Chapter 14 Reinforcement of the Sixth Mechanized Army
Kuhn ordered his troops to retreat in an orderly manner. The German soldiers were forced to abandon the bodies of their companions. They retreated under the cover of self-propelled artillery.
The 14th Armored Division's plan to break through this Soviet army in one day was ruined. This was the biggest setback Kuhn suffered. He was confused and was forced to delay the team's attack, perhaps until von Funke's troops arrived.
Attacking has a better chance of winning.
Yang Mingzhi would never have imagined that because of the RPG weapons he manufactured before the war, he not only greatly improved individual anti-tank weapons, but also had an important impact on the grand strategy of the German Army Group Center.
Originally, several of Hoth's armored divisions would attack the outskirts of Minsk on June 26th, complete the occupation of Minsk on the 27th, and join the encirclement of the entire Soviet Western Front.
Now the 14th Armored Division was forced to stop its offensive, giving the Soviet army a chance to breathe.
The day's fighting was over, and the 284th Division still suffered heavy losses. The bodies of the fallen soldiers were collected as much as possible and buried on the side of the battlefield. Some soldiers walked out of the trenches to clean the battlefield, and basically fired a shot at any German soldiers found alive.
. Some scouts also captured Germans who were pretending to be dead, tied them up and sent them to the division headquarters for interrogation.
Yang Mingzhi was very tired. During the war, he stayed in the trenches like most of the officers and soldiers. He was even happier, as his wife fell asleep deeply in his arms, giving this cruel war the last trace of humanity.
Including himself, he didn't know what kind of battles there would be in the future, but he had seen that his comrades were too optimistic.
The 1st and 2nd companies lost some men, and the junior officers of the special anti-tank battalion gathered around Yang Mingzhi.
"Our company lost a total of twenty-one people, one of whom was killed by the tail flame of a rocket launcher." Second company commander Yevgeny said regretfully.
"What a pity. This is considered a non-combat attrition. I have told you before that this kind of weapon is very powerful and also very dangerous." Yang Mingzhi did not criticize any more, and asked about the actual ammunition consumption.
Now the results are basically clear. There are still more than a hundred warheads left in the whole battalion. Since the offensive of the German tanks was broken, the German armored vehicles are still charging. Many soldiers are overly nervous and still use "anti-aircraft guns to kill mosquitoes" to deal with these lightly armored targets.
This attitude wastes a lot of precious warheads.
Yang Mingzhi issued the order again: "We must use it sparingly in future battles. Now I am changing my order for all of you to come back. The entire special anti-tank battalion will return to me to defend the division headquarters."
The soldiers were thinking about the core of the defense line, because their secret weapons had achieved great results, and the soldiers along the way waved to salute them.
Yang Mingzhi had already planned to hug his wife, cover him with a blanket and have a good rest. With the arrival of Pugachev's guards, he had to stay awake for a while longer.
The temporary division headquarters was re-established, and the battle during the day was exciting. "In just one day, our mere infantry division defeated an elite armored division of the German army!"
Excitement filled the faces of passers-by at the division headquarters. Political Commissar Batykin had a bandage on his face. When he saw Berekov arriving, he even hugged him with excitement.
All the senior officers of the division were here, and Pugachev poured wine for everyone to celebrate the victory.
Seeing that everyone was too excited, Yang Mingzhi became worried about the future.
"Cheers, everyone! To our Belekov, to our secret weapon!" Pugachev picked up the wine glass.
Only Yang Mingzhi continued to remain silent, and his silence could not help but make people feel bad. "What? Aren't you satisfied with such an exciting moment?" Political Commissar Bajijin asked, "I once doubted your identity, and now you have proven it.
He is a great Soviet Red Army soldier."
Yang Mingzhi raised his head and toasted with everyone with a wry smile, and expressed his concerns with humility. "In today's battle, more than 60% of my weapons have been consumed. If another German armored division comes to attack,
We are unable to parry. Now that the German troops have retreated, they will inform the neighboring troops of what happened on the front line, and you can imagine the result."
Pugachev nodded, "Isn't it just that we were besieged? I have already informed General Pavlov in Minsk of the results of the battle, and he has promised the armored reserve force to help us counterattack."
Yang Mingzhi was so worried that he didn't hear the word clearly.
"It's a counterattack! Comrade Berekov," Pugachev said excitedly, "The Germans should also have a taste of our power. An armored force is coming from the east. Tomorrow is the time for our joint attack. We must completely annihilate
The German 14th Armored Division in front of us even wiped out the 7th Armored Division behind it!"
When Yang Mingzhi heard this, he shouted: "Who on earth is threatening to annihilate the troops that once belonged to Rommel? If the commander is changed, they will still trample us to death!"
