.The specific standards for how to define tank aces in different countries vary, but at least one thing is consistent, that is, the number of enemy tanks is calculated based on the number of enemy infantry that is destroyed rather than killing enemy infantry.

On February 14, Valentine's Day, for most European and American youth, especially unmarried young people, this is a very important day of the year, and Conrad is no exception. At the age of 26, he has a very beautiful fiancée, a nurse from a hospital in a German Army. The two met while on vacation in Paris, so the degree of romance is naturally unnecessary. Both of them applied for a holiday and were preparing to spend this year's Valentine's Day together in southern France, but a war order made Conrad, who joined the joint rapid response force of the multinationals, lose his dream of joining the joint warfare force. Even the war allowance could not comfort his deep thoughts for his fiancée.

As noon approached, the Royal Spanish Guard and the soldiers of the Multinational Joint Force guarding the intersection of Raymondor once again repelled the attack of the anti-government forces. Looking at the dense corpses on the street ahead, Conrad unstoppable the kettle and poured a mouthful of cold water into his mouth. It is not the most terrifying thing to be able to spend Valentine's Day with his lover. What is terrible is that he is in a strange and bloody battlefield like now. Watching the shuttles of machine gun bullets knock down those who rushed over from the opposite side, watching the shells blow many people into pieces instantly, and then looking at the streets where the bodies and limbs accumulate and blood flow into rivers, Conrad can no longer find the excitement and pride that the battle begins.

So far, the ammunition consumed by the machine gun on this tank was the largest. Fortunately, the soldiers in charge of logistics pulled a truck of ammunition from the Central Station in the morning, but the shells were still not replenished. After counting the loader Hahn, he reported that there were only 28 ordinary grenades and 29 armor-piercing shells. If the anti-government forces continued to maintain such an offensive frequency, these shells would be difficult to hold on until the evening.

"Secretary, have something to eat!"

After being taught by the opponent's sniper in the morning, except for replenishing ammunition, the gunman Alber and others did not dare to expose themselves to the car. Using the wall lights in the inner cabin of the tank, Alber opened a box of canned beef with a can opener, and handed the can and the spoon to Conrad.

Conrad took the can and spoon without saying a word, but after taking a bite, he felt a strong churn in his stomach. He quickly dropped the spoon and took a helmet and vomited at it. However, except for the piece of sour meat he had just swallowed, he spit out a little sour water for a long time - he had never eaten since the battle started in the early morning.

"It's okay!"

Albert patted Conrad's back with moderate strength. Although they were similar in age, Albert joined the army at the age of 18 and participated in the last two battles of attacking Canada as infantry. Later, he took the initiative to apply for the transfer of armored troops. When he invaded Russia, he was the commander of a 1918 assault gun. However, he was crushed with an anti-tank mine on the way to Moscow. As a result, the car was damaged and injured. He was sent back to the country for treatment. Not only did he miss the fierce battle in the first half of the German-Japanese War. Although he was taciturn on weekdays, Albert's artillery was very excellent and had achieved outstanding results in many training exercises. Therefore, when selecting members of the Tiger-1 crew, he was easily selected and assigned to this No. 036, which is the 36th Tiger-1 tank crew in Germany.

In contrast, Conrad, who graduated from the East Prussian Armored Soldier Academy in 1927, was still slightly lacking in experience. He was selected more by relying on his knowledge and talents in tank command. The other three people in this crew also have their own characteristics: either their abilities are very balanced or they are very outstanding in one aspect.

After vomiting, Conrad shook his head and said that he had no big problems. The strong smoke, mental tension and the bloody scene in front of him could easily cause such a person without much experience. At this time, Hahn, who was sitting at the bottom of Alber's side, continued to use a spoon to send the canned food into his mouth. This strong man was really busy all morning, and his vest was completely soaked in sweat.

The infantry outside, whether they were soldiers from the Spanish Royal Guard or soldiers from the joint forces of multiple countries, also took this opportunity to hurry up and rest and deal with the wounded. The embarrassing barricade had already been ripped with holes from the opponent's guns and cannons, so the infantry had to retreat to the houses on both sides to continue to resist. Only a lonely tiger-1 tank was left on the front of the street. Fortunately, the weapons in the hands of the attackers, whether the initial 37mm infantry gun or the subsequent explosive pack, cluster grenades and even 75mm rapid-fire cannons, could not really pose a threat to this solid tank, and the anti-government militants could not even rush to within 30 meters of this intersection.

