Reich Marshal of the Belkan Reich-Chapter 376: RM Vol 4: War – - 63: Case Yellow (Day 16 - Leman Russ)
Chapter 376 - RM Vol 4: War – Chapter 63: Case Yellow (Day 16 - Leman Russ)
Author Notes:
Welp, this new RM Chapter is kinda lit despite me being caught with my pants down due to a variety of reasons.
Now then, don't forget to enjoy the Chapter, and make sure to hop on the Monthly Recruitment Drive if you're able to! It's 15% off for your first month and the offer is only effective from now to the 31st of May... Or unless I decide to start a new one right afterward like a total idiot I am lol.
I will be taking both my mom and I to the hospital for a check-up, so please bless us with your good luck and happy thoughts.
Gonna work slowly on editing the new Chapters too when I get our health issues sorted out.
There are advanced Chapters on P-atreon for both of my fics, with a couple of special bonuses if you read the fine print :D
https://www.patre-on.com/Heartbreak117
https://ko-fi.com/heartbreak117/goal?g=0
Income goal 729/800 USD (The increase to 800 is for me to procure medicine for allergy and to replace my broken down PC equipment)
For my fics:
https://www.scribblehub.com/series/55793/reich-marshal-of-the-belkan-reich/
https://www.novelkiss.com/book/reich-marshal-of-the-belkan-reich_23809095505377305
https://photos.app.goo.gl/waZgkRa3UQhqKQBi9
https://www.scribblehub.com/series/1375924/in-the-grimdark-sector-with-a-system/
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In the contemporary era, there exists an overall trend of military superpowers, save for the Rusviet Union, moving away from large and heavy multi-turreted tank design. Examples like Erusea A1E1 Independent, Ustian Char 2C, and Belkan Neubaufahrzeug are swiftly made obsolete at nearly the same time as their introductions. While certain multi-turreted tank designs sound promising and look cool on paper, in actuality, these tanks are much too bulky, needlessly complex, and manpower-draining on both the crews that pilot them and the nations that craft them. As such, rather than investing more in them, these multi-turreted designs served well only as short-term stopgap measures or exploratory research into proper tank building... But the Belkan Reich and the Rusviet Union have to throw common sense out of the window, as they should be, of course.
Why, oh why, do they have multiple multi-turreted tanks in their arsenal in what, 1939? Don't they know that the overall design concept itself has been obsoleted for a decade already? Well about that... They do, or they did, to be more accurate.
The Rusviet of today has numerous T-28, T-35, and T-100 medium and heavy multi-turreted tanks in active service alongside their fleet of nimble BT-5, BT-7, and T-50 light tanks. Credible intelligence from the Belkan Office of National Intelligence shows that after a certain delegation's trip to the Reich, Stalin ordered the development and procurement of an even larger, superheavy multi-turreted tank design to counter the supposed mass-production of the Belkan Leman Russ Battle Tank. Of course, the Union's widespread adoption of multi-turreted tanks, to the point of neglecting the more common medium or infantry tanks, baffled a great many military minds in other nations. Stalin's decision to go all in on the multi-turreted doctrine, however, does revitalize the concept of a jack-of-all-trade war machine. This summarily leads to multiple proposals across the world, calling for further research and refinement of the multi-turreted tank concept as a whole. After all, if even a superpower like the Rusviet Union mass-produced these tanks in the contemporary era, then surely they must have perfected the doctrine, crew training, and production methods, right? What many people don't know, however, is that the revival of the multi-turreted concept is mostly attributed to the, quite frankly, ludicrous smoke-and-dagger game orchestrated by the Belkans. Although the success of the game can be said to be a direct result of Stalin's megalomaniac ambition and inflated ego. The man sure dreams big, and all the undercover Belkan agents need to do is fuel it.
As for the Reich's supposed mass adoption of the Leman Russ Battle Tank and the presence of multiple examples in Army Group D's arsenal on Polanian soils... Once more, these serve nothing more than colorful smoke screens, a plan concocted by ONI Section Three to convince the entire world that: Indeed, multi-turret tanks are the new future. That said, while their main purpose is to look good and majestic on camera, the Leman Russes at the frontline are actual, masterfully crafted examples that are helmed by veteran crews and can fight a serious war. In other words...
The Belkans had way too much money and time on their hands and overengineered the propaganda plan.
