The tank advanced about a kilometer before hitting the German defense line.
The scout reported to Major Gavrilov: "Five hundred meters ahead, German defense line, sandbag fortifications!"
Sandbag fortification is a common method of building trenches near muddy fields and swamps. The reason is that if you build field fortifications here, you will face a severe difficulty...stagnant water will seep into the trenches.
This might have been acceptable in the summer, but now, no one can hide in the water-filled trench for more than ten minutes.
Major Gavrilov nodded.
The weakness of the sandbag fortification is that it is easier to break through because it is built on the ground, which is very advantageous for the Soviet army with tanks...Tanks can easily find and destroy targets without even the guidance of infantry.
So Major Gavrilov asked the troops to wait nearby for more tanks to come up and let them form an offensive formation.
"Are you ready?" Major Gavrilov asked.
"Yes, Major!" the soldiers answered one after another.
Shulka did not speak. There was no need to ask this question. There was no "ready" time for war at any time.
"Advance!" Major Gavrilov ordered loudly. The orderer waved a signal flag to signal the tank, and the soldiers behind the tank immediately conveyed the order to the tank through the phone.
Then there was a "boom" and a huge noise from the tank engine, and the tanks drove out from the bushes where they were hidden, exposing themselves to the enemy's sight.
Shulka led his men to advance behind the tanks... If it were in the past, a company should have three tanks to coordinate, that is, one for each row.
But now, it is obvious that too many tanks cannot advance at the same time in the muddy ground, which will put a heavy burden on the infantry and make it impossible to attack.
So it was reduced to a company with only one tank to coordinate.
The sound of gunfire and artillery soon started. When the bullet hit the tank armor, there was a crisp sound and sparks, like arcs flashing on high-voltage wires.
The sound of the bullet is not obvious because it is masked by the noise of the T34 engine, but the sound of the anti-tank gun shell is a solid "clang" sound. Sometimes you can even feel a vibration on the ground, like a big gun.
The hammer hit the mud hard...actually it was just an anti-tank gun shell that was bounced off and then shot into the ground.
This situation is rare. The armor of the T34 tank is tilted upward, so the anti-tank gun shells bounce more overhead.
Then, Soviet artillery opened fire.
When the "Katyusha" rocket launcher fired a salvo, it made a unique scream above the head. The rockets went straight towards the enemy's position, and then thick black smoke and crimson flames rose up.
Shulka was of course no stranger to the "Katyusha" thing, and could even be said to be familiar with it, but it was a new thing to the Soviet soldiers at this period... It only became an emergency a few days after the German army launched a full-scale offensive.
After being put into mass production, the entire army now only has more than 200 rocket launchers, and there is a rocket launcher regiment with 36 rocket launchers assigned to the 16th Group Army.
(Note: The establishment of the rocket launcher battalion in 1941 was 3 battalions per regiment, 3 companies per battalion, and 4 guns per company)
It can also be seen from this that the Supreme Command attaches great importance to this counterattack, or it can be said that the Supreme Command takes into account its own face... If the battle they command fails and the failure is ugly, then the Soviet officers and soldiers will definitely
There is no face left in front of me.
Considering this aspect, it is natural that the Supreme Command would equip this operation with more artillery and even the in short supply "Katyusha".
This is also good for the Fourth Tank Brigade. Just like now, a rocket launcher battalion fires 12 rocket launchers at the same time... Although the accuracy of this thing is not high, the disadvantage is the large launch volume. Each rocket launcher can fire 16 rockets.
The bomb can be fired within 10 seconds. If necessary and there is sufficient ammunition, the next shot can be launched within ten minutes of reloading.
In other words, at that moment, nearly 200 rockets hit the German defense line. The entire German defense line immediately turned into a sea of fire and was engulfed in smoke. The German firepower instantly weakened and became almost silent.
Even the Soviet officers and soldiers were stunned by this scene... This was the first time for the Fourth Tank Brigade to cooperate with the "Katyusha" rocket launcher. Many people did not even know what kind of gun the sound of this gun had such a bombing effect.
Then, Major Gavrilov shouted, and the soldiers cheered and rushed towards the German defense line.
The German defense lines simply could not withstand such an attack.
First of all, they had no defensive preparations in this direction, and there were only two infantry companies deployed in this area.
Secondly, no one can withstand the short-term, high-density and indiscriminate bombardment of rocket launchers. Even if the defending German soldiers were not killed, they were so shocked that they did not react for a long time.
Thirdly, their sandbag fortifications were vulnerable to the Soviet tanks. One T34 shell could blast a gap in the fortifications, but they were helpless against the T34's armor.
As a result, T34 sometimes advanced and sometimes stopped shooting. Tank guns and machine guns easily suppressed the German machine guns and mortars until they could not move. Then the infantry of the 333rd Regiment launched a charge with superior strength... Even gods could not save them.
.
There were scattered sandbags and corpses scattered everywhere, as well as German soldiers kneeling on the ground with their hands raised in surrender, and craters created by rocket bombs.
Shulka rushed past them and ignored them. Naturally, there were follow-up troops to receive these prisoners.
Up to this point in the battle, the situation of the Soviet army killing prisoners has become much better.
First of all, at this time, the Soviet army did not go deep alone like the anti-siege battle in Kiev, and had the conditions to accept prisoners.
Secondly, when the Fourth Tank Brigade was formed, Colonel Katukov strictly prohibited the killing of prisoners, especially killing prisoners on the battlefield.
The reason is very simple. Although killing prisoners relieves hatred, the direct consequence is that the enemy will resist and fight to death without surrendering. Especially on the battlefield, it is easy to feel the same hatred and unite with the enemy after being seen by the following German troops. This is obviously
Looking for trouble for myself.
But Soviet soldiers usually don't think so far ahead.
Therefore, the most important thing is actually...Siberia needs prisoners.
After continuing to rush forward for a while, the road conditions gradually improved, and then Shulka and others saw the village, with rural houses one after another.
There were also groups of German troops and several tanks.
The German army's reaction speed was very fast. It took only ten minutes from the start of the attack to the Soviet army to break through its defense line. They mobilized a force to use buildings to organize another line of defense on the edge of the village.