Chapter 179 Cavalry on the Grassland

The worsening battle situation, which was getting worse and worse, finally made the two Soviet main army commanders who felt that the battle situation was beyond their control make up their minds.

After hastily deploying the artillery positions, the Soviet artillery, which aimed the muzzle at the sky above Yelnya in the dark, completed the calibration and fired a series of 122mm S-462 flares to illuminate the night sky of the city and provide vision for their own troops.

With the help of these large-caliber flares that exploded in the air at 500 meters and could illuminate human-sized targets within a diameter of one kilometer, the Soviet siege column, which had a dark vision, could barely distinguish the situation in front of them. At this time, more than 40 minutes had passed since the German army launched the breakout operation.

With the help of 122mm S-462 large-caliber flares, the Soviet siege columns on many main streets in the city organized an encirclement and interception operation against the German army's fleeing breakout troops. The embarrassing situation of having superior forces but no place to use them due to limited vision and passive defense was finally completely reversed.

However, the Soviet army, which encountered a large-scale night battle for the first time and was in a passive role of the encirclement party, was obviously extremely unaccustomed to this rare battle, thus missing the perfect opportunity to intercept the main force of the German breakout at the beginning.

The continuous gunfire that resounded in the night sky of Yelnya City all night finally came to an end at dawn, and it also announced the second phase of the battle in the Yelnya theater, which ended with the German army's active breakout and retreat and the victory of the Soviet army.

After this battle, the seven German infantry divisions that were encircled and surrounded by the two main armies under Zhukov's command in the Yelnya salient had five completely lost their combat effectiveness due to more than half of their casualties, and were unable to participate in the next combat operations. The heavy loss of more than 40,000 casualties at one time was a huge blow to the German army.

In order to preserve the entire troop structure and withdraw the remaining manpower from the Yelnya salient as much as possible, the seven German infantry divisions that broke through the siege overnight left behind a large number of corpses, wounded and technical equipment.

Many German troops carrying important equipment and inconvenient to move were captured by the Soviet army, and a large number of valuable strategic materials and technical equipment fell directly into the hands of the Soviet army and became spoils of war. The scene that Marshal Bock, commander of the Central Army Group, did not want to see the most inevitably happened.

Although the second phase of the battle in the Yelnya salient ultimately failed to achieve Zhukov's previously planned strategic goal, Zhukov, who had actually been mentally prepared for the German army's breakout and escape, did not find it difficult to accept.

The Red Army war god, who had been commanding battles for many consecutive days and had a tense face all day, finally smiled with satisfaction for the first time as if relieved.

"I just went to the headquarters of the 24th Army when I passed by on my way back from the front line, Comrade Commander. Comrade Lakutin is now very nervous and worried that he will be punished for letting the Germans escape without achieving the strategic goal you specified."

"What are your plans, Comrade Commander."

Facing the light words of his chief of staff, Zhukov, who was smiling with a relaxed face because of the successful resolution of the war, immediately put down the water cup in his hand and said with a smile.

"Punishment? Why should I punish him? It's just to give him a heads-up and urge him on."

"The 24th Army and the 43rd Army have contributed greatly to the recovery of Yelnya. No matter what, this is the first battle-level victory that our Red Army deserves since the start of the war, and Yelnya is also the first city we have recovered from the Germans."

"In addition, I plan to report the results of this battle to Moscow and apply for awards for the two armies and various meritorious units. Newspaper reporters from Moscow should arrive at the Yelnya front soon, and the reception work must be arranged in place. This is a great opportunity to publicize the glorious image of our Red Army and the unprecedented victory. If used properly, it will greatly boost the morale of the army and the people."

Seeing that Zhukov was getting more and more excited, the chief of staff, who had taken the opportunity to interrupt, quickly reminded him to speak with a smile on his face.

"Comrade Commander, I think Comrade Political Commissar should be better than me at receiving reporters from newspapers. After all, they are born to do this job. What do you think?"

The two leaders of the Reserve Front looked at each other in silence, and a hearty laugh followed from the headquarters of the Reserve Front.

If we talk about the group of people who are most happy and excited about the recovery of Yelnya, it must be the citizens of Yelnya.

The citizens of Yelnya, who were originally displaced due to the involvement of the war and the entry of the German invaders, are now finally able to return to their own homes on the ruins of the war.

Even if their homes are destroyed and their loved ones are lost, the land where they have lived for generations is not so easy to give up.

Even if they are full of tears and unbearable sadness, the excitement of returning to their homeland is still so sincere and overflowing.

As the sun rises again on a new day, Malashenko, wearing a brand new tank major officer's uniform, stands in front of a full-length mirror, quietly looking at himself in the mirror, a person who seems both strange and familiar.

Since he took over the major uniform from Political Commissar Petrov when he was assigned to the Western Front, this was the first time that Malashenko, who had been busy in battle, had put on this brand new officer uniform.

Gently brushing the brim of the wide-brimmed hat with the faith badge in his hand, the familiar face of Political Commissar Petrov, who personally handed the uniform to him, appeared in front of Malashenko again.

"You must get out of Kiev alive, uncle!"

The wooden door creaked as the metal hinges closed, and a resolute figure in a full set of tank major uniforms had already pushed the door open and left.

The streets and alleys on both sides of the street were already crowded with Yelnya citizens who were in enthusiastic jubilation. In order to welcome these heroes who had recovered their homes from the invaders, almost all the Yelnya citizens who returned home rushed to the streets to see this grand Red Army parade.

The KV1 heavy tank, which had been cleaned and wiped as clean as possible, still had bullet holes on it. As the leader of the entire tank column entering the city, Malashenko, who leaned his upper body out of the turret and stood on the turret of his No. 177 tank, stood up straight, and bursts of loud singing soon came from behind him.

Grassland, grassland!

The vast grassland is endless.

The heroes rode across the grassland.

Hey, the Red Army soldiers galloped forward!

Girl, please look!

Our road ahead is wide and flat.

Look, how far this road is!

Hey, there are constant songs along the way.

Girl, don't worry!

We are ready to meet the enemy.

Look, the red cavalry gallops!

Hey, the Red Army tanks charge forward.

Look, the red cavalry gallops!

Hey, the Red Army tanks charge forward.