In the time before Marshal Timoshenko arrived, the situation of the Southwest Front worsened. When Marshal Timoshenko, commander of the Central Front Army, came to Kiev and took over the command of the Red Army in Ukraine. Marshal Timoshenko suddenly found that he could not reverse the situation in Ukraine. He sent Major General Tupikov, chief of staff of the "Southwestern Front", to Moscow again. This time Stalin did not show up at all, but asked his chief of staff, Marshal Shaposhnikov, to receive General Tupikov. Marshal Shaposhnikov insisted that the "Southwestern Front" hold Kiev and its surrounding areas. General Tupikov's trip to Moscow did not result in nothing. He gave Marshal Timoshenko a new order from Stalin. In order to reverse the war situation in Ukraine, Stalin sent the Southern Front, which was not yet surrounded and was considered outside the battlefield, The command was handed over to Marshal Timoshenko, and the meaning is easy to understand. As long as Ukraine can be defended, Stalin will give Marshal Timoshenko any support.
Marshal Timoshenko shook his head and smiled bitterly at Stalin's order. The two German army groups were much stronger than the two fronts under his command. Now Marshal Timoshenko had two options to choose from. The first was to the south. The front army stood still and broke away from the encirclement of the two German army groups. The second was to let the southern front army join the battle. This might be able to change the situation of the war in a short time. However, Marshal Timoshenko knew that in Ukraine, the strength of the Soviet Union and Germany was very different. It is so huge that it may eventually lose both the Southwest Front and the Southern Front. After thinking for a long time, Marshal Timoshenko chose to obey Stalin's order and let the Southern Front go into battle. If Marshal Timoshenko did not obey Stalin's orders, perhaps the German army on the southern front could achieve the same great victory as in history, but Marshal Timoshenko obeyed Stalin's orders, which means that if the battle is defeated or won, both sides They will all be remembered by history for this large-scale battle that created history.
In the past few days, in addition to the Waffen SS armored divisions on the northern front line, a large number of infantry divisions from the Southeast Army Group finally arrived behind the attacking armored divisions, forming an unbreakable iron wall with the armored divisions. While Marshal Stein ordered Army Group South to go on the offensive, Linwei ordered the 1st SS Panzer Corps to take a surprise offensive. The Viking Armored Division occupied Gaivoron, and the SS Reich Division reached Bolsna. Fourteen kilometers south. The 1st Skull Division slowly left Konotop and advanced towards Romney with the Police Division. Panzer-General Geir von Schwepenberg discovered that the Waffen-SS Viking Division had advanced forty kilometers south of Lochwica. This forty-kilometer-long section is still open, and more and more enemies are escaping from here...
There were loopholes in the encirclement along a forty-kilometer stretch, although this was negligible for this great battle. But General Paul Hausser clearly knew that the army under siege was unusually sensitive to the loopholes in the defense line. General Paul Hausser personally felt the Soviet soldiers' desire to survive during the Battle of Minsk. It was so strong that if the First SS Armored Corps, which blocked the Berezina River, had not been too strong, the nearly 200,000 Soviet Red Army troops who broke out of the encirclement would have succeeded in breaking through. It was precisely because of this consideration that General Paul Hausser immediately found Dietrich and asked the Guardsmen to go to Lochvita to plug the loophole. To General Paul Hausser's great surprise, the name was Dietrich, commander of the 1st Armored Corps of the Waffen-SS, once again requested to personally command the Guards Standard Corps to plug the loopholes.
In fact, General Paul Hausser did not know what Dietrich was thinking. Dietrich did not have much desire for command power. On the contrary, Dietrich really wanted to go to the front line to command the battle in person, instead of As the commander of a large corps, he sat in the headquarters and issued orders boringly. Admiral Paul Hausser had never experienced this kind of thing, so he could only ask Dietrich to wait again, and then he sent an urgent telegram to Lin Wei.
In the headquarters of the Southeast Army Group, Lin Wei, who was busy, received a telegram from General Paul Hausser. Now inside the headquarters, the staff are busy burning documents and cleaning up what was left here during this period. If someone who didn't know saw the traces, they might think that Lin Wei was defeated and was about to run away. In fact, it was because the encirclement had been formed. Lin Wei felt that it was no longer appropriate to stay here, so he decided to move the headquarters closer to the front line. The trucks outside the headquarters had already formed a long queue, and Lin Wei's own leader of the guard A battalion of Panther tanks and nearly a hundred armored vehicles had been on standby for a long time. After receiving a telegram from General Paul Hausser, Lin Wei took a quick glance and said with a smile, "Let Dieter." Rishi, go ahead and do it, Dietrich’s fighting style is unique and should not be restricted!”
"As you wish, my leader!" The news of victory on the front line is nothing new now. Like all German army soldiers on all fronts, Lin Wei's headquarters is also full of optimism about the war, so Crow It is reasonable for Ford to do this.
