Steel Soviet Union

The No. 4 tank spiraled into the sky and exploded into pieces. This did not mean that the German army outflanking the Crescent Moon had only one type of tank, the No. 4. It was just that the No. 4 tank, which had a higher merit and was at the front, was shot out. It's just a head start.

Following closely behind and to the left and right of this No. 4 tank were a large number of Three Bald Men, Black Panthers, and an unknown number of heavy tanks following at the very back of the team.

Obviously, the German army, which was also trying to seize the time and make progress, did not care too much about the attack formation. All armored vehicles were advancing at the fastest speed according to their respective performance. The lighter medium tanks left the heavier medium tanks behind, and the medium tank force as a whole left the heavy tank force behind.

If Lavrinenko hadn't led his men to suddenly attack halfway, this would have been possible without a doubt, simply because of the absolute advantage in strength.

The light tank troops will not threaten these German heavy armor units from the flanks at all, and the main German forces responsible for frontal suppression will not allow this to happen, so the biggest unexpected variable is still Lavry who suddenly breaks in halfway. Nian Ke Support Troops.

After realizing that there was a powerful enemy blocking the way forward, the German tank echelons that rushed up immediately began to change their formations.

The originally sparse charging echelon of medium tanks began to slow down, and the distance between the heavy tank troops and the medium tank troops that followed the formation quickly narrowed visibly to the naked eye.

The Black Panther, which has an absolute accuracy advantage with its ultra-long caliber 75mm main gun, was the first to speak out. The current combat distance of 800 meters is simply a piece of cake for the Black Panther, which can accurately hit a target the size of a tank at a distance of one kilometer.

The rapidly shaking turret completed the main gun height adjustment as quickly as possible and locked the target. The black muzzle was entrenched behind a small slope, revealing only the projected area of ​​​​the upper body of the Red Army medium tank.

"Fire!"

Boom-boom-boom-

The 75mm capped armor-piercing projectile that escapes has a very high muzzle velocity. From the muzzle flash to the final hit on the target, it can be said to be instantaneous.

The sharp armor-piercing projectile smashed the hood, pushed open the quilt, and first penetrated the main armor belt on the front of the turret of a T3485 medium tank.

The small hole punched by the shell brought terrifying lethality, and the armor-piercing projectiles detonated inside the turret unleashed death and destruction in the narrow space.

The three crew members in the turret, including the commander, gunner, and loader, died on the spot. It sounds bloody, but being blown up into a ball of minced meat and wreckage on the spot is the only and inevitable end.

The Panther's main gun is famous for its super armor penetration depth, but it is not perfect and without flaws.

At least the too low charge of the projectile warhead is the biggest flaw. It is enough to kill the three crew members in the narrow turret, but it is not enough to take away the two crew members at the front of the car body.

T3485, which was struck by the bullet, tilted its head, and flames and smoke erupted. It could no longer continue fighting. Although the two surviving crew members barely managed to save their lives, they were obviously injured and crawled out of the tank. The action is quite difficult.

The accompanying infantrymen rushed forward to rescue them. As soon as they left the tank, they fainted and did not know whether they were dead or alive.

This T3485, which was shot through the turret at a distance of 800 meters, was not an exception. The second company, which was responsible for containing and blocking the Crescent Moon on the left wing, had only the first round of face-to-face shooting. In an instant, three tanks were hit at the same time, and all of them were shot. Punctured through armor.

The tragic death of one T43 and two T3485s on the spot was not unserious. The entire second company only had 16 medium tanks in total. The exchange of fire between the two sides in the first round directly cut off one-fifth of the second company's tanks. Combat strength.

The remaining T3485 and T43 continued to fight without being affected at all, but the results of constant fire were more or less disappointing.

After all, the Panzer IV, a medium-sized tank with pure German origin, is still too easy to deal with. With its boxy shoebox shape and completely vertical armor, when faced with an 85mm main gun, it is basically easy to wear and wear it. Death is imminent.

But as mentioned just now, the Germans did not only have Panzer IV tanks. Among the medium tanks that followed, there were a large number of Panther tanks.

When the full-caliber hooded armor-piercing grenade fired by the 85mm main gun is used against these iron cans, it is a completely different scene from the No. 4.

The entire upper part of the car body, which occupies the vast majority of the front projection area, is completely unable to be penetrated. The Black Panther's small head is even more difficult to hit at a distance of 800 meters.

Moreover, even if it hits, it may not have a very good impact. A slight deflection of the semi-curved mantlet with a physical thickness of 100 mm can render the 85-gun armor-piercing projectile with a penetration close to the critical value at a distance of 800 meters useless. As a result, he was either ejected on the spot or unable to penetrate.

Therefore, although the second company's blocking troops had certain terrain advantages and used the undulations of the small slopes to block most of the vehicle body, they basically just had a turret. However, due to the overly powerful performance of the Panthers on the opposite side, whether it is the T3485 or the more advanced T43, it is difficult to take advantage of them.

Not being able to penetrate the opponent's armor is the most troublesome problem, but the Black Panther can easily penetrate its own armor protection. Moreover, the Germans also have an advantage in hit rate and accuracy in long-distance shooting due to their better optical sighting system and longer main gun barrel diameter.

Therefore, even if Lavrinenko has tried his best to create some possible terrain advantages and tried to regain the city, the Panther, which is considered a heavy tank in terms of tonnage, is still extremely difficult to put in the Red Army and even the Allied armored forces. deal with.

This medium-sized tank that integrates excellent frontal protection, high mobility and powerful firepower is really strong. In Malashenko's evaluation, it is even more threatening than the German Tiger heavy tank. At least the entire front of the latter's body can be easily penetrated by the 85 gun within a regular combat distance, but the same cannot be said for the Panther.

The battle is still going on. The Germans are trying to break through the obstruction and continue to move forward to complete the mission, while the Second Company, which has received Lavrinenko's mission, is holding on to its position and fighting to the death.

The losses in the battle continued to increase. Although some German Panthers were killed on the spot because their gun shield armor was penetrated, the Red Army's medium-sized tank units, which did not have superior quality or quantity, obviously suffered greater losses. .

The worst situation is far more than that. With the roaring and roaring German heavy tanks slowly arriving, the real nightmare has just begun.