Besieging the fortified area was a German infantry division with an armored regiment.
The German division commander stood in front of the map, looked at the map of the fortification area, and said to his chief of staff: "Chief of Staff, the Russians are hiding in their fortification area. There are strong fortresses here. If we don't have heavy artillery, I'm afraid it will be very difficult." It is difficult to annihilate them in the fortified area.”
"Yes, Your Excellency, Division Commander." The Chief of Staff said with emotion: "This fortification area was originally built to prevent us. Because they misjudged the time when we launched the war, after the fortifications in the fortification area were repaired, No supporting fortifications were installed, and no troops were sent to garrison.
Because they had no precautions, as soon as our army launched the attack, the fortified area fell into the hands of our army without any fighting at all. I really didn’t expect that a few years later, they would actually use this place again. Since the bunkers and fortifications in the fortification area are made of reinforced concrete up to two meters thick, it is impossible to destroy these fortifications with our existing artillery. "
"I heard that the Russian troops trapped in the Belovizh Forest have been rescued by their friendly forces." The German division commander said: "If we cannot quickly occupy the fortified area and eliminate the Russian cavalry inside, wait for the Russian Human armies are surrounding us from all directions, and I’m worried that whether we can escape unscathed by then is a question.”
"Your Excellency, division commander, don't worry." The division chief of staff sneered and said: "The Russians are actually a bunch of rabble. Sometimes the more troops they have, the more chaotic their command will be. Think about it, in the few years since the war began, our army has There have been many cases of winning with less, and I believe this time will be no exception."
The German division commander, who was still a little worried at first, felt much more at ease when he heard his chief of staff say this. He pointed at the map and said: "Order the armored regiment to use this as a breakthrough point to guide the infantry to attack the fortification area. Based on my understanding of the Russians, their defense lines are linear defenses and lack defense depth. Once a certain point is broken through by our army, It will lead to a total collapse.”
"I understand, Your Excellency, Division Commander." The Chief of Staff nodded and said, "I will immediately go make arrangements for the attack."
The German division commander did not know that the Soviet army today was no longer the Soviet army at the beginning of the war, especially that he was facing the Guards Cavalry Army. A unit with the title of Guards meant that its combat effectiveness was stronger than that of ordinary troops. The attack he launched was destined to have little hope of success.
Before the attack began, the Germans shelled the fortified area for a quarter of an hour.
If it were an ordinary field fortification, the German 150mm artillery would cause considerable casualties to the defenders. But now the commanders and fighters of the cavalry army are hiding in strong fortifications. Although artillery shells hit the fortifications directly from time to time, they are unable to destroy them. At most, the dust from the roof is shaken off, and the dust is spread all over the bodies of the commanders and fighters hiding inside.
As soon as the artillery fire stopped, the observation post discovered that the German infantry, guided by the tanks, launched an attack towards the fortification area, and quickly blew the whistle to remind the commanders and soldiers hiding in the fortifications to avoid the artillery fire to enter the combat position.
The artillery positions of the cavalry corps were arranged behind the fortification area, followed by 76.2 mm medium artillery, but they were more than enough to deal with the German infantry. The artillery observer hid at the highest point of the fortification. After calculating the position of the German army, he reported the parameters to the artillerymen behind and asked them to intercept the attacking German army.
As the order was issued, the Soviet artillery fired hundreds of artillery shells at the attackers in just a few minutes, causing the German offensive ranks to burst into flames, splashing mud and blood.
Although artillery of this caliber poses little threat to the German Panther tank, after a round of artillery fire, there are basically no standing German infantry within a hundred meters behind the Panther tank. Without the cover of the infantry, the infantry Tanzanian cooperation is out of the question. However, in order to avoid the Soviet artillery fire, the German tank crews stayed inside the tanks. They had no idea that the infantry following behind had been almost cleared by the artillery fire and continued to advance rapidly.
Seeing the German tanks rushing up without infantry cover, the Soviet commander on the position could not help but be overjoyed and quickly issued an order: "Put the German tanks into our position, and then use anti-tank grenades or anti-tank weapons to destroy it from behind." .”
The anti-tank guns equipped by the Soviet army were too big to destroy the German Panther tanks from the front, but if the opponent's tanks were allowed to cross the trenches and then attacked from behind, they could be easily destroyed.