As early as a few hours ago, General Pavlov was still facing a bleak battle situation. In both directions, the German armored forces were making large detours, like two huge arms, embracing and eating the entire Western Front.
.At this critical moment, he was surprised to receive information that not far outside Minsk, the defenders actually defeated a German armored division.
"According to accurate information, the 284th Infantry Division miraculously completed the blockade of the German 14th Armored Division, and almost all the enemy tank troops were wiped out. Division Commander Pugachev requested troop reinforcements to complete the annihilation of this enemy."
Pavlov realized that the opportunity to fight was fleeting, and he had been losing battles. The defense line at the national border collapsed completely, and many holes were torn open in the second line of defense. The German army was marching in. The enemy was too arrogant and must be dealt with resolutely.
, so the reserve team took advantage of the night and marched toward the village of Badijinskaya outside Minsk.
Pugachev ordered the troops to rest immediately, and coordinated the attack with the tank troops in the early morning, with the goal of annihilating the 14th Armored Division.
Yang Mingzhi knew that the military order was overwhelming, so he did not refute it. A counterattack was still necessary, but it would be very troublesome afterwards. Returning to the station, he urgently ordered the soldiers who had fallen asleep to assemble urgently.
"Comrades, we will launch a counterattack tomorrow, and I am afraid this will be our last counterattack. We must be mentally prepared. When the enemy's 7th Armored Division attacks again, we must retreat in an orderly manner."
Many soldiers raised objections. After all, everyone's order was to defend the defense line and surround Minsk.
"Let Minsk go to hell. Don't say that I am a traitor or a coward to the great motherland. We have done justice to the motherland by annihilating a German elite. In a few days, our order will be a general retreat. Our Pavlov
General Fu will stop all those escaping. So I order you to follow me if you encounter the fastest situation."
The pre-war meeting ended, and some things were left in silence.
The sun had just risen when a huge roar came from the eastern rear of the position. The reserve Sixth Mechanized Corps was urgently transferred to the location of the 284th Infantry Division. They received orders to annihilate a German armored division.
This unit suffered very serious non-combat attrition due to logistical problems, especially because only half of the armored units actually went to the front line. But at least they came, and more than 500 tanks passed through the 284th Division's positions.
The track passed by the trench, and it was the first time for many soldiers to see tanks at such a close distance. Yang Mingzhi admired them in the early morning light. The ones passing here were basically Special 26 and Special 3476, and a large number of KV tanks had already broken down in the attack.
on the way.
The army commander was very surprised. It was obvious that ordinary infantry divisions were responsible for the defense here. How could they defend against the enemy's attack? You must know that when the German tank troops began to advance, all the infantry troops on the border defense line could not stop the German offensive.
Many troops were completely helpless against enemy tanks.
The army commander came to Pugachev's division headquarters. In addition to bringing General Pavlov's orders, he asked about what happened yesterday.
"The enemy was blocked by our reasonable anti-tank positions, and they were unable to break through our hard anti-tank gun cluster. At the same time, our secret weapons also played a huge role."
Pugachev was angry. If the report he submitted before the war had actually been seen by the military district, then once mass production was carried out, the current brutal defeat suffered by the German 14th Armored Division would become a common phenomenon.
"Can ordinary soldiers destroy enemy tanks from a long distance just by using this special rocket?" The commander was very surprised, but when he saw the dense craters outside the position, countless dead bodies, and charred tank wreckage everywhere, everything
It's all self-evident.
Now is not the moment for the army commander to exclaim. Pugachev did not brag. The secret weapon was brought from the Far East and has been severely consumed. In the subsequent annihilation war, the army will attack in a regular pattern.
Yang Mingzhi will fight with these new comrades. Although the Sixth Mechanized Army has discarded a lot of heavy equipment, it is still large in size. Including the remaining soldiers of the 284th Division guarding the position, there are more than 40,000 troops participating in the counterattack against the German army.
His men looked at the dust kicked up by the tanks with satisfaction. Company commander Lavrenti said excitedly: "Our combined strength is close to 50,000. The enemy's tank troops were severely damaged. Their offensive advantage no longer exists. Then ours
time."
Yang Mingzhi immediately interrupted his beautiful thoughts, shook his head and said: "We almost exhausted our secret weapons to barely defeat this German army. Even if we wipe out them all, we will still be in the predicament of being surrounded by the Germans."
"It's better to think about it, Comrade Battalion Commander. We really need a victory!" Laf Lianji patted Yang Mingzhi on the shoulder and said.
Yang Mingzhi thought for a while that this was fine. Dealing with the German army in front of him would have great historical significance for the entire Eastern Front battlefield. It was even the only victory in a series of defeats for the Soviet army before the Battle of Moscow started.