The pseudo-police publicized the absolute safety of the town of Lilchuch, but the fact that two small towns not far to the north were successively captured by guerrillas also spread like wildfire.
It was the soldiers of the pseudo-police who learned this information, and they also learned about this terrible situation from the mouths of the German soldiers.
In the towns of Petrikov and Turov, the defenders were completely wiped out. What kind of combat effectiveness was this? It’s not that the guerrillas were completely defeated. How could they still have the strength to sweep along the Pripet River?
It is impossible for the German army to inform the puppet troops of the detailed situation. As for the German army, they have already planned the general movement of the guerrillas attacking Mozyr.
Currently, there is a main regiment under the 60th Division, and its commander, Fuller, is responsible for the defense of the town.
The scouts of the regiment rushed back overnight on the morning of August 3. They ran to the town of Petrikov and witnessed the tragic situation there with their own eyes.
The reconnaissance team leader reported vigilantly: "Captain, the Russians killed all the defenders, and they even blew up the bridge. Judging from the footprints, they were indeed heading towards the west. According to our existing intelligence, they also attacked Tulu
Husband, our analysis shows that the enemy is in an area about forty to fifty kilometers to the west of us."
Captain Fuller believed that since the unknown guerrillas had the ability to destroy half of Mozyr, burn the city to the ground and then retreat calmly, then if they attacked the town of Lilchuch, they would have the capability.
According to the deployment of the German army, Pinsk in Belarus can be said to be heavily populated. After all, it is densely populated and is the transportation hub of Poland to the east. It is also a place where guerrilla activities are frequent and rampant.
The unknown guerrillas continued to attack westward, clearly seeking death.
After analysis by the staff of the division, they believed that the unknown guerrillas would definitely face logistical problems. Their home base must be the Pripet Swamp. They would soon retreat eastward, so it would be possible to attack Lilchuch during the retreat.
But not small.
After all, the German army knew nothing about the Kovpak Corps, and the 60th Division did not have the authority to attack the 74th Division. This led to the 60th Division's strategy being quite conservative.
The so-called madness of the Belarusian guerrillas does not matter as long as it does not substantially harm the area around Kiev. The 60th Division has only one purpose for increasing its troops. As long as the town of Lilchuch and the surrounding farmland are safe and sound, it will not affect the Eighth Route Army.
The wheat harvest at the end of the month is the best.
The rigorous Germans still built many fortifications in the city, and they also ordered pseudo-policemen to patrol the area in small teams of ten. Their patrol scope was mainly around farmland, and no small team entered the nearby forest.
Why?
The nearest forest to the town of Lilchuch is in the south, and the distance is as long as 5,000 meters!
The long open space is a great advantage for the party that lets go, so a considerable number of patrols held up binoculars and looked into the distant forest to ensure that no one could appear.
In order to prevent the residents from being mixed with guerrillas to secretly sabotage, the German army and the pseudo-police not only began to enforce the curfew in late July, but also issued an order prohibiting residents from going out after a large number of German troops moved in. Until all threats were removed and the wheat harvest was completed,
House arrest for residents is completely terminated.
And this kind of harsh measure is not just conveying a message - Lierchuch is facing a severe threat of war.
In this regard, the German army was self-defeating. The mentality of the submissive residents was also changing rapidly. Just look at the machine gun bunkers built by surprise on the streets and the roadblocks covered with barbed wire. Who else would believe the words of the pseudo-police?
The German army did not want to conflict with the guerrillas, and the residents did not want to hear the sound of gunfire.
However, the Soviet army had made up its mind. Although it had very limited knowledge of the town of Lierchuch, it had to fight since it had received the order from the commander.
On the contrary, the situation has changed dramatically.
"The German army has two thousand people, and they are from the 60th Division. Have you heard of this unit?" Taking advantage of the break at noon, Kovpak continued to ask Balzen.
"No! This is also the first time I heard this number. The traitor also said that there are many traitors like him."
"Well, they and I are both Ukrainians. Why do we want to kill each other? They attribute the responsibility for the famine to Stalin, but is this the truth? Even if it is true, this can be the reason for them to sacrifice their lives for the Germans
?It’s really sad that you have to act as a hawk for ***.”
"So your attitude towards them..." Balzen turned around and asked.
"Kill! This is my attitude! I have the right to sentence traitors to death!"
Kovpak made it clear to himself that after Lilchuch breaks the city in the future, even if five hundred traitors or a thousand are captured, they will all be executed. In times of war, the iron-blooded policy set by such a leader must be implemented unconditionally.
Taking advantage of the noon break, the Soviet army began to formulate a detailed battle plan.
Since the Soviet army still knew too little about the town, the Versigola reconnaissance team separated from the main force would act as a fire reconnaissance team. These 400 people were ordered to travel overnight and launch sneak attacks at night.
