novelden Chapter 119 Tank Showdown
Chapter 119 Tank Showdown
"Counterattack on all fronts!"
Following Zheng Dongguo's orders, the Indian Army units stationed outside Haflon rushed out of their positions and launched an attack on the isolated Japanese tanks, hurling cluster grenades and Molotov cocktails at them. Some soldiers were mowed down by the enemy tanks' machine gun fire, while more quickly rushed forward. Suddenly, explosions rang out around the Japanese tanks, and many were already engulfed in flames.
Inside those tanks whose tracks had been blown off, some engaged in frantic, hysterical firing, some panicked and opened their heads and crawled out of their hoods to escape, and some arrogantly rushed out of their tanks to launch suicidal counterattacks against the surrounding Chinese. These invaders ultimately revealed their extreme vulnerability and bravado. In the end, they were all ruthlessly eliminated by the forces of justice!
Kuang Zhengqi personally led the third echelon, charging towards the Japanese artillery positions. Heedless of the resistance of Japanese infantry and armored troops along the way, Japanese Weasel tank destroyers opened covert fire, damaging and destroying several M3 tanks. The tank crews, knowing they had no way to escape, ruthlessly drove their damaged tanks towards the Japanese destroyers, perishing alongside the Weasel tanks. Several Type 95/97 tanks collided with the M3s, flipping them to the ground. Half of the 46 tanks commanded by Kuang Zhengqi were destroyed or damaged, but the remaining tanks, unwavering in their resolve, charged directly into the enemy's heartland.
Tanks 102, 113, and 037 were the first to charge into the enemy's artillery formation, their machine guns raking and their artillery shelling directed at targets. At full speed, they recklessly charged into the enemy's artillery camp, disrupting and dispersing the enemy's artillery positions. More tanks then arrived, and under a barrage of tank fire, the Japanese heavy artillery regiment was engulfed in flames.
Kuang Zhengqi ordered a timely turn and led the remaining 20 or so tanks to charge once again at the Japanese infantry regiment on one side. At this time, the ammunition of several tanks had been expended, and the tank soldiers were unwilling to stop to adjust the muzzle and fire. Instead, they rushed straight at the Japanese infantry group at maximum speed...
During the battle with the Japanese army, although the second echelon destroyed many Japanese 95/97 tanks and armored vehicles, it also suffered heavy losses. Currently, only 7 tanks are intact and are fighting the final battle with the remaining Japanese tanks/armored vehicles. A weasel hidden in this group of enemy tanks has destroyed 5 M3s, which has dealt a fatal blow to the second echelon.
The first echelon's direct confrontation with the Japanese Panthers wasn't much better. Although Zheng Dongguo's counterattacks trapped some of the Panthers, 10 Panthers still formed an assault formation. In one round of engagement, 36 of the 3 M7s were hit, while only 10 of the 1 Panthers was destroyed, and 1 had its track broken. Lieutenant Colonel Roosevelt of the st Armored Regiment was in command. He ordered the tanks to spread out on either flank, attacking the Panthers' flanks and rear in a flanking motion, damaging their engines and tracks.
The M3's strengths were its speed, dual guns, and superior numbers; its weaknesses were its thin armor, which could not withstand a single hit from the Panther. The Panther's strengths were its 75mm extended gun, which the M3 could not penetrate, and its speed and maneuverability; its weaknesses were its small numbers, insufficient flank and tail protection, and its greatest vulnerability: having its tracks broken.
The commander of the 3rd Tank Regiment of the Japanese Army, who was in charge of commanding the last tank team of the Japanese Army, fiercely ordered each vehicle to form a cone formation in the No. 303 tank and rush directly towards the M3 tank cluster. At the same time, he kept calling on the rest of the Japanese armored/tank units to stabilize their position, form a formation, and launch a counterattack!
"Boom!" A 75mm grenade struck the turret of the 303 tank, sending a massive shockwave knocking the occupants to the ground. Colonel Takahashi's cries of help paused for a moment. After a brief moment of confusion, the crew stabilized. The gunner quickly turned, located an enemy M3, and calmly opened fire.
"Boom!", a shell exploded on the right side of the No. 021 M3 tank. The driver braked and reversed smartly at Roosevelt's emergency call, avoiding the shell!
"That was a close call!" Roosevelt felt relieved and quickly asked the driver to rush forward and cross the current small slope. Roosevelt personally operated the 37mm gun on the turret and fired another shot at the enemy's 303 track.
"Boom——", the 303 shook for a while and then started moving again. The 37mm high-explosive bomb did not break the tracks of the 303.
Takahashi obviously realized that he was being targeted by the enemy's 021 tank, and fiercely ordered to destroy the enemy's 021 tank first.
"Boom!" The shell hit the 021 turret. Fortunately, the tank was just coming down a small slope, and the shell only cut off a corner of the turret and did not cause fatal damage to the 021.
Roosevelt, head wounded by fragments, his face covered in blood, was too distracted to care. His clear mind and ability to move his limbs proved his injuries were not serious. He struggled to turn the turret while his assistant loaded the last 37mm armor-piercing round. Roosevelt boldly stopped the driver, aimed at the 303's tracks, and calmly pulled the trigger.
"Boom——", the shell accurately hit the track on the left side of 303. The Leopard, which was dodging at high speed, staggered and almost flipped to the left.
"Baka!" The track broke! Takahashi knew exactly what a broken track meant at this moment. He pushed the gunner aside and personally turned the turret, aiming at 021, ready to deliver a fatal blow.
"Boom!", an unknown M3 fired a timely shot, hitting the rotating part of the 303 turret. After a shock, Takahashi found that he could no longer turn the turret to adjust the muzzle, and the crosshairs were just a little bit away from 021.
Furious, Takahashi pulled the trigger, and a high-explosive bomb flew towards 021.
"Boom——", perhaps due to the direction, the shell exploded again at the position of the 021 turret. Roosevelt and the turret were lifted off the main body of the M3 tank and fell heavily to the ground!
Almost at the same time, an M3 shell hit the engine of the 303. The huge explosion not only destroyed the engine of the Gaoqiao tank, but also ignited the fuel tank. The flames quickly ignited the interior of the 303.
When other members were fleeing in a hurry, Takahashi pulled out his pistol, pointed it at his own head, and with a "bang", the stubborn Japanese leader ended his own life.
On the chaotic battlefield, tanks/armored vehicles of both sides were firing at each other. Tanks were constantly catching fire, being engulfed by flames, and exploding. Mechanical debris and thick smoke were everywhere.
The Chinese soldiers seized the opportunity and pushed forward. The Japanese, apparently unaware that their advanced tanks would be defeated, panicked and unable to mount an effective counterattack, were forced to retreat. Seeing the situation was dire, some Type 95/97 tanks fled the battlefield at high speed, exposing the Weasels hidden within. Without effective armor and limited mobility, the Weasels were quickly surrounded and destroyed. This seemingly formidable Japanese mechanized column lost its will to fight and was forced to flee in separate directions.