Summoning the German Army! 〜The Former Strongest Dragon Summoner, Who Lost Everything to the Heroes, Vows Revenge… - Chapter 44.3
Goddess of War
Translated by SoundDestiny
Edited by Klepon
It came from the sky ──────.
Shasha ………….
Shashasha ………….
ShashaShashaShaa ─── ……!
“W,what’s that?”
Papapapapapapan Nasser fired his MP40 wildly and shot down a Kingsguard who was trying to attach himself to his tank.
Then another one got shot.
And suddenly the Kingsguard who was swarming around him looked up at the sky.
Nasser also involuntarily looked up at the sky…
──Zudooooon!!!
There was no warning.
There was the sound of a flight ripping through the sky.
After that, there was a ferocious burst of sound, and one of the spires──── a detached spire that was built for the royal castle was blown away.
It was as if something huge had hit it……──. Something hit the top of the blue-roofed spire, and the whole roof collapsed with a thick cloud of smoke.
Garagaragara….!!!
“W,what’s going on?”
‘Is it thunder?──……but the sky is…’
“Clear as day. Then it shouldn’t be a thunder.”
‘Wait────is it what they called a [shell]?’
“Impossible…….but from where? I didn’t see anything!”
Nasser involuntarily checked his tanks unit.
He wondered if they had opened fire, but they had not.
The three tank platoons were still mutually supporting each other and were retreating while firing.
They were also covering the retreat of the Grenadier company.
They were in the middle of eliminating enemy soldiers swarming the half-tracks with Nasser point blank range fire, while trampling them and firing coaxial machine guns and forward machine guns.
Naturally, there was no time for the tanks to shoot out a shell..
‘Then what?’
At that moment, a voice could be heard leaking from the headset worn by Nasser.
“《Reconnaissance aircraft, this is the forward ground observer──…….observing the bomb drop────……….. incoming observations. Send it.》”
“《this way…….. plane, the── …..shells……》”
“《Send it again…..Reconnaissance aircraft! ──Estimation!! Chi, it’s messy! I’m borrowing that tank’s radio!》”
‘Mm?’
It seemed that someone was relaying communications between the rear units and the reconnaissance aircraft in the sky. The sound was being intercepted by the tank’s radio.
“《Za──……observation correction, send proper coordinates! This is [Artillery]! Send it!……..No feeling, send your sense!》”
(感 can be feeling, sensation, emotion, admiration, impression but I don’t know how to put it in this sentence,I will leave it as it is.)
‘Is this a communication between a luftwaffe officer, forward ground observer and a…… rear unit?’
Nasser thought that the Luftwaffe officer had retreated with the Grenadiers.
‘….Where did he go? No, the important question is, who is he in contact with?’
The moment Nasser wondered and tried to interject.
KanKan
Something was banging against his tank’s armour.
Nasser turned his head and saw an officer in blue uniform, pistol in hand, driving alongside in a motorcycle sidecar.
“『Commander! I’m moving into your tank──── Let me use your radio!』”
With that, he jumped to the panzer without Nasser giving a reply.
The officer left the empty motorcycle sidecar behind. As Nasser watched it in dismay.
“『Excuse me! The Radio ────!』”
The officer who had forced himself went to the front of the turret and while clinging to the gun barrel, which was sticky with enemy guts, opened the radio hand hatch and had a couple of exchanges with the crew inside.
He then went around to the rear of the turret and climbed over the tank to the tank decks.
He took out a special tool from the tank’s toolbox, opened the external plug with ease, plugged in the headset terminal and began communicating on his own.
“『Conduction test, Conduction test ── I am here.』”
While straddling on the tank, the officer continued rambling on unilaterally, but Nasser had no idea what was going on.
“『This is live coverage. [Forward Observer] as well as [Artillery], send me your sense!! 』”
Za────……
“《FO’s good.》”
“《Artillery is good.》”
Za~tsu……────!!
“『I’ve got a good sense! I’m relaying…sending observations!』”
It didn’t seem that Nasser’s question could be answered by listening to this exchange.
