A week ago, Moscow.
It was midsummer, and the Moscow train in the middle of the night was still sultry and breathless. The platform has been blocked by military police with live ammunition. Teams of neatly-dressed soldiers are boarding one by one. Few people are seeing off. There are no tears and flowers to see off, and everyone is silent. Not far away, dozens of trains were packed with heavy artillery and war horses.
A distinguished officer stood beside an officer-only train. His gorgeous military uniform looked particularly handsome on his young and upright body, and his serious and determined expression made it impossible to associate with his young and handsome face.
"Go back! Our country is fighting against your country. You can stay at home normally! But I don't think anyone would dare to frame you as a spy. Anyway, I will come back as soon as possible!" In his tone, he said goodbye to a young lady in a black suit and a tulle shawl in front of him.
"Come back early and safe!" The lady's eyes were filled with extremely complicated expressions, her husband on one side and her motherland on the other. She really couldn't find a better greeting.
"Yeah! The war will end soon!" The officer gently kissed the lady's lips, and after a while boarded the train without looking back.
For three consecutive nights, hundreds of trains quietly set off from here and headed west.
After the disastrous defeat of the Russian Northwest Army Group in East Prussia, the Czar was shocked. However, more than 1 million soldiers of his Southwest Army Group were fighting the Austro-Hungarian Empire. At the same time, the tendency of Turkey to join the Allied Powers in participating in the exhibition became more and more obvious. Increased troops in the Caucasus. In this case, he decided to send the most elite guards to the German-Austrian front. Soon, 180,000 guards quietly set off from Moscow.
Bialystok, Russian artillery.
"Hurry up! You damn beasts. General Luzkis said, if the cannon can't be delivered within half an hour, I'll be removed from my post. I'll have to cook you up and drink." !" Seeing the three horses pulling the 76.2mm field guns slowly moving, the gunner Sergeant Gleb slapped them hard while cursing.
He looked at the photograph looks ridiculous, the soldiers on the front of a sports car quips. "!! Hey, Gleb kill you even if they have no use for half an hour ah, why do not you try to pull the cannon,"
"group Shkinov, don't talk cold words there! We will be punished if we can't get to the front in half an hour!" Gleb looked back, and the railway was full of slow-moving cannons and carriages. Begin to curse the Germans.
"Damn the Germans. I actually demolished sections of the railway here! Otherwise, we would have reached the front line by train!"
"Do you think the Germans are as stupid as you? Leave the undamaged railroad there for you to transport." Hit them with the cannon!" The guy named Kishkinov laughed at her nonchalantly. "What color is your fellow's heart? You have been toward the Germans!" Gleb was about to whip him but heard the faint sound of the engine roaring from the sky. Everyone was quiet, listening to the hum from far and near. After a while, a group of black spots appeared in the northern sky, getting closer and bigger. Also getting lower and lower, finally. All 40 biplane bombers "ostrich 1" appeared in the sight of the Russian artillery. This bomber with a maximum range of 210 miles took off from Königsberg Airport early in the morning. "It's a German plane again! There are no balloons and airships here. They came to the wrong place!" The Russian soldiers here in Glebuch obviously hadn't seen the power of bombers. They thought that the plane could be bullied like the morning. Balloons and airships. The bombers quickly flew over the Russian artillery team. After turning 270 degrees, they began to fly along the east-west railway, and the bomb fell from the magazine screaming. "God! What's that?" The Russians were stunned, and they didn't start running away until what had been dropped from the plane exploded on the ground. Many ammunition carts loaded with artillery shells were detonated, and the two sides of the railway were caught in a series of explosions. Fire and smoke enveloped the long railway line. Two minutes later, the German bomber returned and departed easily.
Just as the Germans dropped the bomb, Gleb leaped into the grass beside the road, and lay there tightly, clutching his head until there was no sound around him before he crawled out. There was a mess on the ground, and there were smoky or burning pieces of wagons and wheels everywhere. Although his cannon was intact, the two soldiers on the sports car were all killed, and the three horses pulling the cart were not strong. Kishkinov, who was squabbling with him just now, was sitting next to his cannon with a face full of darkness. His cannon had lost one of its wheels and was lying on the ground at this time. Looking around, many war horses and soldiers fell in a pool of blood, and many warhorses escaped in a great fright. Only a few cannons near the ammunition cart were left with a bare barrel.
