In the following days, although the enemies in front of the Second Belarusian Front tried their best to resist, their fighting was nothing more than a trapped beast still fighting. Although it caused some trouble to the Soviet commanders and fighters, it could not stop the Soviet army from advancing at all. footsteps.
Seeing that the end of the war was getting closer, Sokov couldn't help but become agitated. Every day at noon and evening, he would take the initiative to call the front army headquarters to learn about the progress of Zhukov and Konev's troops in Berlin.
At noon on April 28, he called the front army headquarters again to learn about the progress of friendly forces today.
What he didn't expect was that the person who answered the phone was Rokossovsky. As soon as the other party heard Sokov's voice, he smiled and asked: "Misha, are you calling to learn about the fighting situation of friendly forces?"
"Yes, Comrade Marshal." Sokov concealed it with some embarrassment: "Although my troops have no chance to enter Berlin to fight, being able to hear the fighting situation of friendly forces at any time is almost as effective as participating in the war in person."
"Then let me tell you good news." Rokossovsky said: "The 3rd Shock Army commanded by Kuznetsov has now captured the Moltke Bridge on the Spree River, not far from the Reichstag Building in Berlin. Far away. I believe it won’t be long before they launch an attack on the Capitol.”
"Ah, General Kuznetsov's troops have approached the Reichstag Building in Berlin?" Sokov learned that Kuznetsov's troops had arrived near the Reichstag Building. Although he felt a little disappointed, he was disappointed with such good news. , he still looked particularly excited: "This is really great. As long as the Reichstag is captured, it means the final victory in the Battle of Berlin."
"You are right," Rokossovsky agreed with Sokov's statement: "Kuznetsov plans to use a division of troops to participate in the attack on the Capitol. It seems that, He wanted to take down the Reichstag in one fell swoop without giving the Germans a chance to breathe."
When Sokov put down the phone and told the members of the headquarters what Rokossovsky had said, the room suddenly turned into a sea of joy, with countless people shouting "Ula!" As for Sokov, he couldn't even hear his own voice clearly, so he could only shut up obediently and wait for everyone to finish cheering before continuing to speak.
After finally waiting for the room to become quiet again, Sokov said loudly: "Comrades, although we were not able to participate in the battle in Berlin, everything we have done now has beneficially ensured that friendly forces will not be harmed when fighting in the city. We were hit by enemies on the flanks. Although we were not participants in the liberation of Berlin, we still have a share of credit in the credit book."
"Comrade Commander," Lednikova asked Sokov tentatively: "Isn't it a bit exaggerated for General Kuznetsov to use one division to attack the Capitol? I think one regiment is enough to win the victory." Get off this building.”
Hearing what Lednikova said, Sokov could only laugh. He knew very well that the 171st Infantry Division originally dispatched by Kuznetsov was almost wiped out under the powerful firepower of the German defenders. In desperation, Kuznetsov could only redeploy the 150th Infantry Division and the 23rd Tank Brigade to participate in the attack on the Capitol.
"Comrade Lieutenant, you may not know that the Berlin Reichstag is the symbol of Germany's highest authority and the last line of defense for the Germans." Runev, who had just returned from the field hospital, lay in a recliner with a pale face and said to Lednikova said: "Planting the red flag on the top of the Reichstag symbolizes our complete defeat of the German invaders. If General Kuznetsov sends a regiment, I believe we can capture the Reichstag, but with one investment With the strength of one division, the time to capture the building can be greatly shortened.”
Sokov actually didn't quite understand the significance of sending troops to seize the Capitol. He had complained more than once in his heart that with the powerful firepower of the Soviet army, the Capitol could be razed to the ground, but thousands of people had to be killed. It is simply unbelievable that the commanders and soldiers went to die. But listening to what Luniev said at this moment, he realized that he had thought of the problem too simply. If it were another building, it might be possible to bomb it directly with artillery or aircraft to turn it into ruins, but the Capitol Building is different. But witnessing the rise of Mustache, only by occupying this building can the German invaders be truly defeated.
