Chapter 236: For a Long Time

Advanced chapter until 500+ at my Patreon https://www.patreon.com/c/caleredhair

The tank’s tracks pushed aside the bushes, and the snow on them was shaken to the ground, then churned up by the tracks, mixed with black mud, and thrown to the side. The rumbling of the engine was accompanied by the cracking sound of breaking branches. When the German tank appeared on the battlefield, it seemed to carry with it an unstoppable, domineering aura.

As they crossed this patch of bushes, Rein ducked into the tank and closed the hatch. A very clear command came through his headset. He was responsible for the left flank of the entire attacking force, so his cannon was also slightly angled to the left.

“Clark, the front is yours. Report the position immediately if you spot the enemy’s anti-tank gun. Baumann, accelerate slightly, and be ready to stop at any time. Be careful of the branches around us; don’t let them damage our radio antenna,” Rein commanded loudly.

In his periscope, he saw the destroyed armored car, stopped in an open field, smoking forlornly. Around the wreckage of this armored car lay the bodies of several dead German soldiers.

“Bruce, load high-explosive,” Rein said after a moment’s thought, adding another command. “Andre, see that patch of woods on your left? I suspect there’s an anti-tank gun there. If you see it, open fire directly.”

“Alright,” Andre replied. The turret began to move to the left, bit by bit, with his reply, the gears making a pleasant clicking sound.

Soon, the Belgian defenders’ machine gun nest opened fire, but this time they did not achieve the same stunning results as last time. After cutting down one infantryman, this exposed machine gun nest was suppressed by the hull machine gun of the lead tank, number 114.

Tracer rounds, trailing pillars of light, flew toward this machine gun nest, kicking up dirt. The area was soon enveloped in flying black earth and white snow. But judging by the sound of the guns, this machine gun nest had already fallen silent.

“Medic!” It seemed the unlucky fellow who had just been shot could still be saved. A soldier shouted loudly for the medics following behind. But the Belgian infantry were still firing from all around, the bullets hitting the ground and the tanks’ hulls. The scene was very chaotic.

“Boom!” A Belgian anti-tank gun opened fire. The shell hit the frontal armor plate of the lead tank, number 114, ricocheted at a beautiful angle, and burst into a shower of sparks. Although the distance was not that great, the anti-tank guns equipped by the Belgian army were still small cannons with a caliber of less than 50mm. They were sufficient for dealing with P-2 tanks, but they were somewhat out of their depth against the Panther.

“Boom!” Tank 114, having found its target, opened fire decisively. The shell flew into the bushes, kicking up dirt and the broken branches of plants. Of course, what also flew up was the gun shield of an anti-tank cannon and the mangled bodies of two soldiers.

“I hit it! Haha,” the commander of tank 114 shouted happily in the headset. But there were still many Belgian soldiers around. These soldiers were moving quickly in the simple trenches and were constantly attacking the German tanks that had gotten very close.

“Boom!” Another cannon fired, but Rein could not find the position of this gun through his commander’s periscope. The shell instantly hit the lead Panther tank. Once again, the shell was deflected by the Panther’s thick armor. This time, the Panther’s armor showed the world its formidable side. The invulnerable Panther drove up onto the Belgian defenders’ trench, crushing two screaming Belgian soldiers.

“Have you found that cannon, Andre?” Rein asked, leaning over his periscope and searching nonstop, hoping to find the hidden Belgian anti-tank gun through some clue. But due to the limited field of view and the flying dirt, he really couldn’t find the hidden gun.

“Damn it! I can’t see the situation on the left. They’re firing like crazy. It’s too chaotic over there,” Andre complained loudly.

“Turn left, Baumann! Let’s go over and take a look!” Rein commanded loudly. “Clark, keep firing.” Just as his command ended, his tank was hit by a shell. The hull shook violently, but everyone knew this was not the feeling of the hull being penetrated.

“Still haven’t found it?” Rein asked loudly with a frown.

“No! But that cannon is definitely on our side,” Andre replied, hunched over and staring into the gunsight. The Panther tank had a very excellent optical sighting system, which could ensure a hit on a tank-sized target at a distance of 1,000 meters. But the current distance was only a few dozen meters, and the Panther’s aiming advantage could not be brought to bear.

“Andre, spray the bushes in front of us with the machine gun. Fire as you traverse the turret!” Rein decided. Searching like this was not a solution. If they waited any longer, the advancing tanks 114 and 115 would expose their vulnerable side armor, and then who knew what disaster would happen. Rein had no choice but to use the most foolish method to find this very cleverly hidden anti-tank gun.

