Cannon Fire Arc

The armored assault of the 40th Army and the assault of the First Mobile Group Army were utterly different.

The First Mobile Group was highly integrated and had a large number of half-track vehicles, so the infantry could keep up with the armored forces. The tank companies in the First Mobile Group also had mechanized infantry platoons, using the M3 Grant Lee tanks as infantry fighting vehicles.

The 40th Army had none of these. Especially the half-track vehicles; Ante didn't produce them, relying entirely on Federation supplies. But the supply was so limited that no one but the First Mobile Group could get many of them.

As for the Grant Lee tanks, the 40th Army didn't have a single one.

Therefore, the accompanying infantry of the 40th Army could only cling to tanks, becoming "armored cavalry."

This was actually very dangerous, because the Prosen soldiers were veterans, and they knew to cut off accompanying infantry when fighting tanks. The infantry hanging on the tanks became targets for machine guns.

The only cover the infantry could rely on was the turret of the T34, but the T34s of the 40th Army were "utmost original versions," with small turrets, so they couldn't provide much cover at all.

As Prosen's machine guns swept over, the first wave of casualties occurred immediately, with those hit falling stiffly off the tanks, sometimes even pulling their comrades down with them.

With poor visibility in the original T34s, the tank commanders, doubling as gunners, couldn't see where the machine guns were amidst the bouncing, so they just let Prosen's remaining machine gun firepower harvest a few rounds of infantry.

By the time the T34 finally spotted a firing position and stopped to take aim, the experienced Prosen machine gunners had already moved – even changing the gun barrel during the relocation, not wasting any time.

————

Sergeant Hook, a Prosen machine gunner, advanced with his swapped barrel machine gun, his assistant gunner following behind with the ammunition.

There was a tripod at the second firing position. Sergeant Hook put down the machine gun, checked the tripod, then cursed, "Damn the artillery preparation, this tripod is useless, the handwheel is stuck, can't adjust the range. We'll just have to shoot from the hip."

The assistant gunner was a recruit, asking, "Is it okay to do it this way? The machine gun's own sight is only—"

"Forget that, the enemy is in our sight now. We'll rely on experience and tracer adjustment," said Sergeant Hook, pushing aside the tripod, placing the machine gun's bipod on the already damaged sandbags, and opening the cover plate, "Load!"

The assistant gunner loaded the ammunition belt, barely setting it up when Sergeant Hook lowered the cover plate, pulled back the bolt to chamber a round, and began shooting. Your journey continues at empire

Without the tripod's stability, the machine gun shook violently.

The sergeant didn't adjust the sight at all; purely based on experience, he swept onto a tank in the first round of fire.

Because it was too far away, he couldn't see the result of the attack, only knowing that the tank's anti-aircraft machine gun immediately returned fire in his direction.

The assistant gunner instinctively ducked his head, but Sergeant Hook, undaunted, continued with a long burst, and the tank's anti-aircraft machine gun fell silent.

The sergeant continued firing, diligently suppressing the accompanying infantry.

The assistant gunner worried, "Why haven't the anti-tank guns fired? All we hear are the enemy tanks' guns! Not a single tank has stopped!"

The sergeant patted his helmet, "Stop yapping and change the barrel!"

The assistant gunner hurriedly climbed up and, following the training procedures, opened the barrel lock, pulled out the hot barrel, and tossed it on the ground—

At that moment, the sergeant said, "The anti-tank positions were probably heavily targeted by the enemy. Did you know a few sentries were taken out last night? Probably gave away our positions."

The assistant gunner: "Huh?"

"Keep your hands moving, keep changing the barrel!"

The assistant gunner quickly finished the final steps and lay back down, propping up the ammunition belt.

The sergeant resumed firing.

Suddenly, an Ante Tank stopped, with black smoke billowing from the rear of the vehicle.

But it looked like it hadn't been hit by any anti-tank fire.

All the tank crew climbed out, holding Papashas, and charged toward the Prosen position.

The sergeant immediately swung the gun around to greet them.

After one long burst, at least three men were hit and fell.

Just then, the assistant gunner suddenly saw an Ante Tank, already quite close, stop, and start rotating its turret in their direction.

"We've been spotted! Over there!" he shouted.

"Move it!" The sergeant picked up the machine gun and rushed into the communication trench.

The assistant gunner hurried to pick up the ammo box, trying to keep up with the sergeant when a shell landed. The force of the impact was like a heavy punch to the assistant gunner's back, throwing him forward to the ground.

His head buzzed, swelling as if it was about to burst.

Everything around him seemed to turn into chaos, and he was about to sink into the ocean of chaos.

Suddenly, the voice of the sergeant appeared, "Are you alright?"

With the sound, everything became real again, and then the assistant gunner saw the sergeant's face and his outstretched hand.

"Get up, kid! You're not even bleeding, you must be fine! Get up quick!"

The assistant gunner grasped the sergeant's calloused hand.

The next moment, he was dragged up by the sergeant.

"Let's go, to the next position. The enemy will adjust their shelling!"

As he spoke, the sergeant turned and started running, with the assistant gunner stumbling along behind him. Seconds later, a second explosion sounded behind them.

The blast whizzed past their helmets, but the shockwave no longer reached the two in the communication trench.

After running a few steps, curses came from the sergeant ahead, "Damn, the trench has been blasted to hell by the enemy's artillery. We have to get out of the trench. Follow me closely, keep low, and run!"

With that, the sergeant leaped out of the trench.

Only then did the assistant gunner realize that the trench ahead was completely blocked with earth and they had to get out.

He took a deep breath and leaped out of the trench.

The sergeant's silhouette was ahead, moving through the chaotic grass that had been struck down by shells.

The assistant gunner started to run, not daring to look to his right—where the rumble of Ante Army Tanks was coming from.

Suddenly, the sergeant ahead hit the deck, and the assistant gunner quickly followed suit.

The next moment, the tank's road wheel broke into the view, as a T34 sped past not far in front of the sergeant.

A figure wearing a Prosen helmet suddenly rose from the grass, swinging a club-like object in an arc that landed on the tank—

It was a cluster grenade!

The grenade landed on the tank's back and immediately exploded.

The tank stopped, with flames shooting up from the engine hood.

The lid on the turret opened, and an Ante Tank Operator first stuck out a submachine gun and sprayed the area around him before popping out—

A Prosen soldier charged at him, a tactical knife plunged into the Tank Operator's chest.

The Ante People's eyes widened as he gazed at the Prosen soldier, his body slowly sliding into the tank.

The Prosen soldiers stood on the tank's body, pulling out a hand grenade—

Machine gun fire came from the right of the assistant gunner's field of vision; the Prosen soldier, holding an un-pulled grenade, fell backward and disappeared into the grass.

He turned his head and saw another Ante Army Tank using its coaxial machine gun to cover its companion.

Meanwhile, infantry that hadn't been taken out were still on the back of these two Ante tanks. These infantry were now jumping off one by one, wielding submachine guns and spraying bullets everywhere.

The Ante People might lack tactical training, but their bravery was ferocious. Even the elite Prosen infantry rarely came out ahead in close combat with the Ante People.

"What do we do?" the assistant gunner shouted.

The next moment, he saw the sergeant ahead stand up, holding an MG34 machine gun, and start firing at the Ante People.