But hey, if it works, it works, and works the Leman Russ surely is. Despite its towering sizes and a hunger for manpower, the Leman Russ is actually a sound, and quite possibly one of the most perfected multi-turreted tank designs to ever exist. Unlike many multi-turreted tanks, the Leman Russ is an ironclad declaration of simplicity, reliability, and versatility, made achievable by modern ingenuity and modular construction methods. Nonetheless, the tank itself is quite large, with some of the crews using Leman Russes calling them 'Doom Barns'. To counteract its large targeting profile, the Leman Russ is caked in advance composite armor, similar to that found on the common Leopard MBT, albeit thicker in all directions. Underneath all of the armor though, is a plethora of possible weapon load-outs, being spread over the turret, the hull-mounted weapon station, and the two side sponsons. Owing to its modular construction, the turret on the Leman Russ can host anything from a 30 mm Mk-103-4 Gatling cannon to a 150 mm short-barreled howitzer. However, the side sponsons and the frontally hull-mounted weapon stations are the most interesting parts of the Leman Russ. These three areas on the Leman Russ are where the tank garners a significant part of its auxiliary firepower and additional protection. Yet, even with its large size and miniaturized but powerful mana engine, the Leman Russ doesn't have an infinite number of spaces to hold all the cannons and all the crewmembers in the world. As such, extensive research and developments concluded that the three additional weapon stations are best fitted with automatic weapons to lessen the need for additional loaders. In other words, belt-fed heavy machine guns or autocannons and canister-based flamethrowers are the way to go. This is the reason why the Leman Russes in Polania all sporting either twin 37 mm or singular 57 mm autocannons and flame projectors as their secondary weapons. The older demonstrator vehicles with secondary 75 mm short-barreled infantry support cannons were made obsolete long ago and retrofitted into the newer Leman Russ variants. Even then, each Leman Russ still requires an astounding number of crew members:
1 Driver.
1 Commander.
1 Main Gunner for the turret.
1 Loader for the turret.
2 Gunners for the sponsons.
1 Gunner for the hull-mounted weapon.
Yes, that is seven crew members for a singular tank, even after off-loading some of the internal workings to mechanical improvements. While a large number nonetheless, it's still much better than the requirement of 10 crewmen in the Rusviet multi-turreted tanks. To carry all of them, the crew, the armor, and the firepower, ONI Section Four outfitted each Leman Russ with new mana engines. More powerful and taking up less space than the normal internal combustion engines, the mana engines give the Leman Russes the ability to go up to 70 km/h and the ability to turn on a dime with its rhomboid tracks before reversing at speed in any direction. Such maneuverability is only demonstrated by the Leopard MBT or the Puma IFV. However, for a tank taller than 4 meters to sport such agility is quite unbelievable unless you see one in action yourself. To further put a shine onto the name Leman Russ, each tank is fitted with a variety of modern Belkan electronics and auxiliary equipment. This ensures the Leman Russes can work in modern combined arms warfare alongside their smaller counterparts like Leopards and Pumas or high rollers like Phantoms and UAVs.
Having learned of the tank thus far, one must be curious about the price tag of a Leman Russ, right? Unsurprisingly, a single Leman Russ can fund the construction of two Commander Leopard MBTs with autoloaders or four Puma IFVs. The over-engineered nature of the Leman Russ means even the Belkan Reich must fork a hefty Reichsmarks to fund the construction of a single vehicle, at least until a series of dedicated, mass production lines can be assembled. Only through widespread adoption and constant refinements can one lower the cost of building these metallic behemoths. However, since this is all but a chess move by Section Three and, let's face it, multi-turreted designs face severe technological bottlenecks, it's not worth it for the Reich to invest in serious production runs for the Leman Russes. So, one-off Wonder Weapons and propaganda tools they become to bamboozle the world.
As for how the Leman Russes perform on a live battlefield under the lens of the camera? That is a question worth millions of Reichsmarks.
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CLANK
A supersonic 8 mm bullet slams into the upper front plate of a Leman Russ. The bullet, which is actually an 8x107 mm Polanian anti-tank rifle cartridge created to cause spalling on the interior of a tank's armor plate, finds itself flattened and leaves nothing more than a scratch on the Leman Russ's jungle digital camo.
BOOM
A Polanian 37 mm Bofors anti-tank gun fires, its solid armor-piercing shell screams in the air and hits squarely in the center of the Leman Russ. The shell does create a resounding bang when hitting the armor plate, but other than that, it does nothing but bounce harmlessly off the towering tank.
More gun and cannon fire erupts as a plethora of firepower is poured down onto the Leman Russ. Armor-piercing, high-explosive, grenades, small arms projectiles,... The Polanians throw the entire kitchen sink at the Leman Russ to the point all the ordinance going off around the Belkan behemoth obscure its entire form. The constant, indiscriminate barrage from whatever mortars and guns the ragtag groups of Polanian soldiers still have left only cede when they realize they have burned through nearly 90 percent of their remaining munitions. It's only when the current and last surviving officer of the Polanian Army in the region desperately calls for a hold fire do the frightened soldiers cede the loading of their artillery and keep their fingers away from the trigger. The blackened Fog of War lasted for a full minute, hampering the Polanians' effort to attain visual confirmation of the Leman Russ' status. It could have been confirmed by the environmental audio alone if not for their ears ringing from the hail of gunfire they unleashed seconds prior. However, when the winds sweep away all the smoke and the particles in the air, the Polanians are horrified to see the Leman Russ's main turret turn to level a four-barreled lethal machine at their defense line.
