After all, the 700th Division was an assault force transferred from Pinsk. All the soldiers in this division did not understand the environment here, so they had great contempt for the local guerrillas.
This attitude is very straightforward in the tone of the group leader Sean.
Krieger of the 734th Division said seriously: "Sir, I am in charge of this sneak attack. We should pay attention to our enemies! Although the Air Force has done a good reconnaissance, our army has also mapped out a marching route.
Although the road ahead is muddy, as long as we pass through this swamp, we can reach the enemy's hinterland. We must bite the bullet and pass through the mud."
"However, the road ahead has been interrupted. Obviously there have been serious deviations in the Air Force's reconnaissance, and the superiors are too optimistic about our actions."
Krieger took a puff of his cigarette anxiously: "It is this poor geographical environment that has spawned tens of thousands of guerrillas. We have to endure such great difficulties when attacking them, but it seems easy for them to attack us.
"
At the end of April, the defense area of the 734th Division suffered a surgical strike.
Chris recalled: "Your troops have only recently come to fight in this area. The guerrillas in the swamp can be called regular troops, even elite. More than two months ago, they also passed through this muddy area for a long distance.
Attacked Mozyr. They rescued many prisoners of war captured by our army and destroyed the railway. When our army was preparing for a full-scale counterattack, they escaped again. They must have mastered some methods of quickly passing through the swamp, or rather
Understand the shortcuts in the swamp. Unfortunately, apart from the little information provided by the Air Force, we know very little about the environment here."
Sean, the commander of the 700th Division, was a little displeased: "Why do I feel that you are a little afraid of these bandits?"
"We also need to be in awe. Our army's RUHE operation was actually defeated by them. Only the regular army can accomplish this feat. Fortunately, their main force is in the north, and we can attack them as long as we pass through this piece of mud.
As long as we destroy their base, the enemy's main force in the north will eventually collapse due to running out of ammunition and food. By then, the contribution of your two regiments and mine will be very huge."
Sean nodded: "We must pass through the mud as soon as possible, and now there seems to be only one detour."
"Although we have to walk a longer way, we can still get out of the mud. Early tomorrow morning, our army will turn west and bypass the flooded road. However, if we do this, the infantry and heavy equipment can only distance themselves."
"This is a helpless choice." Sean sighed, "This is what we have to do."
The majority of the German soldiers were exhausted from the mud, so they spread their blankets and clothes on the soft and moist soil and slept. They were so exhausted that almost all of them slept until the morning bugle sounded.
But when the soldiers stood up, they suddenly found that their clothes were wet, and their blankets were even thinner and full of moisture.
The military camp was instantly filled with curses in German. The soldiers attributed their unfortunate encounters to the guerrillas. They shouted one by one and broke into the guerrilla camp, killing every enemy.
The commotion and abuse of the German officers and soldiers soon attracted the attention of the police regiment acting as logistics troops.
The officers and soldiers of the police regiment were equally wet, and they were very happy to hear about the bad experience of the German army. Their leader Fyodorov still chose to endure it, especially when the arrogant German army messenger announced a new mission to him, he openly stated
He still looked humble, but he was happy inside.
Since the police regiment and the regular German troops were very close, the radio had to remain hidden, so the police regiment was unable to communicate with the Soviet army at all.
"These Germans, it seems that you have had enough of the mud and are planning to take a detour from the west. This way, if you delay your march, the guerrillas in the swamp will have more time to deal with it." The head of the police regiment complained so clearly, he knew
On the surface, he still urged his subordinates to follow the German army's requirements.
Of course, the swamp becomes muddier as it reaches the river. The German troops turned west and walked on pure meadows. The land here was very soft. Assault guns and armored vehicles still frequently got stuck in the mud. Fortunately, the situation was much better than yesterday.
.
The two German commanders set a new marching route for themselves. In the end, they would travel nearly 20 kilometers more before picking up the original marching route.
What a coincidence is that the path the German army chose for themselves turned out to be the same path that the Soviet army took in its successful retreat more than two months ago. If the German army strictly followed this new path, they would definitely pass through the Soviet army's Puri
Settlement on the right bank of the Pet River.
The settlement is still a battlefield, that is, the German troops are not coming from the north along the dirt road, but from the west along the forest wilderness.
