Ludwig led the entire regiment to retreat into the forest to the east in order to seek cover from vegetation and delay the enemy's continued attack.
The regiment marched for five kilometers through the forest before being ordered to stop and rest.
The panting Ludwig looked at his fellow panting soldiers with disappointment, and his inner annoyance turned into anger. Looking at his watch again, it was already three o'clock in the afternoon, and it was only a few hours before dark.
The soldiers sat on the ground to rest, and their officers began to count the losses of each company. The final loss data was placed in front of Ludwig.
"How is it possible? Four hundred and fifty-five people have not returned? Are they all killed?" he asked the deputy commander nervously.
Can the regimental deputy say anything to comfort him? He could only shake his head regretfully and said: "We can see the losses of the troops without systematic statistics. All field artillery was lost, and only five baggage carriages were returned. Entering the forest.
There is no need for the rear carriage, the ammunition on it is all carried by the soldiers. As for the loss of personnel, you can tell from the senses that this loss is not small."
"The loss is huge!" Ludwig clenched his fists. He just wanted to figure out a simple question now, and immediately asked the deputy division commander: "Tell me, who exactly are we encountering! I know they are Soviet troops.
, but the guerrillas actually have such fighting power!?"
"They must be swamp guerrillas." The deputy commander said decisively, "Based on the intelligence we have received before, when encircling the Gomel Municipal Committee of the Soviet Union, enemies from the swamps are likely to be dispatched. Our enemies are so strong.
With their fighting power, it is self-evident who they are. Think about it, the ruins of Homnich are also the tomb of the Holstaufen camp! It happened that we had another battle here. Let's compare them to
Much luckier."
If a battalion can be annihilated, then it is not impossible to defeat an infantry regiment. The confused Ludwig gradually understood his situation, and it was really heart-wrenching to see the embarrassment of the soldiers. It is said that the enemy is very good at guerrilla warfare.
Fighting in the forest, legend has it that night fighting is their favorite thing to do.
If these are true, the troops setting up camps and fortifications here are simply asking for trouble!
Being in the forest, Ludwig felt more and more dangerous here. Maybe the enemy was approaching quietly now. This guess finally became certain. The battalion commanders who reported the battle losses gathered at the temporary regiment headquarters, Ludwig
Xi immediately passed on the order: "The whole army will rest for one hour and then continue to advance eastward until the sun sets!"
After receiving the order, the battalion commanders quickly went back to inform the soldiers.
With the above tone, Ludwig ordered the radio operator to telegraph to the division headquarters. This distance was enough for them to communicate with the 722th Division Headquarters, and the division commander Floride was informed of the failure of the encounter.
At this time, the two battles on the same front had results, and the German army was completely defeated.
Floride was very surprised, and all the staff officers in the division were aware of the division commander's anxiety.
The wooden block marking the troops on the map immediately moved to a new position, and a staff officer placed a red wooden block representing the enemy here at Homnich. The large map on the desk has already marked two battlefields.
Floride was hunched over his desk watching the latest developments in the war.
"The battlefield suddenly became two. There are many enemy troops! Under the current situation, this military mission is going to fail!" Floride's remarks about failure made everyone worried. They had never seen the division commander so discouraged.
Pass.
"Division Commander, our army only suffered a small setback. One regiment lost 500 men, and most of the soldiers can still fight. We don't have to worry too much." The chief of staff comforted him, but Floride still found it difficult to accept this terrible reality.
.
The reason is very simple. Even if the 722nd Division dispatched two infantry regiments, the losses of the friendly 715th Division were too serious. The enemy did not show a weak posture. They dispatched at least two regiments in today's battle.
This made it the largest field campaign in several months of counter-guerrilla warfare.
Florid suddenly remembered that the 715th Division found the soldier's ID card among the dead bodies of the enemy, and obtained its serial number through translation. He immediately asked the Chief of Staff: "In the intelligence given to us by our friendly forces, that swamp guerrilla group
Maybe they are regular troops, what is their approximate designation?"
"It's the 284th Infantry Division."
"So how did this infantry division get to the Pripet Swamp? Have they been there for months?"
