In order to buy enough time for Lavrinenko and Kulbalov, they tried their best to create a fog of war to confuse the enemy before their true combat intentions were discovered.
The artillery attack, which was originally scheduled to last half an hour, was unexpectedly extended to a full hour at Malashenko's personal request.
Comrade Commander of the 3rd Guards Artillery Division, who originally complained that there was no battle to fight and was sitting on the bench, was quite embarrassed because he was surprised to find that he was traveling lightly and did not bring much ammunition reserves in order to speed up the march as much as possible.
There is a high probability that they will not be able to survive this hour of bombardment.
No one would have thought that such a strong fire support would last for an hour.
Comrade Commander of the Third Guards Artillery Division can swear to Comrade Stalin that in the battles he fought, it was rare for the artillery preparation at the battle level to last for a full hour. "Did Malashenko do this intentionally?"
Are you trying to embarrass me?" The thought couldn't help but arise in my mind.
How can a division-level battle require a full hour of artillery preparation? Few armies have such a luxury!
You have to know your own troops, but the Third Guards Artillery Division is ranked number one in the field artillery sequence of the Red Army. It has been personally commended and commended by Comrade Stalin. Its firepower is so powerful that this division alone can handle the artillery fire required by the group army.
support.
Comrade Commander of the 3rd Guards Artillery Division, who really couldn't figure it out, suddenly got angry. He wanted to call the division headquarters opposite to ask what was going on, but he never thought that the right hand that had just touched the phone was directly touched.
My comrade, the political commissar, gave me a firm squeeze.
"Are you angry again? Do you want to call me again and scold me?"
Before Comrade Division Commander had time to answer, Comrade Political Commissar had already found the answer from the encouraging expression that appeared on his face.
"Our division was lightly equipped in order to speed up the march, and the amount of artillery shells and baggage it could carry was less than half of what it normally would be. If we can't cope with such a battle situation, first of all, we don't blame others, we blame ourselves. The main problem lies with ourselves.
On the body. If you have enough ammunition reserves for this phone call, then I will not stop you from making the call. Otherwise, it will be the same as covering up your own problems and making excuses to avoid responsibility."
The senior comrade, whose body was full of violent genes, blinked his eyes when he heard this. He regained consciousness for a few seconds and then instantly became quite weak.
Comrade Political Commissar is right. If this matter really gets serious and is brought to the front army headquarters, it will mean that you will not be able to complete the actual combat mission. Just this hard target will kill you. You will not be able to win the war.
Commanders and fighters who show off like this have no reason to make excuses for themselves or even blame others?
What's more, this problem was caused by him, and he even took the initiative to provoke the incident. What front army commander would like such a subordinate to find trouble for nothing? He was so impulsive that he almost caused a big problem.
"Can......"
"Don't be impatient, just listen to what I have to say."
Before the comrade division commander could say the second syllable, the political commissar who had mastered the stealing technique spoke again and interrupted him.
"Furthermore, who do you think Malashenko is? His two Hero of the Soviet Union awards were both personally signed by Comrade Stalin. Marshal Zhukov single-handedly promoted him, and Marshal Vasilevsky drafted a telegram to advocate for the entire army.
The commanders and fighters at the middle and lower levels learned from him. Even Commander Vatutin loved him very much and his life was saved once. Why do you think you have a fight with him? With your hundreds of cannons? Don't.
You have offended the wrong person, Comrade Commander, this is my only advice."
"..."
People who are engaged in high-level political work do not have a fuel-efficient lamp. It cannot be said that these people only engage in intrigues and secret intrigues. But at least the word "human spirit" is used to describe those who can sit as division-level political commissars or are close to the elite.
The position of political commissar of the Guards Artillery Division is probably not an exaggeration at all.
The teacher and comrade who was speechless could not think of what to say next. After being mute for a long time, he could only utter one sentence that was really worthless.
"Then tell me, what should we do now? With this level of artillery fire, the shells we have on hand will be used up in less than twenty minutes, and the remaining ten minutes will be spent just guarding the shells and watching birds. What the hell?
There may not necessarily be birds in the place..."
Ten minutes doesn't sound like much, but if it's a Guards Artillery Division's continuous artillery coverage, the difference in firepower projection will be huge. Ten minutes is enough to affect the outcome of the battle. Ask yourself if you can afford it.
The comrade who is responsible for this is really helpless. What should he do if he can't even make calls? Is it possible that he still expects cannonballs from the sky to give him free sex?
Comrade Political Commissar also sighed after hearing this. Even now, he can't think of any good solution.
Listening to the roar of artillery fire reverberating violently in his ears, Comrade Political Commissar, knowing that he did not have much time, took the initiative to pick up the phone and handed it to the Division Commander.
"....Who to call?"
"Do you still need to ask? Of course it is the Front Army Headquarters. Let's report the situation truthfully to Comrade Commander. This is no longer something we can decide. This is the best way now."
"...."
When Malashenko, who was still admiring the Western view, was called to answer Comrade Political Commissar's radio, the news from the other end of the transmitter shocked Comrade Ma.
"What? There are not enough artillery shells? What does the 3rd Guards Artillery Division do for food?! Are you a loser? If the artillery does not bring enough artillery shells to the battle, what is the difference between this and a tank that uses up all the artillery shells in the middle of the charge!"
Malashenko on the other end of the radio shouted angrily. It was really disappointing that his battle plan was suddenly disrupted. On the other end of the radio, the political commissar who was also holding a microphone could only explain helplessly.
"We can't blame them entirely. The orders issued by their superiors were too heavy and the time was too tight. They set off in a hurry without even bringing half of the usual ammunition base, just to get to the combat position as soon as possible to support us. If they had replenished the ammunition,
Set off on the road, you won’t get artillery support at the moment, you know the pros and cons.”
"..."
Comrade Lao Ma, who was speechless for a moment, blinked his eyes and was speechless while holding the microphone in his hand. Fortunately, the political commissar on the other end of the radio did not let the awkward silence continue.
"Commander Vatutin has a hand in hand. Half the regiment's bombers have changed their combat missions and taken off from the frontline airport. They are on their way here. Use them to offset the ten minutes of artillery support. But after that, you can only call
Those Il-2s are supporting you, the 3rd Guards Artillery Division needs supplies, and our division and several other infantry divisions have almost enough artillery shells."
"The supply of artillery shells is already on the way, and the artillery support will be fully restored in two hours at most. Before then, think about how to fight the war, and don't let this variable miss the important event."