Chapter 2: And Live
The difference between 800 meters and 500 meters was not intuitively understood by Lynn before; he only knew that the effective range of the Mauser 98K was 800 meters. This "effective range" actually refers to the lethal range of the bullet, which is influenced by factors such as wind speed and bullet weight. At distances exceeding 500 meters, even a sniper finds it difficult to accurately hit a target, and what the naked eye perceives as a "person" is merely a blurred outline, far from the clear distinctions of height, weight, skin color, or even facial features as depicted in movies. This "effective range" actually refers to the lethal range of the bullet, which is influenced by factors such as wind speed and bullet weight. At distances exceeding 500 meters, even a sniper finds it difficult to accurately hit a target, and what the naked eye perceives as a "person" is merely a blurred outline, far from the clear distinctions of height, weight, skin color, or even facial features as depicted in movies.
One must not retort when scolded, nor retaliate when struck. In this life-and-death situation, Lin En had no time to savor the taste of humiliation and resentment. Gripping his rifle in one hand and steadying his helmet with the other, he scrambled back to the shooting position at the edge of the trench. However, as soon as his head peeked out from the trench, the intense sensation that a bullet could hit him at any moment began to torment his senses and challenge his endurance. Especially as the whizzing bullets flew past him, his heart felt completely suspended... there was even an instinctive urge to urinate that stimulated his bladder... that intense feeling of impending danger continued to torment his senses and challenge his endurance, particularly as the whizzing bullets flew past him, leaving his heart in a state of complete suspension... there was even an instinctive urge to urinate that stimulated his bladder...
Staying in this hellish battlefield has instead become his best option at present
The flares ascended one after another into the sky, illuminating the night sky, the earth, the advancing Soviet troops, and the German defenses. The cannons continued to roar, with the defenders' anti-tank guns and the attackers' tanks and self-propelled artillery exerting their utmost to strike at each other. Dark red shells traversed the battlefield, and various explosive sounds filled the air.
F - Y - Er! F - Y - And Book Er! F Se Ze ... ... Kova Ts!
The first time Lynn witnessed dozens of tanks launching a collective assault, he was deeply shocked. He realized that even Hollywood war blockbusters costing hundreds of millions of dollars could not adequately depict the reality of war. Ironically, back then, he and his classmates, who shared a passion for the military, had revered the filming techniques of those movies.
After firing three shots in quick succession, Lynn once again retreated into the trench, gasping for breath. The nighttime temperature had already dropped to minus ten degrees, causing his nose to feel uncomfortably sore, and his fingers, clad in woolen gloves, were numb from the cold. Even more distressing was the strange mixture of the smell of gunpowder and earth, which exerted a pressure on his nasal passages and lungs far exceeding that of a crowded smoking room. Lynn deliberately slowed down the action of loading bullets, intentionally tuning out the increasingly clear cries of "Ura!" However, the officers' shouts grew more urgent, and the sounds of gunfire and explosions intensified, as if grenades were also beginning to come into play. It seemed that a brutal hand-to-hand combat would erupt on the front line, with a high likelihood of casualties. All of this was completely beyond Lynn's control. Last night, in a daze, he dreamt that he faced a tall Soviet soldier, and as the enemy's bayonet lunged forward, he was startled awake.
The intimidation of the "butcher" ultimately surpassed that of the Soviets, and the nearby soldiers obediently returned to their respective combat positions. Against the backdrop of the machine gun's short bursts, the sound of rifles seemed sparse and scattered. In the context of night combat, no one knew whether their bullets were effective in killing the enemy; perhaps they vanished without a trace, or perhaps they merely struck a dying body with an inconsequential shot. Nevertheless, the soldiers, wearing knitted, fabric, or leather gloves, diligently pulled the bolt, aimed, and fired, mechanically repeating these actions until they had exhausted all the bullets in their magazines. Only then could they crouch down to reload without being reprimanded.
After loading the bullet, taking a deep breath, and preparing to rise, the young soldier with a beard beside him suddenly collapsed to the ground. Lynn initially intended to give him a sympathetic wry smile, but when the firelight illuminated the missing corner of his head, Lynn froze.
This time, the Soviet army once again deployed a large number of tanks. In addition to the iconic T-34, known as the "golden signboard" of the Red Soviet, there were also many large vehicles in the attacking formation, particularly the IS series, which was notably named after Comrade Joseph Stalin himself. In every battle, the defending troops could only rely on the joint efforts of anti-tank guns, minefields, and infantry to barely repel the enemy's attacks. The enormous casualties meant that the frontline troops were constantly being replenished.
Before arriving at this piece of devastated mud, ravaged by countless artillery shells, he had never felt life and death to be so close.
