Even though the strength of the Soviet Fourth Army was twice that of the German troops stationed on the Berezina River, they were unable to do anything against the armed SS troops, and the attacks over the past few days had proven that they were almost incapable of defeating the SS troops. The army's position had no effect at all, not to mention that right behind them, the German Hermann Goering Paratrooper Armored Division had also rushed over. The commander of the Fourth Army did not know what was happening to the Western Front in the encirclement, and he did not dare to go think. Because if the main force of the surrounded Western Front was eliminated, it would immediately be their turn to be blocked on the west bank of the Berezina River by the armed SS.
A word that had never appeared before suddenly appeared in the minds of the Soviet soldiers, surrender! But it was immediately nipped in the bud by the soldiers. Surrender is shameful, especially in the eyes of Soviet soldiers. Britain, France, the United States and even Germany are all allowed to surrender when they run out of ammunition and food, but in the Soviet Union? This is impossible. It has to be said that the Soviet rulers' control over the country, especially the military, is much higher than that of other countries. The higher-ups knew everything. Ordinary Soviet soldiers and junior officers were also very afraid of the Soviet intelligence agencies. They would not even dare to think about surrender until they were in a desperate situation.
Hold on, hold on at all costs, this is the idea of the 1st Waffen SS Panzer Corps and the Hermann Göring Parachute Panzer Division. Attack, attack at all costs, this is the idea of the Soviet Fourth Army that was blocked in the Berezina River. This is a contest between 100,000 Germans and 200,000 Soviets. Behind them, there is a contest between 80 million Germans and hundreds of millions of Slavs. There has never been such a cruel war in history, but the two countries of Germany and the Soviet Union made this hellish war appear before the world.
The troops of the surrounded Western Front had begun to melt like ice and snow under the attack of Guderian and Hoth. Although most people in the Fourth Army did not understand the fighting inside the encirclement, they already instinctively felt the danger as they stayed here longer.
Under such tremendous pressure, the Soviet soldiers' desire to survive was unprecedentedly high. They wanted to rush out and avoid the fate of being captured by the Germans. They also had their wives and children, and they could not die here. The First SS Armored Corps in front of them became their most direct enemy, and the advance of the Hermann Goering Parachute Armored Division behind them was also blocked by the rear troops of the Fourth Army. In front of the First SS Panzer Corps, the already crazy Soviet soldiers were simply paving a road with blood.
The SS soldiers suddenly discovered that the defensive positions they had built a few days ago were unstable for the first time. The reason for their unstable position was these Soviet soldiers who had almost nothing but their lives. The Soviet soldiers who were running and charging with rifles fell to the ground in front of the SS heavy machine guns. Some soldiers died without firing a shot. Maybe the rifles in their hands had already run out of bullets.
Ula, Ula... these are the only two words that the German soldiers can hear when they are here. These are also two words that make German soldiers feel terrified. Many soldiers could not withstand the Soviet charge and gave up their positions at a loss. When they woke up from their drowsiness, they were already in the rear.
The entire defensive position was broken through in four places at the same time. There was no point in holding on. Dietrich had to order the soldiers to retreat to the rear position. Dietrich looked at the two highly respected generals gloomily, not shady or not. Yang opened his mouth and said, "Two generals, I really can't believe that this is what the leader said. The two divisions with the most powerful combat capabilities of the Waffen SS would actually be frightened into giving up their own troops by a meaningless charge." Position! Oh, my God, I always thought that the Waffen SS that the leader spent so much effort to establish was an army that regarded death as an army. Today, it seems that I was wrong!"
Dietrich's complaint was not without reason. This matter would not happen in ordinary troops. Unexpectedly, it appeared in the so-called elite of the elite, the ace of aces, the Waffen-SS Imperial Division and Above the Vikings, no one will believe what they say. Generals Paul and Howser were also very embarrassed by this low-level mistake and explained, "The soldiers' performance was indeed not perfect, but it was not irreparable. They just lost the most forward position. Our defensive positions are generally still very solid!"
"What I hope the two generals will pay attention to is that when improving the combat literacy of the SS, don't forget what the leader has always emphasized. The armed SS must maintain the spirit of sacrifice anytime and anywhere at all times!" Dietrich paused. After a while, he said, "I must let the guard flag troops appear on the position. At the same time, I hope that I can make up for this low-level mistake and take back the position! It is shameful to be captured by such an army that even lacks bullets. I To avenge shame, avenge the SS!"
"So, Deputy Commander Dietrich, what are you going to do?" General Felix Starner, commander of the Viking Division, asked, and now General Felix Starner also understood. , Dietrich prepared to fight a battle on his own, allowing himself and Paul & Hausser to cooperate with him.
"I need the assistance of the armored troops of the two generals!" Dietrich said without concealment, "Of course the attacking troops are still the standard guard!" Paul Hausser and Felix Stane The two of them looked at each other and nodded at the same time, agreeing with Dietrich's idea and willing to cooperate.
