Malinin considered that the two armies were now fighting together. If there was no unified command, even if they rushed into Sedelce, they would probably be fighting independently, so he took the initiative to ask Sokov: "Comrade Sokov , since the attack on Sedelce is a joint operation between you and the 11th Guards Tank Corps, who do you think should take command?"
"The chief of staff of the front army, whether it is Tolstikov, the commander of the 1st Guards Division, or Onupryenko, the commander of the 6th Guards Division, both of them have the rank of major general." Sokov said: " As far as I know, Guttmann, the commander of the 11th Guards Tank Corps, also has the rank of major general. The three of them have the same rank. If there is no unified command, even if the troops rush into Sedelce, they will fight independently. situation. As for who will be in charge of unified command, I think it’s up to you to decide.”
Seeing that Sokov had left the decision in his own hands, Malinin thought for a moment and then said: "Comrade Sokov, the 11th Guards Tank Corps is currently responsible for the main offensive task, and the 1st and 11th Guards Tank Corps under your command The 6th Division is only assisting in the battle, so I suggest that Major General Guttmann of the Tank Corps command this attack. Do you have any objection?"
"No." Now that Malinin had made his decision, Sokov answered simply: "I will resolutely obey your order."
"Okay, since you have no objection." Malinin reminded Sokov: "Then you say hello to the two division commanders Tolstikov and Onuprienko and ask them to obey the command of Major General Guttman Tank Corps. "
After Sokov and Malinin negotiated the attack on Sedelce, he put down the phone and said to Sidorin: "Comrade Chief of Staff, immediately called the two division commanders and told them to wait for the troops to arrive at Sedelce's outer attack area. Later, it accepted the unified command of General Guttmann, commander of the 11th Guards Tank Corps."
"Understood, Comrade Commander." Sidorin replied: "I will immediately convey your order to the two division commanders."
Regarding Sokov's arrangement, Bulganin nodded and said with satisfaction: "General Sokov, you have done a good job and know how to let the right person command this battle. To be honest, I just said I’m worried, if you don’t agree to Chief of Staff Malinen’s proposal, how can I convince you.”
"Bulganin," Khrushchev heard what Bulganin said and couldn't help but ask, "Why do you think so?"
"You know, the force attacking Sedelce now is the 11th Guards Tank Corps, and the two newly arrived Guards Infantry Divisions are just auxiliary attacks." Bulganin explained to Khrushchev: "The infantry The commander does not know how to command the tank troops. If one of the two Guards Division commanders is allowed to command this battle, I am afraid that the orders he gives to the tank troops will make the tank troops confused."
"Comrade Military Commissar is right." As soon as Bulganin finished speaking, Ponedelin added: "The streets in Sedelce are narrow, and only the commander of the tank corps knows how to use tanks in such terrain. Only by fighting can we avoid command errors, which may lead to tanks being wiped out by the Germans on narrow streets.”
After receiving the order from Sidorin, Tolstikov and Onupryenko immediately rushed to the temporary headquarters of the 11th Guards Tank Corps, where they accepted Guttman's combat order.
Seeing the arrival of the two division commanders, Guttmann quickly stepped forward to shake hands with them and said politely: "Comrade division commanders, welcome your arrival! I hope that in the next battle, we can work together to defeat the Germans." Get out of Sedelce."
"General Guttman," Tolstikov asked first, "I'm curious, since your troops have rushed into the city of Sedelce, why have you been unable to drive out all the defenders in the city? Are you leaving?"
Hearing Tolstikov's question, Guttman couldn't help but blush, and introduced to the two division commanders: "Comrade division commanders, my troops did rush into the city and caused a lot of damage to the enemy. Chaos. But because our infantry failed to keep up in time, we relied solely on tanks to fight alone in the city. We may be able to break through the enemy's defenses, but we lack enough infantry to capture the city."
"General Guttman, now we are here." After Tolstikov figured out the reason why the opponent had not been able to capture the city, he smiled and said to Guttman: "As long as your tanks can break through the enemy's defense line, Our infantry can follow up and occupy it. Just give the battle order, and we will definitely cooperate with you."
"Yes, General Guttmann." Onupriyenko also echoed: "We will resolutely obey your command, just give us the order."
