Empire in Progress

Chapter 418: wait

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After a tough battle at the Serafimov Memorial Cemetery, Prince Eugen Division commander Arthur Philippe and the Northern Mountain Division rotated the order of attack. After a fierce battle, the Prince Eugen Division now urgently needs a rest. The commander of the Northern Mountain Division, Shade Herman, also fully understood the situation at this time and readily agreed to Arthur Philip's request. After conquering the Serafimov Memorial Cemetery, Division Commanders Schad and Hermann were undoubtedly faced with a difficult target, which was the Lenin Residence Showroom guarding Sampsoniykov Street. The importance of the exhibition room of Lenin's former residence to the entire Soviet Union is self-evident. It can be said that as long as the Soviet Union exists, this is the place where the Soviet people believe. It is the most important place in the Soviet Union except Lenin's cemetery in Moscow. You can imagine the difficulty.

At two o'clock in the afternoon on October 15th, the Sixth Mountain Regiment and the Sixth Armored Reconnaissance Battalion of the Northern Mountain Division began to attack the exhibition room of Lenin's former residence. After capturing this place and then taking control of Sampsoniykov Street, Division Commanders Schad and Hermann can go where they want, the Leningrad Front Army Headquarters on Lenin Square, where Zhukov is located.

Victory was just around the corner. Division Commander Schade and Hermann spoke to his men over the radio. The German soldiers on the front line of Sampsoniykov Street could hear Division Commander Schade and Hermann's speech; "Trapped in the base. For two months on the Love Islands, we did not give in. We endured Zhukov's heavy siege, but we did not give in. But I have never forgotten the soldiers who died on the islands. Today, the opportunity finally comes. We can avenge our comrades who died in the battle. , we will occupy Leningrad, which will return to its original name of St. Petersburg, and Zhukov's fate must be in our hands!" After a pause, Commander Shade and Hermann shouted at the loudest voice,; "The leader ordered, seize Zhukov, life or death!"

All the soldiers who were preparing to attack suddenly paused. They had not heard such a cruel order for a long time. But immediately, the soldiers on the tanks, in the trenches, and preparing to line up suddenly burst into deafening voices, "Hey, Hit? Le..." Thousands of armed SS soldiers raised their right hands high, as if they were When they entered the SS on the first day, they shouted the name of the Führer from the bottom of their hearts. They were always full of hope for Germany, no matter when, where, or what difficulties they faced. They always firmly believe that they will win the final victory. The roar of the SS was heard far away, and the effect of this roar was obvious. At least when they looked at the Soviet position, there was no trace of cowardice in their eyes, replaced by eyes full of murderous intent.

They always believe that war is the best way for Germany to rise, and are ready to sacrifice themselves for this anytime and anywhere. The artillery bombardment began. Compared with the generosity of the Northern Army Group, the artillery bombardment of the Northern Mountain Division was very shabby. But it didn't matter. When the armed SS was preparing for a life-and-death showdown, they would not consider their own support at all, because they had already Already prepared to die. The bombardment hadn't even ended yet. The tanks of the 6th Armored Reconnaissance Battalion had already started up. The Panther tanks started at high speed and rushed into the Soviet Red Army positions around the showroom of Lenin's former residence with a plume of black smoke.

The SS fought for the Führer, and the Soviet Red Army fought for their beliefs, so the battle in the showroom of Lenin's former residence was destined to be inevitably cruel from the beginning. The advancing troops of the German armed SS moved forward like a bulldozer. They were crushed, but a steady stream of Soviet Red Army troops rushed out to try to stop the advance of the Waffen SS. Even if they couldn't stop it at all, they would continue without hesitation.

The bloody battle had begun from the beginning. In addition to preventing the assault of German tanks, Soviet Red Army soldiers were also killing German infantry as much as possible, thus isolating the connection between tanks and infantry. Naturally, the soldiers of the Sixth Mountain Regiment could not let the Soviet soldiers do what they wanted. The battle between sneak attacks and counter-sneak attacks began to revolve around the advancement of German tanks. As the advance progressed, the attacking German soldiers began to discover new problems. Many Soviet soldiers rushed out of Leningrad's drainage channels and sneakily attacked the German soldiers. In this case, even the advancing German tanks could not guarantee Your own safety, because the bottom of the tank, like the top, is an almost undefendable weak point.

