Chapter 173: Advance

Advanced chapter until 400+ at patreon.com/caleredhair

“So what? Are you trying to show off that you got hit, you idiot?” one of the infantrymen asked with a chuckle.

Faced with the infantryman’s mockery, Rein didn’t argue. He just gave a helpless smile, the light freckles on his face moving with his expression. Then, under the gaze of the SS infantrymen, he climbed back onto his tank and into his commander’s position. “Baumann, drive on!”

When Rein returned to the village, they saw another unit of SS infantry cleaning up the battlefield. On the ground lay the bodies of three SS soldiers, their faces covered with white cloths, one of which was already stained red with blood.

Captain Carter’s tank, number 111, had been pulled out of the small ditch by the side of the road and was still connected to Marcus’s tank, number 112, by a steel cable. It was clear that tank 112, upon returning to the village, had pulled him out. After all, the ditch wasn’t deep, so no professional recovery vehicle was needed. Captain Carter was also relieved, because a recovery vehicle was something only the battalion headquarters had. Having to use one would have been a great loss of face.

Carter was studying a map with Marcus. The markings on the map showed that the highway extended to the forest in the distance, connecting to another small village. And not far east of that village was a town. They were discussing whether to assemble the tank company and attack the next village.

Tanks 114 and 115 were responsible for covering a portion of the 5th Panzergrenadier Regiment attacking in the open field and for protecting the flank of this village. They had now returned and were parked outside the village. Of the five tanks in the 2nd platoon, one, number 124, was currently undergoing repairs. The other four tanks were on standby on the other side of the village.

And at the entrance to their village was a StuG III assault gun belonging to the divisional artillery battalion. This assault gun had been ordered to cover the attacking troops in this direction. Now that the village was taken, this assault gun was also awaiting orders, its crew lying on the vehicle, sunbathing.

“Hey, Rein! I hear you knocked out a Polish tank?” Captain Carter said with a smile on his face. He pointed to his own tank and continued with self-deprecation, “It seems my luck wasn’t very good on my first time in battle! Apart from driving my tank into a ditch, there seems to be nothing else worth boasting about.”

Rein turned back to let Bruce and the others rest in the tank. He himself walked over and, scratching the back of his head, replied shyly, “I didn’t knock out that tank. My shell missed. The tank’s track broke on its own, and the crew abandoned it and fled.” His shy little face was slightly red, which actually made the light freckles on his face seem even more pronounced.

“But it still counts as your kill,” Carter said with a smile, pointing to Rein’s tank. “It’s going to have a few more marks on its barrel.”

He then changed the subject and asked, “I’m going to continue the advance, through this forest, and then take this village! And take this small town before four o’clock this afternoon. Do you think there will be a problem?”

“Will we have infantry with us? I’m afraid there will be problems if the tanks act alone,” Marcus said with a frown, after thinking for a moment.

Rein stared at the map for a long time before speaking. “I don’t think there should be a problem. The Poles’ defenses are not very strong. I think they are trying to concentrate their forces in the direction of the small town. If we hurry over, we can stop them from doing so.”

“Will we encounter the enemy’s main force? What if they counter-attack or our attack fails?” Carter asked, looking at Rein.

“If we set out immediately, with good luck, we won’t encounter any resistance in the next village. Then we might be able to reach the small town before two in the afternoon. Nine tanks should be able to take out the Polish defenders there,” Rein said, measuring the distance on the map with his palm.

The radio operator of tank 111, a very young-looking rookie, came over. Seeing him approach, Captain Carter immediately asked, “What does Second Lieutenant Polk say?” The Second Lieutenant Polk he mentioned was the commander of the 1st tank platoon. He wanted to consult his subordinate officers before taking action.

“Second Lieutenant Polk says he thinks we should attack,” the radio operator replied.

“Then let’s get back to our respective vehicles!” Carter commanded with a wave of his hand. “1st platoon’s tanks will advance and attack. 2nd platoon will follow and provide cover. Check your fuel! Start your engines! Keep the radio channels clear!”

“That last one is simply impossible,” Rein said with a smile as he walked back to his tank, which drew a laugh from everyone. Then, with a roar of engines, the tanks began to move again. Rein leaned against his hatch and shouted to the assault gun crew not far away, “Hey! We’re going to the next village to see if there are any prisoners! Are you coming with us?”

The assault gun commander, who was gesturing at a map with a grenadier company commander, looked up at Rein, then showed his yellow teeth. He pointed to the tanks not far away and said to the grenadier company commander beside him, “Send a few armored cars to follow them. We’ll all go together.”