"Two division commanders, this is what I think about it." Seeing that the two division commanders were willing to obey his command, Guttman felt much more at ease. He pointed at the map and said to them: "I plan to bombard these two division commanders with artillery fire." area, after the bombardment is over, my tank brigade will open the way in front, while your troops will follow these tanks and attack the city."
"No problem, we'll go back and deploy immediately."
As soon as the two division commanders returned to their units, they heard rumbling artillery fire from the direction of the city. This was the artillery unit directly under Guttmann's command, shelling the German defenses in the city in an attempt to eliminate them through artillery fire. The effective strength of the German army.
The bombardment lasted only half an hour and came to an abrupt end. As soon as the gunfire stopped, the 20th and 65th tank brigades split into two groups and launched an attack on the city that was still filled with gunpowder smoke.
The defenders, who were stunned by the artillery fire, saw the Soviet tanks rushing up and tried to repeat the same trick. After preparing to make a passage for the tanks, they allowed anti-tank soldiers to attack the tanks from both sides of the road. But they soon discovered that these tricks of theirs could no longer be used, because there were groups of Soviet infantry behind the tanks, and the anti-tank soldiers who were taking a detour to the two wings fell to the dense rain of bullets. under.
The tank troops of the Skeleton Division discovered that the Soviet tanks had rushed into the city, and quickly rushed back from the northern suburbs of the city, trying to launch an attack from the Soviet flank. According to the commander's idea, as long as a few more Soviet tanks are destroyed, this attack on the city will collapse.
But what he didn't expect was that the Panther tanks traveling along the street were suddenly hit by anti-tank fire from the buildings on both sides of the road. The rockets fired from the window of the building accurately hit the weak top of the tank's armor, and soon the Panther tanks, which had been arrogant not long ago, were turned into piles of burning torches on the streets.
Seeing that the situation was not good, the German armor commander was worried that if the battle continued, all the tanks in his hands would be lost, so he quickly ordered the armored troops to withdraw from the battlefield and take the northern suburbs of the city. Escape towards Warsaw.
Although they lost the support of tanks, the defenders in the city were still stubbornly resisting the Soviet attack. Since the anti-tank crews could not attack the Soviet tanks from the buildings on both sides of the road, they could only deploy several anti-tank guns on the front of their attack in an attempt to destroy the tanks that were advancing forward.
But it is regrettable that the IS-2 tanks of the 50th Heavy Tank Battalion of the Soviet Army are rushing to the front now. A general small-caliber anti-tank gun hits the armor plate of the IS-2 heavy tank, which is like scratching an itch. Almost impossible to slow down the forward movement of the tank.
The defenders brought in an 88mm anti-aircraft gun to try to destroy the Soviet tanks advancing along the street. But unfortunately, the hastily fired shell hit the tank's front armor and did not penetrate at all, but turned into a ricochet.
Seeing that the Soviet tanks were indestructible and rumbled towards the position, the defenders on the position couldn't help but become panicked. Especially when they saw groups of Soviet commanders and soldiers following the tanks, they knew that when the other side rushed over, it would be their end, so they all abandoned their positions and turned around and fled in the opposite direction.
Whether it was the commanders and fighters of the 1st Guards Division or the 6th Guards Division, they originally thought that the attack on Sedelce would be a bloody battle, but they did not expect that not long after the troops entered the city, the defenders began to abandon their positions and flee. The commanders and fighters who rushed quickly were able to more or less eliminate a few enemies. However, those commanders and fighters who entered the city later did not even see a single living German soldier. They couldn't help but feel a little annoyed, so they accelerated the attack speed, hoping that they could also fight with the Germans. Fight face to face.
The 36th Tank Brigade, which was trapped in the city and had been unable to expand its victory, saw that the defenders in the city suddenly fell into chaos, and some even passed by them and fled towards the western suburbs.
The brigade commander was still confused when he saw this. He didn't know that the enemy had taken the wrong medicine and actually gave up his position and ran away. Just when he was puzzled, the car radio suddenly heard Guttman calling, "Hey, I am Guttman, can you hear my voice? Repeat, I am Guttman, can you hear my voice?" ?"
"I can hear you, Comrade Commander." Hearing that it was Commander Guttmann calling, the brigade commander who answered the phone quickly asked, "Do you have any instructions?"
