At the Ninth Army Headquarters of the National Defense Force, ever since Qian Guanglu of the Guard Corps had to change the entire night attack plan, Luo Zhang's heart has been focused on the three commandos, and he wished he could fly to the battlefield in person to command this incident that had happened. of night raids.
Just as the Soviet forward political commissar had guessed: the three Wehrmacht commandos that broke into the Soviet military camp were indeed the only mobile troops Luo Zhang could use. Once something happens to the three commandos, the Ninth Army will be in the awkward situation of having no available troops in the ensuing battle.
Therefore, after receiving the news, Luo Zhang directly stayed by the radio station, paying attention to every move of the commando team at any time.
Hearing that the commandos were preparing to retreat, Luo Zhang finally relaxed after being nervous for several hours. After a long sigh, he ordered to the chief of staff behind him: "Immediately order Commander Wang of the heavy artillery division assigned to us by the group army to cover the commando team at all costs to break out of the Soviet barracks. If the Soviet pursuing troops are discovered, immediately intercept them with firepower" "
Because of the air superiority and ground artillery superiority of the Soviet Red Army, thousands of officers and soldiers of the Third Independent Heavy Artillery Division, who had been hidden in underground tunnels as trump cards to avoid being exposed to the Soviet air force in advance and suffered a devastating blow, finally had a chance to vent their anger. A chance to rage in your own heart.
As soon as Luo Zhang's order reached their ears, thousands of artillerymen seemed to be on fire. Without the supervision of superiors at all levels, they began to arrange artillery positions as quickly as possible to put the artillery in the best firing condition.
As time passed by, the black barrels of more than a hundred artillery guns were all pointing straight into the sky, pointing behind the bombardment target.
The order "Fire" finally reached everyone's ears.
"Rumble" The deafening roar of artillery sounded on the battlefield, and more than a hundred artillery shells with orange-red tail flames quickly spewed out from the muzzle. It was like a dazzling meteor, hitting the target at a flying speed of hundreds of meters per second.
The Wehrmacht conducted a night attack on the Soviet heavy artillery position where the commandos were located. After bursts of violent explosions came from the breakthrough point they chose, thousands of officers and soldiers of the commando team who temporarily acted as gunners also completed their last round of artillery fire. not only. Dozens of super-large detonating explosives that were connected in a series and piled a large number of heavy artillery shells on the surface were also completed under Qian Guanglu's instructions.
After reluctantly taking another look at the artillery group composed of hundreds of artillery pieces in front of him, Commander Qian Guanglu decisively ordered: "Since we can't take him away, we can only blow him up The entire commando team is here, right away. Pedal, break out from the direction of the bombardment, and set off"
With the roar of tanks, more than a hundred heavy tanks sounded in the Soviet heavy artillery position. A huge torrent of steel composed of more than one hundred armored vehicles and more than three hundred transport vehicles pressed toward the shelling area.
At this moment, the Soviet army¡¯s second round of attack on the artillery positions officially began.
When the densely packed Soviet infantry and heavy tanks crushed the bodies of the soldiers killed in the first round of attack, bypassed the wreckage of the destroyed tanks, and slowly advanced to a position 300 meters away from the artillery position, preparing to step into the minefield.
A series of explosions that could be called earth-shaking suddenly sounded from the artillery position in front.
The moment dozens of huge fireballs soared into the sky from the ground, hundreds of heavy artillery shells covered in explosives were like a goddess scattering flowers, flying quickly around
To know. These scattered shells are all heavy artillery shells that have been fused, and a slight impact may detonate them.
As a result, a total of tens of thousands of heavy artillery shells produced by the explosion of a dozen giant explosive packages exploded one after another when they landed.
To know. This artillery position with more than 300 heavy artillery has a total area of ??only more than 100,000 square meters. Suddenly, tens of thousands of heavy artillery shells with a lethality radius of more than ten meters exploded within the area of ??more than 100,000 square meters, which means that every ten square meters of space A heavy artillery shell can be allocated to the area.
that's all. With this round of dense and violent explosions in front of them, the Soviet heavy artillery position with hundreds of heavy artillery directly suffered an unprecedented devastating blow.
