The fortress commander picked up another phone and said into the receiver: "I am the fortress commander. The artillery immediately opened fire on the fortress area to provide fire coverage there."
He gave the order to fire so decisively, not because he did not condone the life and death of his men. On the contrary, his approach could rescue his men from the predicament. He knew very well that the bunkers in the fortress area were made of reinforced concrete up to one meter thick, and some were even as thick as two meters. Even if they were hit by artillery shells, they would be unlikely to be destroyed. But the Soviet infantry and tanks exposed on the open ground were wiped out under such intensive artillery fire.
However, the Soviet commanders and fighters did not know that the German army was about to open fire on this area and continued to advance deeper into the fortress area. At this moment, there was a scream in the air, and then countless artillery shells fell and exploded in the fortress area. Since the German artillery was familiar with the coordinates of this area, it did not need the guidance of artillery observers or test firings, but directly fired.
Several sudden explosions outside the tank frightened Major Bunch. Just hearing the movement outside, he knew it was definitely a large-caliber artillery, and he broke out in a cold sweat. Although the falling shells did not hit the tank that Major Bunch was riding in, the impact point was very close, and the shrapnel knocked against the armor steel plate.
Not only was Major Bunch scared, but the commanders and fighters of the 1st Battalion of the 258th Regiment who assisted the tank attack were also frightened by the sudden shelling. As infantrymen, they naturally know the power of large-caliber artillery. Among other things, a few shells landed nearby and exploded, turning dozens of meters around the explosion point into a death zone. Almost a platoon of soldiers was immediately wiped out. Get closer. The soldiers were even blown to pieces.
Belgin, who was in the rear command post, heard the rumble of artillery coming from outside and rushed to the lookout hole. Looking at the smoke rising everywhere in the fortress area, he immediately realized that the tank brigade and his troops were being attacked. When he saw the enemy's fierce shelling, he ordered to hide on the spot and called the division headquarters to prepare to report the situation here.
Fomenko, who received Belkin's call, thought the other party had some good news to tell him, and said with a smile: "Comrade Deputy Division Commander, are you going to tell me that your 258th Regiment has occupied the entire fortress?" district."
"Sorry, Comrade Commander, I think what I have to tell you is bad news."
"Bad news, what bad news?" Fomenko asked in confusion: "Did the enemy's reinforcements arrive and launch a counterattack against you?"
"No, the enemy did not launch a counterattack." Belkin gritted his molars and said sadly: "The artillery of Merefa Fortress is shelling the fortress area, causing great casualties to my troops."
"What, the enemy is shelling the fortress area?" Manokhin, who was standing nearby, happened to hear the content of Belkin's report to Fomenko. He asked in surprise: "Isn't the enemy worried that the artillery fire will accidentally injure one of his own people?"
"Of course there is no need to worry." Fomenko shook his head and said to Manokhin: "Comrade Political Commissar, the enemies in the fortress area are hiding in the fortifications of reinforced concrete buildings. Such shelling poses no threat to them at all. On the contrary. , our tanks and infantry exposed on the open ground will suffer heavy casualties under German artillery fire."
"Then what should we do?" Manoxin asked in a panic: "We can't just watch the enemy use artillery fire to wipe out all our troops who entered the fortress area, right?"
"Comrade Political Commissar, after all, there are many safe areas in the fortress area. If the enemy wants to eliminate the 258th Regiment, it will not be easy." After Fomenko said this, he said to Belgin on the other end of the phone Said: "Comrade Deputy Division Commander, immediately organize the troops to hide. It will not be too late to launch an attack after the enemy's shelling is over."
After putting down the phone, Fomenko walked back and forth in the room with his hands behind his back, thinking about how to solve the current predicament. After walking back and forth in the headquarters for more than a dozen times, he stopped and said to the Chief of Staff: "Comrade Chief of Staff, please immediately notify Colonel Rusov to come to the division headquarters. I have an important task to entrust to him."
While the chief of staff was on the phone, Fomenko ordered someone to call the group army headquarters, preparing to report the situation here directly to Sokov.
