Arc of Fire

Wang Zhong originally planned to leave behind a group of volunteers who would stay in the bombproof shelters at the position, withstand the enemy’s firepower, and delay the attacking infantry.

The main force would then retreat to the secondary position and wait—yes, under Wang Zhong’s command in Orachi, layer upon layer of defensive positions were dug, and extensive earthworks were carried out.

There was no choice, with only so many troops, constructing more fortifications was essential to face the superior enemy.

If he were to write a booklet on defensive warfare after the battle, he would definitely include this, “If you do not have enough troops, then prepare more defensive works.”

Of course, the fortifications built by Wang Zhong had flaws.

Firstly, the black soil of Kazarlia was too soft; without sufficient concrete, it was almost impossible to build strong underground fortifications.

Secondly, the terrain near Orachi was too flat. Although forests provided cover, there was a lack of reverse slopes for protection against artillery.

Given this situation, Wang Zhong made some designs, with the most important being that the first two layers of positions, aside from tank emplacements, had no artillery protection.

And because of the entrance structure, the tank emplacements could easily be hit by shells fired from near Orachi, so they weren’t very protective against artillery either.

This design was intentional because the first two layers of positions were meant for ambushes, with the third layer being the main defensive line.

However, if there were no troops in the first two layers of positions when the enemy attacked in the morning, they would still have to prepare for artillery fire on these positions.

All of this combat experience didn’t originate from Wang Zhong himself; it all came from various “booklets” he had read. As a military enthusiast, Wang Zhong collected many such booklets, including ones published by our country like “How to Fight Tanks” and “How to Fight Aircrafts,” brimming with theoretical knowledge.

In summary, by the time Wang Zhong ordered the artillery to fire, his main force had already retreated to the next line of positions, leaving only the volunteers—or should we call them the “Dare to Die” squad—on the third line.

On the third line of positions, there were solid shelters made of the hard-won concrete, in which those hiding could survive a heavy artillery bombardment lasting two hours with quite high odds, and these people could then use the machine guns of the position to block enemy attacking units.

However, since the enemy’s reconnaissance plane had gone, the situation was simpler: you cover me, I cover you, and no one would be able to immediately organize an assault after the artillery fire ceased.

The Dare to Die squads, originally the main force, now became an insurance, preventing the enemy from being so audacious as to be able to organize an attack wave immediately after the bombardment.

Now, right after Wang Zhong’s side fired, the enemy also opened fire.

However, Wang Zhong’s main force had already pulled out, and the Dare to Die squad left behind were all in strong support points. The enemy infantry in the forest hadn’t had time to withdraw—apparently, they hadn’t expected the aircraft overhead to leave.

Wang Zhong watched as sections of the forest marked in red disappeared, and couldn’t help laughing out loud: Haha, I’ve won yet another exchange!

He checked his watch; it was already three in the afternoon. By the time the cover fire ended and the reserve units were committed to a counterattack to recapture the entire position, today’s battle should come to an end.

He waved his hand, and the battalion commander of the reserve unit climbed onto the tank, “General, is it time for us to move out?”

“Yes, the second and third battalions will reenter the positions we just vacated, and the task of clearing remaining enemy forces in the forest falls to you.”

The battalion commander saluted, “Mission accomplished!”

That response was very much like the army Wang Zhong was familiar with.

————

In the dugout of the Fifth Bieshensk Regiment’s headquarters, the messenger Misha sighed deeply and said to Colonel Eugene, “Why is there nothing for us to do again? Look at all the excitement over there! Does the General look down on us?”

“Stop talking nonsense.” Captain Andrei, who had been assigned to the Fifth Bieshensk Regiment as the Chief of Staff, said loudly, “Our assigned positions are also very important; this is the only high ground overlooking the entire plain, and the artillery observation post is located here. If we lose this, the whole situation will become passive.”

Misha asked, “How passive?”

“Let’s put it this way, if we lose this position, the General might sacrifice half a division to recapture it. Even if we lose Orachi, this place cannot be lost.”

Captain Andrei had barely finished speaking when the battalion commander of the Thirteenth Armored Battalion of the Fifth Tank Army, Olof, lifted the curtain at the entrance of the dugout and came in, “My tank operators need water and food.”

Colonel Eugene had been silent when Misha complained, but immediately nodded in response to Olof’s words, “I will order someone to fetch it right away.”

Olof turned to Captain Andrei and asked, “Who commanded the digging of this dugout? It’s quite remarkable. Although the size of the dugout isn’t quite suited for our T26 series and slightly affects the firing angle, if we park the tanks further back and place them on the ramps of the dugout exit, the height is just about right.

“In such dugouts, even those Prussians would find it difficult to hit us accurately.”

Captain Andrei, “Of course, it was General Rokossovsky who commanded the digging of the dugout; it’s his unique design, not found in any operational manual or ordinance issued by the Imperial Armored Troops headquarters.”

Olof nodded, “I knew that, I was originally a tank operator! His Excellency the Inspector General of Armored Troops would say that a tank’s main task is to attack, attack, and keep attacking!”

The battalion commander imitated the Inspector General’s tone; his serious manner actually made him look somewhat comical.

Olof, “If you ask me, that Inspector General is a Prussian fanboy! Just like how the Tsar was a lackey of Frederick the Great back in the day!

