598: Chapter 593: Tank Battle 598: Chapter 593: Tank Battle Cui Bo had shot and killed two enemy snipers, which was helpful to the situation, but it could not play a decisive role.
The Skull Gang’s current situation still seemed secure, but in truth, things were very bad.
The loss report had come in: out of ten anti-tank missile systems, six had been destroyed, and of the remaining four systems, only five missiles were usable.
It was correct to deploy based on the enemy’s equipment, but Gao Yang had been overly optimistic about the effectiveness of anti-tank missiles.
Although anti-tank missiles were indeed designed to counter tanks, their impact was far from being able to make tanks disappear from the battlefield.
That is to say, the plan to destroy the enemy tanks with the not-so-numerous anti-tank missiles had completely fallen through.
No one can be perfect in their strategies, and no one can truly have everything under control.
Gao Yang was certainly no exception; he made a mistake on a battlefield he was not familiar with.
He had oversimplified the matter of anti-tank combat, or rather, he had placed too high expectations on the soldiers of the Instruction Platoon.
But there was no help for it; the Skull Gang had too weak a foundation and insufficient strength—all talk was in vain.
Uriyangko had delivered the anti-tank missiles and had people train the soldiers of the Instruction Platoon on how to use them urgently, but now it seemed that the inexperience of the missile operators greatly reduced the effectiveness of the anti-tank missiles.
Making mistakes was not terrible, as long as one could correct the plan in time.
The only problem was whether the enemy would give him the chance to correct his mistakes.
“Anti-tank missile operators, stay hidden, change firing positions promptly, and make sure not to be discovered by the enemy.
Be careful of enemy attacks, aim only at tanks, do not engage armored vehicles,” he ordered the Instruction Platoon.
Then he turned to the frequency used by the reserve forces and said, “Second Platoon, Third Platoon, Fourth Platoon, reinforce the Rocket Launcher operators for First Platoon and Sixth Platoon.
If the enemy makes a tank assault, let the tanks through and use rocket launchers on the enemy’s armored vehicles.
Artillery, be ready for anti-infantry support.”
Lacking offensive capabilities was a big problem for the Skull Gang.
In previous battles, the Skull Gang had never encountered a situation that required an assault.
The first time they attacked Gesale, they did not enter the city and faced a major defeat without even encountering enemy tanks.
This time, the enemy was stronger with tanks, but the increase in the Skull Gang’s strength was limited.
After issuing the commands, it would take some time for the reinforced personnel to get into position.
However, this period wasn’t particularly a window of vulnerability.
The soldiers of the Instruction Platoon, First Platoon, and Sixth Platoon already carried plenty of rocket launchers including RPG-7s and RPG-26s, which might not pack enough punch against tanks but were certainly sufficient against armored vehicles.
Gao Yang was only worried that the enemy would take advantage of their tanks to launch an assault, and as fate would have it, what he feared indeed came to pass.
Two Chieftain tanks and one Type 69 tank charged in a wedge formation toward the sand dune where Gao Yang and the others were positioned.
One of the Chieftain tanks had already been hit by an anti-tank missile, but it seemed that the damaged Chieftain tank was not seriously impaired.
Gao Yang became anxious.
The Satan Mercenary Corps was at the forefront of the battlefield with nowhere to hide or run; at a distance of one thousand meters, the tanks could quickly close in.
Serving as the eyes meant being at the very front of the battlefield.
Although the majority of First Platoon and Sixth Platoon were nearby, facing tanks, an infantry unit lacking anti-tank capabilities could not provide an effective barrier for Gao Yang and his team.
Gao Yang and his team had to take on the role of the infantry themselves.
The sheer size of the tanks, their speed, plus their main guns and machine guns, could cause extreme psychological intimidation, especially for the members of the Skull Gang who had almost never seen tanks before—the effect was even more pronounced.
When he saw the enemy tanks burst out from behind a sand dune, Gao Yang shouted at Cui Bo, “Rabbit, get back here!
Little Fly, get ready with your rocket launcher.”
The only one prepared to use a rocket launcher wasn’t just Frey; in fact, including Gao Yang himself, everyone in the Satan Mercenary Corps, except Cui Bo, had access to an RPG.
They didn’t carry their own, but the soldiers of First Platoon and Sixth Platoon had brought plenty, and they just needed to ask for one.
Frey’s rocket launcher was different from the others’; he carried two Swedish-made AT-4 disposable rocket launchers, equipped with high-explosive armor-piercing bullets, which provided better armor-piercing capability compared to the RPGs.
In addition to the three tanks, there were also five armored vehicles, all of them BMP-2s.
The BMP-2s followed behind the tanks, charging forward furiously and didn’t forget to use their autocannons to suppress firepower in the woods on the flanks while they made their frontal assault.
The battle escalated without warning and quickly reached a fever pitch.
Gao Yang screamed at the top of his lungs, “Spread out!
Spread out!
Avoid the fronts of the tanks, aim for the side and rear flanks!
Instruction Platoon, at all costs, take out the tanks!”
