Chapter 831

When I was still at mamayev post, I took the initiative to hand over the command of the army's attack on gorodyser city to bantaileiev, but now I found that his play was too standard. If we play according to his style, our siege will easily become a war of attrition, even if we barely capture the city, it will be a tragic victory. In order to make a quick decision and recapture the city from the German army as soon as possible, I decisively took back the command of the army from bantaileiev.

After all the commanders left, I frowned and thought about what I had left out. After thinking about it, I really found a problem. I forgot to take the German artillery into account. In the morning, the positions of 107.5 highland and the fourth regiment were bombarded by them. If Morozov's artillery barracks opened, they would suppress their fire, How should we deal with it? Thinking of this, I quickly turned around and asked leiev, "Comrade deputy division commander, do you know where the German artillery position is?"

Kirilov, who was standing beside to make soy sauce, was nervous when he heard me. He immediately asked leiev: "old man, do you know the position of German artillery position?"

Instead of answering us immediately, bandeleev turned to one side and yelled, "Hello, Lieutenant travkin, come here, please."

With his shouts, a young lieutenant appeared in front of us. I have a close look. The new lieutenant is lieutenant travkin, the Scout of the Don front army who was rescued by us some time ago. As we retreated from konnyi, he followed us back to mamayev post. Because of the shortage of manpower in the newly established reconnaissance company, I sent him to the company as the deputy company commander.

Bantailiev walked up to travkin and said to him solemnly, "Comrade lieutenant, please report to the division commander about the German artillery you have detected."

Lieutenant travkin quickly turned to face me, raised his hand to salute and reported, "Comrade division, according to our reconnaissance, most of the German artillery was destroyed by our air force, and the rest of the artillery was scattered and hidden in solid buildings. The two attacks we launched were frustrated because the tanks in the open road were destroyed by the German artillery hidden in the building, and the infantry behind lost their cover, so they became the targets of the enemy's shooting... "

"Come on, comrade lieutenant." Before travkin finished, bandeleev impatiently interrupted him, then waved to him and said, "it's none of your business here. Go back to your troops first."

Although travkin had reported that most of the German artillery had been destroyed by our air force, kirilov said anxiously: "Comrade division, what about the enemy's artillery hidden in the building? If we don't get rid of them completely, a new round of attack will be frustrated. "

I understand what kirilov said is true. If we can't clear these German defensive positions equipped with guns for a long time, our commanders and fighters will pay a heavy price for every step forward. However, judging from the reaction of the German army, they did not carry out counterattack after our army's attack was frustrated, which proved that they were either limited in strength or scared out of courage by our air force. Although the latter is more likely, the sky is gradually getting dark, and the planes that had been hovering over the battlefield are flying away one after another. In the following time, our new attack on the city can only be completed with the support of a very small number of tanks and artillery.

Just then, Morozov's artillery battalion opened fire. Pieces of shells and rockets fell on the streets of the city and exploded. The smoke and dust filled the sky. The whole city was immediately shrouded in smoke.

Kirilov's voice suddenly came to my ear, because the explosion was very loud. Although he yelled in my ear, I still felt that the voice seemed to float from a very far place, and I didn't really hear it. Maybe he saw that our shelling was too fierce, so he kindly reminded me: "Comrade division, if this kind of shelling continues, the city will be completely destroyed."

I didn't pay attention to kirilov's warning. I just kept holding up my telescope and looked ahead. I said in my heart that the war has been fought to this extent. Is it necessary for our commanders and fighters to pay a higher price in order to save a small city?

In the course of the shelling, perskin and his men entered the tanks and armored vehicles parked nearby, and launched the vehicles. We stayed in the middle of several armored vehicles. As soon as the vehicle started, there was a stream of black smoke from the rear of the vehicle, so we had to find another place.

As soon as the shelling was over, pelsjian's tank battalion took the lead in rushing to the still smoky city, followed by the infantry of the fourth regiment behind the tanks and armored vehicles.

Looking at the troops flooding into the city, kirilov said to me in a loud voice, "Comrade oshanina, can we succeed in this attack?"

"Comrade political commissar," I turned to look at him and said helplessly, "I don't know. It depends on the effect of the fourth regiment's attack before we can draw a conclusion."

Due to the well prepared artillery, the attack was smooth, and the tank battalion and infantry quickly rushed into the smoke. Because I can't see the situation inside clearly, I can only judge the intensity of the battle according to the sound of guns coming from the front.

However, this situation did not last long, and Gaidar's information soon came back through the telephone

"The first battalion has captured several buildings guarded by the German army and is now developing in depth!"

"The second battalion rushed into the bus station in the south of the city and was fighting with the enemy hiding in the waiting hall!"

"The third battalion is advancing towards the central square of the city under the cover of armored forces!"

“……”

After hearing the series of reports, kirilov and banteliev both had smiles on their faces. Kirilov also said with satisfaction: "this lieutenant colonel gedar is really good. How long has this battle been going on, and the fourth regiment has occupied almost a quarter of the city."

