That night, all the 33rd Panzer Regiment withdrew to the city of Ruodino, and the entire division of the 9th Panzer Division surrounded the city of Ruodino and built fortifications overnight.

After a day of fighting, the 33rd Panzer Regiment made little progress in the offensive against Borisov, not only because of the urgent return to the city of Zodino, but also because of the tight defense of the Soviet troops in the city of Borisov and the difficult terrain.

Outside Borisov, both at the north and south ends of the city and on both sides of Highway 53 to the west, there is a large area of forest, and the intelligence given by the reconnaissance plane is that the forest area is seven or eight kilometers wide, and after crossing the forest area, there is the city of Borisov.

Whether it is a forest terrain or an urban terrain, the exertion of the combat effectiveness of tank units is seriously limited.

The idea of Chen Dao and Lieutenant General Hui Biqi was that the Western Front might make a surprise attack and seize the bridges over the Borisov and Berezina rivers in one fell swoop, taking advantage of the fact that the Soviet forces in the Minsk encirclement had not yet been completely wiped out, and that the Western Front might have the illusion that the Germans would only advance eastward after destroying the Soviet forces in the encirclement.

However, after the fierce battle in the city of Ruodino, Lieutenant General Chen Dao and Lieutenant General Hui Biqi clearly knew that the surprise attack had failed, and the enemy in the Borisov area had not only prepared for it, but also used the city to set up an ambush.

If it weren't for the fact that the Soviets overestimated their own combat effectiveness and underestimated the combat effectiveness of the German army, otherwise the 9th Panzer Division would definitely have suffered heavy losses in the city of Ruozino, and it was possible that it would be surrounded and annihilated.

Even in today's battle, although the 9th Panzer Division successfully repelled the Soviet counteroffensive, it was also disgraced and wasted a whole day.

The first thing Chen Dao said when he saw Lieutenant General Hui Biqi again was greetings.

"You're hurt?" Chen Dao stared at Lieutenant General Hui Biqi, who was bandaged on his head, and asked.

"It's just a small wound, it doesn't matter." Lieutenant General Hui Biqi said.

"The enemy has been prepared for a long time. We should change the deployment to a strong attack. Chen Dao said.

"There are too many forests here, and the battles below will be dominated by infantry. We need more infantry. Lieutenant General Hui Biqi said.

"Stand upright." A hurried shout rang out.

Lieutenant General Chen Dao and Hui Biqi reflexively stood in place.

An admiral with a black mustache, black hairstyle, and somewhat bulging eyes walked up to the two men.

Chen Dao immediately recognized that this person was Lieutenant General Hui Biqi's immediate boss, the commander of the 14th Armored Corps, Gustav. Feng. Admiral Wietsheim.

"Take a break." Admiral Wietsheim said.

"You need infantry, will I give you a motorized rifle division?"

Lieutenant General Hui Biqi asked in surprise, "Do you want the Viking Division to fight with us?" ”

Admiral Wietsheim shook his head and said: "No, their task is to strengthen the Berezina River on your right flank. There is also a lot of pressure to divide troops to you. ”

Chen Dao asked, "Could it be that the guard flag team is following up?" ”

"That's exactly what I'm talking about, the Waffen-SS Guard Banner Motorized Rifle Division will be here tonight. This division will cooperate with you in the battle, and we will discuss the new battle plan. Admiral Wiesheim said.

After Admiral Wiethesheim finished speaking, neither Chen Dao nor Lieutenant General Hui Biqi spoke, nor did the Admiral himself speak again. The movements of the three were much the same. Roll your head and look at the roof.

Outside the house, a shrill siren rang out, a rumbling explosion followed, and the windows of the command headquarters buzzed and shook under the blast wave.

Through the window, the three of them could clearly see that there were electric lights in the city that tore through the night and shot into the dark sky.

Without saying anything, the three of them immediately led the staff officers to move to the basement.

"I thought the Soviet Air Force was gone, but I didn't expect them to be still alive." Admiral Wietsheim said.

"I rarely saw them in the previous few days of fighting, and I thought they were all killed by our air force. I didn't expect to be here. Chen Dao said.

"It's probably not a good thing that they're here all of a sudden, and we have to be prepared. If the Soviet Air Force were to participate in tomorrow's battle, I am afraid it would cause us a lot of trouble. Lieutenant General Hui Biqi said.

"These things are for the Air Force and the Waffen-SS to worry about, we just have to do our thing." Admiral Wietsheim said.

