Chapter 56: Formally Entering Battle

The night was as dark as ink, the Upright Forest District on the edge of the French Concession lay in silence.

"Enemy troops are 800 meters away!"

Feng An lowered his binoculars; in the darkness he could clearly see the Eastern troops' marching formation. Their helmets gleamed in the moonlight, like a writhing steel dragon.

"Communications soldier!" he barked softly.

"Here!"

"Tell each fire point, prepare for battle."

More than twenty fire points of the First Battalion of Greater Germany had already been deployed. Each fire point had been carefully chosen, not only to guarantee maximum fire coverage but also to ensure they could form a crossfire network with one another.

This was experience distilled from countless real battles on the European front.

Inside the buildings on both sides of the street, machine gunners were making final preparations. Each fire point was equipped with two machine gunners and two ammunition handlers, the standard German configuration.

The MG42 machine gunners were focused, their eyes icy. These elite troops of the Third Reich had long since mastered their weapons as if they were extensions of their arms.

The ammunition handlers laid out neat belts of ammunition beside them; each fire point was supplied with ten belts. This rigorous tactical discipline was a tradition ingrained in their bones.

"First machine gun company, check your fields of fire!" Feng An continued to give orders.

"Number one fire point, field of fire normal!"

"Number two fire point, field of fire normal!"

"Number three fire point......"

Clear reports came back and forth. Each machine gunner had already calculated the shooting parameters, even factoring in possible evasion routes into the fire coverage.

Six 81mm mortars had also been calibrated. The mortar crews held their breath, this being their most commonly used tactical setup on the European front.

Ample shells were stacked beside each mortar. The crews had finished setting the fuses and could fire at any moment.

"All mortar positions, report!"

"Position one ready! Ample ammunition!"

"Position two ready! Fuses set!"

"Position three ready! Parameters calibrated!"

Feng An nodded in satisfaction. As commander of the First Battalion of Greater Germany, he knew the quality of his troops better than anyone.

"Five hundred meters......" the communications soldier reported softly.

The Eastern troops' formation grew clearer. In the moonlight, their haughty bearing could be seen. Their formation was neat, but they had no vigilance whatsoever.

"Looks like they truly don't put us in their eyes." Feng An sneered, "They don't even bother with basic vigilance."

"Four hundred meters!" the communications soldier continued reporting.

In the buildings on both sides of the street, the machine gunners had already aligned their sights on the predetermined targets. The Third Reich's most advanced sights gleamed coldly in the moonlight.

The ammunition handlers gave the belts a final check to ensure there would be no misfeeds.

"Three hundred meters......"

Feng An raised his binoculars, carefully observing the Eastern troops' organization. Their formation was loose, obviously not expecting an ambush here.

"What a bunch of clueless fools." Feng An's eyes grew colder.

When the vanguard of the Eastern troops had fully entered the street, Feng An abruptly raised his signal flare gun.

"Bang!"

A red signal flare tore through the night sky.

"Fire!"

In an instant, more than twenty MG42s roared simultaneously. Their terrifying rate of fire turned each gun into a fire‑spitting evil dragon in the darkness.

"Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat!"

The dense hail of bullets was like the scythe of the Death God, madly reaping the lives of the Eastern troops. The front‑rank enemy didn't even have time to scream before being turned into a sieve.

At such close range, the 7.92mm bullets easily pierced their bodies. Flesh and blood flew, severed limbs traced bloody arcs through the air.

"Enemy attack!" the Eastern officer's roar had just begun when it was drowned out by even heavier machine‑gun fire.

The MG42's blood‑curdling roar echoed down the street. A rate of fire of 1,200 rounds per minute was nothing short of a nightmare in this era!

The machine gunners operated their weapons expressionlessly; each sweep hit its mark precisely. Such tactical coordination was honed by the First Battalion of Greater Germany through countless real battles on the European front.

"Boom!"

The first 81mm mortar shell screamed down. The violent blast flung a dozen Eastern soldiers to the ground, severed limbs flying amid shrill screams.

The mortar crews worked like flowing clouds and water—loading, aiming, firing in one smooth motion. This was the combat instinct of the Third Reich's finest troops.

"Number one mortar squad, shift twenty meters left!"

"Number two mortar squad, follow up!"

"Number three mortar squad, prepare for volley!"

The artillery commander's orders kept coming; each shell landed precisely on its intended spot.

Explosions erupted one after another, smoke filling the whole street. The Eastern troops' formation had been completely shattered, with panicked soldiers everywhere.

"Bah!" the Eastern officer shouted hoarsely, "Machine gunners! Set up fire positions!"

But their movements in front of the First Battalion of Greater Germany were practically suicidal. A machine gunner who had just knelt was hit by three bullets, his flesh and blood flying. His assistant hadn't even touched the gun when his whole arm was severed, tracing a bloody arc in the air.

"Spread out to both sides! Disperse! Disperse!" the Eastern officer continued giving orders.

But how tightly woven was the fire design of the First Battalion of Greater Germany? Each machine‑gun fire point had a precise field of fire; any moving target would run into a crossfire of bullets.

This was a tactical deployment distilled from countless real battles on the European front, specifically tailored for this kind of urban combat.

"Heavy machine gun platoon, increase fire!" Feng An continued to give orders.

Eight heavy machine guns opened fire simultaneously; the dense hail of bullets turned the street into a death‑grinding machine. The Eastern troops' formation was blown apart, the cries of the wounded and dying never ceasing.

"Bah! Mortars! Counter‑fire!" the Eastern officer roared.

But their mortar crews had barely popped up when precise fire turned them into sieves, while the First Battalion of Greater Germany's mortar fire showed no letup.

"；Boom! Boom! Boom!";

Three consecutive shells landed in the enemy's dense formation. The blast's air wave lifted over ten corpses into the air, and severed limbs fell like rain.

The battle has now turned the streets into a hellish battlefield. Everywhere are mutilated corpses and wailing wounded. But the firepower of the First Battalion continues.

The MG42's roar never ceased. Ammunition belts were constantly replaced, and scorching shell casings fell like rain. Every machine gunner maintained strict tactical proficiency, this being the military tradition of the Third Reich's most elite units.

The blood on the streets had already formed a stream, and the air was filled with the pungent smell of gunpowder and the heavy stench of blood.

The Oriental army began to waver. Some soldiers tried to retreat, but were quickly torn apart by the dense hail of bullets. Others wanted to charge, but were beaten to a bloody pulp halfway.

"；Signalman!"; Feng An suddenly shouted, "; Tell the Second Company, prepare for action!";

"; Yes!";

He knew that the real battle had just begun......