"Ulla! Ulla! Ula ......"

The frenzied Ullah rose again, faintly drowning out the sound of gunfire. www.biquge.info For the officers and men of the 5th "Viking" Panzer Division of the German SS, who had fought hard for a day and a night on the battlefield of Zaslavl, such a scene really frightened them.

"Fire! Fire! ”

Almost as soon as Major Schwarzenegger shouted into the communicator, the 35 "Rhino" tank destroyers scattered around the battlefield erupted into a long-suppressed cannon sound.

After the 5th SS Panzer Division had been massed on the battlefield of Zaslavl, Major Schwarzenegger finally gathered his men for the first time - and after the arrival of the troops of the 5th SS Division, the battle groups were reorganized. Schwarzenegger's Tan Annihilation Battalion was concentrated and urged to the fire brigade leader of the whole division, and where the situation was urgent, let these coolie guns go up to the top for a fierce bombardment!

Up to now, Major Schwarzenegger still has 35 "Rhino" tank destroyers under his command, which is only 7 fewer than the number at full strength, 2 of which were damaged by a traffic accident and 1 of which had a mechanical failure during the march, and these 3 "Rhinos" are now being repaired. Only 4 were damaged in battle, of which they were destroyed by the Soviet Il-2.

That is, from the time the 5th SS Panzer Division was again on the offensive to the present, only 2 "Rhinos" were damaged by Soviet tanks (it was the T-37/57 that did it). And at the same time, hundreds of Soviet tanks were destroyed by these highly efficient self-propelled guns!

Just from this overwhelming exchange ratio, you can see how effective it is to put a tank chassis and armor on an 88mm gun.

Boom Boom Boom ......

With a deafening roar of 35 88mm cannons, the red-hot shells flew forward like lightning. Balls of fireball quickly rose from the approaching tanks, and at least ten T-34 tanks were blown up by this round of 88 gun bombardment.

But the Soviet tanks did not stop shelling, because the distance between the two sides was still about 2,000 meters. Even the T-35/57 tank could hardly threaten the thin armor of the "Rhinoceros" at this distance. And firing at a long distance is the best means for the "rhinoceros" to save themselves on the battlefield and destroy their opponents.

At the same time as the "Rhinoceros" fired, 14 No. 3 assault guns also fired, but they fired not armor-piercing shells, but high-explosive shells. At a distance of 2,000 meters, this well-armored gun was a nightmare for Soviet infantry - and this is the original purpose of the development of the No. 3 assault gun.

The intensive fire of the "Rhino" and the No. 3 assault gun suddenly slowed down the Soviet army's sea of tanks and people, and even regressed in some sections. However, this situation only lasted for a short time, when dozens of KV-152 tanks with 2mm guns roared behind the Soviet troops, "Ula! Ulla! The shouts shook the earth again.

This time it was the turn of the Germans to be overwhelmed by fireballs and shrapnel swept by like a storm, killing many people who were not protected by armor or artillery bunkers before they could even let out a wail. And Gustav. Schwarzenegger retracted his half-track armored car with his head in his hands, leaning on the armor baffle to save his life.

Because the constantly rising fireballs and columns of smoke obscured the gunners' vision, most of the "Rhino" guns could no longer use the 88mm guns for long-range accurate fire. But they did not sit idle, but switched to grenades and began to cover the sea of infantry of the Soviet troops.

However, the fighters of GCISM who were hit did not flinch in the slightest, and still "Ula! Ulla! Lunging forward. And the Soviet T-34 and KV-1 tanks were going crazy at full speed, as if they wanted to rush through the "deadly 1000 meters" in the shortest possible time.

As long as it reaches 1,000 meters, the T-34/57 tank's "magic needle gun" will be able to exert its power. Although it can't deal with the dreaded Tiger tank (the Tiger in this plane has sloping armor, so it has better protection), it is still not a problem to fight the German No. 4.

……

A light rain fell from the sky, and it fell on the head of the artillery of the 16th Mechanized Corps, Yakov. Major Dzhugashvili's face.

"It's raining, that's great!" Spotting raindrops falling from the light gray sky, Yakov, who had been frightened by the German bombers for many days. Major Dzhugashvili finally breathed a sigh of relief - he was not afraid of the German air raids for his own safety, but for the artillery of the 9th Mechanized Corps.

After the liberation of Warsaw, the 9th Mechanized Corps, together with the 37th Army, was transferred from the Western Front to the Belorussian Front, where it became a member of the powerful armored strike force of the Front. However, on the way from Warsaw to Minsk, Yakov suffered from German air power. They did not dare to march at all during the day, and sometimes they were bombed when they walked at night. And the most hateful thing is that the Germans will also drop many specially designed "butterfly bombs" near the bombed transportation arteries.

