The 63rd Group Army has carried out large-scale military operations in the past three days, and the 17th Guerrilla Brigade has been fighting for two consecutive weeks!
The past two weeks have been a real military disaster for this guerrilla brigade and for Miroshniko. The idea of attacking Gorodnia and turning it into a stable base turned out to be a wishful thinking, and the troops could not defeat it quickly.
With the German troops in the city, the battle dragged on for a while and was counterattacked by reinforcements from the attacking enemy.
The subsequent battle turned into a massacre! The foundation of the guerrilla brigade was too shallow. Moreover, they encountered the joint strangulation of the German and Romanian troops, and suffered from severe rainstorms. The guerrilla zone they developed originally had more than 10,000 people.
Of the soldiers and civilians, less than 3,000 people finally broke through the encirclement.
Miroshniko knew what happened to those who failed to escape. They all died! Ponomarenko also knew about this situation and personally defined it as the "Ratiz Forest Massacre".
After the guerrilla brigade broke through the Roman army's defense line, it had no choice but to go straight to the forest on the bank of the Dnieper River. To get there, it had to pass through a 30-kilometer-long plain. It was said to be a plain, but in fact there were many mud ponds and streams.
!
This plain was one of the passages for Gudri's armored troops to move south last year. The German army passed through here like a wind and the remaining clouds, and the few Ukrainian village chiefs were burned along the way. The German army came and went quickly.
The destruction of villages in this area also indirectly led to the collapse of the agricultural value in this area.
Most of the villagers were killed, and those who survived fled to the big cities. A large amount of farmland was abandoned because no one was planting spring wheat on a large scale.
The fields are full of weeds, and the wheat that was too late to be harvested last year has turned into wild wheat in the new crop. Especially in the potato fields, some roots have survived the winter. The weather is warm and the potatoes are growing well.
Therefore, as the guerrilla brigade passed through this plain, they had to deal with the Romanians who were chasing after them but also dillydally. The only thing they were thankful for was that their food was secure.
The soldiers of the guerrilla brigade discovered potato fields in the so-called wilderness. The soldiers dug with their bare hands and unexpectedly dug up a series of potatoes the size of table tennis balls. The soldiers therefore concluded that this area was a potato field.
Many potatoes are not yet ripe, and the hungry guerrilla soldiers just want to fill their stomachs quickly, regardless of whether they are ripe or not!
They found a large number of branches and gathered them together to light a bonfire, then put the freshly dug potatoes on top. After burning them for a while, they couldn't wait to take them down and ate them hungrily, regardless of whether they were cooked.
The guerrilla brigade's military rations are almost all potatoes. With continuous fighting and breakouts, many people have almost finished their food!
There were nearly three thousand people, and everyone ate a lot. Some soldiers actually ate a helmet full of potatoes, and their bellies were as bulging as if they had been stuck on an iron pot.
Because Luo Jun was chasing closely, they continued on their way after having a hearty meal without any rest.
The pursuit efficiency of the Romanian army was quite poor, especially their baggage carriages and field artillery, which could not move faster in the rugged wilderness. The infantry was also frightened by the Ula charge of the guerrilla brigade and did not pursue it with all its strength.
The guerrilla brigade retreated during the day and continued running after nightfall. The Luo army pursued during the day and set up camp to sleep as soon as the sun went down.
In this way, Miroshniko concluded that he was at least ten kilometers away from the Roman army, and these ten kilometers were enough to save his life.
On the evening of May 18, they saw a large number of woods on the western horizon, which eventually became one. Seeing this, everyone knew that they had basically reached the safe zone! Their attack target was the Slavic Quarter in the forest.
Strangely, there are only some puppet troops there whose combat effectiveness is worrisome. After taking it, they can join forces with the comrades in the swamp.
However, the telegram brought amazing good news - the Guerrilla Republic had liberated Slavdzic and was eagerly looking forward to the early arrival of the guerrilla brigade!
