Chapter 232 Detour
In just five hours, most of the Soviet troops attacking Kozwo Village lost more than half of them... The 27th Tank Brigade had only 31 tanks left, while the two regiments of the 44th Cavalry Division had nearly two thousand cavalry soldiers. Kilometers of open ground, and later even to the point where dead horses and wrecked tanks blocked the way, making it impossible for the cavalry to advance and had to stop charging.
The 4th Tank Brigade in the direction of Skirmanovo village would have had the same fate, because they were ordered to let the tanks abandon the infantry and attack with the cavalry like the 27th Tank Brigade.
But Colonel Katukov resisted the pressure and did not agree to do so.
He reported to his superior: "I promise to capture the village of Skirmanovo within the required time, but please allow me to use my own way!"
Perhaps because of the previous achievements of the Fourth Tank Brigade, the superior agreed to Katukov's request.
Katukov did not attack from the front, like the 27th Tank Brigade, nor did it attack along roads and railways.
Because Katukov knew very well that the Germans organized troops and equipment in this area and planned to break through the Soviet second line of defense to attack Moscow from here... Volokolamsk, like Klin, has a direct road and railway to Moscow.
In fact, the roads and railways around Moscow are like a spider web. Moscow is in the center, and there are a series of important nodes on the periphery that are stuck on the roads and railways. These nodes cannot be bypassed or are difficult to bypass, because There are muddy places, swamps, rivers, etc. that are difficult to pass.
Klin is one in the north, and Volokolamsk, Mozhaisky, Obninsk, etc. to the south. These nodes are also the pillars of the second line of defense. The Soviet and German armies are mainly at these nodes Fighting on offense and defense, once the German army breaks through and fails to fill the gap in time, the consequences will be disastrous.
Katukov believes that since the enemy plans to attack from here, they must have prepared a large number of artillery fire and tanks here. These artillery fire and tanks can easily block the attack route of the Fourth Tank Brigade, even if they find a place suitable for attack. The same goes for open land.
Facts have proved that Katukov's idea is correct, as proved by the failure of the 27th Tank Brigade and the 44th Cavalry Division in the direction of Kozvo Village.
Even if the 4th Tank Brigade finally succeeded in capturing the target because of the number of T34s and the ability of tank-tank coordination, the price paid would probably be unacceptable.
So, Katukov's army was divided into two parts...one part was feinting from the front, and the other part was turning around from the side.
"It's almost impossible!" Major Zahakavic, the head of the fourth tank regiment, objected: "Detour from the south side, which means that our tanks have to cross a muddy field!"
"The Germans think so too!" Katukov said: "So they wouldn't think of us attacking from this direction!"
"But if our tank gets stuck in the mud..."
"Did you forget that we have a self-rescue log, Comrade Zakhakovich?" Katukov said: "We have received relevant training. As long as a few tanks smoothly rush into the enemy's line of defense, they can provide cover for the infantry. Then... the other tanks will have enough time to follow!"
Zahakavic could only nod his head in agreement when he heard the words. This seems to be a feasible plan. As a tank commander, he is just habitually afraid of muddy ground.
Thus, smoke bombs were added to the artillery shells in preparation for artillery fire in the direction of Skirmanovo village.
The second battalion of tanks launched a feint attack on the front road, railway and an open field in between. Forty tanks of the first battalion of tanks led the 333rd infantry regiment to detour.
Shuerka is one of them, but his attention is not attracted by the enemy but looking at the propaganda vehicle of the troops behind him.
"Comrades!" A passionate and majestic voice came from the loudspeaker: "Our country is undergoing the invasion of the enemy, and it has reached a critical moment of life and death. But these invaders made a wrong calculation. Our brave soldiers are not afraid of sacrifice, and the great people continue to fight , our cause is just, we will never take a step back, and all enemies will perish..."
"What's the matter, Comrade Shulka?" asked the instructor.
"We are detour!" Shulka said: "The enemy is not aware of the detour, is it going to keep shouting like this?"
The instructor suddenly understood something, then turned and walked towards the publicity vehicle.
Later, it is said that the instructors took a lot of effort to persuade the propaganda vehicle to turn off the horn...the reason was that it was an order from the supreme commander, and they dared not disobey it easily.
In the end, the instructor had no choice but to yell at them angrily: "Do you know what you are doing? I have reason to believe that you are the enemy's spies. You use this method to expose our attack direction so that they can do it in advance." Stand on guard and put the shells on our heads!"
No one dared to easily bear the consequences of espionage, so they gave up.
The offense went smoother than expected.
Originally thought that a small stream in front of the village would be a big obstacle, but the local soldiers who were familiar with the terrain knew which river section tanks could pass through.
"500 meters downstream, there used to be a boulder in that part! It blocked the path of the stream and turned a bend, causing the stream to overflow into the village. Two years ago we used dynamite to flatten the boulder to allow the stream to pass. That is Say, the bottom of the river there is hard rock!"
The facts were exactly as they said, so T34 crossed the creek very smoothly.
If there is any trouble, it is that the stone has become smooth under the washing of the stream and green moss has grown on the track, which makes the track easy to slip, but there is no problem as long as it passes at a slow speed.
Then there was a muddy field, and it took about two kilometers to reach the village of Skirmanovo.
Just like what Katukov thought, the Germans must think that no tanks can pass through this muddy land, and of course no infantry is willing to attack from here... The reason is that the mud prevents infantry from running and leaping quickly. Except for a few bushes, there is nowhere to hide.
If someone attacks from here, it only takes a few machine guns to stop them.
The problem is that the Soviet army advances with tanks and infantry, and soldiers who are familiar with the terrain know which areas are hard ground and where are veritable wetlands.
It is easy for people born here to tell the difference. In summer, the hard ground will become a road for people to walk on. They are only covered with mud on the surface when the rainy season comes, while the wetland is soft even at the bottom. It could also be a big hole.
On the other hand, the tanks carry enough logs, with more than a dozen logs tied to the side and rear of each tank, and even a few cars are transported by car to prepare for replenishment at any time.
They will not be recycled if they are filled in the pit, which means that a fast passage is actually paved with logs.
(end of this chapter)
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