The Wolf Regiment of the German 722nd Division has a total strength of 1,400 men. Like the friendly Ludwig Regiment, they move slightly slowly because they carry some heavy weapons.
Ten 75mm field guns were pulled by horses, and a large number of horse-drawn carriages were loaded with luggage. This unit was stationed relatively close to Gomel, so they crossed the Dnieper River and traveled for a long time before reaching their current location.
When the division headquarters received information about the defeat of the battle ahead, the latest order was for Wolf to find the retreating Ludwig and the brothers of the 715th Division. Their mission also completely changed.
The original offensive operation turned into a defensive operation, and the soldiers of this regiment were very unwilling.
Wolfe was more rigorous. He summoned the main officers of the regiment and ordered them: "You must restrain your troops. After the mission is changed, everyone must do their part. If the intelligence fails, the enemy will move out in large numbers, regardless of whether they are
By what means, all three of our regiments suffered defeat and were forced to retreat! Everyone must not take any chances, the enemy is likely to be pursuing us, and we must fight when necessary!"
This early vaccination also allowed the soldiers to correct their mentality. The whole regiment advanced through the zigzag gaps in the forest, and despite many detours, they continued to move southward.
As the temperature rose, the ice and snow melted a lot during the day, and the artillery operations became sluggish after the roads became muddy.
In order to search for friendly forces as early as possible, Ludwig sent a battalion and organized a huge skirmisher line, which was like a big fishing net, just to join forces with friendly forces as early as possible.
After Hoffmann and Ludwig joined forces, according to the map, they were getting closer and closer to the road, and they could reach the original station by traveling another 40 kilometers. But based on the current situation of the soldiers, they had to walk this distance for at least two days.
!
The early morning fog still shrouded the earth, and some people froze to death in the past night. Hoffman had no choice but to abandon these dead soldiers and lead the living people to move forward.
In the morning, the soldiers were eating, and suddenly a gunshot broke the tranquility.
The nervous Hoffman stood up immediately. "What's going on? Has the enemy appeared?"
A large number of soldiers subconsciously clenched their weapons, and the machine gunners also aimed their barrels in suspicious directions. However, there was only one gunshot, and everything returned to normal after that.
Hoffmann and Ludwig did not dare to take it lightly. Maybe the enemy was nearby, and they were approaching like ghosts.
After a while, I saw a few soldiers returning carrying an object with smiles on their faces. Their actions attracted the attention of many people. The object was carried all the way to the officer, Hoffman. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a sheep.
&nbHands on)" Hoffman said happily.
Ludwig scratched his head and said, "It seems that God is favoring us. We have good luck early in the morning. Maybe we will meet friendly forces soon."
"That's right! We are very close to the road. The Wolf Regiment will find us. By then our strength will increase again, and all difficulties should come to an end."
"Unless the crazy Soviets will hit the stone with eggs. Once the highway is reached, our world will be ours, and the so-called Soviet 284th Division will never rush to attack." Ludwig patted his comrades on the back as an encouragement.
The origin of this sheep is that it probably ran away from a villager's home, and then disappeared into the forest to forage freely, becoming a wild sheep.
But this is a sheep, a symbol of good luck! This German in adversity brought unexpected encouragement, and the development of things really proved that luck is really good!
The vanguard sent by Hoffman collided head-on with the search team of Wolfe Regiment on the small plain between the woods. The two noticed each other for a moment and subconsciously thought they were enemies. It was not until they saw the same helmets that they confirmed
identity.
Hearing that they had met with friendly forces, Hoffmann and Ludwig jointly ordered the entire army to advance.
"Our friendly forces have bread, butter, and even wine! Everything we need is there!" These simple words are the best order. In order to have enough food, four thousand people advance forward. Driven by passion, what?
The pain was forgotten, and they were scrambling for fear that they would run too slow and not be able to eat.
After groping in the forest for a long time, the people finally reunited with the friendly forces after a lot of hard work.
Wolfe and his soldiers, facing these "hungry wolves" in rags and with eyes full of hunger for food, were filled with wonder.
Wolfe himself did not expect that the situation his comrades would encounter was far worse than he thought! He immediately ordered that some of the food in the baggage be separated to give these guys who were "on the verge of death from starvation and exhaustion" a break first
.
He also immediately met the other three regiment commanders. It was now considered a formal meeting of the four regiments, and the military meeting began immediately.
When Wolfe learned about the actual losses of friendly troops, his mind was in a mess: "It's really unexpected. We have four regiments with 10,000 people. Now you tell me that we only brought 4,000 people. In other words, we have already lost in this battle."
There are three thousand people!"
"Four thousand people were lost!" Hoffman pointed out: "The only armored battalion of our 715th Division Company was also lost. That unit expanded to a thousand people and was annihilated by the enemy! Many people were chased and intercepted and simply hoped to swim.
Dnieper River, hundreds of people froze to death!"
What Hoffman said was part of the information his division commander had previously informed. The German troops on the lower reaches of the river occupied the city, and the defenders at the ferry discovered strange floating objects on the river. It turned out to be human corpses, or dead Germans.
The nameplate on the neck of the corpse explained its identity and confirmed the huge loss.
Here, Hoffmann and Ludwig did not exaggerate. They explained the enemy's fighting methods, especially the unique surprise attack tactics, which completely broke the rules.
Hoffman pointed to the surrounding forest and said: "Maybe the enemy is ambushing nearby now. They are forest prowlers, and we are fighting professional hunters. Maybe we can chase the Soviets on the plains like antelopes.
But in the forest, we have a natural disadvantage."
"So this is why you continue to retreat?" Wolff was dissatisfied with his colleague's confident remarks about failure.
Hoffman immediately choked: "You have never fought with the enemy, and you have no idea of their terrifying combat power! We have never received training in forest warfare, and the enemy is an expert in this field!"
Seeing that he was unmoved, Hoffman shook his head and told the order he received: "Our 715th Division ordered us to retreat. I don't know what your 722nd Division's arrangements are. The failure of this battle is a foregone conclusion. We failed to complete it."
The task of annihilating the guerrilla brigade and the members of the Soviet Gomel Municipal Committee instead led to the so-called Soviet 284th Division coming from the swamp. They had been doing evil on the road before and even entered the city of Lechica! I think you should
Heed the advice and let's retreat together."
"That's right! Basically all my logistics equipment was lost. The enemy's assault speed is extremely fast, the fighting will is high, and its firepower density cannot be underestimated!" Ludwig believed that his words had more weight as he was a comrade in the 722nd Division at the same time.
"The situation we are currently encountering must be very difficult for the division headquarters in the rear. If we continue to fight in this place full of forests, we, who know almost nothing about the terrain, will suffer heavier losses! In the future, roads can only be arranged
Guarded by other divisions, we will become a disgrace to the group army."
Wolfe was unmoved and roared: "Who is the shame? I think you are the one! I don't have the power to shoot officers of the same rank. If any of my subordinates make such remarks about failure, they will be killed."
Earth's righteousness."
"I'm trying to persuade you!" Ludwig continued.
"If you want to withdraw, you withdraw! I will not be a coward." Wolfe's eyes were full of disdain, and he continued without saying a word: "You are unwilling to continue fighting and are afraid of the pursuers behind you? Then block the attack.
We will be responsible for the enemy. You go back! I will cover you." (To be continued.) 8