Chapter 214 Broadside Salvo

The newly replaced main gun coaxial machine gun roared again under the operation of gunner Iushkin. Several German infantrymen who had just repelled the surrounding Red Army infantry and wanted to take the opportunity to besiege them were caught off guard and defeated on the spot. The KV1 tank turret, which had been silent and motionless, was like a beast waking up from sleep, baring its fangs and harvesting the lives of all the prey around it.

The full participation of a whole reserve infantry division of the Soviet army in the battle made the battlefield situation increasingly unfavorable to the German army.

At the beginning of the battle, the German attack force, which could barely rely on the dual advantages of quality and quantity to suppress the remnants of the 21st Border Defense Division of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, gradually began to fail. The small piece of Soviet position that had just been captured was too difficult for the German army, which was only a lightly armed attack force and lacked heavy defensive weapons, to defend it.

More and more Soviet infantrymen continued to surge from the rear like a tide, repeatedly attacking the temporary defense line of the German army. They were forced to retreat again and again under the pressure of the growing enemy numbers and the absolute counterattack advantage.

The German army, which tried its best to avoid hand-to-hand combat with the Soviet army and was helpless against the KV1 heavy tanks, was finally forced to the edge of the cliff after repeated tug-of-war.

"Those Germans can't hold on! The time to destroy the enemy is now, comrades, Ura!"

The Soviet army, which was pursuing the victory, once again launched the Ura charge to drive the German enemy out of the position in one go. Malashenko saw the German infantry retreating again from the commander's periscope, and immediately ordered all the vehicle crews to start the full-line pursuit. The reserve 10th Infantry Division, which had just entered the conflict line area, followed closely behind its own steel behemoths and advanced synchronously.

The dozens of KV1 heavy tanks charging at the front of the team are undoubtedly the most troublesome objects for the German army.

These thick-skinned steel behemoths are simply no way for the lightly equipped German attacking forces to deal with them effectively.

The only consequence of not being able to stop these behemoths is that the temporary defense line of the German army, which has been retreating again and again, has been broken down one after another. The Soviet infantry following behind these tanks will immediately rush in from the gaps in the defense line to expand the results of the battle. The fragmented German army has to order to retreat and reorganize the defense again.

But after a while, the German army, which has barely stopped retreating, will return to the original situation under the offensive of the Soviet army, which is a nightmare-like vicious cycle for the current German attacking forces!

Those small-caliber mortars that were urgently transported and carried by the German army using SDKFZ251 half-track vehicles, although due to their parabolic trajectory characteristics, they can be suspended and fired at the Soviet infantry behind the tanks to have a certain killing effect.

However, these small water pipe mortars, which were small enough to be transported by half-track armored vehicles, were obviously like a drop in the ocean in front of the massive Soviet infantry that launched a division-level charge.

The Soviet infantry and tanks coordinated the division-level organized charge regardless of casualties, completely crushing the possibility of the German army taking the entire position in one go.

Holding the binoculars tightly in his hands, watching the soldiers under his command who had undergone rigorous training and fought all the way from Western Europe, one after another, fell to the ground under the bayonets and steel tracks of the Soviet soldiers. The German commander, realizing that the goddess of victory had not favored Germany after all, had to grit his teeth and give orders with some helplessness.

"Let all the attacking troops withdraw and return to the starting position, and prepare to regroup for the next wave of offensive. Inform the artillery cluster to be ready at any time. Those Ivans are likely to take advantage of the victory to launch a counterattack. If the situation goes well, we can take this opportunity to beat those Ivans back the way they came."

The German commander, who was thinking in his favor, planned to let his attacking troops retreat and temporarily avoid the front line, and lure the Soviet army, which temporarily seized the initiative on the battlefield, to pursue the victory.

When the two troops are far apart and the Soviet pursuit troops are in an open area with no cover to use, they will launch another fierce artillery attack to inflict heavy damage on the Soviet army.

At that time, the German attacking troops, who have taken a short breath and reorganized during the continuous artillery attack, can immediately come back and clean up the Soviet pursuit troops that have just suffered heavy losses from the artillery attack like autumn wind sweeping fallen leaves, and completely seize the entire Soviet defense position of the enemy in front of them.

The Soviet Army's 10th Infantry Division, which had just arrived at the front line to rush to the battlefield, did not have enough time to deploy artillery positions and keep them on standby. This crucial battlefield factor had long been secretly remembered by the shrewd German commander.

As the saying goes, when there is no tiger in the mountain, the monkey will be the king.

Even if the Soviet field artillery unit, a powerful opponent that is enough to rub itself on the ground, is temporarily gone, the German artillery, which accurately grasps the timing and dynamics of the battlefield, can still exert a strong and unexpected power under this premise.

The two German infantry divisions have a total of 24 150mm divisional heavy howitzers, together with other slightly smaller caliber artillery. Only one artillery coverage is enough to severely damage the entire Soviet pursuit force.

As for the Soviet artillery counterattack that may come later, what is the point of waiting until the German tanks rush to their artillery positions?

Looking at the Soviet pursuit troops that had crossed the outermost infantry trenches and began to pursue their own attack troops that had retreated all the way, the German commander, who saw everything developing in the direction he expected, immediately put down his telescope and grinned.

"Notify Harienberg and Gunther Strauss that their artillery can now begin to perform."

The German artillery positions that received orders from the front-line battlefield command immediately launched attacks according to the artillery coordinates that had just been marked.

In an instant, 150mm heavy artillery shells rained down, roaring and whistling through the air and falling into the Soviet pursuit troops, constantly exploding and shaking the earth.

But just like the grin on the corner of his mouth when the German commander put down his telescope, Malashenko, who was marching at the forefront of the pursuit troops and constantly observing with his commander's periscope, also raised his mouth and raised it upwards.

"Do you really think your second-rate artillery can be put on the stage? You think too highly of yourself."

Far behind the Red Army's position, on the rippling and surging Neva River, the majestic "Maxim-Gorky" light cruiser was raising the barrels of all three triple-mounted 180mm main gun turrets and pointing them at the distant sky.

"The coordinates of the German artillery position have been confirmed. All fleets listen to the order and fire in unison!"