Chapter 1391 Close Combat (Part 2)

The heavy tractors of the Russians could not be effectively threatened or harmed at medium and long distances or even at close range. What should be done in such a situation?

The German armored soldiers, who were forced to do so, came up with a solution. Although it was helpless, it was still effective: close-range attack, just like what the SS armored soldiers in Prokhorovka had done to Malashenko.

The Panther tanks, which were blessed with high-speed mobility, did not stop immediately after forcibly crossing and running over the trenches, but chose to continue moving forward. The target was directly aimed at the lateral position of the steel behemoths entrenched not far away. As long as they could fight close to the face, they would have the possibility of penetrating the opponent's armor. The only way was to fight for their lives in such a helpless situation.

Malashenko, who had suffered such a loss, knew very well what these Germans wanted to do. The mistakes they had made could not be made again, and it was even more impossible to eat them back.

"All crews, back up! Try to keep a distance from the Germans, change the vehicle's direction at any time, and try to use the front main armor belt to fight the enemy!"

The Germans chose to charge desperately, and Malashenko could only respond by reversing urgently.

Indeed, the reversing speed of the Stalin heavy tanks is far from the maximum off-road speed of those Panthers who stepped on the accelerator. But it is better to shorten the time of being completely close and create some trouble for the Germans than to do nothing. Sitting and waiting for the Germans to get close to the face and go around the side is not Malashenko's style.

This kind of close combat that has been pulled to a hundred meters or even dozens of meters, in fact, no longer needs too much precise aiming. Even if the gunner is aiming directly in the reverse state, it can still shoot accurately, especially for the skilled gunners of the Stalin Guards First Tank Division.

"Iushkin, turn the turret 15 degrees to the right! The German Panther, kill it!"

With a wider field of vision, Malashenko captured the target that posed the greatest threat to his command vehicle and issued an order.

In the newly added wide-angle periscope for gunners, Iushkin saw the target pointed by Malashenko at a glance and moved quickly. The field of view was switched and his right eye was immediately placed in front of the gun mirror for precise aiming. The electric steering gear that had already been shaken drove the heavy and huge turret to point to the target at the fastest speed.

"Good armor-piercing shells!"

The new IS4 heavy tank has a body chassis that is absolutely large enough and a wider internal space of the turret. This not only improves the human-machine efficiency and is more conducive to the skills of the crew members, but more importantly, the IS4 heavy tank also has a new turret basket that was not available in the previous Stalin tank.

Artyom, who can rotate with the turret by standing on the basket, will no longer be delayed in loading due to the rotation of the turret. The sound of "good armor-piercing bullet" shouted out loudly was almost at the same time as Iushkin stopped shaking the steering gear in his hand.

Without any hesitation, Iushkin accurately grasped the opportunity and made a move. The moment he pulled the main gun firing lever, he could feel a powerful force, roaring from the huge main gun breech block close at hand. Even through the thick gun steel, he seemed to still feel the tremor and impact in the air.

The 122 gun with a huge chamber volume ejected a huge burning chemical energy to push the shell out of the barrel and whistled away. The armor-piercing projectile that screamed through the air was only less than a hundred meters away from the targeted Black Panther at the moment it was fired, which could be said to be reached in an instant.

The part Iushkin aimed at was the side abdomen of the Black Panther tank that was desperately attacking from the side.

Any tank that wanted to implement a close-range flanking tactic would inevitably expose its entire side armor completely and show it to the enemy in its entirety. The difference lies in the current status and relative angle of the two vehicles. If the situation is bad, the shooting angle may be poor and the shells may be deflected and bounced.

However, in the hands of Iushkin, who has reached the level of perfection in artillery, these are not a problem at all.

As long as Iushkin decides to fire and pulls down the firing lever of the main gun without any hesitation, it is not 100% feasible, but at least there is a great chance that it can be successful in one shot. In short, it is worth a try.

The armor-piercing projectile whistling at high speed hit the side of the Panther's body, and with the sound of sparks flying and the deformation of the body skirt, it broke the two road wheels inside and outside, and then continued to move forward with the unstoppable momentum. Directly under the track and behind the road wheel, a large hole was opened on the vertical side armor of the body that could fit a fist, and poured into it.

Just like all the German tanks that were penetrated by the 122 Heirloom, this Panther, which was originally expected to attack at high speed and shoot from the side, finally fell under the muzzle of Malashenko's No. 177 command vehicle before this goal was achieved, and burst into violent flames and shock waves on the spot, becoming a blazing steel crematorium.

The head of the separated Panther fell not far from the body of the vehicle, just a few meters away. The whole process from the armor being penetrated to the fire and burning to the complete ammunition explosion took only a few seconds and passed quickly.

Solving this Panther that was circling around for death did not show any substantial qualitative change effect. Malashenko still had to face more troubles: those Panthers who were still rushing towards him like crazy.

It was only after he dealt with the first Panther that tried to flank him that Malashenko, who was fighting with the Germans at close range, realized that the enemy was a little extraordinary.

In the past, most of the German medium tanks were mixed, and the elite Panthers often accounted for only half or even a small part, while the rest were relatively weak Type 4s and even Type 3s.

But this time, the Germans who had already rushed to the position and began to use close-range flanking tactics used all the same Panthers, and their tactical qualities were even more unexpected.

Malashenko had just dealt with the first Panther that tried to flank him, and the gun smoke from the muzzle had not yet dissipated, but then he found that on the completely opposite side, there were two more Panthers approaching rapidly. This was obviously treating the first Panther as bait for fishing, and the two Panthers that really tried to give him a fatal blow were the ones that worked together.

It takes time to turn the turret in the completely opposite direction, and it also takes some time for Seryosha to change the direction of the vehicle. The tense situation of racing against time seems to have completely tilted to the German army's advantage. It is extremely urgent!