The tank's exhaust fan broke down, and the cabin was suddenly filled with filthy gas. The driver struggled to open the window to guide the gas out and kept coughing.
Chekhov's face was covered in blood and looked terrifying. He also opened the top cover and poked out half of his face to breathe relatively fresh air.
"Comrades, are you all still alive?"
"I'm fine!" the driver staggered in reply.
"Where's the gunner?" Chekov pushed the gunner and found that he had no breath.
The explosion just now caused several rivets to collapse, killing the gunner like bullets. Chekov sighed a little at the sacrifice of the gunner, but he immediately realized that if he did not leave this place of trouble as soon as possible, the tank would
If he died in an explosion, it would be all over.
"The gunner has been sacrificed, driver, we abandon the vehicle!"
"Okay. This tank has really come to an end." After saying that, the driver got out of the window, and Chekov also exited from here.
At this moment, the fire at the rear end of the tank continued to intensify, and there were still several rounds of artillery shells in the vehicle. Once the flames burst in, the explosion would only take a minute.
Black smoke billowed around the tank, and the black smoke it raised suddenly became a very obvious signal. The following Soviet army was passing through the last woods. Everyone saw the black smoke and couldn't help but feel nervous.
"Don't let anything happen to you." Lavrenti was so nervous that he tried to communicate with the tank, but there was only meaningless ambient noise in his earphones.
He immediately realized that the black shadow was most likely caused by the tank being destroyed.
"Damn it! You idiot, I asked you to retreat but you didn't! If you die, my responsibility will be greater. If you die, we will lose a fighting hero!"
However, the hero died, and Lavrenti knew that he should turn his grief into strength. On second thought, at least their sacrifices proved one thing, the train station was really a tough guy.
Chekov and the driver Semyon, their faces were covered in blood, and their damaged military uniforms were turned black by the thick smoke. They looked like they had crawled out of hell.
Thanks to the cover of thick smoke, the two men's escape did not attract the immediate attention of the German army. It was not until they ran far away that the German army reported that the driver had emerged from the destroyed tank.
Division Commander Hertzman didn't care at all about this information. The only thing he cares about now is whether his troops can complete the city's defense. As long as they hold on until dawn tomorrow, they will win!
In this battle, the Soviet army will never give the German army any chance to breathe.
Chekov and the driver didn't run far before they got into the woods. They both had internal injuries, and the wounds on their flesh simply stopped bleeding. When they arrived in the woods, they lay down directly. They knew that there would be no battle in the coming battle.
It's your own business.
On the other hand, the paratrooper brigade with the strongest combat effectiveness, as well as all the armored trucks, moved in the direction of Lechitsa train station. Doronin's remaining artillery, he stopped 800 people and carried a total of 30 captured guns
80 mm mortars and more than 500 rounds of artillery shells followed the parachute brigade forward.
Therefore, the elite troops attacking the train station reached 2,500 people, including 15 armored trucks. The Soviet army was going to break the German defense in one fell swoop with a crazy "combination of infantry and tanks". Of course, the battle here will definitely be
It's tragic, and the troops have to make a lot of sacrifices.
As the saying goes, good steel is used on the blade, and the most elite troops are those who need to face tough enemies with hard steel.
The next-level troops are also the most powerful. The troops have a clear division of labor before entering the woods.
The 800 men of the 17th Guerrilla Brigade suddenly moved to the east.
Lavrenti gave brigade commander Miroshniko a glorious and arduous task - to capture the ferry town of Donajitch.
Therefore, the battle against Donajic took place earlier than the capture of Lechica.
To capture this town, one must first cross the iron bridge across the Dnieper River. Based on this situation, Miroshniko really had a sense of déjà vu. Because this battle lasted for a month, and finally
The beginning was to capture the iron bridge across the river in Loyev City.
Of course, Lavrenti's order to the guerrilla brigade was quite flexible. If it is difficult to capture the town through the bridge, then find a way to blow up the bridge. Therefore, the guerrilla brigade has a hundred kilograms of explosives. It only needs to blow up some bridge piers and bridges.
It can collapse.
"If the Germans built a bridgehead, it would be a bit troublesome." Miroshniko was most worried about the Germans relying on the bridge for defense. The Germans were not fools. They did place almost all their troops at the west end of the bridge.
The troops guarding Donajci originally had only one company. They absorbed hundreds of defeated troops whose positions collapsed and retreated, and their strength reached the level of a reinforced battalion. However, a large number of soldiers were stunned by the powerful Soviet offensive.