I'm still very dissatisfied with the speed. It's going to be dark. Once it gets dark, the role of our artillery and tanks in street fighting will be greatly reduced, so I hope they can achieve greater results before it gets dark.

I immediately ordered the operator to contact the third regiment and ask them how the situation was there. Commander Oleg reported to me that they had succeeded in seizing several German firepower support points after attacking enemy positions. At present, the German army is concentrating its forces to counterattack them and try to take back all these positions.

Due to the stubborn resistance of the German army in the city, the attack from the East and the South stopped. Commander Gaidar reported that "... As the Third Battalion approached the central square, it was blocked by the German troops hidden in the church. The tanks and armored vehicles in the open road were destroyed, and the infantry following were also seriously injured."

When I heard that the attack had been frustrated and that the army had suffered heavy casualties, I was also worried. I simply said to Bantai leiev, "Comrade Deputy teacher, I'll leave it to you." Then he waved his head to kirilov, who was standing beside him, and said, "come on, comrade political commissar, let's go to the city and have a look."

Kirilov and I had just walked out a few steps when we suddenly remembered something. We immediately stopped and told Bantai leiev, "Comrade deputy division commander, if the artillery battalion comes later, you should ask major Morozov to come to me in the city."

In order to ensure kirilov's safety, I asked one of the remaining soldiers to take off his bullet proof clothes and put them on. Then I took a group of security soldiers to the city.

More than ten minutes later, we came to the headquarters of Colonel Gaidar, a building hundreds of meters away from the central square. As a result of our shelling, the building collapsed in half, and Gaidar set up his headquarters in a relatively good room. This room has a good view. You can see the central square clearly from the window.

I raised my telescope and looked into the distance. With the help of the burning light, I saw that the magnificent church next to the central square, which is seven or eight meters above the ground, has become a solid fortress. All the doors and windows are blocked by bricks and stones, leaving only cold bullet holes pointing to all directions. On the platform outside the church were barricades built by the German army with sandbags and wood. Rifles, machine guns or machine guns are protruded from each gunhole and shooting hole. The three-dimensional fire network in the church Fort covers the whole square and several intersections around. The road leading to the central square is full of the remains of our division's killed commanders and fighters and the wreckage of destroyed tanks and armored vehicles.

Gedar stood beside me, pointed to the front and said with grief: "Sir, the German army has turned this church into a strong fortress. The shelling just now has not destroyed it at all. As long as our troops rush to the square, they will be shot madly by the enemy hiding in the church. We've rushed three times, and the stairs to the platform are inaccessible except for throwing hundreds of bodies at each time. "

"Comrade oshanina, what shall we do?" Kirilov is a political cadre in the end. As soon as he sees that our attack is frustrated, he is somewhat confused. "If we don't destroy the enemy's fortress, no matter how many troops we send, we can't attack it."

"Comrade political commissar, don't worry!" Although kirilov and Gaidar were worried, I calmed down at the moment. Since the opposite church is the defensive support of the German army, once it is destroyed, the enemy's resistance will will be affected, and our attack will be smooth in the next battle“ I've come up with a way to get rid of this fortress. "

"Ah, have you found a way?" Kirilov asked in disbelief, "the church occupied by the German army is so strong that even our tanks can't use it. Do you have any way to destroy it?"

Without waiting for me to speak, a familiar voice came from the door: "Hello, comrade soldier, is the division commander here?"

I recognized that it was Morozov's voice, so I turned to look at the door and cried out, "is it major Morozov? Come inside quickly. "

When Morozov came in, he saw kirilov and I were there. He gave a simple and honest smile and would raise his hand to salute us. I was anxious to destroy the German fort, but I didn't care to talk to him about these empty rites. I grabbed his arm, pulled him to the window, pointed to the church in the distance and asked him, "Comrade major, do you see the church in front of me? The German built a strong fortress there, blocking the way of our army. Do you have a way to kill it? "

Morozov looked at the church in front of him, then held out his hands for a long time, and finally regretfully answered me, "Comrade teacher, it's very difficult. The reason why the church was not destroyed in the early shelling was because of its special location. Most of the shells landed near it, occasionally hit one or two, and the damage to it was not great. I think it's very difficult to destroy it directly. "

I was a little disappointed when I heard what Morozov said, so I had to remind him, "Comrade major, I don't think you understand what I mean. I want you to set up your artillery positions in the streets and fire directly at the German fort. "

After listening to what I said, Morozov was so surprised that his chin almost fell to the ground. It took a long time for him to refute me and say, "Comrade division, you should know that heavy artillery is used for indirect targeting. If direct targeting is used, it is a serious violation of military regulations."

"To hell with the regulations." I said impatiently, "immediately put your battalion's heavy guns on the street, and all those rocket launchers on the street, aiming directly at the German fort."

