Chapter 397 Daiying, Let's Not Contact Each Other Anymore. I'm Afraid Mr. Ba Will Misunderstand.

At the beginning of 1942, the Germans were very busy.

First, their Northern Army Group must take the enemy's ports in the Far North, thus completely cutting off the enemy's access to international aid from the outside world.

Since the start of Operation Barbarossa, seven large material transport fleets have departed from the north of Britain and sailed more than 2,000 kilometers through the Arctic Ocean to reach the Murmansk area.

This sea route is continuously providing blood transfusions to the old Russians.

According to statistics from the front-line troops, in just a few months, the enemy received at least 750 tanks, 800 fighters and 100,000 tons of other equipment.

These weapons seriously hindered the pace of the Northern Army Group's offensive.

Secondly, LNgrad must be occupied as soon as possible.

After so long of siege, the morale of troops at all levels has been hit hard, and the enemy even has the intention of getting stronger and stronger. If this nail house cannot be solved, what can we talk about conquering.

Finally, there is the issue of Crimea. The medium-sized bombers taking off from there can directly bomb the oil fields in Romania.

For the German Third Army, oil is their lifeblood. It was not easy to own an oil-producing area, so the little mustache would not allow the big mustache to threaten their economic lifeline.

Of course, the most important thing is the Central Theater.

Although the enemy is very tenacious and has shown amazing combat effectiveness and mobilization capabilities in the war. But their own logistics problems have been solved, and they only need a good day to continue the general offensive.

The battle force is 1.8 million to 1.25 million, and the advantage is mine!

······

Tula, a certain infantry division of the 50th Army.

"Division Commander, the newly added soldiers have arrived at the front. Comrade Political Commissar is mobilizing the new recruits and is expected to return to the division headquarters in half an hour."

"Our biggest problem now is the lack of anti-tank weapons and anti-aircraft guns. The anti-aircraft artillery battalion and anti-tank battalion directly under the division are seriously understaffed, and their combat effectiveness is less than half of their peak period."

"Even if we can build a large number of anti-tank trenches and temporary firepower points on the defense line in time, it will be difficult to withstand the joint attack of the enemy's Second Armored Army and Air Force."

As soon as these words came out, Makarov immediately turned into a bitter face, and even the joy of the arrival of reinforcements disappeared without a trace.

That's right, the commander of the infantry division is Lao Ma, who has a good relationship with Huang He. Everyone who sees his service record will call him a lucky man.

He was ambushed by the Japanese while performing an intercontinental transport mission, but he survived.

He fought with the Finns and was even surrounded by Simon Haye to attack the reinforcements, but he still did not die.

In the Battle of Smolensk, his own troops were severely damaged by the German III, and 400,000 people were captured in this battle alone.

But he led a group of new recruits to successfully break through, and even participated in a bold ambush in the Mtsensk area.

It is precisely because of the above experience that Makarov was able to be ordered to become an infantry division commander in this special period.

Of course, Lao Ma was also unfortunate.

After all, he completed the retirement ceremony in the presence of relatives and friends the day before the German III started Operation Barbarossa.

If it weren't for the enemy's army, Makarov might have driven the tractor he bought in advance and became a farmer facing the land and back to the sky in his hometown.

A moment later, Lao Ma began to observe the situation on the position with a telescope in the temporary command post.

The outermost battle had lasted for a whole night, and the soldiers had suffered a major blow both physically and mentally.

Looking around, the trenches plowed by artillery fire and aerial bombs were devastated, and the wounded soldiers hid in the almost destroyed fortifications waiting for treatment.

"Our position can only withstand one more enemy attack at most."

"Come on, go out with me. The political commissar is not at the front line, and the two of us have to carry the banner of mobilization."

After speaking, Makarov, supported by his third deputy division commander, staggered out of the command post with a Mosin-Nagant.

In the last period of their lives, they still remembered the responsibilities of soldiers.

After entering the position, Lao Ma stopped a soldier who was about to salute him. Looking at the slightly immature faces in the trenches, his heart seemed to be crushed.

"Davri, you have worked hard!"

"In such a short time, we not only dug trenches, but also built breastworks. This is a great thing. Maybe our deeds will not be recorded in the history books of future generations, but the people of Tula will never forget it!"

"I am proud of you!"

Although the trenches on the battlefield were not deep, and the height of some positions was not even one meter. But now the entire division is almost full of wounded soldiers, and being able to do this is already the limit for everyone.

As the division commander who personally trained the recruits, Lao Ma knew that the soldiers had tried their best.

When he heard the word breastwork, the soldier who was originally preparing to salute suddenly broke down, and tears mixed with blood could not stop flowing down.

This scene immediately aroused Makarov's suspicion. He looked closely and found that the things like branches in the breastwork were actually pale and stiff arms.

This act of desecrating the remains of the warriors made anger quickly surge in his heart.

"Who told you to use the bodies of soldiers to build bunkers? Didn't I send someone to escort our comrades to the city behind? What on earth is going on?"

