Chapter 262: Chapter 156: [Italy... Surrendered! They’ve Surrendered!!!]
So much so that Manstein, who wanted to launch an offensive in May, waited until July when the Tiger tanks were ready.
Xu Jie, on this side, naturally didn’t know.
But there was no time to think about it.
Even facing the ’Tiger’ group, they couldn’t retreat.
The whole corps, following the previous rehearsal, began to enter a combat state, and on the far horizon, a mass of Imperial soldiers and tanks surged in like a tide.
The tanks in the camp charged out to meet the Imperial ’Tiger’ group.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Shells exploded on the plains, a Soviet Union tank turret was blasted open like a can lid by the explosion, the whole tank momentarily ablaze, a tanker climbed out draped in flames.
But in the blink of an eye, a dense barrage of machine-gun bullets swept over, hitting him.
Boom——!
The shattered tank below seemed to reach its limit, the ammunition inside detonating violently, flames bursting out from within.
The struggling tanker was blown away by the explosion’s impact and completely lost his breath.
Xu Jie only glanced at it, then turned away to continue directing others in combat.
The viewers from Blue Star in the live stream room were also tensely watching this suddenly erupted battle.
...
Day 3.
The artillery on the Kursk plains had been rumbling day and night for five days already.
On Xu Jie’s side, after barely holding on the first day, they were broken on the second day, but fortunately, the Soviet Union reinforcements arrived by afternoon, reclaiming the position with the main forces again.
However, at this time, only a third of Xu Jie’s corps remained.
Unable to continue as a main force, they could only be redeployed to support elsewhere.
Soon.
Xu Jie received orders to reinforce the Voronezh Front, where the Imperial ’Skull Division’ was advancing fiercely and had to be stopped.
The entire corps set out overnight to reinforce.
Only....
The roar of Stuka dive bombers passed overhead, and the entire corps halted, camouflaging.
Originally thought to have fooled those Imperial bombers.
But shortly after moving, the characteristic ’death whistle’ of Stukas sounded, growing louder, indicating they were diving.
Xu Jie, ignoring everything else, shouted:
"Disperse! Disperse!"
"Take cover!!!"
Countless shrieks filled the ears; dense black dots rained down across the vast plain.
Boom boom boom!!!
In an almost all-encompassing bombing, it was unknown how many from Xu Jie’s unit survived.
In war, death can come without warning.... Luckily, this is a game, it can be restarted.
Encouraged by the Blue Star viewers in the live stream, Xu Jie started over again.
Fortunately, the familiar plain still unfolded before his eyes, albeit in a different area, but undoubtedly still in Kursk.
...
Day 7.
Xu Jie, as the battalion commander of a tank battalion, commanded his tanks as the second echelon entering Prokhorovka.
After the first echelon’s T34s engaged the Imperial ’Tigers,’ Xu Jie, as the second echelon, commanded his T34/85 tanks to flank, leveraging the first echelon’s cover.
In a suicidal charge, they rammed into the Imperial armored division’s flank.
It was a last resort.
Facing the technical advantage of ’Tiger’ tanks, the Soviet Union could only trade space for advantage; shells from several hundred meters away couldn’t damage a ’Tiger.’
So they charged within a hundred meters, engaging at close quarters.
And this method indeed proved effective.
Facing close-range tank shell attacks, even the ’Tiger’s armor was penetrated, but in turn.... the power of the Imperial ’Tiger’ shells also increased.
A single shell could penetrate one tank and then continue through another Soviet Union tank.
From a bird’s eye perspective.
Over 1,200 tanks clashed on this plain, with exploding flames blooming everywhere.
As time passed.
The green plains transformed into a burning hell.
The ground was littered with the wreckage of burning tanks; at this point, the T34s, having run out of ammunition, even revved up their engines, ramming into equally spent ’Tiger’ tanks.
Boom——!
Two tanks violently shook.
The hatches opened.
Soldiers from both sides clambered out, resorting to light weapons fire and even hand-to-hand combat.
From dawn till dusk.
Not until complete darkness descended did both sides cease.
And Xu Jie... died again.
Seven days into battle, died twice.
...
The commencement of the [Battle of Kursk] temporarily attracted players’ attention.
Not only did Xu Jie’s [Immersive Plot] mode host the Battle of Kursk, but other streamers and players, having bypassed lengthy plots, also reached this timeline, participating in the [Battle of Kursk].
Because in the background, Zhao Ming of the Polestar Company set all to synchronize with the latest timelines.
So this Kursk engagement, which had lasted over a month, was happening simultaneously across the internet.
Meanwhile.
With the start of the [Battle of Kursk].
The Allies also initiated an operation [Sicily Landing].
Attacking from Tunisia, they quickly occupied Sicily, aiming directly at the mainland of the Kingdom of Italy.
However, the situation changed so quickly... or rather, the Kingdom of Italy was so weak.
Beyond the imagination of Blue Star’s netizens.
After occupying Sicily, without even attacking the Kingdom of Italy’s mainland yet.
On July 25th.
The regime of the Kingdom of Italy was overthrown.
Subsequently, the new regime secretly negotiated surrender with the Allies.