Capítulo 125: Chapter 125 Breakout Team
In the near darkness, Lynn disregarded the pain caused by sharp debris on his joints and skin, like an old, steady black cat, slowly and silently climbing up a completely collapsed building.
The intersection was just ahead.
Lifting his assault rifle, Lynn slowly turned the knob of the "vampire" night vision goggles with extremely gentle movements, and several bright figures appeared in the infrared scope.
At a distance of fifty or sixty meters, Lynn could not distinguish the faces, clothing, and weapons of these Soviet soldiers, but their postures and movements were clear to him.
Without the need for a precise count, Lynn scanned back and forth, basically confirming that there were about thirty Soviet soldiers ambushed on this side, possibly a combat platoon armed mainly with submachine guns and light machine guns, and most likely equipped with anti-tank equipment and mortars as well. It was evident that there were two individuals separated from the majority by five or six meters, either on rearward alert or operating a small-caliber mortar.
With Lynn's current marksmanship, it was no exaggeration to say that two magazines could take out all of them. However, he was not keen on killing, nor did he take pride in it. His sole purpose at the moment was to break out.
The sounds of gunfire from different firearms grew closer, and Lynn could now see dark red lights moving back and forth on the street hundreds of meters away. Occasionally, an explosion would erupt, and a bright yellow flame would burst in the darkness, fleeting like ephemeral flowers blooming at night.
Glancing sideways with his mp44, Brühl had also climbed to the other side of the rubble by now. Although Oranienburg was a small city, it primarily focused on heavy industries such as chemicals and metals. The urban area was not small, and unlike those very ancient cities, the streets and buildings here tended towards a more modern style. As one moved away from the city center, there were more tall buildings such as factory dormitories, new-style shopping malls, as well as hospitals, schools, and so on. Once destroyed or collapsed by Allied bombings, these buildings left considerable ruins behind—a metaphorical "hilly terrain of rubble."
Looking back at the soldiers without infrared equipment, besides Wolfram and Tichmeler, who were tasked with protecting Eva Südlich up close, the other four had found shooting positions in the rubble. Their actions were swift and quiet enough, indicating that the continuous special training had produced significant results. It's worth noting that just half a month ago, these soldiers' understanding of night combat was still very rudimentary.
Crack... Crack... Rat-tat-tat...
The crisp sounds from different firearms echoed in the dilapidated and open street. Lynn shifted his attention back to the front, noticing that the row of Soviet soldiers ahead began making slight adjustments. Several soldiers moved towards positions closer to the street, considering that the effective range of ordinary submachine guns could cover most of the street. Lynn immediately realized that they must be carrying out special tasks—most likely anti-tank infantry!
Since anti-tank soldiers were needed, their opponents must have armored vehicles. With this logical inference, Lynn scanned the street through the infrared scope, still beyond the range of the infrared spotlight. With his training and combat experience, he was able to determine the critical situation: this German breakout force had armored vehicles, and probably more than one!
In just a moment, the area locked by the infrared scope showed some figures. Observing their general outlines and movements, Lynn deduced that these were Soviet soldiers, likely retreating step by step. There were many of them, divided into three or four batches, without tanks, self-propelled artillery, or ordinary vehicles accompanying them—a situation unprecedented in Lynn's previous encounters with the Soviets.
Could this intersection also be a trap set by the Soviets?
With this concern in mind, Lynn once again surveyed the surroundings through the infrared scope but found nothing unusual. However, the absence of observations through the infrared night vision goggles did not mean "non-existence." Due to the primitive operating principle of the equipment, objects hidden behind large obstacles or those not emitting heat, such as tanks that had been turned off for a long time, were impossible to observe.
Boom!
The sudden explosion occurred on the street, momentarily illuminating a limited area with flames. Lynn not only caught sight of the large-eared steel helmets traversing the rubble but also vaguely saw the bewildered figures moving along the road.
Damn it!
With a determined heart, Lynn leaned his shoulder against the rifle, aligning the crosshair of the scope with a "bright figure" closest to the street. Without any mental adjustment, he entered a state of focused combat.
Rat-tat-tat...
In the initial stage, Lynn shifted his muzzle to the next target immediately after each shot. Clearly unprepared for bullets coming from behind, the instinctive evasion of the Soviet soldiers was utterly useless against the hunting of this cold-blooded marksman. For Lynn, it wasn't a brutal and intense battle; it was more like a one-sided performance. With his exceptional marksmanship and the outstanding performance of the mp44, he felt an unprecedented sense of satisfaction as he emptied a whole magazine. With the support of Brühl and the other four soldiers, when the firing ceased after a round of shooting, the Soviet combat platoon that had barely returned fire fell silent.