It is precisely because of this that the German army used more destructive tactics, such as sewer pipes in their stages. Set up an observation post on the manhole cover at the underground sewer outlet. A lot of barbed wire was placed at various intersections and main passages of the sewers. Empty cans were hung on the barbed wire, and mines were laid underneath. If someone pulls on the barbed wire, the empty cans will ring. Landmines can cause violent explosions. The German soldiers who heard the noise above would use various weapons to shoot and throw grenades into the sewers. Sometimes they even use flamethrowers to drive directly into sewers. Directly turn those unlucky ones who penetrated into black charcoal. However, the most effective method for the German army was the gas generator. This weapon is actually very simple. This generator is actually a sealed container. It is divided into four layers. The innermost layer is a pressure cooker, which is filled with coal and naphtha. The pressure cooker is wrapped with a high-temperature resistant insulating material mica board, and then an electric heating wire plate is wrapped around the mica board, and then the electric heating wire plate is wrapped. It is wrapped with thermal insulation cotton and placed in a shell. There are two holes in the high-pressure sealing area. The left hole is inserted into the temperature measuring rod, the top of the temperature measuring rod is connected to the temperature controller, and the right hole is connected to a hose as a gas launcher. hole. There is a small battery underneath the container. The German army placed this kind of thing in the underground water pipe area, and then German engineers placed compressed oxygen bottles and liquefied gas bottles around it. When the gas concentration in the entire pipeline reaches a certain level, it is ignited. The power of its chain explosions is quite powerful. In places where this powerful weapon was used in Leningrad, all creatures in the sewers were not spared, including cockroaches and rats, and the death of humans was the worst.

Because in a city with narrow streets and many obstacles, it is difficult for tanks to turn and turn around, and their huge bodies will only be ambushed by the Russians. In addition, the Russian troops also supplied a large number of anti-tank guns and anti-tank grenades to these self-defense forces. Let them play their part. Although these weapons were of little use against German tanks, these Self-Defense Forces still used the terrain to deliver a fierce blow to the arrogant German SS armored forces. Because of this, Division Commanders Schade and Hermann quickly withdrew the tank troops and replaced them with more infantry. At this time, Arthur Philip, commander of the Prince Eugen Division, also sent a mountain regiment to cooperate with the Northern Mountain Division.

With the joint efforts of the two SS divisions, the Soviet Red Army troops in the Leningrad House Showroom were continuously compressed until they were completely surrounded. At this time, two full days had passed, and it was already October 17th. The Stuka dive bomber wing of the Luftwaffe's 7th Air Force constantly circled over Leningrad's former residence, clearing obstacles for ground troops.

The fate of the Soviet Red Army here has been determined, and they will be buried here together with their beliefs. Division Commanders Schade Hermann and Division Commander Arthur Philip also began to exchange their thoughts at this time, "I think the Northern Mountain Division should continue to attack as far as Piskalev Street, and then go south. We Eugen The mission of the Prince's Division is to annihilate the defenders here and then go south along Sampsoniykov Street so that we can attack Kalinin Mall and Lenin Square from the east and west and capture Zhukov alive!" Division Commander Arthur Philip said calmly said.

"Can the Prince Eugen Division annihilate the Soviet Red Army here on its own? Doesn't it need our help?" Division Commander Schade and Hermann asked, "If that's the case, I'll go right away!"

The entire urban area of Leningrad is now firmly controlled by Germany. Of course, the resistance of the Soviet Red Army has not stopped. Even on the south bank of the Neva River, there are still small groups of Soviet troops resisting. However, for the German army, this is It can no longer change the overall situation.

The brutal final battle begins. German tanks entered Leningrad. Not only did large-caliber self-propelled artillery such as the Grizzly enter the city, but K36 and K170 210mm grenades, which are more suitable for street fighting due to their large shooting angles, were installed at the station. The 240-meter K5E railway gun was used as a heavy-duty Artillery shells weighing up to 3 tons destroyed Soviet fortifications. While the Germans poured out shells "like a diligent gardener sprinkling water on a garden," experienced Soviet combatants hid in basements. As soon as the shelling stopped, they climbed up and fired at the Germans from every street and building. The "Molotov Cocktail" 75mm anti-aircraft gun of the Self-Defense Commandos composed of the old, weak, sick and disabled and the Guards Militia Division became the second killer of German tanks. In the rubble-strewn streets of Leningrad, as long as one tank is hit, the rest will be blocked, and then the Russians can use anti-tank grenades to eliminate them one by one from the side. In urban buildings, the officers and soldiers of the two countries met in a narrow space and engaged in a hand-to-hand battle with red bayonets. After a German soldier strangled the Russian in front of him to death, he discovered that his stomach had also been cut open and his intestines had leaked. land. The sewers, subways, underground pipes and drainage ditches under Leningrad also became battlefields. The Soviets used them to maneuver their troops and often even appeared behind the German troops.

However, as the distance to the city center became shorter and shorter, the resistance of the Soviet army in the core position became more and more fierce. As a result, the German army's advance also slowed down. In order to support the battle of the assault battle group, the German Army 2 Multiple cannons fire simultaneously at regular intervals. At this time, no birds could be seen in the sky above Leningrad, the bird paradise. Instead, there were German fighter jets, bombers and dive bombers painted with black iron cross emblems. They were frantically dropping one after another. Pound bombs poured into the smoke-filled city, although compared to the artillery, the effect of these aircraft did not seem to be much. However, it is more effective to attack point defenses on the ground under street fighting conditions.

That afternoon, as the German army gradually broke through, the battle for Leningrad had moved to the city center. At this time, the German offensive was more aggressive, based on the problems that had occurred in the street fighting in Leningrad. The Germans changed their tactics. They began to basically rely on assault detachments and assault battle groups in street battles. Assault detachments and attack battle groups refer to combat groups that carry out forcible attacks on solid targets. Assault detachments usually consist of several assault battle groups.