And this time. The night attack commando team with thousands of troops has rushed to a position less than 500 meters away from the Soviet defense line.
"Contact the heavy artillery division, and the artillery fire will be divided into two. Quickly extend to both ends of the breach to prevent the Soviet army from blocking the breach" Inside the armored command vehicle, seeing the Soviet defense line that had turned into a sea of ??fire in front of them, Captain Qian Guanglu directly ordered a communications soldier with a sneer on his face.
Subsequently, the communication soldier handed over the vehicle-mounted radio microphone and ordered again with a serious face: "Tank regiment, immediately launch an assault on the Soviet defense line, tearing a breach in the direction of the Soviet army Armored regiment, car Transport group, be prepared for an assault. As long as the breach is opened, all vehicles must break out at their fastest speed.?¡attack¡¡±
More than thirty medium-sized tanks first launched an assault with roaring sounds and black smoke in the direction of the Soviet army, which had been completely overwhelmed by artillery fire.
Although there were thousands of Soviet troops and more than a dozen heavy tanks stationed on the Soviet defense line in front of the commandos, after five minutes of ravage by more than a hundred heavy artillery pieces, there were not many defenders left. Therefore, with a charge of the tank battalion, the breakthrough point for the night assault commando team to break out of the Soviet barracks was opened.
The Ninth Army position of the National Defense Forces received news that the commando team had broken through the encirclement and was retreating to the position. Army Commander Luo Zhang took the military headquarters to the front line in person, waiting for the return of the night attack commando.
With everyone¡¯s eager anticipation, an excited exclamation quickly reached everyone¡¯s ears.
"We're back, the night raid commandos are back"
Under the cover of the dark night, although everyone has not yet seen the specific figure of the commando team. However, the roar of the commando's hundreds of tanks, armored vehicles, and even transport vehicles slowly reached everyone's ears from far to near.
As the roar became louder and louder, at the front, a tank that had been smoked black slowly appeared in everyone's sight.
?Following closely behind, more and more tanks and armored vehicles, like a flood bursting from a dam, continued to flood towards their position.
At this moment, an armored vehicle with bullet holes all over its armor and blackened by gunpowder smoke suddenly stopped in front of Luo Zhang and others. Subsequently. Qian Guanglu, who looked tired but exuded excitement all over his body, quickly jumped out of the armored vehicle and walked quickly to where everyone was. salute. Reported loudly.
"Reporting to the military, sirs. The night assault commando team has been ordered to complete the mission. Please give instructions"
After Luo Zhang returned the military salute, he said with a satisfied look: "There is no need to give any instructions. You have completed your mission very well. No, not only very well, but also beyond all of our expectations. The soldiers have worked hard." It¡¯s been a whole night, so go back and have a good rest. Tomorrow morning, you and the other two captains will report to us the specific battle process.¡±
Finished. He ordered to the Chief of Staff Wu Xin behind him: "Chief of Staff Wu, the next task will be left to you. Make sure all the brothers participating in the night attack eat well and rest well"
"Yes, military seat"
The brightly lit military headquarters, although everyone still doesn¡¯t know the specific results and losses achieved by the night attack commando team. However, judging from the size of the convoy that retreated to the position, everyone has felt that the commando team's losses must be very small.
Therefore, without any worries, they could not help but start discussing the huge losses that the Soviet army might pay in this night attack.
Just when everyone was arguing at the headquarters with smiles on their faces about the Soviet army's losses and whether the Soviet army with heavy losses still had the ability to attack. Lieutenant General McKees, commander-in-chief of the Soviet forward force, was already surrounded by his subordinates. Return to the headquarters which was not damaged.
The night attack team of the National Defense Forces successfully broke through under the heavy siege of our own troops, and easily captured the only three heavy artillery divisions in the vanguard. As the direct commander of the battle, the Lieutenant General Political Commissar will undoubtedly bear the main responsibility for such an unprecedented heavy loss.
so. Before Lieutenant General McKees could speak, the political commissar, whose face was pale because of the defeat, returned the command of the troops to Lieutenant General McKees. In the following time, it was like a doll standing at the command post. No more comments.
