In fact, on this day of April 3, it was the 2nd Tank Division of the 3rd Mechanized Army commanded by Major General Solenjing of the Red Army that really engaged in a large-scale battle with the tank units of the Chinese Army. The division consists of 2 tank regiments (3rd and 4th regiments), 1 motorized infantry regiment (2nd regiment), 1 motorized artillery regiment (2nd regiment), with about 20 super-heavy tanks, some "T-34" tanks, and about 80 or so "BT" fast tanks. On April 3, 1944, the 2nd Tank Division encountered the 6th Armored Division of the 41st Motorized Army of the Chinese Army near the bridgehead on the Kline River in a small village called Otresa. More than 300 tanks from both sides fought the first large-scale tank encounter in the history of the Sino-Soviet War in a narrow area. The Chinese 6th Armored Division, which encountered the 2nd Tank Division of the Red Army, was an armored division formed on the basis of a lightly armed division, and the division commander was Lieutenant General Ma Wenfeng. At the beginning of the war against the Soviet Union, the 11th Tank Regiment of the 6th Panzer Division had 3 tank battalions (1st, 2nd, and 65th tank battalions), which at the beginning of the war had 245 tanks, including 20 "Walker" tanks armed with 85-mm guns, 160 "Walker" tanks armed with 100-mm guns, and the rest were tank destroyers and command tanks. The division also includes two fully manned motorized infantry regiments (114th and 4th regiments) and one motorized artillery regiment (76th regiment). Compared to the 2nd tank division of the Red Army, the 6th armored division had a 2:1 advantage in the number of tanks. But it is also superior in the quality of tanks. When the tank units of the Red Army rumbled towards the Chinese army, the tank guns and anti-tank guns of the Chinese army easily paralyzed the "BT" fast tanks with weak armor (the frontal armor of the hull was only 15 mm), but when these Chinese guns fired at those huge super-heavy tanks at a distance of 50 to 100 meters, although the armor-piercing shells that hit the tank hit the armor plates with fire and steel sparks, they could not penetrate their frontal armor at all, and could not even make the tank catch fire and burn. A 150-millimeter self-propelled howitzer of the Chinese army opened fire when the "Apocalypse" tank was less than 100 meters away, and the shell weighing 40 kilograms directly hit the tank. To the great shock of General Wang Chaoyong, commander of the 41st Motorized Army of the Chinese Army, who was present at the time, the Soviet tank, after stopping for a few seconds, miraculously started to move again and smashed the self-propelled gun that had just fired at it. The officers and men of the Chinese armored forces, who were convinced of their superiority in tank quality before the war, were shocked by the new Russian tank, and about 40 Chinese tanks and 18 artillery pieces were destroyed by the Soviets. A similar situation was met with the 1st Panzer Division, another armored division within the motorized 41st Army. When the division's tanks fired at the Soviet super-heavy tanks at a distance of about 800 meters, there was no effect, and when the distance between the tank groups of the two sides was reduced to 50 to 100 meters, the shells fired by the Chinese tanks were still bounced back by the solid armor of the Soviet super-heavy tanks, and a Soviet super-heavy tank was hit by more than 70 rounds in front and back, but it was still not destroyed. Despite the superiority of the Soviet super-heavy tanks, the Red Army lacked training and combat experience, and their tanks were spread out in too wide fronts, making it difficult to communicate with each other due to the lack of radio equipment. And on the battlefield where the flames of war and the smoke of gunpowder filled, it was difficult for the Soviet tankers who were fighting bloody battles to coordinate by observing the signal flags in the hands of the tank commanders. Difficulties in command made it difficult for Soviet tanks to organize large tank groups like those of China, so they had to divide their troops into small tank groups one by one and use them on a wide front. This made it impossible for the tank offensive of the Red Army to form a numerical superiority and give the opposing side a more powerful blow. The Chinese, of course, will not let go of any weakness of their opponents. At the same time that Soviet tanks were launching a ferocious and unorganized attack from the front, the Chinese, who were desperately resisting, were moving to the flank of the Red Army with the strength of another armored division, driving the Soviet troops into the vast wasteland.

