"Hopefully, this time, we will be able to defeat Austria-Hungary in one fell swoop! Otherwise, the entire Southwestern Front will be finished. Pen | fun | pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 info" said Admiral Ivanov, staring at the map.

The German attack was so powerful that Admiral Ivanov had to make this move. He knew very well that if he blindly defended, he would only be solved by the Germans little by little. Only by taking the initiative to attack and defeat Austria-Hungary in the shortest possible time will they have a chance to survive. It's just that such a tactic is too risky. If the strategic goal is not accomplished, what awaits them is failure.

The commander of the 3rd Russian Army, Colonel-General Rusky, the commander of the 8th Army, General Brushinov, and the commander of the 11th Army, General Serivanov, also became quite heavy after receiving the telegram from Admiral Ivanov. As an old subordinate of Admiral Ivanov, they knew very well that Admiral Ivanov would not have said such a thing if it were not for the critical situation.

"Order the troops, get ready for battle! Tomorrow morning at dawn, go on the offensive. Before the sun sets, the Austro-Hungarian Army's defenses must be torn apart and completely defeated! "Admiral Rusky gave the order.

"Yes, General." The commanders and division commanders of the 3rd Army of the Russian Army replied one after another.

Similar orders were given by Colonel-General Brushinov and Colonel-General Serivanov. They all regard tomorrow's attack as the most important battle. It can be said that it is a battle that only allows success and no defeat. Everyone knows very well that if it fails, the consequences will be catastrophic. It is very likely that the Russian army will lose a complete defeat in this battle. And they, the front-line commanders, will not end much better.

On October 8, just after dawn, the positions of the Russian army were already busy. Soldiers are lining up to receive breakfast, and quartermasters are handing out ammunition. Of course, the food of the Russian army is undoubtedly the worst among the armies of the great powers, and two potatoes and a piece of hard black bread are their breakfast. As for milk and meat, they were absolutely invisible, and unless they were officers, they could only eat such breakfasts.

On the artillery positions of the Russian army, a 76.2-mm field gun was also pushed out. The artillerymen were carrying shells to their positions, preparing for the opening of the guns. Although these 76.2mm field guns are weak and have a short range, they are the only artillery that the Russian army can rely on.

In the Austrian position opposite the Russian army, the soldiers also got up early and prepared for battle at the urging of the officers. Of course, the fear on the faces of many Austrian soldiers has not yet dissipated. Apparently because after being defeated by the Russian army before, there has been a psychological shadow.

Compared with the Russian army, the morale of the Austrian army is low. However, their weapons and equipment are much better than those of the Russian army. The number of machine guns is also more than that of the Russian army. As for the cannons, that's even less to say. The heavy artillery of the Skoda plant is famous all over the world. The Austrian army is not only armed with 75 mm field guns, but also with a lot of 105 mm light howitzers, and even 150 mm heavy howitzers. In terms of the number of artillery alone, although it is inferior to the German army, it is much stronger than the Russian army.

Last evening, the Chief of the General Staff of the Austrian Army, Marshal Baron Hetzendorf, personally summoned the commander of the 2nd Austrian Army, Bohm? Colonel-General Aymoli, Commander of the 3rd Army, Colonel-General Boroyevich, Commander of the 4th Army, Colonel-General Dankel. They are required to find ways to resist the attack of the Russian army in today's battle, and they will definitely not be able to let the Russian army break through their defensive line.

In view of these three group armies, the combat effectiveness is strong and weak. Marshal Baron Herzendorf specifically asked the 2nd and 3rd armies, which were more combative, as the main forces. The 4th Army, which was weaker in combat effectiveness, was used as a reserve force. Although, this will make the troops on the defensive line a third less than the attacking Russian army. However, when fighting, the defending side has to take advantage of some of them. Especially if you have a lot of firepower, you can use fortifications and powerful firepower to deal more damage to the enemy. The attacking side will often pay a greater price.

The Austrian 4th Army, mostly consisted of Czech, Slovak and Slavic soldiers. They are demoralized, sluggish, poorly trained, and less combative. If this army group is allowed to go to the front, Marshal Hezendorf is really worried that they will collapse directly under the fierce attack of the Russian army. Let the 4th Army be in reserve, and let them send troops to fill the line as soon as a dangerous situation arises. In this case, it is relatively safe.

Qin Tian did not raise any objections to Marshal Hezendorf's arrangement. Although, in this battle, Marshal Baron Herzendorf stated that he would fully support him. However, he could not blame the command of the Austrian army because of this. Otherwise, it will inevitably cause displeasure on the part of the Austrians. After all, even if they are allies, there are some bottom lines that cannot be touched.

On the other hand, Qin Tian didn't know much about the Austrian army, and it was much better for Marshal Baron Herzendorf, the chief of staff of the Austrian army, to deploy than for him, a layman.

Although, the combat effectiveness of the Austrian army was very bad. But Qin Tian believed that if they defended with all their might, they should still be able to resist the attack of the Russian army.

"Fire!"

At 8 o'clock in the morning, the three armies of the Russian army, on a two-hundred-kilometer defensive line, launched an attack on the Austrian line. Thousands of cannons began a fierce shelling. The Russian army tried to break the fighting spirit of the Austrian army with heavy artillery bombardment and prepare for the next battle.

It's just that as soon as the shelling of the Russian army began, it was counterattacked by the Austrians. Although the Austrian army only deployed two army groups on the front line, more than 600,000 people. The strength of the army is only two-thirds of the Russian army. However, the number of their artillery is not less than that of the Russian army. In terms of numbers, the two sides are evenly matched. However, in terms of the caliber and performance of the artillery, the Austrian army had an advantage. In terms of the quality of artillery, the two sides can be described as half-hearted. It's just that the morale of the Austrian army is a little weaker.

Therefore, after the artillery battle between the two sides began, they were actually evenly matched. Under the strict orders of the Austrian officers, the Austrian artillery was even able to use their own large-caliber heavy artillery to launch a suppressive attack on the Russian artillery positions, causing great losses to the Russian artillery.