Chapter 456: The Battle for Warsaw (12)
On 5 May, two divisions of the Southwestern Front of Dardenov, following behind the 12th and 15th tank divisions, took the lead in attacking the German positions from the front of Razimin.
Ivanov's Far Eastern 14th Army, which was garrisoned southwest of Warsaw, was attended by only two infantry divisions totaling more than 25,000 men. The 220th Division set out from the Narev River in Nepolent and attacked on the Lazimin flank, aiming at the command of William Loeb. The 221st Division launched an assault from the small town of Vovomin on the forward positions of the German troops deployed in the Chalna area.
Tukhachev's Western Front had been stationed northwest of Warsaw, but this time it was still the main offensive of Armageddon, with four divisions of the 28th Army deployed on the front of Nepolent and Vovomin, as well as Razimin.
IS-4 series tanks as the main force of the Soviet army in Warsaw, -4 tanks, this improved version of the IS-2 tank has always been favored by the Soviet army, therefore, this decisive battle of Lazimin, which determines the victory or defeat of Germany and the Soviet Union, IS-4 tanks will face a severe test.
At the same time, Nikonovich's cavalry of the North-Western Front consisted of three corps, and in addition to the Third Army, which attacked from the front, the First Army quietly set out northeast along the Narev River to attack the German logistical baggage units. The Second Army, while attacking the whole army, was attacking eastward, opening up part of the direct route from Warsaw to Ukraine and receiving material assistance from the Soviet Union in this area.
The dynamics of the Soviet army have always been carried out under the nose of the German army, and in addition to the competition of strength, the two armies are now in addition to the competition of strength, that is, the great competition of combat determination.
As early as 3 May, Hoffman flew to the Lodz Air Force station, took a reconnaissance plane of the first air squadron to the Razimin front, and quickly worked out a military plan for Armageddon with William Loeb, Rommel, and other senior generals.
In order to surpass the power of the Soviet 122-mm gun on the battlefield, Germany developed another wheeled 128-mm K44 heavy gun before the war. According to the calculations of the Ministry of Defense, the performance of the gun not only surpassed the 122-mm tank gun of the Soviet Union, but also exceeded the 128-mm K43 heavy gun developed by the Skoda plant in Czechoslovakia.
Hoffman deployed the heavy artillery division in a water-network area of the Raziminsi Aircraft Department, and equipped it with a powerful light weapons battalion of the 11th Army for focused defense, especially to strengthen the interdiction and attack against the Soviet cavalry.
In terms of tanks, because the E-25 was only planned, Hoffman still insisted on the three and four, which had been tested many times in war. According to the division of labor in the use of various units, No. 3 is mainly to cover the advance of infantry in the offensive, taking into account the attack on the enemy's forward positions, while No. 4 is aimed at the IS-4 tank of the Soviet army, and it is also the key to the victory of the German army.
At 4:30 a.m. on 5 May, Tukhachevsky, Ivanov, Dadenov, Nikonovich and other senior Soviet generals and chief of staff of the command successively signed the "memorandum" and issued an order for a general decisive battle to all units on the front.
In an instant, nearly 100 Soviet towed M30-122mm howitzers sprayed red and yellow flames at the same time in front of Nepolent, Lazimin, and Vovomin. Rows of shells with piercing whistles flew towards the German positions.
Almost at the same time, the German wheeled 128-mm K44 heavy guns also continued to roar. The positions of the two armies suddenly shone with fire and shook the heavens and the earth. The shells uprooted the trees on the position, cut them off, and blasted all the buildings into the air.
Dozens of kilometers from Nepolent to Vovomin, the whistling of shells and deafening explosions frightened the birds of the area, and chased the light of the fire in groups.
The artillery bombardment between the two sides lasted for more than 30 minutes, and then more than 80 IS-4 main tanks of the Soviet army took the lead in the charge. Under artillery fire, the IS-4 main tank advanced rapidly, and the infantry of the Western Front followed behind with PPD submachine guns and continuously rushed to the German positions along the uneven field.
At this time, the cavalry of the North-Western Front also began to move from three directions. The 1st Army quietly set out northeast along the Narev River to seize the German logistical baggage, while the 2nd Army broke through the German resistance of the Volomin Army and headed east.
The Germans were relatively slow to react to the offensive, but they seemed to be in control of the Soviet offensive. William Loeb and Rommel worked together in a division of labor, one to keep abreast of the battlefield dynamics, and the other to be in charge of temporary troop deployment, and the busy scene in the headquarters made people feel suffocated.
The 150mm cannon heavy artillery battalions of the infantry and armored divisions were now on the right flank of the base camp, and General Rommel would rely mainly on them to strike at Soviet IS-4 tanks and destroy Soviet bunkers. At this time, they were quietly waiting for Rommel's important instructions.
At this time, the wheeled 128-mm K44 heavy guns were constantly roaring on the Soviet positions, and on the way of the Soviet army's advance, they were also hit intensively by the German SK·18 cannons.
Although the SK·18 cannon was too heavy, small in caliber and powerful to be popular with the Germans, it played a very important role in countering the Soviet infantry group charge, and even more peculiarly, in addition to artillery shells, the Germans could abandon such artillery on the battlefield at any time, and made it an obstacle in the way of Soviet tanks.
Just as the Germans imagined, the Soviet attacking forces at this time were really confused by the clever layout of the German army. While they were trying to bypass or were capturing these inferior artillery groups, the Germans quickly used the 128-mm K44 heavy guns, which had already been adjusted, to cover the area intensively.
The Soviet infantry was exposed to the wide field and became the target of the German heavy artillery in an instant.
However, on the way of the Soviet tanks, this is an unavoidable place, and only by removing these clumsy and heavy inferior weapons can the Soviet army drive straight into the German positions.
However, at this very moment, the infantry division and the 150mm cannon heavy artillery battalion of the armored division, hidden on the right side of the German base camp, fired at the same time, quickly turning the area into a scorched earth.
Although the Soviet tanks were extremely fast, all the attacking units were jammed together at the same time, and their activities were greatly limited, and they were in a dilemma, and they could only be beaten passively. For a time, the Soviet tanks and armored vehicles were like beetles that were fried in an iron pot by the Germans, and they were blown up in all directions, leaning forward and backwards.
At this time, the Third Cavalry Corps quickly arrived here, and the entire attacking force suddenly could not advance or retreat, and the people shouted and neighed, and the army was defeated.
At the time when the frontal battle of Lazimin was in full swing, the 1st Cavalry Corps of the Soviet Northwest Front was marching all the way, and planned to rush to the rear of the German army before dawn to deliver a surprise blow to the grain and grass baggage.
On that day, a reinforced regiment led by Werther of the 11th Army and two regiments of the Polish Independence Army were stationed at the military depots in Mokre. In order to ensure logistical supply, Rommel withstood all the pressure from the top and insisted on deploying a new force and a local armed force here.
The Mokre military depot was temporarily housed in a nearby park, surrounded by wide drainage ditches and low walls, and three regiments of troops were stationed here, not to mention a single Soviet cavalry corps, even the advanced IS-4 tank corps.