When the Soviet troops reached the outskirts of the city, they saw a large number of Germans whose backs were illuminated by the city's firelight, throwing down their equipment and running away. Summit 23S.
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Many more corpses were added to the battlefield. The Soviet troops, who were originally huddled on the second line of defense and resisted, were now standing on the previous line of defense. The time was already July 30, and it seemed as if they had returned to the 28th.
situation.
However, the Soviet army also paid a heavy price of more than 300 sacrifices and more than 100 casualties.
Temporarily victorious, Lavrenti could not laugh at all. It was precisely because he temporarily changed his decision that he suffered more than 400 casualties. You must know that many soldiers were experienced veterans. The sacrifices of these people further contributed to the guerrilla movement.
blow.
Yevgeny, who was so excited that he forgot his pain, walked up to Lavrenti and said, "The Germans abandoned the city and fled. Should we tell the commander that we have regained the lost city area? Let him and the headquarters be happy.
.”
"No need." Lavrenti shook his head: "It's already 0:30. According to the commander's order, we should have evacuated the city half an hour ago. Although I don't want to, we have to abandon this city to
German."
"Alas! What a pity! We sacrificed more than three hundred people, but in the end we still gave the enemy an advantage."
"You think I don't feel sorry for you. But there is no way. Now the independent regiments have begun to take on the work of the main force, and our main force of the 284th Division only has a thousand brothers left! It's ridiculous. It was the same when we withdrew to Pripet Swamp.
A thousand people. We must withdraw and start all over again."
Lavrenti decided to seize the time to implement the commander's order, but when he issued the order, he encountered complaints from the soldiers, and even some junior officers questioned it.
The so-called doubts are whether the so-called sacrificed comrades died in vain, and why the recaptured city should be surrendered to the enemy.
At this moment, Lavrenti was telling the soldiers the reason carefully, but Lavrenti guessed that the soldiers who were still in excitement might not be able to listen.
He made a determined decision and announced that the frontline command would cross the Pripet River. Anyone who disobeyed would be a traitor and all honors would be wiped out.
Honor, this is the most cherished thing by the majority of soldiers, and it is also the spiritual food that allows them to persist in fighting until now. If they are classified as traitors, it will be even worse than the brothers who died here. Even if they are alive, it is not the same as death.
Is it no different?
The soldiers of the independent regiment retreated from the edge of the city to the river. Time was urgent. They did not have time to search for loot. They could only search for some bullets along the retreat route to fill their ammunition bags.
In the final night attack, Peronisky and Tchaikov's independent regiments participated in the counterattack, and they suffered less casualties. They arrived at the river first and began to board the long-awaited rafts to cross the river.
After many days of fierce fighting, thousands of people died in this city, and the former Lechica became a ruined city with only one layer of incomplete concrete buildings.
The north wind blew across the broad Dnieper River, and the moon appeared and disappeared. The sound of wind kept lingering in the soldiers' ears, just like countless ghosts lamenting, and a sense of desolation arose spontaneously.
The soldiers of the Independence Regiment already have extraordinary feelings for this city. It has become the grave of many comrades in arms. Many people actually feel regretful that they cannot die with their comrades. Of course, more people are grateful that they are still alive.
"Platoon commander, isn't it a shame that we just evacuated like this? Although we were also following the commander's orders!"
"Sergeisky, you still need to study harder. The commander has his own tactical considerations. Do you think that we alone can completely defeat a German infantry corps? Maybe the Germans will start shelling madly again during the day!"
"But we still withdrew, and the city we had obviously liberated was handed over to the enemy..."
The soldiers stood on the raft with mixed emotions. In order to escape as soon as possible, most of them moved lightly, only carrying backpacks and putting a lot of food. The raft gradually moved to the other side, and the soldiers got ashore, and met with Medvedev and Vasilyev.
The independent regiment reunited, but their eyes were still looking at the city that continued to burn three hundred meters away.
The communications troops hurried to the playground of Lechitsa Primary School, where Lavrenti temporarily placed the headquarters. He also ordered all the officers and soldiers of the 284th Division to assemble here.
"Sir, the independent group has begun to cross the river and everything is in order."
Lavrenti nodded with satisfaction: "You go down first, continue to monitor, and report immediately if there is any situation."
Then, seeing most of the surviving officers and soldiers of the 284th Division gathered, he looked at the soldiers who were blackened and filled with murderous intent and announced a major decision.
"Comrades! The commander ordered our army to fully retreat across the river at midnight on the 30th. Whether you are willing or not, we must abandon Lechica. As soldiers, we must perform our mission.
However, we do not have many ferries, so crossing the river will be a slow process.
