The words of the artillery regiment commander made everyone present realize that in order to eliminate the unsightly Soviet troops opposite them, in addition to sending ground troops to attack, they could also use intensive artillery fire to blow them to pieces.
Herbert knew very well that the reason why his troops were able to defeat the Soviet army was that in addition to the well-trained officers and soldiers, rich combat experience and bravery, strong firepower was also one of the main factors for victory. .
"Yes, our advantage is that we have strong firepower." Herbert said: "We must know how to use this advantage to deal with those damn Russians. After dawn, we should not launch an attack on the town for the time being. There should be It is already in ruins, and even occupying it is of little significance. If any Russians are found inside, fire immediately to eliminate them all."
"Your Excellency, division commander," the division chief of staff waited for Hurlburt to finish and reminded him in a low voice: "Our artillery is limited in number. If we want to eliminate the Russians in the town, we may need to think of other methods."
"You don't have to worry about this." Herbert said confidently: "The troops attacking the town are not just our division, there are other troops, plus their artillery, it shouldn't be too big to eliminate the Russians in the town. question."
"Yes, the other troops involved in the attack are also equipped with artillery." The artillery regiment commander continued: "They can undertake most of the artillery missions."
The commander of the light infantry battalion, who had never spoken, couldn't help but ask: "Mr. Colonel, why do we let other troops take on the main artillery task? Is it that our divisional artillery cannot complete such a task?"
The commander of the light infantry battalion is just a major. Questioning a colonel at such a military meeting is simply an act of provocation and is a typical offender.
The people present thought that Herbert would get angry and reprimand the ignorant major. However, what surprised everyone was that the always stern division commander said to the artillery regiment commander with a gentle expression: "Colonel, since the major has proposed to you If you have any questions, just tell him the answer."
The reason why Hurlbert was so tolerant to the major was entirely because the battalion suffered heavy losses in the two-day battle, especially in the shelling that ended not long ago. Another company of the battalion was killed in the Soviet artillery fire. Reimbursed.
Although the commander of the artillery regiment did not know about this, since it was Herbert who had spoken, he naturally had to explain it to this officer with a lower rank than himself. He coughed lightly, cleared his throat, and said with a bit of dissatisfaction: "Major, the reason why I said that friendly artillery should be responsible for most of the bombardment of the town is because our regiment's artillery still has to bombard the town. The bridge built by the Russians over the Dnieper River.”
At this point, he sneered and continued: "If there is no need for artillery fire to block the river, once the Russians are allowed to set up a pontoon bridge on the Dnieper River, they will continuously transfer troops from the left bank to the current fighting area. Within, build a solid bridgehead.”
The commander of the light infantry battalion was too low-level to know that the Soviet army had ever built a pontoon bridge on the Dnieper River, but after hearing what the artillery regiment commander said, he obediently kept his mouth shut. He knew very well that once the Soviet army completed the erection of the pontoon bridge on the Dnieper River, a large number of troops and equipment could be transported from the left bank to the right bank through the bridge.
Seeing that the commander of the light infantry battalion stopped talking, Herbert continued: "After listening to the artillery regiment commander's introduction, everyone should understand in their hearts why we cannot concentrate all the artillery fire to deal with the Russian defensive positions. It's because we want to keep enough artillery to destroy the pontoon bridges the Russians have built across the Dnieper."
While the German army was studying the strategy for the next day, Shumilov on the right bank of the Dnieper River received a call from Sivarenko and learned that the artillery of the 27th Army had dealt a devastating blow to the Ratseve garrison. , asked with some excitement: "General Sivarenko, can you confirm that the defenders in Ratseve Town were hit by devastating artillery fire?"
"Yes, Comrade Commander." Sivarenko replied in a positive tone: "I am absolutely sure."
"What about the troops in front of your position?" After Shumilov confirmed this information, he asked cautiously: "What actions did they take? Did they launch an attack on the town?"
