On July 24th, the weather was cloudy, and the temperature in the morning was only 15 degrees.
It was on this day that the entire 101st Long-Range Aviation Regiment was dispatched again. According to the telegram sent by the Partisan Republic to Moscow, Ponomarenko made surprise changes to the airdrop list. For example, fifty DPMs were added to the supplies dropped to Lechica.
Light machine guns and ten M1930 Maxim heavy machine guns, in order to cope with the fact that the ammunition dropped by the air is all Soviet-style, and also to enhance the firepower of the troops guarding Lechica.
Of course, Lechica should hold on as much as possible, and the guerrillas should focus on it and attack the surrounding areas as much as possible.
On July 23, Stalin personally visited Ponomarenko and asked about the battle in southeastern Belarus.
"The whole of Gomel is fighting. Comrade Berekov, who you like, his 63rd Army has liberated Lechica for five days. The guerrillas equivalent to two divisions not only entered Gomel,
We also rescued tens of thousands of civilians in the controlled area..."
Stalin is no longer the person who couldn't listen to other opinions. After the failure of the Kharkov offensive in June, he admitted his decision-making errors and took heavy responsibility for the defeat.
Now, both in the north and the south, the Soviet army is suffering huge losses. Especially in the south, it is almost inevitable for the German army to break through the Don River defense line. The German army's strategic intention is too obvious, that is, to capture the city named after Stalin himself.
By occupying the railway, the German army will join forces with the troops currently attacking the Caucasus, and the loss of the Baku oil fields will be inevitable.
Fortunately, in response to this situation, the Soviet Defense Committee has developed a set of blocking plans. The core content of the plan is only one-to ensure at all costs that the area with Stalingrad as the core, especially the railway hub, does not fall to the German army
In hand. The battle has not yet started in an all-round way. A battle that can be called a meat grinder has already been thought of by senior Soviet personnel.
Although it will be a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood, for victory and for the Soviet Union not to be destroyed, no matter how much it costs, it is worth it.
During this period, there was a lot of bad news for the Soviet Union. In addition to the failure of the interception, there were also logistical constraints, reduced agricultural production, a depletion of young soldiers in the area west of the Ural Mountains, etc.
There is some good news. For example, the U.S. transport fleet transported a batch of materials, mainly canned meat and flour, to the Far East port of Vladivostok. The failure of the PQ17 fleet led to the indefinite stagnation of the Northern Sea Route, and the Soviet Union shipped goods from other countries.
The only routes for obtaining aid supplies are the Northern Pacific route and the Asian railway.
Another good news is the war in Lechitsa, Belarus.
"The development of the guerrilla movement has reached an astonishing level, and the guerrillas have been able to independently launch large-scale battles. It is you who command this battle."
Stalin's praise made Ponomarenko very happy, and he did not take all the credit. He immediately claimed that it was Belekov who led the troops to maintain the current situation.
"Berekov? Is he still continuing to expand the war situation? I am very satisfied! Now, our Marshal Zhukov is planning a large-scale counterattack. Once the operation is successful, our army is expected to advance the front to the Belarusian border. So, we
Being able to border Belekov's current control area means that we even have the ability to attack Kiev."
What Stalin called "Operation Mars" was exactly what it meant. To launch this strategic counteroffensive, the Soviet army still needed to further mobilize its forces. Zhukov had had enough of the endless tug-of-war, so he proposed a full-front counterattack, hoping to quickly gain strategic control.
Stalin took the initiative.
Stalin authorized a major strategic counteroffensive.
Ponomarenko was indeed taken aback. He asked: "Is this... the attitude of the National Defense Committee? I always feel that it is too optimistic."
"However, we all hope that this can be realized as soon as possible. Comrade Zhukov is confident in the action, but he needs to gather a large number of troops before launching the attack. Our army must also beware of the German army increasing its troops. In this way, your troops will be
Cove, its significance is very important."
"I understand. What do you mean, they must guard Lechitsa?"
"In fact, if they can attack Bobruisk and destroy the railway there, they can greatly weaken the German army's logistical support and the number of reinforcements. The comrades of the National Defense Committee also have a unified attitude and hope that they can achieve greater success.
The destructive power is really unrealistic. If they can control the current situation, it is already very good."
Ponomarenko let out a sigh of relief. He was afraid that the leader would say something about letting the 63rd Army attack Minsk.
The content of the following conversation was very realistic. Stalin brought out the opinions of the National Defense Committee, especially Voroshilov and Zhukov. Everyone believed that the German army would definitely recapture Lechica, Berekov and
The fruits of victory of the neighboring guerrillas were only temporary possessions. It was a military miracle that they could maintain a liberated state for five days.