The ongoing battle has resulted in significant ammunition consumption, yet Lynn silently tucked two rows of bullets into his pocket. On one hand, this was to prepare for a potentially worsening situation; on the other hand, he felt that with his current shooting skills, the more bullets he fired, the greater the waste. Rather than fighting with all his might, it was better to calmly await the outcome
As a World War II enthusiast, Lynn is well-versed in that period of history. In fact, he does not have a particular bias towards any camp; rather, he admires the affluence and composure of the American military, appreciates the rigor and refinement of the German forces, respects the bravery and tenacity of the Soviet army, and holds disdain for the arrogance of Japan, the incompetence of Italy, the conservatism of Britain, and the weakness of France. If he had to choose a side to experience the war, he would opt for the German army before 1943 or the American army thereafter. However, the powers that be did not grant him the freedom to choose.
As he watched the Soviet tanks and soldiers advancing step by step, Lynn felt a sense of oppression and tension in his heart. So much so that when a dirty hand suddenly appeared on his left side, he was startled and nearly pulled the trigger by mistake. Turning to look, he noticed several rows of bullets had suddenly appeared beside him, and the owner of the "dirty hand"—a frail, boyish young man—was distributing ammunition to each soldier standing at the ready along the trench. Observing the ill-fitting military uniform and cloth cap he wore, Lynn felt an inexplicable pang of sorrow: surely, this was the twilight of the empire!
As time passed, the number of Soviet tanks hit by anti-tank fire during the offensive continued to increase, yet the human tide, like a black wave, surged relentlessly, with the fervent cries of "Ura" faintly drowning out the sounds of gunfire. For every German soldier in the later stages of the war, such a scene was the most unwelcome sight.
Fuer - Yel ! Fuer - Yel ! (German: Fire)
Take a deep breath, take a deep breath, and grab the gun. There were a few moments when Lynn felt that he and the book were inherently unafraid of battle, believing he could become an excellent soldier, and perhaps, like the plots in alternate history novels, change history with his own strength and ultimately stand at the pinnacle of this world. However, the pressure of reality always made Lynn unconsciously choose to retreat, returning to the ground, as the world before him repeated the cycle of brightness, darkness, and brightness amidst the gunfire. The Soviets seemed intent on erasing this position from the face of the Earth, with countless shells and bullets incessantly raining down, while fragments of sand and stone, along with severed limbs, flew through the air, and the shockwaves mixed with mud and debris displayed their violent nature. Yet, the pressure of reality always made Lynn unconsciously choose to retreat, returning to the ground, as the world before him repeated the cycle of brightness, darkness, and brightness amidst the gunfire. The Soviets seemed intent on erasing this position from the face of the Earth, with countless shells and bullets incessantly raining down, while fragments of sand and stone, along with severed limbs, flew through the air, and the shockwaves mixed with mud and debris displayed their violent nature. The highly praised T-34s surged like phantoms to the front of the first trench, leaving behind the minefield that had been cleared by artillery fire.
With a firm bite of his teeth and a resolute heart, without much aiming, Lin En fired a shot, and his eardrum rang slightly.
In the glow of the fire, Lynn witnessed a brave German soldier firing at close range with an "iron fist" at the side of a Soviet tank. The rocket struck and exploded the tank, but the soldier was immediately shot by the machine gun of another Soviet tank. The 7.62 mm bullet ruthlessly pierced through the hero's chest at close range, and the blood splattering from his back was so shocking that Lynn was once again stunned.
Lynn did not want to die. In fact, there are those who flee in battle, but they either perish under the enemy's gunfire or are executed by their own supervising officers. Having witnessed such precedents several times, Lynn abandoned the idea of fleeing. Moreover, even if he were to escape the battlefield by some stroke of luck, how would he conceal his identity as a deserter and survive
Combat is like this; perhaps life is also like this
Almost at the moment the shout rang out, gunfire that had been suppressed for a long time finally erupted from the trenches. The scorching bullets fell like rain, and the advancing black tide immediately slowed down, with some sections even experiencing a retreat; however, this situation lasted only a short while. The heavily armored Soviet tanks, under the intense fire of the defending troops, opened fire fiercely, while the self-propelled artillery that followed also halted to carry out bombardments. Fireballs erupted one after another in the German trench area, and bullets and shrapnel swept through like a storm. Many people died before they could even let out a cry of despair, and most, including Lynn, in order to save their own lives, retreated into the trenches when the enemy's firepower was at its most intense. As a result, the firepower on the front line naturally weakened significantly.
Lynn finally managed to catch her breath when a harsh voice rang in her ears, and a heavy boot ruthlessly kicked towards her.
The battles that occurred over the course of more than forty hours, including three during the day and one at night, provided Lynn with a new understanding of these distances. When the enemy target was merely 800 meters away, the defending forces still relied on artillery, mortars, and heavy machine guns for interception; it was only at 500 meters that light machine guns and rifles began to demonstrate their effectiveness—perhaps engaging the enemy at a closer range would yield better results, Lynn thought. However, in the face of the enemy's overwhelming human wave assault, the commanding officer on their side lacked the resolve to do so. They preferred to expend more ammunition rather than allow the enemy to breach their defenses.