On the morning of 1 July, Stalin hurried to the operational command room of the General Staff.

As soon as he entered the door and saw General Vasilevsky, Stalin excitedly asked: "Is there any news from Marshal Budyonny?" What was the result of yesterday's attack? How many results have been achieved? ”

The corners of Admiral Vasilevsky's mouth squirmed slightly, and he said according to the countermeasures discussed with Marshal Shaposhnikov before: "Marshal Budyonny encountered some accident there, and the attack failed. ”

"Failed? The combat effectiveness of the Romanians can only be called third-rate at best, and they went to attack the positions where a group of third-rate troops were stationed, and they failed? I can't think of any other reason for the failure than incompetence, and someone has to be held accountable for this failure. ”

Facing Stalin, whose expression became vicious for a moment, Admiral Vasilevsky hurriedly discerned Marshal Budyonny: "They lost not to the Romanians, but to the cunning Germans. The armored units of the Germans, hiding behind the troops of the Romanians, suddenly rushed out at a time when our offensive was going extremely well, turned the tide of the battlefield in one fell swoop, and not only defeated our attacking forces, but also took the opportunity to launch a counterattack, breaking through the line of defense near the Manech River of the Eighteenth Army of the Southern Front.

This morning, another German panzer unit also launched an offensive against the Eighteenth Army, and Marshal Budyonny and Lieutenant General Malinovsky offered to be supported by the Fourth Tank Army, which was being reorganized, against the two Waffen-SS armoured units. If they could not get reinforcements in time, in order to avoid the encirclement of their troops, they hoped to get an order to retreat, so that the troops could continue to retreat to the south and withdraw to the mountains of the Caucasus. ”

Hearing the word retreat, Stalin instantly blushed.

"No, you are not allowed to retreat, but they are trying to flee to the Caucasus Mountains in the face of a group of Romanian infantry and two German armored units, and they are so disappointed. Tell Marshal Budyonny that behind them is the Maikop oil field, and that the Germans must not be allowed to occupy the oil field.

You select a relatively strong tank army from the Fourth Tank Army, strengthen it to Marshal Budyonny, and let them go on a counteroffensive and fill the breakthrough. After the reorganization of the Fourth Tank Army was completed, the main forces were immediately transferred north and transported to Moscow, where the main battlefield was the main battlefield, and the most valuable forces had to be used where they were most needed. ”

Having received Stalin's supreme instructions, Marshal Shaposhnikov and Admiral Vasilevsky secretly rejoiced that they had passed the language arts, exonerating Marshal Budyonny and Lieutenant General Malinovsky, and putting the blame on the cunning of the Germans.

The old marshal Shaposhnikov did not want Stalin to pay any more attention to this issue, and glanced at General Vasilevsky, who said: "General Secretary, let's discuss the combat readiness of the Voronezh Front. ”

Stalin's attention was successfully diverted, nodded and said: "Well, inform Marshal Budyonny, let him close the breakthrough as soon as possible, stabilize the front, and then give me good news." ”

When Stalin gave the supreme instructions, the 15th and 140th Tank Brigades, which had counterattacked Weasley, in the northeast of the 18th Army's line, collided head-on with the SS 103rd Heavy Armored Brigade moving south from Weasley, and a tank battle ensued.

After daybreak, the artillery battalion of the 103rd SS Heavy Armored Brigade sent helicopters to take the lead in reconnoitring the south, and it was easy to spot the Soviet tank clusters charging all over the mountains.

Receiving information that the enemy's armored forces were approaching at high speed, the SS 103rd Heavy Armored Brigade, which had wanted to continue the attack, decisively stopped its advance, turned to a defensive state, and faced the Soviet tank cluster head-on with the heavy armored battalion and the No. 4 tank destroyer company in the No. 4 tank battalion as the core.

The two sides collided on the west side of a village called Oberkhogendec, about 10 kilometres south of Weasley town.

The T-34 tank guided the KV-1 tank and rushed to the German positions, advancing towards death one after another.

Because they were second-line tank units, the 15th and 140th Tank Brigades used the old KV-1 tank, which used the same 76.2 mm tank gun as the T-34 tank.

