Chapter 104 Sacrifice, Glory, Power

In an instant.

The Tiger and Sherman fired almost simultaneously.

Gu Ji first felt a buzzing sound coming from the gun barrel, and the shell was fired. The next second, a ball of sparks burst out from the right side of the fort, and the Sherman's shell grazed the armor of the fort and flew out.

Eugen's shell hit Sherman's side corner.

The Tiger's armor-piercing projectile has a muzzle velocity of at least 600m/s, which is enough to easily penetrate any armor within 90mm within 100 meters.

After the smoke and dust dissipated, through the observation window, Gu Ji saw a deep pit in the lower left front area of ​​the Sherman tank, and the track was completely broken.

Leer's shouting came from the cab.

"It's wrong, Eugen! How do I usually teach you?"

"Sorry sir, it's all my fault for being too excited!"

For a teenager who is only 17 or 18 years old, it is a very rare opportunity to personally control a Tiger turret to fight enemy tanks.

Leer sounded like he hated iron.

"The gunner's job is a delicate operation. You must calm down as soon as possible. First control the hydraulic press, then move the steering wheel. The loader immediately prepares ammunition..."

"Yes, sir!"

Eugen responded and started to turn the hydraulic wheel with his left hand according to the instructions.

Gu Ji, who was sitting in the commander's seat, also took a look at it, which he considered to be "stealing a lesson".

The control handwheels of Tiger tanks are divided into two types: electronic control and mechanical.

The latter relies on gears to amplify torque and rotates at a very slow speed. It is generally only used as a backup when the power system fails.

The electronic control is a hydraulic drive and steering gear. The hydraulic power provides a large amount of power and can move the turret quickly, but it can only make rough adjustments to the orientation.

Such rough adjustments cannot guarantee good shooting accuracy.

Therefore, when the gunner aims at the target, he usually uses the hydraulic system to adjust the turret orientation to a certain approximate position, and then uses the steering wheel to make fine adjustments. Each time the gunner turns, the turret will rotate 0.9°.

The sound of the fort's mechanical rotation can make people's blood rush.

"Loading complete!"

"Eugen, hurry! Elevation angle -2 degrees, 12 o'clock direction!"

Leer is indeed an experienced gunner. Even sitting in the cab, he can judge the attack data based on the observation window.

Eugen quickly turned the steering wheel with his right hand and shouted loudly: "Go to hell!"

The barrel vibrated.

Boom, the Sherman tank exploded in response, flames shot into the sky, scattered metal fragments and crumbling earth were sprayed in all directions, with faint screams.

"I succeeded! I succeeded!"

Eugen clenched his fists excitedly.

Gu Ji, on the other hand, pushed open the driver's window, leaned out halfway, and lay down behind a curved bunker made of iron armor and sandbags. "Chief Leer, we have to go over quickly to support. Another Tiger is here."

The pose won’t last long!”

"Sit tight! Let's go!"

Leer gave an order and stepped on the pedal. Everything around him was quickly filled with the roar of the engine. The tracks crushed the gravel on the ground and rushed out, as if he had really turned into a tiger.

Gu Ji took out the anti-aircraft machine gun hanging on the simple pivot on the hatch of the commander's cabin. The movable angle of the machine gun in the turret cabin was too small, and it was always limited by the muzzle turning. It was more flexible to shoot outside the turret.

.

This is the latest MG42 developed by Hans. It is an advanced version of the MG34 machine gun. It has a simpler structure and lower cost, but it has excellent performance. It is the fastest machine gun in World War II, reaching 1200 fire per minute.

~1500 rounds/minute, known as "Hitler's chainsaw".

However, this kind of anti-aircraft machine gun is almost useless against air units, and is more commonly used against ground troops and unarmored targets.

Soon, Leer drove the Tiger from the main road on the north side to the intersection.

At this moment, the central fountain square has been damaged by artillery fire, the flower beds were shattered into powder, and the ground was uneven.

Under the siege of three Shermans, the front armor of the Tiger tank was twisted into waves, almost crumbling.

"Prepare to engage the enemy!!"

