Wildfires are still burning in the town. After the battle, half of the houses in the town collapsed, and some even burst into flames!
Thick smoke billowed upwards. Under the black smoke, bricks, rubble and the bodies of dead soldiers could be seen everywhere.
In this battle, the transport team paid the price of nearly 200 casualties, 70 of whom died. The 1st Guerrilla Brigade suffered most of the sacrifices. In the view of Brigade Commander Fyodorov, the sacrifices of his men were not in vain.
, the troops not only achieved victory, but also captured more than 80 German prisoners of war in one breath!
The Soviet army captured a total of more than 40 puppet soldiers and more than 80 German soldiers, and these prisoners of war were almost uninjured.
There were many wounded enemy soldiers on the battlefield, so they were naturally killed with direct follow-up fire. They even killed the wounded German soldiers after yesterday's battle. Facing the enemy's sick and wounded soldiers with bandages, the officers and soldiers of the 1st Guerrilla Brigade showed no mercy.
.
The capture of more than a hundred prisoners of war was unexpected. When his subordinates began to clean the battlefield and enter the relatively intact houses in the town to search for loot, Fyodorov also unexpectedly began to interrogate the prisoners of war.
He knew some German, and considering that most German soldiers were unruly, he placed his hope on Ukrainian prisoners.
He didn't use any special means and told the frightened poor people bluntly: "Listen, I know it was the Germans who forced you to fight! That's absolutely the case! So I sympathize with you, as long as you learn what you know.
Everything tells me that as long as this is true, your lives will be protected!"
The guerrillas simply deliberately set themselves off, so they quickly got off the slope!
Soon five people stood up and volunteered to report the "big news" they knew, that is, the so-called German reinforcements.
This matter was completely beyond Fyodorov's imagination.
When the high-spirited Reichev returned to town, he explained to him in horror the important information he had just learned.
"Comrade! I just learned that the defenders here belong to the 611th Division."
"The 611th Division? Isn't it the 60th Division? Could it be..."
"No! The German army has deployed many troops in this area. They are responsible for the defense of northern Kiev. Specifically, they are to defend against attacks from the swamps, which is to defend us."
Hearing this, Reichev was quite happy: "So we captured this town and the defenders were wiped out."
"Indeed! The Germans have been informed of the crisis in the town, and their reinforcements are on their way. The prisoners of war told me the orders they received, that is, the Germans will arrive as early as tomorrow evening. We...we are facing a very complicated situation."
"This...is really bad."
Reichev, who understood the inside story, could no longer be happy. He clearly realized that August 8th was crucial for the retreat of Kovpak. The troops would meet in the town of Slovechna. During the meeting, the German troops
There will be a high probability of attacking the city.
The strategic value of this town is limited, and the Guerrilla Republic has no intention of extending its tentacles here.
However, August 8th is too late. Kovpak and the thousands of exhausted and hungry people he escorted will definitely arrive on August 8th. If the German army learns that the town has been lost, their reinforcements will definitely speed up.
The attack tried to retake the town as soon as possible. In any war, unarmed people are the biggest victims. If a battle is inevitable, the Soviet army will be unable to protect them while fighting.
Once the civilian population encountered a German attack, the result would undoubtedly be a brutal massacre.
"We must take some measures!" Fyodorov said nervously, "When we were there, we saw the Germans committing massacres. Even the Wehrmacht, which is known as an upright army, showed no mercy in killing civilians. They
Even shooting children! A large number of civilians will come tomorrow, and I am very worried about their safety."
"Your concerns are reasonable." Reichev stamped his feet, "We must immediately deploy city defenses, and at the same time..."
During the conversation, Reichev couldn't help but glance at the railway bridge in the north of the city, and suddenly an idea flashed.
"Just like this! The entire transport team moves to the north bank of the Slovechna River. When Kovpak's large force arrives, all civilians will cross the river. We will then send people to move south to contain and delay the attacking enemy until the end
A commoner crosses the river."
"So, in the end we blow up the bridge too to prevent the enemy from pursuing us?"
"Yes! I think this is the only measure we can take to avoid tragedy."
