Chapter 722 Heavy Rain Finishes Off

Why did the 13th Guards Infantry Division fail to complete its mission as it was supposed to in the original historical trend?

This is obviously a question that Malashenko should seriously consider, but the time to think about it is definitely not now. Malashenko, who may be crushed to death by the collapsed ceiling at any time, has no time to think about this now.

When he retreated from the regiment headquarters to the basement bunker just now, he was so hasty that Malashenko had neither a phone nor any effective means of external communication.

Of course, according to Malashenko's estimation, the telephone line connected to the outside should have been blown off by the fierce bombardment of the German army as expected, and even if there is a phone now, it is equivalent to a decoration.

Malashenko did not know how long this large-scale bombardment of the German army would last, but the moment he went out to breathe fresh air just now, he could clearly feel that the heavy rain that had lasted for a day and a night had significantly reduced.

The drizzle looked like it would stop completely in less than half a day, and it was obvious that the Germans would do something to stretch their muscles after the rain stopped. This sudden bombardment was obviously the Germans' preparation for the upcoming attack.

Malashenko, who was getting more and more depressed, hated why he had been greedy for half an hour in the morning and slept in a little longer with the fluke mentality that the rain had not stopped. Even though his tired body had long been so tired that it was difficult to get up, Malashenko still wanted to slap himself now.

"Fuck! What the hell is wrong with me!? I suddenly wanted to sleep in on the battlefield! Damn!"

Malashenko, who was walking in and out of the basement, looked very unhappy and his eyebrows were almost squeezed together. Political Commissar Petrov, who was standing aside and watching everything, rolled his eyes and spoke quietly.

"You don't have to worry too much, Comrade Commander. We prepared the deployment this morning last night! There are corresponding troops stationed on each reserve position. I went to check the post last night. Although it was still raining, the sentries were very dedicated to their duties. You should not worry too much about some things."

Political Commissar Petrov hoped that Malashenko would stop wandering around and stop first, but Malashenko, who was like an ant on a hot pot, really couldn't calm down.

"The bombardment came too suddenly, Comrade Political Commissar, you are an infantryman, you should know this better than me."

"Many of our positions and fortifications were dug out temporarily or simply made of shell pits. Not to mention reinforcement, even the soil itself may not be up to standard."

"Of course, I don't mean to blame you. I just want to say that such a level of defense will be completely washed away by a heavy rain. Imagine how our soldiers can resist the attack of those Germans in the mud pond? Even after the rain stops, there is water everywhere. This is terrible, Comrade Political Commissar, very terrible!"

"What I am worried about is not that our troops are not prepared, but what to replace those fortifications and positions washed away by heavy rain. This is the core of the problem."

Malachenko is right.

The German army in 1942 was not a defensive force. Although the German army did not seem to be very good at defensive operations except for Model in the entire history of World War II, it is an obvious fact that the German army stationed south of the railway station did not build any fortifications.

After Division Commander Cheerchenkov and Malashenko took down the German positions south of the railway station, they temporarily reinforced some fortifications and bunkers that had been beaten to pieces before, but due to the rush of time and the sudden heavy rain, the results were minimal.

Now the defensive positions south of the railway station have been broken three times: once when Lavrinenko led his troops to defend the south of the railway station and was repelled by the Germans, and once when Division Commander Cheerchenkov attacked the south of the railway station and tore open the German defense line. As a result, the heavy rain that suddenly fell in the middle of the night also added a knife to the positions that had not been repaired in time.

Now under the fierce coverage of the German artillery fire, it is conceivable how broken the mud positions outside can be.

After hearing Malashenko's words, Political Commissar Petrov fell silent for a while.

The German army chose to attack at this time. Although charging in the rain would slow down the pace of the German army's attack, the heavy rain obviously had a greater impact on the Soviet army in a defensive position. It was not possible to roll in the mud to block the German tanks.

"There is no better way now. We can only think of a way to defend immediately after the rain stops. The plan changes with the situation at any time. We can't stop fighting just because the position was washed away by heavy rain."

Even Political Commissar Petrov, who came from the infantry, couldn't think of any better solution, but the only thing that Political Commissar Petrov never wavered from beginning to end was to hold the position.

The loss of the position does not mean that the war will not be fought. Even if we lie in the mud, we must use our teeth to hold those Germans to the south of the railway station. We must not let the entire railway station fall into the hands of the Germans!

Although it sounds a bit whimsical, Political Commissar Petrov really thought so and planned to do so.

Originally thinking that he could get some good solutions from his partner, Malashenko had placed all his bets on Political Commissar Petrov, a former infantryman. But now it seems that the adjective "a good cook cannot cook without rice" is more suitable for the current situation.

"Fuck you, is it really all we can do to wait and see what happens next?"

Malachenko was so sad that he didn't even dare to think about what he would face next. Using a muddy position to block the German army, which had been strengthened and had been gathering strength for a whole day, was probably as ridiculous as the anti-Japanese drama in later generations.

No matter how reluctant Malachenko was, the German artillery barrage stopped on time after just half an hour, which also meant that a brutal mud fight was about to begin.

The sparse raindrops in the sky had not stopped completely until now, and the smell of gunpowder and scorched earth left by the German artillery bombardment was a bit pungent in the air.

The dull roar of the gasoline engine tore through the brief silence after the bombardment stopped, and the messy steps on the rain and mud under their feet were making the final preparations for everything that was about to come.

One minute and 23 seconds after the last 150mm heavy howitzer shell fell, the first German Type 4 tank, which was rushing forward with a large number of infantrymen beside it, finally appeared in the field of view of Division Commander Cherchenkov's telescope.