Chapter 1676 The Choice Between Stillness and Movement

As Malashenko thought, the political commissar did have a complete grasp of the latest situation first-hand, and gave the answer without much hesitation.

"The northern front that Lavri is responsible for is progressing more smoothly than ours. Just when you rushed to the position, Lavri sent a good news that the battle was over. Their casualties were slight and their technical equipment was almost not lost. The enemy The defensive strength of the northern position is not strong, especially the lack of anti-tank guns, and the battle to collapse is faster than the flood of the border. "

"The situation on the southern front commanded by Kulbalov is a little more complicated. The minefield clearing effect of the rocket launcher units of the front army is not very good. Those Katyushas only cleared more than half of the anti-tank mines, and there is still a small section of minefields left. Kulbalov and the others caused some trouble."

"But fortunately, the Germans suffered heavy losses from the shelling and failed to effectively take advantage of the favorable defensive opportunity delayed by the minefield. By the time the Germans set up the cannon, Kulbalov and the others were already along the edge of the minefield. He rushed over and quickly broke through the position. "

"The casualties were a little larger, but only about four to five hundred people. Most of them were accompanying friendly infantry units, not infantry of our division. The number of tank losses was also relatively high, but most of them were caused by mines blowing off their tracks. , a total of less than 20 vehicles were damaged. Kulbalov was so anxious that he rushed through the last section of the minefield at full speed, just to buy time.

"Karamov has already led people for emergency repairs. Within an hour, the broken tracks can be reattached and the tank can move. After the maintenance equipment has been replaced, this guy has a lot more confidence to speak. Do you plan to start with Wait, or should we immediately prepare for the next wave of attacks? Our scheduled combat missions for today have been completed, and the front army headquarters has not yet issued new orders."

According to the combat order issued in advance by the front army headquarters, Malashenko's Stalin Guards 1st Tank Division needs to capture the first and second defensive positions of the enemy's German army within today. This is the minimum task. Target.

Reconnaissance intelligence showed that no less than three divisions of German troops were deployed on these two defensive positions, but they were all infantry and no armored troops.

The Germans have placed their armored units further back and are ready to move. It seems that they do not want to rush into use as soon as the battle breaks out. For the sake of safety, they have become the priority of Army Group Center. .

The strength of the three infantry divisions seems small, but considering that Army Group Center has been operating here for a long time, it has built many non-permanent defense facilities, anti-tank minefields, etc. There are also factors such as the possibility of quickly calling in reinforcements at any time during the battle, and engaging in a tactical tug-of-war for positions. There are indeed too many uncertainties.

The minimum mission goals scheduled in the combat order are neither above nor below, and the difficulty is moderate. This is the consensus reached by Malashenko and Political Commissar Petrov in advance.

But judging from the current situation, both Malashenko, Political Commissar Petrov, and even Vatutin have obviously overestimated the defensive strength of Army Group Center, and also underestimated it. The powerful assault energy contained in Stalin's 1st Guards Tank Division.

After defeating two defensive positions in a devastating manner, there was still more than half a day left. Malashenko, who was racing against time, did not want to play a sit-down war, so he stayed here doing nothing and waited for Vatutin's follow-up orders. You must do something meaningful within your scope of authority that can seize time and opportunity.

"How is the situation on other fronts? How is the progress of friendly forces on the southern and northern flanks of our division?"

Malashenko felt that if he guessed correctly, the 1st Stalin Guards Tank Division would probably be the unit with the fastest assault speed and the most rapid progress. The strategic situation of the current location of Stalin's 1st Guards Tank Division should be like a protrusion embedded in the actual German control area.

Although this protrusion is in an unstable state of relative motion, it may be tied up at any time due to the smooth breakthrough of friendly forces on the north and south fronts. But if you plan to take action next and continue to attack forward, then the current progress of the friendly forces' offensive will be crucial.

Malashenko did not want to slip into the Germans' defense in depth because he was too fierce and his teammates were too aggressive, unable to retreat, and became a "nail house" surrounded by the Germans on three sides, including the front and the north and south wings.

The worse situation is not impossible. If there is another wave of armored counterattacks by the Germans pretending to be pigs and eating tigers, even the Stalin Guards 1st Tank Division may be in danger of capsizing.

You must know that this is a very large-scale battle organized by several front-level troops. Both the enemy and ourselves have invested unprecedented amounts of troops. Operation Bagration was the largest super battle on the Eastern Front so far. Even the Stalin Guards 1st Tank Division, which had an extraordinary organization, was still as insignificant as a lonely boat in the sea in such a huge super battle. .

Malashenko, who knew how capable he was and how much he weighed, thought it would be better to play it safe first. He shouldn't act recklessly at this time. The truth of knowing oneself and the enemy and being victorious in every battle never goes out of style. Understanding the current battlefield situation before making a decision is the right choice. Comrade Lao Ma did not wait too long for the answer from the political commissar.

"In general, the progress is going well, but relatively speaking, the offense is hindered. You know who this "relative" target is, so I don't need to explain any more."

""

Malachenko, who looked speechless, also did not say much. It had long been a normal phenomenon that the Stalin Guards 1st Tank Division charged the most fiercely and attacked the fastest. Malachenko was more concerned about the political commissar's prediction of the whole situation.

"Based on the remaining time today and the current situation, my suggestion is to try to advance to the attack distance of the next defensive position at most, and at the same time be prepared to respond to the arrival of enemy reinforcements and counterattacks at any time. The premise of this move is that there is no greater breakthrough by friendly forces on the north and south wings."

The next German defensive position shown on the map is five kilometers away. It is a hilly area with uneven terrain. The German army can deploy defensive positions at commanding heights and occupy a height advantage. It is relatively easy to defend and difficult to attack.

More importantly, the location of this third defensive position on the map has exceeded the fire support range of the front's field artillery cluster. Most of the field artillery clusters that had just completed artillery preparations were currently moving positions, advancing to new combat positions and replenishing ammunition, and could not provide support to Malashenko in a short period of time.

Even the artillery units that remained and had not yet moved could not provide artillery support because they were out of range.

This meant that if Malashenko could not get any other support, such as air support, this third line of defense would have to be firmly headed and bitten with teeth.

The deeper the enemy's deep defense was, the stronger the force configuration and the more technical equipment, and the firepower of the self-propelled artillery units under his own division could not be compared with the strategic artillery clusters at the front level, and the effect of the attack was completely different.

If it was to be fought, it would inevitably be a battle that was more difficult and intense than the sum of the previous two battles.

In the end, it was better to take a step forward and bite off a piece of meat from the Germans.

It was better to be safe and hold the two positions that had been occupied and wait for orders.

Comrade Lao Ma, with his hands on the hood of the GAZ jeep and his eyes fixed on the war zone map spread out in front of him, fell into a brief contemplation.