Chapter 1392: Brutal Interception

Time must be seized. This time, the enemy did not stand on Malashenko's side. The tense confrontation situation, which was rapidly deteriorating, was also developing rapidly in a direction that was not favorable to Malashenko.

At this moment, Malashenko felt uncomfortable and anxious, like an ant being roasted on a pot.

But sometimes, even if you are anxious, it is useless, especially when the objective reality is not subject to the subjective will of people.

The order for emergency response has been issued. Gunner Iushkin is desperately shaking the electric steering wheel and turning the turret. The driver Seryosha is also pulling the left joystick with one hand, driving the heavy steel body weighing 60 tons to turn the vehicle's course, trying to keep the most solid front main armor belt facing the two German Panthers at all times.

But heavy tanks are heavy tanks after all. Even Stalin heavy tanks never considered giving up mobility when designing and establishing the project, and tried their best to make mobility as good as possible while adapting to the tonnage.

However, the IS4 heavy tank's heavy tonnage and its ultra-high power-to-weight ratio, which is far inferior to that of the IS7, still severely limit the mobility and performance of this 60-ton steel behemoth.

The IS4 heavy tank, which is not equipped with a dual-flow transmission system, is extremely difficult to turn the vehicle's course. When the right track is locked and the left track is in reverse gear, it rolls up large pieces of splashing mud. Rain keeps falling from the sky, dripping on the cold and solid armor plates, washing the battlefield marks.

The entire IS4 heavy tank is like a trapped beast struggling in the mud, but the combined speed of the vehicle's course and the turret's direction change in reverse still cannot keep up with the speed of the two black panthers racing wildly at a distance of 30 meters.

"Hurry up, hurry up! Faster!!!"

Malashenko was so anxious that he wanted to jump out of the car and reach out to pry the turret to make it turn faster. He was almost crazy! Even though more than half of the IS4's hull side is protected by thick inclined armor with an equivalent thickness of more than 300 mm, the vertical armor area behind the road wheels connected to the running gear is still an absolute weakness that cannot be avoided.

Malashenko did not want to risk his life to bet that the Germans would definitely fire at the inclined armor part. This was simply unrealistic and too wishful thinking.

Once the Germans fired a shot at the vertical side armor part, relying on the armor penetration depth of the Panther's 75-meter fishing rod main gun, it would be completely able to penetrate and pour it into the body at the current face-to-face distance.

At that time, the division commander's comrade's car, which was filled with 122 cartridges and projectiles in the entire body space, was very likely to become a "Soviet space shuttle", and exploded into a pile of twisted wreckage on the spot in the huge ammunition explosion and flames!

Malashenko didn't want to risk his life and the lives of his fellow soldiers to experience what it felt like to be "surrounded by happiness". Just thinking about it made his back cold.

Time passed by minute by minute, and Malashenko, who was so nervous that sweat broke out on his forehead, didn't notice that the big beads of sweat had already slid down his cheeks to his neck and chin, and fell straight down.

If this unfavorable situation lasted for a few more seconds, the two Panthers, which were rushing at full speed like wild horses, would be able to accurately point the black muzzles at their side armor positions, and at the same time obtain an excellent shooting angle with a high probability of no ricochet.

With such a short remaining time, it seemed that nothing could be done and he could only leave it to fate. Malashenko, who refused to accept his fate, could only leave his last hope to the IS4 heavy tank, which was absolutely solid on the side armor of the vehicle body, and pray for a miracle that would happen even once. There was really no other way.

But unexpected accidents often happen when you least expect them, and the same is true for Malashenko at the moment.

The roar of the huge main gun and the roar of the diesel engine sounded almost at the same time.

A 122mm armor-piercing projectile that came at high speed and a fast-speed IS6 heavy tank almost appeared in Malashenko's sight at the same time.

The accurate and powerful armor-piercing projectile broke the side armor of the Panther's turret. When the leading Panther pointed the turret at Malashenko's vehicle and aimed, exposing the weakness of the turret's side armor, it hit the soul!

A strong ammunition explosion followed, which completely announced the end of the fate of this Panther and the end of the combat career of the five Wehrmacht armored soldiers in the vehicle.

Good fortune never comes alone, and misfortune never comes alone. The misfortune of the two Panthers that were about to succeed in close combat has not yet ended.

An IS6 heavy tank, which was still in the process of loading and had no ammunition in the barrel, was running at full speed! Just by the thick black smoke from the engine spraying out from the rear of the vehicle and the mud rolling up in the sky, one could tell how fast this IS6, which had already given up everything, was running at full speed.

The IS6, whose turret was pointing to the other side of the vehicle, did not aim its gun at the target. Malashenko, who saw all this clearly through the water-stained commander's periscope, had probably guessed what this IS6 heavy tank, which had stepped on the accelerator to death, would do and what would happen in the next second.

Bang --

Crack --

It was like the harsh friction sound of a fingernail that had been deliberately grown long, scratching hard on the classroom blackboard.

The two steel behemoths, each weighing more than 50 tons, collided violently. The sparks that burst out instantly and the huge metal collision sound resounded through the minds of all living beings around, and the lingering sound was almost tearing people's heads apart.

The IS6, which rushed straight with a strong purpose and targeting, intercepted from the side, while the Black Panther focused all its attention on Malashenko's No. 177 IS4 command vehicle.

The steel behemoth that rushed over from the other side of the vehicle body was completely unnoticed and was hit on the spot. The track broke, and the whole vehicle was slightly lifted into the air. Even the iconic staggered road wheels were instantly knocked out and disappeared.

The short and violent collision soon stopped completely and the kinetic energy was exhausted. The IS6 heavy tank that took the initiative to initiate this desperate behavior seemed to be greatly affected. It could not move on the spot. It was not known whether the tank itself was damaged or the crew members were injured or killed.

The Black Panther that was hit head-on was even more miserable!

Not only was the running gear on the side of the vehicle that was hit completely destroyed, but even thick black smoke was coming out of the engine compartment. It was unclear whether there was a serious engine failure or an internal fire. The only thing that was certain was that this thing had completely lost its combat effectiveness and the gun barrel was drooping.