The existence of powerful Tiger tanks did make the infantry breathe a sigh of relief, otherwise with their troops and firepower, this simple defense line would have been broken through more than once! However, this does not mean that they can rest assured. After all, the issue of ammunition replenishment lies, and they do not know what weapons the attackers will get next time. Although the armed forces of this country are not strong, the weapons they are equipped with are diverse. In their arsenal, there are guns and cannons brought from the French before 1915.

And aircraft, there were artillery and chariots purchased from Germany, Austria, the United States and even Italy. Under the rule of Alfonso XIII, soldiers from all over Spain were far less serious and conscientious than the armies of other countries. Due to the lack of strict control, the loss of arms was very serious. Whether it was stolen or other activities, the officers reported the report and wrote "normal scrapping" in the reason column. Under the shadow of this corruption, the supervisory officials sent by Madrid not only did nothing, but often colluded with local officials.

In addition, revolutionary forces have also been constantly infiltrating the army of Alfonso XIII in the past decade. When the revolution broke out, they often brought the troops into the revolutionary camp. In the previous battles, the joint forces of the multinationals were attacked by militants wearing Spanish government uniforms more than once. In the battle this morning, Conrad and others also saw many such figures in the offensive team.

"Lu Yiser, please contact the battalion command to see how the other crews are doing! Also, ask if they can provide air reconnaissance and fire support in the afternoon!"

After the feeling in the stomach was a little better, Conrad ordered the electromechanical and mechanical aircraft (the tiger-style 5-man crew usually consisted of the commander, gunner, loader, electromechanical and motorist) to contact the superior command again. The news they had received before was that the Spanish Air Force would be responsible for their air cover mission, but they did not see Spanish fighter jets flying past this neighborhood for the whole morning, let alone reconnaissance and fire cover.

The sound of a mechanic and electrical engineer trying to contact his superiors soon came from below:

"Land! Land! This is G Island, this is G Island..."

Conrad sighed alone. He felt that the battlefield here was really bad, not at all like the scene when he was in Russia. At that time, many companions around him supported him, his own fighter jets came at the call, and there were powerful artillery support. Most of the operations were as orderly as textbooks.

At this time, Conrad hoped to hear the friendly and confident voice of the German pilot saying "Okay, let's solve them" from his headphones. However, this is Spain. In addition to the transport troops transporting troops and equipment for the joint forces, the Luftwaffe did not send any combat troops to come. Although the Navy deployed an aircraft carrier battle group in the northern and southern waters of Spain, they have not directly intervened in the Spanish civil war so far, and are more of a warning.

A few minutes later, the radio finally responded. The good news came from the command center that the other five tank crews had successfully defended their respective defense areas. The logistics forces would strive to send another ammunition before night. The bad news was that the Spanish Air Force, which was originally used to support the Madrid defense war, had some problems. They were attacked by anti-government forces at the airport in Alcocon, and the pilots escaped. In addition to some of the other surrenders or surrenders, they all became

In order to prevent more than 20 combat aircraft there from being used by opponents, the Spanish government fighter jets taken from Forrest Gundam launched two attacks on the place and destroyed some of them without time to fly away, but most of them had already flown to the area controlled by the local anti-government armed forces in northern Spain. This result means that the Spanish government's air force near Madrid has greatly reduced, and the remaining combat aircraft will be transferred from ground support to air alert in the near future.

Upon hearing this news, the crew members in the tank cabin responded silently. Even if they had not participated in actual combat, they had seen the power of the Luftwaffe or Army aviation forces' ground attacks in daily training and exercises. A dive bomber may change the result of a small-scale battle. If the opponent is a group of militias lacking formal training, then the attack from the air will greatly reduce their morale or even retreat without fighting.

Thinking of this, Conrad, who was a little depressed, pushed open the tank hatch above his head, but instead of poking his head out to serve as a target for the enemy, he sat in his own position and looked up at the sky. The sun was bright and the sky was blue, but the air was filled with an unpleasant smell. The whole street was silent like a dead end, and even the sound of the wind could not be heard.

