At dawn, the offensive of the American army was still unabated, and the defensive pressure of the 4th Division was increasing. US fighter planes appeared in the sky again, as if to add insult to injury. The commander of the 4th Division threw the last two regiments of the reserve into battle, as well as the divisional guards and logistics personnel, and the battle entered a fever pitch. Another round of U.S. attacks on the ground was repulsed, and it was very surprising that the U.S. forces did not launch another attack. The soldiers were given a brief respite. Although there were still US fighter planes in the sky, the officers and men were not afraid.

At dawn, Commander Howell arrived at the front in a military column, and the ground offensive of the American troops was temporarily halted. In front of the tent of the 55th Army headquarters, Howell led a large group of generals to stand, and the commander of the 55th Army bowed his head and was silent. Howell said majestically: "The command strictly orders that Rock Springs must be taken in the early morning." And you, as the front-line commander, attack unfavorably and delay the fighter. Now I have to enforce the laws of the battlefield, pull down and shoot on the spot. "Two big men came up from behind and grabbed the commander of the 55th Army.

The commander of the 55th Army was a big man, and at the moment his majestic figure did not match his expression, and his whole body seemed to be half shorter. When he heard that he had been shot, he was immediately paralyzed, and his crotch was wet. With the sound of a gunshot, all the generals couldn't help but shudder. The chicken must be killed to show the monkey, the enemy is present, the attack is unfavorable, Howell must stand up and say: "If anyone dares to hold back, greedy for life and afraid of death, this is the end, immediately order the troops, continue to attack." In addition, the air combat brigade was notified to increase the intensity of air strikes.

The situation of the battle has become more and more dangerous, the surface positions have been completely abandoned, and the troops have shrunk to hold the core positions. There was only one combat staff officer left in the division headquarters, and at this moment the division commander was wearing a steel helmet. There was a light machine gun next to him, and it was clear that the division commander was ready to strike at any moment. The division commander's face was dark, and he couldn't see any expression. The radio station was blown up. Contact with the military headquarters was lost, and it is not known where the reinforcements arrived. At present, all the officers and men of the 4th Division can only be in the position.

In the valley, the officers and men of the 5th Division, which advanced lightly, ran hard. The radio lost contact, and the military headquarters could not grasp the situation of the 4th Division, so it had to order the 5th Division to reinforce it with all its might. Officers and soldiers threw away their backpacks and other items. Only weapons and ammunition remained. The running officers and soldiers, brigades, regiments and battalions were all disorganized, and the only purpose was to rush to Rock Springs. The rumbling of artillery was heard ahead, and an officer stood on a high ground and shouted: "Brothers! Did you hear that. The brothers of the 4th Division are still fighting bloodily. Come on! Rush up and destroy the enemy! “

At the division headquarters, the combat staff officer put down the phone and said: "Division commander, the left flank position has been broken through!" Seeing that the division commander was indifferent, the combat staff officer put on a steel helmet. Grabbed a machine gun and rushed out. The division commander lit the text in the iron basin. Then he picked up the machine gun and was about to leave. At this time, there was a sudden dense sound of gunfire from the south side, and there seemed to be a faint sound of charging horns. The division commander's eyes lit up, and at this moment the sound of the charge horn was more pleasant than any beautiful melody in the world, and he knew that reinforcements had arrived. The division commander was weak and sat on the ground.

At the front-line command of the U.S. Army, Howell looked forward with his glasses and saw that the other side's position was full of smoke and could not see anything clearly. But it was clear that the enemy was still stubbornly defending. Howell was the first time he had seen the enemy fighting up close, and he was shocked. No wonder the enemy forces are invincible. With such a three-dimensional attack, the enemy is still immovable, what kind of people is this? If only the U.S. military forces had collapsed a long time ago. Not only was Howell shocked, but the generals who followed him were also frightened when they saw this scene.

