Watching the colonel, who was born in the Staff Section and had just flown to the front line from Berlin, the heart of the Empire, to lead the front-line troops in the battle last month, left in a hurry, the chief of staff, who was doubting whether something was wrong in his heart, immediately took a step forward and said:
Major General Fritz, whose face was still as cold as ice, spoke.
"General, in the nearly three months of fighting in the direction of Leningrad, this is the first time I have witnessed such a violent shelling. According to common sense, the artillery of the Soviet Leningrad Front surrounded by us has already run out of ammunition and food.
, it is simply impossible to still have such a powerful artillery counterattack force, I am worried..."
With the corner of his eye, he squinted at his subordinate partner who was hesitating to speak. He seemed to be ignoring Major General Fritz, who was still roaring with the explosion of artillery shells next to him. He simply said what he was hesitant to say in his partner's mouth.
blurted out.
"I know what you are guessing. At this time, the only ones who can launch such a level of bombardment are the Baltic Fleet, which still has the main force in Ivan's hands."
"This damn little city of Leningrad is called the Russian Venice for no reason. With the Neva River, Lake Ladoga, and the Baltic Sea passing through the city, this holy city in the hearts of the Bolsheviks is a city surrounded by the water of life.
Blessed city, only by pulling out the sting of the Baltic Fleet can we truly conquer this city, otherwise everything is just a delusion!"
Major General Fritz shook off all the heavy soil on his uniform that had accumulated enough to feel its weight on the brim of his hat and shoulders. His ears, nostrils, and even his mouth were filled with the earthy smell, and he continued to speak.
"The 2nd Ground Attack Air Wing is planning an air strike against the main force of the Baltic Fleet. The primary target is all large Soviet surface ships above destroyers. If everything goes well, it will be deployed within a week. Before that, we
There is no other way but to passively cope with the Russian fleet bombardment."
The thunderous bombardment that continued to roar outside the field headquarters has begun to gradually decrease and is likely to stop, although this is undoubtedly good news for the German soldiers struggling in the position shrouded in hellish artillery fire.
, but this also means that the overall counterattack of the Soviet ground forces after the shelling ceases is imminent.
"General, after the shelling stops, should we order the front-line troops to retreat temporarily to avoid the edge? The troops that have just experienced such a violent shelling will not be able to withstand the charge of those Ivans anyway."
Although it may not sound good when it comes out of your mouth, it is still good words that may offend your ears, but words that are unreasonable are not rough.
Knowing full well how terrifying the enemy Soviet army's power would be once it launched an organized charge, Major General Fritz, who had fully experienced the powerful fighting power of the fighting nation from the Tsarist Russian army as early as World War I, immediately nodded slightly.
"After the bombardment is over, the troops on the first line of defense are allowed to retreat to the second line of defense to regroup and prepare for defense. However, this is limited to this. Any retreat beyond the scope of this order is prohibited from being carried out in any way."
"A limited retreat is just to be able to better win victory. Our ultimate goal in coming to this land that once defeated the French is to be the conqueror instead of retreating all the way. We don't have the courage and determination to win.
It is impossible to defeat these crazy Russians. This is the valuable experience that has been summed up with the blood and lives of countless people in the last war."
Just as predicted by the German Chief of Staff, the bombardment of the Red Navy fleet, which lasted for nearly an hour, finally stopped thundering after plowing up the ground of the entire German position.
Surviving this shelling that was far more violent than the Soviet ground field artillery group, the swaying German soldiers held the weapons in their hands and walked away like drunken street drunks holding on to the earthen wall.
They supported each other and struggled to get out of the shell-proof cave.
Even if such an army is in such a state of disarray, even if it bears the name of Germany, it is difficult for people to believe that it can withstand and defeat the Soviet Red Army that is gearing up on the opposite side.
As the violent shelling that shook the earth finally stopped, Malashenko, who was in his commander's position, had already been waiting for a long time with the commander's periscope in his hand tightly.
Looking at the young faces around him who are holding their own weapons tightly in their arms, with dark faces and more or less fear and timidity depending on the person, they know how to do it far better than those in later Western black and Soviet films and TV dramas.
Inspiring, the battalion-level political commissar who led the team immediately took the lead and jumped out of the trench with the pistol in his hand raised high.
"Defend the motherland! Defend the Soviets! Attack for Comrade Stalin's sake!"
Holding the Tokarev pistol tightly, he shouted and shouted like wildfire, which instantly spread throughout the Soviet positions. Comrade political commissars who were much higher than him in terms of status and position were already the first.
Jumping out of the trench, this momentary action completely shattered the timidity and fear in the hearts of these young Red Army soldiers in the blink of an eye.
"Ahhhhhh!"
"Ula!!!"
Wherever one person has courage, thousands of sharp knives will point to him.
The Ula's roar that echoed loudly over the battlefield overshadowed the roar of the diesel engine and the sound of footsteps and echoed into the sky. At the same time, the independent 1st Heavy Tank Battalion, like a beast emerging from a cage, stepped on the accelerator and accompanied the infantry in a full-scale attack.
It only took less than half a minute to surpass all the surrounding friendly infantry and rush to the front of the entire group.
The roar of the Ula coming from behind was mixed with the unique roar of the diesel engine of the Soviet tank, which was heart-shaking. The German troops on the front line who had just barely recovered from the aftermath of the shelling hurriedly retreated to the second line.
position.
These German soldiers, who had just experienced a failed attack and were baptized by a wave of naval guns, have now reached the final critical point of their will collapse. They are just holding on to the last bit of strength to drive their severely exhausted bodies to move towards that point.
Tao symbolizes the position of life and hope.
Some German soldiers who were severely injured and missing arms and legs but who were too late to undergo field surgery voluntarily stayed behind to block the enemy and buy time for their comrades to retreat and regroup.
However, the only light weapons in the hands of these wounded German soldiers who were lingering on the broken positions could not stop the iron hooves of the heavy tanks rushing at the front of the group.
Looking at the man whose leg was broken in the shelling, he was barely bandaged with a broken uniform. He was half-sitting on the ground with his body upright, but he still gritted his teeth and raised the Mauser 98k rifle in his hand, pointing towards his car.
German soldiers who fought in vain.
Malashenko inevitably felt a feeling of sympathy and awe in his heart, and then slowly nodded towards Iushkin, who was looking at him beside him.