Chapter 117: Breaking the City
General Zukauskas looked at Goltz and finally gave up his plan to attack. Pen, fun, pavilion www. biquge。 info
Naturally, Goltz did not care and ordered the troops to begin camping and repairing. He only came to help prevent Lithuania from being captured by Soviet Russia, and he would not enthusiastically make too many sacrifices for the Lithuanians.
After General Goltz left. General Zukauskas angrily said to his adjutant: "These Germans are not willing to contribute at all, and in the end we are on our own. ”
After complaining, General Zukauskas looked at today's battle report and sighed secretly, in just half a day, the two attacks killed 300 Lithuanian troops and wounded 500.
It seems that the Great War will still have to rely on the Germans, General Zukauskas thought to himself.
Night fell, and both sides ceased fire and rested. The Soviet defenders stepped up their time to re-repair the defensive line and rearrange the defenses. Lithuanian artillery fired several shells into the city every ten minutes, constantly harassing the enemy.
On May 17, at six o'clock in the morning, the sky was bright. General Goltz was present in General Zukauskas's headquarters.
"General Goltz, can your troops go on the offensive today?" General Zukauskas asked calmly.
"General, my troops are ready to enter the battle at once. For the smooth running of this battle, I hope that the general will be able to keep your artillery on my orders for the time being. General Goltz said solemnly.
General Zukauskas hesitated for a moment and said: "Let our artillery be under the command of General Goltz." ”
The German volunteers quietly entered the position, and the Lithuanian troops on the other sides also advanced towards the town synchronously under the contact of the German liaison officer.
500 meters, 400 meters・・・・・・
The Soviet soldiers in the city finally spotted the advancing enemy and immediately shouted: "The enemy is attacking, the enemy is attacking!"
The Soviet soldiers in the city immediately hurried towards the wall.
At this moment, two kilometers outside the city, the German instructor commanded the artillery to aim at the inside of the wall, and more than two dozen 75mm guns continued to fire at the target.
More than two dozen shells fell on the inside of the wall at once, and the Soviet soldiers who ran over were in confusion.
"Charge! Charge! As soon as the German officers outside the city heard that the enemy had discovered them, they immediately ordered the whole army to charge.
Hundreds of German soldiers scattered with their heads bowed and charged frantically towards the city walls, and the artillery behind them continued to provide fire support.
At a distance of two thousand meters, the accuracy of the 75mm gun was very good, and the accurate bombardment of the city prevented the support of the soldiers in the city.
Under the cover of artillery fire, the three-way army smoothly rushed into the interior of the town, and the German commander immediately ordered the soldiers to build an advance line of defense against the wall, and did not rush to break through in depth.
The German soldiers relied on the obstacles near the wall to form a defensive line, using rifles to fire at the city, and heavy machine guns were also resisted and erected on the streets to strafe the city.
Several artillery non-commissioned officers observed the targets in the city from a quiet distance near the wall, constantly correcting the artillery firing parameters, and where the resistance was fierce, it would attract artillery fire.
The Soviets successfully defeated the two charges of the Lithuanian army yesterday, and each one was a little triumphant, thinking that today would be the same script as yesterday. At this time, it was caught off guard by a sudden attack by the Germans, and the infantry and artillery coordination.
In the early days of the First World War, the attack of troops throughout Europe would be preceded by a multi-day, half-hour burst of artillery fire. It's just that this way of fighting makes the attack lose its suddenness, as soon as the enemy hears which area you are bombarding, he immediately guards that area, and even re-establishes a defensive line behind it, making the attack completely a war of attrition.
Finally, countries gradually improved their tactics and adopted the tactics of infantry and artillery coordination. Naturally, the Soviet Russian army here did not have this insight and immediately fell into disadvantage.
However, the Soviet troops still stubbornly resisted. They had long been prepared for street fighting, and the roads throughout the town were lined with barricades made of stones, wood, and sandbags. Heavy machine-gun emplacements were arranged on important barricades. Roadside houses were also used, and Soviet soldiers carved holes in the walls of the houses facing the street.
"Sir, why don't we rush in?" A non-commissioned officer with a Mauser rifle asked excitedly at the officer.
Once a soldier is engaged in battle, there will be a feeling of blood surging up, and the whole person will become impulsive. Especially when the battle is going well, he fantasizes about the thrill of chasing the north and will crave constant fighting.
The officer glared at him and said, "Are you stupid!" Now that the situation has been decided, the defeat of the Soviet army is inevitable, and it is only a matter of being able to hold out for a few more hours.
We are only here to help Lithuania fight, we don't need to fight for our own lives, the following work can be done by the Lithuanians themselves. We've done our job, and we're worthy of the five marks we get a day.
If you want to die, go by yourself, don't bother me! ”
"Yes, sir. It's just that I'm excited for a while, and I can't help but want to rush forward! The non-commissioned officer immediately said with a smirk.
The German volunteers slowly stopped near the wall and slowly advanced. The Lithuanian officers on the other flanks led their troops into the city, and when they saw the chaotic situation of the Soviet army, they thought to themselves: This is really a great opportunity for me to make a contribution! Be sure to be the first to storm the command of the Soviet troops, capture their commanders.
The Lithuanian soldiers below also wanted to make meritorious contributions one by one, so the Lithuanian troops on both sides desperately attacked the center of the town.
"Sir, to the south are the Germans, and the troops are running out of support. Why don't we retreat first! "An officer ran to the Soviet commander and reported.
"How so! The other flanks are well fought, and we will definitely be able to drive the enemy out. The Soviet commander looked angry: "Whoever says retreat, I will deal with it by military law." Come, send our reserves. As long as we destroy these two Lithuanian forces before the Germans attack. The Lithuanian troops are finished, and will Zukauskas rely on a group of Germans to fight for him? ”
The German soldiers leaned against the wall and attacked the city. Soldiers on both sides hid and shot at each other.
Without the advantage of ambush and chaos, the two sides are just engaged in the most primitive marksmanship competition. It turned out that the Soviet army, with its many recruits, was no match for the Volunteer Army, which consisted entirely of German veterans of the First World War.