German Red Prince

Page 176

383. Encounter Battle

Blitzt woke up and kicked the bunk above him.

"A bunch of lazybones, get up now."

Blitzt sat up in bed, and the other four opened their eyes at his urging. He got dressed; it was still a bit cold, and he shivered when he went outside.

To be honest, they felt completely uninvolved in the war so far. Guderian's plan to raid Kassel was a great success, and their tank company was responsible for directly penetrating the Minden area. There was some tension at the beginning, but there was no large-scale conflict as Blitzkrieg had expected. The battle was over before their tank company even arrived in Minden.

Blitzkrieg hadn't expected the battle to be so swift. Minden was a crucial passage to the Rhine, yet it had been captured so quickly. Or perhaps the Prussian army was entirely concentrated in Kassel and hadn't anticipated the Rhine Kingdom's infiltration.

When Blitzt's tank platoon arrived in Minden, the troops were already clearing the battlefield. He jumped off the tank, and there was still a smell of gunpowder in the air. The citizens of the Rhine were cheering for the kingdom's army to liberate the area. There was no clash or fierce battle as he had expected. He had been thinking about how to fight the enemy all the way here, and now the entire platoon of tanks had not even fired a single shot.

He lit a cigarette and watched the other soldiers cleaning up the battlefield. Some of them were being urgently carried onto trucks on stretchers. Looking at these soldiers wrapped in bandages, Blitzt didn't know whether to feel fortunate or sad. Tanks were their protectors, but they were also like metal coffins. If they were hit, the whole truck would basically die here.

Although tanks are the treasures of these armored soldiers, they really don't like to stay in them when they're not in combat. The cramped space means that if they stay inside for a few hours, they're basically unable to move. If they have to make continuous marches, especially in places with bad road conditions, they'll have to be carried out.

Fortunately, the weather isn't too hot yet, otherwise, it would be really tough for five people to be crammed into a tin can. Minden is still a small town, so they have a place to sleep. If they were on a long march, they would have to dig a foxhole next to it to sleep.

Because Minden was successfully captured by the Rhine army, this raid was very successful. If the opposing command hadn't reacted quickly, almost none of them would have escaped. However, the gains from this trap were not small. Since it was the German Civil War, there was no need to be so ruthless. All sides in the battle maintained good tacit understanding. After all, they were brothers, so they basically wouldn't engage in encirclement and annihilation. They mainly captured prisoners.

The divisions that were heavily guarded in Kassel surrendered after several unsuccessful attempts to break out. There was no point in dragging it out. However, this also depended on the situation. Some officers in the Prussian army did not want war, so they would surrender directly if they were at a significant disadvantage. Since everyone was on their side, there was no great psychological burden in surrendering.

As ground troops, armored units are in the first echelon for food. Currently, the front lines have ample supplies and are within the control of the Kingdom of Rhine, so they can still have hot meals.

Tank soldiers look quite imposing, driving those big machines, even cooler than cavalrymen, but life inside those tin cans is truly miserable. In the summer, after driving a tank for a long time, the temperature inside will rise sharply, so hot that it can make you jump. Sometimes, sweat drips onto the equipment and evaporates directly, making a hissing sound.

This is the situation in Germany as well. Blitzt can't imagine how grueling it must be for his brothers in Cyrenaica to drive such a behemoth in the desert. Driving it in broad daylight, the armor would probably be strong enough to fry an egg.

"Everyone should be full by now. Once we get to the battlefield, it will be hard to even get a sip of hot soup. Also, make sure to clean your genitals before getting on the tank. Last time, there was a strong smell of urine inside the tank. When we asked, everyone shook their heads and said they didn't do it. I don't want to be covered in poop and pee when I'm sent to the sky."

Last time Blitzkrieg jumped into the tank, he smelled a strange odor that almost made him vomit during the three-hour drive. If the hatch in the safe zone hadn't been open, he would have stopped immediately and dragged out the guy who couldn't control the stench and given him a beating.

"The tank is our home, and its maintenance depends on everyone."

This is an ironclad rule within Blitzt's tank platoon: no matter what, this behemoth must be well maintained. He often tells the other soldiers that on the battlefield, the infantryman's gun is like his wife, and they take good care of it when they're not fighting. Similarly, for armored soldiers, the tank is like their wife, and they must also take good care of it.