Tracer and regular rounds flew alternately into the bushes, snapping some branches with a cracking sound. Although they couldn’t hear it inside the tank, it was clear that where there was no cannon, there was nothing that could stop the bullets from passing through. If a bullet hit the anti-tank gun’s shield, it would spark and cause a ricochet that could be seen at a glance—especially with the tracer rounds, it was even more obvious.

Sure enough, a line of bullets passed through the bushes, and the trajectory of a few in the middle clearly changed. Andre didn’t hold back and fired a shot. Rein’s vehicle shook. He saw through his periscope the shell hit the target, and the sight of bodies flying everywhere.

“Captain, I’ve taken care of the anti-tank gun on the left,” Rein said into the intercom, breathing a sigh of relief. Clark was using his machine gun to spray the targets in front. Near the anti-tank gun were a few Belgian infantrymen providing cover. They tried to run but were cut down by Clark.

The German grenadiers following behind charged up. They opened fire fiercely with their G43s. An MG42 set up behind them also began to roar. The Belgian defenders, having lost their heavy firepower, began to rout, but the German soldiers had no intention of letting these people leave here so easily.

“Boom!” A high-explosive shell landed on the ground. A huge crater immediately appeared on the once-white snow. Tank 112 had charged past the flank of the Belgian defenders’ position and was firing fiercely at the fleeing crowd. A dozen or so Belgian defenders were cut down. One was even directly blown half his helmeted-head off.

“Baumann, accelerate and charge! Don’t let them get away,” Rein commanded loudly. His tank immediately began to accelerate, crossing the patch of woods in front and rolling over the Belgian anti-tank gun that had been blown to pieces. About a dozen or so Belgian soldiers watched in horror as the tank with the number 113 painted on its turret rolled over the bushes and helplessly raised their hands.

The battlefield quickly fell silent. About six or seven of the fleeing Belgian defenders had escaped. Most had surrendered and been captured. After cleaning up the battlefield, they found the bodies of several dozen Belgian soldiers. It seemed that what was stationed here was a company of Belgian troops, a full hundred or so men.

Soon, two off-road vehicles from the regimental headquarters drove over and interrogated the Belgian soldiers. Then the battalion commander came over and asked Carter about the specific details of the battle. Carter called over Rein, Marcus, and the other commanders and carefully explained the fight.

“The enemy were veterans with strong combat capabilities. Their method of deploying the anti-tank guns was very experienced. But it’s clear they didn’t have a complete defensive system, nor heavy fire support,” Rein said, pointing to the location of the anti-tank guns on the map and then summarizing. “Their numbers seemed to be insufficient.”

The battalion commander nodded, then put away the map. He glanced at Rein and asked Carter with a smile, “Is it a lot of pressure to have such an outstanding subordinate?”

“Rein is a good commander, there’s no doubt about that,” Carter said with a smile. “But no matter how outstanding he is, he’s still a soldier that I, Carter, trained.”

The battalion commander laughed out loud and pointed to the troops of the 1st Panzer Division that were advancing in the distance. “The order from above is that to ensure the troops can suddenly break out of the Ardennes valley, each unit is responsible for half the journey. This is exactly half. In fact, you have already fought a battle for them.”

“It was an honor,” Rein said, scratching his head with a smile.

“You can’t light fires for dinner. You can only eat canned food and hardtack biscuits,” the battalion commander said, patting Rein’s shoulder in encouragement. He then walked back to his armored command vehicle and said with a smile, “You’ll be allowed to rest at midnight. Don’t catch a cold.”

After seeing off the battalion commander, the group was preparing to return to their respective crews when they ran into the unlucky grenadier who had been hit on the battlefield earlier. He was lying on a stretcher, groaning constantly. A bullet had passed through his shoulder and shattered his shoulder blade. The medic estimated that his entire arm might have to be amputated to save his life. The good news was that he was alive and probably wouldn’t have to go back to the battlefield. The bad news was that for the rest of his life, he might have to have someone else help him tie his shoelaces.

“Do you think it’s cruel?” Marcus asked the expressionless Rein with a smile.

“Is it as pitiful as the people you killed?” Rein asked. He knew there was no one else around at a time like this. At least, when Marcus was being so sentimental, there wouldn’t be anyone around.

“Much more pitiful than those people. I usually kill them with one shot, clean and quick,” Marcus said, as if boasting. “This guy is probably ruined for life.”

“That’s why you can only get average scores,” Rein said, glancing at Marcus. “At least he survived. Losing an arm is much luckier than those who died in battle here. Besides, I’ll tell you a secret. Before I kill someone, I usually make them suffer for a long time…”

Under Marcus’s horrified gaze, Rein yawned and walked toward the battle-scarred tank number 113.