Chapter 61
"Lower our heads…? What are you talking about…?! Captain Jaeger, have you lost your mind? Are you telling me to surrender?! No matter how unfavorable the situation or how unreasonable the order may be… I'm a brigadier general of the Imperial Army…!"
Brigadier General Dietrich poured out his words in an agitated tone.
"W-whoa. Calm down. Surrender? Of course not. That's not what I mean. I mean we should lower the guns' barrels."
"The guns…?"
As I calmed him down, I pointed to the Rosenheim defense map hanging on the wall.
"I'm talking about the 88mm anti-aircraft battery tucked away in a corner of Rosenheim Station. It's just sitting there staring at the sky."
"Anti-aircraft guns? Aren't those for shooting down airplanes?!"
I explained calmly.
"Precisely. 88mm anti-aircraft guns were designed to shoot down bombers flying several thousand meters overhead. With their absurdly high muzzle velocity and kinetic energy, they can tear apart tanks on the ground like sheets of paper."
"W-what…?! B-but that's…"
Dietrich's eyes widened. It must have been an idea beyond the bounds of common sense. Using something designed to shoot at the sky to fire at the ground. But I was certain. It was a tactic proven both in Earth's history and in the game.
That was when a sharp shout erupted from one corner of the bunker.
"Hey! What does some Army captain know that makes him think he can spout off like that?!"
An officer in a blue dress uniform strode toward us. Unlike the officers of the 3rd Army Corps, who were covered in dirt and dust, he looked relatively unscathed.
'Status Analysis.'
[Name: Heinrich von Hermann]
[Affiliation: Imperial Air Force, Commander of the 5th Anti-Aircraft Artillery Battery]
[Rank: Major]
[Status: Anger, elitist pride toward the Army, attachment to his equipment.]
Ah, he had the same name as Quartermaster Sergeant Hermann. But his appearance and personality were the complete opposite. He had a fussy, snake-eyed look.
"…Major Hermann."
Brigadier General Dietrich called out to him uneasily, but Major Hermann ignored him, approached right up to my face, and pointed a finger at me.
"The 88mm anti-aircraft gun is the culmination of precision engineering bestowed upon us by His Majesty the Emperor! It's a precision machine designed to intercept high-altitude bombers! And you want me to fire it at some dirt-kicking tanks?!"
He snorted as though the idea were utterly absurd.
"You Army grunts may not know this, but anti-aircraft guns are far more delicate than you think. We have to worry about the recoil generated by horizontal fire, not to mention the service life of the barrel. And you think it makes sense to penetrate tank armor with time-fuzed shells?"
He wasn't exactly wrong. Not according to the manuals, anyway.
I answered matter-of-factly.
"I understand that the anti-aircraft battery was issued armor-piercing rounds for emergencies. The ones supplied for destroying concrete bunkers."
"W-we do have some…! But those are strictly for defensive positions, not something to be used as our main weapon…!"
"Then what's the problem? We have ammunition, guns, and targets right in front of us. What reason is there not to fire?"
"You madman! You're saying I should use my precious anti-aircraft guns as expendable weapons on the front line?! Absolutely not! Air Force regulations…!"
Major Hermann's face reddened as he sprayed spit. It was the typical difference in perspective between the Army and the Air Force.
Ignoring him, I looked at the brigade commander. He was the one with the authority to decide.
'Captivating Speech.'
[The skill 'Captivating Speech (Lv.3)' is activated.]
"Brigade Commander. You have to choose."
I lowered my voice.
"Will you lose because you do nothing but cite regulations? Or will you… attempt an unconventional tactic?"
"Th-that…"
"We don't have time. The bombing just ended, and we don't know when they'll begin their attack."
A light of resolve appeared in Dietrich's wavering eyes.
[The skill 'Captivating Speech' affects 'Karl von Dietrich'.]
['Karl von Dietrich' has been successfully encouraged.]
"…Damn it, come what may! All right, I'll trust you! Major Hermann! Follow Captain Jaeger's orders immediately! That's an order!"
Hermann's face crumpled. But with the brigade commander's order issued, he could no longer object.
He muttered irritably, then ran to the radio operator and began shouting at the top of his lungs.
"Damn it, my career is going to be ruined because of these Army grunts…! All batteries, change targets! Cease anti-aircraft fire! Prepare for ground attack! Load armor-piercing rounds!"
I watched him with a satisfied smile.
"That was a wise decision, Brigade Commander."
"Phew…"
Dietrich wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and collapsed into a seat.
"I talked big about taking responsibility… but Captain Jaeger, we really can break through, right? If this doesn't work, we're finished."
"Don't worry."
I answered in a voice full of confidence.
"Because there's no way we won't break through."
*
We dashed out of the bunker during the lull in the bombing.
Outside was a complete mess. Collapsed buildings lined the streets, and black smoke rose from every direction. The number of wounded soldiers being evacuated amid their screams had grown even larger.
'Damn it, back in the bunker they were saying Sector 5 might fall.'
It was an even greater hellscape than before.
"Aaaagh! Out of the way! Move!"
The road at the entrance to the city was a chaotic tangle of refugees and routed soldiers.
Brigadier General Dietrich bit his lip when he saw it.
"The 3rd Army Corps' defensive line… has already been pushed back this far? The report said they were still fighting at the outer fortresses!"
The meaning of this scene was clear.
"The report is late. Their advance is faster than the communications runner's legs."
I checked the minimap in the corner of my vision.
Red dots.
Red dots were surging toward Rosenheim from the edge of the minimap at a terrifying speed.
'Damn, they're already here?'
