Chapter 683 Death Station (IV)

Lavrinenko, who was busy directing the battle and was somewhat incoherent, at least said one thing right.

In order to capture Stalingrad No. 1 Railway Station today, the German army deployed two fully equipped infantry divisions and more than half an armored division in the direction of the railway station.

Of course, such a large number of troops could not be used entirely on the railway station as a tactical point. Other blocks around the railway station were also the German army's offensive targets. The German army had already formulated an action plan to clear as many surrounding streets as possible to ensure that there was a certain buffer zone on the flanks so as not to be cut off by the counterattacking Soviet army.

The first defense line to be breached was the southern defense zone of the railway station that Lavrinenko was responsible for guarding.

After the German army assembled more than a dozen tanks and more than 500 infantrymen, they concentrated their forces to launch a targeted attack on the weak points of the Soviet defense that had been tested, while maintaining the offensive and exerting pressure on the front of the defense zone south of the railway station.

Lavrinenko, who was firmly pinned down by the German army with an absolute numerical advantage, could not mobilize any extra troops, but the German army that chose the station wall as the breakthrough point chose the right place and succeeded in one fell swoop.

The German tanks, which encountered almost no resistance, easily ran over the infantry trenches and knocked down the station wall at full speed. The German infantry, who had cleared the trenches outside the wall with an absolute numerical advantage, quickly swarmed in from the gap at the breakthrough point.

Lavrinenko, who was reluctant to admit the bad facts in front of him, was facing a powerful offensive from the German army on both sides. The German army pouring in from the breakthrough point and the German army that was still rushing straight in the frontal attack direction formed a powerful clamp together.

Now, the defensive forces commanded by Lavrinenko were like a snail clamped in the center of the clamp. As long as the German army continued to invest more powerful follow-up offensive forces and exerted a little force, the snail, which was already in danger, could be crushed to pieces in an instant.

Lavrinenko clearly realized how critical the situation he was facing was, and realized that if he continued like this, he would be surrounded and annihilated by the German army. After informing Malashenko and obtaining his consent, he immediately ordered the troops to break contact with the German army and quickly withdraw to the defense zone inside the railway station.

Seeing the Soviet army in front of them withdraw, the German army, which had paid a heavy price in casualties in several consecutive charges just now, was naturally unwilling to let the duck in its mouth run away, and immediately took advantage of the victory to chase after them, wanting to eat up the retreating Lavrinenko and his party in one breath.

Lavrinenko, who was facing the enemy head-on and reversing in a posture to continuously fire to delay the German pursuers as much as possible, felt that the situation was difficult, but at this time, several 61-K 37mm light anti-aircraft guns deployed on the roof of the waiting hall of the railway station began to show their power.

These light anti-aircraft guns were placed in consideration of the possible need for ground fire support, so they were placed very close to the edge of the roof in exchange for a wide downward field of vision and maximum depression angle.

The three 61-K 37mm anti-aircraft guns equipped with armor-piercing tracer bullets fired at a maximum rate of 160 rounds per minute, unleashing continuous fierce firepower on the German troops chasing Lavrinenko.

The short firing distance of 300 meters allowed the fierce firepower of these three light anti-aircraft guns to be fully utilized.

The German army, which was caught off guard and hit head-on, immediately stopped its pursuit. The 37mm armor-piercing tracer bullets that were fired directly at targets of all sizes shattered the bodies of German soldiers. The bloody pieces of meat mixed with the miserable wails of those who survived on the spot echoed between the roar of firepower.

The 37mm armor-piercing tracer bullets fired from top to bottom not only made the German infantry scream and flee, but also the few German tanks with fragile roofs that rushed forward were unfortunately shot through the dome armor by these small-caliber anti-aircraft guns.

The solid armor-piercing bullets that were severely deformed immediately after penetrating the armor and hitting the inside of the tank produced a terrible ricochet effect, and the bullets that bounced and ran around everywhere took the lives of the German crew who had not yet reacted to what was going on.

The German tanks with fallen gunners or loaders quickly reversed at the command of the commander, while those German tanks with intact crew members immediately adjusted the angle of the solid front armor of the vehicle body to the direction of the anti-aircraft gun, and directly began to fire directly at the possibility that the anti-aircraft guns that were shooting from high to low could penetrate the weak points of the armor at any time.

"High-explosive bombs! Aim at Ivan's anti-aircraft gun and smash it!"

"Load!"

"Fire!"

Boom--

Compared to the German tanks that at least had some armor protection, the Soviet anti-aircraft gun crews who exposed their unprotected gun positions to the direct fire of the Germans in order to cover the retreat of Lavrinenko and his party were obviously brave.

The 75mm high-explosive bombs flew at high speed and hit the barrel of the 37mm anti-aircraft gun accurately. The 680 grams of TNT contained in the warhead of the projectile quickly expanded and exploded into a ball of blazing fire, enveloping the entire anti-aircraft gun and the Soviet soldiers operating it.

A violent explosion also detonated the shell box placed at the foot of the anti-aircraft gun position. The huge explosion that almost formed a piece in the chain reaction not only completely destroyed the three anti-aircraft guns, but also blew off a large piece of the corner of the edge of the waiting hall roof.

The rubble that was thrown into the air and then fell down with a crackling sound seemed to have suddenly rained, carrying with it fragments of human body parts and twisted and deformed hot anti-aircraft gun parts.

Attracted by the explosion sound coming from the waiting hall behind him, Malashenko, who had just retreated the tank to a safer place and was about to retreat, immediately looked back in the direction of the sound.

The roof of the waiting hall, which was almost half collapsed at once, was still emitting wisps of smoke, and the scattered rubble even covered the engine cover of Malashenko's car.

Lavrinenko, who had retreated to the position next to the waiting hall and was reversing, saw Malashenko, who was also leaning out of the turret, less than 200 meters away.

Not far in front of Malashenko, the crazy German infantry had already jumped into the infantry trench with a scream and a close fight with the Red Army soldiers who had not yet withdrawn. The fierce bursts of PPSh against MP40 in the trenches became one, and it was impossible to tell where the specific gunshots came from.

Seeing that the front line of defense that Malashenko was in charge of had been broken by the German army, Lavrinenko, knowing that the situation had reached the most critical moment, grabbed the transmitter at hand and spoke loudly to Malashenko, who might not be able to hear his voice.