When the voice of Chief of Staff Samyko came from the receiver, Fomenko quickly said politely: "Hello, Comrade Chief of Staff."
"General Fomenko, did you encounter any difficulties in your attack?"
"Yes, Colonel Belkin personally commanded the 258th Regiment. He was about to occupy the fortress area, but he was suddenly bombarded by the German fortress artillery and suffered considerable losses..."
When Samyko heard that something happened to the troops commanded by Belkin, he quickly covered the microphone and reported to Sokov who was chatting with Lunev: "Comrade Commander, General Fomenko reported that the 258th Regiment of the Division is about to occupy The enemy's fortress area was attacked by artillery fire from the fortress, and now the troops have suffered extremely heavy casualties."
He was deeply afraid that Sokov would not pay attention to this kind of report, and specifically added: "The 258th Regiment is personally commanded by Colonel Belkin."
If Samyko had not said the latter sentence, Sokov had not yet connected the 258th Regiment with Belkin. After all, there were so many troops in the entire army group, and it was impossible for him to clearly remember the name of each commander. But when he learned that the matter was related to Belkin, he became nervous: "Colonel Belkin was not injured, right?"
Military Commissar Lunev's focus was obviously different from Sokov's. He asked Samyko tentatively: "Comrade Chief of Staff, I don't quite understand. The Germans rashly fired at the fortress area without worrying about accidentally injuring their own people." ?"
"There can be no accidental damage." Sokov said: "The enemies are hiding in thick reinforced concrete buildings, and no matter how fierce the artillery fire is, the damage caused to them is very effective. But our tanks and infantry in the open area, There will definitely be heavy casualties.”
"Then what should we do?" Samyko asked Sokov for instructions: "Now that the troops of the 1st Artillery Division have crossed the river, should we order them to bombard the enemy's fortress to prevent the enemy's artillery from continuing to bombard the fortress area."
"No." Sokov rejected Samek's proposal without hesitation: "We don't know the specific location of the German artillery. Even if it is an artillery strike, I am afraid it will not have much effect, but it will easily expose the specific location of our artillery. "
"Then what should we do?" When he thought about the officers and soldiers of the 84th Division bleeding and dying every minute, Sameko became particularly excited: "Are we watching helplessly as our men and our comrades were killed by the enemy's artillery fire? Destroy it?"
"Comrade Chief of Staff, let me stress it again." Sokov said in a stern tone: "I just said that using artillery is of little significance. When did you say you won't support them?"
Hearing what Sokov said, Samyko immediately realized that he had wrongly blamed Sokov. After apologizing to the other party, he continued: "Then how should we support them?"
"Artillery cannot destroy the artillery of the German fortress, but what about the air force?" A smile appeared on Sokov's face again: "I think the main use of the air force to bomb the fortress can force the German artillery to stop bombarding."
"This is a good idea." Sameko said excitedly: "I will call the front army headquarters and ask them to send planes to Merefa Fortress to bomb the German artillery positions."
Konev learned that the German army was violently shelling the fortress area, causing heavy casualties to the troops who invaded that area. He quickly called Goryunov, the commander of the 5th Air Force Army, and said straight to the point: "Comrade Air Force Lieutenant General , I’m going to assign you a difficult task now.”
"Speak, General Commander!"
"It's like this. A unit of the 27th Group Army that invaded the fortress area was attacked by artillery from Merefa Fortress." Konev said concisely: "Your air force immediately dispatched to attack the artillery positions in the German fortress. Carrying out fierce bombing force the enemy to stop shelling our troops."
"Understood, Comrade Commander." Goryunov replied clearly to Konev: "My bomber formations will take off one after another in half an hour to bomb the German Merefa Fortress."
Just as Konev, Sokov and others were trying their best to rescue the troops who were shelled in the fortress area, the commanders and fighters of the 258th Regiment had received Belkin's order and retreated into the bunkers that had already been occupied. Inside, there to avoid German shelling. Major Bunch's tank was broken into pieces, with its body tightly attached to the north of the bunker to avoid artillery fire from the Merefa Fortress in the south.
