Last night, the advance of the Third Assault Army of the Northwestern Front succeeded in seizing the landing ground on the south bank of the Nereis River, and in just one night, 20,000 troops successfully crossed the river from the east of Vilnius. Pen & Fun & Pavilion www.biquge.info

In order to force the crossing of the troops, the losses were not small, and the troops did not stop for a moment, with the infantry as the lead, and with the support of the rear artillery in the case of insufficient number of tanks crossing the river, they stormed all the way to the periphery of Vilnius and launched a hard battle.

Vilnius, founded in the 13th century, has historically been ruled by different states for various political and military reasons, and is also the historical capital of Lithuania. The city retains a large number of Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque buildings, and the city's architecture consists of palaces, town halls and numerous religious buildings, including 20 Gothic churches, 4 Orthodox churches, numerous synagogues and monasteries.

Gothic, Renaissance, classical, and 20th-century modern buildings are located throughout the city, and with its beautiful greenery and rich cultural heritage, it would be a fantastic city if it were not for the war.

Vilnius is a fine example of medieval architecture throughout Europe and has had a wide influence on the cultural and architectural development of much of Eastern Europe over the centuries. The diversity of urban landscapes and buildings has created a special case of urban architecture evolution in Central Europe for five centuries, which is rare in the world.

The Red Army abandoned the city on its own initiative last year, so now the city is still intact and shrouded in a thin layer of snow.

However, no matter how many cultural relics and monuments Vilnius has, how much history there is, it seems that it does not matter now, because now it is in front of the Red Army, and there are heavy German groups deployed in it!

Geographically, it is a difficult city to defend because the entire city is surrounded by wooded mountains and ravines, with rolling hills - not only in the suburbs, but also in the urban area of more than 30 square kilometres. With Mount Gediminas in the middle of the city, the streets of the old town to the south are narrow and old but sturdy buildings, and the new city to the west is made of reinforced concrete.

Centuries ago, Vilnius was built on the site at the request of the fortress!

The Red Army had to capture it as soon as possible, because as soon as it was dragged by the city, the planned cluster of mechanized assault aircraft interspersed from the east could face a situation of being attacked from the belly.

Vilnius, the ancient city of Europe, is destined to suffer a real baptism of blood and fire!

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Assault on the command of the Third Army, the commander of the army group, Lieutenant General Maxim Alekseevich Pulkaev, today welcomed an important figure, the deputy commander-in-chief of the Soviet Union, Marshal Prenyakov.

"Hello, Maxim Alekseevich, how are the troops going? I had just arrived from the headquarters of the Front, and the fighting was very fierce in the north, especially on the Baltic coast, and the fighting was very hard. ”

Without much greetings, Lin Jun took off his coat and asked Comrade Lieutenant General.

"Marshal, the 23rd Infantry Division has reached the outskirts of the city as the vanguard, and all the 284th Infantry Division and the 33rd Division have successfully crossed the river this morning, but the 23rd Division has suffered very heavy casualties and has lost the ability to continue the assault. My two tank brigades were on the left flank, and because of the terrain, we could only send part of our forces to assist the infantry in attacking the city, and we had to rely mainly on infantry to take the city. ”

Pulkaev briefed Lin Jun on the latest situation, "The follow-up troops are being deployed, the Germans have about 30,000 people in the city, and their main forces are placed on the southern periphery of the city, but they can support the German army in the urban area at any time. ”

"The Germans are very well deployed, and no matter how we attack, we may fall into the counter-encirclement, and we do not have an absolute advantage in terms of troops."

The situation is very complicated, this is not like the Nemenchine operation, which can end the battle in one go, it is basically a reduced scale of the battle of Minsk, and the terrain is still favorable to the Germans, it is a hard bone!

The war room opened, and a lieutenant colonel walked in in a gust of cold wind, he was obviously a little surprised to see that the deputy commander was also here, but reacted quickly: "The commander of the 284th Infantry Division, Nikolai Filippovich Batyuk, has come to report, the whole division is composed of excellent Siberian soldiers, we are fully loaded, high morale, and come to accept the combat mission. Hello, Comrade Marshal and Comrade Commander. ”

This is a very spiritual officer, but the dress is a little peculiar, not the usual military nun coat of the Red Army officers this season, but an old woolen sheepskin jacket and a suede hat on his head, typical of Siberian troops.

"Nikolai Filippovich, comrade-in-arms in Minsk, did not expect to meet here!" Lin Jun returned the salute and stepped forward to shake the lieutenant colonel's hand.

"I'm the same, I didn't expect to see you here (unlike what we're used to, the Soviets don't like to use "you" so much, it's a bit rusty.) ), Comrade Marshal. ”

"Why are you still a lieutenant colonel?" Lin Jun pointed to the rank of lieutenant colonel.