Blitzt's armored platoon also had an extra internal inspection compared to other tank platoons. During non-combat hours, they had to pay attention to the maintenance of the tanks. If they lost too many points, they would get a good scolding from the platoon leader. Blitzt was even punished before and spent a long time in logistics. It was really hard to fool them.

Although the armored soldiers complained, the soldiers in charge of logistics and maintenance were very happy. The tanks in Blitzt's platoon had a very low failure rate, so they didn't have to curse all the time.

Routine maintenance of tanks is also very important. Although they are tough and heavy, if the details are not properly maintained, they will become coffins on the battlefield, requiring a full cremation service. After finishing his meal, Blitzt began to clean his tank with the others.

When Blitzt was first assigned the Panzer II, he practically slept with it, cleaning it meticulously, and he still does so now on the battlefield. However, there are rumors that the Kingdom is researching a new Panzer III, which is larger and more powerful than the tanks they currently drive. Blitzt is somewhat looking forward to this and hopes to see it alive. If he could be assigned one, that would be even better.

The gun brush used to clean the muzzle is a very long handle, and it takes several people to work together each time. I don't know when it started, but a story began to circulate in the military camp that a tank commander in an armored battalion often led people to clean his tank, and then one day he had a dream.

It is said that the tank's spirit was very grateful for his maintenance and told him to pay attention to a house at the street corner during the next attack. Later, on the battlefield, he actually encountered the same house as in his dream. Although he couldn't see it from above, he still fired a shot. After the battle ended, he discovered that there was a cannon hidden in the house, with the muzzle pointed at them. If they hadn't discovered it, they probably would have been killed.

The story spread quickly, especially among various mobile units, where everyone began to maintain their armored vehicles, trucks, and tanks to please the "machine spirit," hoping that one day the machine spirit, in its great joy, might appear in their dreams.

After cleaning the muzzle, they checked the tracks for any looseness or cracks. Since their troops hadn't participated in combat like this before, the inspection was quick. They leaned against the tank and lit a cigarette. As armored soldiers, they weren't short of cigarettes. On long marches, infantrymen couldn't run fast on two legs, so the tank had seats.

A whole squad could be crammed onto a tank, leading to numerous under-the-table deals: a few packs of cigarettes for a parking spot. Motorized infantry had their own trucks and armored vehicles, while tanks served as battlefield taxis for most other ordinary infantry.

The troops rested here for a while. Prussia did not continue its offensive for a long time after losing Kassel, and it seemed that they were preparing for a big move. The defense on the Weser River had been turned into an offensive. Model's next plan was to advance towards Rothenburg and then towards Hamburg to support the uprising in Hamburg as soon as possible.

After recapturing Kassel, Guderian's forces became a sharp sword, and their next targets were Göttingen, then Brunswick, and finally Magdeburg, pushing the front line to the Rabe River.

The troops departed from Minden, with one part advancing towards Hernd and another towards Friedland, encircling Göttingen from both directions.

Blitzt's unit was heading to the Friedland region, where there is a vast plain leading to Göttingen, suitable for tank units to pass through.

With the hatch open, Blitzt used binoculars to observe his surroundings. Suddenly, he saw a long cannon barrel through the binoculars, followed by the large front of the tank.

"Attention tanks! Prepare for battle!"

Blitzt quickly shrank into the car, his heart pounding wildly. He had only glanced at the binoculars briefly, but he had already spotted at least ten tanks. His first real tank battle was about to begin on the vast plains of Friedland.

384. Crossfire

Blitzkrieg felt all the blood rush to his head. He had waited for this moment for so long, and its sudden arrival filled him with such excitement that he kicked the iron plate. The first tank battle between the Kingdom of the Rhine and Prussia had begun.

The Prussian tank force was reorganized by Schulteheim after the Rhine Kingdom's military parade, and it was one of Prussia's best-equipped armored forces. Their first battle was against the Rhine Kingdom's reorganized armored forces.

"Attention tanks! Prepare for battle! Prepare for battle!"

Blitzt gave the order, and the armored platoon immediately changed to attack formation. The time to test the results had come. This was a real battlefield; a moment's delay could mean real death.

Blitzkrieg's tank charged to the front; he was riding in the most advanced tank in the Kingdom of the Rhine, determined to teach the Prussians a lesson.

