Germany, Upper Bavaria, Mürdorf, battlefield zone

Saturday, November 26, 1950, sleet

The low-intensity precipitation that lasted for a day was not enough to turn the fields around the city into a quagmire, and it was the 56th Guards Rocket Artillery Regiment of the Soviet Red Army, the artillery units of the 77th Guards Infantry Division, the 84th Guards Infantry Division, the 21st Infantry Division, and the 38th Infantry Division, plus more than 100 tanks and armored vehicles of the 46th Guards Tank Brigade. In other words, the Soviets had committed at least 4 divisions, 1 tank brigade, and 1 rocket artillery regiment to such an inconspicuous place as Myrdorf, and the Germans had only one infantry division here to block the southward advance of the Soviet army - the 1st Infantry Division of the GDR. The 1st Infantry Division of the Wehrmacht was established in 1934 and participated in the war as the first wave member in 1939, invaded Poland, France, and the Soviet Union, and was heavily damaged in the battles of Königsberg, Samran Peninsula and Pilau in 1945. After more than a year in a prisoner of war camp, the officers and men of Frederick's Infantry Division returned to Germany due to the outbreak of the Great War between the Eastern and Western camps, and were disorganized and integrated into the German Wehrmacht, where they soon took part in Allied operations in Poland. After the Soviet occupation of Germany, the German Wehrmacht ceased to exist, most of the soldiers were discharged and returned home, and the rest served as security forces for the German puppet government, until the fall of the puppet regime and the establishment of the GDR government, the German team was reborn. The Army's 1st to 6th Infantry Divisions were the first to be reorganized, and they retained their previous honorary titles and unit insignia. On the eve of the Soviet invasion, the German armed forces were mobilized and adjusted, and the army was expanded to 22 infantry divisions. The officers and non-commissioned officers were redeployed to the old unit on a personal basis, and more than 300 officers and men were reunited to their beloved Frederick Infantry Division. General Sarden commanded.

At the beginning of the Soviet invasion, the 1st Infantry Division was incorporated into the 1st Infantry Corps. Against rivals. The German officers and men showed brave and calm fighting qualities, they were like a quick sword that could be retracted and released freely in the early mobile operations, and repeatedly "bleed" the Soviet troops, and during the Battle of Hamburg Bremen, they went all out when the enemy was outnumbered, and twice completed the important task of defense. After the end of the battle, due to the heavy losses of the German troops. At the same time, in consideration of the need to confuse the Soviet intelligence services, the Joint Staff once again reorganized its forces, and the 1st Infantry Division, the 9th Infantry Division, and the 17th Infantry Division were reorganized into the 5th Infantry Corps. After this adjustment, the 5th Infantry Corps, which had been disabled, became a cutting-edge division, and in the first battle to Bavaria, it cooperated with the 1st Imperial Expeditionary Force to inflict heavy losses on the 9th Infantry Corps of the Soviet Army, killing and wounding and capturing nearly 30,000 Soviet troops.

Following the standard establishment of the Wehrmacht, the Frederick Infantry Division consisted of 3 infantry regiments, 1 artillery regiment and 6 battalions, with a full strength of nearly 17,000 men. In Myldorf. Although the German officers and men had to face more than four times as many enemies on their own, they were optimistic that they had been replenished in the early stages. Frederick's infantry division was able to play at full strength, and they had been preparing for the defense of Myldov since 18 November. During this week, the rain and fog greatly restricted the activities of the Soviet aviation, and the German soldiers, under the leadership of experienced officers, carefully arranged the fortifications, and the surrounding hills, high grounds, and the Isar River that ran through the area became the natural terrain on which to take advantage of, and Myldov had become a strong "defensive fortress".

In Mirdorf, which was known as the "battlefield button" after the war, the Soviet army, which had a numerical advantage, saw that the German army was waiting for it, so it carried out many bombardments with heavy artillery fire, and did not launch a ground offensive until the main fortifications of the German outer defense line were destroyed. In the early afternoon, for more than two hours when the rain and snow had stopped. The Soviets dispatched more than 300 warplanes intensively, and more than 100 tons turned the German positions north of the Isar River into a potholed "lunar surface", but the almost quagmire terrain also limited the offensive speed of the Soviet troops, and with excellent fortifications and clever camouflage, most of the officers and men of Frederick's infantry division escaped the first three axes of the Soviet army. …,

After the Soviet ground offensive began, the German flank line west of Myldov bore the brunt. Defending it were the German officers and men of the 22nd Flinth Flintlock Regiment. They had to face the main attack force of the Soviet Army's 84th Guards Division, 21st Infantry Division and 46th Guards Tank Brigade, which was close to 1 to 10 in strength, which was a very difficult task for the German infantry, who lacked air and heavy artillery cover, and they had to make the most of all available conditions. Looking at the surging Soviet troops, the soldiers of the 1st Battalion of the Fusiliers Regiment held the first line of battle in the village on the north side of the road. In addition to their own equipment, they also used Soviet weapons captured in previous battles, among which Soviet-made artillery and T34s with damaged hulls were effective anti-tank tools, especially when placed in buildings or fortifications to enhance concealment and survivability.

