It's better to conquer them than to command the steel torrent

Chapter 260 | I Know Why the Ivan Rus Hate You (Part 2)

Oh? So you knew the convoy was transporting gold.

Taylor quickly realized he was also confused. Given the urgency of the situation and the fact that he had received orders directly from the Army Chief of Staff, it was not surprising that he knew these 'special critical assets' were gold.

However, he was still surprised and curious about the appearance of this person, Mr. Shang.

Moreover, he couldn't identify the military rank; Mr. Shang was wearing the Federal Army's service uniform—not even a field uniform.

"The person the Ivan Rossians hate the most?" Taylor agreed. "Then it seems you've given them quite a hard time. I'd like to know who you are, that you were directly dispatched by Chief of Staff Marshall."

"A regular armored corps commander, brigadier general, my surname is Shang." Shang Ke casually reloaded a flare into his signal pistol, then, realizing something was wrong, removed it and reloaded a red flare.

"Thank you for your 'timely' support. You timed it perfectly; five minutes later and we would have been done for." Taylor, with a blood-soaked bandage wrapped around his head, couldn't resist a joke.

"There's no way around it, the traffic congestion on the roads is just too severe."

"General Shang, those enemies have lost some more men, but they don't seem too difficult to deal with."

After the failed attack, the vanguard of this Imperial Russian detachment lost dozens more men and may no longer be able to defend itself.

Taylor instinctively wanted to finish off these enemies in one fell swoop.

Shang Ke naturally disliked others interfering, and with a chuckle, he bluntly said, "The army is not as easy to deal with as bandits, Mr. Inspector. You can't use your experience in dealing with bandits to view war."

He patiently explained, "If a gang of bandits is reduced to half its original strength, then they may only have 20 or 30% of their fighting power left, but the army is different."

Here's a typical example.

When defending, a German infantry squad, as long as its machine guns could fire normally, could still maintain 70-80% of its combat effectiveness even if only three or four men remained.

Of course, such a crippled infantry squad could not undertake offensive missions.

In fact, in the later stages of the war, due to the shortage of manpower and the continuous protracted war, the troops on both sides of the Soviet-German front rarely had full strength. Most of the time, each division and regiment had only half or even less manpower.

So even though the enemy suffered heavy losses, with only about two hundred men remaining, their fighting strength should not be underestimated as long as they have machine guns and a few tanks.

However... we can't be too absolute in our statements.

Shank personally climbed onto the T-34 whose tracks had been broken, and after inspecting it from inside, he discovered that the tank had almost run out of ammunition, with only three or four shells left in its 76.2mm tank gun.

Oh? That looks promising!
He jumped out of the vehicle, pondered for a moment while looking at the map, and confidently instructed: "Major Green, assign a platoon with two machine guns to ride in a truck around the university campus and go to the fire station building to the north to establish a stronghold and cover the main battlefield!"

After saying that, he looked at Taylor and called out, "We'll cover your retreat. You all assemble the convoy immediately and head south along the path we came from. The civilian vehicles blocking the way have been mostly cleared. The sooner the better!"

Mr. Shang had already made up his mind to deal with the enemy in front of him.

This time, we're not thinking about fighting a decisive battle; just defeating them is enough. We're not asking for more.

Two marine companies launched a concentric attack from the left and right, applying pressure simultaneously. The mechanized cavalry company left one platoon at the starting position to provide long-range direct-fire support, while the remaining seven or eight Panhard armored vehicles circled around to attract the attention of the enemy tanks, forcing them to be unable to divert their attention.

He quickly explained the battle plan, then emphasized: "This is an encounter battle, not a well-prepared attack like in the textbooks. Everything will be unpredictable. Be brave, but also use your brain. Okay, let's get started!"

A platoon of Marines, along with two Browning heavy machine gun squads, rode in trucks to avoid the battlefield and detoured to a fire station building half a mile away, where they quickly seized a position and established a stronghold.

This outpost was established to support the main battlefield, preventing the enemy's main force from suddenly appearing from other directions and catching us off guard.

At 19:30 p.m., the team used the spare tracks to repair the captured T-34. Unfortunately, they only had three armor-piercing rounds and one high-explosive shell left, because high-explosive shells are consumed the most in actual combat.

Shang Ke gathered a few people to serve as his temporary crew, climbed into the tank, and prepared to personally command from the front line.

By this time, everyone had taken a short rest, and the task force immediately launched its offensive as previously planned.

