The good thing is that Shulka and Trufanov finally found the German army they wanted to see, and it was a German army with good combat effectiveness... This can be seen from the fact that these German troops have a large number of 88MM anti-aircraft guns.
These anti-aircraft guns caused a lot of trouble for the Soviet army's assault, especially when the Germans deployed them in buildings and even bunkers to fire flatly. This made it impossible for the Soviet army to knock them out with artillery and fighter planes. And the Soviet army was advancing.
The tanks were destroyed one by one under these anti-aircraft guns.
To say this is not a good thing is because of the new political commissar.
This new political commissar is called Shevchenko. Unfortunately, he was chosen by Trufanov. He is exactly the commander who will desperately urge the troops to launch charges over and over again... Perhaps this is also what the Supreme Command will send.
The reason why he came to "assist" command of the 51st Army.
"According to our intelligence, the enemy has only one armored division, one armored division!" Shevchenko roared at a group of Soviet officers at the meeting, including Shulka.
"And what about us?" Shevchenko said, waving his fist: "We have an entire army group with nearly nine times the strength of the enemy, but we are helpless against the enemy's defense line?! What's the problem? It's because we didn't fight resolutely enough! You guys
We know that our mission is to penetrate and surround the enemy! The funny thing is that we are blocked by an enemy division..."
"Comrade Political Commissar!" Trufanov said: "The enemy occupies a favorable terrain and the defense is very tight!"
"So what?" Shevchenko asked rhetorically: "Is it true that every battle of the 51st Group Army was fought when the enemy was unprepared and the terrain was unfavorable? If not, how did it win the previous battles?
of?"
After a pause, Shevchenko ordered in an unquestionable voice: "Attack, do you understand? Unless you have my order, you will never stop your attack!"
"Yes, Comrade Political Commissar!" Trufanov replied helplessly, while looking at Shulka and shaking his head slightly.
As a result, groups of soldiers were sent to the battlefield to charge towards the German defense lines, and groups after groups were beaten back.
The German defense is completely designed against the Soviet tank troops. There are two anti-tank trenches in front... The reason why there are two anti-tank trenches is because the 88MM anti-aircraft gun has a long range. It can hit the front from one kilometer away.
Wearing a Soviet T4 tank.
Because the 88MM anti-aircraft gun has such powerful armor-piercing capabilities, it is necessary to build two anti-tank trenches... Anti-tank trenches are usually used with the firepower of anti-tank guns.
Needless to say, the reason is that the anti-tank trench is dead. If it is not matched with artillery fire, it will easily be filled by enemy engineers and then flow unimpeded.
But if the anti-tank trenches are equipped with mortars, howitzers or even anti-tank guns, the situation will be different.
As soon as the enemy engineers came up to fill the trenches, they were immediately hit by mortars and howitzers on a large area.
At this time, the enemy needs to use tanks to cover the engineers and suppress the opponent's artillery fire for construction. Then the anti-tank guns can take effect. With a few "booms", the tanks that are blocked in front of the anti-tank trenches and used as human shields will be blown into the sky.
This will leave the enemy with nothing to do, or they may pay a lot of casualties but achieve only small results. If they attack by force, they will probably fill those anti-tank trenches with corpses.
Of course, this requires that the anti-tank trenches be constructed according to the range of the anti-tank guns.
If the anti-tank trench is built too far away and the anti-tank gun cannot penetrate the frontal armor of the enemy tank at this distance, it is basically the same as having no anti-tank gun.
Therefore, usually, the German army builds an anti-tank trench about two hundred meters in front of the trench. Only at this distance can the PAK8 anti-tank guns equipped in large quantities by the German army penetrate the Soviet T4 tank. (Note: PAK8 can penetrate the Soviet T4 tank at a distance of 00 meters.
Two hundred meters can be said to be the limit, because if it is closer, the shovel mortars equipped in large quantities by the Soviet army can suppress the German anti-tank guns. This is unbearable for the German army, so the anti-tank trenches are lost.
significance.
Of course, there is no point if it is farther away, because anti-tank cannot penetrate.
Similarly, the German army usually did not need to build two anti-tank trenches, because the farther one would not have much effect.
But things are different now. The German army is equipped with a large number of 88MM anti-aircraft guns, which can penetrate the front of tanks one kilometer away... So the German army confidently and boldly built two anti-tank trenches in front of the defense line.
The first road is built at 400 meters, and the second road is at 200 meters.
When the Soviet tanks advance to 400 meters, they will be hit by German anti-aircraft guns. Even if the Soviet engineers and tank soldiers risk their lives to fill the anti-tank trench, they will then encounter another anti-tank trench...
…Here, they will encounter a double blow from anti-aircraft guns and anti-tank guns.
As a result, in just half a day, Soviet tank wreckage and corpses were everywhere along the defense line.
Trufanov took a moment to find Shulka. As soon as he saw Shulka, he said: "I take that back, Comrade Shulka! You'd better find a way for us to break through this line of defense!"
"
Shulka shook his head and replied: "Comrade Trufanov, I don't know how to break through this line of defense. Besides, if we break through this line of defense, you know what will be waiting for us at the front!"
"I know!" Trufanov said: "But are we different now? It will only take a few days if this continues, and our 51st Army will be exhausted!"
Shulka didn't know how to answer.
But Shulka knew that even as Trufanov said, the 51st Army could not break through the defense line, because it would only survive for a few more days, and the 51st Army would soon be driven over by Manstein.
Due to the siege of the 11th Army.
What’s the point of living a few more days?
This is tantamount to drinking poison to quench thirst. He shouldn't be so restless.
But from a certain point of view, what Trufanov said is right. Instead of dying under the enemy's gun like this without knowing why, it would be better to kill them happily and at least draw a few Germans away.
People support their backs.
At this time Shulka's phone rang. Denisokov answered the phone and told Shulka: "It's Comrade Khrushchev!"
Shulka glanced at Trufanov, and there was something strange in Trufanov's eyes... Everyone knew why Khrushchev called Shulka at this time.
Sure enough, when Shulka picked up the phone, Khrushchev said on the other end of the phone: "Comrade Shulka, the war in the direction of Stalingrad is very tense. Although we have surrounded the enemy, we have not been able to attack several times.
Advance! We need you and your troops to fight!" (To be continued)