At 3:15 a.m., the German "rumble" of artillery kicked off the attack from the gap.

In addition to conventional field artillery, Manstein also threw in the captured Katyusha MLRS and heavy artillery in Sevastopol, captured from the Soviets.

The area around the Soviet line was instantly blown red, as if the sunset had returned to the sky over them.

After 10 minutes of shelling, part of the artillery fire began to extend eastward, and the German scouts, infantry and sappers lurking on the front line came out of their hideouts and advanced with the artillery fire.

Scouts usually fly in side tricycles, armored vehicles, or light tanks such as 35t and 38t tanks...... These two tanks were captured from the Czechs by the German occupation of the Czech Republic (T stands for Czech), because of their excellent performance, the Germans let the Czechs continue to produce and widely use them in the troops, but they were not at all opponents of the Soviet Union on the Eastern Front, so a considerable part was transferred to the client states themselves, leaving a small part for use as reconnaissance vehicles.

Their task is to be at the front and to be in constant contact with the infantry, sappers and large forces that follow them, such as where the sappers are needed to build bridges, where they need to be garrisoned, etc...... A large part of the reason why the German army's blitzkrieg was able to play was that it relied on excellent scouts to reconnoiter in front and solve all difficulties for the large army in time, which enabled the large army to advance almost non-stop.

The task of the infantry was to construct a line of defense at both ends of the gap to block the Soviet soldiers who might arrive and to protect and support the sappers as much as possible.

The task of the sappers is to clear obstacles and pave roads...... For this reason, they made many mule carts and horse-drawn carts, which were less likely to sink into the mud and be unable to move than automobiles and tanks.

These mule carts and horse-drawn carts were dragged with timber, sandbags, iron plates, or road construction tools, and once they encountered an area that might cause the cars and tanks to sink into the mud, they were laid as quickly as possible.

The sound of artillery and smoke, as well as the constant suppression of the Soviet lines, did not allow the Soviets to perceive the movements of the German troops.

Ten minutes later, the shelling stopped.

Standing on the command car, Manstein waved his hand forward and ordered: "Forward!" ”

Armored vehicles, cars, and tanks, which had long been ready for the moment, "rumbled" like a tidal wave towards the gap.

Qin Chuan followed the team with the first step of the corps in a car, half-track armor and side three wheels.

Qin Chuan has always felt very strange when advancing: the sound of the German army when the large force is interspersed from the gap is not small, the sound of the motor of the tank car, the neighing of horses, the sound of tracks, etc., although it is in the dark at this time, the Soviet army should have reacted, but until now the Soviet army has not moved at all.

Later, Qin Chuan learned that this was because the Soviet army regarded these voices as their own people on the opposite side...... The 47th Army at the front thought it was the 51st Army in the rear moving troops, and the 47th Army in the rear thought it was reinforcements from the 51st Army.

It was not until the Germans cut through the gap and took a detour onto the road, and then launched a fierce attack on the Soviet 44th Army, that the Soviet army woke up.

But by then it was too late...... The Soviet 44th Army did not expect that they would be attacked by the enemy on the second line, and because of the orders of the commissar Mehris, they did not build fortifications at all.

As mentioned earlier, building fortifications was considered a cowardly act, a waste of time and effort, and the soldiers should save their energy for attacking the Germans.

So the Germans launched a massacre against the Soviet 44th Army mercilessly here, and the soldiers rushed into the camp of the Soviet 44th Army under the cover of armored vehicles and light tanks.

Many tanks and armored vehicles even opened fire, smashing the rudimentary tents with their tracks, including the Soviet soldiers who did not have time to escape.

Some Soviet soldiers threw up their hands in surrender in a panic, but they were not smart enough...... The Germans were interspersed with battles, and bringing prisoners would only be a burden for them, especially since the interspersing had just begun at this time, so without the slightest hesitation, the Soviet soldiers were knocked to the ground as soon as a row of bullets passed.

While the battle was going on, the main forces continued to advance along the road to the depth of the Soviet army without stopping for a moment.

The Germans initially advanced in the sequence of the 50th Infantry Division, the 28th Chasseur Division, and the 22nd Panzer Division, and Qinchuan's 1st Corps was incorporated into the 22nd Panzer Division as a reserve.

The reason for this arrangement is also exquisite: Manstein estimated that there would definitely be a battle in the interspersed process, either by running into enemy reinforcements or by the enemy's 44th Army...... The fact is to crash into the 44th Army.

Therefore, the 50th Infantry Division, which is good at positional warfare, was arranged at the forefront, and with the cooperation of an armored battalion, the main force was covered to carry out the breakthrough.

In this way, the sequence naturally changed to the 28th Chasseur Division, which was the fastest and most lightly armed, at the front, the 22nd Panzer Division, which was the most combat-ready, followed in the middle, and the 50th Infantry Division, which was slower but heavily armed and suitable for tough battles.

Obviously, this is a reasonable arrangement, because it allows the troops to penetrate the target as quickly as possible.

Then there was the first "affair" in less than half an hour, when the 28th Chasseur Division, which was walking in front, ran head-on into a Soviet supply team.

Maximilian, commander of the 28th Chasseur Division, excitedly reported to Manstein: "General, it is dozens of truckloads of fuel, which should be transported from the direction of the Caucasus!" ”

Manstein was very calm when he heard the report.

"I don't know why you're so excited, Major General!" Manstein said: "The Soviets used diesel fuel in their tanks, but we used gasoline!" ”

"No, General!" Major General Maximilian reported: "These are gasoline!" ”

"Are you sure it's gas?" Manstein's eyes lit up.

"Yes!" Major General Maximilian replied: "I asked the Soviet auto soldiers, and they told me that this gasoline was sent to the front for cars and 'Valentine' tanks!" ”

As mentioned earlier, the Soviet army was armed not only with "T34" tanks but also with tanks aided by Britain and the United States, and the tanks aided by Britain and the United States were all fuel-based.

"Well done, Major General!" Manstein replied: "I feel like we are one step closer to victory!" ”

After putting down the phone, Manstein said to himself: "I love those British tanks to death!" ”