"Please rest assured that all the commanders and fighters of the 9th Guards Panzer Division have the confidence and ability to defeat the enemy in an upright manner. Definitely will not disgrace His Majesty, to the Guards Legion! ”

Lieutenant General Ji Youqian put down the phone in Chico, and the loud and resolute voice of Wen Hejun, the commander of the 9th Division, still echoed in his ears on the phone. Commander Wen refused to be sent by the Air Force again, and he wanted to defeat the 13th Armored Division of the US Army in a knightly duel in the front.

This is not a wise choice, the Allies have absolute air superiority in the Nevada region, and most of the US aviation is concentrated in the central region, and they do not dare to attack easily.

To annihilate a purely armored force like the 13th Panzer Division, which has already been caught in an encirclement, air strikes are undoubtedly the easiest and least costly method. However, Lieutenant General Ji Youqian did not say a word about Major General Wen Hejun's obviously "nonsense" request, which was actually a default to the battle plan of the 9th Armored Division.

There are some things that cannot be measured by numbers or whether they should be measured; Commanders on the battlefield need to be more rational, but as long as they are alone, they will inevitably be emotional. Lieutenant General Ji Youqian is trying to drive out the rationality in himself, at least for this moment.

"Defeat them with dignity, in armored duels, tank hand-to-hand battles, defeat them! Prove to the Americans that the Empire's tanks are the best, and the Empire's armored troops are the best. ”

Division Commander Jonathan was very surprised why after the first pull strike of the Allied air forces in the early morning, no large Allied aircraft group was found. Allied reconnaissance planes occasionally passing overhead...... That is already used to the US military in the west. It would be an anomaly if you didn't see a few Allied planes in the sky one day.

Adjutant Captain Rudy was very incomprehensible to the brigadier general's broken thoughts: "General, isn't it good news for us that the Allied air force does not appear?" The voice in the tank was so loud that Captain Rudy stretched his hand into a trumpet shape and placed it next to Jonathan's ear so that the division could hear him clearly.

However, to the captain's frustration, his words made Jonathan shake his head frequently. Unlocking the top cover of the turret, Jonathan drilled his head out. In any country's armored regulations, the commander is not allowed to make such a move during the march of the troops. However, without the ability to communicate with radio, officers at all levels of the 13th Panzer Division were not allowed to constantly poke their upper bodies out of the tanks to observe the movement of other tanks in the ranks.

"The fact that the Allies did not continue to launch all-out air strikes against us when we have already exposed our position only proves that there is a greater test waiting for us ahead of us!"

Jonathan's voice was not loud, and it was difficult for Rudy's lieutenant in the tank to hear it, perhaps...... He's just talking to himself!

It should be said that Brigadier General Jonathan, who was once a top student at West Point, has quite a good ability to judge the battlefield situation, but he does not speak Chinese well. Otherwise, he would have been able to utter the classic saying, "When things are impermanent, there must be demons." ”

The Allied air forces are fully capable of continuing to launch air strikes against the lone 13th Armored Division, which cannot guarantee total annihilation, but there is no problem in inflicting a major blow on a tank division with limited air defense capabilities.

However, the Air Force's decision to reorganize the 13th Armored Division after the slightly clumsy performance of the Dongying Attack Aircraft Wing was incomprehensible to many. If you say something good, this is called being cautious in sending troops, and if you say something bad, it is clear that you are delaying the fighter!

However, Lieutenant General Ji Youqian withstood the pressure, and the commander of the Allied Air Force in Los Angeles, Admiral Long Xiaotian, also expressed support for the Army's actions. "The dignified man and the iron rider should have the will to fight to the death and the heart of a hundred battles. Even if there is sacrifice, there is no regret. ”

In all wars, the Han army has always carried out Zhong Yi's guiding principle that countless equipment and human life are priceless. "Why should we use human lives to fill things that can be solved with more ammunition? We, the Han Army, can train special operations forces, but we don't want death squads! The special forces are trying their best to protect the lives of soldiers with more advanced equipment and are people-oriented. And the death squad is indifferent to life and takes sacrifice as glory. ”

"Your Majesty, this time, please allow me to indulge once and sacrifice in exchange for the invincible prestige of the Great Han Iron Cavalry!" Looking at his watch, Ji Youqian stared out the window at the Nevada Mountains still stubbornly showing his beautiful scenery in the war and gunsmoke, "The scenery is enchanting, and it needs to be moistened by spring wind and rain; The country is so delicate, when the blood of my generation is stained! ”

Turned around sharply and picked up the phone on the table: "Order, Xiong Xiangyue's 8th Guards Armored Division, before 10:30, must launch an attack on the flank of the US army." ”

The tumbling of the tracks brought up the fertile soil of the Great Basin; The black smoke fills the town, making the peaceful town no longer ethereal.

Roaring iron horses spread out in the wheat fields of the countryside, and the blood-colored golden dragon battle flag in the wind and the star-spanded banner on the front of the M26 met ten kilometers north of the blue hot spring town.