“《────Za……confirming the landing of the drop. Imminent impact, distant drop. Continue with corrected fire… – Maintain bearing, down 150.》”
The sound coming from the headset seemed to be from a reconnaissance aircraft in the sky.
“『Roger, relaying….. this is [Relay], [Artillery, Artillery]. The shell just landed is a long shot. Continue corrective fire – bearing unchanged, down 150.』”
Reports received from reconnaissance aircraft were sent directly to the rear by air force officers, as if parroting them.
‘The rear? Does that mean… You don’t mean….this the artillery ────?’
“《────Za……Correction of impact, Roger. ──── correction for 1 shot》”
‘Now, Is this a communication between the Luftwaffe and the Artillery?’
“What are you doing?”
Even though the 『Company Commander』 had told him to call in the artillery, Nasser did not understand the nature of the situation.
“『Commander!! Please take cover! If you get hit by a point-blank shell, you’ll die!』”
The officer hid himself in the rear of the turret, as if to say.
‘Point-blank shell, you say? Where on earth did they come from…..’
Shasha……!
Shasha Shasha ……!
Shashashashasha ──── ……!
‘Again? I can’t see it? Where are they shooting from, ────?’
“『Commander! Please, quickly, get inside!』”
“Ku…Understood!”
──── Zudooooon!!!
Another shell rained down and flew into the royal castle.
The shell seemed to land near to Naseer and fell near the main gate.
It seemed to have knocked out several catapults inside the castle, which was protected by the walls and the wreckage could be seen rolling up high in the sky.
The king’s cavalry chariot, held back as a reserve unit, was also hit by a shell and probably wiped out.
‘──Oi! Don’t kill him!’
Nasser, who wanted to finish him off with his own hands, was momentarily impatient but he knew the king must be using some kind of magical defence.
The king’s cavalry chariot appeared to be unharmed.
However, there was no way that it was safe – Bugeyea! – Nasser, however, was also hit by debris and lost sight of the king’s cavalry chariot in the confusion.
Byun! The sound it made deafen his ears for a while.
Immediately after the shell fell, debris jumped in with a tremendous force.
“I,it’s too close!!”
“『If it’s a Stuka dive-bombing, the impact will be more than this. Nevertheless, dammit! You lousy artillery……!』”
Nasser couldn’t even look up because he somewhat knew the danger of being hit by the flying debris one after the other.
Gangangon! Whether the tank’s armour was hit by a stone projectile prepared by the enemy or the projectile itself – the operator nor Nasser didn’t know. That projectile turned into a flying deadly weapon and flew towards him.
If the hatch had been left open, it would have been dangerous.
“《────Za……confirmed the landing of the shell. ──── still slightly in need of correction. Continue corrective fire – bearing unchanged, 50 down.》”
“『Chi…..that shell landings are more scattered than I thought……Observe carefully, damn amateur ….!!』”
“《I can hear you!》”
“『Oops,…..ahmmmー. I’m relaying this. ──Now landing, long shot! Corrective fire──bearing unchanged, down 50!』”
The voice on the other end of the radio was calm and collected, while the luftwaffe officer was swearing at the other end of the radio.
……No, there was a possibility that they were also cursing at each other at the other end of the radio as well.
“《────Za……Correction of impact, Roger. ──── correction for 1 shot》”
The tanks slowly started to retreat.
Mixed in with them was a hail of debris from explosions from test firing.
Both were a threat to the exposed Kingsguard.
They were unable to do anything and were taking heavy casualties.
The Kingsguard, which had been considerably reduced in number, were crushed into pieces and were caught in the debris, causing them to scream in agony.
“I, It’s so powerful! Is it lightning?”
‘If it’s not from the tank’s fire? Then what? But artillery can make lightning fall!’
“『No, it’s a 105 mm howitzers – they’re firing it from a distance.』”
“C..cannon?”
