On the night of September 16th, the sky was heavily overcast, completely obscuring the moon and plunging the night into darkness. While it wasn't pitch black, seeing anything beyond a short distance was impossible.
"Damn it, tonight is perfect for a night raid!" grumbled General Bäsen.
"Indeed, General. We must exercise utmost caution tonight. I guarantee the Russians will attempt a surprise attack," Colonel Guderian replied.
"Order the frontline troops to remain vigilant tonight. If we can withstand the night, the Russians will be trapped," commanded General Bäsen. For them, this was undoubtedly the most perilous night. By the following afternoon, their main forces would arrive, and the remnants of the Russian 9th Army would be surrounded. If they could hold out tonight, the German forces would claim ultimate victory.
Colonel Guderian nodded. "Tonight, I will ensure the 8th Armored Division is battle-ready. If the Russians dare to attack, we will deploy tanks to crush them."
"Excellent. With the full support of the 8th Armored Division, we stand a much better chance against the Russian assault," General Bäsen said with satisfaction.
By ten o'clock, the Russian forces were prepared for battle. General Lechitsky looked up at the clouds and nodded in approval. He felt that even God was on their side, bolstering his confidence for the impending assault.
"Are you all ready? We will launch our attack in half an hour! This time, we must achieve victory!" General Lechitsky commanded.
"Yes, General," came the unified response.
Half an hour later, the Russian attack commenced. Without any preparatory bombardment, three infantry divisions comprising over thirty thousand troops moved forward. To avoid detection by the Germans, the soldiers advanced quietly, heads bowed and bodies hunched. Although their pace was slow, every soldier strove to minimize noise.
During the day, the Germans' formidable firepower had deeply intimidated them. The Russian soldiers feared that if discovered, they would face a devastating counterattack. If they could approach within two hundred meters of the German defenses without being detected, their chances of breaching the lines would significantly increase.
However, coordinating such a large movement silently was impossible, especially with the heightened alertness of the German troops.
After receiving orders to enhance their vigilance, the German soldiers rested with their rifles in the trenches. Each squad's sharpshooters stood watch, ready to fire at the slightest hint of movement.
Mortars were also on high alert, with illumination rounds prepared to be fired as soon as a sharpshooter engaged.
The sharpshooters, trained to have exceptional vision, could see farther than the average person, even in the pitch dark.
When the Russians edged within three hundred meters of the German lines, one sharpshooter noticed something amiss.
"Bang!"
The sharp crack of the rifle echoed, and a Russian soldier fell to the ground with a cry.
In the stillness of the night, the sound carried far. The sharp gunshot and the soldier's scream reverberated through the air.
Immediately, gunfire erupted across the German positions.
"Whoosh! Whoosh!" Illumination flares shot up one after another, their bright white light dispelling the darkness and revealing the mass of Russian soldiers.
"Rat-a-tat-tat!" The machine gunners, already alert, opened fire. General-purpose and squad machine guns unleashed a torrent of bullets upon the advancing Russians.
The hail of gunfire fell upon the attacking Russian troops like a torrential downpour, resulting in devastating losses as rows of soldiers crumpled to the ground like cut wheat.
The Russian soldiers were stunned. They had been ordered to execute a surprise assault, believing the cover of night would guarantee their success. They never anticipated the Germans were already prepared to meet them with overwhelming firepower, leading to catastrophic losses for the attackers.
"Damn it, the Germans were ready!" the Russian commanders exclaimed, their faces pale with disbelief.
"Order the troops to continue the assault. At all costs, we must breach the German lines. This is our only chance!" General Lechitsky commanded with bloodshot eyes, resembling a gambler desperate to win. He had staked all hope on tonight's attack to evade the German air assault. If they failed to break through tonight, they would be doomed.
General Lechitsky was not a man known for his mercy, nor did he hold the lives of his soldiers in high regard. For the sake of victory, he was prepared to sacrifice every last Russian soldier. Now, that moment had arrived.
"Yes, General."
"Advance, keep pressing forward!"
"We are close to the German defenses. If we can charge forward, their firepower will be rendered ineffective. Victory will surely be ours."
The Russian officers at the front urged their soldiers onward. They could not afford to miss this opportunity, for it was their last chance.
"Ura! Ura!"
The Russian soldiers, spurred on by their officers' encouragement and even the threat of blows, charged toward the German positions like cattle. Their lives held no value in the eyes of their commanders. To them, the soldiers were merely expendable pawns, serving to exhaust German ammunition and fulfill strategic goals. Beyond that, they held no other purpose. The lives of the Russian soldiers were deemed worthless.