It was a classic blitzkrieg, with the armored forces thrust forward while ignoring the speed of infantry and artillery support. A brutal war of maneuver at a speed the Imperial Army's manuals knew nothing about.
The situation was far more serious than I had expected.
"Brigade Commander. That crowd will be swept aside in an instant. They'll be in sight within twenty minutes at most."
"Twenty minutes?! You want us to move those heavy guns in that time?"
Major Hermann, who had been listening nearby, was aghast.
"Exactly! We have to run there right now! What is Second Company doing? Help those Air Force men and push the guns!"
I shouted and personally grabbed the wheel of an anti-aircraft gun.
"Aaaagh! Push! Push, damn it!"
"The barrel's caught! Watch out!"
The two 88mm anti-aircraft guns rolled forward through the mud.
"This is insane!"
"Damn it, did I come here to polish airplanes or dig around like some Army grunt…?"
The Air Force soldiers stumbled through the unfamiliar task of moving the guns overland, while the men of 2nd Company cursed and forced them forward. It was a truly chaotic collaboration.
After ten minutes, we finally managed to shove the guns into place behind a collapsed brick wall.
Then fifteen minutes passed. We covered the guns with camouflage netting and secured the gun carriages for horizontal fire. The sound of tank tracks in the distance had now grown close enough to shake our eardrums.
"Haa, haa… This is seriously insane…"
Major Hermann collapsed, drenched in sweat.
That was when it happened.
"E-enemy tanks spotted! Road at eleven o'clock!"
At the observer's urgent shout, the wave of routed soldiers filling the end of the road abruptly stopped.
Then enormous steel silhouettes emerged onto the empty road, kicking up clouds of dust.
'Status Analysis.'
[Target: Rene-IV Medium Tank]
[Affiliation: Republic 4th Armored Division]
[Status: High-speed maneuver, high morale]
[Special Information: Broke through the defensive line and entered Rosenheim in three hours.]
Their smoothly streamlined sloped armor and long-barreled 75mm main guns made them look worlds apart from our Imperial Army tanks, which were covered in clumsy rectangular armor.
"Listen carefully, Captain Jaeger! I've deployed the 1st and 3rd Battalions on the left and right, respectively. And just as you said, we've left the center open!"
The brigade commander had finished directing the troops on site while the anti-aircraft guns were being positioned, and now he hurriedly spoke to me.
"But if the tanks slip through the flanks, we're all dead!"
"Don't worry. Tank crews have a narrow field of vision, so they prefer open roads. If we rake them with rifle fire from both sides, they'll crawl into the center on their own."
"Phew… Yes, I suppose that's true, but…"
He still looked anxious, as though he couldn't shake his unease.
Soon, the Imperial Army's response began. The brigade commander shouted into his radio.
"Anti-tank units, open fire! Shoot them to hell!"
As expected, the anti-tank units were the first to fire.
Boom-!
The 37mm anti-tank gun fired with a sharp report. It hit its mark. The shell struck the front armor of a Rene tank dead-on.
But.
Ping-!
Sparks flew with a crisp metallic sound, and the shell merely ricocheted uselessly into the sky.
"I-it ricocheted!"
"Damn it, that didn't penetrate?! We practically fired from point-blank range!"
The Rene tank continued moving without a scratch. And then.
Creeeak.
Its turret slowly turned toward the anti-tank gun position. It moved as though swatting away an annoying fly.
Boom-!
The 75mm main gun belched fire.
"Aaaagh!"
The sandbags burst apart, and the anti-tank gun and its crew were blown into the air as an unrecognizable mass of mangled flesh. One shot. A single counterattack erased an entire defensive position.
"Th-that monstrous…"
Brigadier General Dietrich's face went pale.
"Magic! Do we have no magical support?!"
This time, Dietrich looked toward the 1st Battalion.
In response, Major Seraphina leaned out from behind cover. A blue magical projectile formed in her pistol and shot forward like a bolt of lightning, striking the tracks of the second tank.
Whump-!
A powerful burst of cold tried to freeze the steel tracks, but the heat from their engines and their brute power shattered even the ice as they continued advancing.
"They even have mana-resistant coating…"
Seraphina bit her lip and sank down. Infantry weapons, anti-tank guns, magic. Nothing worked.
"No… It's coming this way! Run!"
"Fall back! We can't stop them! We'll all die!"
At that overwhelming sight, our allies' morale hit rock bottom, and someone's scream became the signal that sent the front line collapsing.
"Th-they're coming! They're entering firing range!"
"Don't fire yet! Wait!"
Major Hermann shrieked. But his hands were trembling like leaves.
Brigadier General Dietrich was just as shaken. He looked at me and shouted.
"C-Captain Jaeger! Shouldn't we fire now? If they see us and shoot, we're finished!"
"Calm down, Brigadier General. They haven't spotted us yet. Thanks to the camouflage netting, they probably think we're just another ruin."
I calmly gauged the distance.
1,500m. 1,200m. 1,000m.
Brigadier General Dietrich gripped my arm tightly. His hand was slick with cold sweat.
"C-Captain Jaeger…!"
"Wait."
800m.
They didn't slow down. Just as we had intended, they entered the central intersection. The lead tank was forced to slow down by the rubble of the buildings we had collapsed beforehand.
600m.
At last, they were close enough for us to see the seams between their armor plates.
"Now."
At my quiet word, Major Hermann shouted with bulging veins in his neck.
"All batteries, fire!!"
KABOOOOM-!!
The 88mm guns belched fire with a thunderous roar that seemed to turn the earth upside down.