On the borders of the German Empire and many of the Protectorates with Russia, the German Army and the armies of the Protectorates had already entered their positions.

On the artillery position, one cannon after another had raised its muzzle and aimed at the position of the Russian army opposite. As soon as the order is given, these cannons will start roaring, raining shells on the Russian positions on the opposite side.

The eighteen armies of the German Army, all ready. More than 20,000 artillery pieces were assembled. And half of them were cannons of a caliber of more than a hundred millimeters. There were even thousands of 210-mm heavy guns. These cannons are deployed on a front that stretches for more than a thousand kilometers.

When the Luftwaffe began to launch an artillery bombardment of the airfield in Burussia, the artillery of the German Army also received an order to open fire.

"Fire!"

As the order to open fire was given, the German artillery on the defensive line began firing one after another.

"Boom! Rumble! Rumble! ”

One cannon after another, began to roar. Shells rained down on the positions of the Russian Army.

Violent explosions sounded on the positions of the Russian army, gunpowder smoke rose into the air, and earth and rocks flew sideways, leaving craters one after another.

The fortifications built by the Russian army were gradually destroyed under the heavy shelling of the German army.

Originally, the fortifications built by the Russian army were not very strong. On the one hand, there is a lack of resources, and on the other hand, the ability of those Russian soldiers to build fortifications is not strong in the first place. In such a situation, naturally their fortifications could not be counted on to withstand the shelling of the Germans. Especially those powerful 210 mm heavy guns, one shot is a huge crater.

Each army group of the German Army had a heavy artillery brigade under its command, armed with 72 210-mm heavy howitzers. These heavy howitzers, which were placed on the turf of medium tanks, were implemented on their own. Otherwise, it would have been very difficult for these heavy cannons to follow the troops in the middle of the war.

"Boom!" A 210-mm shell exploded on the positions of the Russian army, leaving a large crater with a diameter of five or six meters. The nearby fortifications were all destroyed. The Russian soldiers stationed inside were also torn to pieces.

"Boom!" A Russian pillbox was smashed to pieces in the explosion.

The German Army used the school firing aircraft to constantly correct the parameters of the shelling, so that the positions of the Russian army were destroyed little by little under the shelling of the German army.

In the tactics of the German Army, it has become very important to destroy the enemy's fortifications with as much powerful artillery as possible before launching an attack, and to kill and injure the enemy's living forces. In this way, it can not only enhance the grasp of breaking through the enemy's position, but also effectively reduce the casualties of your own side in the battle, which can be described as killing two birds with one stone. Of course, such tactics will also consume a lot of artillery shells, which will increase the pressure on your own logistics and supply, and the cost of war will rise.

However, as long as the war can be won, it will cost a little more, it is also acceptable. In particular, the German Army has always cherished the lives of its officers and soldiers, and the enemy that can be solved with artillery shells does not need to be desperately fought by officers and soldiers. This also allows the casualties of the troops to be effectively controlled during the battle.

Kingdom of Belarus, east of Minsk. The commander of Army Group B of the German Army, Colonel-General Guderian, placed his own command here. Although, it is less than twenty kilometers from the front line, which is already considered very dangerous. However, Admiral Guderian, who was born in the armored corps, has always been adventurous, he likes to stay close to the front line, smell the smell of gunpowder, and at the same time be able to understand the situation on the front line in time.

"Give orders to all artillery units, let them fire all the prepared shells within two hours, and destroy all the Russian defense lines!" Admiral Guderian ordered.

"Yes, General." A staff officer immediately went to deliver the order.

"Boom! Rumble! Rumble! ”

On the artillery positions of the German army, many artillerymen took off their shirts directly and carried shells bare-chested. Although his whole body was already wet with sweat, no one cared.

Compared to the infantry who were about to attack in the face of the enemy's bullets, they were undoubtedly very lucky. At least, don't worry about your safety. Therefore, they will fire as many shells as possible, so that the infantry brothers can undoubtedly suffer fewer casualties when attacking.

On the positions of the Russian troops, although they entered a state of emergency combat readiness after receiving the order. However, in the face of heavy artillery fire from the Germans, they still had nothing to do.

Smolensk, the command of the Western Front of the Russian army, the commander of General Timoshenko and the commissar of the political commissar, General Fominech, are listening to reports from the front.

"Comrade Commander, Comrade Political Commissar, the current situation is very unfavorable for us. Our front-line airfields were all attacked by the Germans, and a large number of planes were destroyed by the German air force before they could take off. Now, the Germans are constantly shelling our lines with heavy artillery. Our fortifications are being destroyed little by little by the Germans. Troop casualties are rising. If we continue like this, it will be very difficult for us to resist the German attack. A general said.

"Order all the front-line units to hold their positions to the death. Retreat is absolutely not allowed until an order to retreat has been received. I believe that the brave soldiers will be able to withstand the attack of the Germans! Colonel Fomineh said.

"Yes, Comrade Commissar!"

General Timoshenko couldn't help frowning, unlike those who only shouted slogans, he knew how tough the Germans were. It was undoubtedly very difficult to easily fend off the German attack.

"Let our artillery start firing back, we can't let the German artillery continue to shell so unscrupulously!" General Timoshenko ordered.

"However, Comrade Commander, our artillery is weaker than the Germans. If we start an artillery battle with them, I am afraid that our artillery and artillery will soon be lost. Colonel Fomineh said.

Although, the Russian army of Buen also attaches great importance to artillery. However, due to the constraints of national strength, they are not yet able to develop artillery doctrine to the extreme. If you simply fight artillery, the Russian army is definitely at a disadvantage.

"I can't care so much, if I don't fight back, the morale of the troops will be greatly affected. When the time comes, we won't be able to hold out for long. General Timoshenko said.

Admiral Fomineh frowned, and seemed not very satisfied with the negative mood of General Timoshenko. It's just that, given the status and influence of General Timoshenko, he didn't say much.