"There are forests everywhere on both sides of the Berezina River, and there is not much room for tanks to play, so I decided to let the Motorized Rifle Division of the Guard Banner Brigade divide into a regiment to fight with you, and strive to break through their defenses and occupy the city with overwhelming force at once." Admiral Wietsheim said.

"With the current situation, we have no choice but to do this." Chen Dao said.

As soon as Chen Dao's words fell, there was a loud explosion above his head, the entire basement was shaking, the dust on the roof fell on the shoulders and heads of several people, and the dim incandescent light bulbs trembled, flashing halos.

Chen Dao patted the dust off his shoulders, stretched out his finger and pointed to the roof and said: "If the Soviet pilots knew that we were here, would they be able to proudly report to Stalin when they went back, and they accurately dropped tons of bombs on our heads?" ”

Admiral Wietsheim said with a smile: "It is true, these Soviet pilots accurately dropped the bomb on our heads. ”

After another three or four minutes, Chen Dao, Admiral Witessheim and others received a report that the air raid sirens had been lifted and they could leave the basement.

Walking out of the basement, Chen Dao, Admiral Wietsheim and others saw an unrecognizable hotel.

To the east, a third of the building collapsed, leaving only a hill of rubble that shone into the hotel through the cracks in the building's collapse.

"It's great that the Soviets have at least left us half of the hotel to stay in, and they are so understanding." Chen Dao said.

"We're going to spread out, and maybe they'll come back." Admiral Wietsheim said.

After speaking, Admiral Wietsheim politely said goodbye to the two and returned to the military headquarters outside the city.

At the insistence of Major Lorenz, Chen Dao also moved to a guest room near the entrance to the basement.

One night's time. Sure enough, just as Admiral Wietsheim predicted, Soviet planes flew to the city of Zodino in batches to bomb it, and Chen Dao had to jump out of bed as soon as his dream began. Rush into the basement to dodge the bombs.

Unable to withstand the repeated night attacks of the Soviet Air Force, Chen Dao later simply set up a few marching beds in the basement and slept in the basement, no longer worrying about the bombs of the Soviet Air Force.

However, the next morning, when Chen Dao woke up, he looked in the mirror and saw that his eyes were full of cobweb-like bloodshots, which was obvious. This was the consequence of being tossed all night by the aerial bombs of the Soviet Air Force.

After washing up, Chen Dao walked out of the hotel bathroom and saw Major Lorenz and Captain Nietzsche waiting for him with dark circles under their eyes.

"Your Excellency, the car is ready. We're ready to go, but, where are we going? ”

"Let's go to the headquarters of the 14th Panzer Corps first, and we'll have breakfast there. Then go to our real destination. Chen Dao said.

About fifteen minutes later. Chen Dao found Admiral Wittsheim in a village two kilometers south of the city of Ruotino, and then began to fight for food.

During the meal, Chen Dao saw a long queue of trucks on the road at the edge of the capital village heading towards Ruojino City, and the passengers in the cars were wearing conspicuous camouflage uniforms, and Chen Dao also saw the SS lightning sign in the convoy, knowing that they were troops of the Motorized Rifle Division of the Guard Flag Team.

Looking at these soldiers, Chen Dao suddenly asked Admiral Wietsheim beside him, "General." What do you think about the units of the Waffen-SS? ”

"They are just a group of armed policemen who can only be used for secondary tasks," said Admiral Wiesheim. The real battle is still to be done by the army. ”

As Wittsheim spoke, Chen Dao saw Captain Nietzscheun, who was sitting behind Admiral Wirtsheim and at another table, glanced back at Admiral Wirtsheim, his eyes full of dissatisfaction and anger.

As if remembering something, Admiral Witsheim continued: "The Waffen-SS units that provide us with air support are excellent, and with their presence, we are almost a third more efficient at obtaining air support than we were during the French campaign, whether it is aerial reconnaissance or ground bombing, thanks to your training and teaching. ”

Chen Dao's eyes flickered a few times, and then asked, "What task will the regiment assigned to Lieutenant General Hui Biqi be assigned to?" ”

Admiral Wiesheim said: "If there are no accidents, this regiment should be sent on a search mission. Yesterday we had defeated the Soviet counterattack on the city of Rodino, but there must have been a lot of Soviet outbreaks in the forests and fields around the city, and in order to avoid unnecessary trouble, we had to send troops to clear them, and the Waffen-SS could not have done this task better. ”

Chen Dao nodded repeatedly, then ate the rest of the food on the plate in a few bites, took out a handkerchief and wiped his mouth, Chen Dao said: "I want to send a telegram to China, borrow your radio to use it." ”

Admiral Wietsheim generously sent his adjutant to take Chen Dao to the communications battalion.