Gao Yang and his companions were ready for lateral movement, knowing that hitting the front of a tank with a rocket launcher was unlikely, but if they aimed for the thinner armor on the sides and rear, there was still a chance.
The remaining anti-tank missiles from the Instruction Platoon were fired.
Now in the front of the tank were two AT-14 sets and two on the side.
As the tank broke from cover to charge, the platoon members had already taken aim.
However, before they could fire, one tank preempted their action; after halting, it fired just one shot, which sent the group operating the missile launcher and their missile sky-high in an explosion.
One set of anti-tank missiles was destroyed, and the remaining three completed their launch.
Yet the side missiles, when firing at the moving tank, failed to properly control the fired missiles, allowing the tank to successfully dodge.
Only the AT-14 firing from the front not only completed its launch but also hit the enemy’s tank accurately.
The hit tank was a Type 69, and immediately after being hit in the front, it stopped dead in its tracks.
Then, the hatch was flung open, and one of the tank crew tried to scramble out in haste.
But just as he was climbing out of the tank hatch and was about to jump off to escape, the tank’s ammunition detonated.
The crew member was blasted sky-high along with the turret.
Although one tank was destroyed, the situation did not turn around.
One of the two Chieftain tanks rushed past the sand dune where Gao Yang and his team were hiding, while the other directly climbed to the top of the sand dune and, amidst the sand flying in all directions, leaped down from the top.
The enemy’s primary concern was the anti-tank missiles.
Once they spotted the missiles, the armored fighting vehicles opened fire together.
Now, the anti-tank missiles were almost completely lost.
The tank’s machine gun kept firing, but Gao Yang and his team, hiding behind the sand dune, were not afraid of the tank’s machine gun.
Only when the tank suddenly burst out beside them and above their heads did Gao Yang’s heart uncontrollably skip a beat.
The sound of artillery, gunshots, battle cries, and desperate screams created chaos on the battlefield, but fortunately, after the tanks broke through the defenses, the Skull Gang soldiers did not disperse.
Gao Yang fired the RPG he was carrying at the rear of the tank that had just crossed over the top of the sand dune.
Almost at the same time, at least six or seven rockets hit the rear section of that one tank.
Despite the continuous explosions, the rockets failed to penetrate the weak armor at the rear of the Chieftain tank.
The tank did not tangle with Gao Yang and his team but continued to push forward.
Gao picked up a rocket from his feet and as he was loading it into the launcher, he shouted into the radio, “The tanks are aiming for the artillery position!
Retreat, save the people and abandon the guns!”
The line had been breached, and Gao Yang had no way to salvage the situation.
Against steel, you need steel; relying solely on manpower cannot turn the tide.
Watching the tank drift away, Gao Yang quickly yelled, “Hit the armored vehicles, hit the armored vehicles!”
Gao Yang turned around, laid down on the ground, then watched as a BMP-2 with its turret rotating appeared in front of him.
The armored vehicle’s autocannon and machine guns were firing, targeting the Skull Gang soldiers nearby, only forty meters away.
Gao Yang instinctively fired his rocket launcher, but as he did, he realized that the armored vehicle was equipped with anti-rocket grilles.
Anti-rocket grilles made of welded steel bars surrounded the vehicle, and this grid-like structure provided good protection against rockets, especially against the RPG-7, the protection was very effective.
Gao Yang watched the rocket explode, but after the blast, the armored vehicle was unscathed, and its turret was now turning towards him.
Not wanting to stand still for the taking, Gao Yang threw away his rocket launcher and fell to the ground, but just as he lay down, he saw another armored vehicle charging from the other side.
At that moment, Gao Yang saw Frey fire the AT-4 he was carrying, followed by a loud explosion behind him.
Simultaneously, Glolov and Eileen also launched RPGs at the newly emerged armored vehicle.
The RPGs fired by Glolov and Eileen had no effect, but then Rafael shouldered the AT-4 that originally belonged to Frey and fired at the side of the armored vehicle, only twenty meters in front of him.
The RPG rockets were set off prematurely by the protective grilles.
The high-explosive armor-piercing bullets launched by the AT-4 suffered the same fate.
However, the RPG-7 rockets could not penetrate the armored vehicle when detonated early, but the AT-4, despite also being detonated prematurely, did penetrate the armor.
Two of the biggest threats, the armored vehicles, were blown up at close range; soon after, the rear doors of the armored vehicle opened, and several black soldiers howled as they ran out.
However, as soon as they emerged, they fell under Gao Yang’s gunfire.
Gao Yang used his rifle to shoot the infantry carried by the armored vehicle in front of him, while the infantry behind him were taken care of by Glolov and Eileen.
As soon as the armored vehicles were destroyed, their carried infantry were quickly eliminated.
At this moment, Li Jinfang shouted, “The enemy’s armored vehicles are retreating, they’ve run back!”
To Gao Yang’s surprise, the armored vehicles were indeed retreating.
He sprang up from the ground to find that the remaining three armored vehicles had indeed turned around and were withdrawing.
Just then, Frey also shouted, “The tanks are retreating too!
The tanks are turning back towards us!”(To be continued.
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