Chapter 128 Breaking Into the City

With such a weak artillery unit, it is easy to imagine how bad the German infantry who were defending the front of the position would face.

The traditional field-level fortifications on the German position were like a lone boat in the sea in the face of the Soviet field artillery group's overwhelming bombardment.

The temporary civil structure anti-artillery holes dug on the position could not withstand the direct hits of 152 and 203 mm large-caliber high-explosive grenades.

The Soviet field artillery group, whose artillery barrage coverage area and firepower projection per minute were more than free, would warm up for at least half an hour once it started bombarding. If they were in a bad mood or really needed it, it would even be extended to an hour or more. Such continuous artillery coverage was undoubtedly unbearable for the German side stationed in the field defense position.

The addition of more and more Soviet fighter aviation corps made the competition for air supremacy in the theater more erratic. The air force of the German Central Army Group, which was exhausted from supporting various ground fronts, could no longer launch wanton bombing of Soviet artillery positions as before.

The Red Air Corps, which could appear over the battlefield at any time, made these slow-flying German Stuka and Junker bombers have to be escorted by fighters to safely carry out their missions.

The war situation under which one side was gaining and the other side losing made the Soviet artillery bombardment more and more fierce day by day. Under such circumstances, the Grossdeutschland Infantry Regiment, which suffered serious casualties in the battle the day before, was simply unable to continue to garrison the temporary field defense position.

Continuing to place troops on temporary field defense positions that lacked the protection of permanent reinforced concrete structure fortifications was almost tantamount to suicide in the face of Soviet army-level artillery bombardment.

With no other options, the Grossdeutschland Infantry Regiment and a small number of the remaining support troops of the Imperial Division, after a hasty and temporary rest, immediately took advantage of the cover of night to carry all the important technical equipment they could carry and retreated to the edge of the city of Yelnya, and immediately began to reinforce and deploy defensive bunkers relying on the residential buildings and streets on the edge of the city.

When the 1st Heavy Tank Breakthrough Battalion led by Malashenko, who once again served as the vanguard of the attack, rushed to the German field defense position that was emitting yesterday's gunpowder and the residual heat of the war, the mottled and broken positions with no people on them were only the booby traps and scattered mines that the Germans deliberately left behind to slow down the Soviet advance, which kept exploding one after another at this time.

"Legs! Oh my legs! My legs fell over there, you have to help me pick them up! Help me pick them up!"

The Soviet infantryman who was hit by the booby trap and was carried on a stretcher with his lower body blown to pieces was shouting helplessly and miserably. Malashenko, who had his entire upper body out of the turret and witnessed this scene, could only sigh silently and pick up the communicator at hand and give orders.

"All crews stop immediately and stand by. It has been confirmed that anti-tank mines are deployed in the booby traps left by the Germans. Engineers will soon go forward to clear mines and open up an offensive channel. The call ends."

After receiving the order, the Soviet combat engineer unit acted quickly and finally opened up an offensive channel that was basically confirmed to be correct in about an hour.

After learning the news, Malashenko immediately commanded his tank battalion to pass through this offensive channel that was so narrow that only two vehicles could travel side by side in a long queue.

Fortunately, the German troops who hastily withdrew from the position left behind booby traps, which would not delay their own time too much. The German army, which had suffered serious losses in manpower, could no longer withdraw more troops to harass and block the Soviet army along the way. It didn't take long for the first heavy tank breakthrough battalion, which was equipped with a large number of accompanying Soviet infantry, to advance to the city of Yelnya with roaring engines.

Malashenko, who was driving in the center of the team and realized that the battle could break out at any time, was about to pick up the communicator at hand and give orders. The tearing sound of the MG34 general-purpose machine gun suddenly fired from the second-floor window of a small building on the edge of the city, and immediately swept across like a fire dragon.

Puff--ding-dang-dang--

The sound of bullets penetrating flesh and the sound of sparks and friction as bullets pierced through human bodies and hit tank armor, squeezing and deforming, rang out one after another at this moment. The German army's preemptive attack saved Malashenko, who was in charge of commanding the advance team to open the way for the attack, a lot of trouble. Malashenko, who no longer needed to carefully conduct firepower reconnaissance, immediately raised the communicator at hand and gave an order.

"Notify all infantrymen to get off the vehicle and follow behind the tanks, and advance the attack formation to the entrance street of the city! The vehicle-mounted machine guns suppress the firepower of the Germans, load high-explosive bombs, and take down that small building for me!"

The 76mm high-explosive grenade with a shaking muzzle was like tearing a rag doll apart, easily blowing up the entire second-floor structure of the small building into a pile of broken bricks and tiles.

After eliminating the provocateurs, the Soviet infantry and tank forces immediately began to advance forward in shifts. The German troops who were quietly ambushing in the city did not know what they were planning, but actually allowed the Soviet troops to march into the street entrance in such a swagger.

Behind a street store that had been half collapsed by a shell, Buckman, holding his newly found MP38 submachine gun, was crouching behind the collapsed counter and carefully observing the environment outside the window.

The Soviet KV1 heavy tank rumbling past the window and the Soviet soldiers accompanying it, who were advancing cautiously, were so close that their faces could be clearly seen.

Buckman, whose ears were filled with the roar of the Soviet heavy tank diesel engine, was so nervous that he seemed to be able to feel his own heartbeat. The machine gun team that just opened fire without authorization due to the pressure had obviously put all the German troops participating in the ambush in an unfavorable situation where they could be exposed at any time.

"Putting these newly added machine gun teams outside the city is simply a stupid idea! I really don't understand what these Wehrmacht guys are thinking. If you want to save experienced veterans, this shouldn't be the way to deploy them."

Before Buckman, who was whispering in his heart, poked his head out of the gap again to observe the movements of the Soviet troops outside the window, a crisp sound of glass breaking when the door frame fell to the ground suddenly rang throughout the room.

"Yavokov, take two people to the back of the house. Be careful, those fascists can't return the city to us so easily."