The tanks are gone, and the howitzers are gone. In the past few days, the 238 Division has fought quite cruelly. As the main force of the entire Rokosovsky cluster, they are almost using their lives to write their loyalty to the Soviets. of.
Thanks to the swampy area here, it is difficult for the German tanks to rush up, and the protective power of the screw cars is not enough. In the past few days, the German screw cars have almost all charged frantically towards this side. , And they used anti-tank guns, hand grenades, and even carried explosive packages to blow up.
They blocked the Germans' charge again and again, and they themselves were bloody.
The entire 238 division has already suffered more than half of the casualties, and they are still holding on.
Division commander Koroya was in a temporary headquarters, and Rokosovsky commanded.
"Our casualties are too great, can't we be replaced by other troops?" Koroya was worried.
Troops continue to retreat from the openings they support. If these troops stay, they can let their side breathe comfortably, but now, there is no such order.
Although this is your own position, you can't just let your own light up, right?
"These withdrawn troops are rushing to lay a new line of defense behind us. You can't let the Germans rush to Moscow in one go, Koroya, you have to stand higher and have an overall view. , Otherwise, you can only be a teacher." Rokosovsky said.
Yes, a group of troops have withdrawn, but they will not stop here. They have a more important task, which is to lay out new lines of defense.
You know, now that the journey from Smolensk to Moscow is empty, if the Germans were not to encircle and destroy their own side, but to attack Moscow in one go, they might be able to drive straight in and hit Moscow in one go!
They have to rush to deploy a new line of defense, and they will definitely not stay here. At the same time, Rokosovsky is also very surprised, why don't the Germans bypass here and drive straight in?
This has something to do with the German strategy. If he rushed to Moscow in one breath, the German could do it, but if he didn’t consolidate the rear, he would face endless troubles on the supply line. Germany’s airlift capacity would provide a division with supplies. No problem, but for the entire cluster, it is far from enough.
It would be quite risky to leave Smolensk behind and then move forward.
On the other hand, Germany’s strategic goal is to attack Moscow, but to eliminate the vital forces of the Soviet Union is also another goal. As long as the Soviet army is eaten up in an organized way, it can accumulate an advantage for the ultimate victory.
"If we continue to fight, our troops will collapse." Koroya said.
Generally speaking, when the casualties of the troops exceed one-tenth, the morale is low. If half is gone, it will definitely collapse. Although they are still insisting, they may just be waiting for the last one to crush the camel. It's just a straw.
Koroya is worried.
"We must persevere." Rokosovsky said: "We have no choice."
After speaking, Rokosovsky looked at his watch: "No, in the past, the Germans have already started offensive. Why is there no movement today?"
The German cannons, rockets, and bombers in the air should have greeted them again and again, but now there is no movement!
Just then, the phone rang.
"Hey, what happened on the ground?" Koroya asked when he picked up the phone.
An anxious voice came from inside: "Commander, the Germans have used engineers and soldiers and they are filling the swamp!"
Hearing this, Koroya's expression suddenly changed.
In the marshland, there is only the middle road through which tanks can pass. In this way, Germany cannot open a broad attack surface, and the only road has long been blocked.
If the German main tanks can't come up, their firepower is not strong enough, and it is impossible to win the position with the screw car alone.
And now, the Germans actually fill the swamp!
When Rokosovsky brought Koroya and others to the front line, what he saw was a scene that he would never forget.
The German all-wheel drive ten-ton Ford truck has thousands of them!
They were carrying materials to fill the swamp, some were sand and gravel, some were soil, some were branches, and some were straw. Trucks rumbling, they were slowly moving forward.
They are filling a one hundred meters wide channel!
The six-cylinder diesel engine was rumbling, and when they were about to reach the working surface, they all drove backwards.
In this era, most trucks have only two small round lenses. This small lens is just to look at the rear situation during normal driving. When reversing, just look at this small lens and the field of vision is too small.
Therefore, when reversing, you have to use other methods.
Like now.
The driver is standing outside the cab.
Yes, it's outside.
They opened the door, stepped on the pedals at the door, handed the steering wheel with their right hand, and held the handle on the outside of the car with their left hand. As for their heads, they were all exposed to the outside of the car. The view from this side was clear.
In the cab, the throttle lever was pushed to the middle position, and the engine rumbling. Just now, they put up the reverse gear and adjusted the throttle. After starting, the body came out flexibly and operated the steering wheel with one hand. Backward steadily Perhaps most readers have never seen our first-generation car in China, the old Jiefang, which is this kind of small round lens. At that time, many people reversed the car in this way. Of course, there are also unlucky ones, such as accidentally falling off and being crushed to death by the front wheels. This is the reversing method of that particular era, and the East China hero is still fresh in his memory. )
The 100-meter-wide work surface requires twenty trucks to reverse together, and their wheels crush the newly paved road, and then come to the back work surface.
"Tip the bucket!" With the shout, twenty trucks turned the bucket up almost at the same time, and all the stuffing behind it rolled down.
When the twenty trucks were unloaded, they started to move forward. The other twenty trucks easily penetrated through the gap between their bodies and continued to fall backward.
It's almost the same as the assembly line in the factory. In a short time, you can see their work surface, advancing quickly toward your own position!
Only the Germans have enough resources to come up with such a way, and they have to fill in a way in the swamp!