"Comrade Colonel," Guttmann said to the tank brigade commander: "Currently, the commanders and fighters of the friendly 1st and 6th Guards Divisions are moving towards us under the cover of our 20th and 65th Tank Brigades and the 50th Heavy Tank Regiment. Launch an attack on the city. Please report to me quickly what the situation is like there."
"Report to Comrade Commander," the tank brigade commander quickly replied: "Our brigade controls the central area of the city. At this moment, you can see a group of German officers and soldiers passing near the area we occupied and heading towards the western suburbs."
"Towards the western suburbs?" Guttman asked tentatively, "Are they running away?"
"Yes, Comrade Commander." The tank brigade commander said affirmatively: "When the enemy saw our tanks, they did not launch an attack at all. Instead, they went around to a nearby alley and continued to escape towards the west. According to my judgment, the enemy I have completely lost my will to resist and just want to escape from the city as soon as possible."
"Comrade Colonel, listen," Guttmann said to the tank brigade commander: "When friendly infantry appears in the area you occupy, you will guide them to attack the fleeing German troops. Do you understand?"
"Understood, Comrade Commander." The tank brigade commander replied loudly: "I will convey your order to all battalions."
After Guttmann completed the deployment of the 36th Tank Brigade, he was worried that the commanders and fighters of the 1st and 6th Guards Divisions would attack too fast. If they suddenly saw the 36th Tank Brigade appearing in front, there might be a misunderstanding, so he personally The two division commanders called and informed them that the city center had been occupied by the 36th Tank Brigade.
After listening to Guttman's words, Tolstikov asked tentatively: "General Guttman, so the enemy's defense in the city has basically been defeated by us, and they are seizing the time to escape?"
"Yes, General Tolstikov. This is exactly the case." Guttman affirmed Tolstikov's statement, and specifically added: "I have given the 36th Tank Brigade The commander has issued an order. As soon as we see your troops appearing near the center of the city, we will immediately guide you to attack the enemy and make sure to keep more enemies behind."
After Tolstikov ended his call with Guttman, he immediately informed his several regimental commanders that the German army no longer had any decent resistance in Sedelce, and ordered them to speed up the attack and be sure to wait until the enemy escapes. Before the city, eliminate more of their vitality.
When Onupryenko conveyed the order to his subordinates, Ma Daqiang asked curiously: "Comrade division commander, are the Germans in the city really escaping? Isn't it false news?"
"No, Lieutenant Colonel Ma Daqiang." Onuprienko said firmly: "This is what General Guttmann, commander of the 11th Guards Tank Corps, said personally. By the way, his 36th Tank Brigade is now Right in the middle of the city, your regiment should speed up and rush over to join them. After joining them, their tanks will be the leader to guide you to attack the German soldiers who are fleeing for their lives."
Knowing that the defenders in the city had lost their will to resist and were fleeing towards the west of the city, the Soviet commanders and fighters who entered the city knew that their opportunity to make a contribution had come, and they all retreated towards the enemy as if they had been given blood. direction to pursue.
After more than three hours of fierce fighting, the sound of gunfire and explosions in the city gradually became sparse.
Guttmann heard that the movement in the city was getting quieter and quieter, so he called the commander of the 20th Tank Brigade and asked: "Comrade Commander, how is the situation there?"
The tank brigade commander just poked his head out of the turret, looked out at the streets still filled with gunpowder smoke, and reported to Guttmann: "Comrade Commander, I can no longer see a single German standing in my field of vision. There were only German corpses everywhere, along with destroyed tanks and barricades.”
"Well done, Comrade Brigade Commander." Guttman knew from the other party's report that the defenders in the city were almost wiped out. After praising the other party a few times, he called several other subordinates to learn about the troops. Progress in town.
After making the necessary phone calls, Guttmann understood the fact that all the enemies in the city had been driven out of the city. Even if there were still German soldiers alive in the city, they had become the targets of the commanders and fighters of the two Guards Divisions. captive.
After confirming that the city had been occupied, he ordered the telegraph operator: "Immediately send a telegram to the front army headquarters, saying that our troops have successfully occupied the entire city of Sedelce. Except for a few of the defenders in the city who escaped, the rest were not captured. To be eliminated is to become a prisoner of two Guards divisions.”
After dictating the order, he raised his hand and patted the operator on the shoulder, and ordered: "Send the telegram to the front headquarters immediately to report the victory to Comrade Marshal!"