Dang, Dang, Dang..., the telegram had just been sent out, and the door of the vehicle parked in front of the headquarters for Lin Wei had been opened. At this moment, Lin Wei, who was about to board the vehicle, was interrupted by the sound of the church. Lin Wei He stopped and stood there with his eyes closed, listening to the buzzing bell until its sound disappeared. Everyone didn't know why, but they could only stop when they saw Lin Wei like this.
When the bells stopped, Lin Wei slowly opened his eyes and said like an astrologer; "Did you hear it? Such a low bell, God is dissatisfied with this country, this ringing is obviously The death knell of the total annihilation of the Soviet Southwest Front Army!" Lin Wei shouted like a magic stick. Lin Wei still doesn't know that Marshal Timoshenko has put the Southern Front into the battle. If he knew, Lin Wei wouldn't mind adding another front.
"Let's go!" Lin Wei, who was babbling like a magic stick, made his subordinates confused. After returning to normal, he jumped into the car. A few minutes later, this huge convoy slowly left under the escort of the leader's guard. here until it disappears.
At dawn on the 14th, the Guards Corps, which had been marching all night, led by Dietrich, arrived at Lochvita. Without even taking a break, Dietrich ordered part of the 1st Battalion of the 2nd Infantry Regiment and the 3rd Battalion of the 1st Armored Regiment of the Guards to launch an attack on the enemy's resistance hub in Lochvita. What was not realized yesterday is realized today! The Third Company of the Second Infantry Regiment passed through the city at lightning speed, suddenly occupied the bridge to the north, and captured an enemy anti-aircraft artillery company guarding the bridge amidst the sound of "Urah". The enemy's resistance collapsed completely. An hour later, the combat vehicles of the 2nd Battalion of the 1st Armored Regiment arrived here, and the Soviet troops raised their hands and surrendered. Lochvita falls into German hands! The 1st Battalion of the 2nd Infantry Regiment passed the bridge and occupied positions on the Yashniki Heights south of Lochvita and the Khalikovtsi Heights west of the city. The main force of the Imperial Armored Division, which advanced with the SS, entered Lochvita at noon and immediately occupied a circular defensive position. Lieutenant General Model went to the front line in person and set up his command post in a school house in Lochvita. In the afternoon, Admiral Paul Hausser arrived here; at critical moments, he always appeared in the front.
"Hi, Dietrich! You did a good job!" Admiral Paul and Hausser, who had just arrived in Lochwica, immediately found Dietrich. Now Paul and Hausser fully understood, Lin Wei Why support Dietrich? People like Dietrich are really not suitable to stay in the headquarters. The battlefield is where he should be.
"The general praised me!" Dietrich still maintained basic humility in front of Paul and Hausser, and asked instead, "General, do you have something to discuss with me?" Dietrich knew that, Admiral Paul Hausser is definitely not a person who insists on having his own way. Whenever he has any new ideas, he will discuss them with others. The commander of the Viking Division, General Felix Stanel, is not here now. The only person who can discuss it is himself. .
"That's right!" General Paul Hausser said without denying it, "Army Group South's attack was earlier than ours and had already advanced further south. It is obviously unwise to act based on telegram analysis, so I want to organize A small detachment is searching south to establish contact with the 16th Armored Division of the 1st Armored Corps of Army Group South, which is closest to us!" General Paul Hausser explained what he meant in a few words.
"I have no objection!" Dietrich said the truth. In fact, there was no need for Paul Hausser to discuss with Dietrich, because Dietrich would not object at all, but Admiral Paul Hausser Apparently he had forgotten this. He had just been judged by himself as a general who was not suitable to be in the headquarters. He immediately came to ask Dietrich for his opinion. As expected, Dietrich gave Paul & Hausser the expected opinion, that is, he had no opinion.
Therefore, a reconnaissance detachment organized under the orders of Dietrich and General Paul Hausser was established. The detachment was ordered to immediately continue the assault southward and establish contact with the 16th Armored Division. In this way, in the history of World War II, an almost unique episode began. The only thing comparable to this is the cavalry long-range reconnaissance during World War I.
Lieutenant Waterman, commander of the 9th Company of the 1st Armored Regiment, was appointed leader of the reconnaissance team. However, he only had a single Panzer IV, a command tank carrying a radio station, and a few personnel carriers. The reconnaissance team consisted of 2 officers-Lieutenant Waterman and Lieutenant Miller-Hoff, 1 war reporter (Special Mission Commander Heising) and 45 soldiers. In order to close the Kiev encirclement, they began a daring tank attack.
The reconnaissance team took action under the scorching sun. The road south of Lochvitsa has a hard surface with occasional swampy areas. Two tanks and several personnel carriers drove past the forward cordon of the advance detachment commanded by Major Frank near Iskovich Senchansky and entered a wide, slightly undulating enemy-occupied area. From this point on, communication with the division headquarters could only be done by radio.
After traveling two kilometers, the shortcomings of this improvised reconnaissance team were exposed. Several vehicles, including a single motorcycle, were at a standstill due to damaged engines and transmissions. Some of the crew were later intercepted by enemy tanks and taken prisoner. The recon team moved on...
