Because of the series of activities of the Soviet guerrillas, people in the city of Lechica were in panic.
In the early days of the war, the city underwent several liquidations. The so-called liquidation meant that all citizens who might oppose the German army were taken away, and the Jews among them were killed immediately. Of course, the German army did not completely massacre the city. After the liquidation, the remaining
Whether they were sincere or not, citizens expressed their opposition to Stalin to survive.
Especially after the Waffen SS moved in, some cleaning was carried out. After that, some Ukrainians and people from western Belarus were moved to the city. They were either the Eastern Battalion fighting for the German army, or people under the German army
The so-called obedient people.
In these troubled times, many civilians in the occupied areas have been struggling to survive. The brave people have either become guerrillas or have died. The rest can be said to be a group of cowards and beggars.
In the past few days, a bombshell news has spread in the city. The so-called armed SS troops that went on an expedition have been completely annihilated by the Soviet army in the south.
In addition, a large number of guerrillas from the north frequently caused troubles in the vast countryside. The German regular army was exhausted in encirclement and suppression. How could people in the city not be panicked?
A large number of war refugees fled from the countryside to the city. Most of the German troops were fighting on the periphery. Most of the rear defense work was actually done by the Eastern Battalion.
Let's talk about the refugees who fled. They told the citizens terrible things.
It turned out that those few guerrilla groups that had infiltrated were cleaning up the villages on a large scale.
"They killed everyone in the village who served the Germans, including women who had committed adultery with the Germans. They ordered all boys and girls over fifteen years old, and men up to sixty years old, to join the guerrillas. Anyone who dared to disobey,
Shoot him immediately."
Such information was learned by a small number of officers and soldiers of the 707th Division guarding Lechicha.
Division Commander Hertzman thought with his toes and knew what the guerrillas wanted to do.
"They are increasing their troops like crazy. There is a shortage of young and middle-aged men in those villages, and there are still a lot of old people and children. To mobilize these people to fight against us, my troops are simply not enough!" Of course, no matter how well trained the group of old people and children are,
The combat effectiveness of the Russians was inferior. According to the Russian combat attitude, it was normal for their commanders to force these civilians to charge the German positions.
Faced with such an enemy, the troops will of course open fire, and they can also report that they have eliminated many guerrillas. Even if the troops wantonly eliminate such guerrillas, it will objectively promote the transformation of the Belarusian-occupied areas into a no-man's land.
Herzmann knew nothing about economics. He only cared about whether his remaining troops could defend his defense zone. The focus of his defense zone was the city of Lechica.
On July 13, a group of only fifteen people (including five women) belonging to the "Red October" guerrilla brigade disguised themselves as refugees and sneaked into Lechica. They used homemade bombs.
, blowing up a German car without causing any casualties.
The effect of the attack was very good. No matter how stupid the Germans were, they knew that the city had been infiltrated by guerrillas, which made the already panic-stricken city even more chaotic. This situation continued until Herzmann moved the division headquarters to Lechica, and two battalions of Germans
The stationing of regular troops and the execution of a dozen so-called guerrillas in the city square barely stabilized the city's situation.
"Whether it is the Eastern Battalion or our National Defense Forces, we must pay special attention to two points in the preparation of Lechica. First, check the refugees entering the city. If the soldiers find suspicious people, they can be sent directly to the gallows. Any refugees who enter the city
, distribute a small amount of food, and ask them to quickly continue walking westward and leave the city of Lechica. Second, the troops must strengthen the defense of the train station in the south of the city. If refugee civilians try to approach, they will be shot directly."
Hertzman hopes that his move will at least stabilize his defense area. His current situation is not the worst. To say it is worse, it is none other than the 722nd Division and the 805th Division. Their defense areas are being attacked by guerrillas.
A large number of refugees also fled from there! Do the guerrillas still dare to attack the city?
Thanks to the blocking of the troops, the guerrillas' actions were restrained to a certain extent. After crossing the Dnieper River upstream, they exchanged fire with the regular army of the 805th Division, giving the guerrillas a head-on blow as they continued to advance westward. Hertzman was also keenly aware of this
, since the Russians and 805 suffered losses in the battle, the possibility of them going south to fight is very high. If they want to attack the city, where should they attack? Lechica and Gomel are all possible targets.
However, the elite troops actually followed the orders of their superiors and were transferred to the south to fight with the elite Soviet troops in the south.
Herzmann was in an uneasy mood, and finally, on the night of July 14, he received the unexpected and heartbreaking telegram - Lawrence's infantry regiment collapsed.