After glancing at the dejected subordinates in front of him, Lieutenant General McKees understood. Even if the losses of the troops in tonight's battle are not large, considering the existing morale of the troops. Without a few days of rest, we must not launch another attack on the Wehrmacht.
Of course, this is just an assumption made by Lieutenant General McKees. Lieutenant General McKees, who personally experienced a night attack and witnessed countless soldiers and tanks destroyed by the Wehrmacht's heavy artillery attack, knew clearly that tonight's losses It can definitely be called unprecedented.
However, as the top military commander, McKees knew that he could not collapse even in the face of a severe blow.
After letting out a long sigh, he had to suppress his worries and comforted his subordinates.
"Comrades, I hope everyone knows that defeat is temporary. Behind us, there are millions of Far East Red Army troops who can send troops to reinforce us at any time. There is a saying in China that 'victory or defeat is a matter of military strategist'. Therefore, I I hope everyone can cheer up and not be frightened by the defeat in front of them. The heroic Soviet Red Army is invincible and will definitely win the final victory"
After seeing that everyone's depressed expressions had improved slightly, Lieutenant General McKees changed the topic and ordered with a serious face: "Now I order: everyone returns to their troops immediately and counts the casualties and losses of the troops. Before dawn , all data must be sent to me."Because everyone's statistics are related to whether we can continue to stay here after dawn"
Two hours later, when the dark sky began to light up, McKees, whose eyes could see bloodshot eyes because he had not rested well, finally received a damage report from the 1st Tank Division.
"The First Tank Division lost a total of 89 tanks in two consecutive days of attacks. In the night attack last night, a total of 75 tanks and 119 various logistics supply vehicles were lost. So far, the First Tank Division has a total of 100 tanks left. Ninety tanks can continue to participate in the battle. However, because a large number of logistics supply vehicles were destroyed, the remaining fuel and ammunition of the army can only sustain the remaining tanks of the tank division for one day of combat consumption at most"
After reading the report, Lieutenant General McKees couldn't help but feel a sense of heartache and dizziness. However, just before he recovered from the heartache, the damage reports of the 2nd Tank Division and the 3rd Tank Division appeared on the desk of Lieutenant General McKees at the same time, as if they had been discussed.
Because all the tanks in the first round of counterattack against the heavy artillery positions came from the Second Tank Division, the Second Tank Division, which had a total of 360 heavy tanks, almost lost its combat effectiveness. A total of more than 290 tanks fought in two days. And turned into scrap metal during the night attack last night
The 3rd Tank Division happened to be in the direction of the National Defense Force's night attack commando team to break out, and a large number of tanks were sent to pursue it. so. The entire night attack also suffered heavy losses. A total of more than 250 tanks either lay down and lost combat effectiveness, or simply turned into a pile of scrap metal. A full tank division. After one night, only one tank regiment remained.
Putting down the three reports in his hands, Lieutenant General McKees's face turned red with anger. It's like bleeding. After slamming his clenched fist on the table in front of him, he asked the chief of staff with a gloomy look: "In other words, there were more than a thousand heavy tanks before departure, but so far, only three tanks are left. The regiment has less than 400 vehicles.¡±
"Yes, Comrade Commander" the Chief of Staff replied guiltily.
Then, with a worried face, he continued: "Comrade Commander, this is only the loss of three tank divisions The losses of three infantry divisions are also very serious."
"Just tell me the results. How many people have been lost in the three field infantry divisions? How many people can continue to participate in the battle" Lieutenant General McKees, with a gloomy face, asked bluntly.
Although he didn¡¯t know whether he could withstand the commander¡¯s possible anger, the conscientious chief of staff still answered.
