Cannon Fire Arc-Chapter 706 - 44 Rest and Reorganization Time

Chapter 706: Chapter 44 Rest and Reorganization Time

July 6th, Guard Heavy Breakthrough Tank Group’s maintenance battalion.

Podoliskov, holding a bottle of Vodka, found the battalion commander: “Come on, my fellow countryman sent this, let’s drink together!”

The battalion commander sighed, “It’s not that I won’t repair it for you, Podoliskov Davarish. Your tank has problems beyond the broken track: the gearbox and the engine both need replacement. I can’t sign off on it completing repairs in its current state!

“I have to be responsible for the lives of your entire crew!”

Podoliskov retorted, “It was running just fine before! If it weren’t for the track being broken, it wouldn’t have stopped fighting!”

The battalion commander replied, “That was just good luck! I cannot let you rely on luck to ensure smooth operations! No, I can’t! I won’t sign it; your ‘Revenge’ must have its gearbox and engine replaced!”

Podoliskov became desperate, shoving the bottle of vodka into the commander’s arms while saying, “Look, our entire group doesn’t have a single tank left! Not one! If you don’t let my ‘Revenge’ go into battle, what do we do when the enemy attacks?”

“The enemy will face the ‘Whirlwind,’” the maintenance battalion commander remained unfazed. “For defense, ‘Whirlwind’ is suitable. Besides, the accompanying infantry, Davarish, started digging shelters yesterday. With ‘Whirlwind’ and the shelters, no matter how many enemy tanks come, they won’t be a problem! And we still have the brother unit’s T34s!”

Podoliskov exclaimed, “T34? The T34 is outdated, it can’t even penetrate the front of the enemy’s Panzer IV long-barrel. Let alone those new tanks with cannons as long as fishing rods we encountered before!”

The new tank model known as the Panzer V had a 75mm cannon, but the barrel was about 70 calibers long, earning it the nickname “fishing rod” among Tank Operators of the Guard Heavy Breakthrough Tank Group.

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Podoliskov said, “Even with the ‘Whirlwind,’ facing those ‘fishing rod’ tanks, it’s not necessarily effective! After all, the combat weight of ‘Whirlwind’ is out there, it’s just an enhanced defense version of the T34, yet we are more reliable! We’ve been tested in real combat!”

The battalion commander said, “Today, two Rokossovsky Types will finish maintenance. Why not give this bottle of vodka to the crew of those two tanks to let them hand over the tanks for you to drive?”

Podoliskov hesitated, “That… taking someone else’s chance to go into battle doesn’t seem right. Everyone has deep-seated vendettas to avenge!”

The battalion commander was taken aback, “Then there’s nothing I can do. Without replacing the gearbox and engine, I won’t sign off, and it can’t go into battle.”

Podoliskov complained, “Why are you like this? What happens to our crucial effort to strike Prosen?”

“The rest orders from the Front Army Headquarters indicate that General Rocossovsky judges that the enemy no longer has much strength to counterattack. Are you questioning the General’s decision?”

“Of course not!” Podoliskov raised his voice, “I’m just a tractor driver; how could I question the General’s judgment! No one in Ante would question him! I’m questioning your judgment! My ‘Revenge’ is fine, just a broken track and a slightly noisy gearbox—”

“Forget it, the gearbox gears on ‘Revenge’ are worn flat!”

“They are not worn flat yet! I checked, only the edges have dulled; you are fearmongering, Comrade Commander!”

The battalion commander grew displeased, “I’ve fixed tanks for nearly fourteen years, starting with small ‘Bean’ tanks imported from Carolingian. Do you know what kind of tank that is? My judgment has never been wrong!”

Podoliskov was about to speak but held back. Eventually, he stepped back, placed the vodka bottle on the control desk, and threw his military jacket on the ground, adopting a fighting stance, “Forget it, let’s solve this the traditional Antean way today, whoever wins is right! If you lose, you sign it!”

The battalion commander nodded, “Okay!”

After finishing his statement, he took off his grease-stained military uniform.

The uniform had become stiff in some places due to the grease, obscuring the lines of his muscles; once removed, the commander suddenly appeared as a muscular devil, exceptionally robust even among Anteans.

Podoliskov frowned, carefully sizing up the commander’s tendons and muscles, cursing, “Sukabule, you’re tough!”

After that, he picked up his jacket from the ground, tucked it under his armpit, picked up the vodka bottle: “I won’t argue with you!”

The battalion commander replied, “You will thank me for my insistence. I’ve seen too many tank operators lose their lives on the battlefield due to insufficient maintenance of their tanks!”

“I’ll remember that!” Podoliskov left abruptly without turning back.

The battalion commander watched his departing figure, sighed, and muttered, “You guys are all in such a hurry to die.”