In this way, Conrad kept looking at the sky. His physical and mental fatigue gradually surged up. He closed his eyes gently and unknowingly fell asleep.

※※※※※※※※※

Buco, a coastal city in southwestern France, is the temporary front-line command of the multinational joint rapid response force.

"Everyone, the situation in Spain is at its peak. Our ground forces are facing the most severe challenges. If Forrest Gundam is also captured by the Spanish rebels, then the entire Madrid will be surrounded. At that time, tens of thousands of soldiers in Madrid will have only one way to break through!"

The speaker with a low tone was Italian Army General Primovea, currently the deputy commander of the joint forces of the multinational forces and the commander of the peacekeeping operations in the Southern European region. In the past week, the 18,000 Italian soldiers fighting in Spain were the largest casualties among the troops of various countries. The more than 1,000 people died, and another 3,000 were missing and captured, which even exceeded the total number of casualties and captured troops in other countries.

The reason for this situation is not difficult to understand, but the Italian senior generals insist that their troops are brave in combat but always lack firepower support, and often use this to accuse the troops of other countries of not working hard.

However, just this morning, more than 9,000 Italian soldiers who were responsible for guarding Alcocon threw away their armor and defeated their troops in the face of the attack of only 4,000 Spanish anti-government forces, which directly led to the occupation of the Spanish air base in Alcocon by the anti-government forces, and the situation in Madrid further deteriorated. However, the Italian generals did not admit their mistakes, but also shifted the responsibility to the Spanish government, accusing their government forces of mutiny in the war and causing the Italian defense line to lose its support.

"Do you have any good suggestions for the general?"

The Turkish Army General, Deputy Commander of the Joint Forces of Multinational Countries, and Commander of Eastern Europe and West Asia, Fatidorres held his hands in front of his chest, without any unnecessary expression on his face.

"Increase troops, increase troops immediately! Not only will the troops be added. We must also provide sufficient ammunition, supplies, and sea and air fire support to the ground troops sent to Spain!" Primo and Via immediately changed into an enthusiastic tone.

"But our joint forces deployed in Europe have sent all combat personnel!"

French Lieutenant General Previtt kindly reminded that France sent a total of 2,100 soldiers to participate in the joint forces of multiple countries, which was also their first international joint military operation since the war. However, compared with generals from other countries, French generals were always cautious at such international military conferences.

Primowea did not answer positively, but instead turned his attention to General Erwin Rommel, commander of the African Regional Operations of the Multinational Joint Forces and commander of the German African Corps.

Rommel raised his head and looked at the Italian general coldly, which seemed to be saying, "You Italians have messed up the situation and are so embarrassed to call for more troops." Because the situation in Africa has been relatively stable in recent years, the multinational joint forces have less than 10,000 troops in the African region. However, these thousands of soldiers are the strongest combat-capable of the entire coalition - 4,000 German troops, 3,000 Turkish troops and more than 2,000 soldiers of other nationalities are mostly armored units. Although they are not the earliest coalition forces, they are the most qualified under Rommel's training.

"If it goes well, 8,000 coalition soldiers in the African region will land in southern Spain tomorrow! However, with the current situation in Spain, I think it will take at least four to five days for them to arrive in Madrid!"

"Can't you be faster?"

Everyone obviously placed their hopes on the joint forces commanded by Rommel. Of course, if another unit under Rommel's command, the German African Corps, could be transferred to Spain, these people would be more satisfied, because it was one of the most powerful ground troops recognized in the world. It is composed of armored troops and mechanized infantry, and the degree of mechanization is so high that even the German Royal Guards cannot match. It is also the best embodiment of the courage, tenacity, hard work and unity and progressive spirit of African German soldiers.

Rommel shook his head very resolutely. The armored troops have their own incomparable advantages in both offense and defense, but for now, they cannot be quickly transferred and deployed through air transport. At the same time, he also saw the inner thoughts of the generals. However, without the orders of the German Supreme Command, the 200,000 elite soldiers of his African Corps would not go anywhere.

"The joint forces deployed in Hawaii are obviously no longer expected!"

The expression on the face of the Italians tells people that they are very, very disappointed. Just when everyone doesn't know what to say, he speaks again:

"I have reported the situation here to the country. If the situation has not improved after tonight, it is very likely that our Italian government will make a decision to send additional ground and air forces separately!"