After being reprimanded by the division commander, the young soldier cried even harder. He pointed to the breastwork in front and said painfully:

"This is my brother, this is my instructor, and this is the medical worker who has saved us countless times! We have made an agreement long ago that even if we become corpses, we must continue to protect the survivors and stay on the battlefield to fight together."

At the same time, the helpless and haggard voice of the political commissar sounded from the back.

"I gave the order. The battle line collapsed too quickly last night. There is a farmland nearby. There is really no usable material."

"Let's go, follow me to the command post for a meeting. Someone is coming from the 4th Tank Brigade. The commander of the other side wants to discuss the next tactics with us."

Hearing this, Lao Ma straightened his helmet and saluted the breastwork in front of him before leaving silently.

On the way to the command post, the two also met a soldier holding explosives. According to the other party, he was going to find an opportunity to get under the chassis of the enemy tank.

The cold wind rolled up the snow and fog, making a shrill whistle. Lao Ma suddenly stopped, looked at the position behind him and said:

"Comrade Political Commissar, if I fall before you, please put me in the breastwork. For a soldier, it is indeed a good destination."

"Okay, but we won't be too far apart. And according to our tradition, I will probably go before you."

······

After the two arrived at the command post, the colonel commander of the 4th Tank Brigade had been waiting for a long time. He looked at Makarov's arrangement and said with great heartache:

"You infantry are so far forward! What's the difference between this and seeking death!"

Faced with the doubts of friendly forces, Lao Ma shook his head helplessly, pointing to the military map on the table and said:

"The enemy's vanguard is the 3rd Armored Division of the 2nd Armored Army. Don't you know what kind of firepower Guderian has? We must go first to give the 4th Tank Brigade a chance."

"Only by leading them into the trap we set up can we have a chance to hold the front line."

"The enemy is numerous and we are few, so there is no chance to annihilate the enemy. It's just a matter of order, there's nothing to argue about. You have to choose between trenches and mass graves."

The mission of Makarov and the 4th Tank Brigade is to defend the railway in the rear.

Once the position is lost, their army will become an isolated army without supplies and reinforcements, and the enemy will also open up the passage from Tula to Cold Wind City.

In terms of the current situation, the fall of any transportation hub may become the last straw that breaks the camel's back.

This is also the reason why the 50th Army, where Lao Ma is, fought to the death.

Half an hour later, the three of them discussed the battle plan together. In fact, the specific steps are very simple, that is, to rely on infantry to lure the enemy deep into the area set up in advance by the enemy.

Not long after the colonel commander of the 4th Tank Brigade left, the enemy's offensive forces started a new round of attacks in the early morning. The unreasonable artillery fire instantly covered the defense line arranged by Lao Ma.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The current military thinking of the German Third Division is not complicated. Both the SS and the Wehrmacht firmly believe that only offense, especially unexpected offense, can win in battle.

As Gu Bushai's subordinates, the 3rd Armored Division has brought its superior firepower and mobile encirclement to the extreme.

At the beginning of the attack, their vanguard relied on powerful firepower and rapid mobility to ensure their initiative.

Due to the lack of bunkers and fortifications, most of the soldiers on the position could not withstand the artillery bombardment stage. Coupled with the occasional sound of the Jericho horn, the first line of defense became precarious in an instant.

"Division headquarters! This is the forward observation post!"

"The enemy's armored units are approaching at high speed, and are only five kilometers away from the defense line! Within my visual range, there are 47 Type 3 tanks and 11 Type 4 tanks!"

"Please immediately let all surviving friendly forces in the area gather at the first line of defense and prepare to engage the enemy."

In a sense, Guderian's second armored division can really be regarded as his own son.

Before the start of Operation Barbarossa, when other armored armies were still using 35t, 38t and Type 2 tanks, his armored divisions were already all 105 Type 3 tanks.

Unlike the original timeline, after being beaten by the T-34 and KV series, the German Third Army accelerated the renewal plan of its active equipment, allowing the Long March 3 and Long March 4 to be equipped in winter.

The second armored division was the first batch of troops to replace tanks.

After only half an hour, the Third Armored Division broke through the first line of defense. The infantry behind them quickly followed up, striving to consolidate their positions in the shortest possible time.

Good fortune never comes alone, and misfortune never comes alone.

As the enemy tanks continued to advance, Makarov received a call from the artillery position.

"Division Commander! The enemy's aviation is approaching! It is only a matter of time before the position is discovered. We decided to open fire immediately to help the infantry on the front battlefield share the pressure."

"Davri! Good luck to you! Kill the enemy for me!"

"Fire!"

With the order of the artillery commander, the howitzers and field guns on standby in the rear staged their final swan song.

More than a dozen barreled guns of various types and calibers fired at the same time, and the not-so-dense shells hit the enemy's charge path fiercely.

But the enemy's reaction was not slow, and counterattacks followed one after another.

Unlike the Russians who rely on observation posts to determine the parameters of artillery fire.