In this way, more than 20 German Panther tanks rumbled across the first Soviet trench and rushed towards the depth of the fortified area. The triumphant tank soldiers never dreamed that behind them, the black shells of anti-tank guns were already aimed at them.
After a series of explosions, these arrogant tanks were destroyed one after another and burned on the ground blackened by gunpowder smoke. The tank soldiers who escaped from the tanks were basically killed by the soldiers' random gunfire.
In this way, the attack launched by the German army ended in failure again, and more than 20 tanks and a large number of soldiers were lost.
When the Germans began their offensive, Insmailov's infantry division also arrived nearby. His subordinates asked him for instructions: "Comrade division commander, the enemy is attacking the fortification area. Should we attack the enemy immediately in order to rescue our friendly troops from danger?"
If he had not received Sokov's instructions, Yinsmeilov might not have hesitated to launch an attack when he saw the fortified area being attacked by the Germans. But now he seemed very steady: "Don't be anxious. Only one of our divisions has arrived at the designated location. Colonel Liugekov's 211th Infantry Division, as well as the tank brigade and artillery regiment assigned to us by our superiors, have not yet arrived. If you are not in position, it will not be too late to attack the enemy after they have all arrived."
Immediately, Yinsmeilov ordered the commander of the communication company: "Get in touch with the fortification area immediately and tell them the news of our arrival so that they are well aware of it."
Upon hearing Yinsmeilov's order, the commander of the communications company did not dare to neglect, put on the earphone of the walkie-talkie himself, and kept shouting into the transmitter: "This is the 284th Infantry Division, calling the 4th Guards Cavalry Corps... …”
After several minutes of calling, a voice finally came from the earphone: "I am General Pliyev, commander of the Guards Cavalry Corps. Who are you?"
The communications company commander heard Pliyev's voice and quickly said to Insmailov: "Comrade division commander, we have contacted the commander in the fortification area."
"Hello, Comrade General." Insmailov said to Pliyev straight to the point: "I am Colonel Insmailov, commander of the 284th Infantry Division. I came to relieve you on the order of the commander, General Sokov. ?”
When Pliyev heard that they were reinforcements coming to relieve the siege, he was naturally very happy. He asked tentatively: "I wonder how many troops you have come this time?"
"Two infantry divisions, a tank brigade, and several artillery regiments." Yinsmeilov said into the microphone: "We will attack the enemy as soon as possible. I hope you can continue to persist."
"Colonel, don't worry." Pliyev said: "We now have strong defenses to rely on, and ammunition and supplies provided by our superiors. Even if we support it for a few more days, there will be no problem. I want to ask, what are your plans? When do you want the enemy to attack?"
"I'm afraid it will have to wait for a while." Yinsmeilov said: "Currently, our division is the only one that has arrived at the designated position. I still need to stay and wait for other troops. After they are all here, I will launch an attack on the German army. To save you."
Although the cavalry army had enough ammunition and weapons, and solid fortifications to rely on, for Pliyev, it was best to escape from the German encirclement as soon as possible. He quickly asked: "Comrade Colonel, can you Can you tell me a specific time? That way I can know it well."
Yinsmeilov calculated silently in his mind and felt that even if Liujikov's troops moved slowly, they should be able to arrive within two hours, so he said slowly: "I think in two hours, the rest of the troops will arrive." The troops should be able to arrive, and then we can attack the enemy."
"In two hours?" Pliyev said: "Then I will notify the troops below and let them prepare to attack. After you launch an attack on the enemy, they will rush out from the fortification area and come with you. The inside should be coordinated with the outside."
Hearing Pliyev say this, Yinsmeilov couldn't help but feel his heart skip a beat. He knew very well that with the emergence of machine guns, the cavalry troops that originally played the leading role on the battlefield gradually became useless. The reason is simple. In the face of the dense bullets of machine guns, the once invincible cavalry became a living target. If the cavalry in the fortification area suddenly rushes out when your own troops attack the enemy, they will not play much role except becoming a target for the Germans to shoot at.
It was based on this consideration that Yinsmeilov said: "Comrade General, I think after our attack begins, it is best for you to stick to the fortification area and not attack easily."
