Arc of Fire

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But Wang Zhong soon lost his cheer.

He found that, like the German Army, which organized troops around machine guns, the Prussian Army had a feature of the mid-German forces: they were broadly equipped with rifle grenades.

In real history, the German Army didn’t start equipping rifle grenades in large quantities until the middle and later parts of 1942. At the start of Operation Barbarossa, German squads generally only had hand grenades.

The Prussian Army, likely comprised of veterans, used rifle grenades with masterful skill. As soon as machine gun positions were discovered, they were quickly bombarded with rifle grenades.

Although Wang Zhong didn’t think these rifle grenades could effectively kill the machine gun crew since the guns were inside buildings and were positioned cunningly, getting hit by rifle grenades would inevitably lead to relocation and that would create gaps in firepower.

Of course, the enemy didn’t have an overhead view like Wang Zhong, and figuring out the machine gun positions was a challenge. However, they solved this problem with combat experience and sheer numbers.

Moreover, the enemy was clearly very familiar with this kind of urban meat grinder combat that combined infantry and tanks. The infantry led the way for the tanks, clearing each room with grenades, while tanks sent machine gun spots flying, one after another.

After fighting for half a day and losing six tanks and over a hundred men to injuries or death, the Amur Group had also lost three heavy machine guns and the lives of dozens of grenadiers.

Although only seven or eight buildings on the western side of the village had been taken by the Prussian forces, Wang Zhong, with his oversight, could already tell that the fall of Peniye was just a matter of time if things continued this way.

The only consolation was that the Amur Group’s morale was high. Despite facing massive losses, they continued to bravely contest the enemy for control of every house.

Wang Zhong knew that to change the course of the battle, he must eliminate all of the enemy’s tanks. Without the tanks, those half-tracked vehicles that freely leveraged machine gun firepower accompanying the infantry wouldn’t pose a threat.

But now, four enemy tanks had secured the two main roads on the western side of the village, and the firepower points along the roads didn’t dare to shoot, as any attempt would invite return fire from the tank guns.

The enemy was advancing along the main roads, rapidly approaching the town center with the church and the mechanic’s mill.

Wang Zhong noticed that in Boye Manor, the three-story estate to the north of the church, the last heavy machine gun that hadn’t fired was on alert. He surmised that the moment the enemy infantry stepped into the open space in front of the church, they would likely be heavily wounded.

Plus, the heavy machine gun position Yegorov chose was very cunning. For the enemy tanks to hit it, they had to enter the open space right in front of the church.

The problem, however, was that Yegorov no longer had any anti-tank firepower.

The Divine Arrow team led by Monk Yeca Neiko, after their line of sight had been blocked, intended to retreat to the manor. Still, they moved too late and failed to cross the large road on the northwest side of the village in time, now trapped in a two-story building beside the road.

Unfortunately, this building only had windows on the north and south sides, leaving Yeca Neiko’s squad without a good line of sight on the enemy tanks on the street.

The enemy infantry had already advanced to about fifty meters away from them.

They couldn’t rely on the Divine Arrows and had to depend on Molotov cocktails.

However, the enemy advanced too swiftly; only the initial batch of Molotov cocktails made it to the grenadiers on the second floor on the village’s western side.

The bulk of the Molotov cocktails produced later were now piled up in the distillery, with no option but to be transported forward by hand, bit by bit. Whether they could be delivered on time or prove effective was still uncertain.

The enemy now knew their tactics here. The infantry wouldn’t allow tanks to proceed without securing the buildings on both sides of the street.

They must find a way to destroy the enemy’s remaining four tanks.

Wang Zhong’s gaze turned towards the last T28 tank parked in the distillery.

But this vulnerable behemoth would likely be blown up the moment it appeared before the enemy!

Wang Zhong brooded over the battlefield from his vantage point.

At that moment, he was burning with fever, feeling light-headed, as if he could ascend to heaven at any moment.

Maybe it’s best to give up?

He had fought well enough, and now, being so gravely ill, no one would blame him if he passed out.

Close my eyes, and even if there’s a flood, it has nothing to do with me — isn’t this the perfect attitude for a defeatist?

Perhaps because of this thought, Wang Zhong’s consciousness grew blurrier. In his haziness, he saw in a house at the west end of the village, two Prosen soldiers discovering locals hiding in a cellar.

Wang Zhong recognized these locals; they were the same family who had refused his advice when he first entered the village. He remembered their neighbor, the landlady, mentioning the old lady with her grandson, named Ilynichna.

Ilynichna was clinging tightly to her grandson, shielding him with her aged body.

Her son and daughter-in-law were also there, huddled together, trembling.

Prosen soldiers scrutinized Ilynichna’s son, interrogating him in Prosen but the old lady could only shake her head repeatedly, saying, “We don’t know, we’re just common folk.”

Suddenly, one of the Prosen soldiers yelled and stabbed Ilynichna’s son to death with a bayonet, then shouted in Ante language, “Deserter!”

Another Prosen laughed, “Coward!”

Ilynichna’s daughter-in-law sat there stupefied, agape, as the old lady pleaded desperately.

At that moment, a sergeant entered the cellar, glanced down, and started cursing vehemently, all while lifting his submachine gun and firing into Ilynichna’s family.

The daughter-in-law was gunned down instantly, and although the old lady tried to protect her grandson, she too fell after being hit by several shots.