Throughout the 18th, the police regiment had no chance to send a telegram. In order to save battery energy, the radio station was always turned off, covered with some linen cloth, and hidden in a pile of ammunition boxes. Based on this operation, several of the Guerrilla Republic
Attempts to contact each other ended in failure. Even long-distance telegrams sent from the distant guerrilla movement headquarters did not receive any reply. It was as if the troops about to revolt had disappeared from the world.
However, the various forces were convinced that the police regiment was safe and they were forced to maintain radio silence due to some pressure.
On the other hand, because he could not send out the telegram, the head of the police regiment Fyodorov was also very anxious. The killing of these thousands of German soldiers was a pledge of honor for him and the army. He could not wait to turn against the enemy and kill the enemy immediately.
It was impossible to send a report, and it was impossible to get new orders from superiors. The German army also did not continue to advance along the main road. It was really necessary to report their detour.
After all, the friendly forces in the swamp must have organized a defense. Even if the German army took a detour, they would not be caught off guard. What's worse, Fyodorov didn't know where the German army and his own troops were!
On the night of the 18th, whether it was the German army or the police regiment, the officers and soldiers were in a very bad mood and physically exhausted because they had taken a long detour. This is because the German army usually avoids marching long distances on two legs, due to the swamp.
The road conditions were extremely soft and soft, so they had to rely on their legs to maneuver.
The high-top leather boots were stained with black mud, and the soldier's knees were quite sore as he had to pull out his feet that were stuck in the mud.
When it was time to rest, the German army and police groups rested on the spot in their respective temporary camps.
The soldiers were exhausted from the torture. After eating cans and a few pieces of bread around the campfire, they wrapped themselves in blankets and fell asleep, no matter whether they were wet or not.
Because he was so exhausted, Fyodorov even forgot to send the telegram. He and his soldiers fell asleep until the morning bugle sounded.
When he woke up by holding his dizzy head, he suddenly remembered that he had forgotten something important.
"Oops, it's already the 19th! If you use the radio rashly after dawn, if the Germans see you, you will have to take action in advance!"
Because there was no communication on the 18th, the police regiment did not know that on that day, the Guerrilla Republic not only destroyed the German positions, but also liberated Lechica in one fell swoop. These friendly forces achieved incredible results and also forced the German garrison in southern Belarus to
into chaos.
In the early morning of the 19th, Sean, the commander of the 700th Division, and Krieger, the commander of the 734th Division, received a telegram from their superiors and learned the bad news of the fall of Lechica.
While the two were shocked, they were also somewhat conflicted about their actions.
Because a large number of troops are fighting against multiple powerful guerrillas on a huge battlefield, it is very difficult to detach the troops and recapture Lechica. Let the 7,000 troops deep in the swamp retreat and attack Lechica
, the city could be captured quickly.
However, the German troops that penetrated the swamps could quickly enter the enemy's hinterland, seize and destroy the guerrilla camps, and the enemy who occupied Lechica would be self-defeating without the logistical supplies.
The commander of the group army, Wagner, was extremely worried about the current predicament. Moreover, around the city of Bobruisk where his headquarters was located, the guard troops were already fighting with the guerrillas. He also understood to some extent that sudden changes in tactical tasks would have a negative impact on infiltration.
Because of the damage to his troops, he decisively chose the latter, even if it delayed the dispatch of troops to recapture Lechicha.
"I know that you are struggling in the swamp. You must overcome these difficulties. The map in your hands clearly marks the location of the guerrilla camp. You must capture it at any cost, kill all the Russians you see, and kill all the Russians you see."
The houses were burned down. Only by exterminating the source of all evil in the swamp can our army's predicament be relieved." Wagner was a lieutenant general after all, and his order was personally sent to the two colonel commanders, which shows the importance and importance he attached to it.
Sean and Krieger were ordered to do so at the critical moment. The commander issued an order to fight at all costs, to reach the enemy's camp as quickly as possible. To achieve this goal, the troops really had to make some trade-offs.
When the morning fog rose, the German soldiers hurriedly woke up under the urging of the morning horn. The police group also ended their rest at the same time and took the time to use the unburned bonfire to roast potatoes to satisfy their hunger.
"Our current situation is quite bad. I really don't know how far the Germans will go! They must go further, especially to get rid of all the Germans in our troops." The deputy commander whispered and threw it to
The group leader gave a half-cooked baked potato and said, "Eat quickly, the Germans will torture us again soon."
"We still want to make a century, maybe today is the time. Hush, the Germans are coming."
