An exhausted or less outnumbered force has the will to fight to the death; And if a commander who is resourceful and proficient in strategy and tactics is decisive and bold in commanding these inferior troops in battle, there is still a great chance that they will be able to create a miracle and win more with less.

When the Soviet artillery fire covered the trembling earth, Moder was also alarmed at the same time.

And he also saw with his own eyes the artillery fire of the Soviet army, as if it did not need money, desperately pouring down on the front-line defensive positions of his troops, constantly pouring down frantically, and blowing the earth to pieces.

But for Moder, who had already prepared to set up defensive positions, his artillery positions and armored positions did not suffer much damage, and even the front-line positions that were most heavily covered by artillery fire did not suffer great casualties because they had strong fortifications to resist the bombardment of those artillery fires.

"Hey! I can't imagine that these Soviet troops are so anxious! Can't bear to carry out a surprise attack so soon? ”

Moder muttered with a smile when he saw that the defensive positions and camouflaged positions he had carefully built for many weeks had successfully withstood the first round of fierce Soviet artillery fire from the Tiger Downhill.

If Moder, Gotthard? Heinrich, as well as famous generals such as Mandolfer, agreed that the degree of tacit understanding and unity between infantry units and anti-aircraft guns, armored units, assault guns, and engineering units would be the foundation of defensive strategy.

In addition to the assistance of infantry and artillery to support the operation, the most important element that plays a decisive role in defensive warfare is whether the armored forces can concentrate; Concentrate all your firepower and clear the attacking and armored forces of the enemy from the captured defensive lines.

Of course, the main forces of the German army's elastic defensive positions are still those infantry units that fight stubbornly, and they are also the key forces that cooperate with all arms to carry out effective counterattacks and defenses.

Although advanced weapons such as assault guns, armored units, and other advanced weapons and equipment are the core counterattack force of defensive warfare, they do not have these troops to assist in the battle; Then these armored units will be dispersed by the enemy, and the assault guns and other advanced weapons and equipment will be easily destroyed by the enemy on the battlefield and turned into scrap metal.

For this reason, Moder also attached great importance to the combat effectiveness of his infantry units, and he not only required the division commanders of each division, but also the divisional armored commanders to be at the forefront of the other side, to know the terrain of the battle at any time, as well as the first-hand changes in the battle situation.

Although the risk of doing so is relatively high, and it is easy for the enemy to give away the division headquarters and division commanders, the greatest advantage of this is that he wants to obtain first-hand information on the battle situation on the rapidly changing battlefield, so that these division commanders can make the most accurate strategic and tactical decisions at the critical moment when deciding the outcome of the war, so as to win the war.

And Modell's approach is the same as that of Rommel, as well as the actions of famous German generals such as the Balkans.

However, because this time Moder had already evacuated to the Dnieper River many days in advance according to Chen Yanlong's order, the thing that was different from the original history was that Moder and Manstein did not implement the infamous ' The scorched earth' policy, and the cars, tanks, artillery, and soldiers of the German combat units did not have to crowd the river in order to cross the river, waiting in a chaotic line to cross the river, fearing Soviet pursuit, or sending bombers and fighters to carry out air strikes.

At the same time, Moder's troops were covered by a large number of German air forces, and not a single German fighter was seen when the defeated and fleeing Germans went to the Dnieper, as in the original history.

Finally, after crossing the Dnieper, Moder's troops were not only replenished with a large amount of ammunition and weapons and equipment in the rear, but also a large amount of military supplies, medicines, and food.

After crossing the river in the original history, it was found that there was neither armament nor ammunition in the rear, nor any food and military supplies, nor was it as happy as Moder is now, not only was it adequately replenished, but also had a good defensive position to allow the troops to rest and resist the pursuit of the Soviet army, as well as a large-scale surprise attack.

Because these defensive positions were ordered by Chen Yanlong early on to Moder and Manstein, and before the start of the Battle of Kursk, and when Moder's troops withdrew here, they were fully strengthened under the personal supervision of Moder, so the defensive strength of these defensive positions was very consolidated.

When the Soviet artillery fire was over, the Soviet infantry units immediately used rafts, boats, empty gasoline drums, or various landing craft; Even by swimming, etc., to carry out a forced crossing of the Dnieper, to prepare various crossings on the defensive positions of the Germans, to create bridgehead positions.

