The motorized German troops moved extremely fast, and Niklaus ordered his men to move even faster, as if their enemies would escape quickly.
He gave the drivers of each vehicle a fatal order: "Don't worry about the bumps on the road being harmful to the vehicles. We will strive to reach the target within one day for this operation."
Although the driver obeyed the order, it also made the entire army suffer. People sitting in trucks, jeeps and other vehicles were barely comfortable because the vehicles had shock-absorbing springs.
The soldiers on top of the tanks were in dire straits. They were thankful that they were tied up with ropes. Even so, some soldiers were still knocked down and the troops would not stop. They had to be fished out by jeeps.
Such a convoy runs wildly in the forest wilderness, with a speed of up to 25 kilometers per hour. This is the highest field speed for the Panzer III tanks and assault guns, and they usually do not advance at this high speed.
The consequences of running wildly were obvious. Two of the No. 3 tanks had their track wheels fall off due to their road wheels falling off. They tilted violently and threw out nearly twenty soldiers on them!
Niklaus was most worried about this, but it happened anyway. "The troops cannot fall behind because of you. You two vehicle crews and a platoon of soldiers will stop temporarily, and continue the operation after the tanks are repaired!" After that, he led his troops to move forward.
Nicklaus was so anxious, what about Yang Mingzhi on the other side?
After the Soviet armies joined forces, Yang Mingzhi ordered his troops to form a fan-shaped formation. The four infantry battalions were on the periphery, and the side facing the river did not need defense. The core headquarters, Gomel Municipal Committee, guerrillas and Balzen's exhausted soldiers were
Tightly protected.
Doronin joined his separated soldiers. His artillery battalion was also in the middle of the formation. Its recoilless rifles were all loaded with ammunition. The soldiers pulled the wheeled gun carriage forward and entered combat status at any time.
Yang Mingzhi is not as optimistic as most people. Based on the current situation, even if the enemy attacks, the troops can still fight.
However, many people are too confident. It is said that our marching speed is extremely fast, especially when we travel through the forest, no one can defeat us.
This statement is true, as if he is establishing himself as a f1ag. Who would have known that the German army sent out all 715 armored troops in order to eat the "big fish"!
Yang Mingzhi ordered a company to act as scouts. Among them were some veterans of the reconnaissance company. Their keen eyesight and battlefield insight might be able to sense the German army in advance.
On the other hand, Nicklaus's mad rush had results. These soldiers witnessed the tragedy after the bombing of Homnitch, and it was their own bombers that caused this.
Some recruits are complaining: "Why can't we increase air strikes and use aerial bombs to deal with the enemy? In this way, many fewer troops will die, and we don't have to march in such an awkward manner."
Veterans rejected this idea one after another: "Those Soviets are like squirrels. Unless we cut down all the trees, they will have nowhere to hide."
In order to deal with the forest guerrillas, the US military later sprayed Agent Orange wildly in Vietnam, but it could not wipe out all the forests, let alone the German army.
They arrived at the scheduled location step by step. It was still afternoon and the sun began to set.
Niklaus had been looking at the map along the way. After determining the location, he ordered the troops to stop, and the entire army immediately got off the bus and built defensive positions.
In the plan, Nicklaus required the troops to build a two-kilometer-long infantry defense line, and the tank troops were used intensively.
There is no other reason. The former is like a fish float. Once the enemy appears, it will shoot immediately, and then the tank troops will be dispatched in large numbers.
Niklaus had learned the lesson from before, and he never wanted to let tanks enter the forest again! The armored troops went into rest and maintenance, while the infantrymen covered their numb buttocks and dug holes with engineering shovels.
There is a machine gun squad every 100 meters, and they build machine gun fortresses very quickly. Such strongholds are arranged in a line, and they are fully established in just a few hours.
This is the position of each squad, with a total of twenty groups of 200 people. Behind them, there is a reserve team of nearly 800 people, just waiting for the situation to change again, there will be a Butan combination.
As night fell, the German army's digging work was still in progress. Ordinary frontline soldiers had to dig high-quality foxholes and use the shoveled earth and rocks to reinforce machine gun positions.
These people smoked while digging, and the soldiers in the rear were also digging temporary trenches. This was a necessary defense and a place for them to rest at night and shield themselves from the north wind.
In order to eat and keep warm, the Germans did not mind lighting bonfires, and Nicklaus never thought that the enemy would march at night!
Yes! The German bonfires and the dots brought by smokers are still conspicuous under the moonlight.
The scouts have very sharp eyesight, and they also carry binoculars. As long as they look in the direction of the fire, they will immediately see the clues.
"It's really scary. The deputy division commander really told us that the enemy is right. Not only do we have troops chasing us, but there are also those who are blocking us. Joseph, rush back and tell the deputy division commander that the enemy positions are ahead!" the company commander ordered.
Yang Mingzhi's large army was just one kilometer behind. The entire army did not march in the forest. For speed and safety, a small wilderness in the forest was more suitable.
After receiving the explosive information about the enemy, Yang Mingzhi did not show much surprise. He immediately ordered the scouts to continue observing, and the entire army stopped on the spot.
It was eight o'clock at night, and the moon in the sky was very bright. The enemy alarm made many people worried, and they felt that they were in danger again.
After a while, the scout Lu Xu came back to resume his duties, and Yang Mingzhi also took the opportunity to hold an emergency meeting.
The battalion commanders gathered together and the scouts gave a complete report on what they had seen.
Yang Mingzhi asserted: "The enemy has built a position, and it is very obvious that we are exposed. Now we have only two ways to go, either go west and make tactical turns to avoid them. Or we can attack and destroy the enemy in front of us. Except
There is no other way. We may have enemies behind us, and there is a wide river to the east!"
Yang Mingzhi's subordinates are all militants, and even the female battalion commander Joshua is unwilling to escape.
Yevgeny said in great pain: "Fight! As men we must fight, running away is not our style."
Hearing this, Joshua was not happy: "If you men dare to fight, we women are also fully qualified."
Several battalion commanders were enthusiastic about fighting, and the soldiers below also wanted to fight.
This enthusiasm is morale. Although Yang Mingzhi thinks it is strange that the German army suddenly appeared and built a position, it is not a bad idea to fight. The enemy is just infantry. In terms of combat effectiveness, the 284th Division is very strong. Is it possible that they can also kill tanks? Kill
So what if they come out, RPGs, anti-tank guns and recoilless rifles are enough to destroy them.
So Yang Mingzhi immediately notified the entire army to prepare for battle. Everyone should rest now and prepare for a night attack!
Afterwards, the formal combat meeting began. The radio station contacted the 284th Division headquarters and ordered Yevlov to mobilize troops to respond at any time. (To be continued.) 8