There were some German officers in the initially formed police regiment, and even the leader was a German. Later, a large number of police regiments gradually emerged, which can be called pure puppet troops. There were at most a small number of German representatives and military advisers, and their existence was purely
the messenger.
Representatives of the German army came and delivered urgent orders to the police regiment.
"Sir, our army requires you to go to the front line and hold an emergency meeting with the two regiment leaders. Please go there immediately."
Fyodorov breathed a sigh of relief and stood up: "I will go back soon. I hope our allies will not issue any more harsh orders."
Walking in the increasingly dense morning fog, Fyodorov could only rely on the compass to determine the direction. As for where exactly this place was, he had no idea.
He arrived at the camp of the 734th Division's Krieger Regiment and met with the two regiment commanders gathered here, and the morning meeting began immediately.
Captain Krieger opened the folded regional map and pointed to a point on the map: "Look, everyone, this is our current location. Well, it is an approximate location. In short, we are going to turn east here.
, our detour has ended. According to the orders from our superiors, we must attack the Russian camp at all costs.
According to the previous Air Force reconnaissance, the Air Force discovered some wooden houses at this location by the river. The superiors judged that these were some Russian camps. As long as we continue to move along the soft open land in the forest and walk through the last muddy area, we will
can reach here.
We must seize this camp! The fact that the Russians built a camp here must mean that there are shoals in the river they face, or that a simple bridge can be built. But we need to use a more secure way to cross the river. Fyodorov!"
"I am here."
"Now is the time to prove your loyalty to Germany. Your troops are in charge of most of our army's logistics supplies, including more than thirty kayaks and matching pumps."
Now Fyodorov not only understood the position of himself and the German army, but also knew that the German army was only half a day away from the settlement.
He was determined to revolt and resolutely kept the details of the settlement in his heart. However, the Soviet army never expected that the main force of the German army would rush in from the west. He realized that a fierce battle would inevitably occur today. Secondly, he would fight on his own.
You have to get the news out even if you risk your life.
Fyodorov pretended to be calm and responded: "Those kayaks have been packed in wooden boxes, but they are quite heavy in a compressed state, so the truck loading them is at the end of the line. We need to get those heavy supplies over
, it’s really difficult.”
"They are well preserved, which is your credit. As for bringing them out, it is our task."
In the final analysis, the 734th Division has never fully trusted the puppet troops assigned to them, because when they participated in the liquidation of guerrillas, they had many times suspected of harboring and deliberately letting go of guerrillas.
Those kayaks were crucial to the German operation. Krieger continued: "I will send someone to your camp immediately to inflate the kayaks and take them away."
"Okay. But what should we do if you go to clear out the guerrillas? We carry too much baggage, and now going west will be a muddy land again..."
"You have too much equipment and a lot of ammunition. You are simply a walking powder keg. When our main force moves westward, your troops will move to the current meeting location, use this forest as cover, and establish a
Logistics camp. Remember, your biggest task is to guard these ammunition."
The development of the battle situation was completely beyond Fyodorov's expectations. He was very excited inside and could not help but reveal his joyful expression slightly.
This smiling expression made Sean, the commander of the 700th Division, a little displeased: "We are going to fight the enemy, why don't we fight on the front line and let you celebrate your luck? Bah, what a cowardly act."
"Forget it." Krieger comforted his German compatriots in German: "Even the Russians who serve us, don't imagine how capable they are of fighting. These people are basically just for a living. They are the logistics force so far.
The performance was pretty good, but other than that it was basically useless.”
Fyodorov could understand some of the content, and he should have been a little angry about it. However, he only had endless contempt for these German soldiers.
On the surface, he complied with the Germans' speculation, nodded and bowed in a self-deprecating manner: "Yes, yes. We are really afraid of those guerrillas. It is said that they have very strong combat effectiveness. Besides, after all, we are an army against Stalin.
If we are caught by the guerrillas, we are the so-called traitors. Once we are captured, we will be brutally beaten and eventually beaten to death."
Sean didn’t understand that these words were hypocrisy, and they were actually pleasant to the ears. “Indeed, you betrayed Stalin’s regime and defected to the great Third Reich. If you are caught by those gangsters, you will undoubtedly die, but please don’t worry, we in Germany
The military will personally dispatch to help you clear your worries."
"Oh! Thank you so much. I hope you can achieve a great victory today, and we will be at the rear to defend the logistics base."