The two guerrilla groups, Red October and Gypsy, withdrew all their troops across the railway overnight earlier than planned. Even though it was already dawn, their retreat did not stop at all. Summit 23S.
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With the evacuation of these people and the telegram sent by the Lechicha garrison that they had successfully crossed the river and evacuated south, Yang Mingzhi, who had not slept all night, could finally relax his tense nerves a little.
He also stayed up all night, and after seeing Lavrenti's preliminary statistics on the surviving troops, he was astonished and lost any tiredness.
"It's incredible. We have the first regiment, second regiment and artillery regiment of the 284th Division. Together, there are only a thousand people left?"
This is a figure that makes Yang Mingzhi heartbroken. Isn't he the one who caused such a result? As a general, he originally had the power to prohibit the troops from pursuing and fighting against Lechicha, because the final result of the battle must be like this, and the troops suffered
Tragic human losses.
"Alas! It's too late to say anything now!" Yang Mingzhi shook his head helplessly, "If I had ordered the troops to stand still, we would indeed not have suffered heavy casualties. If I had done this, all of you, including the soldiers on the front line, would have suffered
Resentment. Didn’t I also receive a lot of criticism when I ordered the troops to abandon Lechicha?”
"What a helpless choice. Now, I estimate that Mozyr and Kovpak in the northwest should also launch an offensive. I hope they will not suffer heavy casualties."
"That man is a senior guerrilla. He shouldn't be reckless." Yang Mingzhi sat upright. He longed for a cup of coffee to refresh himself, and the only thing he could drink at the moment was vodka.
After taking a sip of spicy wine, his whole body was invigorated. Yang Mingzhi took another cigarette and puffed out the smoke beautifully.
Although excessive smoking and drinking are harmful to the body, these two magic weapons can help calm your mind now.
For example, Salinchkin, Fomin and others couldn't endure the long night. They were still resting at the moment, and bursts of snoring could be heard from the headquarters lounge.
"Berekov, don't you plan to take a nap?" Yevlov asked kindly.
"No! I will at least wait for the telegram from Kovpak."
"Okay! I can hardly bear it anymore. I'm going to rest for an hour. If there is an emergency, please ask the guards to shake me awake."
…
Kovpak's troops attacked all night. They faced great difficulties. Finally, at three o'clock in the morning, they reached an area only five kilometers away from Mozyr. Of the six thousand men, more than a hundred people were killed on the way.
There were more than 20 people with serious injuries on their feet and had to stop.
Non-combat attrition occurred before the troops were engaged, and Kovpak felt an unlucky feeling.
He was unaware of Mozyr's condition. When the troops took a break, the reconnaissance captain Versigola led his troops to conduct an investigation first.
During the march, in order to prevent the soldiers from falling behind, each squadron had a kerosene lamp, and the weak light guided the soldiers forward. Now that the troops have settled down, all the lights have been extinguished. Based on the experience of guerrilla warfare, Kovpak did not want to
Expose yourself prematurely.
Besides, he was already close enough to Mozyr. If the Germans knew that there was an army of 6,000 men sharpening their swords, they would definitely strengthen their defenses.
After the entire regiment marched for 30 kilometers, could it be that all the soldiers were marathon runners and still had strong physical strength to fight?
Therefore, Rudnev, captain of the first battalion and political commissar of the regiment, had to express his concerns to Kovpak: "The general ordered us to attack Mozyr. Do they really think we are athletes? Soldiers
Physically exhausted, once they stop walking, they quickly become mentally exhausted."
"I understand this! My own situation is not that good either?"
As a man who is nearly fifty years old, Kovpak himself has to walk a long road on two legs just like ordinary soldiers. His mental state is a bit bad. If you compare yourself with others, the situation of his subordinates will only be worse than his own.
He said: "If we launch an attack with such a force, don't think about the morale of the soldiers, so we cannot act rashly. Since the general has sent a convoy of trucks to transport heavy weapons, we will wait for them here."
"That's good." Rudnev forced a smile, "The rockets launched by the general are said to be as powerful as heavy howitzers. We are very close to Mozyr at this location after all. We don't have to take risks. We can just wait for them here.
.I reckon we'll be hearing the noise of the truck fleet soon."
"I think the Germans can hear it too. Forget it!" Kraft Parker stretched lazily, "It's really bad. Once I stop, sleepiness will immediately take over my brain. Old friend, give me the order.
Pass it on, each group will form a defensive formation, and the soldiers outside the initial sentry will go to sleep immediately!"
"Okay! I'll do it right away."