But Sokov had different ideas about the amount of troops needed to seize the Reichstag. He knew very well that after Berlin was surrounded by the Soviet army, the Germans tried to build the Reichstag into a solid fire support point. A large number of circular fortifications were built around it and connected by trenches. The doors and windows on each floor of the building were also sealed with bricks and cement, and shooting holes for various firepower were built.
In addition, the Germans also deployed a number of 105mm howitzers on the tops of the Capitol and surrounding buildings. When the Soviet army launched an attack, they could use powerful artillery fire to kill the Soviet army's effective forces, thus weakening the Soviet army. offensive momentum.
However, these things have not happened yet, and Sokov cannot mention it to anyone, otherwise his identity will arouse suspicion from others. You know, let alone Rokossovsky, even Zhukov, who was commanding the battle in Berlin, didn't know about such an important matter. You, the commander of an army group dozens of kilometers away, actually had no idea about the German army. The defense deployment is well understood, which is incredible.
On the 29th, the troops of the 3rd Assault Army captured the Ministry of the Interior and the Royal Theater under the cover of powerful artillery fire. After capturing these two strong buildings, the 171st Infantry Division rushed directly to the Capitol Building, trying to capture this significant building in the shortest possible time.
However, the Soviet commanders obviously underestimated the German army's determination to hold on to the Capitol. The Germans used howitzers on the roof to bombard the tanks opening the way from above, and used machine guns to shoot at the infantry charging behind the tanks. Unexpectedly, German soldiers deployed in other areas discovered that the Capitol was under attack. Without waiting for orders from their superiors, they rushed over to support the Soviet troops in an organized manner and launched an attack on the Soviet army from the flank.
Faced with such heavy casualties of the troops, Kuznetsov couldn't help but flew into a rage. He quickly shouted to his chief of staff: "Chief of staff, pull up my Italian artillery... No, bring all our 152mm and 203 Pull up the millimeter artillery and bombard the German firepower points hard, and we must clear the obstacles for our offensive troops."
As the order was issued, nearly a hundred large-caliber artillery were mobilized and fired according to the pre-calibrated firing points. Under intensive artillery fire, the artillery positions deployed on the tops of several buildings near the National Defense Building were reduced to ashes as the buildings collapsed in the artillery fire. The firepower to suppress the Soviet army suddenly became much sparser.
Seeing that his bombardment was effective, Kuznetsov, who was eager to capture the Capitol, gave an order to the commander of the 171st Infantry Division: "Comrade Colonel, the Capitol is right in front of you. Take your people and rush up to it immediately. Can you?" Receiving awards for meritorious service depends on your performance."
After receiving the order, the Soviet division commander did not dare to neglect, and quickly gave orders to several of his regiment commanders, asking them to charge towards the Capitol Building again and be sure to capture the building before dark. In fact, even if the division commander did not give the order, the regiment commanders under him could no longer hold back. You must know that this is a good opportunity to make a contribution. If it is delayed any longer, other friendly troops may come over to participate in the attack on the Capitol. , then shouldn’t this great credit be shared with others?
As a result, the commanders and fighters who had been suppressed by German firepower in the ruins stood up from their hiding places and rushed to the Capitol with weapons in hand. They wanted to occupy this building of great significance to Germany in the shortest possible time.
But what the commanders and soldiers did not expect was that they were once again hit by artillery fire from the roof in front of the Capitol Square. What was worse, some daring SS troops actually rushed out of the Capitol and launched an attack on the Soviet troops. Fight back. For a time, a fierce battle broke out between the two sides outside the Capitol. After half an hour of fighting, less than fifty of the two hundred SS officers and soldiers who attacked returned to the Capitol. Among the more than two thousand Soviet commanders and soldiers who attacked the Capitol, except for a few seriously injured soldiers who fell on the ground and were dying, , all the others died heroically.
"Comrade Marshal," seeing that his troops' attack was frustrated again, Kuznetsov realized that if the artillery on the roof of the Capitol Building was not eliminated, his troops would not be able to rush into the Capitol Building, so he could only call Zhukov. Seeking help from him: "Our attack on the Capitol ended in failure again. The 171st Infantry Division, which was responsible for the main attack, suffered more than two-thirds of its casualties and was basically unable to launch a new attack."
