The four pilots involved in the operation all said they saw two huge mushroom clouds raised by Loev. There were some differences in their words. They were really competing with each other, as if Loev had been blown to the ground!
Koch believed that his men were telling the truth and was very worried about their lives.
He murmured for a while: "The stupid 722nd Division has been holding its position for two months. It has to send out heavy troops to recapture Loyev. How can it be so important? Now add the defenders in the city, their losses
That’s six thousand people!”
There is nothing wrong with Koch's internal slander. The 722nd Division indeed lost troops and generals in this battle. I am afraid that the entire division's militants were wiped out in this battle. The remaining ones must have strengthened their belief in holding on to the trenches and not coming out.
Could it be that the tactics of a single battle will work? Bah!
Koch actually did not want his men to carry out the third airdrop mission today. He really could not disobey military orders. Koch ordered his men with his German-style strictness: "You must carry out my final airdrop at six o'clock in the afternoon. You must
Complete the mission, otherwise you and I will be questioned by a military court."
As a result, Paul could only bite the bullet and continue to risk his life.
Fortunately, luck was still on Paul's side, because the German Air Force's extremely abnormal airdrop operation made Yang Mingzhi deep in thought. The German army was obviously desperately trying to defeat Pauloev's defenders, which is evident from the important strategic location of this place.
Yang Mingzhi therefore increased the order and ordered the frontline troops not to counterattack as long as the enemy planes did not attack.
Balzen and other troops carried out the order very well. As the enemy planes returned, the whole world fell into dusk. June 27th passed so fiercely?
No! Of course not!
The world did not fall into the tranquility of night. Yang Mingzhi had reason to believe that the German army was preparing a new rescue operation, otherwise they would not have been frantically supplying Loev.
Since the Second Regiment of the Independent Regiment could not mine well due to frequent air defense warnings, the work was simply suspended. Both independent regiments received emergency mobilization orders. They began to receive weapons and ammunition in the evening, and were ordered to
Depart early morning on the 28th.
The First Regiment of the Independent Regiment, the Peronisky Regiment, advanced towards the Homnich Military Station. The Second Regiment of the Independent Regiment, the Medvedev Regiment, arrived on the left bank of the river at the Misi Ferry.
The battle will consume a lot of ammunition, and the ammunition reserved by the Soviet army is just to cope with this moment. Rather than saying that the two independent regiments are going to fight on the front line, it is better to say that they have taken over the logistics of the front line. They will drive a large number of carriages, and the one with the most load is actually
Cannonballs and bullets.
Yang Mingzhi personally inspected all the Catfish and Feiyu rockets in stock. Especially the former. A civilian transport team will specially transport thirty Catfish rockets to the Loev front line on the morning of June 28. Especially among them
The ten bombs, the warheads are high-energy fuel, they are Yang Mingzhi's trump card cloud explosive bombs, in order to win this battle, kill as many enemies as possible and sacrifice as little as possible, Yang Mingzhi also fought hard!
Yang Mingzhi was very worried that this battle would trigger a new regional decisive battle. If a war was indeed inevitable, why not maximize the results, even defeat the 722nd Division in front of him, and then take the initiative to attack Gomel?
His bold idea immediately received strong support from Yevlov, who was eager to make the "Northern Expedition" immediately. His idea even attracted a personal visit from Lyudbarev and Salinchkin. At the meeting on the night of the 27th, all parties
They all explained their thoughts and analysis of the enemy's situation.
Because of the great victory over the enemy, pride could not help but spread. Even a general like Yang Mingzhi, who was known for his calmness, became a little overconfident.
The wily Salinchkin noticed everyone's excessive optimism and poured cold water on it at an inappropriate time.
"I think you are still too optimistic. Our ultimate goal is to fight Gomel? I always feel that it is still too far away. After all, Gomel is an important town in southern Belarus. As long as our troops appear in large numbers outside the city, they will definitely attract a large number of enemies. A large-scale counterattack! I don’t think we can launch a massive offensive campaign with just over 10,000 combat troops.”
Yang Mingzhi had to listen carefully to Stalin's words. He thought for a moment and realized that blindly attacking troops would lack stamina! The 63rd Group Army's strong combat effectiveness was actually based on abundant ammunition and supplies, especially its firepower. of recoilless artillery shells and RPG missiles. Once these two are used up, the combat effectiveness of the troops will plummet.
