By the time we reached the south of the city, Govorinenko's troops had just repelled a wave of German attacks. Standing in the rudimentary observation post, you can see with the naked eye the burning tanks in the small square, as well as the corpses scattered all over the place.

Govorinenko's observation post, still adhering to the tradition of the Soviet army, was set up only three or four hundred meters from the front line. I looked at the building on the opposite side of the square with its six tall stone pillars and asked Govorinenko next to me curiously: "Comrade Colonel, what is that place?" ”

"It's the theater of the Palace of Workers' Culture." Pointing to the building, Govorinenko said: "The regimental headquarters of the German 73rd Panzer Regiment was there, and we launched two charges towards it, but both were repulsed by the Germans. After receiving your order, I reduced my forces, and as soon as the defense was arranged, the Germans launched a counterattack against us. But fortunately, we were prepared, otherwise our troops would really be crushed by the German attack. ”

I turned my head to look at the communications soldier next to me, who was setting up a telephone line, and then asked Povsky: "Comrade artillery commander, will we accidentally injure our own people by hitting the enemy on the opposite side with rocket artillery?" ”

Povsky may have been waiting for me to ask this question for a long time, and as soon as I finished speaking, he nodded and said: "If the Guards Rocket Artillery Battalion makes a salvo at the theater, plus factors such as errors, our positions deployed at the forefront may be affected." Speaking of this, he turned his face sideways and asked Govorunenko: "Comrade division commander, can you make the troops at the forefront retreat a hundred meters?" ”

Govorinenko, listening to Povsky's question, looked at me with some humility, and cautiously replied: "Comrade Artillery Commander, this may not work. If the enemy on the opposite side finds that our troops are retreating, they may take the opportunity to launch a counterattack, and then the troops may fall into disarray. ”

As soon as Povsky heard this, he was anxious. I couldn't help but raise my voice: "Comrade division commander, if the soldiers stay in the trenches during the shelling, even if they are not killed by the flying sideways, they will be shocked to death by the huge explosion shock wave." ”

Govorinenko's face showed an embarrassed expression and asked the fighters to retreat from the existing occupied positions, which he clearly disagreed; But keep your soldiers in the trenches. Shocked to death by the shock wave of the explosion, he couldn't bear it, and when he was in a dilemma, he could only turn his eyes to me for help, hoping that I would come up with a good solution.

Seeing the embarrassment of the two men, I couldn't help but laugh to myself, and when Povsky also focused his attention on me, I said slowly: "Comrades colonels, in fact, the solution to this matter is very simple, that is, to extend the landing point of the shell by a hundred meters. This would not require the withdrawal of troops from existing positions. I am not afraid of being injured by mistake. ”

"yes, I didn't think of that." After listening to what I said, Govorunenko excitedly slapped the wall and said excitedly: "The troops remain in the existing positions, and as soon as the shelling is over, they can launch a surprise attack and seize the enemy's positions in one fell swoop, while the Germans have not yet sobered up from the shelling." ”

Povsky, on the other hand, is clearly not so optimistic. He frowned and said, "Comrade Commander, is this appropriate?" You need to know. If the firing range is extended, then the effect of the shelling we have achieved will be affected. ”

Hearing Povsky's worries, I really couldn't laugh or cry, and secretly scolded the old Maozi for being dull in doing things, and that something changed slightly, which was different from their original cognition. They will become nervous. I sighed softly, and then said to him: "Don't worry, Colonel Povsky, the salvo of the rocket artillery battalion will not only destroy the theater occupied by the Germans. At the same time, it can also destroy the German tanks parked in the parking lot in the back. ”

"Oh, there are German tanks behind the theater?" After hearing this, Povsky asked in surprise: "Comrade commander, how do you know, did the division commander Govorinenko tell you?" ”

I pointed to the still burning tanks in the square and said, "Comrade division commander didn't tell me anything, I guessed from those destroyed tanks. ”

"Comrade Commander is right, these tanks are coming around from behind the theater." Govorinenko added in time: "And their infantry, rushed out of the gates of the theater. ”

"I see." Povsky nodded and said, "I'll go and arrange for the rocket artillery battalion to fire a salvo." With that, he walked over to the busy artillery spotter next to him and whispered something to them.

I asked Govorinenko, who was standing next to me, with a sideways face: "Colonel, after the shelling, how many people can you send if you want to charge?" ”

Govorinenko frowned and thought for a moment, and replied: "There are about four hundred people who can be used, and some of them are lightly wounded. ”

"It's only four hundred, that's too little." I thought that he would be able to draw a thousand men in his hands, but I didn't expect that the number of fighters who could participate in the attack was only half of what I imagined. Even if the 73rd and 74th Panzer Regiments of the German Army suffered heavy losses in the early battles, they could not cope with more than 400 of them.

