On a new day, the offensive troops made their final assembly at the airport. [
Six offensive battalions and attached artillery companies gathered here. Due to the needs of the war, logistics transport troops did not exist, and the necessary supplies could only be carried by the soldiers themselves. However, because the battlefield was not far away from three collective farms,
If the consumption of ammunition and food is too great, the reserve militia can be mobilized in the rear to supply supplies to the front line.
As many as 5,000 soldiers gathered at the airport. This was the first time such a large-scale gathering of soldiers had occurred. Such a scene had only been seen before the 284th Division suffered a devastating blow in Minsk. Now that the strength of the troops has been restored little by little, the spectacular scene has reappeared.
Before setting off for the expedition, Yevlov stood on a high platform and spoke some encouraging words in a high and steady tone. The soldiers lined up in a neat matrix and raised their heads, listening to his lectures.
"Comrades, this operation is our 284th Guards Division's response to the leader's call to cooperate with the Northwest Front Army to which we previously belonged. It is also to implement the tasks assigned to us by the Southwest Front Army.
On the Moscow front, the Germans' campaign plan to capture Moscow like Napoleon had completely failed. The German army was unable to capture the capital. On the contrary, our counterattack had begun.
We can fail in Minsk, fail in Kiev, fail in Vilnius, fail in Vyazma. But in Moscow we have no way out, and facts have proven that as long as we persist in the war, victory is ours. The enemy
We have begun to retreat, and we are going to give the retreating enemies a hard blow! Tell them that Belarus has not been completely occupied by them. In the vast swamp of Pripet, here is still the Soviet Union!"
"Ula! Ula!"
…
The soldiers chanted slogans, and the scene of five thousand people calling together was extremely shocking. Under such a scene, everyone's blood was boiling, and morale had reached its peak. Yang Mingzhi glanced at the soldiers in the audience. With such soldiers, why worry?
Can't win the battle?
The troops set off after lunch. After leaving the military camp in Catfish Village, the army split into two groups.
Yang Mingzhi led the troops attacking the highway to the southeast, heading straight for Gomel. However, the troops attacking Homnich such as Roshakov should move a little further south.
For Roshakov, he was given two days and must launch an attack in the early morning of the day after tomorrow. Night fighting is the strength of the 284th Division. He has also learned this tactic since joining this unit. All this is to ensure the success of the war.
suddenness.
Ten kilometers outside the base area, the troops were about to separate. Yang Mingzhi, Roshakov and others said goodbye, "The task of attacking Homnich is left to you. The heavy weapons are all in your hands. When Homnich is captured,
In the end, there will be a more difficult war waiting for you, and I hope you will live up to expectations."
This was a common topic, but several people still saluted the military salute and promised to fulfill the orders of the division headquarters.
Roshakov will definitely implement the order resolutely, and Yang Mingzhi also firmly believes that the army he commands will fight to the last drop of blood. Discipline training is overseen by Yelentina, a woman from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and also by the political commissars.
A series of brainwashing sessions, and even prisoners of war who came out with their own personal experience pointed out the horrors of the prisoner of war camps.
Therefore, those who join the 284th Division know why they are fighting and will not hesitate to sacrifice. They have completely given up the idea of surrender, because in the prisoner of war camp, the hope of survival is very slim, and it is better to fight to the death than to survive.
Yang Mingzhi's troops numbered 2,000. Outside his two most trusted battalions, there was a women's battalion and a youth battalion composed entirely of children. This kind of army looks a bit awkward. There are all men, women and children. If you don't know,
Those who love love will definitely worry about it.
Yang Mingzhi was a little worried at first. After all, they were 700 girls and children. Because of the shortage of troops, women and children were thrown into the battlefield as soldiers. However, it turned out that the stereotypes were wrong. Marching in the snow, they had no one.
Fall behind.
Logistics almost depends on the soldiers themselves. The supplies they carry on their backs are bundled on sleds. The troops use some horse-drawn sleds during the operation, and more are sleds pulled by human beings. The snow is very suitable for sledding, and every squad
Each has a large sled, their overnight blankets, and some ammunition are all transported by sled, so that the troops can carry more supplies and cope with long battles.
Similarly, the troops attacking Homnich also had a large number of sledges.
In the previous harassment battle, horse-drawn sleds carried mortars and attacked Homnich flexibly, causing trouble for the German defenders and causing heavy losses. In this large-scale operation, horse-drawn sleds were responsible for transporting ammunition.
Task.
The temporary regiment commander, Roshakov's command also had a tank unit. Three BT light tanks were advancing in the snow. They had enough fuel, so these three tanks began to work as "locomotives"
The soldiers tied the sleds together, and each tank could pull up to ten sleds at a time, pulling a large amount of ammunition straight towards Homnich.
At the same time, the German defenders of Homnich retreated into their shells like turtles. There were Soviet snipers hiding in the snow just outside the city. Going out on patrol would be a disaster, but they could still survive without going out and hiding in the building.
It's safe, once you patrol, some unlucky guy will be injured or killed.
Roshakov's troops approached Homnich little by little, and they first met up with the snipers who were still engaged in harassment.