Fyodorov and Rychev completely reached a consensus, so the troops watching the battle from behind drove their grazing horses and began to move north of the city with a large amount of supplies, slowly passing the bridge.
On the other hand, two hours after the battle, the sentry on guard duty in the west of the town saw a team approaching the town. Because the other party showed a red flag, the sentry quickly ran to report, claiming to have seen the advance guard of the Kovpak Corps.
.
...
The thick smoke in the town was the best signal. Balzen and his new subordinates saw the black smoke from a distance. While marching, they heard the roar in the distance and realized that friendly forces had begun to attack the city.
He called on the soldiers to speed up and run wildly. The soldiers bravely ran through the dense forest and ran as fast as they could. If they were to participate in a marathon, Balzen and his men would both get good rankings!
Carrying long guns and short cannons, they marched for more than 20 kilometers and finally met the sentries of the transport team.
"Alas! It seems I'm a step too late!" Balzen held the sentry's hand tightly, "Comrade, have all the enemies been wiped out? When did you achieve victory?"
"It's nine o'clock in the morning, sir!"
"That's right!" Balzen looked at his pocket watch, "Oh, we're a full two hours late."
Balzen let out a heartfelt sigh. What he was most worried about was that the friendly forces with average combat power would not be able to attack the town for a long time. After all, he overestimated the enemy's strength. Now that the battle was won, there were more options for the next step.
Space.
"Comrade! Take me to your officers quickly! You are from the 1st Guerrilla Brigade! Take me to your brigade commander Fyodorov!"
Soon, Balzen not only met Fyodorov himself, who had a somewhat thin face, but also met Reichev, a paratrooper who had been injured many times in battle but had decisively returned to the battlefield.
After all, he and Reichev can be considered old comrades-in-arms!
Balzen entered a state of excitement. He opened his arms and looked relaxed: "Haha! I understand. It must be the paratroopers who launched a fierce attack, and the enemy collapsed at the first touch. Congratulations, you won."
Rychev shook his head: "Dear Davasili, you should congratulate the comrades of the 1st Guerrilla Brigade for their bravery, and thank the commander for the artillery shells and rocket launchers."
"Okay, thank you Comrade Commander, we have entered the whole body. The Commander sent you to transport food, have you brought it all?"
"We brought them all." Fyodorov said bluntly: "The food we brought is enough for all the refugees. After the battle, we also captured some black bread from the enemy. I have transported these supplies to the other side of the river.
Already."
"What? Where were you shipped to?"
"Across the river."
"You...who ordered you to do this? This doesn't fit in with the plan!" Balzen sounded very confused. He had always had a psychological grudge against the 1st Guerrilla Brigade of the puppet army. Why did they operate like this? He must explain why.
Fyodorov also intended to explain the matter to Kovpak early. Since the commander's beloved general Balzen actually stood in front of him, explaining it to him in advance could be regarded as a rehearsal for the commander himself to explain in the future.
Balzen was shocked when he heard about the German 611th Division's reinforcement of the town. Like other officers, he was not afraid of this group of attacking enemies at all, but was worried that the more than 5,000 civilians would be harmed. He also understood that the main body of the transport team was moving to
The intention of the people north of the river immediately agreed with this decisive move.
Balzen admired Fyodorov in his heart. He did not say a word of admiration, but his actions had already confirmed his complete approval.
After Balzen arrived, Fyodorov and others urgently discussed the next step.
According to the original plan, after the large troops of the Corps arrived slowly, they would rest in the city and eat at least one meal before continuing on their way. Now the situation has completely changed. If the German army would definitely arrive on the evening of August 8th,
Everyone in the large army must leave before the sun starts to set!
The Soviet army must have a time lag with the German army, and the Soviet army is not given much time to operate!
Balzen has completed his mission. Next, he will inform the main body of the corps twenty kilometers away via radio about the important information he has learned.
It was exactly noon when he sent the telegram. Throughout the morning, the Corps escorted civilians for a mere five kilometers leisurely. Of course, how can a large number of civilians march long distances like soldiers, not to mention that their marching path is covered with woods?
Ze.
At noon, Kovpak ordered the large troops to stop and rest. Since he had not received any information from the advance team, he and Rudnev discussed it and believed that the battle in the town could not end quickly, so the troops could not make mistakes too quickly.
action.