“Isn’t it strange that, when it comes to radios, the Inspector General suddenly wants to draw a line with the Prussians? The Prussians have radios in every tank, yet we only have them in the platoon leader’s vehicle!”

Captain Andrei felt a bit awkward, “I’m not very familiar with armored troops matters; I studied in the infantry.”

Colonel Eugene, “I studied minerals.”

Olof looked at the Colonel in surprise, “What?”

“I’m a mine manager, switched to military service according to the empire’s relevant laws,” Colonel Eugene shrugged, “I know you two must feel uncomfortable being under my command.”

Olof, “Not at all, you have organized the defense very well.”

Major pointed at Captain Andrei, “It was all his doing. I just oversaw the digging of the anti-shell bunkers. The soil here is somewhat similar to when I was a mine manager; to excavate tunnels safely requires good structural support…”

At that moment, the telephone rang.

Captain Andrei went over to answer it, “It’s from the Belensk Regiment. Mm-hmm, I see.”

After hanging up, the Captain turned to the Major, “The artillery observation post saw the tanks in front of us beginning to retreat.”

Company Commander Olof laughed, “Well, isn’t that right? We destroyed at least 20 of their Mark IIIs and IVs, not to mention the Mark Is and IIs taken out in the highway melee. We’ve inflicted heavy damage on the enemy division. I originally thought our battalion was done for, but victory turned out to be so easily won.

“The General told me that my mission was not only to win but also to survive. I thought I wouldn’t complete either one, and now I’ve done both.”

It was clear, Olof was very happy.

He continued, “It’s a pity, though. The General only commands a temporary infantry division. If he were in command of our 5th Tank Army, then maybe we wouldn’t have been routed so meaninglessly.”

The other people in the room exchanged looks; they were miners and infantrymen, so they couldn’t point out to Olof that even if White Horse General commanded the T26s, they probably wouldn’t achieve any spectacular results in battle.

Olof went to the command post’s observation window, looking at the retreating enemy in the distance.

At that time, his second-in-command came in saluting, “Company Commander, the loss count is complete, we have 14 tanks intact. I’ve reorganized the tank crews that suffered casualties, and we have an eight-man gap for gunners, with four extra drivers.”

After speaking, the second-in-command handed over a clipboard with documents attached, “Take a look.”

Olof took the clipboard and read out the names of the fallen tank operators one by one.

At this point, runner Misha said, “General Rokossovsky seems to be able to recite all our names from memory; he’s recognized and called people by name several times already in the regiment.”

Lieutenant Colonel Eugene nodded, “I’ve heard about that too, but it’s normal for such an outstanding military man to be knowledgeable and well-read.”

Captain Andrei said, “It has a huge impact on boosting morale. The General must have memorized all our names for that reason.”

Misha sighed again, “Ah, I thought after this battle we’d be close to becoming guards. That cloak would be so dapper, but now the fighting has been done by others.”

Lieutenant Colonel Eugene was about to speak when the artillery outside suddenly stopped.

The Colonel immediately went to the observation window and joined Company Commander Olof in looking outside.

No more shells fell from the direction of the forest.

The enemy’s bombardment also stopped almost at the same time.

Lieutenant Colonel Eugene asked, “What’s happening? A tank battle?”

Company Commander Olof replied, “I don’t know, but I think it should be infantry retaking positions. Today’s battle is probably about finished.”

Misha declared, “Hey! We missed out on the action again!”

Captain Andrei looked at him, then turned to Lieutenant Colonel Eugene and suggested, “We should have the priests comfort the soldiers’ emotions. Being eager to fight is good, but it’s bad if it leads to bottled-up emotions.”

The Colonel nodded, “Alright. Besides, I’m pretty good at handling these situations; I was a mine manager after all. Come on, Misha, tell me about it!”

“What’s there to say, Colonel! I want to become a guard as soon as possible, that cloak is just too stylish!”

The Colonel shook his head, “No, we don’t fight for a stylish cloak. We fight to protect our homeland from enemy ravaging. We are…”

Company Commander Olof looked at his second-in-command and said, “This sermonizing tone sounds like my mother.”

The second-in-command just smiled.

At that moment, singing suddenly came from outside the bunker, it was “We’ll Be Found Beneath the Rubble”:

Please carry us out of the rubble,

Parting forever with our beloved tank.

Let the guns fire in salute as the armor parades,

To take us on our final journey.

Let the guns fire in salute as the armor parades,

To take us on our final journey.

Olof stormed to the entrance of the bunker, shouting at those outside, “Why has the perfectly good ‘Tanks Roaring Over the Fields’ been turned into this! Who changed it? Was it you, Kumachi! Come here!”

The one called Kumachi, a tank operator, approached, “Reporting, Company Commander, I was just expressing the sentiment from yesterday’s total defeat!”

“We weren’t totally defeated! Isn’t our battalion still here? We showed those Prosen bastards today! In the future, we’ll continue to make them pay! Don’t you ever change the song like that again!”

“Yes, sir!” Kumachi saluted.

Olof said, “On second thought, the lyrics about tanks roaring over the fields aren’t that great either. Let’s sing something more upbeat, how about ‘Dark-Eyed Girl’!”

With that, Olof himself started to sing, his cheerful melody echoing over the battlefield.

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