As dozens of mortar shells rained down, the battle began immediately, and flares illuminated the small area!

After a long and continuous battle, the Imperial Russian tanks had very little ammunition left, but plenty of fuel, since each tank carried a spare fuel can.

With his left hand resting on the open turret hatch, Shank shouted to Morrow a few meters away, "Morrow, aren't you proud of the armored vehicles your country manufactures? Go and lure them into firing at you. They won't have many shells left."

The latter waved his hand, indicating that he understood.

Both the Panhard 201 armored vehicle and the early T-34 are examples of a shield being stronger than a spear. The former is equipped with a 25mm tank gun, while the latter is equipped with a 76.2mm short-barreled gun. It is almost impossible for them to penetrate each other's defenses when they attack each other.

The actual combat under the cover of night was chaotic and intense, leaving one breathless.

Tank crews under intense mental stress don't care about anything else and fire at targets purely on instinct, with armored vehicles naturally being the highest priority targets.

Therefore, the Panhard armored vehicles that charged ahead were attacked by the Imperial Russian tanks. When the armor-piercing shells hit the front of the vehicle, they shattered and splashed out dazzling sparks, or they exploded and burst out in a flash!
It must be said that unconventional designs can play an unexpected role in certain special circumstances.

The Mariana is probably the only armored vehicle in the family that can be immune to frontal attacks from tanks of the same era.

The intense exchange of fire lasted from 19:45 p.m. to 21 p.m.

After more than an hour of fighting without any progress, Major Green was extremely anxious.

However, the man on the tank, surnamed Shang, remained remarkably calm, observing the battle situation with composure, occasionally raising his binoculars to take a look and issuing orders.

"Sir! How much longer are we going to continue like this?" Major Green shouted. "The gunfire in the city is getting closer and closer. The enemy may be here soon. We should attack."

Shank turned his head and replied, "Relax, Major, let the bullets fly for a while."

what?
Major Green didn't understand what he meant.

Shang Ke then added earnestly, "The current state is called a stalemate. In the wild, when a pack of jackals hunts a buffalo, they will first probe and harass it from all directions until the buffalo is wounded and exhausted, and then they will swarm it."

"I understand, sir. You are very patient."

"That's natural." The exchange of fire continued.

Stray bullets whizzed past every now and then, and wounded soldiers were constantly being carried down from the front lines to the temporary first aid station for treatment.

A dozen minutes later, a slightly plump female warrant officer rushed over, saluted, and reported: "Sir, I am relaying the report from the fire station outpost. We have visually observed an unspecified number of enemies in the park area, about three miles away, near Lindbergh Highway."

Shank raised his left hand to glance at his watch, then nodded and said, "It's time. Prepare for the assault and quickly finish off these Ivan Rossians in front of us."

Major Green could not hide his excitement. This was the first real battle in the Marine Corps' many years of history, and he and his men would be the pioneers to win this honor!
As the red signal flare pierced the night sky, Major Titov and his men felt only fear and unease.

The tanks in the circular position had run out of ammunition, but they still had plenty of bullets left.

Why aren't those damned Americans retreating? Don't they know our main force is almost here?
"Boo-hoo--"

The mortar shells fell with a perfect parabolic trajectory, their unique, sharp whistling sound extremely piercing and unpleasant, like a cat's claws scratching at your heart.

The circular position was filled with flashes of explosions!
"Marines! Send them to hell!"

"Kill all these bastards!"

The general offensive had already begun, and Shang Ke, who was in complete control, left no room for maneuver and decisively committed most of the company's tactical reserve force.

Meanwhile, the tank he was riding in was slowly moving forward, only a few dozen meters away from the front line, almost within arm's reach.

He shouted a warning: "Kill the woman first!"

A moment later, he saw the turret hatch of a tank in the distance being pushed open. The T-34 was firing both its coaxial machine gun and bow machine gun, and the female commander was also leaning out, firing her PPD submachine gun.

Very brave!
Upon seeing this, Shank immediately crawled back into the turret, took out the last grenade, loaded it into the gun barrel, and then turned the crank to aim at the tank.

The 76.2mm armor-piercing rounds fired from the short-barreled gun couldn't penetrate the T-34, but adaptability is the key.

The grenade accurately hit the tank four or five hundred meters away, and the explosion and smoke engulfed it in the blink of an eye!

The tank went silent for a moment, and after a dozen or twenty seconds, only the machine gun resumed firing. It seemed that the brave female tank commander had gone to meet her maker, and the gunner was probably also affected.