Just as the Russian artillery was hesitating how to transport the artillery to the front line, the roar of engines came from around again.
"German plane is here again!" The excited Russians looked for a place to hide before they even saw the plane. Soon after, they found that the sound of the engine seemed to be too close to them, as if behind them.
"Don't move! Come out with your head!" Gleb in the grass suddenly heard a German shout. He stood up shivering and turned around to find German motorcycles and trucks everywhere, a German. The soldier was aiming his muzzle at him, and the surrounding gunshots kept on, but most of them were the quack of machine guns from the Germans, only a few rifle crackling sounds mixed in.
Bialystok, East Prussian Army Command.
"His Royal Highness, the 2nd Mechanized Division of the Armored Corps of Colonel Olger has attacked the Russian rear artillery unit, and the 2 armored combat vehicles companies and 2 mechanized infantry regiments of the Armored Division have also reoccupied the eastern side of the Leif River Bridge. There are about 4 Russian divisions on the west side of the bridge. Now, our pockets have been cut. There are more than 180,000 Russian troops without heavy artillery support. They are facing the 50,000th of General Francois's 1st Army. Soldiers, on the left, are 2 divisions of the 4th Army of Colonel Matthew and 1 division of the 3rd Army with 50,000 soldiers. On the right are 1/3 armored divisions and 1 mechanized infantry division with 20,000 soldiers, and 2/3 behind them. One armored division and one mechanized infantry division with 25,000 people." Hoffman spoke with a pile of reports while marking it on the huge battle map.
On the map, the situation looks very favorable for the German army, but the Russian army in the pocket is much stronger than what they planned. Due to the sudden appearance of the Russian army on the eastern front, Chentian had to put the Russian army in his pocket in advance. In the original plan, François' 1st Army should consume at least 50,000 to 80,000 Russian troops in front of the Leif River. , As a result, this step was skipped hastily. The Russian army under the command of General Ruzisky lost a 1 and a half infantry division and about 30,000 people in front of the Leif River. Now there are several complete 5 infantry divisions and 5 cavalry divisions around him, as well as 32 scattered ones. The infantry regiment was surrounded by 20 miles from east to west and 15 miles from north to south between the city of Bialystok and the Leif River. For Chentian, the good news is that these Russian troops have almost lost all their heavy artillery and most of their rapid-fire guns and most of their ammunition is still west of the Leif River.
"Order François and Matthew to consolidate their positions and stop attacking for the time being. Olger's armored forces first separated the Russians a little bit, and then eaten them bit by bit! If the Russians breakthrough, they will concentrate their firepower to drive them away. Go back!" The Chentiandi plan now only needs time, enough time to digest a large number of Russian troops in his pocket.
20 miles southwest of Bialystok, on the outskirts of the right-wing of the Russian army, Olg's armored command.
"Colonel, the two assault regiments you want are ready!" The adjutant awakened Olger from his thoughts.
"Oh, very good!" Olger replied. The command of the Legion Command gave him an order to send a force into the right flank of the Russian army to align an infantry division and a cavalry division on the southwest corner of the Russian army with the main force of the Russian army. Separate, and then concentrate forces to annihilate the two Russian divisions first. Olger seemed a little worried about this order of the General Staff. It is not too difficult to divide the Russian infantry. The problem is that the Russian cavalry with strong mobility and combat effectiveness will obviously not stay in the fishing nets.