Ponomarenko issued a series of new instructions, and Miroshniko immediately announced to his soldiers: "Everyone will stop resting and advance towards Slavtich immediately. We will join forces with friendly forces tonight!"
What does it mean to arrive in that city? It’s food! It’s safety!
The exhausted soldiers burst out with strong energy. Nearly three thousand of them rushed into the forest regardless of priority! According to the intelligence from their superiors, there was a narrow plain in the cracks of the forest, and a relatively hard dirt road in it.
, which is the thoroughfare leading to the city.
After the last ray of daylight disappeared on the horizon, the guerrilla brigade still did not stop. Everyone was so tired. For several days, they had only had one meal from the potato fields. The rest of the march relied on perseverance, which was inappropriate.
The mad running made many people faint. They fumbled in the forest for several hours before finally finding the dirt road. Miroshniko immediately ordered the troops to rest for a while.
More than two thousand people temporarily camped around the dirt road. They cut down a large number of branches to survive, and took out the potatoes they used to save their lives. At this point, there is no point in keeping these potatoes. They need to eat something more and leave.
After passing the last few kilometers, you can meet up with friendly forces.
Did that unit really liberate Slavdzic? Just based on an order from their superiors? Is the intelligence obtained by their superiors true?
Miroshniko had some doubts, but the soldiers under his command were full of hope for the city ahead. The friendly forces must be there! And not only were they there, they also prepared a lot of food!
Miroshniko compromised and sent a company of soldiers to advance westward along the dirt road.
At the same time, Balzen also personally led all the soldiers of the reconnaissance battalion who had only rested for a while, and headed east along the road.
The two armies therefore did not know that each other's reconnaissance troops were approaching each other. Balzen knew very well that there were no enemies in the front. But the soldiers of the guerrilla brigade had an extra eye. This was all thanks to Miroshniko, who ordered himself
The reconnaissance team said: "You must be careful at night. There are friendly forces in this forest, and there may also be scattered enemies, as well as bears. If you find anything unusual, fire directly and see how the other party reacts!"
With such an order, it is nothing new for the guerrilla brigade to shoot at the shadows shaking ahead.
Therefore, in Balzen's view, some shadows suddenly passed in front of him, followed by some yellow fire. He was still a little surprised. He only heard the sharp sound of something cutting through the air in his ears. He shouted an enemy attack and immediately got down.
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No one would have thought that this was a misunderstanding, and Balzen's words about enemy attack completely misled his soldiers. In an instant, a fierce exchange of fire broke out between the two sides, and they simply allowed the bullets to fly, but no one was hit.
The soldiers of the reconnaissance battalion were already tired, and it was even more difficult to maintain accurate position in the dark night. It was only after Balzen quickly recovered his senses that he stopped the indiscriminate shooting.
This random shooting is not a bad thing. After all, the reconnaissance battalion is equipped with a large number of German submachine guns and German submachine guns. The sound of the Soviet Makarov pistol bullets firing is imprinted in the minds of the Soviet soldiers. It is like a
The identity cards made the once nervous guerrilla brigade scouts suspect that they were shooting at friendly forces.
The gunfire finally fell silent after five minutes!
Balzen and hundreds of his soldiers were lying in the grass when they suddenly heard a call in Russian from a distance: "Hey! Are you the Soviet Red Army?"
Balzen was so happy that he responded at the top of his lungs: "We are the Soviet Red Army! We are the Red Army in the swamps! Are you brothers in the guerrilla brigade?"
"We are a guerrilla brigade! It's unbelievable that we are actually shooting at friendly forces!"
"It doesn't matter! We have no casualties. How are you doing?"
"We have no casualties either! We were ordered to go to Slavdich City to meet you! Don't misfire! We all stood up!"
"Okay! Don't lose your temper!" After shouting the last part of his voice, Balzen got up excitedly.
In this way, the scouts of the two armies finally connected with each other. Balzen immediately led the entire battalion of soldiers to move west, and not long after walking, they officially entered the temporary camp of the guerrilla brigade, which was already dotted with bonfires.