The German artillery attack came suddenly, the bombing was fierce, and it ended very suddenly. Peak 23S.
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A large number of people were lying on the side of the wet river or squatting in the corners of houses facing the river. Everyone gritted their teeth and covered their ears, praying in their hearts.
There are a considerable number of forty-year-olds in the Independence Group. They were all baptized by the Orthodox Church when they were born. The Soviet Union was established when they were just adults, and the Soviet Union was also established a few years later. Many people believe in God in their hearts.
Especially at this time, if you keep reciting prayers, at least you will not have a mental breakdown.
They need a god to protect them from the blast wave.
Of course, real veterans don't believe in these tricks. If they want to survive the bombardment, they have to dig a hole well and adopt a specific posture to welcome the bombardment.
The shelling suddenly ended, and the soldiers who had endured for a long time breathed a sigh of relief.
But Lavrenti only relaxed for more than ten seconds, then raised his fists high: "Comrades! The German infantry will be coming soon. Return to the city and prepare to fight."
It was already five o'clock in the afternoon, and the date was July 28th. The daylight hours in Belarus were shortening very quickly. The sun was setting, its outline was getting larger and larger, and the sunset was becoming more and more destructive.
In the setting sun, thick smoke was rising from the city and the forest south of the city. The smoke looked even more beautiful under the sunset. The Soviet soldiers who survived the disaster were glad that they were still alive for the time being and that everyone still had their lives to eat their dinner.
Will the Germans launch a second round of attacks in the evening? Only the Germans know this.
Most of the Soviet soldiers were skeptical, but they all knew very well that no matter whether there was fighting today, tomorrow would definitely be a deadly battle. Looking at the resolute attitude of the commander in shooting the deserters, everyone must live and die with the city.
.
When they thought of this, most of the soldiers felt relieved.
Just for this city, the brothers have been fighting for a day, and the entire Gomel Region and the Guerrilla Republic alone have sacrificed tens of thousands of troops. When seeing the sacrifices of too many people, the living people can accept it.
Such a fate. At least, everyone who guarded Lechica witnessed the fact that nearly 30,000 refugees evacuated south. Among the refugees were an astonishing number of women and children. They are the future of the country. As a man, even for women
You and your children must risk their lives!
The soldiers entered the area that had just been ravaged by artillery fire. Peronisky and Tchaikov went to the southern forest to rescue the living and find available supplies.
Hundreds of people did not evacuate to the river. They suffered heavy casualties during the shelling, and the soldiers heard lingering howls of ghosts and wolves in the streets.
Some people had their legs broken by the bombing, and blood flowed everywhere. Some people's internal organs were blown out. The wounded cried out for their mothers with extremely horrific scenes. They stretched out their hands with bloody and severed fingers, praying for the help of their comrades.
Rescue. And more wounded people only breathed their last breath because of excessive blood loss.
In the streets full of rubble and debris, there were a large number of human remains and fragments of weapons. Under the strong explosive pressure of the shells, the rifle barrels were also twisted into twists.
Almost none of the dead on the battlefield were whole corpses, and there was meat everywhere that smelled of burnt meat. The smell was disgusting, and even made Lavrenty feel that it was more pungent than the smell of sweat and gunpowder smoke all over his body.
Such a tragic scene also caused some soldiers to retching. Yes, even experienced veterans could not be calm about this chaotic scene.
Those who had cigarettes quickly lit them up tremblingly to calm themselves down. Many people trembled unconsciously, and they did not do more to help the injured, especially those who were seriously injured.
If you are injured on the battlefield and can be rescued by health workers, you are very lucky.
Because the 63rd Army is not yet a purely regular army, especially the city defense troops, there are no full-time health workers at all. Besides, even with superb medical skills, what is the possibility of rescue for those wounded who are almost bleeding out and with a large amount of internal organs spilled out?
Sex?
The soldiers watched helplessly as a large number of wounded died. In the end, only twenty who were not seriously injured were sent to the riverside to wait to cross the river. As for whether these people could return to the swamp, everything was unknown.
The second round of the German attack that Lavrenti was worried about never happened. The soldiers were nervous and waited until the sun went down. Only at this moment did the soldiers let out a sigh of relief.
Lavrenti established a temporary headquarters in a dilapidated room, where he learned about reports of casualties among the troops defending the city.
The preliminary statistics were so heartbreaking that he couldn't believe it for a while.