Batyuk took off his hat and scratched his scalp: he had seen the marshal, knew that the marshal was easier to talk to, and said embarrassedly, "It's not good." ”

As he spoke, he put on his sheepskin hat and stood upright for the commander's order, which was about to cross the river, and the headquarters of the army group was nearby, ordering him to come and accept the mission.

The 284th Infantry Division arrived at the final stage of the Battle of Minsk, but did not catch any real battles. This time, it was deployed on the right flank of Belarus and was transferred to the 3rd Shock Army under the command of the North-Western Front.

"Nikolai Filippovich, your unit will serve as the second echelon of the siege, breaking into the city on the flank of the 33rd Infantry Division......"

"Maxim Alekseevich, where are the 284th and 33rd divisions from where they are at the moment?" Lin Jun interrupted Comrade Lieutenant General's words, he usually doesn't do much.

Pulkaev immediately pointed out on the map, and Lin Jun looked at it for a minute, "If the 284th Division is allowed to serve as the main force in the middle of the attack, is it feasible to analyze it formally?" ”

"Yes, no problem at all. The forward of the 33rd Division was temporarily blocked on the first line of Route 103, and the 284th Division crossed the river and attacked from the middle road, which was completely feasible from the perspective of time and geography, and did not conflict with the original plan. ”

It is really quite feasible, otherwise the comrade commander will oppose the marshal's proposal, although he will somewhat think that the marshal is an opportunity to make a contribution to his comrades in the battle of Minsk.

As soon as Batyuk on the side heard the words of the two chiefs, his eyes lit up: he and his troops were not afraid of difficult tasks, they were afraid that they would not be able to get important tasks, and they all felt aggrieved in Minsk!

Trained hard in Siberia, he picked up a tail when he rushed to Minsk without stopping. Seeing the basically destroyed city of Minsk, the whole division was holding back its strength and had nowhere to come out, and the anger of revenge was about to burn people out, just waiting for this time to hit the fascists hard!

However, Lin Jun didn't make this suggestion for the sake of "Minsk's comrades-in-arms", because he knew in his heart what kind of troops the 284th Infantry Division was and what kind of battle it could fight!

In Lin Jun's memory, it was not only the famous "Zaporozhye Infantry Division", but also the desperate Saburo who held the battle in the city of Stalingrad - the battles of the "Red October" factory, the "barricade" factory and the "1-9" square went down in history, and the defense of the Mamayev Gang let the whole world know how tenacious this unit was!

The "Guards Red Banner Zaporozhye Infantry Division, awarded the Order of Lenin, the Order of Suvorov and the Order of Bogdan-Khmelnitsky", was formed last year in the city of Tomsk, in the southeastern part of the Western Siberian Plain, in the central Ob River basin, and was originally called the 443rd Infantry Division. Later, it was renamed the 284th Infantry Division and went to the front, with the 1043rd, 1045th, and 1047th Infantry Regiments, the 820th Artillery Regiment and other detachments.

Historically, it was initially transferred to the Bryansk Front, and on July 1, 1942, it took part in the first battle in the Kastornoye region: the officers and men of Siberian nationality repelled the onslaught of two German divisions in the first battle, fought fiercely for three days and nights, and held the defensive zone! Fighting Tough!

In September 1942, the division was transferred to Stalingrad and incorporated into the 62nd Army of the South-Eastern Front (Stalingrad Front from September 28 and Don Front from January 1, 1943). From 21 September, the units were engaged in fierce battles against the elite German units attempting to seize Stalingrad and break through to the Volga. The next step was the division in the defense of the "Red October" factories and "barricades" factories and the defense of the Mamayev Gang, the "1-9" square and other neighborhoods, and was awarded the Order of the Red Banner of the Division, and was awarded the title of Guards, renamed the 79th Guards Red Banner Division.

During the Great Patriotic War, the division fought from Stalingrad to Berlin, and its achievements were famous, and it was even more expert in attacking cities. Although it is not yet mature, the mission of being the main force in the center of the Vilnius city is the best choice in Lin Jun's opinion: in the formation of the assault Third Army, the unit that can compare the offensive capabilities with this division is probably the 79th Infantry Army commanded by Pelevy Ortkin, who planted the red flag on the roof of the Reich building of the Third Reich!

However, now the 79th Infantry Army is not yet in the formation of the Third Assault Army, and Batyuk also happened to appear, and it is completely feasible to analyze the form of the battlefield. Lin Jun unceremoniously intervened in command--it's just your Batyuk's 284th Division!

Now that the decision has been made, Pulkaev pointed to the map and gave the order to Batyuk: "Your troops are attacking north of Route 103 with the 33rd Division on the left flank and the river on the right. From west to east, capture the church square in the center of the city as quickly as possible at any cost, and then do everything in your power to take Gediminas Hill and defend it! ”

Gediminas Hill is the highest point in the city, and once you occupy it, you can overlook the whole of Vilnius!

(The first shift today, and another shift in the evening.) Happy New Year, do you have a monthly pass? Hehe. (To be continued.) )