"No, Comrade Commander." Ever since he learned that the artillery of the 27th Army was shelling the town of Ratseve, Sivarenko had sent out an observation post to keep an eye on the friendly positions to see if they would take any action. But until the bombardment ended, there was no sign of an attack on the friendly troops' positions, so he truthfully reported to Shumilov: "I sent people to keep an eye on it nearby. If there are any actions by the friendly troops, I will know it as soon as possible." . But so far, there is no sign of friendly forces attacking."
Hearing what Sivarenko said, Shumilov couldn't help but frowned. He thought to himself: What kind of trick is this Sokov going to do? According to past tactics, after the shelling is over, shouldn't the troops be organized to attack immediately? When the enemy was stunned by the bombing, he decisively regained the lost position.
After ending the call with Sivarenko, Shumilov thought for a while and decided to report the matter to Konev and talk to the other party about his inner thoughts.
Konev was woken up from his sleep by his adjutant, and he was still a little unhappy. But when he heard that it was Shumilov who called him, he realized that something might have happened to him. He quickly got out of bed, put on his military coat and came to his house. At the command post, he picked up the microphone on the table: "Sumilov, this is Konev, what happened there?"
"Comrade Commander," Shumilov reported respectfully on the phone: "I just received a call from General Sivarenko. He said that the artillery of the 27th Army bombarded the town of Ratseve, giving the German troops who occupied the town a A devastating blow."
The 15th Guards Division abandoned the town of Ratseve. Before retreating, Sivarenko reported the matter to Shumilov, who in turn reported the matter to Konev. Therefore, Konev was not surprised when he heard Sivarenko's report at this moment. He just said lightly: "General Shumilov, as far as I know, the 15th Guards Division is currently deployed behind the 27th Army. , even if the town is bombarded, the troops involved in the attack will not have their turn. If he wants to ask for a battle, don't agree to him for the time being, and let him take the troops to rest for a few days. Do you understand? "
"Comrade Commander, you misunderstood me." Shumilov heard what Konev said and immediately realized that the other party had misunderstood. He quickly explained: "Although the friendly forces dealt a devastating blow to the enemy, they did not launch an attack." Ground attack."
The words of the artillery regiment commander made everyone present realize that in order to eliminate the unsightly Soviet troops opposite them, in addition to sending ground troops to attack, they could also use intensive artillery fire to blow them to pieces.
Herbert knew very well that the reason why his troops were able to defeat the Soviet army was that in addition to the well-trained officers and soldiers, rich combat experience and bravery, strong firepower was also one of the main factors for victory. .
"Yes, our advantage is that we have strong firepower." Herbert said: "We must know how to use this advantage to deal with those damn Russians. After dawn, we should not launch an attack on the town for the time being. There should be It is already in ruins, and even occupying it does not make much sense. If any Russians are found inside, fire immediately to eliminate them all."
"Your Excellency, division commander," the division chief of staff waited for Hurlburt to finish and reminded him in a low voice: "Our artillery is limited in number. If we want to eliminate the Russians in the town, we may need to think of other methods."
"You don't have to worry about this." Herbert said confidently: "The troops attacking the town are not just our division, there are other troops, plus their artillery, it shouldn't be too big to eliminate the Russians in the town. question."
"Yes, the other troops involved in the attack are also equipped with artillery." The artillery regiment commander continued: "They can undertake most of the artillery missions."
The commander of the light infantry battalion, who had never spoken, couldn't help but ask: "Mr. Colonel, why do we let other troops take on the main artillery task? Is it that our divisional artillery cannot complete such a task?"
The commander of the light infantry battalion is just a major. Questioning a colonel at such a military meeting is simply an act of provocation and is a typical offender.
The people present thought that Herbert would get angry and reprimand the ignorant major. However, what surprised everyone was that the always stern division commander said to the artillery regiment commander with a gentle expression: "Colonel, since the major has proposed to you If you have any questions, just tell him the answer."
The reason why Hurlbert was so tolerant to the major was entirely because the battalion suffered heavy losses in the two-day battle, especially in the shelling that ended not long ago. Another company of the battalion was killed in the Soviet artillery fire. Reimbursed.