In order to increase the success rate of the attack, I called Tawart Kiradze, who was in the headquarters north of the city. Hearing his voice, I immediately said: "Comrade General, I intend to launch an attack in the south of the city, but the strength of the 375th Infantry Division is limited, so you should immediately transfer your 51st Guards Division to support." ”

"Yes, Comrade Commander." Upon hearing my order, Tavart Kiradze readily agreed: "I will immediately send Lieutenant Colonel Lukin's 309th Regiment over, their regiment has lost the least number of men in today's battle, and there are nearly two thousand men. ”

"Great, General Tawart Kiradze." When I heard that Lu Jin would bring 2,000 new troops to support, my heart suddenly felt much more at ease. With so many troops, even if there is a tug-of-war with the German army, it will not suffer. "When they come, bring more anti-tank weapons, otherwise they won't be able to deal with the German tanks."

After I put down the phone, I said to Govorinenko: "Comrade Colonel, prepare your attacking troops, and as soon as the fire coverage of the rocket artillery battalion is over, immediately attack." ”

"Yes!" As soon as Govorunenko agreed, he began to call his men and arrange for them to attack the enemy-occupied territory after the shelling was over.

A few minutes later, the Guards rocket battalion outside the city began to shoot. Rockets with long flaming tails flew over our heads and plunged headlong into German positions, followed by earth-shattering explosions. Deafening cascading explosions. Smoke and flames rose into the air, turning the vicinity of the landing site into a sea of fire, and the houses near the theater continued to collapse in the explosion, and the lives of the German officers and soldiers hiding in it were estimated to be in danger.

After the two volleys were over, the smoke and dust that had shrouded the square had not yet cleared, and the air was still uncomfortably hot. But before I wiped the cold sweat from my head. Hundreds of commanders and fighters jumped out of their hiding fortifications, shouting with their weapons in their hands.

Seeing the troops rushing forward, Govorinenko smiled and said to me: "You know, commander, the Germans have actually done a great thing. ”

"What's good?" Govorinenko's words confused me, so I asked with some surprise: "Can the Germans do anything good on our soil?" ”

"If they don't move the people of the city out of advance. We're going to be tied when we fight. Govorinenko's eyes looked ahead and said, "This is a great thing they have done." ”

If there were inhabitants in the city, the Germans would certainly not care about their casualties, but we had to try to avoid accidental injuries, so that the combat effectiveness of the troops could not be fully utilized. It was a good thing that they had moved all the inhabitants before the war began.

At a distance of two or three hundred meters, our fighters rushed over at once. Then in the ruins of the theater, where only a few stone pillars and half walls remain, search for the remnants of the defeated German army. I watched for a while. It was found that there were only a few places where there was a sporadic exchange of fire, and it seemed that the power of the rocket artillery was really extraordinary, and two salvos almost wiped out the German troops here.

Seeing this, I put down my binoculars and said to Govorinenko: "Comrade Colonel, order the troops to build fortifications in the existing areas to prevent a possible counterattack by the Germans. Wait for friendly reinforcements to arrive. And then move forward. ”

After a resounding answer, Govorinenko called a messenger and asked him to convey my orders to the commanders at the front, telling them not to rush to the offensive first, but to stabilize the line of defense first.

Colonel Bere, who was waiting for a detour to the rear of the German troops. In the process of reinforcing the Lukin regiment of the Govorunenko Division, the troops that occupied the ruins of the theater sent back a communications corpsman to report to us the latest information. The communications corpsman clearly reported: "...... According to the confession of a German major before his death, because the space in the city was narrow, which was not conducive to the deployment of tank troops, the 19th Panzer Division sent only fifteen tanks into the city to support the 332nd Division, and about thirty tanks outside the city. ”

After sending away the signal corps, Govorinenko asked me with a worried face: "Comrade commander, the Germans still have more than 30 tanks, but we do not have any effective anti-tank weapons, and it may not be easy to destroy them." ”

"Don't worry, Comrade Colonel." In order to reassure him, I had to comfort him again: "The infantry regiment brought by Lieutenant Colonel Lukin will carry a lot of anti-tank weapons. Whether we are attacking or defending, the German tanks will no longer have any advantage in front of us. As for those tanks outside the city, you don't have to worry about it even more. The two tank brigades under the command of Colonel Bere had made a detour from the west of the city to the south of the city, and if the German tanks met them, they would only be completely annihilated. ”

While he was talking, an officer came in and reported: "Comrade commander, the friendly troops of the 51st Guards Division have arrived, and their commander is outside, do you want to meet him?" ”

"Invite him in." I commanded briefly.

Soon, Lukin walked into the observation post, raised his hand to salute me, and reported: "Comrade commander, the 309th Infantry Regiment has been ordered to come and wait for your orders, please instruct!" ”

"You've come just in time, Comrade Lieutenant Colonel." Although it was getting dark at the moment, the ruins of the theater in the distance were full of unextinguished fires, so that we could see the situation there clearly. I pointed to the front and said to Lukin: "Immediately lead your troops there to take over the defense, and after an hour's rest, attack the Germans overnight." ”

Lukin listened to my order and did not speak, but nodded silently, indicating that he understood what I meant.