"No matter what the war situation is, Berekov has made new contributions to our country. His actions have greatly supported the implementation of future Mars operations. He will receive another Gold Star Medal, and at the same time, he should also be promoted to a general."
Will Belekov become a general?! Ponomarenko was shocked.
However, becoming a general also comes with additional conditions.
"Berekov's victory was no accident. I personally believe more and more that his so-called rockets with a range of 40 kilometers are real. How could he achieve his current victory without some new weapons? He must come back! Stay tuned.
After the fall of Lechitsa, Belekov must come back. I have decided not only to meet him in person, but also to let him take charge of weapons research and development and production. We will also give him the treatment of a scientist and provide him with a large amount of funds.
Produce more new weapons.
Oh, by the way! His wife is also a hero of the Soviet Union because of her outstanding military exploits. We must also give her high standards of treatment. We must firmly control Berekov and prevent him from thinking about the Chinese motherland, no matter what means are used
, we must make him willing to work for us..."
Stalin talked a lot with great joy, which surprised Ponomarenko. It is true that Dzhugashvili is not always a "stone of steel". He is in a high position, and it is reasonable for him to maintain his dignity at all times for the sake of his power.
Well, now he is showing an extremely happy side, obviously he is really happy.
Dare to defend Lechica, of course, hold on as hard as possible. Stalin personally issued some documents, ordering the air force to send large-scale air support to Lechica.
The main ones responsible for this task are the 101st Voyage Regiment, and the 102nd Voyage Regiment will also send a small number of transport aircraft to participate in the operation. The Air Force will fly over the Rzhev front line where the war situation is unprecedented, and the escort aircraft will not only have superior performance, but also be large in number.
Stalin even issued a fatal order, that is, the airdrop must be carried out twice on July 24th, and twice more on July 25th.
Everything is as planned.
In the early morning of July 24, the Soviet escort fighter jets dispersed a small number of German aircraft that blocked the aircraft. After the fleet arrived in Gomel, they shot down another Koch Air Group FW190 fighter jet.
When the Soviet aircraft fleet appeared, the entire city of Gomel was shrouded in air defense sirens.
Gomel is currently not only guarded by the reduced strength of the 722nd Division, they have also absorbed the remnants of the 707th and 634th Divisions, plus the garrison police regiment, all security police, and citizens who were forcibly recruited by surprise, with a total strength of nearly 20,000.
With so many troops defending the small city of Gomel, a large number of troops had to be dispersed to the outskirts of the city.
But this cobbled-together unit had long been frightened. On paper, it had 20,000 troops, but only 8,000 could fight well. It was just the 1,800 parachute brigade and more than 2,000
The joint containment of the guerrilla fighters of the Gypsy guerrilla brigade forced the Gomel defenders not to take the initiative to counterattack Lechica.
The city of Gomel was in chaos for a while, and there were still a large number of women and children left in the city. No matter what their attitude was, the bombs fell, and it didn't matter whether they supported Stalin or Hitler.
The fleet flew around Gomel. Many pilots looked at Gomel's limited anti-aircraft artillery and machine gun fire before flying over Lechica.
The bomber's magazine opened, and a large number of linen bags slowly dropped along with the parachutes. Among them were an astonishing number of bullets, as well as machine guns that had been disassembled into bulk parts and packaged for release.
The refugees who had not yet left, totaling over 5,000 people, saw this astonishing scene.
Those planes flew very low, all painted green, with huge red stars printed on their huge wings.
"That's our plane! They're bringing food!"
"Ula! We are not abandoned!"
"If there was an airport here, we should find a way to send the children to the rear."
…
There was a small commotion among the refugees, which was quickly controlled by the army.
The Air Force's airdrop was quite accurate, and most of the supplies fell into the city. The soldiers pulled the gathered sacks to the designated area. After confirming that almost all the supplies were ammunition, Lavrenti immediately distributed them according to the plan.
On the other hand, ten TB3 bombers found the mine and dropped a large amount of supplies. Waiting on the ground were a response force of more than 4,000 people, mainly two female corps. Although some supplies inevitably fell into
In the mud pond, people collected this batch of supplies immediately.
Medicines, canned greasy meat, ammunition, and two thousand new summer uniforms.
In the afternoon, the second batch of airdrop supplies arrived. The 102nd Long-range Aviation Regiment was performing the mission. They dispatched only 22 transport/bombers, but they were intercepted by German fighter jets taking off from the frontline airport. The aircraft was lost.