Fortunately, in the misfortune, Lawrence escaped with the remnants of more than a thousand people. The Soviet army in the south also followed closely and launched an attack on the defense line. Facts have proved that the defense line built in three months was indeed
Impregnable! The Soviet army's large-scale attack was completely repelled by artillery fire and machine guns.
Therefore, when he learned that Lawrence would report to Jeep overnight, Hertzman was full of expectations.
He simply hosted a banquet for the officer who survived the catastrophe at his headquarters in Lechica. The meal was quite sumptuous, including sausages, bread, and a bottle of red wine.
When Lawrence arrived at the division headquarters and saw this step in front of him, he couldn't help but feel chills running down his spine. Could this be the last supper?!
"My dear Lawrence, eat and drink. There are only you and me in this room. We will talk in detail after you have eaten and drunk."
Lawrence didn't understand what medicine the teacher was selling in his gourd. He said tentatively: "Sir, I am a sinner. I have been defeated and I am ready to be punished. Could it be that this is the last supper?!"
When Hertzman heard this, he was laughing inside, but his expression remained serious.
"You are indeed defeated. The army is defeated, and you, the regiment commander, cannot escape the blame. But..." Hertzman paused deliberately and said loudly: "You are executing an operation that is absolutely impossible to succeed. The group army asked
I sent troops to support those people, but with our capabilities, they were just useless cannon fodder. Our general is a fool! He is indeed a fool!"
"Division commander, maybe you shouldn't insult our army commander."
Hertzman shook his head: "There is no battlefield Gestapo here, I am not afraid of anything! Lawrence, you know, I have to send troops to increase the number. If I send other troops, the whole army will really be annihilated. All the troops I asked you to go to,
You did quite well, and half of the people were withdrawn. I have read the report from the front line, and you also repelled a large-scale attack by the Russians."
Lawrence nodded: "It is true."
"Facts have proven that our Operation Ruhe was a complete failure. Letting regular troops enter the mud of the swamp to fight the local Soviet troops is really asking for trouble, not to mention those Soviet troops are completely first-rate elites. We held on to death
Regarding the defense line, even if the Russians have great mobility, they lack the ability to attack fortresses. Their rocket launchers are indeed amazing, but to break through the defense line, they need tanks."
It is obvious that the division commander is very confident in the defense line, and those fixed bunkers are the source of his confidence.
Lawrence realized that the division commander would not punish him. In this case, he had to speak out against the division commander's assertion.
Due to the principles of a soldier, Lawrence naturally had something to say. He said bluntly: "Commander, the reason why we were suddenly defeated was not because we were cowardly and afraid of fighting, but because the Russians in the south had a tank!"
"Huh? You mean, one of their tanks..."
"No! The Russians have more than twenty armored vehicles, and a large number of infantry are behind the armored vehicles." Since it was a debriefing, Lawrence took the opportunity to tell everything about his experience.
"My God, have these Russians reached this level of cooperation with multiple arms?!" Hertzman's forehead was instantly covered with beads of sweat, and the confidence he had just lost was instantly lost.
The Soviet army used rockets with unimaginable power to defeat Griffin's troops, and then the infantry and tanks cooperated to capture Lawrence's position.
Herzmann was also an old rival of the 63rd Army of the Soviet Army in the South. Faced with this situation, he suddenly lost confidence in the defense line. If he continued to think about it, the city of Lechica where he was now became unsafe.
Hertzman's legs were trembling, and he clenched his teeth urgently. "What if they want to attack?"
Lawrence sized up the situation and stood up, saluting: "Commander, don't be alarmed, my troops will fight to the end on the front line."
"But you... you should be seriously injured!"
"Look at me, I'm still standing in front of you now." Those words were like this. Lawrence's opponent was very weak, but he forced himself to say these words, which moved Hertzman very much.
Of course, during the next meal, he wolfed down the food as if he had not eaten for many days, which still proved his weakness.
After debriefing this evening, Hertzman realized that there was an undercurrent surging in front of the 707th Division. The huge Soviet army was not far away. If they wanted to attack the defense line, they could do so at any time, even tonight.
When the debriefing was over, Hertzman immediately issued a fatal order to all frontline units: "All soldiers must pay attention to abnormalities in front of the positions. The Russians are likely to launch a large-scale night attack. Each unit is on duty in rotation to ensure that the enemy is discovered and counterattacks immediately."
After the order was issued, he added an additional one: "Since the enemy's troops and combat effectiveness are very strong, all soldiers on the front line must not save ammunition. They must use strong firepower to defeat the attacking enemy."