One by one, the news came from Major Gavrilov to Shulka here:

The Germans concentrated hundreds of bombers to bomb the Kiev Bridge in turn, but because of the visibility and the fact that the Kiev Bridge was very strong, the effect was not ideal at the end of the day, and only two bombs hit the bridge and caused partial damage to the bridge deck.

Finally, the bridge was blown up in the evening, much to the cheers of the German pilots.

What they don't know is that Admiral Kirponos is actually secretly helping...... He hoped that the German 1st Panzer Group would leave Kyiv sooner, so he ordered the soldiers to tie explosives to the bridge and then ordered the detonation when the German bombers dived and dropped the bombs.

Hearing only a "boom", the bridge deck was split in two and blown into two.

Since it was in the rain, it was not easy for the German pilots to see the bridge, and of course they could not find the details, let alone ...... Who would have thought that the Soviets would blow up their own bridges themselves?

The German panzer group left Kyiv that night and headed for the lower Dnieper.

It would not be easy for the Soviet army to know this at other times, because at this time, a large area south of Kiev, that is, the lower reaches of the Dnieper, was occupied and controlled by the German army, and the Soviet army's communication system was very backward, even if there were partisans or civilians who found the German tank troops, they could not report it in time.

This is one of the reasons why the Germans successfully crossed the river without the Soviets realizing it...... The Soviets had always thought that the German 1st Panzer Group was still concentrated near Kiev, so they did not take the small group of infantry crossing the Dnieper seriously at all.

But now, in anticipation of the possible transfer of the German 1st Panzer Division, Admiral Kirponos sent scouts across the Dnieper with radio to conduct reconnaissance.

It was not difficult to do this, because at this time the Dnieper was still under the control of the Soviet fleet, and the German defense on the west bank was not consolidated.

As a result, the movements of the German 1st Panzer Group can almost be said to be under the control of the Soviet army.

"You're right, Sergeant!" On this day, Admiral Kirponos was so excited that he personally rushed to the warehouse to find Major Gavrilov and Shulka.

"The German 1st Panzer Group has left Kyiv and is moving south!" Admiral Kirponos said: "In addition, they blocked the river with mines laid everywhere on the Dnieper by planes, and it is clear that they want to cross the river!" ”

"At the same time!" After a pause, Admiral Kirponos continued: "Last night their infantry attacked in the direction of Kremenchuk and captured that town, we judge...... Most likely, they will build pontoon bridges to cross the Dnieper from here! ”

"Comrade General!" Shulka said: "This thing ...... We shouldn't have told the Southern Front, not even anyone else! ”

Admiral Kirponos was stunned for a moment, then nodded in agreement.

The answer is obvious, if this information had been told to others, especially the Southern Front, would they have allowed the German 1st Panzer Group to cross the river?

They may draw up a defensive plan, or even set up an encirclement on the east bank in preparation for the encirclement of the German 1st Panzer Group...... It's good if they succeed, after all, the German 1st Panzer Cluster is a big problem for the Soviet army.

The problem was that the result of this was likely to surprise the Germans from canceling their plans to cross the river, because it was well known that it would be very difficult for the Soviets to keep their movements secret from the Germans, and that would mean that the Soviets' entire plan would be stillborn.

Then, the order to be ready for battle was quickly given.

Mechanized troops need to be prepared for a longer battle, especially if they are preparing for a long run, as they are now...... However, it is the responsibility of the main logistics troops and tank crews, who have to carry out a comprehensive overhaul of tanks, cars, etc., and replace aging parts if possible.

On the other side, Kleist had already led the German 1st Panzer Group to the west bank of the Dnieper.

Kleist proceeded carefully, and he ordered his troops in advance to drive and control the people near Kremenchuk and even on both sides of the road...... This allowed the whereabouts of the tank units not to be revealed.

Kleist believed this, because the visibility of the rain angels was poor, the Soviets could not see anything from the air, and even if some civilians on land spotted the German tanks, they could not cross the Dnieper to report the news.

Unless, of course, they have a radio station.

But the Soviet army was equipped with very few radio stations, and it was even less likely that the people would have a radio in their hands.

Admiral Kleist raised his binoculars and looked towards the east shore, where only a few trees and houses could be seen faintly under the rain.

"Is the 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion ready to respond?" Admiral Kleist asked the adjutant.

"Yes, General!" The adjutant replied.

"If I'm not mistaken!" Admiral Kleist said, "It's all dark at five thirty-five, isn't it?" ”

"Yes, General!"

"So!" Admiral Kleist put away the binoculars and said, "Order the pontoon troops to build the pontoon bridge at 5:35!" ”

"Tonight?" The adjutant was a little surprised, they had just arrived here and didn't have time to catch their breath, not to mention that the rain was already getting heavier and heavier, and it didn't seem to be suitable for crossing the river tonight.

"Of course!" Admiral Kleist replied, without explaining anything, and once again raised his telescope to observe the nearby terrain.

"Yes, General!" The adjutant answered, and turned to deliver the order.

Soldiers are fast, this is the principle of "blitzkrieg", and Kleist is well aware of this, especially now...... An additional day of delay in the 1st Panzer Cluster means an increase in the danger of being discovered by the enemy.

Therefore, Kleist did not intend to make any stops, even if it was indeed not suitable to cross the river tonight.

The difficulty of crossing the river is not so much the construction of the pontoon bridge...... The flow rate of rivers in the Soviet Union was generally relatively low, which was determined by the fact that the Soviet Union was mainly plain and the river drop was generally not large.

For example, the Dnieper River is 2,200 kilometers long, with a drop of only 253 meters, and most sections of the river flow at a speed of less than 1 meter per second.

This made it easy for the sappers to build the pontoon bridge on the river.

The difficulty is that it is the tanks that drive past, at night, in the rain, through the constantly shaking pontoon bridge......

It was pitch black all around, and the driver in the tank, let alone the other side, could not even see the pontoon bridge below, and he could only follow the light of the light sticks in the hands of the infantry in front of him in the rain curtain.

This is still secondly, the driver must also be careful to feel the shaking of the tank, because as long as it deviates a little, the pontoon bridge may tilt under the weight of the tank, and if it is not adjusted in time, the next second even the person with the tank will fall into the river to feed the fish.