The Chinese armored forces, which are rich in tank warfare experience, have made full use of their various advantages (including communications, training, etc.), and skillfully use the forces and weapons of various branches of the armed forces to closely coordinate to counter the Soviet attack, and their proficiency is breathtaking. The Chinese Air Force played a huge role, and Air Force projectioners, who had been specially trained to fight tanks before the war, used the N5 "Dragonfly" tactical attack aircraft to carry out precise bombing of Soviet super-heavy tanks. Under the ferocious blows of Chinese aircraft, one after another the heavily armored Soviet super-heavy tanks were destroyed by one after another, and the invincible armored behemoth turned into a pile of scrap metal. At the same time, Chinese tanks fired at the Soviet super-heavy tank's mobile device, interrupting its tracks, while well-trained Chinese combat engineers climbed onto the immobile Soviet tank and completely blew it up with cluster grenades or explosives. The Red Army's 2nd Tank Division suffered a resounding defeat, the battlefield was littered with wreckage of destroyed and burning Soviet tanks, and the division's commander, Major General Solentin, was killed on April 6. Despite the victory, Wang Chaoyong, commander of the motorized 41st Army, who was shocked by the new Soviet heavy tanks, still felt a lingering feeling. He later recalled: "From a tactical point of view, April 4 was a very tense day. Jiang Baili, chief of the General Staff of the Chinese Army, who was far behind, also commented in his notes: "On this day, the Soviet troops in the southern part fought tenaciously and fiercely. However, it should be pointed out that although the Soviet counteroffensive was a complete failure, the battle for the bridgehead was not completely over at this time. On April 4 and 5, one of the remnants of the Soviet 2nd Tank Division blocked the supply route of the 6th Panzer Division.

In contrast to the "KV" heavy tank, this super-heavy tank of the Soviets was armed with 2 large-caliber mm howitzers. The reason for the adoption of such large-caliber artillery was to be able to destroy the enemy's strong fortifications. But it also made the turret of the tank particularly large, which not only made the hull inmobile, but also looked like a moving fortress. In order to eliminate this Soviet "monster" tank blocking the way, the Chinese army not only dispatched a large number of tanks, but also sent an engineer demolition team, and even used a division's 150-mm self-propelled howitzer. As a result, they lost 7 tanks, 1 anti-tank company and 4 tank destroyers under the blows of the large-caliber heavy artillery of Soviet super-heavy tanks, and 12 armored vehicles were also destroyed. Although the tenacious Soviet super-heavy tank was eventually destroyed by a combination of up to 50 Chinese 100mm gun-type "Walker" tanks and two 150mm self-propelled howitzers, it delayed the 6th Panzer Division's operations by two days due to its blockage.

Brutal armored battles continued on the Southern Front. The Soviet mechanized 12th Army, which had achieved almost nothing in the offensive on April 3, received an order from the Front Headquarters to continue the offensive on the morning of April 4, but only a tank regiment of the 23rd Tank Division, to which it belonged, carried out this order under the cover of the 9th Infantry Division. Chinese anti-tank forces and the 1st Air Force teamed up to inflict heavy damage on this group of Soviet tanks. By dusk, 60% of the Soviet tanks had been blown up by Chinese anti-tank guns and bombers. The remnants of the 23rd Tank Division had to retreat to the northeast. The next day, the 28th Tank Division, which had not been dispatched on the 4th because it had not burned oil, finally received fuel. Under the command of the division commander, Colonel Chernihovsky, the division was thrown into battle. But by this time the situation on the battlefield had been greatly unfavorable to the Soviet army, and all counteroffensive forces had been repulsed. The isolated 28th Tank Division, like the 23rd Tank Division, was destroyed by Chinese tank guns, anti-tank guns and air force during the attack. In a four-hour tank battle on April 5 alone, the division lost 48 tanks. The 28th Tank Division had no choice but to retreat. The counter-assault operation of the Soviet tank units was thus declared a failure.