For such a plan of the Soviet army, Moder would not agree to it and sit idly by.

Because he has been fighting with the Soviet army for a long time, he knows very well that once the Soviet army establishes a beachhead or a bridgehead, then the Soviet army will quickly change a small group of troops into a force, or even a group of army groups, with the ability to change magic.

If this were the case, then Moder's fortified defensive positions would have been completely breached and occupied by the Soviets in a very short time.

Therefore, he quickly ordered his artillery units, Himmler rocket artillery and other lethal heavy weapons and equipment, to carry out a counterattack, and carried out frenzied and indiscriminate bombardment of all Soviet troops who forced themselves across the Dnieper.

At the same time, he also ordered all arms to prepare to cooperate with armored forces and assault artillery units to attack the Soviet troops who successfully landed at the ferry at any time, annihilate them all, or drive them down the river.

While the Soviet army was sending a large number of landing craft and infantry using various methods to cross the river, the Soviet tank units and armored units were also trying to survive the battle.

In addition to the classic T-34 tank and the IS-2 Stalin tank, the Soviet army also had a small number of Sherman tanks of the US army.

At the same time, the Soviet army also dispatched a large number of fighters and bombers to bomb the defensive positions of Moder and assist the Soviet troops in carrying out the landing operation.

"Marshal Moder! The tank units and aviation units of the Soviet army have already begun to attack, should we also call our aviation units to help? ”

In the front-line position, the commander of the 30th Army, Brian? Lieutenant General Horox said worriedly to Moder, who was standing beside him and observing the Soviet troops crossing the river.

"Yes! We will snipe and kill these Soviet troops who are desperately crossing the river and landing on the beach, and we will absolutely not allow them to occupy any of the crossings of our defensive positions and establish their bridgehead positions. ”

Moder nodded in agreement as he stared intently with military binoculars as he used the LCP large personnel landing craft provided by the U.S. military to the Soviet troops, as well as the (LCV) vehicle landing craft, the LCI infantry landing gunboat, and the tank landing craft LCT-MK4 for beaching.

These landing craft were all transported by Roosevelt to Stalin's request after the Soviet troops were killed several times by Chen Yanlong's pit to carry out beach-rushing operations.

"Yes! Marshal Moder! ”

Lieutenant General Horox hastened to reply.

"It's really unexpected that the Soviet army has so many American-style landing craft to cross the river and land! It seems that the United States is very strong in supporting the supply of military supplies and weapons and equipment to the Soviet army under the leadership of Stalin! ”

When Lieutenant General Holox turned around and left to ask the telegraph operator to send a telegram for the German Air Force to come to support, Moder also frowned deeply and muttered to himself.

"It seems that this battle is not easy to fight! The war potential of the Soviet army is really not to be underestimated! No wonder the Führer paid so much attention to the combat capability of the Soviet troops! ”

The more Moder looked at the Soviet army's fierce and fearless landing, braving the rain of German bullets and metal, and the frantic artillery fire covering the beach, Moder said.

However, deep down in his heart, he was not too worried about the defeat of the war for the time being, because Moder's German troops not only arranged a large number of pillboxes, artillery positions, and batteries disguised as seaside villas at various crossings along the Dnieper, but also planted millions of anti-infantry S-type mines, and anti-tank T-type mines, and even built all kinds of barbed wire, and anti-tank repulsors, hollow triangular cones, and anti-tank trenches, as well as "dragon's teeth" type obstacles. The wooden stakes on the beachhead are also equipped with blades that can cut through the landing craft and other obstacles and obstacle positions to defend the enemy from landing on the beach.

At the same time, in order to deal with the possible Soviet paratrooper units, Moder's Germans also planted sharpened wooden stakes and railroad tracks in the woodlands and meadows at each ferry port a little further from the beach, and also diverted water to low-lying areas to form artificial swamps to drown the Soviet troops.

In short, every cave, every ravine, every deep stream, every ridge, every hill, every road, and the front line of the defensive positions at the Dnieper crossings were built with hidden artillery and machine-gun emplacements, or transformed into deadly obstacles, or minefield positions with powerful explosions.

Of course, for the German troops under the command of Moder, there were so many and dense defensive obstacle areas and deadly areas, and the Soviet soldiers who were desperately crossing the river and rushing to land on the beach, but they did not know that the scythe of death had been raised high, ready for them to send sheep into the tiger's mouth and harvest their lives.