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

Chapter 86 | Do you also want to stop the T-34?
From a technical perspective, the armored vehicles of the Varland Empire developed faster than those in the original plane during the same period. After all, there were no harsh restrictions of the Treaty of Versailles.

The production of Panzer I and Panzer II was not large, and the Varlanders had earlier focused on improving and manufacturing Panzer III and Panzer IV.

The 24th and 4th Armored Divisions under the 5th Armored Corps both used the Panzer III G2 tank as their main force. Their key technical and tactical indicators were:
Total weight - 20.3 tons

Members - 5 people

Armor - Case-hardened armored steel, 40 mm front of hull and turret, 30 mm sides
Weapon - 50mm 42 caliber tank gun

This 50mm KwK tank gun could only penetrate armor about 1000mm thick at a distance of 46 meters when firing a capped armor-piercing projectile.

【Picture】

Although Wallander's Panzer III tank made faster progress than in history, it was at an all-round disadvantage in terms of armor-piercing shell confrontation compared to the epoch-making T-34.

Historically, they relied on a higher penetration rate of radios to conduct flexible and mobile operations, thus compensating for their performance disadvantages, but now...

In the vast golden wheat fields on the eastern outskirts of Lodz, the two armies discovered each other.

Both sides were extremely proactive, and the two armored groups quickly deployed into combat formations and engaged the enemy head-on.

There was no ambush, no surprise attack, no attack and defense, this was just a battle of encounter on a narrow road.

The first large-scale tank clash in the history of warfare was a fair fight in every sense of the word, even down to the coincidence that both sides had recently been attacked by an air raid.

"The terrain is lower one kilometer at two o'clock. The 1st Armored Battalion should move and deploy immediately to occupy the firing position!" Major General Langerman, commander of the 5th Armored Division, made the first correct decision.

Compared with the original plane, which still had to rely on Type II tanks or even Type I tanks to make up the numbers, the Imperial German Armored Division was fully equipped and equipped with Type III G and Type IV F tanks. The armored regiment was a luxurious large organization of three battalions and twelve companies, with more than three hundred tanks.

At the same time, the 16nd Battalion of the 2th Armored Regiment also received an order to maneuver 1500 meters parallel to the right wing to widen the front line as much as possible.

At 13:15 p.m., the 1st Battalion maneuvered into position in a double column and entered a low-lying depression.

In this way, from a distance, only the turret is visible, and the projected area of ​​​​their target is greatly reduced.

Whether it's against guns or cannons, finding cover flexibly is a basic operation. After all, no matter how strong the tank's armor is, it cannot compare to the earth.

"The Varlanders want to lengthen the engagement. I don't care. The Orlova Tank Brigade is advancing to attack the enemy in front."

More than three kilometers away on the other side, Brigadier General Gusev, the temporary front-line commander of the 5th Tank Army, was standing on the roof of a BA-20 armored command vehicle holding a telescope.

At 13:25 p.m., following his instructions, the 2nd Guards 'Orlova' Tank Brigade began to attack in dense formation.

The first echelon consisted of three T-34 tank companies in a wedge formation. Excluding some broken-down tanks, there were a total of 37 tanks. The distance between the tanks was only more than meters, and the width of the attack front was only one kilometer.

Next came the second and third echelons, with two tank battalions totaling more than 80 tanks following closely in a horizontal formation, with the left and right spacing slightly widened to about 40 meters.

"Remember? Get within 500 meters before opening fire. They are hiding in the low-lying areas. They have dug their own graves!" Colonel Tikhonov, commander of the Orlova Guards Tank Brigade, shouted on the radio.

More than 30 tanks in the lead rushed forward at full speed and quickly rushed towards the enemy in front of them.

The roar of the diesel engine instantly swept across the entire wheat field, and the thick black smoke emitted even affected the vision.

When they were less than a kilometer away, the Varland tank unit opened fire.

One after another, 50mm armor-piercing shells flew out of the muzzle at an initial velocity of 685 meters per second and hit the oncoming T-34 cluster.

Such an attack is useless. The 42mm armor-piercing shells fired by the 50-caliber tank gun are like a tickle to the 45mm 60-degree high-angle armor.

The Imperial German armored soldiers were surprised to see that the shells shattered into pieces after hitting the target, sparks flew everywhere, or simply ricocheted, and the flying shells rushed into the sky in a zigzag trajectory.

After two rounds of continuous shooting, all the crews switched to tungsten carbide hard-core armor-piercing bullets, but it still had no effect.

"Hard core armor-piercing rounds are still ineffective!" "What are those tanks?!"

"Damn it! We can't penetrate their armor!"

"They're slowing down! They're stopping!"

The radio was filled with exclamations of disbelief, and curses like "sunbathing" also appeared.

Only two vehicles in the first echelon were hit on the tracks and stopped halfway, while the rest all approached to within less than 500 meters.

I don't know which car fired first, but her action was a good start and she got off to a good start.

Then the rest of the tanks opened fire.

In the T-224 No. 34, gunner Daria rotated the crank a few times, aimed at the gun shield of a Type III tank, and then pulled the trigger.

The tank gun roared loudly, and a 76.2mm BR-350 armor-piercing shell flew out of the barrel!

The armor-piercing bullet penetrated the target without difficulty, and the aluminum-passivated RDX inside exploded instantly, killing all five armored soldiers in the Imperial German tank.

The artillery fire continued!

Steel roars among the wheat fields!

The fierce exchange of fire was dazzling, but if you look closely you will find that the battle was actually one-sided. The attack of the German tank forces was loud but ineffective, and it seemed that they did not destroy many Russian tanks.

During the exchange of fire, the main force of the German 4th Armored Division suffered heavy losses. They only destroyed or severely damaged a few T-34s, and these were all caused by lucky hits on the turret ring or the shell area.

At 13:45 p.m., Major General Langermann, trying to remain as calm as possible, ordered the 3rd Armored Battalion of the Tactical Reserve to make a detour to the left.

He hoped to use his side's advantages in mobility and communications to strike the enemy's flanks.

Subsequently, more than 80 tanks transformed into a column and began to maneuver rapidly to the north.

"Attention! Attention! The enemy is making a detour!"

"The Varlanders are moving north! Perhaps they want to attack our right!"

"Where is the North?"

The radio channel was originally filled with cheers and applause, but someone reported new enemy information and everyone suddenly became panicked.

Colonel Tikhonov immediately gave instructions to the young communicator to convey the order.

"Captain Yelena, take note! Lead your squad out of the frontal battle, move to the right, and stop the enemy with all your might!"

Captain Yelena was in car No. 214. At this moment, the communicator in the co-pilot seat suddenly turned his head and shouted loudly to relay the instructions he had just received in his mind.

"Tell the surrounding tanks to follow us to the right and protect the flank of the main force!" Captain Yelena immediately understood the intention.

More than ten tanks here were exchanging fire with the Imperial German tanks hundreds of meters away. After receiving the instructions from their superiors, they reversed one after another and withdrew from the battle.

A few minutes later, the tank company moved to the right in diamond formation.

After maneuvering for half a kilometer, they reorganized into a single line beside an apple orchard and bravely faced the Imperial German tank group that was seven times their size.

Obviously, the Imperial German armored troops were surprised by this situation. The intention of encirclement did not work, and the detour turned into a forced attack!
"Reserves, move quickly! Don't wait for assembly!" Brigadier General Gusev was still standing on the top of the armored vehicle, with stray bullets whizzing past from time to time.

(End of this chapter)