Look at the faces of the civilians. Their tired expressions are too straightforward. Do you expect these people to walk as fast as the advance team? This is impossible!
People still had a few potatoes for lunch, and with the soldiers, the team reached 8,000 people. Their huge appetites wiped out all the mushrooms near the resting place. The hungry people had huge appetites, but the number of potatoes was not much.
Finally, the long march can be paused. Even though we can’t eat much food, why not stop and rest?
It was at this moment that Kovpak received a telegram from the task force.
The result was surprising. Kovpak looked excited when he looked at the handwritten message written by the correspondent.
"How is the situation?!" Rudnev asked anxiously, looking at the excitement of the regiment commander.
"They won! The town of Slovechna was captured by friendly forces more than two hours ago. To be honest, we really shouldn't waste time like this."
"Oh! What a great news. What else is there in the telegram?"
Kovpak hoped to get more good news, but unfortunately, the following content made his eyes widen.
"Is this true?" He couldn't believe it for a moment, and then looked at it word by word. "Barzen told me that the German infantry regiment has begun to reinforce the town. This... doesn't it mean that we still have to fight with the enemy?
field?"
Rudnev is even calmer. He basically knows the current situation of the target town. At this point, he can only lament that "the war is unpredictable".
"Comrade, our friendly forces have taken decisive measures. We have no choice but to comply with their requirements. If what those prisoners of war said is true, the time given to us seems to be relatively sufficient. As long as we arrive on August 8
By the afternoon, if we reach our target, we will have enough time to continue the evacuation."
"For soldiers, we have enough time to avoid the enemy. Look at our current situation! Comrade Rudnev! A large number of war refugees, they have explained to us what the speed of a turtle is."
"But they definitely don't want to be killed! We have to tell them the truth. I believe that their survival instinct will force them to walk as fast as they can."
Kovpak nodded. It was necessary for him to immediately inform all the resting refugee troops of the great danger they faced.
"Comrade Rudnev, you go and warn them that they must act quickly. This is your strength. I only hope that after your warning, all the refugees will not panic. I hope that the troops will speed up their actions while ensuring stability."
"I will. I will have the soldiers teach all those who disobey, and restrain the frightened sheep like a shepherd." After saying that, he smiled again.
Regarding the fact that a German regular army was aggressively attacking the town of Slovechna, the meeting point, all the refugees who were resting were bluntly informed.
Just as Kovpak expected, riots broke out among the refugee groups!
The team evacuated all the way, rescuing thousands of refugees along the way, and also found a group of hermits. For example, the refugees who fled the town of Lierchuch believed in the guerrillas, but those hermits openly gave up their lives.
"The Germans are not going to search the whole forest like hounds! We want to continue to live in seclusion, and you don't have to worry about us!"
Rudnev also figured out that the appearance of such slutty guys was in Rudnev's estimation. In order to avoid a blow to morale, the soldiers did not hesitate to take measures against these people. It was impossible to continue living in seclusion! Rudnev gave
This kind of person has two options: be shot immediately as a traitor, or follow the large army.
They decisively chose the latter.
As a result, the troops didn't rest for long at all, and the refugees, who were frightened in their hearts, started their own way to escape.
Kovpak arranged soldiers on the outside of the team, not only to protect the refugees, but also to keep an eye on them to prevent anyone from escaping, and to urge action.
Those who were still tired in the morning were told that if they ran away they would be executed, and if they ran slowly they would be killed by the Germans, they had no choice but to run for their lives.
It's also impossible for Kovpak to use the "big stick" entirely.
"We strive to arrive in the town today and try to stay overnight. The friendly forces discovered the enemy's food warehouse and arrived in a safe place tonight. Everyone can eat!"
Appetite, isn’t it another kind of temptation?
Using carrots and sticks, refugees with families and families no longer had enough to worry about, and they even threw away some unnecessary belongings to reduce their burden.
They ran wildly all afternoon, with only two very short breaks along the way. When the time reached 6:30 in the evening, they emerged from the forest and saw the still smoking town of Slovechna under the setting sun.