Kovpak is a man of action, and his doubts about the so-called "catfish rocket launchers" will not be eliminated until he sees the rocket launcher with his own eyes.
The battle will begin in the morning, so it is only right to take a nap while there is still some time.
…
The German troops stationed in Mozyr were completely unaware that the enemy was actually approaching the city.
The fighting situation on the Lechicha front line was very disgusting. Army Commander Ant thought that the battle could be resolved in one day at most, and then the entire army would seize the time to march north to Mogilev. The cruel battle situation made him sick, and there were no more than 15,000 rounds of artillery shells.
After defeating the Soviet army, the attacking troops suffered heavy casualties in street fighting.
Especially the terrible casualties of the 370th Division. In the early morning of the 30th, he received a telegram from the Soviet counterattack and learned that his own people had been expelled from the city by the Soviet army.
"No matter what, you must resolve the battle on the 30th. Don't keep any prisoners, and shoot all the Russians you see, even children!"
This was the order given by Hangte to the 370th Division. He also gave an order to the 371st Division, urging the reinforcements that had suspended their operations due to the Soviet sneak attack to resume their advance after dawn.
Is Lechica really that strategic? Khante regards this battle as his own battle of honor. If he cannot recapture Lechica, even if his troops go to the direction of Rzhev, they will become local friendly forces.
laughing stock.
It was almost dawn, and Hang Te had not slept all night. The dark circles under his eyes were very scary. He was holding the desk, motionless and thoughtfully waiting for the map on the desk under the light of the electric light.
Hang Te just placed the headquarters in Mozyr, with only one or two guard battalions to protect him.
Currently, the official defenders of Mozyr are the 734th Division, with half of their troops stationed around the city.
Mozyr has become a large distribution center for supplies. There are not a single howitzer shell, but there are an astonishing number of various types of bullets, mortar shells, grenades and even explosives.
In addition, more than 5,000 war horses of the 100th Army are placed here. To take care of so many horses, the defenders have the job of grooms. Just imagine, if the soldiers become grooms, they can also build a good defense line to withstand possible
attack?
With the arrival of the 100th Army, the defense status of Mozyr also changed slightly. The 700th Division Infantry Regiment, which failed in the infiltration mission, continued to Svetlogorsk. The city was guarded entirely by troops of the 734th Division.
.
Two main regiments and one logistics regiment focused on defending the city. Because a lot of energy was spent on taking care of the horses, the German army's city defense construction was somewhat lackluster.
The main part of the city of Mozyr is on the right bank of the Pripet River, that is, to the south of the river. The important area to the north of the river is the train station. The distance between the two building groups is nearly three kilometers. This is where the Soviet Union was built a year ago.
The reason was that the army crossed the bridge and captured Mozyr, but did not have the time to attack the train station.
Like Lechica, the current strategic value of the train station in Mozy is very great. Borisman, the commander of the 734th Division, will guard the train station with two regiments and one regiment to guard the main city in the south. There are also some troops in Mozy.
In the north, they had already participated in the battle to reinforce Svetlogorsk, and for the first time restrained the Red October guerrilla brigade from continuing to expand the battlefield westward.
"The main force of the Soviet army should have suffered huge casualties. They must not be able to divide their forces to attack Mozyr. Since the 100th Army encountered a huge main force when attacking Lechica, the main force of the Soviet army must be in Lechica." With this idea, Bao
Riesman slept peacefully.
Originally, he had long advised Hangte that the Soviet army, especially the 63rd Army, had amazing combat effectiveness. However, he did not receive Hangte's high attention. What should he do if friendly forces were in trouble? He had already provided a large amount of resources.
, and contributed all the artillery shells in stock. As a friendly force, we have done our best. If the 100th Army had more demanding requirements, Borisman decided to veto it.
Perhaps after yesterday's fierce battle, the Soviet army did not have many fighting forces. In his sleep, Borisman knew nothing about the potential dangers, so he slept peacefully until five o'clock in the morning, when the morning signal to wake up came in the city of Mozyr
drift.
At 4:30 in the morning, when the sky was just beginning to turn blue, the rear relief force sent by Kovpak met the truck convoy.
For Balzen, who led the team, the one-night operation was a special experience. He had never marched by car at night, and this encounter made him think that it would be better to move on foot in the future.
Balzen was jolted so hard that when he got out of the car, he felt that all his muscles and bones were soft. Thinking of the upcoming military operation, the seven-foot-tall man had to stay excited.
Under the leadership of the supporting troops, the entire convoy arrived at a small forest clearing. Just as he was supervising the soldiers to carry down the rockets one by one, Kovpak himself had already walked over with full of curiosity.