The Independent Regiment will be the first to cross the river, and then it will be our turn, the soldiers of the 284th Division. Please remember that we are a unit with the title of Guards and must be worthy of this honor.
We have lost a lot of time. It is estimated that it will be daybreak when it is our turn to cross the river. Once daybreak, the German army will definitely launch a counterattack. For this, we must organize the troops to stay behind and buy more time for the evacuation of the large forces.
So we need a hundred warriors to stay as the rear troops. Comrades, if anyone is willing, raise your hand!"
Something dramatic happened. When Laf Lianji looked around, everyone raised their right hands. The team was also noisy, and everyone's attitude was very clear, that is, they were vying to be the last one who was almost destined to die.
The soldiers are very brave, have high morale, and are not afraid of sacrifice. Only the best troops are like this. While Lavrenti was pleased, he also had to select a hundred people.
Just as he was hesitating, a middle-aged man with a scar on his face suddenly came out of the queue carrying a rifle.
"Sir, there must be a hundred people staying, I will be the first to sign up!"
"And me!" Another one stood up.
More people left the team to fight in front of Lavrenti. This move was very touching, and at the same time, the candidates were decided.
Those who dare to take the initiative and do not raise their hands among the troops have absolutely no intention of gaining fame and reputation. They are really willing to stay and defend the rear of the large army and fight to the end.
One hundred people were soon selected. Their identities were of various kinds, but one-third of them had enlisted in the army in the spring of 1941. They were well-known veterans. Lavrenti did not want them to stay, and due to the pressure of public opinion,
He had to admit it.
When he thought that many veterans would die in the battle, Lavrenti couldn't help but feel sad. His old face covered with dust and vicissitudes of life quickly showed two traces of tears, and his tears pressed against the smoke-emitting ground under his feet.
"Comrade, you are the first person to stand up. What is your name?"
"Alexander Ivanovich Olegsky. I am a native of Veliky Luki and joined the army in January last year. I was rescued from a prisoner of war camp by the 284th Division at the end of April. I have reason to fight until the end."
Lavrenti nodded. Almost all the rescued soldiers re-enlisted in the army. Because they generally received military training, most of the personnel were first assigned to independent regiments, and the best among them were then absorbed into the main force. This Olegsky must be
A leader.
"Sir." Olegsky suddenly said, "We are willing to shed the last drop of blood for the motherland, but we long for our sacrifice to be recognized by the motherland. If we must sacrifice, at least let the people know my name. When the war
After the victory, it is a great honor for me to have our names and place of origin engraved on the monument standing here."
Lavrenti nodded. He took out a notebook and a half-damaged pen from his clothes, and faced the last one hundred people: "Brothers, I respect you. Now write down your names and your place of origin.
.I promise that the motherland will not forget your loyalty. If you sacrifice your life, your family members will receive preferential treatment, and your names will be engraved on the monument to be admired forever."
However, Lavrenti really didn't want them to be wiped out, so after signing, he first promoted Olegsky to company commander, and then decided that as long as the rear troops held out until eight o'clock in the morning, no matter what the situation, the surviving people would immediately
Retreat to the river, board the gunboat and retreat.
"I still want to be a hero and be admired by future generations! In this case, it's okay to leave us a way out." Olegsky laughed boldly for a while, then led a hundred warriors to set up defenses.
…
There were still nearly 3,500 Soviet troops in the city. It was really difficult for such a large number of people to cross the river with a small number of rafts. Fortunately, there were no German troops to disrupt the entire crossing process. Although the efficiency was slow, the troops retreated very calmly.
In the early morning of the 30th, on the macro battlefield, tens of thousands of guerrilla fighters began to move south on a large scale. The Red October and Gypsy Brigades, every guerrilla believed that whether they could break out of the encirclement would all depend on tonight.
action. If there are still troops who have not passed through the occupied area of the 233rd Paratrooper Brigade after dawn, they will be in danger.
The wounded were the first to cross the river. After two and a half hours, no one from the independent regiment stayed in the city.
It was already 3:30 in the morning when the troops of the 284th Division began to cross the river.
In Minsk, Belarus, the sunrise time is 4:50 am on July 1st. In the Gomel region in the south, the sunrise is slightly later. The blue sky at dawn will start to appear at 4:30 am.
The Belarusians in the 284th Division know the time here very well, and everyone knows that it will be dawn in an hour.
When they began to cross the river, the troops that had completed the crossing only stayed on the other side of the river for a very short time before starting to move south on a large scale.
The first troops to retreat were four independent regiments. They carried a small number of wounded people lying on simple stretchers and carried a small amount of captured loot on their shoulders. Although they were tired, they relied on their strong endurance and began to march on foot.
