Chapter 333 05.0332: "Charge Countdown"

When the first rays of sunlight in the early morning shone on the battlefield mixed with white snow and scorched earth, black and white blended together on the vast land, and dots of dark red blood added a third color to it.

Along the long front line, there were broken barbed wire and collapsed and bent ceramic steel breastworks. Looking from the air, it was a scene of decay.

Almost every inch of the rebels' positions were littered with shell fragments and human remains of varying sizes and degrees of integrity, and the air was filled with the pungent smell of gunpowder and burnt soil.

Trenches, dense as a spider web, cut deep into the earth, and the few veins were interrupted by circular charred pits, leaving ugly scars on the surface of the planet.

The biting cold wind blew up snowflakes that swirled in the craters, blew across the land plowed by artillery fire, blew across the countless cracked gullies, and finally weighed heavily and silently on the hearts of the survivors who were gasping for breath in every corner.

There was silence on the battlefield. From the distant orchard, the occasional calls of unknown birds could be heard from afar along with the morning light.

In the trenches of the British 1st Brigade, the British Astra Militarum soldiers in scarlet uniforms were in high spirits. They stood in two rows on both sides, leaving a passage in the middle.

These people are very young, generally around 20 or 30 years old, and are considered the youngest and strongest quality manpower on the British planet. The sergeants are nearly 40 years old, with a sharp temperament tempered by war and death.

The white-robed chaplain of the State Church holding high the cross and sky eagle emblem was the first to set foot on this path, chanting prayers loudly accompanied by the murmured prayers of the soldiers, and then followed by the gray-robed acolytes who sprinkled holy water and walked through the crowd.

After the pastor passed by, each row of soldiers stood in the middle of the road.

The British officer, wearing a carapace armor, a shako cap, and a red officer's ribbon around his waist, held a parchment military order with the mark of purity in one hand and a pocket watch in the other, silently counting the ticking seconds until the pointer of the pocket watch pointed to the time on the military order.

"Bayonet ready!" the officer shouted, and the sergeants responded verbally, and the repeated shouts spread the order to the entire platoon, which was as large as a company.

Swish, swish, swish! Click, click, click!
The soldiers uniformly drew out sharp bayonets from the scabbards at their waists and inserted them into the multi-functional bayonets at the muzzles of their guns.

The same scene occurred in dozens of trenches dug along the front line against the enemy.

In a maneuver last night, the 1st British Brigade dispatched several companies from each of its three battalions to participate in the first wave of the offensive.

The entire battle line stretched for several kilometers.

Taking advantage of the cover of night, the line infantry of the 88th Infantry Regiment and the 79th Armored Reconnaissance Regiment jumped off the trucks two kilometers behind the front line and ran in an orderly manner along the trench walkways to the prepared locations.

In the end, they were standing shoulder to shoulder in the same trench, with only the different colored edging on their collars and cuffs to distinguish them.

A British Infantry squad consisted of 20 men, led by a corporal.

A platoon consists of 9 infantry squads and a platoon headquarters, with a second lieutenant or first lieutenant as the platoon leader. The number of combat infantrymen is about 200, and the planned combat width is about 300 to 350 meters.

A company consists of 5 platoons and a company headquarters, led by a captain, one of which is a heavy platoon responsible for fire support. The total number of the entire company is about 900, responsible for a combat width of 1 to 1.4 kilometers.

In World War I, a platoon of British troops on the blue planet had about 72 people, a company had three platoons, and the total number of combatants in an infantry company was only nearly 250.

The officers in the trenches looked at the stopwatch that had been calibrated in advance and counted down silently in their hearts.

30 minutes before the Astra Militarum attack.

"Boys of the artillery, play your symphony."

Following the loud shouts of the artillery officer.

More than ten kilometers behind the front line, there was a loud rumbling sound of artillery fire.

The soldiers in the trenches looked up at the sky. In their shining pupils, countless artillery shells with black smoke trails streaked across the sky, emitting death screams and slamming heavily into the enemy positions several kilometers ahead.

The artillery units of the three battalions set up multiple artillery positions at different locations based on the caliber and tactical effective range of the earth-shaking cannons they were equipped with.

Trucks loaded with ammunition and supplies headed towards the positions from the front-line combat supply base. Wooden boxes were moved onto trailers, delivered to the artillery positions, and then pried open one by one.

The shirtless sturdy man held the thick, clear yellow shells and kept putting them into the barrel.

After a whole night of artillery battle, the empty brass shell casings piled up into small hills on each position.

The artillerymen took off their usual respectable uniforms and loaded, aimed and fired with their sweaty arms bare.

British artillery wore distinctive blue uniforms, which distinguished them from the armoured cavalry and line infantry.

This marks an extra honor.

Their artillery and engineering officer ranks, like those of the Imperial Navy, could not be purchased through the "donation" channel, but were appointed through selection by the Ministry of the Interior's Ordnance Department.

Only highly educated people who graduated from professional engineering and artillery academies can command such troops, which requires very high technical skills.

Dense artillery shells fell on the rebel positions, scattering the wind-blown snow, lifting the dark frozen soil, shaking the earth, and destroying the trenches.

Wailing and screaming could be heard from across the empty no-man's land from time to time.

