Arc of Fire

Chapter 41

Just as Wang Zhong commanded Vehicle 422 to advance into the village, the combat engineers squad cleared another house with flamethrowers.

When playing Company of Heroes 2, Wang Zhong had always favored flamethrowers, but in-game flamethrowers, while powerful, weren't invincible.

The Company of Heroes series had a retreat mechanic-pressing the T key would make units flee desperately (the latest third installment apparently changed the key). Against flamethrowers, hitting T fast enough could let burning units retreat to base.

But reality was nothing like this. In real combat, those hit by flamethrowers instantly lost fighting capacity, reduced to rolling on the ground helplessly.

Only those with extraordinary willpower could keep fighting while engulfed in flames.

Though the 3rd Amur Regiment's morale was high now, they hadn't yet become such an iron-willed force.

Wang Zhong had to eliminate these combat engineers quickly, or they might seize the entire village.

----

Battalion Commander Sherzatsev shouted: "Combat engineers! Submachine gun rounds are too weak against their armor-use rifles!"

"But Commander, most of us have submachine guns for close combat!"

"Then fucking use machine guns!"

As Sherzatsev grabbed the machine gunner's weapon, an explosion sounded from the backyard-likely combat engineers breaching the wall with explosives.

Sherzatsev rushed to the window with the machine gun and fired through the breach.

The first engineer through the gap was hit before pulling the trigger, bullets slamming him and his armor backward as blood seeped from the seams-proof that full-power rounds penetrated.

The enemy still fired, but his flamethrower angled upward from the impact, shooting flames skyward over the opposite wall into the neighboring yard.

Sherzatsev kept firing while yelling: "See! Their armor's barely 10 kilos-can't stop full-power rifle rounds!"

Submachine guns used pistol ammo with poor penetration.

As Sherzatsev spoke, a grenade landed in the yard.

Not a standard stick grenade, but a breaching grenade-bulkier than normal.

Even elite engineers couldn't throw such grenades to the second floor from that distance, so Sherzatsev laughed: "Big grenades are useless if they can't reach-"

The grenade exploded below.

The wooden floor under Sherzatsev collapsed along with the first-floor brick wall.

A submachine gunner nearby screamed: "Commander!"

In that instant, combat engineers charged through the breach as machine gun fire ceased.

The submachine gunner fired immediately, rounds clanging uselessly against armor.

The Prossenians laughed, aiming flamethrowers at the second floor-

Suddenly, a bullet struck a fuel tank, spraying pressurized fuel that vaporized midair.

The vapor met the flamethrower's pilot light, engulfing the engineer in flames.

Screams filled the yard.

Sherzatsev struggled up, firing the machine gun standing.

True Ant men fired machine guns standing-accuracy didn't matter, only ferocity.

The burning engineer, barely alive, was finished off by machine gun rounds.

Yet another breaching grenade flew over the wall.

Sherzatsev dropped the gun, grabbing the grenade to throw back-but it detonated mid-motion.

Sherzatsev was blown apart, blood painting the walls.

A third engineer crossed the breach, flames lashing the second floor.

----

Wang Zhong witnessed Sherzatsev's stand. Though they'd never met, the man's bravery moved him.

Sherzatsev confirmed Wang Zhong's theory: machine guns or rifles could pierce that armor.

This world's tech matched WWII levels-even Soviet combat engineers couldn't charge machine guns then, their armor only stopping submachine gun rounds and grenade shrapnel.

Hence, these engineers avoided open roads, sticking to close-quarters where rifles and machine guns were less effective.

But they couldn't stay off roads forever.

Upper Peniye Village had three main Y-shaped roads, but side alleys crisscrossed it. If tanks blocked intersections, they might trap all engineers.

Wang Zhong spotted the engineers' half-track skirting the village's southwest edge, stopping near a compost heap by an alley exit.

A yard gate faced outward-clearly a resupply point for advancing engineers.

Wang Zhong decided to target this vehicle.

The tank had reached the mechanical mill, where two westward roads branched ahead.

That morning, Wang Zhong noticed enemy tanks could lock down the entire main street from two western intersections. Lyudmila's Divine Arrow squad had been pinned, nearly overrun.

Wang Zhong's solo tank fight against four saved them.

So he'd ordered Yegorov to position captured Prossenian trucks and tank wrecks as roadblocks, limiting enemy tanks to covering only the village entrance to the barricade.

Infantry could still move freely along the street behind cover.

Their machine guns on the second floor could fire over barriers.

Now Wang Zhong realized these blocks also limited his tank's field of fire. Previously, stopping at the mill covered a whole road-now just half.

But this also meant only half the turret was exposed when approaching alleys, reducing vulnerability.

Wang Zhong: "Take the left road, stop at the alley 50 meters ahead! See that intersection?"

The driver responded by turning left toward the alley.

Wang Zhong: "Turret left!"

The turret swung left.

Su Fang, about to fire at enemies on the street, found her machine gun moving away as the turret turned.

Wang Zhong and the hatch now blocked her line of fire.

Su Fang: "My machine gun!"

Ignoring her, Wang Zhong focused as the tank stopped abruptly at the alley.

The half-track across the alley spotted them, its crew shouting "Achtung!" while swiveling their forward-fixed machine gun-now misaligned with the tank's angle.

Before Wang Zhong could order fire, the main gun roared.

Packed with explosives and flamethrower fuel, the half-track erupted into an orange fireball, rising like a nuke.

A shrapnel piece bearing Prossen's cross emblem flew past, embedding in a brick wall.

Su Fang was blown off the tank, howling: "My ass!"

As Wang Zhong turned, combat engineers climbed through the blasted wall.

Dazed by the explosion, they froze seeing the tank.

Wang Zhong grabbed the AA machine gun (Su Fang's usual weapon) and fired.

Set for 300 meters, he aimed via tracers without proper sighting.

Several hits dropped the engineer.

Switching to overhead view, Wang Zhong ordered: "HE shell, adjacent yard!"

"No line of fire!"

"Shoot the floor!"

The HE shell hit the ground, flipping engineers over-visible from above.

Their armor held-Vehicle 422's 45mm main gun couldn't reliably penetrate, only wound limbs.

Then Sherzatsev's men arrived.

Charging through flames with "Ura!" shouts, they bayoneted downed engineers.

Enemy necks were unprotected!

Wang Zhong yelled: "Secure those flamethrowers!"

Engine sounds made him turn-enemy tanks 200 meters away were advancing.

His fireworks had stirred them.

(End of chapter)