At 8:05 on January 10, 7,000 artillery pieces of various calibers deployed by the Don Front Army at different locations simultaneously launched a violent bombardment on the German positions. The ear-splitting rumble broke the silence of the cold winter breakfast.
After the artillery fired continuously at the enemy positions for fifty-five minutes, the limited German artillery positions were destroyed, communication lines were interrupted, and countless firepower points and shelters were destroyed by artillery fire. Due to the lack of sufficient defensive depth of the German army, the officers and soldiers were
They could not retreat to the second line of defense to avoid the Soviet artillery bombardment as they had done in the past. They could only stay in their bomb holes or shelters, which resulted in a large number of casualties.
Batov's 65th Group Army was responsible for the assault mission in the main direction. Although the German army put up tenacious resistance, the Soviet commanders and fighters of the group were still advancing step by step under the cover of artillery and air force. By nightfall
By that time, Batov's troops had wedged five kilometers into the German defense line.
The next day, the Army and the 21st Army continued to advance deeper into the German army and successfully advanced to the west bank of the Rossoshka River and the Karpovka area. The German troops defending in this area were deeply afraid of being divided and surrounded by the Soviet army.
, one after another gave up the positions they held and hurriedly retreated towards Stalingrad.
The 57th Group Army, which was attacking from the south, had been defeated steadily by Holt's troops some time ago. From the commander of the group army to the soldiers below, everyone was holding back their anger. Now that they were finally looking forward to the attack, they were worried about the attack.
The German troops on the front were naturally not polite and beat the enemy to a complete defeat.
The most outstanding performer was the 38th Infantry Division commanded by Colonel Safiullin. During the attack of the leading regiment, the head of the regiment reported to Safiulin: "Comrade Division Commander, we discovered a German field airfield in front.
Please direct us on our next steps."
"Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, the order is clear." When Safiulin learned that the German field airport had been discovered ahead of him, he quickly said to the leader of the leading regiment: "Immediately concentrate the forces of the entire regiment and launch an attack on the airport. If nothing happens,
No worries, I will lead the other two regiments and rush over as soon as possible to support you."
After receiving the attack order, the leader of the leading regiment immediately understood the direction of the troops and took the enemy's field airport as the main direction of attack. There was about a company of German troops guarding the airport. Seeing the sudden appearance of the Soviet army, they immediately launched a tenacious attack
resistance.
The first attack of the vanguard regiment was repulsed by the enemies defending the airport. After the attack failed, the leader of the vanguard regiment was not discouraged and immediately regrouped the troops and personally led the charge.
The commanders and fighters of the vanguard regiment saw their commander personally leading the charge, and their morale was immediately boosted. Regardless of casualties, they braved the enemy's hail of bullets and marched forward one after another. After a fierce battle, they finally rushed into the airport.
Safiulin, who had just arrived nearby, saw the plane parked at the airport through his telescope, and immediately ordered the chief of staff beside him: "Notify the leading group immediately, and be sure to capture all enemy planes at the airport."
Since the regiment commander was personally leading the team to participate in the battle, this order could not be conveyed in time through the radio. In order to prevent the regiment commander from impulsively blowing up all the captured enemy planes into scrap metal, Safiulin quickly sent out a
A staff officer asked him to rush to the airport on a motorcycle and inform the head of the vanguard regiment that the enemy plane parked at the airport must be captured.
Fortunately, the staff officer acted quickly. When the motorcycle he was riding rushed into the airport, the battle was already over. The leader of the vanguard regiment was arranging soldiers to tie explosives to the planes, preparing to blow them to pieces.
Seeing this, the staff officer shouted loudly: "Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, wait a moment, don't blow up the plane yet. The division commander ordered that the enemy's plane must be captured completely." In this way, eighteen German transport planes were completely preserved.
.
Safiulin rushed to the airport and saw that the vanguard regiment had captured eighteen transport planes. He repeatedly praised the leader of the vanguard regiment. However, he soon discovered a problem: "Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, did you find the enemy during the battle?"
pilot?"
"No." After Safiulin reminded him, the leader of the vanguard found that the Germans he had eliminated were all security forces guarding the airport, and there were not even a single pilot. He quickly ordered his subordinates: "Search everywhere for me immediately.
, even if the German pilots are hiding underground, I have to dig them out."
The surrounding soldiers dispersed and looked for the German pilots. After a few minutes, a captain who was responsible for searching the wooden house next to the runway hurried over and reported to the regiment leader: "Comrade commander, we are in the wooden house.
I found a hole in the room, it was too dark inside and I couldn’t see anything clearly.”
When Safiulin heard what the captain said, he quickly interrupted and asked: "Have you seen clearly whether there are any Germans hiding in the cave?"
"No, comrade division commander." The captain replied quickly: "It's too dark inside. We're worried about an ambush inside, so we haven't sent anyone in to check for the time being."
"Hurry up and take me in to take a look."
The group of people walked into the wooden house next to the runway. Safiulin saw a wooden plank lifted in the middle of the house, revealing a rectangular hole. A group of soldiers stood near the hole, their guns pointed at the dark hole.
Safiulin pointed his hand towards the entrance of the cave and ordered the regiment leader: "Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, immediately arrange for someone to shout into the cave and ask them to put down their weapons and come out to surrender, otherwise we will throw grenades."
The regiment leader nodded, called an officer who knew German, and asked him to shout to the entrance of the cave. The officer squatted two feet away from the entrance of the cave and shouted in German: "You have been surrounded by us.
Put down your weapons and surrender immediately, otherwise we will throw grenades."
After shouting, there was silence in the cave. The officer turned to look at Safiulin, waiting for his instructions. Safiulin pursed his lips and said: "Since the enemy is unwilling to come out and surrender, then just destroy them. Get ready.
Throw a grenade into the hole."
The surrounding soldiers agreed, took out the grenades, opened the safety cover and were about to throw them into the hole. At this time, a broken Russian voice came from the hole: "Don't throw the grenades, surrender, we surrender."
"Throw out the weapons." The officer in charge heard the voice inside and couldn't help feeling ecstatic. However, he still pretended to shout: "I count to three. If the weapons haven't been thrown out yet, we will throw grenades."
.”
"No, no, we surrender." A voice of fear came from the cave, and then a bunch of pistols were thrown out one after another.
Seeing the enemy throwing weapons, the officer then shouted: "Come out one by one with your hands raised, otherwise we will throw grenades."
After the officer finished shouting, he saw a white handkerchief tied to a small wooden stick rising slowly from the hole, and then a German pilot wearing a pilot uniform emerged. As he walked, he timidly said: "Don't shoot, we
surrender!"
After a while, the German pilots in the cave came out one after another and surrendered. Safiulin counted more than forty pilots, which was a big fish. He turned around and ordered the radio operator following behind him: "Send to the army immediately
The headquarters sent a message saying that we destroyed the German field airfield near Voroponovo, intercepted eighteen transport planes, and captured all the crew members."