Gu Ji's eyes were as sharp as an eagle.

After discovering the target, he immediately yelled.

Boom, Eugen fired a shell from the side, knocking out a Sherman tank on the spot.

He decisively pulled the trigger. Under the ultra-high rate of fire of the MG42, the bullets were densely packed like a death ray, giving the Eagle soldiers no chance to react.

As clouds of blood mist exploded, an armored team coordinated by infantry and tanks only lasted for half a minute before being captured by them.

Gu Ji had to lament the horror of heavy firepower again.

In the face of such artillery fire and machine guns, no matter what tactics you have, it will be in vain.

The remaining Sherman tank wanted to retreat, but the other Tiger seemed to have no intention of letting it go. In the end, the gunner seized the opportunity and blew it up in the middle of the Southern Avenue.

Come on...

Leer drove the Tiger tank slowly westward. The gun-gray metal tracks completely ignored the potholes left by the battlefield and flattened the ruins one after another.

Eugen seemed to have learned what Gu Ji had done before, manipulating the fort's machine gun and firing wildly at the screaming Eagle Army in the distance.

The two Tiger tanks finally met on the west side street.

The commander's circular hatch was opened, and a middle-aged officer wearing a brimmed hat, a gray-green suit, and a black Iron Cross hanging on his collar came out.

His sharp face and deep nasolabial folds gave him a sense of smoke and a bit more majesty.

"Why is he a private, our commander?"

"Sir, my superior has sacrificed his life for the empire. The team is a temporary assembly, and the tank was just snatched. The current top officer is Sergeant Leer, and he is in the cab!"

Gu Ji saluted.

As soon as he finished speaking, the cockpit door under the turret was opened. Leer got his head out and said with difficulty:

"Reporting to Lieutenant, I am the gunner Leer of the 15th Armored Division. Our team was destroyed by the enemy on the East Coast Highway. When we retreated to the Reese neighborhood, we fortunately met Hermann of the 29th Armored Division. He saved us.

It was also his idea to risk taking the tank."

Gu Ji couldn't help but glance down at Leer.

Unexpectedly, this middle-aged uncle would take the initiative to mention him first instead of taking the credit for himself.

Hearing that these things were all done by an ordinary private, the lieutenant officer's face flashed with surprise and he nodded:

"Hermann, your performance is very good. I will explain these achievements to the higher-ups. My name is Luca. I am the commander of the No. 12 tank of the 1st Guardsmen Armored Division. Since you do not have a commander, let's go ahead for the time being.

Follow me!"

"Yes, sir!"

The first person to answer turned out to be Eugen who emerged from the gunner's hatch.

No wonder he was so excited.

The 1st SS Armored Division was one of the earliest armed SS units formed by Reeve Lechter. It was famous for its brutality, efficiency and bravery in combat. It was a famous first-class ace division in World War II.

at this point.

This can be seen from the many iron rings and chains hanging on Luca's Tiger tank.

An iron ring means they destroyed a tank.

It was precisely because the 1st Guards Banner Armored Division withdrew from the eastern battlefield to support the South-South Outer Islands that it indirectly led to the defeat of the Hans Army in the Battle of Kursk. Its importance is evident.

But Gu Ji didn't want to follow him.

The state that Luka showed was that he was obviously a brave officer. If the other party wanted to lead them to the front line, wouldn't they rush to death?

Just when he was thinking about how to influence the other party's decision-making.

Rumble...

There was a sharp roar of engines in the sky.

Looking at a chubby military green propeller fighter plane swooping down in the sky, it is the famous P-47 Thunder fighter of the Eagle Army!

"It's an enemy fighter plane!!"

Gu Ji yelled and hurriedly urged Leer to leave.

Luca took a look through the binoculars and saw several motorcycles on the main road to the east.

"The damn fool of Rome actually lured the Eagle Army fighter plane to his home base. Go to the west side and find shelter in the ruins!"

At the command, the two Tigers filled their accelerators and began to drive westward.

However, Luca's tank suffered too much shelling, the deformed deck hindered the operation of the track, and the speed was seriously reduced.
To be continued...