.
Because Kraft Parker was the commander of this operation, Balzen gave him the standard military salute when he saw him.
"You don't have to be polite." Kovpak said, "You have rich combat experience here. Once the war starts, I will still need your help."
"Indeed, this is my third visit to the city of Mozyr. I also know quite a bit about the structure of the city."
Balzen had no time to talk about past battles with Kovpak. It was daybreak, and all the twenty-two rockets brought with great pains must be fired into the city this morning.
The accompanying arsenal workers took the time to assemble the launcher. This move aroused Kovpack's strong curiosity.
He looked left and right, staring intently at the workers lifting the tubes and watching them tighten the screws.
"Sir, this is our launch tube. Due to the lack of batteries and electrodes, we still use a firing pin trigger firing method..."
On the basic principles of catfish rockets, Balzen could also speak some professional vocabulary in a formal manner and explain it to himself.
The simple Kovpak didn't know much about it. He saw the launcher gradually rising and immediately realized that it was very different from the Katyusha rocket launcher.
"Comrade, what is the caliber of the rocket?"
"107 millimeters," Balzen said.
"This caliber? Our country's Katyusha has reached 130 mm. How powerful is such a small caliber? Is it really like a heavy artillery shell?"
"Not only is it powerful, its accuracy is even better than the Katyusha." Balzen couldn't wait to say, "Sir, the launch pad will be built soon, and our launch site will be located here."
"Okay. Maybe you already know our location, if you think that rockets can indeed fly five kilometers."
“Absolutely no problem!”
Kovpak believed that they were not bragging and hurriedly said: "The attack time is at 7:30. I estimate that is when the German army is having breakfast. If we launch the attack at that time, our army can achieve good results."
"Yes. According to the commander's order, we have reason to launch a ground attack. Once the artillery preparations are over, we should try to attack the city. According to my understanding of Mozyr, our location is the last forest in the south of the city. Our army
You will face an open space two kilometers long."
"I don't know much about the environment here. I'm calling my scouts back now, hoping to get valuable information."
Balzen nodded and continued: "Actually, our army fought here last summer, and we successfully repelled a Romanian infantry division."
"Is there such a thing?" Kovpak was greatly surprised. "Obviously you know this place very well. How about this, you will serve as my operational advisor for the time being, and we will try our best to make this battle a success."
"Okay. But I must understand your attitude. The general's order to us is a bit vague. It is called making a big noise in Mozyr, creating an illusion that the city is about to contribute, and inducing the enemy's main force to retreat.
I don't think we need to act. After all, you have 6,000 men, so it's no problem to launch a fierce attack. The only thing you have to worry about is the open space, where many soldiers may fall on the way to the attack.
I believe you won’t worry about this trouble, and neither will your subordinates.”
Balzen's words put Kovpak in a difficult position. He originally hoped that if possible, the troops would fire guns outside the city to confuse the German army's position. If the general did not send rockets, he would definitely do this.
However, the general actually forced the 100 people from the directly affiliated reconnaissance battalion to come. Balzen, the commander of the reconnaissance battalion, had a special friendship with the general himself. He was simply the spokesperson of the general!
Kovpak gritted his teeth and stamped his feet: "Okay, our combat goal is to invade the city of Mozyr."
"It's not just that!" Balzen continued, "I thought of something in the car. If possible, we must attack the river north of the city and blow up the only bridge to cut off the German army's communication on both sides of the river. To
To complete this work, the task must be left to us."
"You? There should only be a hundred of you!"
"Yes! We are a reconnaissance battalion directly under the group army, and it is our job to bomb the bridge. The commander gave me some special powers, that is, to use my subjective initiative and blast as much as possible in the city! For this reason, the commander also sent our Nata
Sent by Shah to join the war."
"Natasha?" Hearing this name, Kovpak was in a daze.
"Huh? You don't know?"
"I really don't know. Natasha, this is a woman's name. Did you send a woman here? Is she a military doctor with superb medical skills?"
Balzen thought about it carefully and found that Kovpak had indeed never met Natasha. After he landed in Loev, he went straight to Homnich. At the same time, Natasha ended the counter-infiltration operation and had been working in the blacksmith village.
Hospital training.
So, he personally invited Natasha to his side. A girl wearing the Order of the Red Banner, the Order of Gold Star, the Order of the Patriotic War First Class, and the Order of Partisans First Class stood in front of Kovpak with a smile.
The girl saluted: "Hello, sir, I am Natasha Petrovna Speroskina, a sniper of the Reconnaissance Battalion of the 284th Guards Infantry Division."