The meeting on the night of the 27th lasted until midnight on the 28th. It was not until everyone could no longer hold on anymore that the meeting ended.
The meeting at least rectified the atmosphere, and the blindly optimistic atmosphere that permeated the headquarters disappeared somewhat. Yang Mingzhi also completely sobered up and prepared for a new round of encirclement and reinforcements.
In other words, the German army is really going crazy to break the siege of Loyev.
Of course, why didn’t the Germans save him?
In fact, after the commander of the 722nd Division reported his side's failure to his superior, Army Commander Wagner, on the night of the 26th, the top brass of the German army immediately began discussions.
The German intelligence department not only knew about the Soviet troops entrenched in the Pripet Swamp, but its official designation was the 63rd Army. Its basic composition of the Soviet army was the 284th Guards Division and the Soviet 233rd Airborne Brigade. The 284th Guards Division It can be said that the German army is the mortal enemy, and its combat effectiveness is indeed amazing. Now that the Soviet army has airdropped elite paratroopers into it, wouldn't it be even more powerful?
Therefore, after the meeting, the German army faced up to the new disastrous defeat of the 722nd Division. The commander of the German Army Group directly asked Wilhelm Kube, the top Nazi commander in Belarus, for his opinion.
William Kube's attitude was very resolute. His original words were, "The bandits in the swamp must be eradicated. Only in this way can Belarus truly become a stable rear area."
There are currently four major guerrilla groups actively operating in Belarus. In addition to the Soviet 63rd Army, which is more appropriately described as a regular army, there are also guerrilla groups named Red October and Gypsymen, whose main activities are in Mogilev. The last one The branch is named "Swan Lake", and it is mainly active in Vitebsk. Except for the violent former, the other groups have average combat effectiveness, but they are powerful and very good at winning over the locals.
If the Soviet army in the swamps is like a sharp knife that often cuts flesh, other guerrillas are like poison. The former can always eliminate a large number of German troops in one go, while the latter two can cause the German army in a wide area to suffer a mental breakdown.
In William Kube's view, what he should do most is to find a way to get rid of the Soviet 63rd Army entrenched in the southern swamps. Not only is this unit the strongest, but also because it has to go deep into the swamps to encircle and suppress them, whether in summer or in summer. Winter is very difficult.
This time was different from the past. They actually dared to besiege Loyev. Looking at this formation, they clearly had the intention of proactively seeking a decisive battle with the main force of the German army.
Are they so arrogant? However, reality forced William Kube to take the initiative. Not only did he want to transform Belarus into a stable rear, but he also wanted to ensure the Belarusian railway and highway system. Now, that force has cut off the current attack on the German army.
A very important railway branch line has made the already stretched railway transportation capacity even more difficult. Besides, the guerrillas who frequently bomb the railways are basically the 63rd Army.
It's time for a thunderous strike!
William Kube knew that he had to find some elite troops, the 707th Division and the 722nd Division. This kind of idiot troops that had done many good things and done nothing but good defense should still defend well! The so-called elite troops, isn't there one in the city of Lechica?
On the Waffen-SS, that infantry regiment composed entirely of French-Germans, the Blücher Regiment, it was time for them to show off their skills.
Of course, just letting more than two thousand people advance is not enough. The German troops behind the scenes are indeed not very sufficient, and the combat effectiveness of some Eastern Battalion troops dispatched is too poor.
After much thought, William Kube came up with a move. He drew troops from the existing troops and sought help from troops outside Belarus.
In this way, William Kube quickly contacted Marshal Bock of Army Group B, and finally he received assistance from the southern German army. That is, the 634th Division responsible for controlling Chernihiv and its surrounding areas. Due to its unfavorable governance, its
The entire unit was transferred to Gorodnia in the north, and Chernihiv was administered by new troops.
The 634th Division was convinced that the Soviet Army in the swamps was responsible for the situation they were in, so after their superiors issued such an appointment, their division commander was really a dream come true.
In this way, William Kube and his generals were planning an offensive with a strength of 20,000 troops to defeat the so-called Soviet 63rd Army in one blow.