"It's amazing, we actually lost 1,500 people? In just three hours, we lost so much?!"
At this time, Rosakov, Doronin, Yevgeny and several other battalion commanders, as well as two independent regimental commanders. Each unit reported its current combatable troops. Before the battle, there were four thousand defenders in the city.
There are 2,800 men in the independent regiment, plus a battalion of reinforcements from across the river, the total strength of the defenders should be more than 7,000. Today's strength is less than 6,000!
This is a very simple subtraction. The Soviet casualties were as high as 1,500 people! This much loss occurred in three hours.
"Old friend, whether you accept it or not, this is a fact." Yevgeny said comfortingly.
"So, you think I'm anxious?"
"Is not it?"
"Indeed! Our army wants to send a telegram to the commander. What should I say? I will say that the city is holding on tenaciously, and then say that our casualties are staggering. Too many people have died. After the commander learned of this situation,
He will be angry."
"Report it truthfully!" Roshakov said, "Let the commander vent his anger on the Germans. So many of us died, and it's not our fault, it's all the Communists. We also have to listen, the commander is here
What kind of tactical adjustments will be made after learning that we have suffered such a loss?"
Lavrenti nodded. No matter what, the troops had withstood the devastating German bombardment. Most of the 1,500 people lost were killed by the German artillery, and their bodies were broken into pieces.
The situation of the German army was also very bad. This was inevitable. Lavrenti was very determined on this point. Because after the German infantry withdrew from the city, the Soviet army saw an alarming number of German corpses in the streets.
Therefore, in street fighting, the Soviet army used reasonable tactics and excellent weapons, especially a large number of submachine guns and grenades, to achieve an absolute advantage in fighting in a narrow area. This is really exciting.
Even as night fell, the Soviet soldiers found a suitable position and used the readily available gravel to build fortifications. After being shelled, the soldiers began to dig wildly one by one spontaneously, and many people continued to dig deeper into the bomb crater.
A large number of foxholes were dug in the city.
The entire Lechica, including the original four-story office building, has now been reduced to one floor, and for the second time only one wall is barely standing.
The three-story teaching building of the city's middle school and primary school. What is very interesting is that our sniper girl Natasha Spero is Jinna, and she went to school here. In early June 1941, before the outbreak of the war, she just
This is the end of the ninth grade semester.
A certain room was her classroom, but everything changed. The teaching building was the object of competition between the Soviet Union and Germany, and the corresponding location was bombarded by the German army. The teaching buildings of the middle school and primary school collapsed with only one floor left.
On the football field of Chicha Middle School, there were shockingly five large pits and several small pits. The large pits were made by the German army's 150mm giants.
Lavrenti reported these situations truthfully. At the same time, the command center of the Partisan Republic also received a large number of firefight reports from Homnich.
The German 371st Division had a large number of motor vehicles. They set out from the left bank of the Pripet River that passed through the city of Mozyr. They moved along the north bank of the river and then headed directly towards Homnich on the map.
The position rushed away.
The soft soil and large number of mud pits in Belarus slowed down the advance of the German army to a certain extent. It was inevitable that they would reach Homnich, and the Soviet troops in this area had to withdraw south.
Fortunately, the senior commander headed by Yang Mingzhi must have issued an emergency order. The two female military battalions and the Kovpak Corps conscientiously implemented Yang Mingzhi's order.
Tens of thousands of Soviet soldiers retreated five kilometers south. They only dispatched two battalions of officers and soldiers into the forest area to face the incoming German troops.
They encountered the German 371st Division's reconnaissance battalion at 12 noon, and the battle began immediately.
The equipment of this German reconnaissance battalion is nothing special. They are half-track armored vehicles accompanying the infantry in maneuvers.
Kovpak sent a battalion to participate in the battle. These soldiers who had fought in Sumy and Bryansk forests for a long time were really good at the forest battle that followed. However, this battalion was equipped with five recoilless rifles, which was very embarrassing and could not be used.
Specifically speaking, it is not easy to operate. However, with the two styles of RPGs provided by friendly forces, this thing is really self-taught.
Fighting side by side with them were more than 400 women. Even though Kovpak was an old guy who had specialized in guerrilla warfare for thirty years, it was really embarrassing for him to have full regard for female soldiers, and it was even more embarrassing for his subordinates. This was not just for them.