It is really far-fetched to expect them to suddenly become a strong soldier in all battles.
Miroshniko longed for huge military exploits, which would be an important asset for his future promotion, and was also the only thing the 17th Guerrilla Brigade could do for the nine thousand former comrades who had sacrificed their lives.
At exactly five o'clock in the afternoon, a fierce battle began between the guerrilla brigade and the defenders of the town of Donajci.
Miroshniko originally thought that his troops currently have ten recoilless guns, 20 RPG launchers, and relatively sufficient artillery shells and missiles. It is not difficult to defeat the enemy in an instant, but once the battle begins, he discovers that it is completely
That's not the case.
"Damn it! How many troops do the Germans have here? Look at the firepower, at least one battalion!" He patted the ground on the grass, and hundreds of soldiers did the same.
The company commander, who had just been driven back by German machine guns, rushed to Miroshniko's side and said angrily: "The Germans are obviously prepared and they have a lot of troops. I have sacrificed more than 20 people and there has been no progress."
"Then let me continue the bombardment. Let your men charge against the artillery fire."
"Да!"
The company commander organized his troops to attack again, and shells whizzed past their heads.
The Germans themselves suffered serious casualties. They repelled the Soviet probing attack, and finally realized under very fierce artillery fire that the Soviets were serious.
The German bridgehead had a company of officers and soldiers with twelve machine guns of various types. They were actually bombarded by thirty 70mm artillery shells. Such a number of artillery shells hit a small area, even though the German army piled a large number of cannons on the position.
Sandbags and trenches were dug deep enough, but the defenders still had no choice but to suffer a devastating blow.
"Boys, we retreat, the bridgehead can no longer be defended! We retreat to the towns and fight with them in street battles!"
The injured German company commander could only lead his troops to retreat. He had already killed two-thirds of his men. There were still a large number of broken troops waiting for work in the town. Perhaps those people could still rely on the town buildings to resist resolutely.
Miroshniko, who was watching the battle at close range, exclaimed: "Well done, comrades, we captured the bridgehead and continued to try to attack."
The Soviet attacking infantry company barely managed to occupy the German bridgehead at the cost of half of its casualties. However, there was still a difficult journey waiting for them.
The Dnieper River is a big river, and its upper reaches are also quite wide, so the iron bridge is 270 meters long!
There is actually no special construction skill in such a long iron bridge. It is indeed very long because the river is so wide and it must be built very long.
The riverbed upstream is very low. When the Soviet Union built this highway iron bridge, they built a set of strong piers every 40 meters. The so-called piers are two huge concrete columns standing side by side. Steel bars and
Steel plates are then laid with cement, and this is how the iron bridge is built.
Therefore, if the Soviet army wants to capture the town of Donajci, it must pass through this dangerous iron bridge!
The Soviet army immediately realized the troublesome nature of the upcoming battle. Two hundred soldiers had already begun running wildly on the iron bridge, but they were still a step too late.
The German army still firmly occupies the east side of the iron bridge and has established a bridgehead there. The place is so narrow that one man can block it and no one can open it!
The Soviet army actually fell nearly a hundred soldiers in a short period of time. They were shot to death by five German ZB26s like they were being mowed down. Some small-caliber mortars increased the casualties of the Soviet army.
"Damn it!" Miroshniko gritted his teeth and hammered the ground hard, then shouted: "Signal soldier, come here quickly!"
"arrive!"
"Contact me to the command center immediately."
Miroshniko quickly contacted Lavrenti himself. He reported the dire situation on his side and also learned that the attack on Lechica had begun in full force.
Lavrenti is currently commanding tens of thousands of soldiers to liberate Lechica with all his strength. He has no time to pay attention to the resistance of the Soviet army in the town of Donajich in the east.
"I have no time to listen to your complaints, and there is no possibility of sending troops to reinforce you! Miroshniko, if you can't capture the town, blow up the damn iron bridge. We must organize the German troops in the east to try to assist from this iron bridge
Enemies of Lechitsa!"
Just from the huge noise in the background, Miroshniko fully understood that a fierce battle was going on in the north. Yes, even though the distance was five or six kilometers, the dull sound of explosions could still be felt. Especially when lying on the ground with his ears pressed against the soil,
The vibration became even more obvious.