On October 18, the Northern Mountain Division and the Prinz Eugen Division that captured the Kalinin Mall met here. Directly below them was the Liuningrad Square area where Zhukov was located. The two divisions unanimously stopped the attack after capturing the Kalinin Mall. Now they urgently need to rest. Now, 90% of the urban area of Leningrad has been occupied by Germany. Marshal Loeb estimated that Zhukov's troops only numbered 30,000 to 40,000 people. Including the Soviet soldiers who resisted in Leningrad, there were only 40,000 to 50,000 people. Now Marshal Loeb can say that Leningrad has been occupied by Germany and there is no need to worry about anything.

The northern section of Moscow's front. Bock used his most powerful troops to clear obstacles for the SS troops preparing for the assault. The battle started on October 15th. This was because Lin Wei wanted the troops under his command to preserve their strength under the best conditions so that they could play a huge role when they broke into Moscow.

Bock, who attached great importance to this attack, personally came to the headquarters of the Third Armored Army and commanded the Third Armored Army to defeat Timoshenko's main force in front of him. the same day. Rokorosovsky's 16th Army, located on Lelyushenko's left flank, is defending the last high ground east of the Istria Reservoir. In front of his position, Feng's armored forces are pushing into his defense area. This force includes the 191st Armored Brigade of the 211th Armored Division under the Forty Armored Corps. Now, the armored general has a total of 500 tanks in his hands. And enough fuel was prepared to allow these tanks to advance three hundred kilometers.

To make matters worse, Marshal Timoshenko ordered a counterattack on Stalin's instructions. As a result, Rokorosovsky, who was already at a disadvantage in terms of military strength, not only had no defensive position. Instead, they were forced to use Dovatore's cavalry corps to launch a rash counterattack against the Germans after only one night of preparation. As can be imagined, the Soviet cavalry ran into the German armored offensive line as soon as they rushed to the German position. Naturally, they were quickly surrounded by the German army, and after losing a large number of troops. Dovator was lucky enough to escape with the remaining defeated soldiers. At the same time, Rokorosovsky's command post was also heavily bombed by Luftwaffe aircraft. He had no choice but to quickly leave his headquarters with several of his staff officers and quickly fled to Novopetrovskyye, located between Voloklamsk and Moscow roads. This is the left-wing position of the Sixteenth Army. Still defended by the proven 316th Infantry Division of General Panfilov.

Twenty minutes of fierce shelling was the opening salvo of the German army. A total of 16 companies of artillery units participated in this shelling. The area within 400 meters on both sides of the road became the main target of this shelling. Raindrops of shells hit On the heads of the Soviets, because, we are all men. The roads on both sides of the highway were life-eating swamps for the Russians. After the shelling ended, the German motorized infantry began to sweep into the jungle. A Soviet artillery unit suddenly fired at the advancing soldiers. Lieutenant Safink, who participated in the operation, immediately alerted others. So the driver of the other tank immediately stepped on his friends to the bottom, and the rumble of the tank's tracks mixed with the impact of the exploding shells. The nearest artillery positions had emerged. Kunis, the body-slinger, selected his target within seconds. Several rounds of high-explosive bombs hit the position, scaring the Russians into running around. soon. Four retreating 122mm guns were targeted by this armored force. The tanks knocked out the guns within seconds. Then it merged with other vehicles of the third company, and the tank drove to a place thirty meters away from the Red Army artillery position to prepare for a massacre.

The 102nd Infantry Regiment was surrounded that day due to the loss of more than half of the Germans who could not withstand the fierce attack. Rokorosovsky quickly committed the 18th Infantry Division to support Panfilov, but the German tanks were unable to come and soon suffered a devastating blow. What's even more terrible is that General Panfilov was also killed. He was killed in a German mortar attack in the Volokramsko area. Now Rokorosovsky's troops suffered heavy losses and he was almost at the end of his rope.

In Istria, Linwei and General Paul Hausser were observing the progress of the Wehrmacht through the observation port. In the surrounding areas of Istria, the 5th SS Army composed of five armored divisions of the Waffen SS The Armored Group Army has been prepared. As long as the Wehrmacht tears apart the junction between the 16th Group Army and the 26th Group Army of the Soviet Red Army, the Armored Group Army here will immediately take advantage of this opportunity to rush into Moscow.

"The battle is very fierce. I heard that there are many Asian faces. They should be troops of the Siberian Front. The Soviets' mobilization ability is so fast!" Lin Wei sighed, "Uncle Paul and Hausser, Operation Barbarossa Plan has been It was a complete failure, we failed to complete the planned plan!" Lin Wei was a little sad when he spoke. There were two key points in Operation Barbarossa. The first was to quickly encircle and annihilate the heavy military groups in the western part of the Soviet Union, and the second was to take advantage of the Soviet Union's potential. Before mobilization, destroy the Soviet Union or force them to sue for peace. The first point was accomplished. The second point seemed to be accomplished well, but I didn't expect that the Soviet Union's mobilization ability was so fast that Germany's plan failed.