This bomb, which appeared as early as the Polish campaign, was a cluster bomb, but instead of being detonated immediately, a time-delay fuse was used in order to slow down the repair of the target after it had been bombed. And now, the Germans have designed this immoral bomb as a mine, and it is also painted with camouflage protective color, which is difficult to detect when thrown in the grass.

Although this "butterfly mine" is not a good deal against tanks, it poses a great threat to infantry and wheeled vehicles. On the way from Warsaw to Minsk, the artillery of the 16th Mechanized Corps led by Yakov lost 16 trucks and 8 artillery pieces, and more than 30 comrades died in the cause of GCISM.

But now it's okay, it's raining lightly in the sky, maybe it will be heavier in a little while, and the Germans won't be able to come for a while. In this way, the 16th Mechanized Army will be able to march with peace of mind and should be able to reach the Zaslavl battlefield within the stipulated time.

That's right, Yakov's 9th Mechanized Corps is rushing to the battlefield! Because Vasilevsky had already received reports from the Soviet Air Force, which had risked their lives to reconnoitre, a large number of German armored units were now rushing to Zaslavl.

It is clear that the counterattack of the assault 1st Army has attracted a large number of German mechanized units. A large-scale, most likely decisive, tank battle will soon be fought outside Minsk.

It was when the 9th Mechanized Army was ordered to rush to the battlefield of Zaslavl. At the command of the Belorussian Front in Minsk, Lieutenant General Vasilevsky was looking at a photograph sent back by a reconnaissance plane showing German mechanized units marching in at least 10 columns in unison on the Belarusian plain.

"Comrade commander, are you really going to fight a decisive battle with the armored forces of the Germans near Minsk? I'm afraid our strength is not as good as our opponent...... "Chief of Staff Liapin suggested.

"Strength?" Vasilevsky shook his head, "We overestimated ourselves and underestimated the enemy before the outbreak of war. But it is still right to fight a battle outside Minsk, there is no better battlefield than Zaslavl. ”

"But there is a risk that our tank forces will be defeated......"

"If you are defeated, you will fight!" Vasilevsky said, "It is not terrible to lose a battle, but it is terrible to lose out of control." If we do not fight near Minsk, then we can only withdraw mechanized troops to Minsk or simply to Smolensk. ”

"It's better than losing it in Minsk."

"No, that's not how the accounts are counted." Vasilevsky said that "if there is no diplomatic battle in Minsk, then the mechanized troops withdrawn to Smolensk will definitely attack the Leningrad encirclement after the roads freeze in winter...... Attack hard!

Leningrad was so close to German soil, and the transportation was so convenient, that the Germans would easily transport their armored forces there. When the time comes, the situation will be even more unfavorable, and the losses will be even greater! It is better to fight with the Germans on the more favorable Minsk battlefield, and maybe you can fight a lose-lose game. ”

Vasilevsky is worthy of being a famous commander of the Soviet army in history, and an analysis made Liapin suddenly enlightened.

Now the Germans are pinching the lifeline of the USSR - Leningrad! Therefore, if the armored forces of both sides do not fight to the death in Minsk, in the end it is nothing more than a change of battlefield and go to Leningrad to fight.

And the situation in Leningrad is definitely even more unfavorable!

"Order Comrade Vatutin to immediately stop the offensive and go on the defensive." Vasilevsky also said that "the 52nd Infantry Army, the 9th Mechanized Army, the 1st Tank Army, the 10th Tank Army, and the 15th Tank Army were all placed under the command of the 1st Assault Army after they arrived on the battlefield in Zaslavl. The assault 1st Army was supposed to deploy near Dazaslavl and stop the German advance in the direction of Dzerzhinsk. And ready to inflict heavy losses on the German armored forces in defensive operations! ”

There are also 3 tank armies under the command of the 1st Assault Army, counting the original mobilized by Vasilevsky. Vatutin has 6 tank corps and 1 mechanized corps in his hands, the number of tank brigades is even more than 19, and the total number of tanks of all kinds is more than 3,000!

Vasilevsky's calculation turned out to be like this - put a large number of mechanized troops on the lips of the Germans Army Group North, and the Germans would certainly not be able to resist eating them. So Vatutin didn't have to attack anymore, but went on the defensive, and let the Germans, who had the advantage, attack.

Although the Soviet Union's 19 tank brigades were mostly inferior to the attacking German panzer groups, the possibility of defeat in defense was still quite high. But the defeated troops will easily retreat to Minsk for rectification, will not be pursued by the Germans all the way, and the losses will not be too great. It should be an acceptable exchange ratio, at least better than attacking Leningrad in the winter. If the armored cluster of the German Army Group North can be defeated, it will be possible to not participate in the battle of Leningrad in winter. (To be continued.) )