I was about to send him away, when I suddenly remembered something again, and hurriedly asked: "Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, how are you going to distinguish between friend and foe in the night during the night battle?" ”

"I'm going to have each commander tie a white towel around his left arm." Lukin confidently said to me, "This way, even in the dark, you can distinguish between friend and foe." ”

Tie a white towel around your arm. Distinguishing friend from foe in the dark may seem like one thing, but in practice, it's a different story. When fighting in the darkness of battle, you have no means or time to look through the darkness of the night to carefully identify friend and foe a few steps away. Everything can only be done by hearing or by the experience of years of fighting. to determine whether those swaying figures a little farther away from them are friend or foe.

Although I know that this method is not reliable, it is undoubtedly the most effective solution in the current situation. I could only sigh softly, and then instructed Lukin: "Well, Comrade Lieutenant Colonel, since you know how to distinguish between friend and foe in a night battle, go and fight bravely." By the way, when you strike outside the city, you may encounter our tank troops. It is necessary to send people to contact in a timely manner, otherwise your own people will fight. That's a big joke. ”

"Understood, Comrade Commander." After Lukin said this, he straightened up and asked, "Are you allowed to let me go?" ”

"Go, Comrade Lieutenant Colonel." I waved at him and said, "Good luck!" ”

I saw Lukin lead his troops into the ruins of the theater in batches, resting for about half an hour, and then dividing into several routes. Attacks were launched along the streets against buildings occupied by the Germans. Although the light was too dim to see the specific battle situation clearly. But I can also guess that Lukin must have used my style of play, with small troops to strike down the streets, and then enter the buildings and engage the Germans in a floor-to-floor room-by-room battle.

Hearing the lively fighting ahead, Govorinenko, who was squatting next to the intercom, suddenly called out to me: "Comrade commander, Colonel Berey wants to talk to you." ”

As soon as I heard the name of Bere. I guessed that his troops might have made a detour. Hurriedly took the headset and microphone from Govorinenko's hand, and heard the faint sound of gunfire coming from the earphone, which seemed to be a battle, so he hurriedly asked: "Comrade Colonel, where are your troops?" ”

"Report Comrade Commander. We have reached the south of the city. Bere loudly reported: "We are engaged with the tanks of the 19th Panzer Division......"

Because the noise coming from the headphones was so loud that I didn't hear what Beray was saying, I anxiously asked: "How is the battle going, and have any German tanks been destroyed by us?" ”

"Yes, Comrade Commander." Colonel Bere's voice suddenly became clear again, "Our avant-garde battalion and the German tanks met and there was an engagement. During the battle, we had nine T-34s destroyed, while the Germans had four Tiger tanks destroyed by us. Now the remaining 20 tanks of the German army have fallen into the encirclement of our army, and I believe that it will not be long before we can solve the battle. ”

Although it made me feel sad to hear the battle loss ratio of 9 to 4, the thought that our tanks were several times more than the German army made my heart feel more steady. I calmly ordered, "Since we are surrounded, then kill them all, and don't let any of them go!" Do you understand? ”

"Understood, Comrade Commander." Berey promised loudly: "We will never let go of a German tank." ”

Although Bere said that the battle would be settled quickly, it turned out to be a battle that lasted several hours. Every time I contacted him, he told me briefly that the battle was still going on, and that he was fighting German tanks and German infantry.

At five o'clock in the morning, Lukin sent someone to report to me that his troops had occupied all the buildings on both sides of the streets south of the city and were organizing troops to search for those who had slipped through the net. As soon as his report ended, Bere finally took the initiative to contact me again, and on the phone, he reported to me with some weariness: "Comrade commander, I have the honor to report to you that the rest of the German officers and men of the 19th Panzer Division, with the exception of one tank and a few motorcycles that escaped, were either killed or captured by us. More importantly, we captured the flag of the 19th Panzer Division in the division headquarters of the Panzer Division. ”

Captured the flag?! When I heard the news, I was stunned at first, and then ecstatic, because an army had been defeated and could be rebuilt. And once the military flag is captured, then they can only revoke the number and withdraw from the establishment. After waiting for my mood to calm down, I ordered Bere: "Comrade Colonel, immediately send someone to send the military flag to the headquarters of the 375th Infantry Division in the south of the city, I will wait for you here!" ”

I put down the headphones and microphone, patted Govorinenko on the shoulder, and said excitedly: "Comrade Colonel, do you know? In the battle that just ended, Colonel Bere's tank unit managed to capture the flag of the German 19th Panzer Division, which was a remarkable result! ”

"What, captured the flag of the German army?" When Govorinenko heard the news, he was stunned for a moment, as I had just done, and then he became excited, and he said excitedly: "Comrade commander, this is a great result, and we should immediately report it to the headquarters of the front army, so that they can inform the whole army of this news, so as to boost the morale of our army." (To be continued.) )

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