Although the commander of the artillery regiment did not know about this, since it was Herbert who had spoken, he naturally had to explain it to this officer with a lower rank than himself. He coughed lightly, cleared his throat, and said with a bit of dissatisfaction: "Major, the reason why I said that friendly artillery should be responsible for most of the bombardment of the town is because our regiment's artillery still has to bombard the town. The bridge built by the Russians over the Dnieper River.”
At this point, he sneered and continued: "If there is no need for artillery fire to block the river, once the Russians are allowed to set up a pontoon bridge on the Dnieper River, they will continuously transfer troops from the left bank to the current fighting area. Within, build a solid bridgehead.”
The commander of the light infantry battalion was too low-level to know that the Soviet army had ever built a pontoon bridge on the Dnieper River, but after hearing what the artillery regiment commander said, he obediently kept his mouth shut. He knew very well that once the Soviet army completed the erection of the pontoon bridge on the Dnieper River, a large number of troops and equipment could be transported from the left bank to the right bank through the bridge.
Seeing that the commander of the light infantry battalion stopped talking, Herbert continued: "After listening to the artillery regiment commander's introduction, everyone should understand in their hearts why we cannot concentrate all the artillery fire to deal with the Russian defensive positions. It's because we want to keep enough artillery to destroy the pontoon bridges the Russians have built across the Dnieper."
While the German army was studying the strategy for the next day, Shumilov on the right bank of the Dnieper River received a call from Sivarenko and learned that the artillery of the 27th Army had dealt a devastating blow to the Ratseve garrison. , asked with some excitement: "General Sivarenko, can you confirm that the defenders in Ratseve Town were hit by devastating artillery fire?"
"Yes, Comrade Commander." Sivarenko replied in a positive tone: "I am absolutely sure."
"What about the troops in front of your position?" After Shumilov confirmed this information, he asked cautiously: "What actions did they take? Did they launch an attack on the town?"
"No, Comrade Commander." Ever since he learned that the artillery of the 27th Army was shelling the town of Ratseve, Sivarenko sent out an observation post to keep an eye on the friendly positions to see if they would take any action. But until the bombardment ended, there was no sign of an attack on the friendly positions, so he truthfully reported to Shumilov: "I sent people to keep an eye on it nearby. If the friendly forces make any moves, I will know it as soon as possible." . But so far, there is no sign of friendly forces attacking."
Hearing what Sivarenko said, Shumilov couldn't help but frowned. He thought to himself: What kind of trick is this Sokov going to do? According to past tactics, after the bombardment, shouldn't the troops be organized to attack immediately? When the enemy was stunned by the bombing, he decisively regained the lost position.
After ending the call with Sivarenko, Shumilov thought for a while and decided to report the matter to Konev and talk to the other party about his inner thoughts.
Konev was woken up from his sleep by his adjutant, and he was still a little unhappy, but when he heard that the call was from Shumilov, he realized that something might have happened to him. He quickly got out of bed, put on his military coat and came to his home. At the command post, he picked up the microphone on the table: "Sumilov, this is Konev, what happened there?"
"Comrade Commander," Shumilov reported respectfully on the phone: "I just received a call from General Sivarenko. He said that the artillery of the 27th Army had shelled the town of Ratseve, giving the German troops who occupied the town a A devastating blow."
The 15th Guards Division abandoned the town of Ratseve. Before retreating, Sivarenko reported the matter to Shumilov, who in turn reported the matter to Konev. Therefore, Konev was not surprised when he heard Sivarenko's report at this moment. He just said lightly: "General Shumilov, as far as I know, the 15th Guards Division is currently deployed behind the 27th Army. , even if the town is bombarded, the troops involved in the attack will not have their turn. If he wants to ask for a battle, don't agree to him for the time being, and let him take the troops to rest for a few days. Do you understand? "
"Comrade Commander, you misunderstood me." Shumilov heard what Konev said and immediately realized that the other party had misunderstood. He quickly explained: "Although the friendly forces dealt a devastating blow to the enemy, they did not launch an attack." Ground attack."
"What, what did you say?" This time it was Konev's turn to be surprised. He asked in confusion: "General Shumilov, didn't you say that the artillery of the 27th Group Army caused a devastating blow to the enemy? They Why not attack?"
