Chapter 896: The safest place in the tank?

They were very relaxed. Now they knew that the four bombs that destroyed almost an entire battalion last time were anti-personnel bombs and had limited effect on tanks. The shrapnel and steel balls taken out of the bodies of the wounded proved this.

No matter how much the Citigroup's M-4 was criticized in S2, there are two points that are undeniable. One is that its production volume is indeed not small, and the other is that this thing is still a real tank.

"Don't worry. Large bombs are of little use to our formation, and those cluster anti-personnel bombs don't have a good effect on tanks." The commander of the Western Front Armored Regiment of Zangsan was chatting with the deputy commander on the radio.

"I know, but since the Dongda people can make cluster bombs targeting personnel, can they also make cluster bombs that threaten tanks?" The deputy commander was still a little worried.

"Uh..." The regiment commander was silent for a long time before he spoke: "Impossible. If we want to kill in a wide area, the power is not enough. The number and coverage of weapons powerful enough to affect tanks are difficult to be accurate enough. Don't be afraid of dive bombing. We have anti-aircraft machine guns. In the valley, they can still play a role."

"I hope it's as you said, but the East Master hasn't attacked us yet. Maybe they really haven't discovered us, or they have no way to deal with us."

The two people who were discussing had no idea that dozens of kilometers behind them, the bridge had collapsed with several consecutive explosions in full view of the air defense and garrison troops at the bridgehead.

The broken bridge was not aimed at them, but at all enemies in the western section of Shannan.

"I'm not targeting anyone. What I mean is that everyone here will become garbage." said a senior brother.

Realizing that the situation was not good, the troops at Zangsanqiaotou fled in panic.

You have to run, who knows if there are several devil bombs following you?

However, our interest is obviously not in these small characters. Aerial strikes cost money, and the cost-effectiveness of attacking them is really not high.

At this time, less than 100 kilometers away from them, a Tu-6 loaded with six 500kg bombs was approaching them at a high speed under the escort of two fighters. And in the higher air, a Tu-16 Special was staring at the enemy tank regiment in the valley through the thermal imaging channel.

The distance was quite far, so the visible light channel could not see clearly, but in the thermal imaging channel, the tank's engine was as bright as a light bulb. It was obviously unrealistic to move the tank on a trailer on this kind of mountain road. Zang San had to directly consume the few remaining motorcycle hours of the tank. What else did he need from the S2's military surplus supplies?

As for what Commissioner Smith reported to the Citigroup government, who knows? Who would check it? Have you ever seen a suicide by shooting yourself in the back with eight bullets?

The dirty three doesn't matter, it's free, don't miss it. The only thing I didn't consider is that although the old tank is free, the tank driver on it is not.

When the situation is not urgent, it is better to leave people alone than to unseal old weapons. This is the reason. Instead of wasting experienced operators on old weapons that are extremely unreliable after unsealing, it is better to wait for new weapons to be produced.

After all, sealed weapons cannot be taken out and dusted off and used. It is still unclear whether they can be used.

When it comes to the use of operators, the Citigroup guys in S2 are really good. Most of their ace pilots are not used up in large numbers on the battlefield, but are quickly sent to the rear to train novices.

However, the Hans and the Japanese soldiers couldn't learn this trick. They still had the equipment, but the people were gone.

The comrades on the Tu-4 looked at the enemy crawling like ants and quickly compiled a tactical intelligence and sent it out.

On the Tu-16, the communicator looked up and reported to the captain and weapons operator.

"Owl 02 sent intelligence that the enemy armored forces are advancing westward along the XXXX River Valley at a speed of 25 kilometers per hour. The first vehicle is at XXXX and the last vehicle is at XXXX."

A tank regiment of Zang San consisted of about 45 tanks, plus other logistical support vehicles, forming a long snake winding for several kilometers in the valley.

It's not easy to achieve good results when attacking this long snake. It's just a thin line, and the attack route is very important. However, the long-range dispenser has no route planning capability, which is too demanding for simple inertial navigation.

Moreover, considering the distribution speed of the dispenser, it would be uneconomical to plan the route no matter how long the linear enemy is.

No matter how new a weapon is, it only provides more possibilities. It is impossible for it to perfectly adapt to any situation. It always has its flaws. It depends on how it is used. Nothing can solve all problems.

"Wait a little longer. According to the map, there is an open beach where the river is flat ahead. It's almost noon, so it's impossible for them not to take a break and eat." The captain looked at the map, then at the time and decided to wait.

For armored units that directly maneuver on their own, neither humans nor machines can withstand long periods of travel.

Machines are prone to overheating and malfunctioning, and it is difficult for people to withstand the harsh environment when the tank is moving. Bumps, vibrations, high heat, and noise are all unbearable over time.

