Strictly speaking, yesterday's battle did not cause much casualties to Stalin's 1st Guards Tank Division. A group of German infantry lacking heavy defensive weapons could not inflict a heavy blow to heavy armored units such as Stalin's 1st Guards Tank Division.
The final result can only be to penetrate the defense line, divide and encroach, and end up with a disastrous defeat and no results.
But for Malashenko, yesterday's battle was not so much a new battle, but rather the conclusion of the previous day's battle to encircle and annihilate the Grossdeutschland Division, and the prelude to the subsequent battle further north.
The latest intelligence confirms that the number of German troops accumulated near the Donau Castle in the south of Riga is still increasing. It can be said that the Germans' desperate intention to hold on to this protrusion and the last node connecting the north and south lines is very obvious.
For the Red Army, which has been marching forward with great success and its offensive is progressing smoothly, it is impossible to leave the enemy's salient alone and plant hidden dangers. It is imperative to erase this salient deliberately planted by the Germans from the map.
One is bound to get it, and the other doesn't want to give it yet.
When conflicts intensify, an extremely fierce battle will inevitably break out in Donauburg. Malashenko can even smell the strong smell of gunpowder in the air.
The large number of German troops entrenched near Riga and Donauburg is the last important force maintaining the land connection between Army Group Center and Army Group North. Once this force fails, Army Group North and Center will be divided into two, two
Not only will the army groups be unable to support each other, their respective flanks will also be exposed to the Red Army, and the situation will quickly deteriorate to the extreme.
The Germans will not sit back and watch this happen without doing anything. No matter how badly the German army is defeated, the Germans will devote their remaining remaining troops to fight to the death in this crucial battle.
There is a high probability that the battle will be more intense than the battle to encircle and annihilate the Grossdeutschland Division, and we still don’t know how many supporting troops and reinforcements we will get by then. The specific troop configuration and defense situation of the Germans are also a question. These are just
This can only be confirmed after Malashenko and his troops arrive at the war zone in person.
"What are you thinking about? I have been distracted just now, and your eyes have gone to the sky."
Stalin's 1st Guards Tank Division in its marching state is like a long steel dragon galloping forward. The division commander's car is located in the center of the marching formation, commanding from the center. As usual, Malashenko is hanging half of his body outside the turret.
, Iushkin, who was in the same posture outside the semi-mounted turret, had nothing to say and took the initiative to speak. It would always feel too boring if he didn't talk about something at this time.
"Huh? Ah, it's nothing. I'm just thinking about the next battle."
"After this battle, the last hope of the Germans' Army Group Center has been wiped out, leaving these bastards with only despair. If you know better, you can go back to Poland as soon as possible to clean up the remaining troops and the defeated generals, and you can save fewer casualties and go forward.
It’s time to go abroad for the final battle.”
"The Germans must also understand this, so we estimate that we will encounter the fiercest resistance in this battle, and there may also be a large-scale armored counter-assault. The Germans always like to do this. So you should be prepared as soon as possible, and next
It can be quite an exciting few days.”
As long as conditions permit, Malashenko will now teach Iushkin more about tactics and command whenever he has the opportunity, just like now.
But before Malashenko's words faded and Iushkin opened his mouth to answer, the sound of the radio call had already reached Malashenko's ears.
"Malashenko, you have received the latest telegram. You need to read it immediately, right now."
"..."
Malashenko led the main force to set off first, while the field division headquarters with various scattered belongings and more trivial matters remained behind. Comrade Political Commissar would follow after taking charge of all matters, at least that was the original plan.
But now, before Comrade Political Commissar could lead his men to follow him, Malashenko received a radio call from Comrade Political Commissar and asked him to stop immediately.
Some people were curious and wanted to ask the question on the radio on the spot, but then I thought about it and thought that if it was something that could be solved over the radio, the political commissar probably wouldn't ask me to stop deliberately. This question was almost in vain.
If you ask, it's better not to ask.
"Do we need the troops to stop too? Or just me to stop."
Malashenko was not sure why Comrade Political Commissar needed to stop. He was referring to what the telegram specifically said and what the order was, so he asked this question after thinking for a while.
"Stop together. It won't waste too much time. This telegram is very important! I will bring someone over now and meet you right away."
"... Got it, we'll stop right now."
After finishing the phone call with his political commissar comrades, Malashenko immediately ordered the troops to suspend their advance and stand by in place. Iushkin, who was standing by with a puzzled look on his face, then asked questions.
"What happened? Why did you stop suddenly?"
After hearing this, Malashenko waved his hand casually and held the radio transmitter in his hand to indicate that he did not know.
"Let's wait and see what Comrade Political Commissar says later..."
Malashenko's wait did not last long. Political Commissar Petrov quickly caught up with the entire division and relevant personnel by car.
"What's wrong? What's going on? You specifically called the radio to stop me. Is there a German ambush ahead?"
Malashenko's tone at this time was still a bit joking, but the political commissar who had just got off the car and still held the telegraph newspaper in his hand had a different expression.
"Emergency situation. The telegram just came from the front army headquarters. The situation is a bit tricky. You have to see it for yourself."
"...."
A situation that allows Comrade Political Commissar to say this is definitely not an overly optimistic situation.
Malashenko, who frowned slightly, then took the telegram without saying a word and opened it to read. The contents recorded on it were presented together with the detailed explanations of the political commissar.
"We have received the latest information that the Germans are preparing to transport a batch of precious cultural relics, gold jewelry and high-value items looted from Ukraine and Belarus out of the Soviet Union. Comrades in the intelligence department have been tracking the whereabouts of the Germans for a long time.
It took a lot of effort to track down the specific information and location.”
"The Germans are preparing to transfer it and steal it at the nearest front line station. This train has just arrived from the unrecovered German-occupied areas in other directions. Our division is the closest unit to the station and is also mobile.
The strongest and most powerful force."
"The front army headquarters requires us to immediately send a capable force to intercept the train. We must stop this train. Everything on it belongs to the motherland. We must not let it drift overseas or leave the country."