Many things are easy to say but difficult to do. Although Lin Hua talked about the "three-three assault tactics" very well, when all the squad leaders were summoned and started training with him, a series of problems still appeared. It took Lin Hua more than an hour to barely let these squad and platoon leaders master this tactic.
When the squad and platoon leaders went back to organize the soldiers to practice the new tactics, Ivan walked up to the frowning Lin Hua and comforted him and said, "Misha, don't worry, it's our first time coming into contact with this tactic, so there's some confusion." It’s inevitable. Didn’t you see that in the end, everyone cooperated very well?”
"Comrade Battalion Commander," seeing Ivan trusting him so much, Lin Hua turned to look at him and said gratefully, "Thank you, thank you for your trust in me."
"Misha, you don't need to thank me." Ivan waved his hand towards him, looked at the two company commanders beside him, and then said: "It is you who have proven your ability with your actual actions, so we will unconditionally support you."
"Comrade Battalion Commander is right." As soon as Ivan finished speaking, Leskov echoed: "If it weren't for your 'breaking the wall and opening a way' tactic, our battalion would probably have been surrendered to Gogol Street. Although everyone is not familiar with this new tactic of yours, I estimate that in the coming battles, the casualties of the troops will be greatly reduced."
According to Ivan's idea, let the soldiers below practice for one to two hours. After they have roughly mastered this new tactic, they can then attack the church occupied by the German army. But Xie Dulin, who was staying at the regiment command post, couldn't calm down. He called Ivan and asked angrily: "Comrade Major, why haven't your troops launched an attack yet?"
"Comrade Commander," Ivan heard Shedulin getting angry and quickly explained to him: "We have already launched an attack, but it was repulsed due to too much firepower from the Germans. Now we are regrouping and preparing. Attack again."
"It's been two hours since your last attack." As Shedulin spoke, he raised his hand and looked at his watch: "It's been two hours, why haven't you attacked yet?"
Ivan glanced at Lin Hua, who was standing next to him, and said into the microphone: "Comrade commander, Lieutenant Sokov has proposed a new tactic that can greatly reduce the casualties of our army in the attack. We are now in the process of The fighters are organized to train in new tactics, so combat preparations take a little longer.”
I heard that Lin Hua had developed a new tactic, which immediately aroused Xie Dulin's interest. He slowed down and asked, "Major, I wonder what new tactics he has introduced?"
Fortunately, Ivan's memory was not bad, and he immediately repeated to Xie Dulin the "three-three assault tactics" that Lin Hua said. After hearing this, Xie Dulin did not express his position immediately, but asked: "Major, what do you think of this tactic?"
"Comrade Commander, although we have not yet had time to put this tactic into actual combat," Ivan said excitedly into the microphone: "But judging from the effects of our training, we can greatly reduce casualties in offensive battles."
"Then when can you restart the attack?" Shedulin said to Ivan in a consultative tone: "The progress of the 1st and 3rd Battalions was very unsatisfactory. They encountered tenacious German defense. Therefore, I can only assign the importance of capturing the church to The task is left to you to complete. But you must hurry up. The troops of the 1073rd and 1075th regiments are moving in your direction. Maybe they will occupy the church before you do."
Although Xie Dulin said this to Ivan in a discussion tone. But Ivan is also a smart man. He knows that Xie Dulin is also a competitive person, and he will never be willing to let his friendly forces take the lead. So as soon as he put down the phone, he called the two company commanders in front of him and told them: "Okay, comrades, company commanders, the training of new tactics should wait until the battle is over and then start slowly. Our current mission , is to immediately resume the attack on the church, and we must get ahead of the friendly forces and capture the church."
The attack on the church began again. Light and heavy machine guns placed in sandbag fortifications and wall holes simultaneously fired at the church's defense lines to suppress the German firepower.
The German troops in the church saw that the Soviet troops had resumed their attack and immediately started shooting impatiently. But they soon discovered that something was wrong. The attacking Soviet troops had a strange formation. They were all in groups of three, using short leaps with alternate cover, and moved closer toward the church little by little.
The skirmishing formation used by the Soviet army could always knock down seven, eight, or even a dozen people as long as one shot of bullets was fired. But now it has turned into this strange formation that has never been seen before. Coupled with the suppression of Soviet machine gun fire in the distance, it is good to knock down four or five people with one shuttle.
Lin Hua, who was hiding in the sandbag fortifications and watching the battle with Ivan, suddenly heard the roar of a tank engine from the street behind him. He couldn't help but shuddered and thought in horror: "Where did this tank come from? Could it be the Germans?" Are the tanks outflanking us from behind?"
He turned to look at the street behind him. After seeing clearly that it was a T-34 tank, he breathed a sigh of relief. He raised his hand to wipe the cold sweat from his forehead and said loudly to Ivan next to him: "Batalion Commander." Comrade, our tanks are coming."
Ivan quickly ordered the machine guns placed on the street to stop firing and make way for the approaching tanks. Ivan stood on the side of the road, waving his pistol desperately, and shouted at the tank passing in front of him: "Brothers, you came just in time. Hurry up and fire the gun to knock out the machine gun on the bell tower! Hurry up and fire!"
The tank rumbled past him, and he didn't know if the tank crew heard his shout. However, the tank stopped after driving more than a hundred meters beyond the barricade, slowly raised its muzzle, and fired a shot at the bell tower in the distance. The artillery shell accurately hit the target, and the violent explosion blew up the German troops hiding in the bell tower. At the same time, it collapsed the bell tower on the top of the church.
After destroying the bell tower, the tank's tracks began to rotate again, approaching the church step by step. When it stopped again, it was only a hundred meters away from the church. The turret slowly turned again and aimed at the closed wooden door. After a loud "boom", the wooden door was blown to pieces. The soldiers hiding near the church jumped up from the snow, shouting and rushed in through the door that was still smoking.
Through the telescope, Ivan clearly saw his soldiers filing in through the blasted doorway. Engage in close combat and hand-to-hand combat with the German troops in the church. Just a few minutes later, a bright red flag stretched out from a window on the second floor of the church.
"Incredible, simply incredible." As the red flag appeared, it meant that the Soviet troops had occupied the church. Ivan looked at the red flag fluttering in the wind and said: "There were only more than thirty casualties. To take this church down is just incredible.”