Behind a north-facing window on the ground floor, six soldiers wearing M38 German steel helmets hustle around a Soviet-made D44 85mm cannon. The gun commander used the captured Soviet-made artillery mirror to correct and observe, and only heard a "fire" command, and the gun with an exceptionally low profile and an exceptionally slender barrel trembled violently with a deafening roar, and then the shell of the shell retreated out with a crisp clanging sound, and the thick smell of gunpowder smoke permeated.

"Ha, hit, hit!"

The operator who was looking at the probe was the first to shout, and the officer using the artillery mirror immediately confirmed the news, and the rest of the soldiers immediately rejoiced, but a roar from the side quieted them like cold water on the head, and they saw a bearded lieutenant walking from the door of the room to the window, he looked to be in his forties, wearing the rank of second lieutenant in the army, limping when he walked, and his eyes were wide enough to breathe fire.

"Uncle Hank, we just hit a target 700 miles away, and that Soviet tank is finished......"

"How many shots did you hit? Well? The lame lieutenant unceremoniously interrupted the operator's defense, and the young artillery commander blushed in the face of such questioning.

"How do I usually teach you?" The lame lieutenant angrily pushed back the sight, and while looking through the optical sight, he gave the command to adjust the shooting element. The operator did not dare to slack off and did his best to follow the instructions. Suddenly, the lame second lieutenant shouted: "Reload the armor-piercing bullet!" ”

The soldier in charge of carrying the shells hurriedly took out a round from the pile of shells that were missing, and then loaded it into the chamber by the loader. Hearing the sound of the bolt closing, the lame lieutenant did not hesitate to give the order to open fire. The Soviet-made cannon, which had no touch of elegance in appearance, immediately roared again, and a lot of debris was thrown from the ceiling with a violent tremor, and as soon as the bullet case was unloaded, the officer using the artillery mirror shouted in a surprised tone: "Hit a Soviet tank 950 meters away!" ”

The surrounding soldiers cheered quietly, and their admiration for the lame lieutenant suddenly increased, but the anger on his face did not wane. The round eyes swept around, and just as they were about to speak, the place suddenly shook violently as if the sky was collapsing, and the loud explosion instantly swallowed people's hearing and even intuition, and even large pieces of masonry fell from the ceiling, and the alert soldiers hurriedly curled up to the cannon in order to use its sturdy gun carriage to fight for their chances of survival. After a few seconds, before the thick smoke had cleared, someone was already calling out the name of his companion. The lame lieutenant struggled to get up, and he looked around without saying a word, the sudden explosion was certainly terrifying, but fortunately the walls made of large stones were thick enough, and the structure of the house was solid, so that it was not completely blown down, and the ceiling had lost a corner, and through the holes in the side walls of the house, it could be seen that there was a breach in the north wall of the next room larger than two doors, and none of the objects in the room were intact. …,

"Thank God for forgiving us for our sins!" The lame lieutenant muttered in a broken mind as he drew a cross with reverence. The other soldiers in the room gradually recovered from their ignorance, and they checked each other's situation, and many of them were hit or bruised by debris, but fortunately none of them were in danger of dying. However, the brutal battlefield did not allow anyone to relax their nerves for any reason, and the violent explosion hit again, although not as powerful as the one just now, and it also made it difficult for people to stagger and stand up.

The effect of the sound wave faded away, and the lame lieutenant said loudly in a wide voice: "Don't be afraid, boys, there are not many chances of being hit by a 6-inch shell, and even fewer of them will survive, which means that luck is on our side, and the goddess of victory is protecting us!" Come on, let's get back into the fight, return the enemy's shells with shells, and let the Soviets, blinded by their ambitions, see reality! ”

The German soldiers, dressed in gray uniforms and wearing infantry insignia, returned to their respective positions, and the lame second lieutenant stood beside the observer, once again teaching him how to control the Soviet-made artillery. Although the operation mode and sighting settings are somewhat different from those of German-made artillery, the principle is completely the same, and many German soldiers who have experienced World War II are familiar with Soviet weapons as if they were their own equipment, and they are ready to use and effortless. Looking out through the north-facing window, the icy sleet was falling heavier and heavier, more than a dozen Soviet tanks were lying on their stomachs in the fields and even bursting into flames, and hundreds of Soviet soldiers had fallen on the way to attack. (To be continued......)

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