Vrrroooooomm BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRTTT*
After a brief spin-up procedure, the 30 mm Gatling cannon on the Leman Russ sweeps horizontally from left to right. The turret spins slowly, languid even, but not because of a lack of power traverse, but because the Leman Russ' turret gunner sees no need to go any faster on the control. The rudimentary defensive line the survivors of the Polanian border units constructed proved to be no match for the breakneck speed at which 30 mm ordinances are delivered in a singular second. Shallow trenches are excavated or filled with explosions and dirt. Wooden barricades splinter and burn away like paper. Trucks and anti-tank gun shields are punctured and summarily burst in bright flashes of munition and fuel explosions. The human bodies, oh so fragile as they may be, stand no chance against the supersonic hail of explosive rains. Whatever things the Polanians tossed at the Leman Russ earlier, the Belkan tank and its crew have repaid everything back with ten times the interest. By the time the Gatling barrels cease spinning, the prior gathering area for retreating Polanian survivors is unrecognizable and looking no different than the wasteland made by the Belkan opening rocket barrage, with only a small encampment left mostly intact. Those who are lucky enough to not be targeted by the glare of a thousand suns fall onto their butts, frightened witless by the sheer power that land dragon just dished out.
As if feeling nothing from the non-intact corpses it just made in abundance, the Leman Russ rumbles forward on its rhomboid tracks. Easily making its way over uneven terrains and trench lines, its dozer blade pushing away whatever wreckage which were anti-tank guns and military vehicles, the Leman Russ advances unimpeded by things the Polanian tankettes can never hope to go through. Riding closer into the encampment area, its treads rumbling the surviving Polanians awake, the Leman Russ' sheer presence left its enemy with only two choices. Discard their weapons and run, or fight judgment in the form of the Leman Russ' mighty wrath.
As expected, many Polanian soldiers really do run away, throwing whatever things they have on hand for a speedier getaway. They will be running into perimeter Belkan units before being formally subjugated as POWs. And yes, this Polanian staging area is nothing more than a predetermined live firing area for this particular Leman Russ, with multiple Belkan units surrounding the site to support the Russ when needed. However, from the look of it, there's little to nothing the Polanians can do against such an over-engineered marvel. The Leman Russ sits on such a higher tier of firepower and protection that nothing short of a direct hit from the heaviest of Polanian artillery is able to take it out of the game. More than over-engineered, a Leman Russ is an absolute overkill.
BANG
Someone fires a rifle at the Leman Russ, the bullet bouncing unceremoniously off the faded lettering that is the christened name on the turret of the massive tank. Roughneck, that is the name of this Leman Russ. The tank is mostly undamaged, but it's now muddied and requires a new paint job. The only thing that needs replacement on this tank is a new .57 caliber machine gun barrel for its commander-operated remote-controlled weapon station. That is the only truly damaged part after on the Leman Russ, a true testament to the fearsome prowess of Belkan minds and industries. The commander can still operate the RCWS camera just fine, and using it, he sees multiple Polanian soldiers laying in ambush throughout the small, and confined encampment.
BANG BANG BANG BANG
More bullets ricochet off the Roughneck's protective hide, with even a surviving wz. 35 anti-tank rifle unable to leave even a meaningful dent in its armor. Emboldened by this superiority, yes, but the Roughneck's crew knows better than to underestimate a desperate foe. Instead of charging into the encampment with many blindspots, the tank commander of this Leman Russ opts for subjugation through firepower... Quite literally so. First, the hull-mounted twin-linked 37 mm autocannons suppress the encampment with a relentless, pounding salvo of 37 mm armor-piercing high-explosive and high-capacity high-explosive shells. Whatever protections the Polanians are still hiding behind are pretty much non-existent now after the autocannons make a couple of passes. Following right behind the autocannon barrage, the Roughneck's two sponson mounts turn and aim slightly upward in the general direction of the Polanians. With flames flickering at the ends of their muzzles, the flamethrowers mounted in the two sponsons unleash scorching streams of incendiary mixture. The hyper-lethal combination rains on the Polanian encampment as if blessing them with the warm deliverance of Death. The flame spreads faster than the pace at which the Polanians' feet can carry them, the mostly destroyed encampment served as bountiful fuel to spread the fire. The stubborn fools, having chosen to fight when they could have away or surrendered, now run around as their skins and clothes burn bright. Their internal organs boil over due to the superheated air and flame around them. Their screams soon turn into hoarse, desperate gasp for air that only serves to hasten their demise. Falling to the ground, their bodies soon turn blackened as the Polanians either die curling up in fetal position or crawl away in a desperate search for a water body, of which the nearest one is two kilometers away. At the end of everything, these Polanians perish with disbelief written on their faces.
As for the 'Roughneck' Leman Russ, the tank turns on its track, before riding away, following a set of railroads to its next mission objective. Its mission is not yet done.
War awaits still for these warring wonders.