The roar of tank engines and the explosion of shells, as well as the gunfire and shouts of soldiers, seemed to be intertwined in an instant. The pungent smoke of gunpowder replaced the beautiful cooking smoke in the countryside, and the high-speed movement of tanks and the dust raised by the shelling made the view of the observers on both sides difficult.

Compared with the M26 Pershing tank, which is more than 40 tons, the overhauled "Tiger" tank is also much slimmer. However, the American armored troops were stunned to find that the Han tanks, which they had been able to penetrate easily two months earlier, had suddenly become much stronger. Hits that are a little farther away will also ricochet on the beveled armor of the Tiger tank. Many Han tanks that were hit head-on would "continue to move forward and shoot hell" after being hit in the dust.

But they have no time to continue to study these technical problems, at least the armor-piercing shells fired by the M3 long-barreled main gun can still produce a certain strike effect after hitting the "Tiger", so let's bravely return fire! It's just that there is no on-board radio communication, and the US military can only fight on its own! Jonathan couldn't contain the frustration of not being able to command the whole situation, opened the turret cover, and wanted to stand up and shout a few words.

It doesn't matter if the other tanks can hear it or not, but doing so is clearly "taking the initiative to deliver food". Several heavy machine gun bullets almost hit Jonathan's head, and Rudy, the adjutant who desperately pulled the division commander down, broke out in a cold sweat.

Even the brigadier general with an American-style M1 steel helmet would certainly not be able to withstand the 12 on the Han tank. Heavy machine gun bullets of 7 mm caliber.

Several violent explosions came, and Captain Rudy could hear that the M26s on both sides had been hit and the ammunition had exploded. Looking up at Division Commander Jonathan, who seemed to be a little unwilling to wilt in the tank, Adjutant Rudy swallowed the suggestion "It's too dangerous here, we should retreat a little" back into his stomach, and there was no need to think about it, Jonathan, who had always been the idol of the lone hero General Patton, would definitely not agree to retreat.

The battle began to get stalemate. The advanced armor and design of the overhauled "Tiger" allowed it to show its majesty in battle, and the tungsten armor-piercing shells fired from the 105mm long-barreled smoothbore main gun of 50 times caliber were enough to penetrate the uniform armor of the M26. The advent of the automatic loader not only reduced the crew inside the tank, but also made the rate of fire of the main gun of the over-modified "Tiger" reach 7 rounds per minute.

Not only in terms of tank performance, but also the Allied communication shielding in the Truqui Lake area also made it impossible for the 13th Panzer Division to exercise effective command. The Allied 9th Guards Panzer Division, on the other hand, took advantage of the convenience of communication and flexible tactics to form a situation in which more fighters were fought. Fire, martyrdom...... In the minds of Americans, the M26, which has been portrayed as an invincible iron horseman, interprets tragic and humiliating sacrifices in various ways.

But Jonathan did not give up, and neither did the tank crews of the 13th Panzer Division. After the tanks of both sides began to get closer, the "Tigers" also began to show damage. The composite armor and advanced design concept are not invincible, and the power of the Pershing heavy tank M3 main gun should not be underestimated.

There are even comparisons between it and the KwK71 of 43 caliber of the German King Tiger tank.

However, the explosion and fire did not stop the determination of the armored soldiers to win, just like the knight duel in the medieval West, just like the great Han Erlang swept outside the fortress in the ancient Han Dynasty.

Some of the armored soldiers who were lucky enough to escape after the tank was destroyed did not flinch, and after jumping out of the tank, they drew their pistols at their waists, or picked up the rifles that sacrificed their comrades and continued to charge. Armored men in tank caps and leather jackets charged with pistols or rifles, a sight rarely seen on other battlefields. In many countries, armored forces are also key protection objects.

But in the tank battle of the blue hot spring town, no one is more honorable than the other, and what about the president himself giving the name? What about the pro-army of the Son of Heaven of the Han Dynasty? Charging forward, a knight who loses his horse will not lose his courage, and an armored soldier who has lost a tank will not be cowardly.

At this moment, the fighters on both sides became very equal. Without the superiority of the sea and the air, without the three-dimensional combination, many times, two hostile tanks will actually fire at the same time and hit each other at the same time. It's just that the more advanced "Tiger" modification will continue more and more, and the M26 will explode and catch fire.

At this moment, the soldiers on both sides did not have hatred in their hearts, but respect. It is said that the Han soldiers are young master soldiers, and they would rather lose their weapons than lose their lives. If they were to be as brave as they were to charge, they were not even as brave as the Japanese and the Nanyangs. But here, the Americans saw that the Han army could grab any weapon and charge bravely, even if it was only a thorn in their hand.

It is said that the Americans are more afraid of death than the Han army, and in Africa, they are not only faster than the British, but even faster than the rabbits in the desert. That's why they were able to flee back to their homeland when Casablanca was almost in a desperate situation. But here, the American armored soldiers, who lacked explosives, dared to drill under the tanks of the Han army after jumping out of the tanks with shells.

The two armies in the world that pay the most attention to logistics, pay the most attention to life, and have the most advanced science and technology fought the most barbaric and bloody tank decisive battle in the Blue Hot Springs.