When the Skeleton Division just launched an attack on the defense area of the 305th Division, Sokov learned the news from the observation post. He quickly ordered Koida: "Comrade Colonel, immediately order the 568th Regiment and the Artillery Regiment to prepare for battle."
"Comrade Commander," Koida, who was also familiar with the situation, asked hesitantly after hearing Sokov's order: "The enemy has just launched an attack on the friendly defense area. Why is it that he ordered the troops to prepare for battle so early?"
Isn’t it a little too early?”
"It's not early at all." Sokov waved his hand at the other party and continued: "Comrade Colonel, you have never fought against the Skeleton Division, so you don't understand their terror. You know, in the battle in March, one of their divisions
They defeated one of our Guards. The troops blocking them now are the 305th Infantry Division with incomplete organization. To be honest, I have no idea how long they can resist."
"Comrade Commander, can the artillery regiment be used later?" Koida reminded Sokov: "Even if they break through the enemy's friendly positions and carry out an armored assault, the rocket launchers they have can still destroy most German tanks.
.”
"The strength of the Skeleton Division has exceeded your imagination." Sokov said to Koida: "Even if I use one of your divisions to attack the Skeleton Division, I'm worried that I won't be able to stop it, let alone there is only one regiment in that direction.
.Also, the defeated friendly forces will seriously affect our morale."
Hearing what Sokov said, Koida immediately realized that what the 568th Regiment would face next would be an unprecedented fierce battle, and quickly asked: "Then tell me, how should we use the artillery regiment?"
"When the enemy carried out an armored assault, the artillery regiment stopped and fired at the enemy." Sokov knew that the 188th Division Artillery Regiment only had 24 76.2 mm cannons. It was difficult to destroy the enemy's tanks, but it would take the opponent's armored vehicles with weak armor.
Or the infantry following them is still very effective: "You tell them to let go of the tanks in front and deal exclusively with the armored vehicles and infantry following. As for the tanks, leave it to soldiers equipped with anti-tank weapons to deal with them."
.”
The German troops that broke through the 305th Division's position continued to rush towards the 568th Regiment's position as if they had been beaten to death. When the German tank troops saw the fleeing Soviet commanders and fighters in front, they did not use machine guns as in the past, but fired at full speed.
Galloping, preparing to tear a gap in the second line of defense before the defenders recovered.
When they were still five or six hundred meters away from the trench, the screams of artillery shells piercing the air came from the air. But the tank soldiers sitting in the tanks were not worried at all. According to their rich experience, these were all shortcomings.
Even if a 100-millimeter-caliber artillery hit a tank, it would not be able to cause a fatal blow to itself.
Most of the first round of artillery shells fired by the Soviet army landed around the German tanks and exploded. The mud thrown up covered the tank body. Even if the shells occasionally hit the target, they could not destroy the German tanks and slow down their advance.
The artillery regiment commander who originally questioned Sokov's order saw through the telescope that the fired shells did not pose any threat to the German tank soldiers. He adjusted his tactics in a timely manner. He shouted loudly: "Change to high-explosive shells, switch to high-explosive shells."
Explosive bombs. Target German infantry and armored vehicles and fire."
The armored vehicles and infantry charging behind the tanks did not encounter any decent resistance when they broke through the first line of defense, so they thought that the Soviet troops on the second line of defense were more vulnerable, so the charging infantry stood upright.
The waist is flat and there is no consciousness to dodge bullets.
The artillery shell landed in the German formation and exploded, and the soldiers near the explosion point were immediately blown away. If it were an ordinary army, encountering this situation, the surrounding soldiers would definitely lie down on the spot, or use the bomb crater to make a short leap forward
way, charging towards the Soviet position bit by bit.
But now it was the most fanatical SS members who were in charge of the attack. They ignored the fallen comrades, stepped over the corpses or wounded of their comrades on the ground, and continued to charge forward, trying to rush into the Soviet army's front line in the shortest possible time.
The second line of defense, just like breaking through the first line of defense, opened another gap here.
The tank at the front was looking at being able to rush through the Soviet trenches in ten or twenty seconds when it suddenly discovered that many Soviet soldiers with rocket launchers on their shoulders were kneeling on one knee in the crater in front of them.
The tank crewmen, who were quick to respond, immediately fired with machine guns and knocked down the Soviet soldiers squatting in the crater. But before more tank crewmen could recover, they saw one after another dragging long white smoke.
The warhead he brought flew towards his tank.
After a series of loud bangs, the five tanks rushing at the front were easily destroyed by the Soviet anti-tank crews. The anti-tank crews who finished shooting immediately retracted into the crater and were fired by the ammunition crews.
Reload. Once reloaded, they pop up again, select a new attack target, and immediately pull the trigger.
"Bazooka, it's a rocket launcher." In a tank that fell behind, sat a German tank battalion commander. He had had the experience of exchanging fire with Sokov's troops. When he just saw that the tank in front was destroyed, he still felt
Quite surprised, I thought the Soviet army had deployed some anti-tank guns nearby, and quickly ordered the driver to stop so that he could observe from a distance.
