Before the commendation ceremony began, Balzen led his troops and a large number of militiamen to rush towards the ruins of Homnich with tools.★
The troops he led, including the directly affiliated reconnaissance company and some soldiers from the guard company, totaled more than 100 troops.
The militia force also dispatched 200 people. Their main job was to smash the wall with sledgehammers and remove the steel.
There are also more than a dozen people in the team, and they are stationed in Homnich to establish an observation post for early warning. At the same time, these people currently have temporary control over the radio station of the operational team.
The temperature has warmed up a bit, and the air has become a bit warmer at three o'clock in the afternoon. The snow has begun to melt, but it quickly freezes into solid ice at night. This environment is worse than the snow. Marching on the ice field, you can only rely on horse-drawn sleighs!
More than 300 people carried a lot of baggage. There should not be many good buildings left in the city of Homnich, and most of the soldiers had to sleep in the open.
He had two purposes for this trip. One was to order the troops directly under him to sort out the battlefield again and take away what could be used. The other was to order the militiamen to smash down the wall. This was the top priority.
Their appearance happened in one morning. It was a pity that they could not attend the commendation meeting. You must not disobey orders!
The entire army arrived at Homnich after a two-day trek. In addition to personnel, the army also had 200 horses and a large number of unloaded sleds.
At noon of the next day, Balzen finally arrived at the outskirts of Homnich, and he ordered the troops to stop immediately.
"Order a group of elite soldiers to come forward to conduct reconnaissance and stay vigilant. Others are also ready to fight!"
This order made it seem as if Homnage was still occupied by the Germans.
In fact, it is possible that the German troops who attacked the city have withdrawn. Will they leave a small group of people to continue the defense? "Anyway, Berekov claimed that Homnich is now deserted.
They are also corpses." With this in mind, Balzen thought it would be better to investigate just in case.
A squad of Soviet troops hunched forward, spreading out as much as possible. As they approached the city, their pace slowed down.
Balzen held his telescope high and stared at their movements, saying to himself: "It seems that the deputy division commander was really right. The enemy really escaped?"
This Soviet squad did not encounter any resistance and entered the city easily.
If this team was attacked, the sound of gunshots would be the best alarm. But no!
After a while, Balzen saw a figure in his telescope. A man from that squad was waving his arms and beckoning the troops to move forward.
"All troops, keep moving forward! Homnich is safe, I was too worried!"
Balzen gave an order, and the mighty troops carrying their baggage continued to advance. Because it was safe, he himself was riding a tall horse, just like a cavalry warrior.
This feeling was infinitely better. He said to several warriors who were also riding horses around him: "Have you heard about it? The village chief of Black Earth Village, then Womansky. This man has plans to organize a cavalry unit.
Just like where we are now.”
The soldiers didn't have the time to worry about that much, not to mention that only officers could talk to the village chief.
A squad leader named Khabarov said: "I don't know. But he wants to form a cavalry. What's the use? Isn't the cavalry obsolete in this era?"
"Maybe! I think so too! Facing the enemy's tanks and fighter jets, the cavalry's sabers and spears are useless. Except for one thing, Womansky can turn the cavalry troops into mounted infantry. After all, the cavalry's mobility is still
Yes." Balzen's understanding coincides with that of Yang Mingzhi. Perhaps anyone with a little common sense will know that it is really stupid to let the cavalry's saber attack the tank.
An Italian reporter described Polish cavalry killing German tanks with added embarrassment. In order to express their grief and indignation to the world, the Poles recognized this view. Perhaps the wheels of tanks and armored vehicles are the wheels of the times, and the era of cavalry has gone forever with these.
.That is to say, the officers headed by Budyonny in the Soviet army insisted on retaining huge units like the cavalry division for the sake of feelings or honor.
But their persistence will eventually be awakened by reality. In the battles in Belarus and Ukraine, these cavalry played a role, that is, they became dismounted infantry. Without heavy weapons, their combat effectiveness was really worrying.
While Balzen was joking with a few soldiers, the troops had already entered Homnich.
Most of the soldiers were not tired at all. They sat on the sleds one after another, guarding the baggage for their future stationing and life.
Horse-drawn sleighs passed by the battlefield where there was fierce fighting just ten days ago. The craters here were still there, and some human corpses were still scattered on the ground. Those were the corpses of the German soldiers. They had not been restrained in time. The low temperature had made the corpses like solid ice.
Rocks, they have become one with the earth.
Many militiamen were asked to stay in Black Earth Village, waiting for further orders. They had never experienced a battle, and seeing the smoke-free battlefield, the devastation of the earth and the city all proved the brutality of the battle.
If it were up to individuals to choose, it would be a mistake not to come here to participate in the war! Most of them had seen Roshakov leading the troops into the Black Earth Village, and what they saw was not a glorious and victorious army. Everyone was very happy, and even more so.
Most of them are helpless, even numb.
There were also a large number of wounded soldiers who returned with them, and the troops were also seriously short of manpower. Those who did not return were buried in Homnich. Where are their graves? Balzen didn't know.
He dismounted and stood in the ruins of the city. His first words were: "This blocking battle was really brutal."
There are not many good buildings in Homnage. There are a lot of bricks and rubble on the ground, and there are more than a dozen shocking large craters in the city. Otherwise, they were bombed by heavy artillery.
He ordered: "The entire army, including the militia, immediately began to thoroughly inspect the entire city, search for habitable houses, and then start setting up camp."
The order was issued and the soldiers began to take action. At this time, the squad leader of the Soviet squad that had entered the city early trotted all the way and stood in front of Balzen, his expression very panicked.
"What's going on? Did you find a German? Or something else?"
The man took a few deep breaths and said slowly: "Company commander, you'd better come and see this! It's very shocking!"
Because Balzen's troops entered from the south of Homnich, the German corpses they saw were the enemy's flank attacks, which were defeated by the Soviet army. This was not the whole battlefield. The most brutal battles took place in the city.
North.
Balzen walked along the rubble-strewn road. He was hit by several bullet holes, and the distorted road sign pointed out that this was Gorky Avenue.
The further he walked, the more rubble there was. Finally, he stood at the outermost building of the city. What was displayed in front of him was a larger scale battlefield ruins, which was shocking.
Balzen and his entourage were all stunned. There were a large number of armored car wrecks here, and on the wide front, there were obviously human corpses. Those must also belong to the German army! The number was actually huge. Apparently the Soviet army later abandoned Homni.
In the strange withdrawal of troops, everyone did not collect the corpses of the enemy, but only took away the things that could be used. Obviously, the Germans did not collect the corpses of the dead soldiers after they found them.
The air was very clear now, and the visibility was very far. Balzen raised his telescope and scanned it. Suddenly, there was a dark thing in the distance. He adjusted the focus and found that it was not a strange object, but an artillery muzzle pointing towards the city.
"Danger! Is that the enemy's artillery?" Almost instinctively, he almost crawled to the ground, like a conditioned reflex, to avoid the artillery shells that might come.
Naturally, it turned out that there was no result. He was overly nervous. A soldier supported the commander and said: "Company Commander, the enemy has withdrawn. Those artillery pieces were obviously abandoned by the enemy."
"Maybe." Balzen felt a little embarrassed. He held up his hat and said, "I have to send a group of people to investigate in a while. Now we start setting up camp." (To be continued.) 8