He walked outside the headquarters, and an assault force composed of 46 armored combat vehicles, 37 armored personnel carriers, and 522 tricycles was ready to go. Each armored combat vehicle has 11 soldiers and 5 heavy machine guns. Each vehicle is equipped with 40,000 rounds of machine gun ammunition. The armored personnel carrier has 2 heavy machine guns, 2 light machine guns, and 1 platoon of infantry. 10,000 rounds of machine-gun bullets, 10,000 rounds of light machine gun, and rifle bullets. There are nearly 3,000 soldiers here to separate the 30,000 Russian armies from the main force of the Russian army. Olger had to admire the courage of the legion command and the fearless spirit of these German soldiers. He waved to the soldiers of the assault unit. Amidst the roaring noises and the clearing of smoke, these soldiers set off in silence.
Knowing that he was under siege, the Russian commander General Luzkis was not too panic. After all, this German army wiped out more than 400,000 units of the Northwest Army's 1st and 2nd Army not long ago. He felt that the German army used It should be a similar tactic, and now he just regretted his rash advancement. Luzkis sent a distress telegram to the Russian army to the east, but the reply he got shortly after was still dragging the main German army. He then ordered the besieged Russian army to dig out defensive positions on the spot, and at the same time sent cavalry troops to attack the west. Attempt to return to the Leif River Bridge and rendezvous with the remaining troops separated west of the Leif River.
On the southwest corner of the Russian right-wing, the 13,000 soldiers of the Karcha Division are sweating trenches. They are the last Russian troops to pass the Leif River Bridge except for the artillery. They are less than half away. When the position on the east side of the bridge was retaken by the Germans at a small hour, they not only lost their way of retreat but also lost their supplies. Behind them, the artillery transport team consisting of more than 500 cannons was first bombed by the Germans and then attacked by German armored vehicles and motorcycles. When they rushed back for reinforcements, oncoming was the dense German machine-gun firepower. After the loss of two full infantry regiments, they retreated to a defense 4 miles away from the Leif River Bridge, and together they served as the Russian guards. There are three other divisions. These four infantry divisions are lined up at a width of 13 miles from east to west, and they will become the vanguard of the Russian army when they counterattack the Leif River Bridge.
The Prokhov Cavalry Division, the nearest to the Karcha Division, is now all staying near the grove behind the Karcha Division's position. The cavalry and their horses were leisurely hiding in the shade watching the infantry brother's volunteer labor, which envied the soldiers of the Karcha Division.
"The cavalry is comfortable! The most majestic when charging, the safest when retreating, and even so easy when defending! Unlike us, the attack is the slowest, the retreat is the slowest, and we have to keep digging!" The Russian soldier put down his shovel and complained.
"Yeah! We died so many brothers this morning, and these guys all stayed dozing behind the position. After our infantry took the bridge, we had to help them clean up the bridge and let them pass first!" The complaint resonated. But soon the troubles of the cavalry came. The Prokhov Cavalry Division and two other cavalry divisions were sent to attack the German Mechanized Infantry Division and armored units on the Leif River Defense Line. However, in less than an hour, this 10,000 multi-man cavalry division only left half of the division and withdrew back in a desperate manner.
"Retribution!" The previous soldier gloated at the dejected cavalry. They were so arrogant just now, they became a group of helpless sheep in front of the powerful machine gun firepower of the German army.
"Don't be stupid, no one can escape if we can't break through the Germans to defend us!" Another veteran slapped the younger soldier on the head severely.
"That's true! But why are we surrounded by the same number of Germans?"
The veteran glanced at him, shook his head, and continued to dig trenches with his shovel. Just when their trench was dug to a depth of almost 1 meter, the German assault unit suddenly appeared to the southwest of them. The Russian soldier dropped the shovel in his hand, picked up the air rifle that hadn't been fully deployed, and started shooting in a panic. The soldier holding the rifle either bowed or squatted and fired from the trench in an extremely embarrassing posture. The Karcha Division now has only 8 rapid-fire shots. The artillery and a small number of shells hurriedly fired on the armored vehicles and motorcycles that were approaching the German army. As a result, most of the shells fell behind the German army. The artillery shells that occasionally fell in the German queue posed a huge threat to the German soldiers on the motorcycles. The 3 or 4 motorcycles around the impact point of the shrapnel suddenly lost control, and the series of collisions made the German motorcycle queue sunken. A small piece of the collided motorcycle exploded and exploded a high fireball, and the surviving German soldiers rolled on the ground with their bodies full of fire.