The Red Army lost a large number of tanks and other weapons, and according to Chinese statistics, the motorized 41st Army alone destroyed 180 Soviet tanks, including 29 "KV" heavy tanks. The 1st Air Force of the Chinese Air Force claimed that by July 1, its aircraft (mainly the N5 Dragonfly) had killed 250 Soviet tanks.

The victorious 41st Motorized Army advanced towards the city of Gutra on the West Thana River. On the left flank of the motorized army, Xue Zhenyuan, who was making good progress, was driving the motorized 56th Army to desperately advance towards the West Thana River. In the absence of roads, in order to ensure the speed of the troops, Xue Zhenyuan asked his only armored division, the 8th Armored Division, to march along the road, while the 3rd Mohua Division took the road south of the road in relatively poor condition. The 290th Infantry Division followed behind the mobile unit to cover its safety.

On the march, the motorized 56th Army did not encounter a massive counterattack by the Red Army. Although some units of the Soviet 8th Army put up stubborn resistance on its path, the squadron reached the Sitwana River near Gutra on April 6. In order to seize the highway bridge over the river leading to the city, the Chinese army sent special forces from the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Disguised as wounded Soviet soldiers, these men infiltrated the Soviet transport convoy in two captured Soviet trucks. But as they approached the bridge, they were spotted by Soviet sentries and were shot at. These special forces drove their trucks onto the bridge, eliminated the Soviet sentries who were ready to blow up the bridge at any moment, and cut the wires of the blasting devices, and captured the crossing. Thanks to their cooperation, the Chinese army successfully crossed the West Thana River, and its 8th Panzer Division advanced outside the city of Gutra. The motorized 56th Army was able to establish a bridgehead. As a result, the Red Army's Northeast Front was not only defeated in the counter-assault, but also its plans to organize an effective defense along the line of the West Thana River went bankrupt.

At the same time as the victory of the Chinese armored forces in the center, the 2 armies covering their flanks also made considerable progress. On the right flank of Army Group North-West, the 16th Army occupied Oleg as early as April 3. The 291st Infantry Division of the 38th Army, which was subordinate to the 18th Army on the left, broke through the border and penetrated 44 miles in 34 hours, approached the city of Guryev, the base of the Red Banner Caspian Flotilla, surrounded the city and soon launched an attack.

In order to ensure the capture of this Soviet naval base, the Chinese high command assigned a large number of reinforced units to the 291st Infantry Division under the command of the lieutenant general, including 1 machine gun battalion, 1 motorcycle company, 1 light self-propelled anti-aircraft artillery battery, 1 armored train and 3 artillery battalions, 1 train gun company (2 150 mm cannon battalions, 1 210 mm cannon battalion, 690 train gun company equipped with 406 mm train heavy guns), and 1 air force reconnaissance aircraft squadron.

The Soviet garrison in the city of Guryev included more than 5,300 people of the 67th Infantry Division of the 8th Soviet Army under the command of Major General Dedayev, and the naval base garrison led by Colonel Kevinsky, with a total strength of only 13,000 people, which was at an absolute disadvantage in terms of numbers and firepower. But these forces still put up a desperate resistance. Fierce street battles broke out between the two sides in the city, causing heavy casualties to the Chinese army. On 8 April, the Chinese army finally captured Guriev, and the commander of the garrison of the city, Dedayev, had himself been killed on 5 April, and some of his men held out until 9 April. In Orenburg, a transportation hub under the attack of the 1st and 26th armies of the Chinese army, the fighting was no less fierce. From April 7 when the Chinese army entered the city to April 10, before the Soviet army abandoned Orenburg, the garrison of the Red Army inflicted heavy losses on the Kazakh army group "Steppe" of the Chinese army (subordinate to the 1st Army, commander Lieutenant General Hakongmu), which was responsible for the main attack on Orenburg.

After successive losses of Guryev and Orenburg, the Soviet Caspian flotilla had to retreat to Baku in the face of heavy attacks from the Chinese Air Force. In Guriev, the fleet lost 4 destroyers and 6 submarines.