It's clear that the enemy isn't here to fight Blitzkrieg this time. They're followed by a huge swarm of soldiers. They're preparing to launch an offensive against Minden. I didn't expect those old Prussians to be playing combined arms warfare. Berlin has some experts too.

The performance at the front was terrible, and Hess understood this, so he urgently selected a group of elite assault troops to form an armed assault division. They were all his own men. The army was very lax in this civil war. Although Hess ordered that surrender be prohibited, the officers who were surrounded basically did not organize an attack, but naturally surrendered to the Kingdom of Rhine.

The army cannot be trusted, but Hess has absolute faith in his armed assault division. These men will never surrender. After hastily assembling the armed assault division, Hess also considered that the Kingdom of the Rhine would attack Göttingen. Since the other side is coming, he will not wait. Hess will take the initiative to strike.

The armed assault division that Blitzt encountered was not the main force; their main force was attacking Minden from another direction, from the direction of Hernd.

"Three tanks right in front! Don't fire randomly, aim!"

"Armor-piercing shell!" gunner Miller shouted.

"Loading complete!" The loader, Albert, pushed the shell into the magazine. Before enlisting, he was a dockworker, and working in this small tank was like returning to his old profession.

"Feuer!"

An armor-piercing shell was fired from the gun barrel. The huge impact caused the tank to shake violently, but the shell did not hit any of the tanks. The tanks on the other side were still driving towards them at top speed.

"Load! Load! Aim and fire!"

In such a tense combat environment, Blitzkrieg was somewhat incoherent. The second shell was fired, and at the same time, the enemy tanks opened fire.

The shell grazed past Blitzt's tank, and a huge explosion came from behind. Blitzt felt his adrenaline surge to its limit.

"Well done, Adam!"

This was the driver's limit; otherwise, that shot might have smashed their tank to pieces.

Miller's shell hit its mark perfectly, striking the Prussian tank at the very front. The immense impact twisted and deformed the tank to an exaggerated degree. If they hadn't dodged, they probably would have ended up like that, with all five men trapped inside the metal coffin.

"Destroy the target! Destroy the target! Notice the formation change; we need to move to the right."

After destroying the tank, Blitzt relayed the next steps to the tank platoon via radio. Rheinland's tanks were all equipped with radios, which, although costly, were worthwhile. Real-time communication and effective coordination were essential for launching a blitzkrieg.

"Armor-piercing shell!"

Albert pushed the shell into the magazine and shouted.

"boom!"

Another shell was fired, and this one hit the other side, causing a huge explosion. Blitzt was convinced he saw the tank's turret fly off.

"Brian! Did you get fucking stupid after you were beaten up in the square last time?! Shoot!"

Blitzt was more worried about the enemy infantry than the Prussian tanks. Infantry were far more agile than tanks; their necks could turn faster than the turrets, and he couldn't see so many people at once through his small observation window.

It would be too dangerous to let these infantrymen get close to the tanks. Last time in the military camp, they witnessed how ordinary infantrymen fight tanks. A few soldiers working together can take down a tank. Although this is not a city, it does not mean that the danger is reduced. Once the infantrymen are right in their face, they will basically have half of their lives in God's hands.

Brien operated the MG34 machine gun mounted on the tank, and its terrifying rate of fire made him the true butcher of the tank.

He once asked veterans what it felt like to kill someone for the first time on the battlefield, and their answers were consistent: when you kill the first person, you may feel guilty. Some even risk returning to the battlefield after the war to clean up the body of the person they killed. That was all their conscience on the battlefield.

After that, killing one person or killing ten people made no difference. In their eyes, people were just walking sticks. Brien operated the machine gun and fired wildly. War cannot be carried out with any conscience. This was the old soldier's advice to him, because conscience only hurts oneself to satisfy others. On the battlefield, if you have a conscience, your conscience is only worth a bullet.

Through the small observation port, Blitzkrieg could see the people who had been hit lying on the ground in agony. Some of them weren't killed outright, but were run over by the tanks as they crawled on the ground. Although there was a huge noise in his ears, Blitzkrieg could clearly hear the screams of those people in his mind.

On a complex battlefield, no one has time to care about your feelings. Brien felt like he was about to vomit, but his machine gun couldn't stop. Maybe the person who let him go under the gun would be sending their tank into the air with a grenade in a few minutes.