When the Russian soldier began to press the second row of bullets into the rifle magazine, the veteran next to him had already mounted the bayonet on the rifle. At this time, the 10 German armored vehicles in front of them had already rushed in front of them. They first stopped in front of the trenches, and used two frontal machine guns to shoot the soldiers in the trenches frantically, and then turned their heads to drive back and forth along the trenches. The machine guns on the roof and the wall of the car began to work hard, forcing the Russian soldiers to flee the trenches. The remaining German armored vehicles and motorcycles bypassed the sides of the trenches and wiped out the Russian soldiers who were trying to flee the area. The soldiers of the entire Karcha Division were suppressed alive near their positions. They and the Prokhov Cavalry Division had been surrounded in a small area, and the road to other Russian troops had been completely cut off. After a while, billowing smoke and dust appeared to the west, and six German infantry regiments arrived in trucks to clean up the separated Russian troops.
The commander of the Karza Division, Colonel Karza, felt extremely frustrated and desperate. The cannon in his hand had no effect at such a close distance. Most of the machine guns were suppressed near the trenches by those damn German armored vehicles. The Russian army is now lying on the ground. Soldiers can only let those German machine guns fire frantically.
At this moment, the remaining thousands of cavalry of the Prokhov Cavalry Division suddenly rushed out of the grove. They desperately launched an attack on the German army, and the Russian infantry looked at them with both expectant and worried eyes. As the German firepower was scattered across the entire cross-section, although dozens of machine guns were desperately spitting out fire at the cavalry, the soldiers rushing to the front fell off their horses as fast as they sprinted, and as the German machine gunners began to replace them. With bullet belts, they rushed to the front of motorcycles and armored vehicles. The soldiers on the German motorcycles opened their eyes with horror, and bright lights flashed across. Many German soldiers were cut off before they could shout. Dozens of motorcycles were besieged by thousands of Russian cavalry. Very bloody and cruel. Only the German soldiers on the armored vehicles tried to stop them with a few machine guns and rifles, but they were unable to change the massacre.
The Russian cavalry screamed and broke through the German blockade, leaving dozens of undamaged motorcycles and nearly a hundred German corpses with stab wounds on the ground. The soldiers of the Karza Division got up from the ground with cheers. They desperately rushed towards the breach opened by the cavalry. However, five armored personnel carriers quickly blocked the opening. There were hundreds of German infantrymen. Jumping down from above, they repelled the Russian infantry with machine guns, rifles, and grenades on motorcycles. Ten minutes later, a large number of German soldiers finally arrived. Although many brave Russian soldiers fought with the German soldiers with bayonets and fists, the number of German infantry soldiers in a neat formation quickly gained the upper hand, and Karl was surrounded. The inspector gradually began to collapse.
The cavalry of more than 3,000 Prokhov Cavalry Divisions that had just rushed out of the blockade quickly made a comeback. With the cooperation of another Russian infantry division nearby, they attacked the German troops that were encircling Karcha Division. They were now arranged in a blockade. The German armored vehicles and motorcycle troops quickly fell into a two-sided attack. The German infantrymen evacuated their trucks before they even had time to clean the battlefield. Hundreds of trucks hurried away, leaving behind a puff of light smoke and flying dust.
In this cutting battle, more than 3,000 soldiers of the Russian army's Karcha division, including the division commander, were killed and numerous wounded. The entire division lost 80% of its combat effectiveness. The Prokhov Cavalry Division also had only two cavalry regiments left, but Olger's armored units also paid a heavy price. 3 armored combat vehicles, 2 armored personnel carriers, and 78 motorcycles were destroyed, including infantry. A total of 711 German soldiers, including the Corps, were killed.
Subsequently, the Panzer Army launched two more large-scale cutting operations, annihilating 1 infantry division and half of the cavalry division of the Russian army. Due to the exhaustion of ammunition, the Russian army began to shrink the defense, and the Olger Panzer Army also began to wait for ammunition. Replenishment, the offensive also temporarily stopped.