By April 5, the Northwest Army Group of the Chinese Army had advanced 80 to 250 kilometers inside the Soviet Union.

However, to the surprise of the Chinese High Command, in the event of the failure of the counterattack and the advance of the Chinese army, the Soviet Southwestern Front did not hold the Caspian Sea region as they had estimated in advance, but quickly carried out a full-scale retreat, at a speed of 35 to 40 kilometers per day and night. In fact, the Soviet Union's purpose in annexing the region before the war was nothing more than to gain a buffer zone to cover the hinterland. Beginning on 9 April, the 8th Army and the 11th Army of the Southwestern Front retreated in two different directions, north and south, respectively, and a large gap in between them allowed the 4th Panzer Group of the Chinese Army, which had crossed the Emba River, to attack more smoothly. In particular, the 11th Army of the Red Army, which was responsible for covering, had fallen into a state of no command at this time.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, on 15 April, the vanguard of the 41st motorized army of the Chinese army, after overcoming the resistance of the Soviet tank troops, also captured a Soviet military column full of new tanks along the nearby railway line.

In order to keep Stalingrad, which was threatened by Chinese armored forces, the Red Army had to put into battle the 41st and 22nd Infantry Armies drawn from the Moscow Military District, as well as the 1st Mechanized Army transferred from Stalingrad, and formed the new 11th Army with these three corps (the original units of the 11th Army were incorporated into the 27th Army). Their mission, along with the other newly formed units, was to desperately block the path of the 4th Chinese Panzer Group to the city named after Stalin himself.

The Red Army's retreat in the Caspian region was disorganized, with large numbers of troops retreating blindly and hastily, together with the refugees, under constant attacks by Chinese agents and saboteurs, as well as local nationalists, without knowing where to retreat and from where to cross the river. But in the eyes of the Chinese, compared with the Soviet troops in other directions, the retreat of the Red Army's Southeastern Front was actually relatively successful. Part of the reason for this is that the Chinese armored forces in this theater often let the Soviet troops who had been cut off from the rear route "leak" out of the loose battle formation of the Chinese army, and sometimes the Chinese motorized troops could not intercept the swarming Soviet troops even if they seized the ferry. As the observer who commanded the motorized 56th Army at the time depicted, the Chinese armored forces on the fast march simply did not have the time and strength to clear the enemy from the theater of operations. Thus, although a large amount of weapons and equipment were captured in the area of operations of the Northwest Army Group, the number of prisoners was very small, and by 8 April there were only about 12,000 men.

To make matters worse, fearing that the troops would be encircled by the Chinese 9th Army in close proximity, Pavlov also ordered the 10th Army to be transferred to the center of the salient for defense, which not only left the Soviets in the rear with insufficient forces to deal with the rapidly advancing Chinese armored motorized units, but also packed more troops into the "big pocket" predetermined by the Chinese.

The Eastern Front's counterattack plan, which was full of holes, was also extremely difficult to implement. Let's not talk about whether the troops scheduled to go into the counterattack will still have time to receive ammunition and fuel, reconnoiter the enemy's situation and terrain, and repair those old tanks that are about to be scrapped. As a matter of fact, part of the forces of the 11th Mechanized Corps of the two Soviet mechanized armies that were preparing to be engaged in the right-flank counterattack had already been engaged in the battle against the Chinese 9th Army as early as 2 April, and only the 29th Tank Division had arrived at the predetermined location, while the 33rd Tank Division was 35 kilometers away, and the 204th Motorized Division and its headquarters were 70 kilometers away. The other mechanized 6th Army remained 40 km south of the offensive starting position. The mechanized 14th Army on the left flank of the Front also fell into bitter fighting on the first day of the battle.

Since from the outbreak of the war, the Eastern Front had not been able to establish effective contact with its subordinate units, and the commander Pavlov had to personally go to the troops to assign tasks. But after he left the command, neither the Eastern Front, nor even Stalin in Moscow, could get in touch with him personally. The situation on the Eastern Front became even more chaotic, and the counterattack scheduled to begin was delayed.

(To be continued)