Chapter 533: Gunfire

As he was speaking, another 150mm heavy high-explosive bomb hit the center of the village very close to the command post. The huge vibration transmitted through the surface almost knocked Malashenko to the ground. Fortunately, he held the table with one hand in time and was not knocked down by the shell.

Leonid, who was in a slightly better situation than Malashenko, patted the dust that fell from his head and spoke to Malashenko in the same annoyed tone.

"The artillery was also busy all night yesterday. It was too difficult to walk along the way. Several howitzers were stuck in the mud pit and couldn't be dragged out. After the snow melted in winter, many low-lying areas became muddy ponds and bubbles. It seemed that you didn't know the depth at all. Sometimes you could even step on it and it was more than one meter deep!"

The heavy snowfall in the winter of 1941 still left a lot of trouble even though it has passed from history.

In some areas, where the accumulated snowfall thickness can even reach more than one meter, the snow melts and is no less severe than in the rainy season. After the land absorbs the melted snow, it gathers and flows wildly on the surface.

The low-lying areas have become muddy and bottomless ponds. A shorter person can't even reach the chest when he steps in. The large number of similar scenes has caused great trouble to the Soviet artillery, which needs a large area of ​​land to deploy positions. After working all night, many guns of the division artillery regiment under the command of Division Commander Leonid are still stuck in the mud pit and can't be pulled out.

Thinking of the previous attack, several tanks under his command were stuck in the mud pit and took a lot of effort to get out. Tanks, which are known for their strong off-road capabilities, are in this situation. It is natural to imagine how bad the situation of field artillery towed by trucks will be.

Malashenko, with a frown on his face, knew that the artillery regiment under the command of Division Commander Leonid had done its best, but the current bad situation would not leave them too much time to prepare. Malashenko, who did not want to ask too much, could not help but speak again.

"Is there no specific time to complete the deployment? Comrade Division Commander, our soldiers are losing lives every second!"

Boom--

Before Malashenko finished speaking, the huge roar of artillery fire from the east of the village suddenly came and overwhelmed the original explosion in the village. Division Commander Leonid, who was immediately surprised, spoke excitedly to Malashenko.

"Listen, Comrade Malashenko! This is our artillery!"

Boom--

The huge recoil of the firing pushed the entire gun body back more than half a meter. The sticky muddy ground was not suitable for artillery deployment, but the divisional artillery regiment, which had received several urging calls from Division Commander Leonid, could not care too much. They just fired and killed those Germans first!

"Quick! Load! Go!"

The breech block with a little blue smoke in the chamber was opened instantly. Wrapped in scorching heat, two sturdy Red Army loaders rushed forward in unison, one holding a bullet in his arms and the other holding propellant in his arms.

The 152mm high-explosive projectile and the propellant cartridge were placed in series on the push rack in a front-and-back posture. The third loader, who had been waiting for a long time with the push rod in his hand, stepped forward and pushed forward with all his strength. The breech block closed with a crisp sound, indicating that the entire complex loading process was finally completed.

"Fire!"

Boom--

The rope-pulling gun sounded and the fire splashed. The 152mm high-explosive projectile whistled out with a huge muzzle roar, like an arrow from a string, flew straight towards the predetermined coordinates with a standard parabola trajectory.

The German artillery position 16 kilometers away was in a panic, and was panicked and confused by the Soviet counterattack artillery fire that had just landed.

The subsequent 122 and 152 mm projectiles, which had no intention of letting the opponent go, whistled in like rain, and the German artillerymen who were running around to avoid the incoming artillery fire were instantly torn into pieces of flesh in the strong explosion.

The open wooden ammunition boxes placed near the gun positions to speed up the firing rate were then set on fire, and chain explosions like dominoes continued to sound one after another on the German artillery positions.

Originally, they only planned to fire a short 15-minute artillery fire and then move immediately, but the German artillery, which had been defeated almost every time in the battle with the Soviet field artillery, obviously underestimated their opponents. The Soviet counterattack artillery that whistled in just ten minutes could have been faster if it were not for the delay of the muddy road.

The German artillerymen, who could not reach the opponent at all in terms of range, had no intention of fighting back and only ran for their lives. The fact that many battles in 1941 were stained with blood silently proved a very cruel point.

The German artillerymen who attempted to engage in an artillery battle with the Soviets had basically gone to another world to meet God. Perhaps they had a chance to ask God why the Bolshevik artillery was so powerful, but God, who had been expelled from this red land by atheists decades ago, might not be able to answer this question.

The tragic scene of people and horses being blown up on the artillery positions did not only fail to dampen the morale of the German army, but made them even more furious. They stepped on the accelerator and increased the output power of the gasoline engine to the maximum. The German tanks that came with a rolling roar soon appeared in the eyes of the Red Army soldiers defending the positions.

"The German tanks are coming! Keep calm, comrades, and prepare the anti-tank rifles!"

Simonov's 5mm anti-tank rifles were still able to produce good results even in 1942. These infantry anti-tank weapons, which were more portable than anti-tank guns, could exert powerful combat power in the hands of experienced shooters. As long as they were used properly, even the main German Type 4 tanks could be destroyed from the front at medium and short distances.

Knowing clearly that the anti-tank firepower of the Soviet infantry was not bad and was even stronger than that of their own infantry, the German armored soldiers, who had suffered a lot in the past 1941, were particularly cautious at this moment. They stopped their advance at a distance of 600 meters from the first position outside the village, adjusted the elevation angle of the main gun, and aimed directly at any high-threat target that was considered possible.

Anti-tank rifles equipped with only traditional mechanical sights could hardly pose a substantial threat to German tanks at this distance. Several 76mm anti-tank guns deployed on the position began to show their power to fight back against the Nazi invaders, but this approach exposed the target and immediately attracted more German tank counterattacks.

The attempt to destroy the anti-tank firepower of the position by slowly bleeding it was doomed to fail. The roaring torrent of steel from both sides outside the village soon appeared in the field of vision of the German armored troops.