After walking out of the headquarters, Dietrich glanced at the armored soldiers of the Viking Division and the Imperial Division in the name of deputy commander-in-chief. The proud soldiers had a confident look, which deeply intoxicated Dietrich. These armored soldiers should not Fighting in this kind of sniper war, driving a tank to defeat the enemy in a blitz is what they should do.
The Soviet soldiers who occupied the German position were resting. Although they felt sorry for their comrades who died on the charge, the soldiers accepted this reality more indifferently. Since the beginning of the war, they have been enduring it almost all the time. The trauma of the war seems to have become accustomed to this situation. They are used to looking at their comrades who were good the first day, but they turn into cold corpses the next time they fight.
Immediately, before the resting Soviets had time to enjoy the joy of victory, they were alerted by strange noises. Immediately, the Soviets stood up like a nest. They were too familiar with this kind of noise. It was a big noise. The sound is only made when a large-scale tank launches an attack.
I have to say that Dietrich made a lot of noise indeed. This may be the first time that the Panther tank showed its power in combat. The huge tracks crushed the ground and steadily appeared in the sight of the Soviet soldiers. Germany's latest A generation of tanks appeared in the eyes of the enemy. This was the first battle of the Panther tank. In a way, these Soviet soldiers were very lucky, but they may not think so themselves.
One or two... In the end, the Soviet soldiers could no longer figure out how many tanks were attacking them. In the eyes of these Soviet soldiers, this tank that was somewhat similar to the T34 was almost better than the German tanks they encountered some time ago. Tanks are much more profitable, and that's actually the case. There is a generation gap between the Panzer IV tank and the Panther tank. They are not opponents of the same magnitude at all. Maybe the Panzer IV tank can still be the opponent of the Panther tank now, but as the Panther tank becomes more and more perfect, eventually The only one who suffered was the No. 4 tank. The imaginary enemy of the Panther tank was the Soviet T34 tank.
Dietrich is currently on a Panther tank using a telescope to observe the movements of the Soviets. To be honest, Dietrich's move was firmly opposed by Paul and Hausser. In their view, A commander is a commander, and he shouldn't do such things as charging into battle. However, Dietrich had his own plans, and when he actually sat on the tank and commanded the troops to attack, Dietrich truly felt the life he wanted. He was not sitting in the rear and commanding operations, but commanding the troops to charge into battle.
Dietrich ordered more than 300 tanks from the Imperial Division. They rushed towards the position occupied by the Soviet soldiers with an indomitable momentum, followed by the Panzer Grenadier of the Guards. Before the formal opening of fire, the Soviet Union The soldiers came under tremendous pressure, and at a distance of one thousand meters, the Panther tank group started firing for the first time, setting off a cloud of dust on the Soviet soldiers' position.
At the same time, the tank group and the soldiers of the Guard Guards were also accelerating. At a distance of 500 meters, the tanks opened fire again, causing huge casualties to the Soviet soldiers. The closer distance also caused the loss of the Guards Guards. Soldiers began to pay attention to concealment. Although they were not afraid of death, unnecessary sacrifices still had to be avoided.
Finally, they came within the shooting range of the Soviet soldiers. The Soviet soldiers began to use light and heavy weapons to shoot at the Guardsmen who were following the tanks. However, the German soldiers who were well prepared had already carefully hid behind the tanks, except for a few. The unlucky ones, most of the soldiers successfully ensured their own safety.
Bullets and small-caliber mortars hit the armor of the Panther tank ping-pong-pong, leaving only shallow marks and crisp sounds, which did not stop the tank from advancing at all. Dietrich sat in the observation hole On the side, seeing the reaction of the Soviet soldiers, he laughed and said, "It's useless, you can't hurt my tank at all, speed up and press over it!"
At a distance of two hundred meters, the soldiers of the Guards had begun to fight back against the Soviet soldiers in an orderly manner. However, the Soviet soldiers who had no way to hurt the Panther tank showed a trace of panic. Facing such an invincible opponent, They had no choice but to retreat.
But their reaction was a little too late. The Panther tank was obviously running much faster than them. Dietrich shouted into the walkie-talkie, "Press me over and let the Soviets collapse!" I don’t know how many Soviet soldiers died under the tracks of the Panther tank because of this order, but the shock it had was obvious, and it also made the blind Soviet soldiers sober up, and Dietrich was recaptured as he wished. The position captured by the Soviet Fourth Army.
Moreover, after this defeat of the Soviet Fourth Army, the morale of the Soviet Fourth Army also dropped to the extreme. The soldiers no longer believed that they could escape the fate of being encircled and annihilated by Germany. Some soldiers began to flee, hoping to escape the German encirclement alone. Many troops have begun to flee, and even the headquarters of the Fourth Army has begun to have fleeing officers.
The fighting in the encirclement was nearing its end. After the final battle, by July 8, 1941, most of the Soviet troops in the encirclement had been eliminated. Although there are still some Red Army detachments continuing to fight near Novogrudok, this does not prevent the German Army Group Center headquarters from announcing in its instructions on this day: "The two-pronged attack on Minsk has been successful." On July 11, the battle report of the Wehrmacht Headquarters further stated that during the encirclement, the Chinese Communist Party captured 330,000 Soviet troops, 3,100 tanks, and 1,800 artillery pieces. Among those captured were the Sixth Cavalry Corps. Major General Nikki, commander of the army, and Major General Mahalov, deputy commander of the 11th Mechanized Corps.
