Two days later, traces of German troops appeared again in the defense area of the 1st Battalion of the 122nd Regiment. This time, the enemy was no longer a dozen scouts on motorcycles, but a large group of infantry covered by tanks and armored vehicles.
Seeing that the enemy was gathering in the distance, Captain Vasily quickly picked up the phone and reported to the regiment commander, Lieutenant Colonel Papuchenko: "Comrade regiment commander, a large number of German tanks and infantry appeared in front of our battalion. Gathered and seemingly ready to attack us.”
"I understand." Papuchenko replied briefly after hearing this: "Keep a close eye on the enemy. Once they have any new movements, report them to the regiment headquarters in a timely manner."
After finishing the call with Captain Vasily, Papuchenko called the division headquarters and reported to Sokov: "Comrade Division Commander, I just received a report from the commander of the first battalion. There are a large number of soldiers in front of their defensive positions. German tanks and infantry were massing and it looked like they were preparing to attack.”
When Sokov heard that this information came from the First Battalion, he naturally believed the authenticity of this information. After he waited for Papuchenko to finish speaking, he immediately said: "Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, let the soldiers enter the position and prepare for battle. I am afraid that there will be a fierce battle before long."
"Comrade Division Commander, our regiment lacks enough anti-tank weapons. Do you think you can give us some support?"
Before learning about the appearance of the German army, Sokov had been in a very anxious mood, but at this moment his mood became calm. After listening to Papuchenko's request, he said lightly: "Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, have you forgotten the rocket launchers equipped in your regiment? They are the most powerful individual anti-tank weapons of this era, although they are not many in number. , but it’s not a big problem to kill twenty or thirty German tanks.”
"What about the artillery and tanks?" Papuchenko felt that there were no artillery and tanks behind him, so he felt a little lack of confidence: "When can they provide us with artillery support?"
"Don't worry, we will provide you with artillery support at the right time." Sokov felt that Papuchenko had become a little panicked due to the sudden appearance of the German army, so he comforted him and said: "First Battalion, Second Battalion The power of the one hundred new rockets equipped is no weaker than that of an artillery regiment. These rockets are enough to send thousands of German soldiers to meet their God."
Before hanging up the phone, Sokov warned him again: "Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, you are the commander of a regiment. There are more than 4,000 commanders and soldiers under you. Don't let your panic affect the morale and morale of the army. . If the situation is dangerous, just call me and I will help you."
"Comrade Division Commander," Anisimov on the side heard what Sokov said and asked in confusion: "I don't understand, we can obviously provide artillery support to the 122nd Guards Regiment, why do you refuse? ?”
"Comrade Political Commissar, there are two reasons why I disagree with the premature use of artillery fire." Seeing Anisimov's confusion, Sokov explained to him: "First, our forward troops have a large number of New rockets and rocket launchers are powerful weapons for enemy infantry and tanks; secondly, the number of tanks and artillery we have is limited, and if we use tanks and self-propelled artillery in the first battle, our strength will be exposed."
"Comrade Commander, I would like to ask, will the enemy be distracted by our false positions?" Sidorin asked cautiously: "If we cannot distract the enemy, then won't all our hard work be in vain? ?”
"Even if the false position does not work this time, it does not mean that it will not work in the future." Sokov explained to Sidorin: "Perhaps the Germans will concentrate artillery bombardment or use aircraft to bomb our position when they attack next time. Then these false positions that were set up not long ago can be put to use."
The battle at the front quickly began.
The Germans did not know exactly how many troops the Soviet army deployed in the direction of Luhansk, so they did not conduct artillery bombardment before the attack. The infantry, under the cover of tanks, rushed towards the 1st Battalion's position.
Captain Vasily stood in his command post, holding a telescope and looking at the German tanks getting closer and closer. He couldn't help but beat his heart. He didn't know whether the minefield in front of the position could slow down the advance of the German tanks. He put down the telescope, picked up the phone, and connected to the company command post of the second company. He asked Guchakov who answered the phone with some lack of confidence: "Comrade Captain, how many anti-tank mines are buried in front of your position?"
"There are twenty." Guchakov reported to Vasily while observing the approaching German tanks: "Judging from the route of the enemy tanks, at least five tanks will run over anti-tank mines."
Before he finished speaking, there was a dull explosion in the distance, and a moving German tank was obscured by the rising snow powder and mud. When the snow powder fell and the soil fell, Guchakov clearly saw the thick smoke rising from the bottom of the tank. He quickly reported to Vasily: "Comrade Battalion Commander, a tank has hit a mine. Didn't look Someone escaped inside, and it seems that all the German tank crews were wiped out."
"I saw it, Comrade Captain." Seeing that the mine laid by the Second Company easily killed a German tank, Vasily felt relieved. He thought to himself: The German tanks are not scary. Not only do we have anti-tank mines, but we also have new rocket launchers. As long as the German tanks are killed, their infantry will not be a concern. The dozens of new rockets equipped in their own battalion are enough to blow these German infantry to pieces.
Less than a minute after the first tank was blown up by a mine, another tank ran over a mine. This time it also caused the ammunition in the vehicle to explode. The blown turret fell into the snow not far away. , hit an anti-tank mine without hesitation, causing another explosion, and was bounced into the air again.
Two tanks were blown up in succession, and the remaining German tanks stopped in place. They shot aimlessly at the Second Company's position, waiting patiently for the engineers behind to clear mines for them.
After Guchakov discovered the German army's intention, he quickly called a communications soldier and ordered him: "Go and notify the sniper team on the position. If you find German engineers appearing, kill them all immediately. You must not let them They clear mines.”
The communications soldier loudly agreed, turned around and ran out of the command post.
"Comrade Battalion Commander," Guchakov said into the microphone: "The enemy's tanks were frightened by our mines. They did not dare to move forward. They were probably waiting for the engineers behind them to come and clear the mines. I have given the snipers instructions. After receiving the order, as soon as you see the enemy's engineers, kill them all immediately, and you must not let them clear mines!"
"Captain Guchakov, your decision is correct." After listening to Guchakov's report, Vasily said happily: "As long as their engineers are destroyed, the enemy's tanks will not dare to advance. Without tanks The German infantry acting as guides could not break through our defense lines at all."
"That's right." Seeing the enemy's tanks stagnant, Guchakov said with a relaxed expression: "Judging from the current situation, we only need a few snipers to prevent the enemy from moving forward."
