Chapter 4

A flame spurted from the back of the rocket launcher, and then, with a magnificent tail of fire, the rocket projectile flew forward in a graceful trajectory.

This was a scene from a TV show, a highlight from a Hollywood blockbuster.

Unfortunately, such a scene is not realistic in real life.

The rocket projectile uses a fast-burning propellant. By the time the projectile leaves the launcher, it has already burned out, leaving no tail smoke or flame.

The RPG-7 rocket projectile is powerful because, about ten meters after it is launched, the second stage propellant burns, completing the burn in an instant and accelerating the projectile to 300 meters per second. The immense energy from the speed gives the projectile a deeper penetration capability.

"Rocket projectile! Rocket projectile on the right! Brake immediately!" At that moment, the tank commander, looking through his periscope, saw Muhammad aiming the rocket launcher and about to fire, and immediately shouted loudly.

It is impossible to see the rocket projectile with the naked eye, but the person firing it can be seen and eliminated.

If the loader had not been killed while operating the machine gun, the person with the rocket launcher could have been shot into pieces with the machine gun.

Due to the discovery of the ambush on the hilltop, the tank moved very quickly, almost reaching its maximum off-road speed. Therefore, it was almost impossible to avoid the rocket projectile by accelerating. Since acceleration was not an option, they had to use another method: deceleration!

After the commander shouted to brake, the two people in the turret grabbed the handrails on their seats tightly.

The driver, reacting instinctively, immediately pulled the two control levers backward sharply.

For the tank crew, the main controls are these two levers. Pulling them halfway turns the tank, and pulling them all the way applies the brakes on both sides simultaneously.

As the driver operated the levers, the hydraulic fluid was pressed into the brake bands on both sides of the drive wheels. The brake bands, emitting a burnt smell, tightly gripped the drive wheels.

As the drive wheels stopped, the two tracks on both sides also stopped moving. However, under the immense impact, the tank slid forward.

The nearly forty-ton tank came to a rapid stop. Inside the tank, the crew, despite being strapped in with seat belts, felt as if they were on a roller coaster, their bodies surging forward and then being pulled back by the seat belts, causing intense pain.

The dead loader's body, which was on top of the turret, rolled off with the sudden braking.

Did we manage to avoid that damn rocket projectile? The commander, not even touching the periscope, felt the tank body shake. A terrifying sound entered his ears, followed by an intense heat, and the temperature inside the turret instantly rose several hundred degrees.

Muhammad quickly ran a distance, found a rock, and hid behind it. The position from which he had just fired had been discovered, and staying there would be very dangerous.

After hiding, he quickly reloaded another rocket projectile into the front of the launcher.

At that moment, he cautiously peeked out and saw the burning tank, confirming that he had hit it successfully.

The rocket projectile is unguided, and the tank is moving. Therefore, when Muhammad fired the rocket projectile, he maintained a certain lead. The amount of lead depends on the speed of the target and the time it takes for the projectile to reach it, which requires a quick mental calculation, or simply relies on experience.

Muhammad's lead was just right, but he aimed for the back of the turret and ended up hitting the front.

Muhammad's war had just begun.

Since the tanks in the company were moving at high speed, when the first tank braked suddenly, the second tank could not avoid it in time and crashed into it.

The four tanks behind stopped in time. With one tank destroyed in front and guerrillas attacking from both sides, it was clear that this was a carefully planned ambush.

To charge down and attack the tank unit with their flesh and blood, these Afghan guerrillas were simply insane. Belikov wanted to eliminate them immediately, but the steep mountains on both sides made it impossible for the tank's cannon or machine gun to reach them.

The brave tankers, facing a dozen Afghan guerrillas, were helpless, which made Belikov very angry.

"404 reporting, 402 has been destroyed, the exit is blocked, I collided with 402, the radiator coolant is leaking, and I won't last a few minutes," the commander of 404 shouted.

Damn, the exit is blocked. What to do? Turn back? Or force our way through?

The T-62 does not have the ability to turn on the spot, which means the tracks cannot rotate in opposite directions to turn the tank 180 degrees. To quickly escape, it would have to be done through a combination of forward and backward movements. Not only is the space limited, but time is also a factor. In a few minutes, 404 would lose power due to engine overheating.