The rebels didn't react much. After a whole night of sporadic shelling, many people had become numb.

At first, every time they were bombarded, they thought it was an attack from the Astra Militarum, and when the bombardment was over, they rushed out of the bunkers and prepared to face the shrapnel and air waves of the delayed-action shells. But every preparation failed.

Many people in the rebels had served in the Astra Militarum or the Planetary Defense Force, and they all knew that the doctrine of superior firepower was prevalent in the Astra Militarum. Perhaps this continuous bombardment would last for two or three days.

They also could not observe the situation in the Astra Militarum trenches.

The British trenches were dug using large trench machines and were 3.5 meters deep including drainage channels.

But from a slightly higher perspective, I couldn't see clearly what was going on inside.

With the whistling of artillery shells, there was little time left to prepare for the attack.

Like the soldiers on the front line, the officers and staff advisers in the brigade headquarters on the top of the mountain were also holding their breath.

Through the telescope, Horatio saw the reverse slope and Leman Russ from the 1nd Cavalry Squadron of the st Royal Armored Regiment started the engine.

This tall tank, which resembles the British Mark IV tank of World War I but has a rotating turret, is the mainstay of the Imperial Astra Militarum's armored forces.

At 7.08 meters long and 4.86 meters high, the Space Marines look dwarfed and petite in front of them.

The style of the painting is very similar to the vehicles driven by enemies in a game called "Metal Slug" that he played in his previous life.

It has a simple and durable structure, and its frontal armor is thick and tough. The front of the vehicle has a 150 mm diagonal armor plate, and the gun shield armor reaches an astonishing 200 mm.

According to rumors, the magical HL230 V12 multi-fuel engine it is equipped with can keep this huge car running for a while just by peeing in it.

It is extremely durable and easy to produce, and the chassis itself can be used for various modifications to meet different tactical needs.

But the price is that its mobility is too slow. Its road speed is only about 30 kilometers per hour, and its off-road speed is a pitiful 18 kilometers per hour. This speed is almost the same as that of the larger and heavier Macharius heavy tank.

This also caused the Leman Russ tank to often be out of touch with other mechanized forces, and its speed could only be used as an "infantry tank".

Given their huge shortcomings, armored commanders must carefully arrange their offensive and defensive positions.

Because once an accident occurs, the mobility of the Leman Russ tanks is simply not enough to put out the fire on the battlefield. They can only watch their positions being breached and then shrink their defense in vain.

What is even more fatal is that the various Astral Legions are deliberately divided into single-function combat units, coupled with the slow mobility and strategic scarcity of Leman Russ.

The Leman Russ crews and platoons that the Astra Militarum soldiers will be supporting in each battle may be different.

This means that almost every time infantry and tanks cooperate in combat, both sides have to re-adjust their skills.

Especially the mechanized infantry fighting vehicle units, the infantry are more accustomed to the situation without the support of Leman Russ.

In the woods and camouflage nets half a kilometer behind the Leman Rust tanks, the Arion from the Mechanized Company of the 79th Armored Reconnaissance Regiment and the Chimaira Infantry Fighting Vehicles from the Heavy Dragoon Company of the 1st Royal Armored Regiment were also ready.

The former is similar to the large eight-wheel version of the Chimera, with a road speed of about 100 kilometers per hour and an off-road speed of 60 kilometers per hour.

The Chimera's maneuverability is also excellent, with a maximum road speed of 70 kilometers per hour and an off-road speed of 55 kilometers per hour.

Because of its tracked structure, the Chimera's off-road speed is not much different from that of the wheeled Arion, and it can even run faster than the wheeled one on some harsh terrains.

Unfortunately, the overly outstanding high mobility often results in a disconnect with heavy armored forces such as the Baneblade, Macharius, and Leman Russ.

However, as a good helper for the infantry, the Chimera Infantry Fighting Vehicle is often the real "armored force" of the infantry.

- In addition to light infantry, regular infantry companies usually have Chimera fixed organization, so there is special coordinated combat training for Chimera infantry fighting vehicles, and its 100 mm thick frontal armor is sufficient in most cases.

Although equally scarce strategically, only a few lucky infantry units can get it.

However, the Chimera infantry fighting vehicle, with its excellent mobility, can often arrive at the battlefield in time when the infantry needs fire support the most. While bringing heavy firepower, it can quickly deploy a 10-man elite infantry squad and a two-man heavy weapons team.

Because of this situation of "you can't eat pork but at least you can see pigs running", for the big heads, seeing Chimera is the most realistic happiness.

Because the Leman Russ tank is an unattainable combat capability.

Even though the armor and firepower are not as good as the Leman Russ tank, the Astra Militarum infantry still gave the Chimera Infantry Fighting Vehicle the title of "reliable old friend".

Sir Wellesley stood on the top of the mountain with his arms folded and his index fingers tapping rhythmically.

He looked at the smoke-filled battlefield in the distance, and suddenly stopped moving for a second. He gave a respectful smile to his officer advisors and female companions, and said:
"The show has begun. First, let's watch the opening show that Mr. Horatio will bring to you."

(British Artillery and Engineers)

(Leman Russ tank)
(Chimera armored vehicle)
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(End of this chapter)