Chapter 253 "1" VS "2"

The roaring 152mm howitzer was so loud that even the Red Army soldiers who were still fighting with the German infantry on the battlefield were stunned for a moment.

The steel behemoth that once fought under the red flag now turned against its former comrades with the Iron Cross. Most of the Red Army soldiers who witnessed this scene for the first time were extremely shocked and found it difficult to accept.

"Don't stand there! Open fire, fight back! That is no longer our Red Army tank, but a steel body under the control of the fascists. Take up your weapons to destroy it!"

The instructor, who played an absolute backbone role in the grassroots Red Army, was the first to raise his pistol and lead the way, pulling the trigger at the huge Iron Cross KV2 heavy tank.

The 62mm Tokarev pistol bullet hit the heavy front armor of the KV2 heavy tank, leaving only a spark, but the sound of the gunshot that seemed to be a waste of bullets was far from being measured by simple damage.

Under the leadership of the instructor, the young Red Army soldiers who had overcome their disbelief and shock raised their weapons and fired back. The first light individual anti-tank firepower was three Simonov 5mm anti-tank rifles.

Before the US military's bazooka and the German army's Panzerfaust and Tank Nightmare anti-tank rockets were put into actual combat, the Simonov 5mm anti-tank rifle, which was widely equipped by the Soviet front-line infantry units at the launch of Operation Barbarossa, was the most effective individual anti-tank weapon in the global context of the same era.

This type of anti-tank rifle uses a powerful 5X114mm steel core armor-piercing bullet, which can penetrate 40mm 90-degree vertical homogeneous steel armor at a distance of 100 meters.

As long as the shooting distance is close enough, this type of anti-tank rifle can even destroy the front main armor belt of the German Panzer IV and Panzer III tanks from the front, and it is not a problem to destroy the weaker weaknesses such as the sight port and the driver's window. Its popularity in the Soviet infantry sequence in 1941 was even higher than that of small-caliber anti-tank guns with wheeled gun mounts.

The only drawback is that this rifle with an ultra-long barrel needs to be carried by two people when marching. One person carries the disassembled barrel and dozens or hundreds of 5mm ammunition bags, and the other is responsible for carrying the heavier steel body. When entering the combat state, it will be assembled and fired. In this regard, it is somewhat similar to the two-person anti-tank rocket launcher team of the German and American armies later (except for the Panzerfaust).

Although the maximum vertical armor-piercing power of the Simonov anti-tank rifle of up to 40 mm is enough to deal with the main tanks of the German army, it is almost scratching when facing the KV2 heavy tank, which was known for its absolute toughness in 1941.

The pointed steel core 5mm armor-piercing bullet hit the turret armor and front armor of the KV2 heavy tank, and bounced off directly with dazzling sparks like a BB gun hitting a steel plate. The only result left was a shallow thumb-sized impact crater and a series of narrow ricochet scratches.

In the past close combat, the German armored soldiers had to be wary of the Soviet anti-tank rifles. This time, they had no worries about the replacement of the shotguns with cannons. They continued to load the next concrete-destroying bomb slowly and prepared to fire again with an attitude of almost completely ignoring it.

Malashenko, who witnessed this scene in his binoculars, knew that the Simonov anti-tank rifle was just a useless tickling to hit the KV2 tank. Knowing that the only hope at the moment was entrusted to him, Malashenko turned and gave orders loudly with a firm look in his eyes.

"Iushkin! Are you looking at the girl's photo?! Open fire and kill that fascist bastard!"

"I'm already aiming, but this thing is hand-cranked! It's not just an anti-aircraft gun! This is a 7-ton heavy tank turret! Comrade commander!"

Iushkin, sweating profusely, responded with a low roar. He almost dislocated his wrist while rapidly turning the turret steering machine in his hand. The speed of the KV1 heavy tank turret, which weighs more than 7 tons, is, as he said, incomparable to the speed of the unarmored light anti-aircraft gun steering machine.

In the race against time between the hand-cranked turret steering machine and the loading of 152mm sub-packed shells, both sides tried their best to get the first attack opportunity before the other side opened fire, but Malashenko, who was so nervous that he was about to enter the state of coming to me, followed closely behind, but was interrupted by the sudden sound of the gun firing again.

As a battalion-level command vehicle, Malashenko's vehicle has always been surrounded by escort tanks to protect its safety.

The other three KV1 heavy tanks belonging to the battalion headquarters realized that their battalion commander was in danger, although they did not receive any clear orders, but they still rushed forward at full speed after quickly killing the German infantry in front of them, roaring and firing at the KV2 heavy tank that no longer belonged to the Red Army.

When dealing with the German crispy Type 3 and Type 4 tanks, the 76mm wind-capped armor-piercing grenades, which were as easy as cutting a cream cake, hit the thick front armor of the KV2 heavy tank but had no effect.

If you have to describe it, the two 76mm wind-capped armor-piercing grenades that were directly launched diagonally into the air are exactly the same as the scene when the German Type 4 tank attacked Malashenko's vehicle. The Soviet armor-piercing shells that were not equipped with a straightening cap were as weak as the German Type 40 tungsten core armor-piercing shells when dealing with inclined armor.

"Asshole! I knew it! If you don't weld it and turn it into a straight hat to deal with the sloped armor, it will really be damned if it can be penetrated!"

Malashenko, who was extremely anxious and agitated, had no time to finish his rant, but his train of thought was forcibly interrupted by a loud shout coming from the radio next to him.

"Malashenko! If you can still command, give the order quickly! Our armor-piercing bullets cannot deal with the front of the KV2. What are you going to do now!?"

Generally speaking, the best solution when the frontal armor of an enemy tank cannot be penetrated is to immediately switch the tank to high-speed maneuvering mode to avoid enemy fire attacks, and at the same time look for opportunities to get close to the side or chrysanthemum of the enemy tank. Wait for a flanking opportunity in a position with weak armor weight, just like what German tanks did to Malashenko before.

However, the KV1 heavy tank, which was designed with the defensive firepower attribute of the armored gun as a priority, does not have such capabilities at all. The transmission system and maximum cross-country speed are both as bad as a piece of shit. The KV1 heavy tank cannot be bypassed by the enemy. The sides are all burning incense.

Letting the KV1, which is so cumbersome that it relies on step-by-step tactics, to head-on crush the steel behemoths of enemy positions and armored forces, and to do things like flanking attacks that only the T34 can do, is simply seeking death by exploiting weaknesses and avoiding strengths. .