It is a prejudice against women, and based on what I have seen and heard, I naturally believe that the most suitable place for women is in hospitals and headquarters, not as combat infantry.
However, the female barracks who participated in the war quickly slapped these men in the face with their achievements.
The German reconnaissance battalion had ten half-track armored vehicles, and 600 infantrymen marched along with them. When the armored vehicles reached the artillery range, a recoilless rifle team composed of five women hit four targets in an instant, including three armored vehicles.
It broke down on the spot and soon burst into flames.
A fierce battle broke out. The German scouts fought and fled, and the Soviet army won a small victory in the blocking battle. However, this victory was fleeting. The main force of the German army relied on its large number of people to launch a full-scale attack on the forest.
The German 371st Division was originally an infantry division. They were dispatched today because they received a large number of armored vehicles from friendly forces. They fought like a motorized infantry division, and their charging appearance was more like an armored soldier.
Both the two battalions on the front line and the 10,000 Soviet troops five kilometers away who were nervously watching the movements of the German drama were all shocked by the huge strength of the German troops.
More than a hundred assault guns and half-track armored vehicles rushed toward the forest surrounding the ruins of Homnich. Along with the armored vehicles, thousands of infantrymen rushed, and the German army launched a massive infantry-tank collaboration.
The two Soviet battalions launched a blockade, which was tantamount to hitting an egg against a stone. They lost nearly 20% of their troops and had to retreat in despair. At the same time, the large Soviet troops ambushing in the south were also prepared to fight to the death.
.
Kovpak straightened his thick goatee and called to his men: "Behind us is the guerrilla republic, the 30,000 Soviet citizens we have just rescued. We have no way out and must hold on until the last man!"
These tragic words inspired the fighting enthusiasm of the soldiers. He also imitated the famous motto in the heroic deeds of the much publicized "Panfinov Division". With such words, Kovpak really did not want to fight.
Fortunately, the current position was built against the woods, which made him feel more comfortable.
Everyone was worried that the German army was targeting the swamps. If these behemoths came over, the Soviet army would really vomit three liters of blood!
Therefore, after noon, Yang Mingzhi, Yevlov and others became more concerned about the war in Homnich. At the same time, Lechica reported that the defenders had been brutally shelled by the Germans. Two bad news came, like two
The knife stabbed Yang Mingzhi's heart.
Yang Mingzhi tried his best to stay calm. Fortunately, the battle situation did not develop into the worst case scenario.
But six hours later, the situation was indeed very unfavorable for the Soviet army. Yang Mingzhi had to face such a disgusting situation. Over there, after the German army directly invaded the forest, it continued to advance eastward. The scout's report was that they saw
When the Germans arrived, they reached the banks of the Dnieper River in one fell swoop.
Yang Mingzhi already knew exactly what the German army wanted to do: the German army was targeting Lechicha and planned to annihilate all the defenders in the city.
This inference is recognized by most people, but everyone has experienced at least four sieges in the hinterland of the swamp, and everyone really cannot tolerate being frightened.
A German division acted like a barrier, cutting off the connection between the Lechica garrison and the swamp. The consequences were obvious.
On the afternoon of the 28th, the Partisan Republic also received a pessimistic and urgent telegram from the Red October Brigade. It was said that they had been strangled by an elite German army, and the troops had to lift the siege on the outskirts of Svetlogorsk and Zhlobin.
In order to control the situation, the troops suffered heavy losses in the past ten hours, at least a thousand soldiers, and the troops had to tactically shrink in the direction of Lechica.
Originally, Yang Mingzhi should have given them the order to go south, but he did not expect that they would take the initiative to do so. In the end, Yang Mingzhi could only lament the instability of the war and the coldness and cunning of the German army.
"Everything is clear!" Yang Mingzhi said loudly at the emergency meeting after dinner: "Everything is just as I expected. The German army is going to use a new pincer offensive to encircle and annihilate our Lechica defenders. Lechica fell.
Later, the Germans will continue to use a pincer offensive to create a small Vitebsk pocket."
Everyone looked at their general with bright eyes, waiting for his speech.
Yang Mingzhi did think of what he thought was a reasonable response: "I plan that no matter how much the Lechicha defenders pay, they must ensure that the city will not fall into the hands of the enemy on the 29th. The 29th, Red October
and the two brigades of gypsy people must withdraw across the railway line from Lechitsa to Gomel. After this, our army's Lechitsa garrison retreated across the river."