Miroshniko immediately changed his tactics. After stabilizing the surviving fighters, he started a new round of attack.
This time, all the long-range firepower of the Soviet army was directed at the town of Donajci on the other side of the river in the form of projectiles.
The 70mm shells of the recoilless rifles focused on bombarding buildings. All RPG operators launched grenades in a projectile manner and straddled the German bridgehead on the east side.
The town of Donajci is no longer a town, most buildings in the town are made of wood. Wood is an excellent combustible material, and the bombardment of the shells directly caused the fire of three valuable roofs.
The Germans all knew that the Soviet artillery fire preparation was followed by the infantry attack. The Soviet army could not rely on the flesh and blood of the soldiers to break through the iron bridge, so they could only rely on the superiority of artillery fire to bombard the towns.
Therefore, almost all German officers and soldiers were retreating to evade, and their eastern bridgehead also suffered heavy losses. Hundreds of German soldiers were hiding on the first floor or in the cellar of a solid building. Of course, they also suffered casualties, but they also suffered heavy casualties.
Ability to retake position after artillery fire and continue blocking.
However, the Soviet army had no intention of occupying the town.
"Demomans, I'm optimistic about you! Come on!"
Under Miroshniko's order, a squad of soldiers jumped into the cool river water wearing only their underwear. They stepped in the mud and headed for the two target bridge piers. On the shore, they were covered by Soviet artillery and machine guns.
As a result, the Germans not only failed to stop these demolitionists, they did not even detect them.
After arriving at the target, the blasters pounded tiny nails into the bridge piers with engineer shovels, then hung the bundled TNT explosives and inserted the detonators.
The back end of the detonator is connected to a thin wire, which extends to the so-called safe zone fifty meters away.
This set of blasting equipment can be said to be the heirloom of the 17th Guerrilla Brigade. After all, when Miroshniko was at the height of his power, blasting railways was a daily task, but blowing up bridges was really his first battle.
After an astonishing loud noise, the shovel fell into the thick smoke. In full view of the Soviet army, the steel plates on the bridge deck lost the bearing of the cement and soil, creaked and twisted, and finally collapsed.
As a result, the 270-meter-long bridge suddenly broke nearly 80 meters in length. It was impossible for the German army to repair it instantly. Even if they wanted to repair it, it would take at least ten days!
"Okay, now our mission is completed." Miroshniko breathed a sigh of relief. He quickly reported the victory to the northern troops, but what he got was Lavrenti's order to continue to hold on.
When the communication ended, Miroshniko hammered the ground hard, looking dissatisfied: "Damn it, the liberation of Lechica is no longer my business?!"
In a battle, there must always be troops taking the initiative, troops always supporting, and troops always protecting the two wings. Miroshniko calmed down and immediately ordered the troops: "Each company established a defense line on the spot to prevent the Germans from attacking.
Send reinforcements to Lechitsa in any form."
Our perspective turns to Lechica.
When the guerrilla brigade began to fight fiercely with Donajic's defenders, the Soviet paratrooper brigade was the first to pass through the woods. They even found two tank soldiers lying on the ground dying.
Tepunov knew that his BT tank's single-car charge stole the show, and he also estimated that the crew had died gloriously in the battle. Unexpectedly, two people actually escaped.
Chekov, who was feeling uncomfortable all over, was held in his arms by Tepunov himself and could not help but shed tears.
"Comrade...comrade, my mission has not been completed well. We have not broken through the enemy's position and have not taken a close look at the detailed defense situation of the train station."
"Comrade Chekov, you have done a great job! I already know the fact that the German army has assault guns and anti-tank guns, so we have to bombard them with thirty mortars! Don't worry."
"Okay! Okay! The rest of the battle is up to you."
Tepunov reported the discovery of the injured tank soldier to Lavrenti. This was really exciting news.
"Tepunov, does Chekov have any other intelligence reports?"
"No more. His injuries are a bit serious, but fortunately there is no danger to his life. Oh! The armored truck has already driven out of the woods, and we are going to attack now! Comrade Lavrenti, we will break through the German defense line in one fell swoop.
."
"Okay, you go attack! I will launch a fierce attack on the city!"
Tepunov took off his headphones, smiled with relief, and then regained his resolute face. He ordered the messenger to fire a green flare into the air, which was the order to attack.
In this way, all the troops participating in the attack on the railway station broke away from the cover of the woods, shouted an inspiring Ula and began to attack.