When Zhukov learned that it was Kuznetsov who called him, he was secretly happy for a time, thinking that the other party was reporting good news to him about the occupation of the Capitol, but unexpectedly he received such bad news. He cleared his throat and said displeasedly: "General Kuznetsov, what is going on? Why did your attack fail? If you feel that you are not capable of taking down the Capitol, just speak up. Anyway, there are many people who want to command the troops to capture the Reichstag Building. At least Chuikov, who is not far from you, has always been thinking about capturing the Reichstag Building in Berlin personally. If you want to give up, I can let Chuikov take over your combat area. "
Knowing that Zhukov was going to hand over the task of attacking the Capitol to Chuikov's troops, Kuznetsov lost his temper: "Comrade Marshal, we are still capable of continuing the fight and do not need friendly forces to replace us. But the German army The artillery deployed on the Capitol was too much of a threat to our attacking forces, and because of the angle, their artillery could hit us, but our artillery couldn't hit them."
"Then I will dispatch the air force to destroy the artillery position on top of the Capitol Building to reduce the threat to you." Zhukov continued to ask: "Since the 171st Infantry Division has been disabled, which force do you plan to replace them? What about the offense?”
"I plan to let Major General Shatilov's 150th Infantry Division take over from the 171st Division."
But Zhukov did not immediately agree to Kuznetsov's plan: "General Kuznetsov, I think after the air force's bombing is over, we can let the 171st Infantry Division try again. In any case, they are the first There are troops attacking the Capitol, and if they are withdrawn like this, I am worried about the emotions of the commanders and soldiers."
"I understand, Comrade Marshal." Kuznetsov knew very well that despite the heavy losses of the 171st Infantry Division, the division commander would definitely not be willing to be replaced before the troops were exhausted, so he He readily accepted Zhukov's suggestion: "I will let the 171st Division attack the Capitol again to see if they can win the honor of capturing the Capitol and putting the red flag on the roof."
A four-plane bomber formation bombed the artillery position on the roof of the Capitol. The aerial bomb dropped by the pilot accurately hit the artillery position on the roof and destroyed the artillery. The detonated artillery shells left the roof full of holes. Even if the Soviet army stopped sending out planes to bomb, it was obviously impossible for the Germans to set up artillery positions on the roof again.
Seeing the destruction of the German artillery position on the roof of the Capitol, the commanders and fighters of the 171st Infantry Division, eager for revenge, shouted loudly and rushed towards the Capitol again with weapons in hand. At the beginning, they were indeed not intercepted by artillery fire. However, when they entered the square, the German army's hidden fire points opened fire. The fire net woven by the dense firepower became an insurmountable chasm, causing the commanders and soldiers to fall in pieces. On the square.
This attack once again ended in failure, and the 171st Infantry Division, which was still strong when it entered Berlin, now has only more than 600 people left in the division, including no more than 200 combatants. Under such circumstances, it is obviously unrealistic for them to continue attacking the Capitol. Without consulting Zhukov, Kuznetsov ordered Shatilov's 150th Infantry Division to take over the combat area of the 171st Division and prepare to launch a new attack.
However, the sacrifice of the commanders and fighters of the 171st Division was not without any value. The German army's firepower points were basically exposed. Taking advantage of the change of defense between the two troops, Kuznetsov ordered all heavy artillery to shell the firepower points of the Capitol Building again. The temporarily transferred 23rd Tank Brigade also used direct fire to bombard the German firepower points in order to clear obstacles for its infantry to attack.
Under the joint attack of heavy artillery and tank guns, several huge holes were blown out of the solid walls of the Capitol, enough for charging commanders and fighters to enter the building from here. The chief of staff saw this scene through the telescope and immediately asked Kuznetsov for instructions: "Comrade Commander, the walls of the Capitol were blown by our artillery with several huge holes, which are enough for our soldiers to enter the Capitol from here. Building, do you think we will launch an attack now?”
"Don't be anxious, my comrade chief of staff." Kuznetsov turned to look at his chief of staff and said: "Call General Shatilov and ask him to come to my place. I have important things. You have to answer to him.”
"Yes, Comrade Commander." The chief of staff replied quickly: "I will immediately notify General Shadilov to come to the headquarters, and you will assign him new combat tasks."