It's fine to make a charge, but long-distance maneuvers are a bit difficult.

The captain of the Tu-16 was very patient. "My Lord, I have plenty of gas! I can fly for hours in a row. A tank may run for hours in a row, but it is unlikely that a tank can run for hours in a row."

Instead, the two escort fighters couldn't hold on any longer. They couldn't outlast this old man, so they called for two other fighters to come and escort them.

The captain of the Tu-16 made a very accurate judgment. Not long after, the Tu-4, which was also the king of air endurance, called on the radio.

"The enemy has begun to gather on an open river beach, presumably to rest and eat. The coordinates have been sent to you."

If they just want to rest, they may stop right there, but if they want to eat, it is more convenient to gather together. Anyway, if they have the conditions, they don't have to run several kilometers to get a meal. After walking a few kilometers on the plateau, it's like having nothing to eat. "Owl 02, notify me when they have finished gathering." The captain of the Tu-16 shouted to the Tu-4.

"Power on the weapon and set the coordinates." He shouted to the weapon operator.

The weapon operator combined the map with the coordinates sent by Owl 02 to set the coordinates of the bomb. This open area is about 1.5 kilometers by 0.9 kilometers, which makes parking quite convenient. Of course, it is also convenient to plan the strike area.

After setting the weapon parameters, the weapon operator and the captain began to communicate about the strike route. This is a mountainous area, and for precision-guided weapons, having a good strike route is more beneficial to the normal flight of the weapon, especially when the enemy's assembly area is a long east-west strip.

The Tu-16 was preparing to launch an attack in an orderly manner, and Zang San was also very active. He was not active in eating and had a problem with his brain. They lined up and assembled very quickly.

"The enemy has assembled." The voice of Owl 02 came from the radio. This was said much faster than sending a message.

"Understood." The captain of the Tu-16 replied, and then called the weapon operator on the intercom: "Prepare to launch an attack. I will enter the attack route first."

The slender Tu-16 slowly turned in the air and entered the pre-planned attack route.

They had to complete the attack as quickly as possible while the enemy's engines were still hot.

"50 kilometers from the target area..."

"30 kilometers..."

"20 kilometers, drop bombs!"

Now in this area, there is no trace of enemy air power. The Tu-16 did not use the maximum range of the long-range dispenser, but waited until it was 20 kilometers away before launching. This made it impossible for the enemy to detect it and minimized the cumulative error of the simple inertial navigation.

At this time, they had flown over some scattered enemy positions. Although they were flying at a very high altitude and the enemy could not see them through the thick clouds, they could still hear the faint sound of the engine.

The enemies on the ground were terrified, not knowing who Dongda was going to attack next.

But this time, it has nothing to do with these small shrimps.

The Tu-16 made a great effort this time, throwing out six dispensers in total, then calling on its friends and sailing away with the two escorting Tu-6 modified fighters.

The rest of the matter is left to our comrades. Anyway, we just need to observe the effects. Owl is better at this.

The dirty tank soldier who had just jumped off the tank and was enjoying the cool air leaned against the side of the tank, smoking a cigarette while looking at the cooks who were cooking, complaining: "Hurry up, hurry up."

Yes, even in the plateau in November, you still need to cool down for a while after getting out of the tank, because it is too hot in the tank!
Just as the Zang San soldiers were enjoying this rare relaxing time, several Zang San soldiers on guard suddenly looked at the eastern sky and screamed in fear.

"Devil bomb! Devil bomb!"

Several small black dots were flying rapidly in the sky, and they seemed quite obvious under the white clouds.

The enemy's tank regiment on the Western Front was immediately in a panic. They had never seen what the devil bomb looked like, but they knew very well what people who had been blown up by this bomb looked like.

Fortunately, they are not stupid. What are they afraid of? We are tanks, not infantrymen who can be bullied by others.

"Get in the tank! Get in the tank!"

Everyone had a similar idea: as long as they got inside the tank, everything would be easy. Shrapnel and steel balls could not penetrate the tank's heavy armor. Although the M-4's armor was not too thick, it would be no problem to deal with this threat.

For a moment, the whole place was in chaos. Not only the tank soldiers, but even the enemies who were not tank soldiers were trying to find ways to get into the tanks.

"Step aside!"

"This is my tank, bastard!"

"Get lost! You untouchable!"

"..."

In some tanks, more people than the capacity could allow were crammed in. Some tank hatches were not even closed, with two feet sticking out of the hatches, waving and pointing toward the sky.

A dirty tank soldier lying on the river bank was looking at the tank not far away in confusion and could not go back.

(End of this chapter)