At that moment, a maintenance worker who had been watching chimed in, “Commander, with the Rokossovsky Type’s shell, they probably won’t die as desperately as before.”

“Yeah,” another added, “When we were fixing T34s, people in the regiment would change frequently; sometimes even the regiment commander and the Military Chaplain would change. This time, at least 80% are still around.”

The battalion commander nodded, “Right, I always used to think, all the good people died on the battlefield, leaving only the flawed ones; how are we supposed to continue as a country? Now, at least some good people can survive.

“Thanks to General Rocossov, thanks to the shell he developed, so I really can’t allow them to go to the front lines in flawed tanks. Listen up, everyone, Podoliskov might come and steal the tanks, don’t let him succeed, take down the gearbox and throw it outside!”

“Yes,” the workers replied in unison.

————

Prosen Second Armored Army Field Maintenance Workshop.

Major Tim entered the workshop and approached the complicated double row load wheels of the assembling Tank No. 5 by the repair worker’s side, “How is it going?”

Repair Worker: “As you see, this damn load wheel, it takes several hours just to install! The person who designed this thing should be damned!”

Major Tim: “But the tank operators have responded that this thing is reliable when moving, the tank doesn’t jolt much, and they can even shoot while moving. There is also a chance to maintain mobility when hitting a mine—I mean, hitting our mines.”

Antean mines were terribly powerful, and even the double row load wheels and wide tracks were helpless.

Repair Worker: “Tank operators don’t have to dismantle all the load wheels for just one wheel. If you ask me, this is a terrible design.”

“Stop complaining, so how many can you fix today?”

The repair worker stopped, looked around the repair workshop filled with welding sparks, and said, “About seven, I can’t guarantee the others. These seven have been repaired for more than two days, it’s time to send them out.”

Major Tim: “So by July 8th, you can fix 14 tanks, right?”

“No, I can’t guarantee that. Who knows how severe the faults are in the other vehicles? Since the Anteans started attacking, we’ve hardly had any rest. Look at my dark circles, if it weren’t for the possibility that the medicine eaten by the Asgard Knights might affect the precision during welding, I would have asked them for some.”

Major Tim silently took out a cigarette and handed it to the repair worker: “Just smoke, don’t touch the Asgard Knights’ medicine.”

The repair worker shook his head: “Smoking only refreshes me for a little while now, probably my nerves are already numb. Damn, I can still say the word ‘nerves’! Look at old Hank, his mind is already unclear.

“If it goes on like this, I don’t know if we will fail, but someone in this workshop is going to drop dead, maybe it will be me, Major!”

Major Tim: “Hang on for a few more days, then we can go back home for a vacation.”

“Really? Can we really go back home?” the repair worker retorted, “Has the Marshal been captured yet?”

“No,” Major Tim’s tone wasn’t particularly firm.

Repair Worker: “Damn, you don’t know either! But the news has spread, the Army Group Command was indeed attacked, and yesterday the Constitutional Guards executed a few people because they said the current Marshal is a body double!

“Yesterday, I saw a note in the rest area, I guess it was left by the local woman who cooks for us, saying the Marshal has been captured, and our turn is soon, Rocossov will annihilate us like a whirlwind!”

Major Tim was shocked: “What? There’s such a note? Unacceptable, I need to inform the Constitutional Guards to arrest all suspects!”

“Please, if they replace our cook with some tough guys, we would really be better off dead, Your Honor Major! And the Constitutional Guards also want Antean women, you should see how stupid they look when they smile at women during inspections!”

Major Tim: “No, this is a serious incident, I must report it, it’s my duty, someone must pay for this note!”

“Even if it slows down the repairs?” the repair worker asked.

Major Tim: “Of course.”

The repair worker asked again: “And what if we do defeat them? Think about it, those women’s families, pointing us out alongside Antean soldiers, you want to survive too, don’t you, Your Honor Major!”

Major Tim pursed his lips and fell silent for a few seconds, then said, “Your thinking is very dangerous, if it weren’t for the impact on the repair efficiency, I would have reported you to the Constitutional Guards.”

Repair Worker: “Major, aren’t you also my potential supporter? I’m not the only one who thinks this, even some in the Constitutional Guards feel the war is doomed.”

Major Tim raised his voice, “Stop talking! Don’t get us all locked up! The Imperial Ministry has its claws inside the army!”

The repair worker closed his mouth.

Although Major Tim was young, he had a distinguished family background and belonged to the old Junker nobility officer camp, he had actually heard some rumors while chatting with other officers.

It seemed like, if this campaign were to fail badly again, something unspeakable might happen within the Empire.

But what exactly that was, Major Tim had no idea.

For some reason, he was somewhat looking forward to this happening, probably because the war had been going on for far too long since the invasion of Melania.

Among Major Tim’s friends who had joined the army with him, now only three were left, maybe if the war ended earlier, these three could still reunite.

If the war ended earlier.