Three, the remaining military aircraft completed the mission.
Throughout July 24th, the officers and soldiers of the Guerrilla Republic and the Lechica front line cheered for the arrival of large quantities of supplies.
What is even more exciting is that several telegrams sent by the guerrilla movement headquarters clearly stated that there will be two more airdrops on the 25th, and the supplies will still be mainly ammunition and weapons and equipment.
That evening, the headquarters continued its meeting.
All the dignitaries present at the meeting had their faces glowing red, and they looked as happy as if they had drank a bottle of vodka. They did drink some vodka, and there was a small amount of spirits in the airdropped supplies. The wine was filled with gasoline.
It is packaged in tin cans, so it is not afraid of impact. In the packaging bag of the wine, there is also a note saying "reward for military merit".
Regarding rewards for military merit, one of the telegrams from superiors was indeed directed to Yang Mingzhi himself.
Yevlov became even more excited after drinking some wine. He slapped the table and shouted: "Berekov, this is the third Gold Star Medal. The superiors attach great importance to our victory. Lechitsa is now in our hands, and the integrated area is also
It's in our hands. I estimate that your superiors will give you other rewards. Well, for example..."
"For example, what?" Yang Mingzhi asked with a smile.
"Such as a large sum of money, or acquiring a property in Moscow, etc."
Yang Mingzhi didn’t want to complain about anything. At present, almost all supplies in the Soviet Union are obtained by receipt, which is a pure wartime distribution policy. What is the use of asking for money? For example, to put up a wall?
Yang Mingzhi immediately joked: "Let me reward me with a pile of toilet paper, so that I can feel more comfortable when going to the toilet. Those annoying fascists have forced us to suspend our current paper-making workshop, and it is a troublesome thing for us to go to the toilet."
This statement was both realistic and vulgar, and the headquarters was filled with wild laughter.
A true veteran will not worry about the fierce battles ahead. A short period of peace is also a luxury, and a moment of indulgent fun is also precious.
But the large-scale airdrop from superiors was more convincing than the cold telegram documents - the Soviet army must do everything possible to defend Lechica. This was the attitude of the guerrilla movement headquarters, the National Defense Committee, and Stalin himself.
Although he is happy, Yang Mingzhi still has some worries about the future.
Theoretically, the reinforcements from Kovpak could arrive within forty-eight hours. On the afternoon of the 24th, the Guerrilla Republic received a telegram from Kovpak for the first time, and the first communication between them was achieved.
It turned out that Kovpak had arrived at a town called Mixtki on the morning of the 24th. The troops quickly captured this almost invincibly guarded small town on the afternoon of the 23rd, taking away the
After collecting a large amount of supplies in the city, they evacuated to the nearby forest.
The straight-line distance between the town of Mistki and Loyev is only 75 kilometers. They maintained a relatively fast marching speed and traveled through the twists and turns of the forest roads. They would definitely be able to reach Loyev on the morning of the 26th.
However, after getting in touch, Yang Mingzhi and others asked Kovpak to modify the marching route based on their own circumstances.
Kovpak still arrived at Loyev as planned. Since Loyev lacked barges, it was a waste of time to build rafts. The large army arrived at Loyev, took a short rest, and continued southward along the river, passing through the battlefield ruins and arriving at Missi.
Ferry, quickly cross the river by ferry.
In fact, it is necessary to defend Lechica, and let Kovpak who arrived at Loev go directly north along the river to participate in a possible defensive battle.
Yang Mingzhi never intended to feed thousands of soldiers into the "meat grinder" and have their lives destroyed with the destruction of Lechicha. For Yang Mingzhi, the only value of Lechicha was the railway system, which would
The railway was completely destroyed and all that was left was a pile of useless cement and stones.
The city also needs to be defended, and fighting the Germans at the cost of human lives must be avoided at all costs.
He kept this decision in his heart and did not explain it to anyone at the meeting.
At four o'clock in the morning on July 25, eight telegrams suddenly reached the Guerrilla Republic.
The telegrams have multiple signatures, but their contents are surprisingly consistent.
That is, the spies of the Soviet underground resistance organization operating in Brest saw with their own eyes a large number of military columns pulling soldiers into the city. The prostitutes in the city received some Germans. In fact, some prostitutes had become
Part of the resistance organization tried every means to get information from the Germans in this way.
Therefore, the intelligence personnel figured out that three German divisions would arrive in Mozyr and launch a "blitzkrieg" towards Lechicha with great arrogance.