(The officer use [榴弾砲= howitzer] and Nasser use [大砲=Cannon] )
The luftwaffe officer responded to Nasser’s dumb question in a disciplined manner. Nasser took a good look at him and saw that he had been slightly hit by a point-blank shell debris and had a streak of blood on his head.
He was probably not safe behind the tank’s turret.
But he did not make any change in his face.
As if to say that his injuries were trivial.
“C,cannon..you mean artillery?…..but how did it..”
“『Yes, Commander. It’s the work of the artillery deployed on the church site.』”
‘This is artillery?’
“From the church?!!……That’s impossible!”
‘Oioioi……. How far away do you think we are?’
The church headquarters was located on the edge of the Royal Capital.
From that location, the Royal Castle was so far away that only the spires could be seen.
It was a distance that was not easy to see with the naked eyes.
‘──It is true that I was told by the『Company Commander』 to summon them, but I did not have excessive expectations compared to the planes…..’
“『──Artillery is the ruler of the battlefield. It is no exaggeration to say that this whole operation is about the artillery.』”
High ground, critical terrain and visual field of fire ────.
To dominate the battlefield, one must have an 『observation point』 that combined all of these.
The observations being carried out now by aircraft were said to be rarely carried out under normal circumstances.
The time spent in the airspace was limited and the observation was blurred because of the constant movement of the aircraft.
None of this was new to Nasser, he was familiar with the terrain to dominate the battlefield.
In such places, castles and forts were usually built.
Even in battles against the demon king’s army, forts were often located in high places with good vantage points.
However, such places were also usually good targets for Dragons and the monstrous bird Garuda.
‘No, that’s not important.’
“Is that all?”
The lightning ──── bombardment earlier was tremendously powerful.
‘I don’t think it would completely destroyed the projectiles being deployed inside the King’s Castle,────’
“『No, that was a test shot.』”
‘Test shot?’
“Um, what do you mean by a test shot? Wait, I–I see. …….It’s the same as a catapult.”
Catapult too had trial shots.
Trial firing and correction angle.
After observing and confirming the impact, they would fire a volley.
Even Nasser used to be a soldier.
He didn’t know anything about German artillery, but he could think of it as a kind of projectile.
He learned a little about that in his military course.
Nevertheless, amateurs were amateurs when it came to ranged weapons.
In fact, Nasser didn’t know how much he could understand.
Maybe he wouldn’t understand the essence of it.
That was how different the Germans were.
[You can see that, can’t you?]
(I leave it as a barracket because it’s asking us, readers.)
(見ればわかるだろう？)
They fired unilaterally from a long distance.
‘No, wait? The first shot hit quite far from the target and the second hit somewhat further away. So that means ……?!’
Shi~yashashashashashashashashashashatsuaaa──────……！
Here it comes!
“『I guess it’s time! They’ve wasted enough shells……!』”
──── Zdooooooon!!!
“「「「Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!」」」”
‘──Was that a direct hit!!?’
Thinking they could blow those damned catapults away, Nasser waited impatiently for the report from the reconnaissance aircraft.
…………。
“《────Za……Confirmation of impact.────It’s a hit!! Proceed. ──── Shift to effective shot!!!》”
Here they come!!!
“『──Roger! Now land all shells on designated coordinate…..!──Flanking! Flanking! Continue with the efficacy shot!! Fire-AAaaa』”
(夾叉した=I assumed it means flanking but please correct me on this)
The excited voice of the luftwaffe officer could be heard.
The second and third shells landed exactly on the catapult soldiers, which was relayed over the radio.
It was not visible to Nasser and his soldiers due to the obstruction of the castle walls, but it must be well visible from the plane above.
It was said that the state in which the incoming shells intersected the target was called flanking fire.
It was only in this state that all howitzers fired at the target.
From now on, those artillerymen shot at the same time to clear the area.
“《────Za……Roger──────── moving for a effective firing……Howitzer shells, fuse arrival and departure.》”
(弾種榴弾, 信管着発,)
Come on, listen up!
The howitzers were singing now──────!
“《Platoon effective fire! Efficacy shot incomingAaaaah──!!!》”
