Chapter 164: Disaster Is Coming

In Yelnya, a historic city located in the heart of Russia, Zhukov, as the highest frontline commander of the entire battle, was undoubtedly shouldering great risks and responsibilities by ordering the use of such cruel weapons as flamethrower tanks.

This anti-infantry weapon, which can burn down entire buildings in an instant and cause widespread casualties once fired, does not distinguish between enemies and friends at all. For some Soviet civilians who are still trapped in Yelnya and have not yet evacuated, this is definitely bad news that cannot be suffered any more.

But after learning about the tragic situation of the siege street fighting in the first phase of the Battle of Yelnya, Zhukov had no choice.

Between the lives of Red Army soldiers and Soviet civilians, Zhukov, as a military supervisor who was responsible for the lives of his soldiers, resolutely chose the former.

Zhukov, who was born in poverty and rose step by step from an ordinary soldier to his current position, is by no means cold-blooded and ruthless.

Although from the perspective of later generations, almost every battle commanded by Zhukov in World War II resulted in heavy casualties for the Soviet army, at least equal to that of the German army, but in the same situation, almost no one can guarantee to do better than Zhukov. Zhukov, who took victory as the ultimate goal, has minimized the casualties of the Soviet army to the greatest extent within his ability.

Not launching a devastating artillery attack on the main urban area of ​​Yelnya does not mean that Zhukov is indecisive and disregards the lives of his soldiers.

While trying to ensure that this ancient city with a long history is not completely destroyed by his own people, Zhukov still has to arm his soldiers with the most sophisticated weapons and give the invaders the heaviest blow.

The dense firepower of the German infantry light weapons hit the front armor of the OT-130 special tank, and sparks flew in the sound of ping-pong.

Although the OT-130 special tank, which was developed based on the T26 tank chassis as a prototype, is essentially still a light tank with a combat weight of only over 10 tons.

But the homogeneous steel armor with a thickness of 15 mm could not be penetrated by ordinary infantry light weapons.

The German light weapons bullets with fierce flames rubbed sparks on the armor. The OT-130 tanks turned the turret and pointed it at the German firepower points on the street, but they were not moved at all. It didn't take long for the black muzzle to point directly at the German firepower points that were still spewing fierce flames.

In the many battles since the launch of Operation Barbarossa, the firepower of Soviet light tanks such as T26 has been seen. The 45mm small gun is somewhat inadequate when dealing with infantry trench-level field defenses. The German army, which now has thick buildings as firepower shelters, will naturally not be shocked by such weak firepower.

"Russian cannon! Get down, take cover!"

The German accent had not yet finished exclaiming when a narrow and hot flame rushed in from the window that had just been used as a machine gun fire point.

The hot dragon of fire that was shot out of the compressed spray gun at high speed in a semi-liquid state had extremely terrible power. The flame that flew into the second-floor room from the window had not yet been fully burned, and immediately poured volatile gasoline combustion agent on the heads and faces of these German soldiers who were only wearing basic military uniforms.

"What is this? Fire! The Russians set a fire!"

"It's so hot! Water, where is the water!?"

"Ah!!! Who can help me, I'm all over!"

The miserable wailing of purgatory echoed throughout the small building like a death knell for the dead.

In the narrow indoor environment, the red flames that rushed around like an angry dragon were far more lethal than in an open environment. The entire second floor of the German infantry squad was engulfed in a sea of ​​fire in the blink of an eye.

In the corridor, the bedroom, and even the living room on the first floor

All the rooms connected to this two-story building on the street were completely turned into a sea of ​​fire in the blink of an eye. The red dragon sprayed by the vehicle-mounted compression spray gun had a powerful power far exceeding that of ordinary individual flamethrowers. The huge and strong flame shock wave even smashed the street door and window on the first floor of the small building and gushed out.

The flame spray that lasted less than five seconds soon died down after the nozzle of the spray gun was closed. The painful screams that echoed in the building for a long time did not end. The screams that burned the soul were enough to make anyone present feel cold in their hearts and retreat three points.

If poison gas chemical weapons are a slow and painful corrosion of the human soul, and eventually cause the victim to struggle and die slowly.

Then flame weapons are undoubtedly the most violent torture of the human soul. The victims licked by the devil's flames have no chance of escape. Only complete death can truly relieve this painful burning of the human soul.

The real scene and the continuous screams in this two-story building on the street not only shocked the Soviet army who used this cruel weapon, but also the other surrounding German soldiers who still heard the soul-tearing screams and wails in their ears, and even the palms holding the triggers trembled.

"Crazy! These Ivans are crazy! They actually use flame weapons in their own city on their own land! Aren't they afraid of hurting civilians!?"

Although the siege operation to recapture the main city area was restrained and no large-scale fierce artillery bombardment was launched, compared with the inevitable casualties of his Red Army soldiers and possible accidental injuries to civilians, General Zhukov, who was determined and never wavered in his decision, obviously chose the latter.

When the German soldiers in the firing points of several other street-facing buildings on both sides of the street realized that the situation was not good and were preparing to move their positions, they turned the turret again and aimed the flame nozzle at the OT-130 special tanks in the German stationed buildings, making the next actions of these German soldiers too late and futile.

The Soviet siege troops, with the tough KV1 heavy tanks leading the way and the OT-130 special tanks cooperating, were unstoppable all the way and successively conquered many main streets in the city.

Cruel flame weapons not only kill and torture human flesh, but also burn the soul with painful screams, which is the most severe blow to morale and combat effectiveness. Even the most brave and combat-savvy German army in 1941 was no exception.

They had never expected that the Soviet army would be so bold and crazy as to deploy high-powered vehicle-mounted flame weapons in the cities of their own country. They had a clear understanding of the power of this terrible killing weapon that could be called a demon on earth. After receiving the news from many major battle lines in the city that the Soviet army deployed special tanks for siege operations, the German division commanders soon realized that a disaster was imminent.