The ultimate purpose of the so-called sneak attack is just to declare one's own presence and induce the German army to counterattack in order to judge its strength in addition to creating a terrifying atmosphere of war.
As for the actions of the large army, the troops will continue to move along the river, and eventually the entire army will lie in wait in the forest south of the city, waiting for opportunities.
As a military adviser, Balzen had his own strategy: "We are ambushing in the forest. It would be great if the enemy comes out of the city to fight. But Versigola's attack may scare the civilians in the city. Once the civilians flee, we can attack them."
He was captured. Then we can know more details about the German army by simply asking civilians."
If it is difficult for the army to break through the city, it would be considered a success to take away as many residents as possible.
Kovpak did not dare to recklessly let the army charge with roar. Obviously Balzen's strategy was the best choice at the moment.
At two o'clock in the afternoon, the troops finished their comfortable rest and continued their journey.
Balzen continued to lead his men as the vanguard, and effortlessly captured another village - Milosevic.
The Soviet army executed the puppet traitors as usual and took away all the villagers.
The number of people in the entire team increased again. Due to the large number of non-combatants, the operation was really slow.
If Balzen was running, the large army was staggering. According to the markings on the map, it would still take nearly 20 kilometers to reach the edge of the forest area in the southern part of Lilchuch Town.
At the current speed, we can only reach our target unless we drive all night.
At seven o'clock in the evening, the troops stopped and set up camp. In order not to lose their way, the troops moved decisively along the river (the river can lead all the way to Lilchuch), which caused the troops to walk through many shoals and swamps on the way, and were blocked by Pripet.
The painful feeling dominated by the mud in the swamp not only disgusted the soldiers' hearts, but also made everyone tired.
The large force was actually camped in a dense forest six kilometers away from the edge of the target forest. The place was completely deserted, with only the towering pine forests towering over the mountains. The only sounds of soldiers chatting and the rustling of muddy boots on the pine leaf soil were heard.
That's all the sound.
The soldiers lit a large number of bonfires with oily branches as firewood. After eating dinner and cleaning the mud from the legs of their boots and trousers, they fell down to sleep.
Nothing could stop them from sleeping. The soldiers were wrapped in captured blankets and sheets, huddled together and snoring around the campfire.
Although Kovpak didn't want this to happen, after he made a tour, he really understood that the soldiers were really tired.
Around the campfire, his worries about the battle finally turned into hesitation.
He asked Balzen: "Comrade, have you heard these snores? Everyone is exhausted. If they fight in this posture, what awaits our army will definitely be heavy casualties. What should we do?"
"What should we do? I don't have any good ideas. The tactics have been decided and we can just follow them. Of course, if you are still worried that fighting against Lierchuch is too dangerous, it is too late to bypass it now."
Kovpak shook his head: "No! It's too late." He looked at his pocket watch again: "There are still four hours before the reconnaissance team will launch an attack. The bullet has already been fired, how can I put it back into the shell?
"
"Okay!" Balzen shrugged, "Don't complain anymore. If the soldiers are tired, don't expect them to attack crazily. Our food is still relatively abundant. Our army temporarily rested in the forest for two days, which will affect the entire army.
There will be no adverse impact on the war situation."
In fact, a physical maniac like Balzen fought continuously for more than forty days, and his body was in a state of overload for a long time. He endured the fatigue and talked to Kovpak, and when he saw that the other party had no more questions, he returned to his own place.
Falling asleep at the camp...
The entire corps, except for a small number of machine gunners who were engaged in routine defense and communications, the rest were all snoring.
Twelve kilometers to the north, Versigola's reconnaissance team was covered in green grass and walking in a slightly yellowed wheat field with its back bent.
These four hundred people used the triangular formation they had just learned and walked awkwardly in the wheat field. The good food was wasted, and no one felt sad. Some soldiers even hoped to burn it down with fire. Since they couldn't get it, the enemy couldn't even think about it.
get.
In the distance, there are dots of lights, and the place where the lights are is Lilchuk. The thermal power station in the city has been providing stable power supply, not only providing limited night lighting, but also driving thirty searchlights to shine around the city.
"Haha, it seems that the Germans are really well prepared! If the regiment commander decides to attack the city by force, we will definitely suffer huge losses!"
Versigola secretly rejoiced, but he and his brothers had reached the edge of the city and would definitely make some big moves.
Four hundred soldiers is by no means a small number. They also carry five 50mm mortars, and the capital for the night attack is quite sufficient.
At midnight on August 4th, Versigola, bursting with adrenaline, led his four hundred soldiers to launch a night attack.
The mortars fired 80mm shells at their maximum range. These guns were ambushed in the wheat fields, and so were the soldiers. Even though the searchlights were shining all the time, nothing was discovered.
Until the sharp roar of the artillery shells shocked the German soldiers standing guard at night.