When he saw clearly that the weapon that destroyed his tank was actually the rocket launcher that had once frightened him, he couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat. He quickly told all the tanks through the car radio: "All tanks listen to my order and stop moving forward."
, stop advancing, retreat to a place 500 meters away, and then fire at the Russian position. I repeat, all tanks stop advancing and immediately retreat to a safe distance 500 meters away..."
After giving the order, his tank reversed first and quickly retreated to a safe distance 500 meters away. Although it would be attacked by Soviet artillery fire there, the opponent's artillery was of small caliber and could not destroy his own tank.
During the retreat, he reported to the commander of the armored regiment via the vehicle-mounted radio: "Mr. Colonel, we were attacked by Russian rocket launchers and had to choose to retreat."
"What, you were attacked by a rocket launcher?" For the officers and soldiers of the Skull Division who fought against Sokov's troops in March, this kind of rocket launcher that can easily destroy tanks within a hundred meters is a nightmare for all armored soldiers.
At this moment, he learned that his troops had been attacked by rocket launchers. The regiment leader was frightened and broke out in a cold sweat: "According to the intelligence we have, the defense in front of us is just ordinary Russian troops. How could they have rocket launchers? You
There’s no mistake, right?”
The regimental commander's words made the tank battalion commander who gave orders without authorization hesitate. He was worried that he had made a mistake and mistakenly issued a retreat order. He was about to instruct other tanks that were retreating to carefully observe the direction of the Soviet position.
, is there a rocket launcher for anti-tank use?
At this moment, the infantry formation, which had lost the cover of the tanks and was still rushing forward with the armored vehicles, was attacked by intensive rockets falling from the sky. Through the lookout hole, the tank battalion commander clearly saw that the front turned into a sea of fire, and the sea of fire was rising.
There were countless broken limbs and broken arms, as well as fragments of various weapons.
Seeing this situation, if the tank battalion commander still couldn't figure out their encounter with Sokov's troops, then he, the battalion commander, could be beaten to the end. He shouted loudly: "Mr. Colonel, that's right, we
What we encountered was Sokov's troops. They were not only equipped with rocket launchers, but also portable rockets. Our infantry was completely destroyed."
"Retreat, retreat immediately." The regiment leader shouted in panic: "We cannot waste our precious tanks in such a meaningless battle."
The tank regiment withdrew. Although it was withdrawn in time, it still lost one-third of its tanks. When the armored vehicles attacked, many were destroyed by Soviet artillery fire. When they retreated, they lost another part, only one-half.
The armored vehicles withdrew to the newly occupied Soviet front-line positions. The German infantry suffered the worst. It was a full battalion of 850 people that attacked the second line of defense. In the end, only more than 30 people were withdrawn. The battalion was beaten.
It became an empty frame.
Max Simon, who learned that his offensive troops had suffered huge losses, could not help but feel a little angry. After learning about the situation from several regiment-level officers, he immediately went to the headquarters when he learned that the opponent he encountered might be Sokov's troops.
Go to Hausser and ask questions.
He came to Hauser, slammed his military cap on the opponent's table, and asked angrily: "Your Excellency, Army Commander, why didn't you tell me that it was Sokov's troops who were fighting us."
This was the first time that Hausser saw a subordinate dare to question him like this, so he said with a straight face: "General Simon, what are you talking about? What are you talking about? What you are facing is just the incomplete Russian 305th Division, not Sokov at all.
troops."
"Yes, the first line of defense that our division broke through was indeed defended by the Russian 305th Division. But their second line of defense was held by Sokov's troops." Max Simon said angrily:
"Just because of your wrong information, I lost an entire battalion in less than ten minutes of fighting."
"This is impossible." Hausser learned through his acquaintances at the headquarters that the troops blocking the front of the 6th Armored Division were the 188th Division commanded by Sokov, and in front of him was the 305th Division with weak combat effectiveness.
Therefore, he said with certainty: "My information came from the Army Group Headquarters. I don't think Marshal Manstein would use this kind of thing to deceive me."
Hearing that the other party had carried out Manstein, Max Simon could not say anything else. He picked up the military cap on the table, put it on his head again, and said to Hauser: "Your Excellency, Commander, I beg you
, we must understand what is going on and why Sokov's troops appeared in front of our division."
"Are you sure that the defenders who repelled your attack were Sokov's troops?"
"My subordinates saw with their own eyes the new rockets used by the Russians and the special anti-tank rocket launchers." Max Simon said emotionally: "As far as I know, the only two new types of equipment are Sokov
Only the troops under command are equipped."
"I understand, General Simon." When Hausser heard this, he immediately realized that there might be a problem with the intelligence, and quickly said to Max Simon: "I immediately called Marshal Manstein to find out what happened.
Who should be responsible for the failure of this attack?"