The Axis artilleries silenced and the radios all throughout the staging area shouted 'Angriff', Attack. The assault has begun. It was time to throw the Soviet forces out of Romania.
Tanks and troops moved forward. Half tracks following, tanks leading. Behind them were the lorries and finally the foot infantry of Romanian Army.
The Anglerfish Panzer IV was in the centre along with other German Panzer IVs of various types, Panthers and SS Tiger Is. Coming along with them were the Romanian 38t light tanks, hopelessly outgunned in front of the Russian T34s and IS-2s.
The forward column advanced through the woods first meeting Russian anti tank gun fires.
The Tigers and Panthers became the shields while Romanian 38(t)s spread out. They were the ones to take out such smaller defences. Anglerfish Panzer IV kept moving forward with the rest of the column. It was not yet her time to engage.
By the time the forward position was cleaned, the Axis forces already lost some of their Romanian contingent. Even some German Panzer IVs fell victim to AT rifle fire losing their tracks and coming to a halt.
In front of them lay anti tank ditches that could threaten all the tanks, even the heavy Tigers. Behind the ditches were minefields. And finally lay hidden were the heavy anti tank guns.
The infantry with fire support from the tanks, stormed them. Romanian troops doing frontal assaults while the German grenadiers flanked them in their half-tracks.
Each defensive positions were slowly being cleared with gunfire support from the tanks and assaults from the infantry. Tigers and Panthers blowing the machine gun emplacements to help the infantry rush over them and destroy the anti tank defences for the tanks.
Combat engineers, both Romanians and Germans, cleared the minefields under Russian fire.
But through it all, Miho never told Hana to fire a single shot while asking Saori to fire tracers at a safe height to suppress the enemy but not to harm them.
Meanwhile, the fall of the forward defences was immediately notified to Ivan Konev who mobilized the 2nd Tank Army to counter the axis thrusts.
His tanks were supposed to attack the German and Romanians and advance deep into the Axis lines for a future larger assault. Though that plan had to be shelved for now.
By the time the Russian tanks rushed to meet the axis thrust, there was a deep gap in the Soviet lines. 14th Rifle and 1st Airborne Divisions were shattered and many Romanian villages were liberated by the advancing Axis forces.
Everywhere the Axis forces passed through, there was destruction. The villages burnt in heavy battles. The Soviets tried their best to counter the German push with whatever they had.
Anti tank guns of various calibres fired relentlessly. Though the Tigers bore the brunt. Their 100mm front armour making the 76.2mm shells useless.
Following grenadiers and Romanian riflemen fought off the Soviet infantry. Throughout all this, Miho never once fired. She kept following the column as if nothing happened.
Or so it seems from the outside. The Anglerfish Panzer IV kept moving in a straight line ignoring the rattling of the guns and machine guns around her.
She could destroy tanks but not kill a living human being. Even though by now she had caused the death of many Red Army soldiers both directly inside and those who tried to flee burning tanks.
Suddenly, the Russian artillery roared. Hundreds of BM-13s rolled out. Their rockets positioned at the advancing axis forces that were over 10 miles away from them. They lay in wait for confirmation that all the friendly forces are removed.
The Red Air force had prevented the Luftwaffe and ARR from destroying the Soviet artilleries and now they were ready to lay down hellfire upon the advancing axis forces.
The infamous Stalin's organ pipe. The first shriek came like a ripping tear across the sky.
A sound so sharp and unnatural that every veteran in the German and Romanian ranks stiffened— the scream of the Katyusha rockets.
Inside, the radio shrieked, "Deckung, Stalinorgel!!" But Saori couldn't understand the meaning. She looked at Miho.
"Miporin, they say something about Stalinorgel or something."
Miho's blood ran cold, "Stalin's organ pipe." The dread of every axis soldier in the eastern front.
Yukari explained enthusiastically, "That's the famous Soviet rocket artillery Nishizumi-dono. The Katyusha."
The first rockets soon streaked over the sky and started falling on the forward tanks and troops.
Trucks and tanks started to blow up. Troops disembarked and ran away into the trees and ditches.
"Alle Panzer deckung, deckung!!" The radio shrieked. All over the section.
"Mako, turn left, now. Take cover by under the trees." Miho barked orders.
Most rockets were ineffective against the panzers but that doesn't mean all were useless. There were still some heavy Andryusha mixed in with them which caused tanks to blow up.
A heavy Andryusha shell made a hole on the road just where the Anglerfish panzer IV was standing a moment ago. The rockets fell without any gap with troops trying to hide wherever they can.
After the rockets stopped came the Russian counter assault. Hundreds of Red Army tanks rushed in to plug the gaps that had been torn in their lines. The axis forces had suffered casualties but now was not the time to stop.
"Bolschevitze panzer! 2500 meters out north east of the current position." A scream echoed through every radio. Forcing the axis tank forces to take actions.
Realizing their untannable conditions, the Romanian 38ts fell back while the Tigers and Panthers rushed forward, along with other German vehicles mostly Panzer IVs and Stugs.
The Stug IIIs took static positions while the Panzer IVs started to fire on the enemy alongside the larger tanks. Stopping to fire and then changing positions to avoid counter fire.
The Anglerfish Panzer IV also sprung into action. This was the 4th time, these girls were up against the Soviets. Targeting the T34/76s and T 34/85s while trying to avoid heavier IS2s.
Her tank moved with a smoothness not shown by any other German tanks from the army or the SS. The SS troops from the SS Wiking took notice of this as well.
They had rushed in with their Tigers and Panthers and Panzer IVs before the army vehicles to tackle the Russian tanks head on, while Miho's Panzer IV was trying to flank them.
Meanwhile, the Romanian 38ts along with German and Romanian infantry started to engage the Russian infantry. The axis forces were outnumbered two to one from the very beginning.