Zhuo Fan first ordered the engineering tank battalion to retreat, and at the same time asked the two Type 36 main battle tank companies following behind to encircle and suppress this mysterious enemy, and also deliberately took care of the use of high-speed tungsten bombs.

"Up, up, up! Guys, there's something to do! ”

Commands in the headset. Let Lan Renru, who was following the engineering battalion with nothing to do, smell the bloody hungry wolf and suddenly jump up from the chair. The steel helmet picked up the microphone and shouted: "Second row!" Second row, follow me! ”

Before the rookies under Cui Yushan could react, Lan Ren led four 36 Siberian Tigers. Whistling rushed past them. The rookies who were reversing were envious, especially the white bars on the barrels of the four tanks. It makes them dizzy. Every white bar means an effective destruction, and when a recruit gunner finally counted the barrels of Qing Lan Ren, he couldn't help but gasp: "Mom! 15 valid kills! ”

Tankmen are similar to pilots, five effective kills can be called trump cards, fifteen.

Lan Rencai didn't care about the envious eyes of the recruits, and after receiving the battle order, all his attention was attracted by the sudden appearance of the new heavy tank. Before the people arrived, they ordered to load tungsten bullets and prepare to draw their guns and fight. The 500-horsepower supercharged diesel engine performed perfectly, and when the twelve KV2s were still staggering on the rubble, Lan Ren had already taken the lead in rushing to a pile of rubble. While it is dangerous to put yourself in a high place, you can get a clearer view.

Soon, through the gap between the two buildings, he found the traveling KV2, the thick barrel and the huge turret, even he was a little dizzy, not to mention the 50-ton hull, and even made people wonder for the first time whether the high-speed tungsten bomb was as effective as the designer said.

In fact, the KV2 tank is no longer a new weapon, the design was completed long before the war, and the Soviet army put three vehicles into combat testing during the Soviet-Finnish war. Originally, the Soviet army was not optimistic about this kind of slow, big-headed monster, but in the face of the "36 panic" in the East, Stalin, who caught everything as a vegetable, couldn't take care of it, and immediately ordered it to be put into production at full speed for emergencies. Regardless of the actual effectiveness, the 152mm muzzle really made Lan Ren, the ace commander, more vigilant. In order to avoid direct fire from this unknown thick artillery as much as possible, he thought about it and decided to adopt the tactic of blocking at both ends.

When a company went around the rear of KV2, Lan Ren had already chosen his own hiding point, a dilapidated warehouse. By the time he poked out of the window, KV2 was already half of its body out of 700 meters. Like all heavy tanks, the 52-ton KV2 turns like a bulky brown bear, which gives the gunner the best chance! Lan Ren didn't hesitate: "The first one belongs to me!" Fire! ”

"Boom!" In the tremor of the hull, 85 mm high-speed tungsten shells rushed towards the huge tank turret with a high muzzle velocity of 1,180 meters per second. Although the KV2's turret is very frightening, Lan Ren still underestimated the power of the high-speed tungsten bullet that took ten years to develop, and the 85mm "drug" gun equipped with the 36 main battle tank at the cost of life. The 110 mm vertical steel plate could not stop the high-speed tungsten bullet at all, and it easily penetrated through the front, and then countless fragments of the ammunition detonated the secondary air wave gushed out, like a flower of flame blooming on the tank! The power was so great that it even blew up most of the corner of the building next to it.

The KV2 that followed behind was also frightened by the explosion, and the Soviet tank crews never expected that anything could penetrate the 110-mm thick steel plate, so much so that the soldiers thought it was a heavy bomb dropped by a dive bomber. "Scare Lao Tzu, I thought it was a thick skin! Crash through the wall! Rush up. The reality of easy destruction made Lan Ren regain his confidence, and he immediately ordered to break through the wall and rush out.

"It's the Manchurian Tiger, shoot, shoot!" The wall that collapsed suddenly made the KV2 also spot Lan Ren, and the second KV2 immediately aimed and fired. The Soviet gunner, who had also lost his quality, missed in his hurry, and just as he struggled to stuff in the second shell, the 11-round 85mm anti-drug cannon had already sprayed two shells again, and Lan Ren and the wingman hit the second KV2 almost at the same time.

KV2, which Komens had high hopes for, suffered a heavy defeat in its debut. Coupled with the wrong tactics, the slow-moving heavy tanks were thrown into the narrow streets of the city, which were extremely unsuitable, so when the roundabout Type 36 main battle tank company took out the last two KV2s, the entire company was blocked in the streets and could not move. With such a good opportunity, how could the four dive bombers that had been circling all the time let go and immediately dive down to the overwhelmed heavy tankers. Eight 250-kilogram high-explosive shells could not directly hit the target, but they still destroyed the entire street. Even the sweeping Polish infantry came to appreciate the encirclement of the new tanks, rushed up to remove the bricks, pried open the hatches of the remaining KV2s with iron rods, and then swept them inside with submachine guns

．

In the headquarters of Rezkazigan, Xu Zuyi took the telegram and smiled: "Commander, good news!" This is the telegram of Zhuofan, who has already attacked Alkarek. You see, this kid has a really good head, he actually used engineering tanks to open the way, bulldozed all the houses and buildings that affected the line of sight, and used artillery to open the road when he couldn't push it haha, after this battle, the Kazakh Prime Minister's Office is estimated to have to protest to Premier Wang Zhengting. ”

From the suspicion a few days ago to the praise now, Zhuo Fan has won the trust of the front-line generals with practical actions. Liu Mingzhao also nodded with satisfaction, picked up the telegram and saw the new tank on it, frowned and asked, "Is there a description of this tank?" ”

"The specific details will not be known until the fight is over, but I heard Zhuo Fan say that it is a heavy tank. The weight is probably about 50 tons, and a 152-mm howitzer is installed. The artillery is very powerful, but the muzzle velocity is too slow, and the accuracy is not as good as that of a specialized tank gun. ”

"Howitzer." Liu Mingzhao put his mind at ease, no matter how powerful the howitzer is, the muzzle velocity will not exceed 800 meters per second. Moreover, the grenade uses a trigger fuse, which can only explode on the surface of the armor, and the accuracy at long distances is also poor. Not to mention the weight of 50 tons, the speed of the Type 36 engine is not much faster. Tanks that have lost their ability to maneuver are not much of a threat in the field.

"Where is the 103rd Division? You ready? ”

"35 kilometers south of the Algarbas, ready for battle." Xu Zuyi replied quickly: "The reconnaissance plane reported just now that Zhukov's vanguard has retreated to Kurgarginsk, and it should be that after getting the news of Alkarek's move, it is judged that you want to outflank him." ”

"He left yesterday, I can't help it, it's late now!" Liu Mingzhao sneered, slapped the telegram on the table, and issued an order categorically: "Pass the order, and in an hour, all troops will attack at the same time!" 40 minutes of fire preparation! It is necessary to clearly tell the commanders of all divisions that after the offensive is launched, do not be afraid of sacrifices, do not consider casualties, and chase as fast as you can! No matter how much they consume, I'll make it all up after the fight! ”