Chapter 2846: Many Guns, but Not Enough Ammunition

The final result of a wave of forcible penetration and frontal assault not only achieved the set goal.

He also took away the Germans' high-level command post, kicked out a frontline ambulance station, and finally killed a stubborn colonel and deputy division commander.

This is indeed a great harvest, but it still does not prevent Alsim, Sulovechenko and his team from quickly busying themselves with what must be done next and stepping up preparations for the next wave of battles.

"What are your next plans? The Nazi paratroopers have withdrawn, but I guess they will come back soon, maybe with some stronger weapons to deal with us."

Alsim, Sulovechenko, and the platoon leader of the IS7 heavy tank platoon who led the team to support.

The three on-site commanders gathered together to discuss countermeasures. They squatted on the ground next to the platoon leader's huge IS7 heavy tank and drew two simple lines with chalk to indicate the battlefield.

"You can't just guard against those paratroopers. No one can say whether the Nazis on the other side of the river will rush over to help, just like you can't say whether these Nazi paratroopers who have already suffered a bloody blow will attack. It’s like asking for help from across the river.”

Sulovechenko, who was the first to speak, was worried that the defeated paratroopers might come back quickly, while Alsim was more worried about whether the Nazis on the other side of the river would suddenly rush over.

After all, the gang of Nazis on the other side of the river are obviously more of a threat than the enemies they are facing now.

That group of SS troops had relatively complete units, more troops, and more importantly, they had heavy firepower and equipment that the group of Wehrmacht paratroopers on the north bank of the bridge did not have.

Although the Wehrmacht and the SS were incompatible with each other, not only the Germans themselves knew it, but also the Red Army, whose prisoner-of-war camps had long been filled with Germans of all kinds. And judging from what we saw and heard after the invasion of Berlin, the possibility of the SS supporting the Wehrmacht was not very likely, at least in terms of probability.

However, military science has always been a rigorous science. There is a truth in this science that "you must not place your hopes on the enemy's incompetence."

A competent commander should always keep the initiative in his own hands no matter what. In the spirit of revolutionary optimism, even in adversity, we must turn passivity into initiative and seek any possible fighting opportunities instead of waiting for death.

This is the truth and motto that Malashenko always implements in his every word and deed.

Arsim, who regards Malashenko as his "only idol", is also following the same example, being subtly affected by Malashenko's words and deeds and changing little by little. Some changes are not even made by himself. perceived.

"So you plan to divide your forces to defend?"

"It's okay if you want to understand it this way. My specific plan is to leave enough manpower in the building, not only for our current enemy side, but also to leave enough reserves south of the bridge to deal with any unexpected events.˜"*° •.˜˜.•°*”˜Of course, the observation posts at high places must also be properly arranged to ensure that every move of the SS scum across the bridge cannot escape our eyes, so that we can prevent it before it happens.”

""

One reality that had to be faced was that after the brief but fierce bloody battle just now, the force was only one mechanized infantry company and a tank platoon of commandos, which was indeed not enough at the moment.

There is only one mechanized infantry company attached to a tank platoon, and it has suffered casualties from about half of the platoon. It is necessary to use such a small force to defend the street entrance of the garrison point without support in the short term, and in the worst case to withstand the fierce attack from the north and south at the same time by the enemy forces several times larger than our own.

This can no longer be said to be a difficult task. Even if you just think about it briefly, this is not a job that ordinary troops dare to take on. Not everyone has the appetite to eat a delicacy like "cheese on two buns" without choking to death.

"Okay, I support it. It is true that the Nazis on the south side of the bridge have to be guarded against. But there is relatively good news, remember? These idiots blocked the bridge. The bridge is unusable for everyone. Now their Tanks can’t get to the bridge, so even if they provide support, they will only send light infantry and light vehicles across the pontoon bridge.”

"As for the tanks, well, they can probably be used as fixed firepower points on the other side of the bridge. It's better than sending tanks over to attack the defense line."

A quiet nod of approval was Alsim's response, followed by a more detailed plan.

"If there is nothing to add, then this is the situation. Each platoon enters the buildings on both sides. The battle on the street on the first floor has heavy firepower and does not require too many people. It is enough to leave half a platoon to defend the line. ”

"Collect all the weapons that can still be used, including those left by the Germans, and prepare the guns and ammunition. The little belongings we brought with the car are probably only enough to survive another round. If the situation goes bad, we will have to Expect to use those German fire sticks on top."

"The key point is to collect all suppressive weapons such as machine guns. Go to the commanding heights to tidy up and set up the guns. The firepower will be stronger and it will be more comfortable to shoot later. No matter how powerful it is, it is too much."

"No problem. The tanks and infantry fighting vehicles will provide any necessary fire support. However, we don't have enough artillery shells. That's the problem with the IS7. All the artillery shells on and off the entire vehicle combined cannot sustain a tug-of-war. This vehicle Only suitable for quick wins.”

Although the bullet diameter is only 8 mm larger, the actual size of both the warhead and the propellant cartridge is more than one circle larger than the 122 heirloom ammunition from the army because it is derived from naval ammunition.

So even though the IS7 is wide and fat, its size far exceeds any previous Stalin heavy tank, reaching the absolute peak of the entire Stalin heavy tank family.

But the ammunition rack has not increased but decreased compared with the previous generation of Stalin heavy tanks. The standard ammunition load is 25 rounds. If you don't consider the risk of sympathetic explosion, you can force 30 rounds. If you want to pursue more extreme needle-in-slot and force it hard, you may be able to get a few more rounds in, and the total ammunition capacity of the whole vehicle is 33 or 34 rounds.

But whether it is 25 rounds or 33 or 34 rounds, there is no essential change in a few more or less rounds.

That is, the IS7 is really not a main heavy tank suitable for protracted wars and tug-of-wars.

The too scarce main gun ammunition means that once the IS7 is stuck in the quagmire of a protracted war, it will only become a mobile steel machine gun bunker in the end.

This is also the problem that Alsim must consider and face now: direct-aiming heavy artillery support is available, but it must be used sparingly. After the fierce battle just now to stabilize the position, the total remaining ammunition of the three vehicles has fallen below 50 rounds, and the average distribution to each vehicle is barely less than 17 rounds.

With the support of the IS7's semi-automatic loader and the ridiculous firing rate that is not commensurate with the huge caliber, how long do you think these shells can last? Hmm?

The good news is that although the tank main gun shells are not enough, the BMP43 infantry fighting vehicle, which has more and carries excess ammunition when it sets off, has enough ammunition for the 25mm machine gun, and can be fired at will.

It happens that the enemy attack waves within the predictable range will inevitably be mainly light infantry, whether it is the enemy coming from the south or north of the bridge.

The anti-infantry weapon with large quantity and sufficient supply facing the foreseeable huge number of infantry, this may be the only good news that Alsim can be sure of now.