Blitzt was still yelling and directing the vehicles. Although he didn't need to shout so loudly for others to hear, he was still shouting orders. Brien wondered if he was venting some kind of emotion.

Finally, Brien shouted as well. His machine gun didn't stop firing, roaring and firing bullets forward. Bullets kept hitting their tanks, making a crackling sound as they struck the armor. It was a bit like the sound of raindrops hitting the window of a bus on a rainy day, making Brien feel as if he had returned to Frankfurt.

"Damn it! Where did all these tanks come from?!"

Blitzcrank cursed. The enemy clearly had more tanks than his own, and their tank force had already lost some tanks. If this continued, they would soon be at a disadvantage.

"boom!"

Blitzkrieg saw a Prussian tank ahead take a hit to the side, but it didn't look like damage from a tank shell, because the tank wasn't destroyed but just lay there. Then another shot came, and Blitzkrieg clearly saw a soldier drop the cannon barrel and take cover behind a nearby bunker.

The tank became immobilized and burst into flames. The soldiers on board jumped off and ran backward.

Skill breeds daring. Blitzt couldn't believe that some soldiers from the Kingdom of the Rhine would dare to use rocket launchers to shoot at tanks at such close range on the plains. As a tank crewman, he absolutely did not want to encounter such an opponent.

385. Two kinds of consciousness

In infantry anti-tank warfare, the most important thing is courage. Overcoming psychological barriers is the key. After all, no normal person would want to get close to such a cannon. As long as you can overcome the psychological barrier, you can basically succeed halfway in anti-tank warfare.

The Rhine Kingdom's RPG is still under development. At present, the anti-tank weapon used by the infantry is the "Iron Fist" rocket launcher. Although it is a replacement, the advantage of this thing is that it can launch an attack from tens or hundreds of meters away from the tank. This is much more useful than anti-tank grenades. Who can throw an anti-tank grenade forty meters away? That would really make him a German Superman.

In close-quarters combat between tanks, infantry are the most flexible variable. When the crew is engaged in fierce fighting with the enemy, no one has time to take care of their own rear. At this time, a tank is almost finished if it is targeted by four or five soldiers with anti-tank capabilities.

Tank warfare is a compulsory course for armored grenadiers. The biggest difference between Prussian tanks and those of the Kingdom of the Rhine is that Prussian tanks have more powerful firepower. The tanks that fought against the Kingdom of the Rhine were designed more like the tanks used by the French. They had very powerful firepower, and some tanks had two cannons, one above the other. Such firepower was indeed terrifying and could compete with the Kingdom of the Rhine's new Panzer II tank.

Prussia's new tanks are very strong in armor protection. Even the frontal armor of the Panzer II cannot be guaranteed to be penetrated. They have full firepower and protection, but their mobility is much worse. The Kingdom of the Rhine has always focused on the coordination of tanks. The armored groups maintain good command and communication during combat. So on the battlefield, they basically fight one against one with multiple infantry anti-tank harassment. They slowly wear down the enemy's tanks with this tactic.

The opposing armored forces were indeed very formidable, engaging the Rhine Kingdom's tank units in a fierce battle. Blitzt's platoon had already lost a tank, and nearly thirty tanks had been deployed on this small plain, making it the largest tank operation since the start of the war.

"Smoke screen! Smoke screen!" Blitzt shouted. The tanks opposite had pinned their infantry behind a cover. While he was focused on dealing with the tanks, he also needed to take care of the infantry. Maybe they could help him take down a tank that was threatening him.

"Smoke grenade!" Albert shouted.

Moving shells was definitely a tough job. Albert was so busy that he didn't even have time to wipe the sweat off. He felt like the high temperature inside the tank was about to turn him into a dried-up human. The Prussian tanks were firing fiercely, and he dared not stop. An excellent loader is very important for the entire tank's operation, which directly affects the tank's rate of fire.

Albert felt like he'd been pulled out of hot water; his clothes were soaked with sweat. He'd felt a bit cold when he first got into the tank, and he started to regret not taking his clothes off sooner, otherwise he wouldn't be feeling this uncomfortable now.

There was no time to take off his clothes at this point, so he mechanically carried the shells, taking armor-piercing and high-explosive shells off the ammunition rack and then forcefully stuffing them into the gun barrel.

Several smoke grenades were fired, the white smoke obscuring the vision of the opposing tanks and giving the infantry a chance to move.