As soon as this was said, some people were surprised and some were silent, but most people understood the meaning behind it. For countries such as Germany, Turkey, France, Britain, and Greece, Spain is a big burden that is laborious and a pity, but for Italy, which has been committed to expanding its own influence and striving for foreign expansion in recent years, this burden has become a very tempting delicacy.

When Primovia said this here, Rome had already made a decision and made a final effort to win the understanding and support of Germany, Turkey and other countries.

Looking at the Italians pretending to be sad and hypocritical faces, the generals of various countries who hold various positions in the joint forces have their own ideas, some are waiting to see jokes, some are just hoping that the troops sent by their own countries will not suffer too much damage, and of course, some are expected that the Italians will make the situation worse.

※※※※※※※※※

In the deep sleep, Conrad suddenly felt someone pulling his arm. Thinking that he was on the battlefield, he was shocked and opened his eyes suddenly.

What appeared in front of him was the inner bulkhead of the tank painted in beige, which was the environment he was very familiar with.

"How long have I slept?"

"About ten minutes! There are some situations ahead, and the enemy may be attacking again!"

Conrad originally asked himself, but he immediately heard a familiar voice. He turned around and saw that it was the cannon leader Abbot. It seemed that he was pulling his sleeve just now.

Conrad felt his spine and feet numb, while searching for the last memories before falling asleep in his brain.

Alber said concisely.

enemy……

When he heard this word, Conrad felt a sudden slap in his heart. This was the battlefield, and sleeping on the battlefield was definitely not something a commander should do. However, he was really tired just now, and the surroundings were so quiet.

Alber turned his head and continued to stare at the main gun scope. After a while, several mortar-yellow figures suddenly appeared at the corner at the end of the street, but after a few monotonous and crisp rifle sounds, they fell to the ground and stopped moving.

"There are tanks!"

Conrad's shout almost scared the others, but everyone knows that he has the most sensitive ears of this car crew, and can judge the model of the opponent's weapon by sound, and the results are usually almost the same.

"Haan, armor-piercing bomb!" Conrad stared at the observation port of the Captain's periscope.

"Abide by the order!"

The big guy took out a circle of eye-catching black shells from the front of the bullet cabin without hesitation. It was a standard capped armor-piercing projectile that could penetrate 100 mm of homogeneous armor at a distance of 1,000 meters. In this world, no tank can block the attack of this armor-piercing projectile at this distance.

The Spanish anti-government soldiers did not understand this situation. Before this, many of them had never seen tanks. Even if they had seen them, they were only the old "Stone 1" and "Stone 2" tanks equipped by the Spanish government forces, or the few American and Italian tanks. These tanks were obviously not comparable to German-type tanks or even the latest Tiger-1 tanks, and at the same time, the commanders of the anti-government armed forces used weapons that could not deal with them again and again to deal with them. However, from another perspective, there were not many weapons available for the anti-government armed forces to choose from.

Time passed by minute by minute, and gunfire was constantly on the street, but most of them were fired by rifles, as if warming up the climax behind. After a while, Conrad finally saw a gun barrel appear at the corner at the end of the street from his observation entrance, followed by a tank body painted yellow-green, and a turret with the same color as the body.

"Open fire!"

With Conrad's order, Alber, who had already included the tank that had not yet fully "appeared" into the cross circle of the sight, decisively pressed the shooting button. The amazing recoil and horrifying roar all showed the huge power of this 88mm cannon. In just one second, the shell accurately hit the target more than 800 meters away.

This was Conrad's first real prey after he transferred to the Tiger-1 crew. In the eyes of the cannon leader Aber, such shooting was nothing more than sending a group of poor tankers into hell, and he looked through the sight indifferently as the target was shrouded in flames and smoke, watching the gun barrel and the ugly turret blowing away. Under such a fierce explosion, no one could survive.

After the smoke of gunpowder spread, only a black, still burning ruins were left on the other side of the street. At this time, Conrad said something:

"American M1919 Hamilton medium tank, total weight 18 tons, equipped with a 40x 47mm cannon, front armor 35mm, maximum road speed 40 kilometers per hour!"

"Vulnerable!"
Chapter completed!