"Report, the left flank of the enemy army has been broken through!" The generals let out a long sigh of relief when they heard this. "Intensify the attack on the left flank and not give the enemy any respite." "Report, the Vanguard Brigade of the 75th Army Corps has arrived, and the main forces will arrive in an hour!" "Order the 75th Regiment Vanguard Road Brigade to immediately plunge into the left flank attack!" There were smiles on everyone's faces, believing that a breakthrough was only a matter of time. At this moment, there was a sudden dense sound of gunfire on the south side, and Howell was shocked and realized that it was not good. At this time, the gunfire on the south side became more and more intense, and the US stormtroopers were in chaos.

"Report to the general, there are enemy reinforcements on the south side!" A subordinate ran in in a panic to report. Although Howell was anxious and calm on the surface: "Order the attacking troops to retreat and defend on the spot, order the air combat group to intercept the enemy's reinforcements and immediately find out the strength of the enemy forces, I want to know the details." The offensive of the American troops suddenly stopped, and the wolf retreated. The vanguard of the 75th Army Corps, which had just arrived, did not wait to join the attack, and immediately launched a defense, and the American side was in chaos. The battlefield stopped the gunfire and seemed to go into a quiet state.

When Howell saw this situation, he was discouraged. He knew in his heart that the high command would never tolerate him, and perhaps his military career would be over. "Report to the general, the command commands!" Howell took the telegram and checked it, his eyes couldn't help but light up, and he immediately regained his arrogant demeanor and said: "The command has issued a new order, ordering us to continue to intensify the attack, and at the same time ordering the defenders of Salt Lake City to organize troops to break through to the east. "It is a taboo for soldiers to change commanders on the spot, and it is impossible for the high command to remove Howell from his official position, and he has not even blamed him. After all, the enemy is plotting against Salt Lake City, and the responsibility cannot be borne by Howell alone, and it is difficult for the command to investigate it.

An hour later, the US reconnaissance plane airdropped to reconnoiter the situation, and the enemy's reinforcements were clear at a glance. Howell said: "The enemy wants to eat my 300,000 troops in Salt Lake City, it is wishful thinking. According to the air force's reconnaissance, one division of the enemy army came up and the other two divisions were still on the way, and its main force arrived at dusk at the earliest. The 75 Corps had all arrived, immediately replace the 55 Corps and continue the attack. In the afternoon the 82nd Army arrived, and our forces far outnumbered the enemy, so we had to take advantage of the enemy's unstable foothold so that he could not breathe for a moment. ”

Howell continued: "Order General Wilson of Salt Lake City to immediately organize troops to launch an offensive against Rock Places from the west flank, forming a flank from the east and west. We must tear a hole in it and ensure the safe evacuation of the 300,000 troops in Salt Lake City. The enemy is plotting against our 300,000-strong army in Salt Lake City, and it is absolutely impossible to dispatch an army, and there must be follow-up troops. However, according to the reconnaissance plane's maximum reconnaissance, no enemy follow-up troops were found, and I judged that the enemy's follow-up troops would not appear for at least three days, so the reconnaissance planes should intensify their efforts and report the reconnaissance situation at any time. The attack could not be stopped, and at 3 p.m. the 75 Corps attacked. ”

The atmosphere in the headquarters of the Carson City Expeditionary Force was unusual, and after the 4th Division lost contact, everyone's hearts were clouded. What exactly is the situation in the 4th Division, everyone thinks that the situation is not good. He Meng stared at the military map expressionlessly, not saying a word. "501, the last telegram from the 4th Division was at 2:19 a.m., and contact was lost later. The 4th Division reported that the U.S. forces had again thrown in tank forces for attack. The 4th Division said in the last telegram that the enemy tanks were not terrible, and that they had found a way to deal with them, but ??????。 ”

"No, I believe that the officers and men of the 4th Division will definitely hold their positions, they are a heroic unit, a force that cannot be defeated, and I am confident in this." He Meng's words were sonorous and powerful, and they immediately infected everyone. At this time, a communications officer rushed in and said, "The 5th Division is calling!" Nie Fengwu hurriedly took the telegram and said excitedly: "The 5th Division arrived in time, and Rock Springs is still in our hands." "The 4th Division is doing well, and I immediately pay high tribute to all the officers and men of the 4th Division." Everyone in the headquarters was relieved.

