After a fierce battle, the Belko Battalion finally occupied the German position. Leaving a few soldiers to support the troops behind, Major Belko led the soldiers to pursue the fleeing enemies.
However, after chasing for less than a kilometer, they encountered the German troops who came for reinforcements, and the two sides immediately started a fierce battle. The machine guns in the sidecars of the German motorcycles were spitting out tongues of fire, and soldiers carrying weapons followed closely, shooting as they advanced.
, throwing grenades from time to time and using the smoke from the explosion to move forward quickly.
For a time, there were gunshots, explosions, and painful screams. People fell down one after another, both Germans and Soviet soldiers. Captain Belko picked up a rifle with a bayonet from the ground.
He rushed forward bravely and locked bayonets with the oncoming enemy.
The German army, which has always paid attention to firepower output, was naturally no match for the Soviet army in terms of stabbing. They withdrew from the battlefield one after another, hiding in the distance and firing machine guns and mortars at the mixed crowds, completely ignoring the machine guns or mortars.
Will the artillery accidentally injure one's own people?
A mortar shell with a screaming sound fell next to Bierko, who had just stabbed a German soldier. The soil stirred up by the blast was like a goddess scattering flowers on Bierko's body. His body
His body shook twice and fell softly to the ground.
"Battal Commander," seeing Belko fall, a soldier next to him hurriedly rushed to him, shook his body vigorously, and shouted anxiously: "How are you, how are you?"
After Belko regained consciousness, with the help of the soldiers, he stood up staggeringly. A stream of blood dripped from his forehead down his cheeks, but he still shouted loudly to the soldiers around him: "Comrades, don't do it."
Stop, charge me, and keep charging forward!" In order to set an example, he rushed towards the enemy not far away without even having time to bandage the wound on his head.
Seeing the battalion commander leading the charge, his soldiers were naturally not to be outdone, and followed him closely with weapons in hand, rushing towards the enemy bravely.
After rushing to a place that was still more than ten meters away from the enemy, the soldiers took out their grenades, pulled the string, and threw them towards the enemy's gathering position, causing smoke to billow from the enemy's location.
The battle going on in the front soon reached Popov's ears. He asked the chief of staff: "How is the situation in the front? Have you broken through the German defense line?"
"Reporting to Comrade Commander," the Chief of Staff replied: "Captain Belko's battalion launched an attack on the defense area of the 61st German Motorcycle Battalion and has successfully broken through the enemy's first line of defense. However, due to the reinforcements from the second line
When they arrived, their advance was blocked and the troops suffered heavy casualties."
"Chief of Staff, send reinforcements to them immediately. We must break through the three lines of defense of the German army before dawn." Popov was deeply afraid that the Chief of Staff would not take his opinion seriously, and specifically emphasized: "We do not have air superiority on the battlefield. Once
At dawn, enemy planes will appear in the sky and bombard our attacking troops indiscriminately. If we try to break through the enemy's defense line at that time, we will inevitably pay a huge price."
"Understood, Comrade Commander." the Chief of Staff replied, "I will send reinforcements to them immediately."
Popov sent reinforcements to the vanguard battalion that was fighting fiercely in front, and General Balck, the commander of the German 11th Armored Division deployed to their south, was also gathering the 111th Panzer Grenadier Regiment, intending to order them to rush to the 61st Motorcycle
The defense area of the car camp was reinforced to block the Soviet breakout troops.
This time, Balck and Chief of Staff Colonel Wenke reached an agreement. The Soviet army attacking the 61st Motorcycle Battalion was not a test operation, but a preparation for a breakout from that direction. While they were gathering their troops, they gave Manstein
Made the call.
Originally, Manstein had already fallen asleep, but when he heard the adjutant say that Balk had an urgent report, he quickly sat up from the bed, took the phone from the adjutant's hand and asked: "General Balk, why are you calling me so late?
,Is there anything important?"
"Your Excellency, Marshal," Balk said respectfully after waiting for Manstein to finish speaking: "Have the Russians begun to break through to the east?"
"What, the Russians broke through to the east?" Manstein asked in surprise: "General Balk, who told you this news?"
"It's my subordinate, the commander of the 61st Motorcycle Battalion stationed in the east." Balk reported respectfully: "The Russians launched an attack on his defense area two hours ago. Now the first line
The defense line has been breached, and the troops holding the second line of defense are resisting tenaciously."
When Manstein heard this, he covered the microphone with his hand and ordered the adjutant standing nearby: "Go out and find out whether the Russian armored forces are still at their original positions?"
After the adjutant left, Manstein let go and continued to ask: "General Balk, since the Russians broke through your defense zone, have you taken any measures?"
"Yes, Your Majesty Marshal." Balck replied: "I have ordered the 111th Panzer Grenadier Regiment to assemble and be ready to reinforce the areas under attack at any time."
"Our troops are mainly concentrated in the north, south and west, but the defense in the east is the weakest." Manstein said with some regret: "Even if we have to mobilize the troops, it will take at least a day. In order to prevent the Russians from us
To escape from the encirclement, it is not enough for you to just send one Grenadier Regiment there. You should immediately send the 15th Armored Regiment in that direction as well."
"But, Your Excellency, Marshal." Regarding Manstein's proposal, Balk said with a wry smile: "Our tanks lack fuel and may collapse halfway through."
"You are short of fuel, and the Russians are also short of fuel." Manstein said on the phone: "But you still have to drive the tanks to their retreat route, which is a victory. When their tanks appear,
When you are in sight, your tanks can destroy them all like target practice. Do you understand?"
After listening to Manstein's explanation, Balke felt that it was very reasonable. As long as his tank was placed on the only way for the Soviet army to break through, even if the tank ran out of fuel, it could be used as a fixed fort to destroy passing Soviet tanks.
Or infantry. After thinking about this, he nodded quickly and said: "Understood, Marshal, I will immediately order the 15th Armored Regiment to assemble."
When it was just dawn, Popov and his group headquarters appeared at the place where the fierce battle had taken place at Camp Belko. Popov, sitting in the jeep, saw corpses lying on the roadside, both German and German.
Yes, there were also Soviet soldiers. The blood shed from their bodies dyed the snow on the road red, turning this road into an out-and-out bloody road.