"Brian, fire into the smoke screen! Cover the infantry's retreat!"

On the battlefield, one must not have emotions. Brien felt like a shooting machine. Upon hearing Blitzt's order, he did not hesitate at all and pulled the trigger towards the smoke screen.

The machine guns of the Kingdom of the Rhine are absolutely the best machine guns available today. The Maxim machine gun of yesteryear was a widow-making machine on the battlefield, and now that title can definitely be bestowed upon the general-purpose machine guns of the Kingdom of the Rhine.

Under the intense fire of the machine gun, the infantry quickly moved through the smoke. They crept into a trench beneath some bushes, took out their Panzerfaust pistols, and aimed them at the approaching tanks. The closer the tanks were, the greater the accuracy and power of the Panzerfaust pistols became. When the tanks got close, the whole ground trembled. This was a real test of their mental strength, because these infantrymen couldn't guarantee that the tanks hadn't spotted them. If they were spotted, it would almost certainly mean certain death. Could their speed match the tanks' cannons and machine guns?

The tank moved slowly forward, revealing its vulnerable side. Several armored soldiers aimed at the target, and rockets were launched from them.

"boom!"

A rocket hit the side of the tank, but it did not completely destroy it. The tank, with its tracks broken, slowly moved its turret. At this moment, it was a race against time.

"boom!"

Another shot, then a third, then a fourth, and finally they took it down before the big guy even noticed them.

"Turn around! Turn around!"

Adam pulled the control lever to complete the turn, and a shell flew past the turret, blasting a large crater not far away. Blitzt had no sense of time at all; he only knew that it was still daylight when he arrived, but now it was dark. Not long ago, he had been complaining that there were no battles to fight as a tank crewman, but this battle was enough for him.

Blitzkrieg's Panzer II tank had destroyed at least three enemy tanks, but he couldn't be bothered to think about exactly how many. He just wanted to know when this skirmish would end.

"Damn it! Do they still have tanks on that side?!"

Another tank was successfully destroyed. Blitzt felt his voice was hoarse. No one answered him when he shouted, no one in the crew answered him, and the other tank crews were silent. The battlefield suddenly became quiet and very eerie. The destroyed tank was still burning, and they could no longer see the other tanks through the periscope.

Blitzt opened the tank hatch and poked his head out. The smell outside was much better than the smell inside the tank, and the temperature was also very pleasant. Blitzt greedily inhaled the fresh air, feeling like he could fall asleep immediately. The command he had just given had exhausted him.

A gust of wind blew in, and the pungent smell of blood and gunpowder hit Blitzt's head, almost making him vomit. He lay on the tank for a while to recover before continuing to give orders.

"All tanks, maintain vigilance and provide cover for the infantry to clear the battlefield."

It seemed that the skirmish was over, and the next step was to clean up the battlefield and wait for the reinforcements to arrive. It was only then that Blitzt got a clear look at the battlefield. The ground had been plowed up by artillery shells, and there were corpses and chunks of flesh everywhere. He also saw some bodies that had been crushed into the mud by tanks. It would probably take a lot of effort to dig these people out.

Tank wreckage was everywhere. I counted about twelve wrecked tanks on the battlefield. It took some effort, but the enemy's tanks were all destroyed. However, my own losses were also quite significant. Overall, this was the first tough nut to crack since the start of the operation. This also shows that Prussia's new army was not just for show, but actually had a certain combat capability. If they could complete their military reforms with a little more patience, they would put considerable pressure on the Kingdom of the Rhine.

After reinforcements arrived, their troops were temporarily stationed in Marhausen, about two kilometers from Friedland. It was here that Blitzt was able to get a good look at his tank. The tracks were covered in mud and blood, and the hull was riddled with craters from shrapnel. The entire tank was covered in dust and dirt.

"Hey, Miller, stay away from me!"

Albert shoved Miller away as he tried to hug him, and said something disdainfully.

"I am not gay."

"Oh, Albert, I've discovered I really love your speed," Miller said with a smile, not angry at being pushed away.

Albert's reload speed was absolutely top-notch, which made Miller very happy to fight, and the whole crew cooperated very well.

"All I want to do right now is take a nice shower and then lie in bed and sleep for three days and three nights."

Albert's clothes were soaked with sweat and were now air-dried, leaving him with a strange smell.