At this time, the German Third Army had a firm grasp of the air superiority. The presence of reconnaissance aircraft, artillery calibration aircraft and Stuka allowed them to counterattack in the shortest possible time.

The artillery positions that were originally hidden were exposed in full view from the high altitude.

Although it was cruel, this was a battlefield of life and death, and the party that lost air superiority was so powerless.

The artillerymen also understood this truth, so they were ready to sacrifice before the attack. They planned to use themselves as bait from the beginning to gain a chance for the anti-aircraft artillery battalion to counterattack.

The fierce firepower of the German Third Army far exceeded Makarov's imagination. The two infantry regiments evaporated on the defense line after only three hours.

Of course, the soldiers' fearless fighting style also caused considerable losses to the Germans.

Those scrapped tanks and armored vehicles are the best proof.

Seeing the enemy's 3rd Armored Division entering the decisive battle site, the colonel commander of the 4th Tank Brigade shouted to all around:

"Comrades! The friendly forces have successfully completed the goal and led the enemy to the predetermined decisive battle area. Now, it's our turn to go out!"

"As the only armored force in the entire Tula area! Although our number is not as good as the Germans, even if we die, we must pull the enemy's tanks together! Do you understand!"

"Keep the formation! Charge!"

Unlike some grass-level troops, the 4th Tank Brigade is not the first time to fight with the armored division under the 2nd Armored Division, and it even had a good record before.

These T-34s that suddenly appeared, under the cover of the last infantry regiment, immediately put the rampaging vanguard of the 3rd Armored Division into a hard fight.

The early model of T-34 is better than the early No. 3 and No. 4 in terms of single vehicle performance, that is, it is completely at a disadvantage in terms of radio command.

However, if it fights against the Chang 3 and Chang 4, it will be another scene.

In theory, the two warring parties can destroy each other in terms of firepower.

Moreover, the performance of the tank is not the only factor that affects the outcome. Tactical thinking and system are also crucial.

Under the division and encirclement of many elite crews of the German III, the casualties of the Fourth Tank Brigade are not optimistic. If there is no other reinforcement, it is only a matter of time before they are wiped out.

Seeing the friendly forces showing signs of decline, Makarov suddenly couldn't hold back. He stood up from the ammunition box with his rifle and said to the communicator on standby:

"Notify the guard battalion! Prepare for battle! Fight with me!"

The second before going to the battlefield, Lao Ma suddenly thought of his good friend in the Republic of China. The Slavic man smiled bitterly and said to himself in a voice that only he could hear:

"Huang, it seems that I have to break my promise. Lake Baikal and the mountain city, we will go together in the next life."

But at this moment, the communicator who had just gone out suddenly ran back. Looking at the division commander who was ready to die, he pointed in the direction of Lengfeng City and said excitedly:

"Reinforcements! Our reinforcements!"

"There are fighters! There are also hundreds of tanks that have never been seen before! Division commander! We are saved!"

As soon as these words came out, Lao Ma rushed out of the command center at the first time, picked up the telescope in his hand and began to check the situation in the air.

At a low altitude of about one thousand meters, there were more than 300 fighters hunting the dive bombers of the German III, and for a moment, there was a feeling of more wolves than meat.

The Bf109, which could beat its own I-16 in the past, was also forced into a desperate situation by another fighter.

Through the field of view provided by the telescope, Lao Ma also saw the red star identification mark on the fuselage. However, it was a little different from his own machine emblem, because there were golden wings on both sides of the red five-pointed star.

"Hurricane? And Spitfire! Where did these fighters come from? Why did they appear on the Tula battlefield? Aren't they in the North Caucasus Military District?"

Since the end of 1941, the Russians have received nearly 500 Hurricanes.

However, many of those fighters were second-hand and poorly maintained, and some even had desert camouflage.

For the aid sent by the British through the Lend-Lease Act, the pilots in the north just took the attitude of making do with it. After all, even if the performance of the Hurricane is not as good as the BF109, it is worse than the shitty I-16 at home.

After observing for a few minutes, Lao Ma once again discovered the blind spot of the matter.

The air force coming from the direction of Lengfeng City is not only exaggerated in number, but even the performance of a single aircraft seems to have been significantly improved.

After killing those disgusting Stukas, they actually used machine guns and rockets to attack the enemy's ground forces, and the efficiency is not low.

It seems that those Hurricanes are better than the original goods from the British.

In this situation, a bold and crazy idea came out from the bottom of his heart. Could it be that these fighters came from the distant Republic of China!

Soon, Lao Ma's guess was verified. Because an infantry squad holding French rifles and submachine guns came to the command post with a medic, and the medicine packaging in the hands of the military doctor was full of square Chinese characters.

"Comrade Commander, we will take over the next battle."

"There is an order from the rear, you need to return to Lengfeng City immediately to meet the Chief of Staff! Someone will explain the specific situation to you later, and we will talk about it on the way if you have any questions!" (End of this chapter)