He ordered the troops to camp on the snow and planned to launch operations in the early morning.
"Everyone took a rest immediately to recharge their batteries. We started going out at ten o'clock in the evening and prepared for the final attack at two o'clock in the morning."
At this moment, the troops were still more than ten kilometers away from Homnich. If they advanced further, the German troops would be able to see the Soviet troops approaching with great momentum from the high-rise buildings.
The troops were hidden behind a small patch of woods, and the headquarters tent had been set up. The officer headed by Rosakov was here, and a sniper walked into the tent.
"Ilyich, you have done a very good job before. Now the division headquarters has decided to capture Homnich. All your snipers will join us in attacking the city. Now please tell me the intelligence you have obtained these days." Rosharko
The husband said sincerely that he also got what he needed.
Sniper Ilyich told Roshakov that there was only one battalion of German troops in the city of Homnich at the moment, and their morale was in a mess. Due to the continuous harassment battles, many of their wounded soldiers were placed in the city, and the bodies of the dead were abandoned in the wilderness.
"We kill enemy patrols. If the enemy comes to collect the bodies, we will shoot them decisively. I'm afraid it's immoral to do so, but the targets are Nazis. We will shoot them when we find them. Even those fascist prostitutes."
"What? Fascist whore!" Rosakov was very surprised by this word.
"Those people are prostitutes. They were captured by the German army and did not choose to resist. Instead, they sold their bodies to survive and used them as tools for the Nazis to vent their sexual desires. Later, the German army was forced by our attack and simply sent these women to collect the corpses of German dramas.
.They did not run away when they had this opportunity, but instead put the body on a sled and pulled it back to the city after they succeeded. So we did not hesitate to shoot them."
There were still Soviets in the city! Before the battle, Roshakov and others felt that all the people who had not evacuated had been exterminated. There were also many women who had become prostitutes for the German army, and their disdain immediately emerged.
In any case, they can be said to be traitors, and their situation is actually very sad. When the battle breaks out, they can only hope for happiness.
"Ilyich, please go down and rest, recharge your batteries and don't think too much. Please also cover your ears at night, our artillery fire preparations will be fierce."
Time passed little by little, and outside the city of Homnich, the Soviet army sent a signal in the direction of Catfish Village. It was already one o'clock in the morning.
Neither Yevlov nor Yelentina rested, while pilot Podovich was recharging his energy.
Flying at night is not a problem for him because the moon is high tonight and the ground is covered with snow, making visibility very good.
The flight order had been issued, and his car slowly lifted off with two rockets mounted on it, targeting Homnich.
"Report to the commander, the air force has taken off." the radio operator reported.
At this moment, Roshakov looked at his pocket watch and saw that it was already half past one.
"Order the troops to prepare for battle immediately. Order the mortars to advance and establish artillery positions."
At this moment, an offensive force of 2,000 people has gathered outside the city of Homnich. There are only two large-caliber mortars. They will fire the shells at the maximum shooting angle and fly two kilometers before exploding in the city.
As the time gradually reached two o'clock in the morning, seeing that the time was ripe, Rosakov personally fired the flare.
A green signal flare soared into the sky. Some German soldiers on guard at night saw this abnormality. They were very surprised and did not report it. Instead, they watched the green burning object slowly descending like fireworks. Until dozens of seconds later, a violent explosion
Explosions resounded in the city.
Such explosions have lasted for many days in the past. They were just sneak attacks by Soviet mortars. Many people were not surprised. There had been no sneak attacks by mortars in the past few days, and the soldiers finally slept peacefully for a few times. Unexpectedly, the attack came again.
here we go.
The explosion woke Gustav from his sweet dream. He pushed away the woman sleeping next to him (because of the anxiety of the war, he, like the soldiers, vented his anxiety on the Slavic women who were controlled in the city) and hurriedly
Get dressed and prepare to check out the situation.
He never expected that an even more violent explosion would occur before he even put on his coat and went out.
It turned out that just after the first round of shelling ended, Podovich, who was flying, saw the fire, which was more obvious than the signal flare. The plane immediately aimed at the fire and flew, and then the rockets were fired by the sure fuse. Two large rockets were fired.
Holding the white smoke and heading straight towards Homnich, its power was equivalent to two heavy artillery shells.
The explosion occurred, and the powerful shock wave destroyed many houses. The ground was shaking, and German soldiers were thrown under their beds while they were sleeping.
In the past artillery attacks, the German army always got up first and immediately prepared defenses. The attack always came suddenly, and then suddenly, the world returned to peace. After a long time like this, people will become numb.
The violent explosion caused by the rocket caused a lot of damage. The German army did not organize a defense at the first time, but rescued the wounded soldiers.
Most of them didn't know that two thousand Soviet troops ambushed outside the city. With the cooperation of three tanks, infantry and tanks coordinated to attack the town. The operation had begun. The soldiers attacked in a three-three attack mode. Everyone did
Okay, get ready for the fight.
As for the German army, it was not until the large-caliber mortars continued to fire and the explosions continued that they realized that tonight's attack was no small matter. When the German army realized that a large number of armed men were approaching the city, everything was too late. (To be continued.) 8