There was no joy or celebration. Lynn calmly replaced the empty magazine with a new one, scanning the rubble in front of him with the infrared night vision equipment. The living and the recently deceased appeared equally bright in the scope, but their postures often differed significantly. Using this judgment, Lynn immediately aimed at those suspicious targets and fired ten shots one after another before turning his gaze to the street.
In just a moment, the German breakout force entering the street within a hundred meters was visible through the infrared scope. There were dozens of scattered but roughly organized figures, as well as two much larger heat sources, one in front and one behind, separated by about ten meters.
Tank? Assault gun? Or tank destroyer?
This curiosity only flashed through Lynn's mind, as he focused on the task at hand. Regardless of the exact model, as long as they could create a gap in the Soviet blockade, it was all that mattered.
Without waiting for Lynn to signal his subordinates to join the breakout force in front, a bright light suddenly appeared in his line of sight. Due to the long period in darkness, his eyes felt uncomfortable, and his heart tightened: Damn it, it's another damn spotlight!
Fortunately, the enemy's spotlight was not shining directly into Lynn's eyes. He quickly regained his normal vision and saw a Panther tank and a StuG III assault gun ahead. It turned out that this uncommon pairing of armored vehicles was what had made the Soviets go to such lengths.
Now was certainly not the time to admire the bravery of the "Panther" and the "StuG." However, Lynn noticed something different about the "Panther" ahead—it had a device similar to a spotlight mounted on the top of its turret, but it emitted no visible light. Next to it was a cylindrical, oversized "telescope."
This was the deadliest weapon of the "vampire" assault team—the Panther tank equipped with infrared night vision devices, the world's first true night combat tank!
No wonder it hadn't been destroyed by the Soviets in daytime battles. Any commander with reason would not risk such a precious night combat tank in a daytime assault.
Of course, this also meant that the Soviets hadn't occupied the entire city area during daytime urban combat because tanks couldn't enter houses or hide in basements.
Following the bright spot, there were two spotlights in total—one in the rubble across the intersection, about 500 meters away in a straight line; the other at the far end to the right of Lynn, possibly over 800 meters away. One near and one far, offsetting each other at an angle, just like theatrical spotlight effects, revealing the dark night around the intersection and exposing the German breakout force to the enemy's sight.
As the beams converged at the intersection, intense suppression fire erupted from three directions in Lynn's front, right front, and right side. Ordinary bullets didn't have tracer effects; they carried a faint red glow, flying in strings from the rubble, crossing the street, and mortar shells were falling with thuds, instantly knocking down many Soviet soldiers who had struggled to advance. Many of these brave soldiers fell without reacting, while some quickly dropped to the ground relying on their experience and intuition. However, bullets and fragments chose their targets indiscriminately, landing wherever they pleased. The so-called probability of getting hit, here, had only a yes or no difference.
Under simultaneous fire from several directions, the German breakout force's formation was thrown into chaos, and their momentum towards the intersection was abruptly halted. Many German soldiers rushed into the rubble at the roadside—fortunately, Lynn and his soldiers had cleared an area on their side of the rubble beforehand. Otherwise, a row of Soviet soldiers using the rubble as cover would surely inflict heavy casualties on these German infantrymen with their submachine guns and light machine guns.
As an observer on the battlefield, Lynn, although in the midst of combat, was not directly threatened by Soviet firepower. Hence, he maintained a clearer mind. He realized that although the Soviet firepower from three sides was fierce, it was primarily composed of small arms and lacked direct support from artillery and tanks. However, there was a Soviet tank squad lurking a couple of kilometers away at the intersection. Given the size of Oranienburg, if the Soviet armored units deployed in other districts were not hindered by the ongoing battle, they would likely head in this direction. In other words, this German force needed to break out quickly while the opposition's suppression was not yet overwhelming; otherwise, they would be stuck in a bitter fight. Even if the "night panther" appeared, it would be difficult to contend with four legs with just two fists!
The three Soviet ambush positions were beyond the reconnaissance range of the infantry's infrared night vision goggles, but still within the effective range of the mp44. While Lynn disturbed the Soviet firepower point in the rubble in front of him with intermittent shots, he shouted loudly, disregarding the danger: "Markus! Markus!"
Whether it was Lynn's loud urging or the young sharpshooter finally finding his aim, at this critical moment, the spotlight to the right front suddenly went out, significantly reducing the visibility around the intersection. Several seconds later, even the one at the far end on the right side went out.
Just as he emptied a magazine, Lynn crouched down, ejected the empty magazine, took out the double magazines from his fixed pouch, and shouted, "Brühl, let's go!"
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