The chief of staff nodded. Now that the question had come to this point, he also took out the previous combat data he had compiled. Before the text data was laid out, the chief of staff asked one more question: "Commander, did you know that in the early days of the war?
, our 7th Armored Division and 20th Motorized Infantry Division, were they defeated by whom?"
Floride shook his head. Suddenly, he was startled, and he guessed in surprise: "Do you mean to say that this is the so-called 284th Infantry Division?"
"That's right! If the intelligence is accurate, the enemy our Ludwig Regiment encountered was this unit."
"So they fled from the battlefield in the north to this swamp?"
"Yes! This possibility is very high!" The chief of staff claimed that in the initial war, due to the excessive advance of Guderian's group, there was a gap in the encirclement, and some Soviet troops took advantage of it to escape, and this was probably among them.
284th Division. But everything must have evidence. The chief of staff speculated again: "Maybe our enemy is a mixture of Soviet troops with multiple numbers. But after the 284th Division, a very powerful unit, joins, the stragglers may also have extremely powerful capabilities."
Strong combat effectiveness! Our airport was just destroyed by the enemy, and this is proof."
Floride's head was full of veins, he was under great pressure!
"Okay! Based on our current situation, the original encirclement and suppression mission must be changed. Order the Wagner Regiment to move eastward and meet with the people of the 715th Division!" Floride made this decision after referring to the suggestions of his staff.
The decision was made and radio waves were immediately notified to the two infantry regiments under his command.
When a new order came, Ludwig naturally had to obey it. "The order is to go eastward. There is no problem with my current route!" With the order, he had a goal, and his face became less worried.
The rest period was over, and the regiment continued to advance toward the east in order to join friendly forces as soon as possible.
On the other hand, during the time when the Germans left, Roshakov immediately completed communications with the division headquarters and Yang Mingzhi's headquarters. In addition, he was cleaning the battlefield. In addition to normal picking up weapons and ammunition, he also had to pick up weapons and ammunition.
The bodies of our own dead were gathered up. The fate of the wounded would be decided based on the situation. The seriously wounded would be sent back, but everyone knew that once seriously injured, the chance of survival was slim.
Sashanova's female soldiers showed their heroic temperament. They were responsible for escorting the wounded and returning with the trophies.
This order made her very unhappy. "Our performance in this battle is not inferior to that of men. We took down the enemy's artillery positions. Should we withdraw from the war now?!"
"That's right! This is the division commander's order!" Roshakov laid out Yevlov's latest order. Although the so-called female soldiers achieved great results in the battle, they also paid a certain amount of human losses. From an emotional point of view
He said that when soldiers witness the sacrifice of female soldiers, it will have a huge impact on morale.
Besides, most of these female soldiers have received simple nurse training. They will only take up arms to fight when they are forced to do so. Once the most terrifying opportunity has passed, they will continue to serve as auxiliary personnel of the army.
The division commander's order was incomprehensible, and Sashanova could only agree. At this time, Rosakov also told her about the losses of the troops, that is, 200 people were killed and as many as 200 wounded. He couldn't help but patted her
Sashanova's shoulder said, "Dear, you women will be like mothers, giving our wounded soldiers a great sense of security when they need the most care. You will not simply withdraw from the battle and take the wounded and captured
The supplies are sent back to prepare for future battles. Just leave the rest to us, and you should evacuate the front line as soon as possible!"
Sashanova nodded helplessly. She saw that her comrades had pulled back the German carriage that had just been captured. The cargo on it was mainly ammunition boxes. It was obvious that the Germans had abandoned most of their logistics. A large number of them were collected.
Rifles that can still be used, machine guns are piled up in a haphazard manner, and there are even many backpacks pulled from corpses. The German wool blankets are really attractive!
The sky was getting dark, and the mission given by Yang Mingzhi to the Roshakov regiment was still to stick to the ruins of Homnich. This order was approved by the division commander Yevlov.
Sashanova's female soldiers left with the wounded and the baggage carriage, and at the division headquarters in Blacksmith Village, a new mobilization was about to begin! (To be continued.) 8