The grenadier company commander nodded and immediately began to organize. “Jamie! You and a few others, get on the vehicles! We’re going to the next village to take a look! Those who are staying behind, hand over half your ammunition and pack your bags! Be quick! We’re leaving in one minute!”

When this mixed force reached the next village, it was exactly as they had expected. The Poles had left some roadblocks here but had not sent any troops to guard the place.

So the German grenadiers jumped out of their armored cars, set up a perimeter around the village, locked the local residents who hadn’t fled into a relatively large house, and draped a bright German flag over the roof of the largest building.

The rest of the men began to cook. They opened some cans, poured the contents into their mess kits and stirred, adding a good amount of water. It seemed they wanted to have some meat soup.

The other tank crews were also eating their canned food and black bread, but Rein only distributed some hardtack biscuits to Andre and the others. This stuff was incredibly unpalatable. Although it was filling, it had no nutritional value. These biscuits, having been stored for some time, even had a hint of a rancid oil smell.

“We can’t continue to advance with you! Just maintaining the defensive line of these two villages is already a great strain on my company. I can’t spare any more troops to follow you… I hear you are continuing east. Please be careful,” the grenadier company commander said, coming over to discuss countermeasures with Carter during the meal. Carter agreed to leave one tank behind to help them consolidate their defensive line.

“The assault gun crew is preparing to search to the north. They’re taking an armored car with them, so our defensive strength is even weaker. I suggest we wait for the infantry to arrive and take over the line before we advance,” the grenadier company commander said, returning from the assault gun a short while later and continuing to wheedle Carter. “If you insist on attacking, then please leave another tank behind.”

Carter thought for a moment, then called his two platoon leaders over to discuss it. He then observed the surrounding terrain with his binoculars and finally agreed to the grenadiers’ request. “Alright! I’m taking the remaining seven tanks with me. We expect a large number of Polish defenders in the town, so we must concentrate our forces as much as possible.”

The final result of their discussion was that tanks 121 and 122 of the 2nd platoon would stay behind, under the command of the 2nd platoon leader. The remaining tanks, 123 and 125, would continue to advance with the main force. And the weather was also becoming more favorable for them. The fog on the Polish border was gradually dissipating, and visibility was getting better and better. The clear sky was cloudless, and the German bombers, like a swarm of locusts, finally appeared in the eyes of the German soldiers.

This was undoubtedly good news. The deployment of the air force meant a great increase in pressure on the Polish ground forces. And according to the slight data provided in the distributed propaganda pamphlets, the German Air Force’s Me-109 fighters were far superior to anything the Poles could put in the air.

And the huge explosions that were constantly heard in the distance also proved that the air force was destroying the opponent. The black smoke constantly rising on the horizon, and the Stuka dive bombers that flew overhead from time to to time, all confirmed that air superiority was firmly in German hands—at least, all information indicated that the German army had gained the advantage.

Although the addition of the air force was heartening, the battle on the ground still had to continue. After passing through the forest, the map in Rein’s and the others’ hands showed that the road ahead was all open, flat ground. They had originally thought they would not encounter any trouble, but they were blocked by a problem of their own making—a crossroads on the highway they were advancing on had been destroyed by a Stuka dive bomber. A large crater ten meters in diameter had completely rendered this section of the road useless.

“Damn it! The air force… those idiots… do they have any brains?” the angry voice of the 1st platoon leader came through the headset.

Carter’s inquiry followed. “Can we get around it?”

“It’s a bit tricky! The surrounding area is all fields. It’s easy to get stuck and stall,” a driver replied after checking the terrain. “But I think we can give it a try.”

Carter exposed half his body from his tank turret. He nodded after getting the message. “Go around on both sides and force a passage! Be careful! Don’t get stuck!”

All the tanks started moving again, cautiously driving into the surrounding fields. The first tank successfully went around on the left. Marcus’s tank 112 followed the first tank and also turned left. His idea was very simple: it would be easier to follow in the tracks of the first tank.

And behind them, tank 125 was getting impatient. It turned right and drove straight into the field on the right side.

At this moment, tank 114 of the 1st platoon also followed the tracks of tank 112 off the road. Just then, a loud explosion suddenly came from the direction of tank 125. “Boom!” A cloud of thick smoke rose from tank 125. Its broken track slid off the rotating wheels and fell in front of the tank. And on the side, tank 114, in a panic, drove straight into the mud nearby, struggled for a couple of times, and then stalled.