The violent explosion, accompanied by a terrifying orange-red fire, shook the entire town of Lierchuch. The violent sound shattered many glass, so that the flying glass shards scratched many sleeping German soldiers.
The officers and soldiers of the 60th Division stationed here were mentally prepared. When the attack occurred, they quickly got out of bed one by one without any orders from the officers. After turning on the lights, they all dressed up in just two minutes. A considerable number of soldiers went from sleeping to fighting.
The status switch only took five minutes.
They braved artillery fire and entered their respective posts one after another. The machine gun fire deployed on the building immediately counterattacked, and the green tracer bullets created a dazzling spectacle.
"That's it, keep firing! Disturbing the enemy and deceiving their firepower!"
Versigola's face was as grave as iron, but his heart was filled with joy.
The current position of the Soviet army is 1,500 meters away from the town. The 80mm mortars are firing at the maximum range, but the actual impact point has shifted. The Soviet army has no intention of attacking a specific target. They simply target the entire town. If
If you can directly blow up the enemy's headquarters, that's the best!
There was a clever cannonball that escaped from the gun and headed towards the thermal power station, eventually hitting the house where the electric shock was installed. The ceiling collapsed and destroyed the boiler. While the steam leaked out wildly, it also caused a disruption in the whole town.
electricity.
The shelling did not hit the German headquarters, but it shattered the glass of the entire building. The desk of the German commander was covered with glass particles.
German Army Commander Fuller, after being awakened by the explosion, stumbled to the backup headquarters, a basement.
The outdoor shelling continued, and our own counterattack also began in full force.
"Go to each battalion and order the battalion commanders to defend to the death! The Russians who are attacking the city must be driven out. Don't worry about accidentally injuring civilians in the battle. Whether they live or die is none of our business!"
Fuller had just given an order to the signal corps, and then called the pseudo-police station. Unfortunately, his order to the pseudo-police was only general, and the blackout began.
Several staff officers who were still in shock heard their regimental commander furious in the darkness: "What the hell! Did the shelling blow up the power station?!"
After a while, the battery in the basement was dug out, and the dim lights flickered frequently due to the vibration of the earth.
Fuller was in a terrible mood. He had already planned for the Soviet attack, but he did not expect that the Russians would be so unreasonable as to launch a sneak attack in the middle of the night. He did not even know the specific number of the attacking Russians, but he
I felt keenly that the mortar shells that hit the city must have been made in Germany.
It was common for guerrillas to fight with captured German weapons, but Fuller was astonished by the intensive bombardment of multiple guns at once.
Finally, the disgusting bombardment came to an abrupt end, and gunshots could be heard outside.
The battle continued. Due to concerns about the dark night, the German army had no plans to fight outside the city. They and the puppet troops guarded the streets with their guns pointed outwards.
The most intense fighting area was on the west side of the town. Fuller, who gradually figured it out, moved half of his troops to the west of the city, and finally completely suppressed the Soviet army in terms of firepower.
"The Germans are really crazy! The tracer bullets blinded me!" Versigola was lying in the wheat field. His current position was quite safe, while the vanguard troops were concentrated by the Germans.
The battle had lasted for more than half an hour, and the German counterattack seemed to have reached its peak! When the Germans began bombarding with mortars, Versigola decided to end this side.
The Soviet army began to retreat. They pulled the bodies of more than a dozen fallen comrades and more than 20 wounded people and retreated under the cover of night.
The battle broke out suddenly and ended very suddenly. The Soviet troops stopped their guns and retreated westward with their backs bent. The German troops had no intention of pursuing them. They continued to fire several rounds of illumination bombs into the sky. What they saw was a large number of people being killed.
The damaged wheat fields did not lure the Soviet troops to counterattack and expose themselves.
The intensive gunfire suddenly stopped and turned into sporadic gunfire.
After a while, a soldier covered in dust rushed into the underground command room.
"Report to the head of the regiment! The Russians..."
"What about the Russians? Tell me!"
"The Russians were repulsed! They fled."
Fuller, who was worried, finally breathed a sigh of relief. When the fighting was at its fiercest, he sent a telegram to the division headquarters that the town was attacked. He only reported the fact of the attack and had no intention of asking for help. He believed that the troops could
Defend the town, and your superiors are confident about it.
When the defenders really won, Fuller felt truly at ease.
He doesn't have to worry about the enemy entering the city and fighting in the streets with him, nor does he have to worry about the possibility that civilians will suddenly help the guerrillas.
His peace of mind only lasted for more than ten seconds. As the battery power decreased and the lights dimmed again, the town's power shortage and the handling of the mess after the battle became his major concerns again.
Versigola fired all the shells, and his soldiers picked up the barrel and base and ran away. As a result, many buildings in Lilchuch were destroyed and 150 German and puppet soldiers were killed or injured (55 people died on the spot).
), and nearly 200 civilian casualties, the aftermath is entirely the work of the occupying forces. (To be continued)