There were only more than 900 soldiers belonging to the 284th Division who were about to cross the river. Although Lavrenti did not want to gather them in search of trophies, the troops still placed some of the found firearms on the riverside. It was a chore to take these things back.
It would be a pity to throw it away.
He gritted his teeth and ordered the soldiers to take the captured mg34 and several 80mm mortars across the river. Apart from this, the Soviet army did not carry any trophies because the city was in ruins. Maybe deep digging could get some.
Baby, the Soviet Army really doesn’t have time.
"Goodbye Lechica!"
The sky was blue, Lavrenti cheered up, stepped on the raft, and drifted slowly to the other side of the river.
He looked at his watch and saw that it was already 4:40 in the morning. After a while, the German army would definitely launch an attack!
As the commander, Lavrenti was the last to board the raft. Behind him, only a hundred warriors were left guarding Lechica. Of course, their guarding would not last long. At the appointed time, they were currently cruising
The gunboat on the river will carry the survivors all the way south...
Lavrenti and the frontline headquarters successfully floated to the other side of the river. As soon as he landed ashore, he ordered the communications troops to send good news to the headquarters.
"Sir, the telegram has been sent, are we waiting for a reply?" the signal soldier asked.
"No need. We will set off south immediately, we can't delay!"
As he spoke, Lavrenty, who exuded a strong smell of gunpowder smoke, once again looked back affectionately at the city on the other side of the river. The first ray of the rising sun was about to break through the horizon. The ruins of the city in Lechica, the smoke and dust still rising,
Always telling the cruelty here.
"Let's go! Let's get out of this hellish place!"
The Soviet troops formed three long and narrow columns and walked southward. Thanks to their physical training, all the troops of the 63rd Group Army were strong men just from marching long distances. They ate dry food while marching, and hugged them when they choked.
Fill the kettle with water from the Dnieper River and drink it happily.
The Soviet army moves southward, and nothing can stop them. The team will continue to move along the left bank of the Dnieper River until the entire army reaches the Dnipra swamp and cross the tributary Sozh River from the shoal that has long been explored by the parachute brigade.
, until arriving at Misi Ferry and returning to the military camp where they had been away for a long time.
The future will be a slow long march of one hundred kilometers. They are not the only ones who have to make the long journey. All the troops withdrawing from the north will have to walk through this route. Soon, the lush fishing grounds before the war will
The trading village of Mixi will be filled with tens of thousands of troops in an instant!
…
It was already dawn, and Olegsky, who was staying in the city, and his ninety-nine comrades were nervously waiting for the German attack.
It is completely impossible for a hundred men to withstand the German offensive. At best, they can use the weapons at hand to cause some trouble to the enemy.
"Company commander! I heard that Panfinov only had twenty-eight men left, and they just defeated an armored battalion. We have a hundred men, so we should be able to create a miracle." said a veteran.
The veteran wanted to boost his morale, but it also made Olegsky's imagination wander.
"We have ten combat groups, and everyone is hiding in the dark. When the German army enters the city and launches a counterattack at the right time, we can cause heavy damage to the enemy in the first time. Unfortunately, we only have one chance. Don't think that we can defeat the enemy.
As long as we can hold on until eight o'clock, we will withdraw."
At the same time, after dawn, the German morning horn woke up all the soldiers. The officers and soldiers of the three main regiments who had withdrawn took a short rest, and their panic was finally appeased to a certain extent. The entire 370th Division still faced Lechicha.
With lingering fears, they received the mission order to launch a new round of attack facing the rising sun at 6:30 in the morning.
Division Commander Gnus had been eager for the reinforcements from the friendly 371st Division to arrive as soon as possible. After dawn, he received news that the friendly forces would arrive at eight o'clock in the morning at the earliest.
"Waiting! Why are you waiting so long! I don't have time to wait. When our army and the enemy fall into street fighting again, you should arrive as soon as possible!"
Gnus lost all patience. At 6:30 in the morning, he first ordered the artillery to shoot out the last few shells that saved face, and then ordered the three main regiments to return to the battlefield.
A logistics regiment participated in the attack, bringing the German strength to more than 6,000 men. They were also accompanied by some half-track armored vehicles, and the attacking force was very powerful.
After several defeats, the arrogance of these soldiers was gone. When they returned to the edge of the city, they acted more cautiously.
Soldiers learn war in war, and those who survived summed up the street fighting experience of the previous two days. In this counterattack, it seems that everyone has become a master!
It's just that this attack was really strange. The troops stayed vigilant. It would have been a scene of brutal street fighting, but no trace of the Soviet troops was found.
When the German army was only three streets away from the road along the river, the battle finally began.