"The main force of the 2nd Army is estimated to have arrived at dusk, and our plan to encircle has succeeded." Nie Fengwu said excitedly. He Meng said: "The form is still not optimistic, and the US military will continue to invest heavy troops." Fortunately, only one armored regiment was put into operation, and it can now be confirmed that the tank forces of the American army were formed in a hurry. For the U.S. military to invest in tank troops, it is me who does not think enough about the responsibility. After all, there is good news that this armored unit of the US army is about to be disabled. I've always been worried that the U.S. military will continue to invest in tank forces, and now I can rest assured. ”

He Meng continued: "When the main force of the 2nd Army arrives, the US army will also increase its strength one after another, and a fierce battle is inevitable. "Report, Air Force report, U.S. forces are massing forces on the east side of Salt Lake City!" An operational staff officer made an urgent report. "It's not good, the U.S. military is going to run! It looks like the U.S. military command is going to abandon Salt Lake City. Nie Fengwu immediately smelled the clues. It's not easy to run, and we have worked so hard to let the US military run away. The 4th and 5th Corps were ordered to intensify their attacks, and the 6th Corps was ordered to immediately attack Logan and take Logan as quickly as possible. ”

He Meng walked a few steps and continued: "We want to hold back the American troops in Salt Lake City to the death, so that he cannot gather heavy troops to attack the east." Telegraphed Zhuang Lei, let the 19th Division advance lightly, and quickly reinforce Rock Springs. Although the refueling tactic is a taboo for soldiers, there is no choice but to adopt the refueling tactic. At the moment, Rock Springs is the focal point of both sides of the enemy, and a qiē revolves around this center. Where is the armored brigade currently located? "In this position?" Nie Fengwu pointed to the map and replied quickly. "It's too slow!" He Meng frowned.

"According to the armored brigade, the Logan River was too large to swim across, so it had to be detoured. Although the rainy season is past Iowa, the rainfall is still abundant. It would be 3 days before they could reach Rock Springs at the earliest. The 1st Corps needed four and a half days to travel, and Zhuang Lei reported that the road was too difficult to walk, and the artillery and logistics units were like snails crawling. "If the U.S. military forms an east-west flank, the 2nd Army's defense will be more difficult." "The armored brigade was ordered to overcome the difficulties and be sure to arrive within three days. As long as the armored brigade arrives on the battlefield, the American troops surrounding Salt Lake City will be successful! ”

As soon as Zhuang Lei led the main force of the corps to Rekding, he received an order from the headquarters of the expeditionary force. Zhuang Lei immediately ordered the 19th Division to advance lightly and be sure to rush to Rock Springs in three days. At the same time, the 2nd Army was telegraphed that the American troops had broken through from the direction of Salt Lake City, and that the 2nd Army should immediately build fortifications on the western flank. It was already dusk, and Zhuang Lei ordered the army to rest in Rekding for three hours. Zhuang Lei did not feel sleepy in the military tent at all, and the chief of staff said: "The US army has formed a trend of attacking from east to west, and the defensive pressure of the 2nd Army has increased suddenly. At present, the 4th Division has suffered heavy losses, and the situation is not optimistic. ”

Zhuan Zhuang Lei analyzed: "The 4th and 5th Corps will increase their attack, the 6th Corps will attack Logan from the north, and the U.S. forces in Salt Lake City will be able to gather one corps to the maximum. As soon as tomorrow noon, the U.S. forces could reach the west side of Rock Springs, and the 2nd Army would have at least 15 hours to build a defensive line. The difficulty now is that the 2nd Army has just arrived and has been put into operation, and the fatigue of the officers and men will affect the combat efficiency, which is what I am worried about. ”

"Report, the 2nd Army telegraphed that the U.S. military has increased the intensity of the attack, and it is judged that the U.S. military has invested heavily in the attack!" A communications officer made an urgent report. Zhuang Lei stood up and walked a few steps and said: "It's been two hours of rest, order the troops to go!" (To be continued......)

PS: The battle is suffocating.