Middle Eastern tyrants

Chapter 153 Battle of the Valley (Part 5)

For Lieutenant Harry, the toughest battle was just beginning after capturing the bridgehead on the West Bank.

"We need to establish an arc-shaped defensive perimeter facing west," Lieutenant Harry began issuing operational orders. "The Zionians will definitely launch a fierce counterattack against us. All units, prioritize marking the enemy's possible approach paths and prepare to meet armored assaults!"

As soon as the order was given, Lieutenant Harry heard a whistling sound like tearing cloth overhead, and he instinctively lowered his head.

Zion's air force has been deployed, preparing to launch a counterattack.

The sonic boom didn't seem to come from one direction like a cannonball; it seemed to come down from the entire sky.

For tank units, this was an indescribable, instinctive fear, as if they had encountered their natural enemy.

Just as Lieutenant Harry was about to shout "Take cover!", dozens of white plumes of smoke rose from behind them, trailing trails that shot into the sky.

"'Hawk'!"

The driver strained to see the sky above through the M24 binoculars.

The air defense positions behind also detected the enemy fighters and began to intercept them with fire.

Lieutenant Harry looked along the trajectory of the anti-aircraft missiles and could vaguely make out a few small black dots moving rapidly in the sky.

The target of Zion's Mirage III fleet was clearly their beachhead and the fragile supply line behind it.

Faced with the incoming missiles, Zion's pilots demonstrated exceptional professionalism, evading them by deploying chaff and employing high-G maneuvers.

Most of the Hawk missiles were successfully lured or self-destructed in mid-air, but this also forced the fighter group to deviate from its planned course.

However, one of the Mirage IIIs seemed to still want to try. It lowered its altitude and dove, almost skimming the horizon, attempting to use ultra-low-altitude penetration to evade radar and missiles.

However, it was met with a low-altitude fire net composed of "Vulcan" missiles, and the dense rain of bullets converged into several crimson whips that lashed into the sky.

The Mirage III had no time to dodge and crashed into it. The base of its wing was hit by bullets, and a burst of fire erupted instantly.

Lieutenant Harry watched helplessly as the Mirage III, trailing billowing black smoke, crashed straight down toward the east bank of the Hashim River, followed by a deafening roar.

"You like to show off?"

Lieutenant Harry spat, though he was actually a little nervous inside.

He then tried to contact his rear using the radio, but received intermittent static through his headset. After calling twice more, he confirmed that he was being interfered with by Zion's signal.

This is a common tactic used by Zion. In terms of electronic warfare, the Arabs are indeed no match, but the command has also developed a simple and effective countermeasure.

Lieutenant Harry opened his radio book and began calling the radio stations in sequence, eventually successfully making contact with the rear on a low-frequency band.

He repeated what he had just said, and the brigade headquarters replied: "Hammerhead Battalion, your unit must hold the existing position, cover the advance deployment of the air defense missile battalion following behind, and ensure the safety of the engineering corps in opening up the reinforced passage. Over."

Lieutenant Harry replied without hesitation, “Roger that, but we need more intense fire support. Our M60A1s are at a significant disadvantage in terms of armor and firepower when fighting the Chieftain in open terrain.”

The brigade headquarters responded quickly: "'Sand Scorpion' mechanized anti-tank infantry battalion will be deployed to your area first, and they are already on their way."

The Sand Scorpion was an anti-tank column directly under the Shuangzhi Armored Division, equipped with TOW anti-tank missiles, and was said to be highly regarded by the lieutenant general.

Hearing this, Lieutenant Harry felt somewhat relieved.

Just then, the reconnaissance platoon on the left flank reported: "A large number of enemy tanks have appeared on the front!"

Lieutenant Harry quickly directed the MBT-70s forward, and then they saw more than twenty Chieftains lined up and pressing towards them, followed by a large number of infantry fighting vehicles and mechanized motorized infantry.

"All units shall find cover and launch a counterattack according to the established 'shrinking point' strategy!"

Lieutenant Harry then ordered his driver: "Advance to firing position."

The tank roared forward, the driver skillfully using the slightly undulating terrain to find cover, and then the 152mm main gun slowly rose.

The MBT-70 incorporates many groundbreaking technologies, such as abandoning the original manual ammunition loading and replacing it with automatic ammunition loading.

Lieutenant Harry put the chief in the distance into the scope and then pressed fire.

An Oakstick anti-tank missile, trailing a long lead wire, hurtled with astonishing accuracy towards the chieftain, several kilometers away.

After firing one shot, the MBT-70's tracks reversed and quickly moved backward. Lieutenant Harry listened to the mechanical vibrations from the autoloader and silently calculated the time for the next shot.

Three kilometers away, Zion's Chieftain tank was charging forward when a piece of oak wood pierced the frontal armor of the lead Chieftain, triggering a secondary explosion that sent the turret flying several meters into the air, with flames and black smoke billowing into the sky.

This sudden attack clearly caused a significant psychological shock to the tank regiment.

According to the intelligence they had received, the vanguard of the Shuangzhi forces on the other side had only recently arrived and should not have had time to deploy defensive positions.

In addition, their understanding of the M60A1 meant that armored rounds could easily overwhelm the Chieftain, which is why they dared to advance so confidently.

Could it be that the information is wrong?
But then, a second anti-tank missile flew toward them. This time, Major Zvika, who was in charge of retaking the defensive node, finally saw clearly that it was a tank that had fired at them!
A violent explosion or burst of fire erupted from the side of a Chieftain tank, severing its tracks and igniting the auxiliary fuel tank.