"404, go around 402 and charge out of the valley. Watch out for the rocket launcher," Belikov ordered.

"But there are boulders on both sides, and the road is blocked by 402. We can't get through," the commander of 404 shouted anxiously.

"You must get through. That's an order," Belikov insisted.

They were tankers, not infantry. If 404 abandoned their tank, they would be captured and killed by the guerrillas.

With the hatch closed and relying only on the periscope for visibility, which was already poor, going around 402 was very dangerous. However, the 404 crew knew they had to follow the order.

Having collided with the destroyed 402 without damage, they were already very lucky. Now, they hoped to maintain this luck. The 404 crew were praying in their hearts.

Reversing a bit, the driver of 404, ignoring the red light indicating engine overheating, floored the throttle. In a cloud of black smoke, the tank charged toward the boulder.

If the speed was too high, it would be a violent collision; if too slow, it wouldn't make it. It was hard to judge.

One meter from the boulder, the driver released the throttle and pulled the left control lever.

Slow down, turn, and go up!

When the impact was felt, the driver floored the throttle again, shifting to the lowest gear.

Although tanks appear invincible, they can also roll over. The 404 driver was pushing the limits.

As the tank's tracks made contact with the boulder, the driver revved the engine. Now, it was time to go up!

With the engine roaring, the tracks gripped the boulder without slipping, and the tank successfully climbed up.

The driver breathed a sigh of relief. The engine was overheating, but as long as it could last through this section, they would be safe once out of the valley.

"Clunk, clunk." Suddenly, a strange noise came from the engine compartment.

Damn, the engine is overheating. It seems the pistons have seized! The driver saw the engine speed gauge drop sharply and then stop at zero.

The engine has stopped!

At this moment, the tank's center of gravity had not fully shifted onto the boulder. The T-62 was like a seesaw, trying to tip over but not quite making it.

"Be careful!" the commander shouted, as they felt the tank tilting.

"Boom!" A violent tremor, and the T-62 made intimate contact with the ground.

The tank body rotated 90 degrees, the left side touching the ground, and the entire vehicle lay sideways.

The crew inside suffered two impacts, especially the commander, whose head hit the sight and immediately lost consciousness.

"404 has flipped over." The 405 tank, which was following 404, did not continue forward after seeing 404's fate and reported to the company commander over the radio.

Losing two tanks in quick succession, Belikov knew things were not looking good.

This damned valley!

The guerrillas on both sides were now closing in.

As the guerrillas approached, they were at a lower height, making them vulnerable to the machine guns.

"Back up, use the machine guns to eliminate the guerrillas on both sides," Belikov shouted over the radio. "Call for the infantry squad, call for Jalalabad, we need support."

His tank company had lost two tanks, and the lone 413 was likely in trouble as well.

Although Belikov was unwilling to admit it, his company had been ambushed by a few guerrillas. However, he had no other choice but to request assistance, preferably from helicopters bringing in elite reconnaissance troops to eliminate the guerrillas!

Following Belikov's orders, the tank turrets rotated, and the machine guns sprayed fire at both sides.

Several guerrillas who had rushed forward were hit by the machine guns and fell.

The others immediately dropped to the ground and sought cover.

In their hands, they held some homemade bottles.

These tanks were their targets.

"Clang! Clang!" Inside the turret, Belikov heard the sound of metal clanging. He knew the guerrillas were shooting at his tank with rifles.

The tank's exterior was thick steel. Ordinary bullets trying to penetrate it? These guerrillas must be crazy!

The four tanks did not turn around; the drivers engaged reverse and moved backward.

While retreating, they continued to use the machine guns to suppress the guerrillas.

Suddenly, Belikov realized he could see nothing through his periscope.

Damn!

Belikov would not forget that there was a marksman in the guerrilla group. The marksman had cleverly shot out his periscope.

The probability of this happening was very low.

Without the periscope, the commander was blind, but the gunner still had his. The turret continued to rotate, and Belikov did not believe the guerrillas would be so lucky.

Because Belikov's periscope was broken, he did not see that the guerrillas, although lying down, were still crawling forward, holding glass bottles in their hands.

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