However, despite this, the more than thirty tanks of the tank brigade were turned into piles of burning scrap metal under the enemy's shelling. The number of tank crews who escaped from these destroyed tanks only accounted for one-third of the actual number. The remaining tank crews did not die on the spot when the tanks were shot. The fortress commander picked up another phone and said into the receiver: "I am the fortress commander. The artillery immediately opened fire on the fortress area to provide fire coverage there."
He gave the order to fire so decisively, not because he did not condone the life and death of his men. On the contrary, his approach could rescue his men from the predicament. He knew very well that the bunkers in the fortress area were made of reinforced concrete up to one meter thick, and some were even as thick as two meters. Even if they were hit by artillery shells, they would be unlikely to be destroyed. But the Soviet infantry and tanks exposed on the open ground were wiped out under such intensive artillery fire.
However, the Soviet commanders and fighters did not know that the German army was about to open fire on this area and continued to advance deeper into the fortress area. At this moment, there was a scream in the air, and then countless artillery shells fell and exploded in the fortress area. Since the German artillery was familiar with the coordinates of this area, it did not need the guidance of artillery observers or test firings, but directly fired.
Several sudden explosions outside the tank frightened Major Bunch. Just hearing the movement outside, he knew it was definitely a large-caliber artillery, and he broke out in a cold sweat. Although the falling shells did not hit the tank that Major Bunch was riding in, the impact point was very close, and the shrapnel knocked against the armor steel plate.
Not only was Major Bunch scared, but the commanders and fighters of the 1st Battalion of the 258th Regiment who assisted the tank attack were also frightened by the sudden shelling. As infantrymen, they naturally know the power of large-caliber artillery. Among other things, a few shells landed nearby and exploded, turning dozens of meters around the explosion point into a death zone. Almost a platoon of soldiers was immediately wiped out. Get closer. The soldiers were even blown to pieces.
Belgin, who was in the rear command post, heard the rumble of artillery coming from outside and rushed to the lookout hole. Looking at the smoke rising everywhere in the fortress area, he immediately realized that the tank brigade and his troops were being attacked. When he saw the enemy's fierce shelling, he ordered to hide on the spot and called the division headquarters to prepare to report the situation here.
Fomenko, who received Belkin's call, thought the other party had some good news to tell him, and said with a smile: "Comrade Deputy Division Commander, are you going to tell me that your 258th Regiment has occupied the entire fortress?" district."
"Sorry, Comrade Commander, I think what I have to tell you is bad news."
"Bad news, what bad news?" Fomenko asked in confusion: "Did the enemy's reinforcements arrive and launch a counterattack against you?"
"No, the enemy did not launch a counterattack." Belkin gritted his molars and said sadly: "The artillery of Merefa Fortress is shelling the fortress area, causing great casualties to my troops."
"What, the enemy is shelling the fortress area?" Manokhin, who was standing nearby, happened to hear the content of Belkin's report to Fomenko. He asked in surprise: "Isn't the enemy worried that the artillery fire will accidentally injure one of his own people?"
"Of course there is no need to worry." Fomenko shook his head and said to Manokhin: "Comrade Political Commissar, the enemies in the fortress area are hiding in the fortifications of reinforced concrete buildings. Such shelling poses no threat to them at all. On the contrary. , our tanks and infantry exposed on the open ground will suffer heavy casualties under German artillery fire."
"Then what should we do?" Manoxin asked in a panic: "We can't just watch the enemy use artillery fire to wipe out all our troops who entered the fortress area, right?"
"Comrade Political Commissar, after all, there are many safe areas in the fortress area. If the enemy wants to eliminate the 258th Regiment, it will not be easy." After Fomenko said this, he said to Belgin on the other end of the phone Said: "Comrade Deputy Division Commander, immediately organize the troops to hide. It will not be too late to launch an attack after the enemy's shelling is over."
After putting down the phone, Fomenko walked back and forth in the room with his hands behind his back, thinking about how to solve the current predicament. After walking back and forth in the headquarters for more than a dozen times, he stopped and said to the Chief of Staff: "Comrade Chief of Staff, please immediately notify Colonel Rusov to come to the division headquarters. I have an important task to entrust to him."