"Three field divisions totaled 45,000 troops. The number of people directly slaughtered by the Wehrmacht commandos in last night's night attack reached 8,000. Not only that, in the subsequent shelling, at least 10,000 people were killed on the battlefield. .After all, after the National Defense Force occupied our heavy artillery cluster, it fired at least 30,000 heavy artillery shells at three tank division barracks"
"In addition to the 18,000 people who died directly on the battlefield, a total of 9,000 people were either burned or injured by artillery shells, all of which lost their combat effectiveness"
"Three field divisions have left the relevant logistics troops. So far, only 12,000 people can continue to participate in the warjust enough to be reorganized into four field infantry regiments"
"In terms of artillery, a total of more than 18,000 officers and soldiers from three heavy artillery divisions were bloody massacre by the Wehrmacht commandos. A total of more than 360 heavy artillery pieces. Except for 18 heavy artillery pieces that were still intact and could continue to be used, all the remaining heavy artillery pieces were destroyed. In addition, all the artillery shells we stored in the artillery positions were also destroyed"
?Unexpectedly, after I finished reporting. I didn't hear the imaginary yelling. Facing the bloody casualty figures one after another, Lieutenant General McKees, standing in front of him, became numb.
The small headquarters was silent for five minutes. Lieutenant General McKees, who fell into a sluggish state, said in a low tone: "In other words, of the 100,000-strong army before the dispatch, there are now less than 40,000 left. More importantly, more than 80% of the heavy-duty troops are The weapon has been destroyed by the opponent"
Under the gaze of McKees with a pair of lifeless eyes, the chief of staff did not speak, but nodded helplessly in agreement.
For a moment, the command headquarters fell into deep thought again because of Lieutenant General McKees' silence. In the end, the political commissar who was still sitting on the side couldn't bear this atmosphere. Of course, for the sake of his own safety in the future, and to avoid repeating the outcome of a large number of Soviet Red Army soldiers who were captured or died on the battlefield more than a year ago, he mustered up the courage to face the enemy. Lieutenant General McKees asked beside him.
"Comrade Commander, I don't know if you have a good idea about the current war situation. It's daybreak. What should we do next? Should we continue to attack the National Defense Forces here and engage in military confrontation with them, or should we retreat immediately? Please make a decision immediately, time is running out"
Sent by everyoneMcKees, who had high hopes, finally said: "We failed to eliminate the Wehrmacht commandos who attacked us at night. The main force of the Wehrmacht is still standing in front of us. More importantly, through last night's night attack, we saw that in the hands of the Wehrmacht on the opposite side At least the heavy equipment of a heavy artillery division is hidden.¡±
"Under such circumstances, if we cannot completely eliminate the National Defense Forces in front of us within one day today. At night, the National Defense Forces with the advantage of heavy artillery will definitely launch a new round of attacks on us. By then, what awaits us will really be It turned into a catastrophe"
After understanding the hidden meaning of Lieutenant General McKees¡¯ words, the tension and solemn expressions on everyone¡¯s faces finally showed signs of easing. The commander continued to look at the face in front of him and slowly calmed down, waiting for Lieutenant General McKees to continue.
Without letting everyone wait too long, Lieutenant General McKees, who had already made a decision in his mind, decisively ordered: "Chief of Staff, you immediately order generals at all levels to quickly reorganize their troops and prepare for retreat"
"Comrade Political Commissar, you should immediately contact the General Headquarters of the Far East Military Region and report the current situation of our army verbatim. At the same time, request the military region to immediately dispatch the air force to cover the retreat of our forward troops and temporarily break away from contact with the National Defense Forces to avoid being Total annihilation of the Wehrmacht¡¡±
"The remaining people will be arranged by the chief of staff and immediately dispersed to various combat units to assist the relevant generals in reorganizing the troops to avoid causing panic to the entire unit after the withdrawal order is issued"
Because too many Soviet Red Army soldiers were killed on the battlefield, and more than 80% of the entire forward transport vehicles were destroyed in the night attack last night. The hastily retreating Soviet Red Army took away tens of thousands of wounded soldiers, tens of thousands of Soviet Red Army corpses, weapons and ammunition everywhere, destroyed heavy artillery and tank wreckageall of which were cruelly left on the battlefield by Lieutenant General McKees.
In this way, the Soviet forwards, which lasted for two days and caused unprecedented heavy losses to the Ninth Army of the Wehrmacht, had to evacuate the battlefield in embarrassment under the escort of air fighters, waiting for the follow-up main force. (To be continued, please search Piaotian Literature. The novels will be better and updated faster!