The German troops on the other side of the ridge were bombed and screamed.
Immediately afterwards, the German army started to play the trick of "treating others with their own way"... As mentioned before, the German army has a motto in tactics: If you can't find a suitable way to deal with the enemy,
Tactics, use the same tactics as the enemy, because this way you can at least avoid suffering losses.
The German army did the same at this time.
After they were caught off guard by a grenade thrown from the other end of the ridge and suffered heavy casualties, they immediately organized soldiers to throw the grenade back as soon as they reacted.
Grenade is always the first weapon in close combat, because it is almost equivalent to a human mortar, and it also has a fast rate of fire.
But the Germans undoubtedly lost in this grenade-throwing competition, and they lost miserably.
On the one hand, the reason is that the Soviet troops are few...Shurka only deployed one company on the ridgeline position. This company was scattered on the position, so that it would not be like the German army that would swarm up in large numbers and explode several at once.
On the other hand, what is more important is that the Soviet army was well prepared for this.
The individual fortifications built by the Soviet army on the ridgeline were dug not toward the feet but toward the side walls, just like anti-cannon holes.
The difference is:
If you dig a personal bunker under your feet, which is a vertical pit, and a grenade is thrown from the opposite side, there is a high probability that it will fall into the pit. This means that the soldiers hiding in it can easily be killed.
But if you dig into the side wall, the result will be different.
The thrown grenade either lands on the soil above your head or flies over the bunker to a farther location... This is determined by the parabola thrown by the grenade.
In addition, the Soviet soldiers deliberately lowered the terrain on the other side of the bunker, so the grenades were basically unable to harm the Soviet soldiers.
The reason I use "basic" is because there are always surprises on the battlefield.
Some grenades will explode just outside the side-opening individual soldier bunker, and the flying shrapnel can also injure the soldiers in the bunker... Most of these grenades are thrown by German veterans, who will keep the grenade in their hands after pulling the string.
Wait for a while before throwing it out.
This is done to shorten the delayed explosion time after the grenade hits the ground, so that the enemy cannot pick up the grenade and throw it back.
In some special circumstances, these grenades will explode in mid-air. This method of throwing grenades is the most lethal, but it is also the most dangerous.
However, this was just a special case, especially when the Soviet mortars then joined the battle and smashed rows of shells into the reverse slope. The German army was completely stunned and withdrew soon without daring to act rashly.
Pavelkov, who was watching the battle from behind, was so surprised that his jaw almost dropped to the ground when he saw this scene.
"What's going on?" Pavelkov put away the telescope, then raised the telescope and looked around, saying: "The Germans just retreated like this? I didn't even see their figures!"
"It's a grenade, Comrade Colonel!" Lieutenant Lermontov explained: "The Germans were unprepared. They used a relatively dense formation to pursue our army, so they were hit by grenades and artillery shells! I believe that next time, they will
Not so lucky!"
Colonel Pavelkov nodded.
What Pavelkov and Lermontov did not discover was that their psychology had become strange. They unconsciously considered this issue from the standpoint of the Germans, hoping that the 82nd Infantry Regiment would be defeated by the enemy.
This is actually not difficult to understand.
If their Guards Infantry Regiment still failed to stop the German advance despite suffering huge casualties and even lost the front slope, but the 82nd Infantry Regiment could easily repel the German attack... This contrast is that of the Guards
Evidence of the infantry regiment's incompetence and its disgrace.
And this is certainly not what Pavelkov wants to see.
On the other side, the situation of Lieutenant Colonel Edmond, who commanded the German offensive, was not as easy as Pavelkov and his two men thought.
"The enemy has built complete fortifications on the reverse slope!" the adjutant reported: "Once we crossed the top of the mountain, we encountered a fierce counterattack from the enemy!"
Lieutenant Colonel Edmond and Lieutenant Colonel Ball frowned upon hearing this.
"If the enemy builds fortifications on the reverse slope..." Lieutenant Colonel Edmond pointed at the map and said, "This means that all our fire cover units will be useless!"
Lieutenant Colonel Ball nodded in agreement.
These fire cover units include machine guns, artillery, assault guns... especially the "No. 3" assault gun.
The "No. 3" assault gun can provide strong protection and powerful firepower in front of the position. It can be said to be the main force of the German army in attacking the Soviet defense line.
But now, facing the Soviet anti-slope fortifications, the German "No. 3" assault gun instantly became useless.
Protective power?
The Soviet army did not attack at all or even shoot at the German troops at the foot of the mountain. This protective power was of no use at all.
Firepower?
The Soviet army was on the reverse slope, and all artillery shells would be blocked by the mountain. Unless the artillery shells could penetrate the entire mountain, they would not pose a threat to the enemy on the other side.
Other firepower also faced the same problem. The mountain stood in front of them like a huge shield, turning all direct firepower of the German army into scrap metal.
"We can use mortars to provide covering fire!" Lieutenant Colonel Ball said.
The characteristic of the mortar is that its trajectory is very curved. It can easily cross the top of the mountain and then smash the shell onto the reverse slope.
On the other hand, the German infantry was equipped with a large number of light mortars, which did seem to be effective.
But Lieutenant Colonel Edmond shook his head.
"It's not that simple, Lieutenant Colonel Ball!" Lieutenant Colonel Edmond cast his eyes on Mamayev Heights standing in front of him, and said thoughtfully: "The other side of it is beyond our sight.
, so...mortars can only be fired blindly!"
Blind fire means that a large number of shells are needed but the effect is very small.
After a pause, Lieutenant Colonel Edmond continued: "Perhaps we can send artillery observers to direct the mortar troops to fire, but I believe... there will definitely be dozens of sniper rifles on the opposite side aimed at the mountaintop position at this time!"
Artillery observers can guide the artillery to direct artillery shells to the target area, but of course they also become important targets for snipers.
"We might be able to use reconnaissance planes to guide us!" Ball said.
Reconnaissance aircraft do not have the problem of artillery scouts.
But Lieutenant Colonel Edmond still shook his head: "I don't think they would be stupid enough to let a reconnaissance plane observe their position.
Lieutenant Colonel Edmond is right, this is basic common sense.
So there is always dust and smoke floating over the backslope.
The dust was caused by artillery shells during the battle, and the smoke was caused by Shulka's order to burn used tires on the battlefield... This was a common method used by the Soviet army to interfere with pilots' sight. When old tires were burned, they would release a large amount of black smoke.