Chapter Thirty-Five: Exchanging Blows

  The Chief of the L11A5 120mm smoothbore tank gun, when firing a tail-stabilized, armor-piercing fin-stabilized discarding sabot round, has enough power to penetrate 500 mm thick homogeneous steel plate, and hitting an armored vehicle with only a few dozen millimeters of armor is simply like using an axe to kill a chicken.

  According to aerodynamics, the smaller the projectile, the less resistance it encounters. However, the caliber of a cannon is fixed, so a new method was developed: a lightweight sabot is used to hold the armor-piercing projectile in the middle, with the sabot's caliber matching that of the cannon. The armor-piercing projectile is made into a long, thin rod, and after exiting the barrel, the sabot automatically falls off due to air resistance, allowing the projectile to continue flying along the direction of the barrel. This is the origin of the term "sabot". To ensure stability and accuracy during flight, four tail fins are installed at the rear of the armor-piercing projectile, arranged in a cross shape, hence the name "tail-stabilized". This type of armor-piercing projectile has extremely strong penetration capabilities.

  Two Type 63 armored scout cars, looked like they had just been bitten by a mosquito, but the sharp mouth tore through the armor and passionately kissed the armor. Then, the belly of the armored vehicle suddenly burst open, and the internal ammunition was ignited by the heat flow generated when the armor-piercing projectile penetrated, and the entire armored vehicle turned into a raging fire.

  The squad leader was sweating all over his face. If he had hesitated for another moment, his armored vehicle would have suffered the same fate. Just as he shifted into reverse gear and backed away, the enemy began firing artillery shells. In that brief instant, the armored vehicle retreated a car length to safety.

  The platoon leader was unaware that there was another reason he was able to escape, the tribal-style tank used a rifled gun, which had grooves cut into the barrel, but the tank's cannon was a typical high-pressure, high-wear model, and the grooves were worn down quite badly. The several tank cannons aiming at him had already fired over 80 rounds, and their accuracy had decreased. At such a long distance, combined with the accumulated error of the sighting device, finally gave the platoon leader an opportunity.

  The armored vehicle retreated at a speed that was not fast, the squad leader almost stepped on the accelerator to the bottom, and could not see the situation behind, and continued to retreat like this to leave the battlefield.

  If it were a normal situation, the enemy's tank would have chased after us with a loud rumble, and even if we retreated quickly, we wouldn't be able to outrun their advance. Once they caught up, a few more cannon shots would turn our armored vehicle into a fireball.

  But the other side didn't move and didn't come after him.

  The monitor was completely convinced of his judgment and immediately reported to his superiors by radio.

  "Report to the headquarters, my armored reconnaissance team has discovered the enemy's trail, ten kilometers east of our position. The enemy is in the swamp and cannot move. Repeat, the enemy is in the swamp and cannot move!"

  Muhammad immediately received the information, although unclear, what was meant by the so-called inability to act, but he knew that the moment of testing for the 35th Brigade had arrived.

  "Tank battalion, advance east immediately and prepare for battle. Mechanized infantry battalion, follow up two kilometers later," Muhammad said.

  Just now they were advancing northward, but now all tanks immediately turned right and formed a combat formation in the shape of the character "one", heading east.

  Everyone's heart is holding back a surge of energy, rushing up to beat these cunning Persians who want to launch a sneak attack on us, no way!

  From the sky, the usually quiet swamp has become a bustling scene, with a row of tanks rushing eastward in a hurry.

  If at this time a few armed helicopters flew in from the sky, the exposed tank assault group without anti-aircraft firepower would suffer heavy losses.

  Only Iran's Cobra helicopters are still on their way back to refuel. Iraq's HueyCobra gunships are still in the military zone and have not been dispatched here yet.

  And Iraq's air force had not yet reacted, this battle was destined to be a head-on collision between the two sides' armored groups.

  Xila felt that the situation was not good, the cement had solidified, and he immediately ordered his armored regiment to continue advancing! If they stayed here, they would soon be attacked by the enemy, and it was better to take the initiative than to wait for the enemy's attack.