Whether it was against the E-50 Tiger or the Tank Destroyer IV, the gun was so weak that the shells that flew away could only wipe off some paint or leave slight dents on the German vehicles.

In the face of the charging Soviet tanks, the German tankers carried out a relaxing target shooting exercise, destroying the frontal enemy one by one in the way of the charge.

In less than half an hour, the wilderness west of the village of Verkhnomutets was littered with the wreckage of hundreds of Soviet tanks.

Halfway through the battle, more than two dozen T-34 tanks attempted to make a detour to the east of the village of Upper Khomudec to attack the flank of the German line, but were spotted by helicopters cruising behind.

When these tanks bypassed the village of Verkhniy Khomudets, they were waiting for them with three companies of Type 4 H tanks.

The No. 4H tank waited for a long time, and a single salvo took out more than half of the T-34 tanks, and after two volleys, the roundabout force collapsed.

On the east and west sides of the village of Upper Khomudets, more than a dozen thick columns of black smoke rushed into the sky.

Underneath the smoke column, the massive E-50 "Tiger" tank rolled forward, drove through the wreckage of Soviet tanks, chased the defeated Soviet infantry south, and went straight to Popov, where the Kagalnik River originated.

In the Popov area, the advance of the "Skeleton" Panzer Division was smooth and effective, yesterday's offensive battle, and the battle just in the area of Verkhniy Khomudets, exhausted all the tanks that the 18th Army could use, and the Soviet infantry of the 353rd Infantry Division could only resist with anti-tank grenades and Molotov cocktails as the main weapons.

In the previous artillery preparations, the exposed anti-tank guns and anti-aircraft guns suffered heavy losses, and the surviving artillery groups were also destroyed one by one in the confrontation with the German tanks.

With the infantrymen of the Romanian 14th Infantry Division pouring into the Soviet positions, the Soviet infantry on the positions had no extra energy to deal with the German tanks and turned to the Romanian infantry in trench battles.

The battle lasted until more than nine o'clock in the morning, and with the arrival of the 103rd Heavy Armored Brigade of the SS, the 353rd Infantry Division, which was flanked from the front and rear, could no longer hold out and was penetrated by the "Skull" Panzer Division.

The two armies joined forces in victory, not only carving two breakthroughs in the positions of the 18th Army, but also encircling the 395th and 383rd Infantry Divisions.

In the southwest of the battlefield, in the headquarters of the 18th Army, Major General Kamkov shouted into the telegram: "Yes, you heard it right, the troops are not allowed to retreat, they must be defended to me." You can stay in the trenches for a while, and once you leave the trenches, you will only be crushed by the German tanks like scarecrows in a wheat field. It was necessary to hold out until dark and then find a way to retreat. ”

Putting down the phone, Major General Kamkov immediately redialed the command of the Southern Front.

"Comrade commander, our positions can hold out until dark at best, yes, our counteroffensive has failed, the positions of the 353rd Infantry Division have been broken through, and the tanks of the Germans are rampage on our lines. Without more and stronger reinforcements, our defenses will be completely lost, and I don't know how many more enemies will rush in the 20-kilometer-wide breach, and that's all I have to tell you. ”

"Boom ······" A sudden explosion reached the ears of Major General Kamkov, who held the phone and looked left and right in horror.

Before he could figure out the direction of the explosion, a continuous stream of gunfire came from outside the house.

"The Germans have hit me, and I must retreat."

Throwing down the phone, Major General Kamkov shouted to the staff officers in the command: "Hurry up and transfer, go to Mechotinskaya." ”

After speaking, Major General Kamkov turned the military cap handed by the adjutant on his head, and he was the first to rush out of the command······

When Major General Kamkov led the transfer of the headquarters, in the city of Bataisk on the Don River, Chen Dao pinched his chin and looked at the map and nodded repeatedly: "If it goes well, tonight, the enemy in this area can be completely defeated, and our door to the south is completely open." Inform the Italian Eighth Army that they can enter the arena and that there is no need for concealment. Also, inform Deutsche Welle that the copy I gave them is ready to be broadcast tonight. Tonight, the Russians must know that I am here, and that they are ready to go south. I wanted to see if my golden sign was loved by the Russians, and how much hospitality they could show to entertain me knowing that I was here? ”

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