"Well, okay.√ You will rest in Black Earth Village for the time being. As for the commendation given to us by the commander of the front army, we will discuss it at the subsequent meeting. You can rest there for two days."
Yevlov ended the correspondence and returned to the division office to breathe a sigh of relief.
"So, they are all back?" Yelentina asked while chewing a piece of bread.
"Yes, they paid some human costs and returned safely. This military operation can be considered to have come to an end."
"And the headquarters is also very satisfied with our series of actions." Jelentina added.
"Yes, satisfaction is satisfaction, but the headquarters is also reminding us that we must be careful of the enemy's retaliation. The scale of our operation this time is too large!"
However, Jelentina is even more optimistic. After these few months of fighting, she has already felt that the strength of the German army is just that. As long as they are not facing an offensive combination of enemy tanks and aircraft, they have to rely on infantry to advance.
In this way, their advantage no longer exists. And this is the key to the army being able to defend Homnich, but it is currently abandoned.
This point has always been criticized by Jelentina.
"Berekov is a Chinese after all, and his ideas are completely different from ours. If I were in charge of the military, I would definitely station the troops in Homnich. Because that is the city we liberated!" Yelentina said regretfully.
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Yevlov has nothing to do about this. The woman in front of him will definitely implement the leader's guiding spirit, that is, fighting to the last man to defend the territory.
The Southwest Front Army also adheres to this point. Most of Timoshenko's new army is composed of newly recruited soldiers. Because the war is urgent, the newcomers have almost no time to receive training. Most of them just received a rifle.
A basic amount of ammunition, then shoot a few on the shooting range, and then go to the battlefield.
How can such soldiers ensure combat effectiveness?
Because the German army they faced was completely officer-oriented during the Weimar Republic era. When Hitler came to power, the army expanded and they had 100,000 elite junior officers.
In addition, before the invasion of the Soviet Union, the huge German army had already undergone the baptism of war, and the quality of the soldiers was much higher than that of the Soviet conscripts.
Therefore, the Southwest Front Army is still losing land, and a large number of Soviet troops are still fighting hard. They often fight until the last person loses their position. Although they have poor combat effectiveness, they can fight to the death. This fighting spirit really gives the German army a lot of resistance.
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But the officers and soldiers of the 284th Division will not fight such stupid battles.
Yevlov quoted a general's words: "The Red Army has many sacrificial soldiers who dare to fight, and there are also many mediocre generals who can only stubbornly follow orders and lead to the annihilation of the entire army."
In the past, Yelentina would have been disgusted by this sentence, but now, she is relieved. Because of the uniqueness of guerrilla warfare, the operational thinking of positional warfare must change.
Yevlov looked at her: "So, we still have to abandon Homnich. I originally planned that when the main task is completed, it must be abandoned. The Germans can be fools, but we can't."
"Okay, you see, I am no longer the person who forces teachers and students to the front lines with guns and fights with Germans who are armed to the teeth."
The two discussed the matter of Homnich, because when reporting to the front headquarters, the entire war process must be reported.
The troops first harassed this small city and then captured it in one fell swoop. After a fierce blocking battle, they actually voluntarily abandoned the liberated city.
This once made Timoshenko and other senior commanders confused and dissatisfied, but if you think about it carefully, it is reasonable.
Politically, Soviet soldiers were required to fight to the end and were prohibited from surrendering or deserting. In this regard, abandoning Homnich was simply a major crime.
"Just like Pavlov ordered a retreat, which largely preserved the strength of the Northwestern Front, but also led to the rapid failure of the Belorussian campaign. That man committed suicide out of fear of crime, and everyone else was shot. After all, the 284th Division was also the original subordinate
This is also the reason why they took the initiative to evacuate." Tupikov said after reading the report.
"But for them, now that supplies are scarce, retreat is the best choice." Timoshenko explained.
Tupikov also understood this. Therefore, in the letter, Timoshenko did not blame him for this matter, because this is the normal state of guerrilla warfare.
Compared with other guerrilla groups, they were still fighting stupidly at the beginning of the war. Many guerrilla leaders simply did not understand what guerrilla warfare was. The guerrillas they deployed in the rear were still as stupid as ordinary soldiers.
They went head-to-head with the enemy troops. This group of troops with extremely poor combat effectiveness and even worse equipment soon suffered a major blow.
In this regard, the 284th Division is like a strange flower blooming in the swamp.
Therefore, Timoshenko directly wrote his own words in the letter: "I really hope that all guerrilla brigades and guerrilla squads can learn your art of war and your flexible combat methods. In this way,
Only the guerrilla movement can develop in the direction desired by the leader."
The reality is that Homnage is not a fortress suitable to hold on to.
After a series of wars there, only a large area of ruins was left, as well as the freezing cold covered by snow. It was far enough away from the swamps that transporting living supplies would be a waste.
Yevlov said: "The strategic value of the city of Homnich is basically gone. It is a tomb. Our returning troops took back all the seizures they could. Guns seized from the enemy's corpses
Ammunition, food from the enemy's previous supply warehouses, and even some steel materials for construction are now being pulled to the military camp."
After Yelentina nodded, she sat up straight. She was inspired and suddenly said: "Comrade, maybe we have something we can get back."
"Oh? There is something else." Yevlov was stunned for a moment, then thought about it and lowered his head again. "If there is anything else, it is the bodies of our sacrificed soldiers. They were hastily buried."
"No. I'm not talking about those people. They died on the soil of the motherland and eventually turned into the soil of the motherland. Dust to dust to dust, that's fine. But I'm talking about steel! Just like the ones you just mentioned.
Construction materials, tell me, why didn’t I think of them when the soldiers returned a few days ago?”
At this point, Yevlov also suddenly realized. "It seems that the ruins still have a role."
"That's right!" Yelentina smiled, "If Belekov comes back and sees all the things we brought back, he will definitely say that he will immediately send someone to Homnich with a sledgehammer.
Smash the cement and bring back all the steel bars inside."
The arsenal needs steel to make weapons and ammunition, grenades and mines, as well as rockets.
Yevlov could no longer sit still. "It seems that I have to contact Berekov. Forget it! Why don't I just write a letter and order someone to send it to Black Earth Village."
"Then what do you want to write?" Yelentina asked curiously.
"What do I want? First, set up an observation post in Homnich so that we can know in advance if the enemy moves in. Second, let some workers from Black Earth Village drive horse-drawn sleighs to collect metal!
"
Yelentina nodded, "That's good. It seems that you are becoming more and more witty." (To be continued.) 8