At this time, a large number of marines had approached the circular position from multiple directions, but the remaining Imperial Russian soldiers were still putting up a desperate resistance.

Enemy tanks and machine guns were spraying bullets, hindering the Marines' advance, while friendly armored vehicles were also firing continuously to suppress any exposed enemy firing positions.

Shouts and screams in two languages ​​filled the battlefield!
It is unknown who first fired the rocket launcher, but he must have been a brave man, because the trial production model of the disposable rocket launcher provided by the military only had a range of thirty or forty meters, which was basically equivalent to getting right under someone's nose.

A tank burst into flames and within seconds was transformed into an automated crematorium made of steel, from which piercing screams, like the cries of hell, emanated.

Before long, a large number of Marines had stormed into the circular position, continuously throwing grenades, causing the stubbornly resisting enemy to scream in terror...

At 22 PM, the battle ended when a Marine climbed onto the last T-34 and shot the Imperial Russian tank crew inside with a Thompson submachine gun.

In the ensuing melee, Major Titov was also killed by a grenade.

The disorganized Imperial Russian soldiers scattered like birds and beasts, fleeing north in defeat.

Before anyone could catch their breath, let alone clean up the battlefield, the female warrant officer next to Shank said nervously, "Sir! Report from the fire station! A group of enemy soldiers is advancing towards us along Lindbergh Road!"

Five minutes later, bursts of gunfire came from that direction, clearly indicating that the two sides were exchanging fire.

The Imperial Russian troops didn't linger long at the fire station outpost, passing by it before charging aggressively towards the location.

Shank ordered a mortar to turn around and fire a flare in that direction, and only then could he see clearly who the invading enemy was.

Three or four tanks, with infantrymen riding on them, followed by several small trucks or pickup trucks, totaling about several dozen people.

Seriously? This is outrageous! How incredibly arrogant!
far away.

Captain Lebedev led his men and rushed over along the highway.

A few hours earlier, he had led his troops to capture a police station in the city, and then received instructions from his superiors that there was supposedly an American Treasury convoy loaded with gold in the direction of Wedell University, and that nearby troops without urgent missions should go there as soon as possible, so he did.

Captain Lebedev knew there was a small friendly force here, and noticing that they were in danger, he did not hesitate to lead his troops to their aid.

How dare the routed and defeated American troops resist? Who gave them the audacity? They've practically walked right into a trap!
Thus, this armored unit, which was at most a company-level unit, crashed headlong into the task force led by Shang.

The arrogant Imperial Russian tanks charged recklessly, barging straight into the makeshift defensive line set up by the Marines, attempting to crush their opponents with their tried-and-tested recklessness. However, they were met with a crushing defeat in the blink of an eye.

Rocket launchers and magnetic bombs were things the Imperial Russian soldiers had never encountered in recent days. Unfortunately, by the time they discovered that the American infantry were capable of destroying tanks, it was too late.

Captain Lebedev's car was destroyed by a magnetic bomb, followed by a spectacular explosion!
In the end, only one tank managed to escape in a panic, and the accompanying infantrymen suffered heavy casualties under the crossfire and hurriedly fled.

The marines continued to fire at them, the flares casting long shadows. People kept being hit and falling to the ground. Soon, the retreating Imperial Russian soldiers dared not run anymore, and they lay down or simply pretended to be dead.

The saying "a defeated army collapses like a mountain" is very apt.

After the Battle of New York, the American army was routed, and the Imperial Russian forces scattered and pursued them relentlessly, often capturing hundreds or thousands of people with just a few tanks and a few dozen men.

This reminded Shang Ke of the terrible situation after the Battle of Shanghai in history. Many of the Chinese troops retreating westward lost their order and were demoralized, like frightened birds. The Japanese troops following behind were so bad that even a company of a hundred or so men dared to chase and fight an entire regiment.

"We shouldn't stay here any longer. It'll be troublesome if the Ivanros regroup. Let's retreat under the cover of night." Shank breathed a sigh of relief, turned around, and waved.

Then, he looked at the soldiers, put his hands on his hips, and asked loudly, "So? Actually, the Ivanross aren't that difficult to deal with, are they?"

In an instant, cheers and applause rose and fell, and some people even whistled.

Major Green clicked his tongue a few times and sincerely praised, "Now I know why the Ivan Ross people hate you, sir."

(End of this chapter)