About ten minutes later, Chen Dao returned to his armored car, reached out to intercept a passing barrel car, and after asking a few words from an Waffen-SS officer on the barrel car, Chen Dao jumped into the armored car with two of his subordinates and drove west.

About fifteen minutes later, Chen Dao's figure appeared in a small village called Katov.

Asking questions along the way, Chen Dao's armored car finally stopped in front of a gray-and-white wooden house in the south of the village.

Walking into the wooden house, Chen Dao was confronted by an SS lieutenant general with a fierce face and a hairstyle of "skating rink in the middle, barbed wire next to it".

The lieutenant general was stunned when he saw Chen Dao, and then strode up to Chen Dao and opened his arms to Chen Dao.

"Heinz, why are you here? I'm so happy to see you. ”

"Daddy Saipu, I'm glad to see you, too." Chen Dao let go of his hand and said with a smile.

This fierce-looking SS lieutenant general was none other than the commander of the motorized rifle division of the Guards Banner. Saipu. Dietrich.

Dietrich once served as Hitler's chauffeur and personal bodyguard, and was deeply trusted by Hitler, and with Hitler's development, Dietrich's status rose with the tide.

When Chen Dao was still a student, he often followed Goering and Hitler, and naturally knew Dietrich, the bodyguard.

Dietrich was so beloved by the SS soldiers that they affectionately called him "Daddy".

Sure enough, hearing Chen Dao call him "Daddy" like the soldiers under him, Dietrich's triangular eyes narrowed into a slit.

"What are you here for? It can't just be to visit me, right? Dietrich asked with a smile.

"Of course not, during the war, all my actions were for one purpose, and that was victory." Chen Dao said.

The smile on Dietrich's face was even brighter.

"Say, what kind of victory can you bring us? I will fully cooperate with you. Dietrich said.

"What is the task that Admiral Wietsheim has given you?" Chen Dao asked.

"One regiment was transferred to assist the Ninth Panzer Division, and the rest of the troops were assembled on standby to serve as a reserve for the whole army." Dietrich said.

"That's going to do it." Chen Dao smiled and took out a piece of paper and handed it to Dietrich.

"Ask your communications staff to dial this frequency, contact the Air Force Command directly under the Polish Governor-General's Office, and say I'm with you.

Dietrich handed the note to Lieutenant Colonel Kramer, the chief of staff, and asked, "What are you going to do?" ”

"Admiral Witessheim told you to stay put, but not a waste of time for you to do nothing, if you want to get merit, you must take the initiative, immediately ask your subordinates to prepare a reinforced battalion-level battle group, and I will take them to carry out armed reconnaissance." Chen Dao said.

Dietrich's divisional staff quickly got busy, first pulling out a motorized infantry battalion, then a reconnaissance platoon, then an assault gun company, and a 105-mm howitzer company to join the battle group.

A captain was brought to Chen Dao.

Dietrich said: "He was the commander of the 3rd Battalion of the 2nd Motorized Regiment. Captain Piper, I have appointed him to be the commander of this battle group, and of course, he is at your disposal. ”

"Captain Piper, I think you're familiar, have we seen each other before?" Chen Dao asked.

"I had the pleasure of meeting you in the office of the leader of Himmler, General." Captain Piper said.

"Oh, I remember, did you ever serve as an aide-de-camp to Himmler's leader?" Chen Dao asked.

"Yes, General." Piper said.

"We may go on a very difficult task later, but it is up to luck to decide whether this mission can start or not, and hopefully we will have a good luck." Chen Dao said with a smile.

A little more than an hour later, a bewildered Dietrich and Captain Piper received good news that made them feel uplifted.

Chen Dao pointed to the map and said: "You see, the 9th Panzer Division is attacking Borisov, to the south of Borisov, the Viking Division is attacking Berezinno, but no one is attacking in the north of Borisov. That's where we were targeting, and you also heard a telegram from the Air Force reconnaissance plane, and the bridge on Highway 63 north of Borisov is still there. Let's try our luck at the bridge and see if we can take it before the Soviets blow it up. ”

Dietrich said excitedly: "I understand what you mean, you can set off immediately, and if you succeed in taking the bridge, I will immediately send someone to support you." ”

"Alright, let's go and carry out an armed reconnaissance." Chen Dao said. (To be continued.) )