  A large number of tank troops in the rear are also advancing forward. Rajavi found out that they had already exchanged fire with the Iraqis ahead, and he knew something was wrong. Now, there is no other way but to eliminate the enemy's armored group in the swamp as soon as possible and immediately advance southward through the swamp!

  Just walked for five minutes, and in front of me I saw a steel torrent, they came so fast!

  At this time, Shila felt that the situation was very unfavorable to himself. The tank troops of both sides were lined up in a row, but the opponent was fully deployed in front of him, while his own tanks were in a column formation, and both sides formed a T-shape. In this way, his firepower could not be exerted at all, which was equivalent to tying his hands and feet and fighting with a group of wolves desperately.

  "First and third companies, envelop from both sides. Second company, launch a frontal assault." Seeing the enemy tanks already in his line of sight, Muhammad gave the order to engage in combat.

  In an instant, a word-type vanguard formation began to curl up from both sides, with the first and third battalions wrapping around each other from both sides.

  The distance between them is gradually narrowing.

  "First company, take care of the enemy at 6 o'clock direction! Second company, take care of the enemy at 9 o'clock direction! Third company, take care of the enemy at 3 o'clock direction! Each company, pay attention to annihilate the enemy from a distance, don't let them get close!" Shira shouted over the radio.

  Originally, our situation was very awkward and not suitable for the deployment of firepower. Unexpectedly, the brain-dead commander of the enemy launched an attack on our flank, which allowed our tank's firepower to be fully utilized.

  Although the number of enemies was several times their own, Shila was not afraid at all. Their fire control system was enough to let the chief intimidate the enemy at a distance of 1,800 meters, and at 1,500 meters, they could almost hit every shot. And the opponent only had a simple T-62 fire control system that would pose a threat to them after rushing into 600-700 meters.

  Several battles have taught Shila that the Iraqi tank is a typical short arm, and when it swings its fist, it can't reach far. As long as he eliminates the enemy at a distance, he will be safe and sound, and by then, it will probably be a great achievement.

  The only thing lacking was that his tank could not move, otherwise, he would have ordered his own tanks to charge forward and fight the enemy.

  Muhammad looked at his own tanks, forming a standard attack formation, slowly closing in on the enemy, while the powerful Chieftain was like a sleeping sheep, without any movement, which made him even more confident. Hitting moving targets is difficult, but hitting stationary targets is much easier, especially for his tank troops who have just mastered long-range shooting techniques. The opposing Chieftain was simply an ideal target for live-fire practice.

  "Attention, all units attention, do not get too close, fire control system, adjust to a distance of one thousand five hundred meters, prepare for the first shot, tail wing stable armor-piercing shell." Muhammad commanded over the wireless.

  The company commander Ali of the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Company, heard this order and had a belly full of bitter water. At such a long distance, who can hit accurately? When did the regiment commander become so cautious? We just charge forward, let the Persians open fire, at a distance of 500-600 meters, we will blow up the tribal leaders one by one.

  Ali Lianchang, who only attended elementary school for three years, was also very enthusiastic about this fire control system, but unfortunately, he didn't master it either. The level of his artillery commander wasn't necessarily higher than his.

  Ali, as a company commander who rose from the ranks, has been through many battles and is commendable for his bravery, but lacks ability, especially in operating tanks which require a certain level of knowledge. That's why he often makes mistakes and cheats during reporting exercises. However, he remains a courageous Iraqi warrior.

  Erat was confident, having studied the T-62's fire control system and being familiar with it. He opened the infrared lamp and aimed the 2A20 115mm smoothbore cannon at a Chieftain in front of him. He could feel that the Chieftain was also aiming at him, which made him feel very uncomfortable.

  "Screech!" The tank came to a halt, shooting while moving was still an insurmountable barrier, so they had to stop to hit each other accurately, but this was only temporary.

  "Boom! Boom! Boom!" At this moment, the opposing commander began firing artillery shells.

  The T-62 did not show weakness and almost at the same time also fired a shell. The two sides exchanged fire for the first time, marking the official start of the battle.

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