Steel Soviet Union

Why did the 13th Guards Infantry Division fail to complete its mission as it had originally planned in history?

This is obviously a question worthy of serious consideration by Malashenko, but this time of thinking is definitely not right now. Malashenko, who may be killed by the collapsing ceiling at any time, has no time to think about this now.

When he evacuated from the regiment headquarters to the basement bunker, he was in such a hurry that Malashenko now had neither a phone nor any effective way to communicate with the outside world.

Of course, according to Malashenko's estimation, the telephone line currently connected to the outside should have been blown up by the fierce German shelling as expected. Even if there is a telephone, it is just a decoration.

Malashenko did not know how long the large-scale German shelling would last, but the moment he went out to breathe fresh air, he could clearly feel that the heavy rain that had lasted all day and night had significantly reduced.

The drizzle will stop completely within half a day depending on the situation. As for what the German army will do to stretch their muscles after the rain stops, it is obviously needless to say. This sudden bombardment is obviously the German army preparing for the upcoming Prepare for an attack.

The more he thought about it, the more depressed he became. He only hated himself for being greedy for half an hour in the morning, and slept a little longer with the luck that the rain had not stopped. Even though his exhausted body was so tired that it was difficult to even get up, Malashenko still wanted to give himself a slap.

"Fuck! What the hell is wrong with me!? I suddenly remembered to sleep in on the battlefield! Damn it!"

Malashenko, who was walking around in the basement, looked very unhappy and his brows were almost squeezed together. Political Commissar Petrov, who was watching everything, rolled his eyes and then spoke quietly.

"You don't have to be too anxious, comrade commander. We prepared the defense this morning last night! There are corresponding troops stationed on each reserve position for defense. I also went to check the posts last night. Although there are still It’s raining but the sentries are doing their jobs, so don’t worry too much about some things.”

Political Commissar Petrov hoped that Malashenko would stop wandering around and stop, but Malashenko, who was like an ant on a hot pot, couldn't calm down.

"The shelling came too suddenly. Comrade Political Commissar, you are an infantry professional and should know this better than me."

"Many of our position fortifications are temporarily dug out, or simply made from shell craters. Not to mention reinforcement, even the soil itself may not be up to standard."

"Of course, I don't mean to blame, I just want to say that such a level of defense will be completely washed away by a heavy rain. Just imagine how our soldiers can resist the attack of those Germans in the mud pond? Even after the rain stops There is water everywhere, it’s very bad, Comrade Political Commissar, it’s very bad!”

"What I'm worried about is not that our troops are not prepared, but what will be used to replace the fortifications and positions that were destroyed by heavy rain. This is the core focus of the problem."

Malashenko is right.

The German army in 1942 was not a force that was good at defense. Although in the entire history of World War II, the German army did not seem to be very capable of defensive operations except for others like Model. However, the German army stationed south of the train station basically did not build many fortifications. But it is a fact that is already obvious.

After Division Commander Cherchenkov joined forces with Malashenko to capture the German position south of the train station, he temporarily reinforced some fortifications and bunkers that had been beaten to pieces before. However, due to the rush of time and sudden attack, Heavy rainstorms still had little effect.

Now the defensive position south of the train station has been destroyed three times: once when Lavrinenko led his team to defend the south side of the train station and was repulsed by the Germans. Commander Cherchenkov stormed the south side of the train station and ripped open the German defense line. It was another time, but the sudden heavy rain in the middle of the night damaged the position that had not been repaired in time.

Now under the fierce cover of the German artillery fire, one can imagine what kind of pulp the mud position outside will become.

After listening to Malashenko's words, Commissar Petrov fell silent for a while.

The German army chose to attack at this time without doubt at the right time. Although charging in the rain would delay some of the German army's offensive pace, the heavy rain obviously had a greater impact on the Soviet army, which was in a defensive posture. Rolling in mud to block German tanks was impossible just thinking about it.

"There is no good way now. We can only think of ways to launch defense as soon as the rain stops. The plan changes at any time according to the battle situation. You can't stop fighting just because the position has been washed away by heavy rain."

Even Commissar Petrov, who was an infantryman, could not think of any good solution, but the only thing that Commissar Petrov never wavered from beginning to end was sticking to his position.

The loss of the position does not mean that the war will not be fought. Even if they are lying in the mud pit, they must drag the Germans with their teeth to guard the south of the train station. We must not let the entire train station fall into the hands of the Germans!

Although it sounds a bit whimsical, that's what Political Commissar Petrov thought and what he planned to do.

I thought I could get some good solution from my partner. A minute ago, Malashenko had placed all his bets on Comrade Petrov, a political commissar with a background as an infantryman. But now it seems that he is a "smart woman". The adjective "It's hard to make a meal without rice" is more suitable for the current situation.

"Damn it, can you really just wait and see what happens next?"

Malashenko, who was wailing in his heart, didn't even dare to think about what he would face next. He used a crotch position made of mud to block the German army, which had increased its strength and had been recharging its energy all day long. This kind of thing is probably as nonsense as the anti-Japanese dramas of later generations.

No matter how reluctant Malashenko was, the German artillery barrage in the tsunami lasted for exactly half an hour and stopped on time. At the same time, this also meant that a cruel mud fight was about to begin.

The sparse raindrops in the sky have not completely stopped until now, and the smell of gunpowder smoke and scorched earth left by the German shelling permeates the air, which is a bit pungent.

The dull roar of the gasoline engine tore through the brief silence after the bombardment stopped, and the messy steps on the rainy and muddy ground under their feet were making final preparations for what was to come.

The time was 1 minute and 23 seconds after the last 150mm heavy howitzer shell fell. The first German Panzer IV tank, carrying a large number of infantry around it, finally appeared in Commander Cherchenkov's telescope. Within sight.