The hatch was opened, and the crew inside jumped out in a flurry.

"Could this be the new dual-wielding equipment they were talking about before?"

Major Zvika ordered the entire crew via radio: "Find cover on the spot!"

In fact, he didn't even need to give the order; the other tanks had already begun looking for sand dunes and terrain cover.

It can accurately fire from three kilometers away and even penetrate the chieftain's frontal armor. What else can you fight with that?
Major Zvika pursed his lips. But then he noticed a problem: it seemed that only one enemy firing point was firing. Could it be that reinforcements hadn't followed up yet?

He frowned: "Or is this the only new tank on the other side?"

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

On the other side of the battlefield, Lieutenant Harry was using all his strength to turn a manual crank, trying to put the jammed shell back into place.

Why did it have to get stuck at this particular moment?

Lieutenant Harry used all his strength to try and pry open the stuck shell.

In those precious few seconds, a Chieftain vehicle that had been locked on had already taken cover behind a sand dune, missing the best opportunity to snipe it.

While the MBT-70 is technologically advanced, its reliability is comparable to that of the Sheridan next door.

The 152mm XM150 smoothbore gun, in order to be compatible with firing Oakstick missiles and armor-piercing projectiles, adopted a concentric recoil system and a combustible cartridge case.

This system is anything but reliable; misfires and jams are commonplace.

Meanwhile, the automatic loader, designed to save a loader, has a rather complex structure and is prone to jamming under bumpy or tilted conditions.

But if you ask why this thing, which is so weak, would be sent to the front lines...

All I can say is that when the MBT-70 is operating normally, fighting the Chief in open ground is about the same as the Chief fighting the Sherman.

Finally, with a dull thud and Lieutenant Harry's relieved curse, the malfunction was resolved, and the autoloader resumed its normal standby hum.

"Damn it, next time we should tell those people in the equipment procurement department that when they give us these new equipment, they shouldn't just give us the operation manuals, they should also give us a maintenance guide!"

Lieutenant Harry complained, then patted the turret: "Malfunction cleared! Prepare for the next round of fire!"

But when the crew peeked out again, Lieutenant Harry discovered that the tank battalion opposite them was no longer charging head-on, but instead spread out on both flanks, using the undulating terrain to surround them.

Lieutenant Harry immediately shouted into the radio, "Anti-tank team, prepare to engage!"

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

"The enemy has only a few new armored vehicles with long-range strike capabilities!"

Major Zvika gave the order over the radio: "Company A will launch a feint attack from the front to draw their fire! Companies B and C, use the terrain to quickly infiltrate and flank them from the left and right flanks. Infantry, dismount and provide cover. Their M60A1s are no match for us. Get close and wipe them out!"

Through long-range test firings, Major Zvika has basically determined the situation on Shuangzhi's side.

All they had left to do was quickly close the distance to within 1500 meters and use the advantage of the 120mm gun to completely crush the enemy.

This distance is enough to penetrate most of the M60A1's armor and also negate the advantage of that new tank. Then we can use human wave tactics to push Shuangzhi's vanguard directly back into the valley!

His tank battalion immediately began operations, and to be honest, Major Zvika was actually a bit right.

Due to its overly advanced turret design, the MBT-70's close-quarters combat capability is extremely poor (despite its high armor protection). If they manage to get close enough to the enemy, there's really little chance of winning.

Just as Major Zvika was leading the tank unit forward, he saw several military jeeps that looked out of place suddenly appear in his flank view.

Not only did it run incredibly fast, but its maneuvering routes were also exceptionally arrogant.

They were almost touching the chief's face (a distance of several hundred meters, but it felt very close).

A sudden, absurd feeling welled up in Major Zvika's mind.

Both sides present consisted of tanks!

Even a steel behemoth weighing tens of tons, covered in armor as thick as a city wall, wouldn't dare to be so reckless, but this little jeep of yours just charges right in our faces. You really don't take us seriously at all!
However, when the canvas in the back seat of the jeep opposite them was opened, Major Zvika's pupils contracted slightly.

He could clearly see that what was mounted on the back seat was not a machine gun, but rows of anti-tank missiles with launch tubes!
Is this an attempt to launch while driving?
Major Zvika found it somewhat absurd that the SS.12 anti-tank missiles now carried by Zion also had a jeep-mounted version, but because the calibration was entirely manual, the vehicle had to remain stationary, and it would take several tens of seconds to fine-tune the calibration.

"Attention everyone, the enemy has deployed anti-tank units. Do not give them a chance to stop and fire!"

The lead Chieftain immediately turned its turret around and attempted to mow down the Jeep with its coaxial machine gun.

But just as he was taking aim, the jeep carrying the TOW anti-tank missile only briefly stabilized its vehicle before the gunner in the back seat fired the missile directly at them.

A pure white missile, trailing a crimson wake, flew towards them.

A hint of disdain flashed through Zvika's mind; he predicted that the missile would crash directly into the sand.

But something horrifying happened: the anti-tank missile didn't fall; instead, it traced a strange and steady low arc in the air before accurately striking the Chieftain in front of him that was aiming at it!

boom!
The moment the missile made contact with the Chieftain, the vehicle shook violently, followed by a blinding white light bursting from the seam between the turret and the hull, and then a huge explosion occurred.

The immense pressure from the explosion blew the turret off its turret, which tumbled twice in the air before crashing heavily onto the sand.

"!!!"

The flames from the burning chieftain's base reflected in Major Zvika's horrified eyes.

"How can this be?"

Seeing this scene, he almost crushed the periscope.

(End of this chapter)