After regaining consciousness, Guderian and General Hott immediately rushed to the Berezina River, preparing to encircle and annihilate the Soviet Fourth Army, which had almost succeeded in breaking through. They may have known their fate, and most of the Soviet soldiers had no intention of doing so. Love fighting, like a headless fly looking for a way out among the German troops, but no matter where he ran, he could see German soldiers surrounding him from all directions, and he had no choice but to surrender in the end.
By July 13, the Soviet Fourth Army and some small groups of Soviet troops were annihilated on the west bank of the Berezina River. Army Group Center captured 218,000 people, plus the 330,000 people captured earlier. The Soviet Western Front Army with 670,000 troops suffered a devastating blow. In addition to 540,000 prisoners and 80,000 deaths, only more than 40,000 people successfully broke through. By this time, the Soviet Western Front Army no longer existed. Among Germany's three army groups, Army Group Center has taken the lead in completing its mission. Marshal Bock proudly announced the next goal, to attack Moscow.
Germany's most powerful Army Group Center has defeated the opponents it faces, and the Soviet Southwest and Northwest Fronts, which may attack Army Group Center from the north and south, are now being defeated by Marshal Loeb's Northern Army Group's Lundstedt. Marshal Special's Southern Army Group is entangled. The Southern Army Group on the southern front has not yet been able to see the future progress, but the situation on the northern front is already clear, because Marshal Redl of the Navy unexpectedly attacked Demyansk. The beach landing in the north sent a total of more than 40,000 landing troops to the rear of the Soviet Northwest Front.
At this time, even if the Northwest Front Army really occupied Old Rusa, it would be useless, because after occupying Old Rusa, their retreat was still blocked by the German army. Not only was the Northwest Front Army in a dangerous situation, the Norwegian Army Group was obviously better than the old one. There are much more German troops in Rusa and the German troops that have just landed near Demyansk, and the Norwegian Army has almost arrived in Old Rusa. With the strength of the two Soviet armies, it is impossible to defeat them in a short time. With the Baltic Sea at its back, the Northwestern Front was compressed into a long snake formation. To the west was Marshal Loeb's Northern Army Group, to the east was the Norwegian Army Group, and only to the north was the cold water of the Baltic Sea. As for the south, , is the German Army Group Center that has just annihilated the Western Front. In Leningrad, the two divisions of the Waffen SS used any conceivable method to try to enter Leningrad in accordance with their promises to their leaders. Because the Northwestern Front was cut off from returning to Leningrad, Leningrad Le's defenders were not as numerous as in history, but there were still more than a dozen divisions defending. The two divisions tried every means but were still unable to enter the city. After all, the strength of the two sides was too far apart.
But despite this, the soldiers of the Northern Mountain Division still control the gateway to Leningrad. As long as they receive support, they can still attack Leningrad again.
The war has started for a month. In addition to the huge losses suffered by the Soviet Union, the losses on the German side are also increasing day by day. Although they are almost negligible compared with the Soviet Union, both Marshal Loeb and Marshal Bock have already begun. There were concerns about troop casualties. And these things were mentioned in the telegram to the domestic high command. Although there is no request for additional soldiers yet, it is obvious that the troops under his subordinates are somewhat insufficient compared to the vast territory of the Soviet Union.
The size of the Soviet Red Army and the quality of their weapons and equipment were something that Germany had not expected. New divisions of the Soviet Red Army have entered the battle one after another, and the huge mobilization force has made Germany feel the danger. This is why Marshal Bock decided to advance towards Moscow when the southern and northern fronts were still in a stalemate.
Halder wrote in his diary: "It became increasingly clear that we had underestimated not only the economic and transport power of the Russian giants, but, above all, their military might. We initially calculated that the enemy numbered about two hundred Divisions, there are now 360 divisions whose numbers have been identified. As soon as a dozen divisions were eliminated, the Russians invested another dozen divisions. Our army's front was too thin because it was spread too wide. Our front There is no depth. As a result, the enemy often achieves some success after successive attacks."
However, none of these things disturbed Lin Wei's good mood. Regarding the anxiety of the Supreme Command, Lin Wei already knew that the Soviet Union was more difficult to deal with than imagined. Lin Wei had also expected it, but the current situation has exceeded Lin Wei's expectations. Much more. The Western Front Army has been wiped out and completely wiped out. Although the situation of the Northwest Front Army is not very clear, it is roughly the same. As long as Marshal Loeb does not make stupid mistakes and works steadily, he will be able to solve it in a month at most. The only place where the situation is unclear is There is only Kiev on the southern front. If Stalin wants the Soviet Southwest Front in Kiev to withdraw from Moscow, it will undoubtedly be a big trouble. But if Stalin demands to stick to Ukraine as he did historically, Lin Wei will have the confidence to support the armed SS and Army Group South. With the cooperation of the Soviet Union, the Soviet Union's largest front army was killed.