Chapter 758 Proud
The T34 tank has a wading depth of 1.4 meters, so the T34 tank is the first to pass.
The tanks are swimming slowly in the water, which is quite funny.
Tanks dare not drive too fast, after all, they cannot see the road in the water, but because the railway lines are usually straight, there is no need to worry too much, and the amphibious landing ships are still commanding and providing cover on both sides of the railway. .
Tanks are followed by a group of soldiers as usual... These soldiers are assigned to the tank to provide cover, and are usually not allowed to leave the tank, that is, they get where the tank goes, even if they are driving in the water.
Because the depth of the water was almost enough to submerge the soldiers lying behind, many soldiers looked around with pale faces and panic.
This disappointing action caused the soldiers on the amphibious landing ship to laugh.
"Need me to teach you how to swim?" called a Marine infantryman, who could tell the tank followers couldn't swim.
"Or give you a life buoy!" Said the driver made a bad move, driving the amphibious landing ship to make a sharp turn, causing a river to rush towards the tank...
The tank followers panicked for a while, and two fell down due to the crowding. Fortunately, the tank drove very slowly, and they struggled a few times before being pulled back by their comrades.
That embarrassment made the naval infantry laugh.
It should be said that this is a bit dangerous, because the raised river water may overflow the exhaust pipe of the T34 and then pour back into the engine...
But Shulka didn't say anything.
As long as others don't follow suit, let them go.
Because Shulka knows that this is a show of pride for the naval infantry... Any unit that has fought a battle that can be proud of itself on the battlefield will like to show it off in front of other units.
This kind of showing off should be said to be positive, as long as it is not too much.
Because it's just another way to tell other troops... Don't be dissatisfied when you are bullied, do it yourself on the battlefield if you have the ability!
Therefore, although the troops on the battlefield are equal in terms of military discipline, in fact, the word equality has never been used in the army.
Victorious troops always get better food, better equipment, priority in getting supplies, etc. As for the troops with no military achievements...then let's stand aside first!
The tank troops passed fairly smoothly, except for one that broke down on the road and had to be pushed to the side of the road and submerged in water.
This is impossible, because the railway road base itself is relatively narrow, if it is not pushed to the side, other tanks will not be able to advance or it will be dangerous.
After the tank unit passes, it becomes the infantry.
At this time, the water depth is only more than one meter, so they don't need to worry too much at all, they just need to raise the equipment and supplies above their heads and then they can wade through.
As soon as the first batch of troops passed through, they immediately rushed to the northwest... This battle is all about speed, so it is impossible to wait until enough troops are assembled before launching an attack.
Facts have proved that this approach is correct, because when the vanguard arrived at the enemy's second line of defense, the enemy was not prepared at all.
In fact, there is no such thing as "preparation".
This line of defense is the line of defense that Major General Ellen previously set up ten kilometers behind Surovikino just in case. It was built by the Romanian and Italian troops.
Major General Ellen's original intention was that if the 29th Panzergrenadier Division could not defend Surovikino or the battle was unfavorable, it could retreat to this line of defense and wait for reinforcements to arrive.
This kind of thinking is correct, and this is indeed the case in normal combat.
The problem is that the 29th Panzergrenadier Division and a German infantry division were almost wiped out in Surovikino, and there were very few German soldiers who could escape from there, not even a battalion. What's the use, not to mention that the only equipment they can bring out is a rifle... It's not bad to be able to bring a rifle when they are flooded.
On the other hand, the second line of defense is not as geographically advantageous and well-fortified as Surovikino. The Romanian division, the Italian division, and a few troops that have just arrived are jointly organized for defense very loosely. The Soviet tank units were easily overwhelmed as soon as they charged.
In fact, the root cause is the lack of anti-tank equipment in the hands of the Romanian and Italian troops. As I said before, they suffer from "tank phobia". There is no confidence and morale to resist.
The situation quickly turned into an attack on the target.
To be more precise, it should be a march, but this march requires engineers and scouts to be at the front while scouting mines and clearing obstacles, so that the tanks and mechanized troops in the rear can advance smoothly... Although the Romanian and Italian troops did not resist The guts, but the ability to plant a few landmines is still there.
These Shulka are not very clear.
Because at this time he has returned to his own unit to command the 82nd Infantry Regiment, and other temporarily formed amphibious combat units have also been disbanded and returned to their own establishments. It has almost retreated, but it is still difficult to supply supplies due to the mud in the river and the soft ground. The amphibious landing ship is used to help the logistics force deliver supplies and equipment.
"We have advanced fifteen kilometers so far!" Andrianka spread the map on the jeep, then marked a location on it, and said, "We should be able to advance five kilometers before dark!"
Shuerka frowned: "Not fast enough!"
"We can march overnight!"
"Marching at night is slower and more dangerous!" Shulka replied: "It is estimated that we can only advance 20 to 30 kilometers at night, so today we can only advance about 40 kilometers!"
This is a far cry from the original plan of marching 65 kilometers a day and night.
"The main difficulty lies in the muddy road!" Andrianka said: "It is already very difficult to advance along the railway line. The enemy blew up the railway along the way when retreating! This made our tanks move forward very slowly!"
"That's not all I'm worried about!" Shulka said.
"Anything else?" asked Andrianka.
Just as they were talking, a few German fighter planes whizzed past in the sky. They turned a corner and then swooped down from top to bottom, hitting the troops marching below with a swarm of bullets.
As soon as Shulka pulled Andrianka, he jumped into the stinky ditch next to it... It was indeed a stinky ditch, and there were several corpses of German soldiers who were swollen by the water, emitting a smell all the time. A bad smell.
But it's also better than being outside.
Because Shulka knew that the target of the jeep was too obvious for the enemy fighter planes, and if he didn't hide, he would have to wait for death.
Sure enough, the next second there was a loud "boom" outside, and the jeep was blown into the sky by a bomb.
(end of this chapter)