After driving for three hours, we saw our first village. A Soviet transport team is resting next to the highway. When the leading tank approached, the enemy hurriedly abandoned the transport vehicle and hid in the nearby sunflower field. The machine gun fired a burst of fire at the sunflower field, igniting a sizzling flame. The reconnaissance team did not stop advancing. As the vehicle drove over a high ground, a truck marked with a red star was seen crossing the road.
There was another round of machine gun fire. keep going! After walking 500 meters, they encountered another group of Soviet troops. This was a long column consisting of artillery, baggage trains, artillery front cars, light carriages and tractors, and was escorted by Cossack cavalry. The machine gun fired again. German tanks and personnel carriers used machine gun fire to carve a path through the enemy column and rush through it.
Lieutenant Terman didn't know what stop meant. He directed his reconnaissance team to rush forward through deep gullies, low-lying lands, forests, fields and rickety wooden bridges. They crossed the Sula River near Dich, which happened to be where Lochvita arrived. Half the distance in rubles. At this time, radio contact was lost. When the vehicle reached another high ground, the radio operator at the Lochvita Division command post heard the sound of "arrived at Luka Highlands at 16:02."
The sun was setting in the west, and the rays were shining brightly. At this time, Lieutenant Waterman had the reconnaissance team stop on a high ground for the first time. The tanks and personnel carriers drove behind the grain stacks and took cover. The officer climbed to the edge of the field and looked ahead with a telescope: on the opposite side appeared the violet outline of the ruble city, and the houses were filled with smoke. At this time, the explosion of artillery shells, grenades and the whistling of machine gun bullets could be clearly heard. There is no doubt that the reconnaissance team has reached a place very close behind the Soviet defense line, only a few kilometers away from the leading elements of Army Group South.
At this time, a German reconnaissance plane appeared in the sky, flying lower and lower, and then slowly landed on a harvested field next to the command tank. An unknown air force second lieutenant jumped out of the plane and ran towards the two tank officers. Come. He reported that he had been sent by the Imperial Division headquarters to pinpoint the location of the reconnaissance team and to inform the 16th Armored Division that a reconnaissance team from the Imperial Armored Division was approaching them. A few minutes later, the plane took off again and flew towards Lubny. It circled over the city of Lubny and dropped a dark lilac-colored smoke bomb. It’s a pre-agreed signal that says, “We’re coming!”
Lieutenant Waterman ordered: "Tanks, move forward!" The reconnaissance team continued to move forward, passed through a deep ravine, and fired at the Soviet troops who suddenly emerged from the darkness. A river blocked the way. The officers found a bridge. But when the Panzer IV started moving, they discovered that the bridge had been blown up, and the tanks had to stop. At this time, figures in earth-gray clothes suddenly appeared on the other side of the river. They were covered in mud: their chins and cheeks were covered with stubble, and they were dirty, but they kept waving. This is the response personnel sent by the 16th Armored Division. The second company of the 16th Engineer Battalion commanded by Lieutenant Lin Qin has arrived. Lieutenant Waterman looked at his watch and said in an unknown tone: "It is exactly 18:20 on September 14, 1941. We succeeded! We successfully completed this death investigation!"
Lieutenant Waterman was so excited that he couldn't help himself. Although Lieutenant Waterman had always maintained strong confidence in front of his subordinates, no one could imagine what Lieutenant Waterman was thinking in his heart. During the march, Watt Lieutenant Waterman had always maintained a high degree of vigilance. Especially when he encountered the Cossack cavalry, Lieutenant Waterman's heart was almost in his throat. All of this has finally passed, and now Lieutenant Waterman can finally put his heart back in.
After the engineers marked the passage across the river, the two tanks and personnel transport vehicle waded across the river and drove into Lub. A few minutes later, the lieutenant of the 3rd Armored Division came to the commander of the 16th Armored Division. The Panzer IV tank with a large "G" mark painted on the turret parked next to the command tank with a "K" mark painted on the turret. The armored units of Army Group Southeast and the vanguard of the 1st Armored Army of Kleist of Army Group South joined forces.
what does that mean? This means that the Southeast Army Group with a strength of 1.050,000 troops and the Southern Army Group with a strength of 750,000 troops, one from the north and the other from the west, have met on the battlefield for the first time. This also means that the encirclement of the Kiev battle has been completely gathered, and the Southwest Front inside the encirclement has been finished.
When the sky fell, the Imperial Armored Division entered the city of Lochvita. The pressure exerted on the German army by the encircling enemies from the west was increasing every moment. Soon, the city of Lochvita was also surrounded by enemies from all sides. In order to relieve the pressure on the north, a battle group of the 39th Engineer Battalion attempted to launch an attack on Lucca and blow up the bridges near Lucca. But this attempt was crushed by enemy defensive fire.
On September 15, the Imperial Panzer Division concentrated its troops in and around the city of Lochvita. Major von Bell, commander of the 39th Signal Battalion, was appointed as the city defense commander. His first task was to secure supplies, followed by receiving the influx of war correspondents from the film industry, radio stations and newspapers. These war correspondents wanted to record in words and images all the details of the historic rendezvous between the two German army groups in the vast Ukraine.
PS: I suddenly thought that this book might end soon!