"Why?" Pliyev asked.
"The reason is very simple." Yinsmeilov did not beat around the bush and said straightforwardly: "The Germans have tanks and armored vehicles, as well as a large number of machine guns and submachine guns. If you use cavalry to attack them, I am worried that it will cause huge damage to the troops. casualties. Therefore, you’d better stick to the fortification area and let us deal with the enemies outside.”
Hearing what Yinsmeilov said, Pliyev was stunned for a moment, then understood the other party's intention, and nodded and said: "Okay, comrade colonel, I'll leave it to you to rescue the siege."
It was said to be two hours, but after waiting for three full hours, Liujikov's 211th Infantry Division arrived belatedly. The tank brigade and artillery regiment have yet to be seen due to the muddy road they came from.
After Yinsmeilov saw Liugekov, he told him about the phone call between himself and Pliyev, and then tentatively asked: "Liugekov, only our two infantry divisions have arrived at the designated location now. Position. Can you tell me, what should I do next, attack the Germans directly?"
"No, Yinsmeilov." Liugekov waved his hands and said: "Without artillery support and tanks to guide the infantry, it would be an act of suicide for us to rashly attack the Germans."
"What, a suicidal act?"
"Yes." Liugekov said: "If we simply rely on infantry to launch an attack, the enemy's artillery fire and tanks will consume a lot of our physical strength. In the end, the friendly forces will not be rescued, but we will be trapped in it." .”
"It makes sense." Yinsmeilov nodded and said: "Then I will contact the commander immediately and ask him to urge the tank brigade and artillery regiment to come over and join us as soon as possible. With their assistance, we will have more Defeat the enemy with great certainty.”
A few minutes later, the communications company commander helped Yinsmeilov contact Sokov.
Hearing Yinsmeilov's voice, Sokov asked bluntly: "Comrade Colonel, have you launched an attack on the enemy?"
"Not yet, Comrade Commander."
"What, you haven't launched an attack yet?" Sokov was a little angry: "What is going on? Why haven't you launched an attack yet? If you delay the opportunity, I will shoot you."
Hearing Sokov's anger, Yinsmeilov quickly explained: "Comrade Commander, it's really not our fault. Our division had arrived at the designated position more than three hours ago. And Colonel Lidyukov's The 211th Division also arrived not long ago. The tank brigade and artillery regiment that are cooperating with us are still missing. I would like to ask you to help us urge them to speed up their march and come over to join us as soon as possible."
"The tank brigade and artillery regiment haven't arrived at the designated position yet?" Sokov knew that he had wrongly blamed Yinsmeilov, so he slowed down and said: "It just rained heavily today and the roads became muddy. The transportation of tanks and artillery will definitely be affected. Impact. It seems that you can only wait a little longer, but I will urge them to speed up their march."
After setting down the point, Sokov said to Sidorin: "Chief of Staff, please contact the tank brigade and artillery regiment immediately and ask them what's going on and why they haven't reached the designated position yet. You know, if there is no artillery and artillery regiment, With the cooperation of tanks, our infantry divisions were unable to defeat the German troops besieging and fortifying the area."
Knowing that the tank brigade and artillery regiment failed to arrive at the designated location in time, Sidorin was also anxious, which meant that the official start of the relief operation would be delayed. He quickly said to Sokov: "Comrade Commander, the road conditions are not ideal to begin with. In addition, there was a sudden heavy rain today, which damaged the roads. As a result, our technical equipment was transported at a slower speed. The impact. I think the timing of the attack may be delayed."
"Comrade Commander." Ponejelin suggested to Sokov: "Since the tank brigade and artillery regiment don't know when they will be in place, it is better to launch an attack on the command infantry. I want to use the strength of two infantry divisions to attack There shouldn’t be much of a problem in defeating the enemies surrounding the fortified area.”
"No, Comrade Deputy Commander, this is absolutely not possible." Sokov simply rejected Ponedelin's proposal: "Although our troops can defeat the enemy without the cooperation of tanks and artillery. But have you ever thought about it? However, if we really do this, it will inevitably cause heavy casualties to our officers and soldiers. I don’t want several troops to lose the ability to continue fighting after a battle. So what we can do now is to continue to wait.”