When he saw that I was angry, Morozov did not dare to refute. He could only give an honest promise. Then he turned and ran out of the room and set up a new artillery position.

A quarter of an hour later, the prepared artillery positions began salvo fire. The sound of the gun was deafening, the fire of the muzzle became one, and the rocket with the tail flame flew to the target. In the light of the rising fire, the broken bricks and tiles, together with the broken limbs and arms of the German soldiers, were thrown into the air. Many of the gun holes, shooting holes and barricades reconstructed with doors and windows were blasted away in an instant. During the shelling, several surviving tanks of our army slowly approached the platform of the church and fired directly at close range with tank guns and vehicle mounted machine guns.

As soon as the shelling was over, our commanders and fighters, hidden in the nearby buildings, rushed out with shouts and rushed to the blazing German positions in groups. After our close shelling, there were not many German officers and men who survived, so their resistance to the influx of our officers and men was weak, even negligible.

Seeing such a result, both kirilov and Gaidar were stunned. After a long time, Gaidar murmured, "my God, I didn't expect that heavy artillery could be used in this way, and the effect was so amazing."

I gave him a smile and said with pride, "Comrade commander, this kind of fighting method is called" bayonet on cannon ", which is specially used to deal with the enemy's strong fortress. You must bear in mind that in future battles, the rational use of all kinds of technical equipment can effectively reduce the unnecessary casualties of our commanders and fighters. Do you understand? "

"I see, sir." Col. Gaidar replied with ecstasy: "in the future, I will use all kinds of technical equipment reasonably to reduce the casualties of our troops."

After the German stronghold was destroyed by our artillery fire, the morale of the garrison in the city was seriously hit. In the next few hours of fighting, they retreated step by step to the west of the city. Seeing that the enemy was demoralized, I decisively put the shejerikov regiment as a reserve team into battle.

The participation of the shejerikov regiment has become the last straw to crush the camel. Before daybreak, we succeeded in occupying the whole city, while the surviving German troops withdrew from the west side of the city where we deliberately left.

At the end of the telegram, I begged him to contact the air force to provide us with the necessary air support in the next battle to capture konaii.

Trekov's reply arrived half an hour later, with only a few words on it: "Air Force pilots will carry out intensive raids on German defensive positions in your battle of seizing koneyi!"

With trekov's promise, I immediately had a lot more confidence, so I immediately called several leaders together and assigned tasks to them. As the first and third regiments have all participated in the northward operation, their two regiments will play the leading role in today's battle.

I said to all the commanders in high spirits, "comrades, in yesterday's battle, we all performed very well. The first one to attack the city was the fourth regiment, one battalion and one company. According to commander trakov's prior agreement, the serial number of the first battalion of the fourth regiment will be named after the commander of the battalion." Seeing that everyone was envious of Gaidar, I struck while the iron was hot and said, "there are still many opportunities for meritorious service. I hope you can seize this opportunity and make new contributions in the battle!"

Seeing that everyone's enthusiasm was aroused by me, I began to assign tasks: "the main task of koneyi city will be undertaken by a regiment of lieutenant colonel chejerikov. As the city was bombed by German planes some time ago, I don't believe there will be too many defenders in the city, so a regiment will quickly seize the city under the cover of the air force. After seizing the city, the third regiment of Colonel kosga attacked the Highlands north of the city. After occupying the highland, we will stick there and wait for the army of Don river going south to join us

After the first and third regiments set out, the second and fourth regiments stayed in the city to clean up the battlefield and seize the time to rest.

At 3:00 p.m., xiejerikov excitedly informed me on the telephone that "Mr. reporter, kongnieyi city has been seized by us."“ What are the casualties of the troops? "“ One company was killed and wounded, "said sergerykov excitedly, after briefly reporting his own casualties." we annihilated a battalion and two companies of the German army, and killed the battalion commander, the deputy battalion commander and three company officers of the battalion. " Hearing this result, I nodded with satisfaction, and then asked, "what's the situation of the third regiment?"“ As like as two peas, Semyon Jerry Kopf, who was leading the troops in the long time, was attacking the highlands. "When I heard the question of the three regiment, I answered cautiously," according to our subordinates, the attack steps he took are exactly the same as those you commanded. I believe it won't take long to capture the heights. " It was said that the Highlands would be captured soon. As a result, I couldn't get in touch with lieutenant colonel kosga until an hour later. I was very worried about what happened to him. Just as I was about to ask sjerykov to send someone to see what had happened to the third regiment, commander kosga finally got in touch. When he heard my voice, he excitedly reported: "Comrade division, we have captured the enemy's high ground." After listening to his report, I snorted and said, "Comrade commander, xiejerikov captured kongnieyi an hour ago, and now you have captured the enemy's weak defensive position. It's too slow!" Unexpectedly, he suddenly said: "Sir, comrade, you must have never thought that we have joined forces! Join the friendly forces