The Rise of the Third Reich

"Ula! Ula! Ula..."

The frenzied sound of urrahs rose again, faintly covering the sound of guns. For the officers and soldiers of the 5th "Wiking" Armored Division of the German SS who had fought hard for a day and night on the battlefield of Zaslavl, such a scene was really frightening to them.

"Fire! Fire!"

Almost at the moment Major Schwarzenegger shouted into the communicator, the 35 "Rhinoceros" tank destroyers distributed around the battlefield erupted with long-suppressed gunfire.

After the units of the 5th SS Armored Division were assembled on the Zaslavl battlefield, Major Schwarzenegger finally gathered his men together for the first time - after the troops of the 5th SS Division arrived one after another, each unit The battle group was reorganized. Schwarzenegger's tank destroyer battalions were gathered together to impress the division's firefighting brigade captains. Whenever there was an emergency, these coolie cannons would be used to blast them!

As of now, Major Schwarzenegger still has 35 operational "Rhinoceros" tank destroyers, which is only 7 less than the number at full strength. 2 were damaged due to a traffic accident, and 1 was damaged. A mechanical failure occurred during the march, and the three "Rhino" vehicles are now being repaired. Only 4 were destroyed in battle, of which one was destroyed by the Soviet Il-2.

In other words, from the time when the 5th SS Armored Division went on the offensive again until now, only two "Rhinos" have been damaged by Soviet tanks (done by T-37/57). At the same time, hundreds of Soviet tanks were destroyed by these highly efficient self-propelled artillery!

Just from this overwhelming exchange ratio, we know how good it is to install a tank chassis and armor on the 88mm gun.

Boom boom boom...

As the 35 88mm cannons made a deafening roar, the blazing shells flew forward like lightning. Balls of fireballs immediately rose up in the sea of ​​approaching tanks, and at least ten T-34 tanks were blown up by this round of 88-gun bombardment.

However, the Soviet tanks did not stop shelling because the distance between the two sides was still about 2,000 meters at this time. Even the T-35/57 tank can hardly threaten the "Rhino"'s thin armor at this distance. Super long-distance firing is the best way for "Rhinoceros" to preserve itself on the battlefield and eliminate its opponents.

At the same time as the "Rhino"s opened fire, 14 No. 3 assault guns also opened fire, but they were not firing armor-piercing shells, but high-explosive shells. At a distance of 2,000 meters, this kind of artillery covered with strong armor is simply a nightmare for Soviet infantry - this is also the original purpose of developing the No. 3 assault gun.

The intensive firepower of the "Rhinoceros" and the No. 3 assault gun caused the Soviet tank sea and human sea to slow down immediately, and even retreated in some areas. However, this situation only lasted for a short period of time. When dozens of KV-2 tanks with 152mm artillery roared and appeared behind the Soviet army, the shouts of "Ula! Ula!" once again shook the earth.

This time it was the Germans' turn to be overwhelmed by fireballs one after another, and shrapnel swept through like a storm. Many people who were not protected by armor or anti-gun bunkers were killed on the spot before they could even scream. Gustav Schwarzenegger, holding his head, retracted into his half-track armored vehicle and leaned on the armor baffle to save his life.

Because the rising fireballs and smoke columns blocked the gunners' sight, most "Rhino" guns could no longer use the 88mm gun for long-distance accurate shooting. But they did not sit idle, but instead began to cover the Soviet infantry sea with grenades.

However, the GC communist fighters who were hit did not flinch at all and continued to rush forward with "Ula! Ula!" The Soviet T-34 and KV-1 tanks were moving at full speed like crazy, as if they wanted to rush through the "fatal 1,000 meters" in the shortest possible time.

As long as it reaches within 1,000 meters, the "Magic Needle Cannon" of the T-34/57 tank can exert its power. Although it is still unable to deal with the terrifying Tiger tanks (the Tigers in this time and space have sloped armor, so the protection is better), it is still not a problem to defeat the German No. 4.

…

Light rain fell from the sky, falling on the face of Major Yakov Dzhugashvili, artillery director of the 16th Mechanized Army.

"It's raining, great!" Major Yakov Dzhugashvili, who had been frightened by the German bombers for many days, finally breathed a sigh of relief when he noticed raindrops falling from the light gray sky. It was not that he was afraid of German air raids for his own personal safety, but that he was afraid of the artillery of the 9th Mechanized Army.

After the liberation of Warsaw, the 9th Mechanized Army was transferred from the Western Front to the Belarusian Front together with the 37th Army, and became a member of the front's powerful armored strike force. However, as the troops moved from Warsaw to Minsk, Yakov suffered greatly from German air power. We dare not march at all during the day, and we sometimes get bombed while walking at night. The most hateful thing is that the Germans will also airdrop many specially designed "butterfly bombs" near bombed traffic arteries.

This type of bomb appeared as early as the Polish campaign. It is a cluster bomb, but it does not detonate immediately. Instead, it uses a delay fuse in order to slow down the repair work of the target after being bombed. Now, the Germans have designed this unscrupulous bomb into a landmine, and painted it with camouflage protective color, making it difficult to detect it when thrown in the grass.

Although this "butterfly mine" cannot deal with tanks, it poses a great threat to infantry and wheeled vehicles. Along the way from Warsaw to Minsk, the artillery force of the 16th Mechanized Army led by Yakov lost 16 trucks and 8 cannons, and more than 30 comrades died in the cause of communism.

But it's fine now. It's raining lightly in the sky. Maybe the rain will be heavier in a while, and the German planes won't be able to come for the time being. In this way, the 16th Mechanized Army can march with peace of mind and should be able to reach the battlefield of Zaslavl within the specified time.

That's right, Yakov's 9th Mechanized Army is rushing to the battlefield! Because Vasilevsky has received reports from the Soviet Air Force who risked their lives for reconnaissance, a large number of German armored units are now rushing to Zaslavl.

Obviously, the counterattack of the 1st Shock Army had attracted a large number of German mechanized troops. There will soon be a massive and possibly decisive tank battle outside Minsk.

It was when the 9th Mechanized Army was ordered to rush to the Zaslavl battlefield. In the Belarusian Front headquarters in Minsk, Lieutenant General Vasilevsky was looking at the photos sent back by the reconnaissance plane, which showed that the German mechanized troops formed a march formation of at least 10 parallel columns on the plains of Belarus.

"Comrade Commander, do you really want to fight a decisive battle with the German armored forces near Minsk? I'm afraid our strength is not as good as our opponents..." Chief of Staff Lyapin suggested.

"Strength?" Vasilevsky shook his head, "We overestimated ourselves and underestimated the enemy before the war broke out. But it is still right to fight a battle outside Minsk. There is no better battlefield than Zaslavl. "

"But our tank force could be defeated..."

"We must fight even if we are defeated!" Vasilevsky said. "It is not terrible to lose the battle. What is terrible is that the defeat is out of control. If we do not fight near Minsk, then we can only let the mechanized troops withdraw to Minsk or simply Evacuated to Smolensk."

"That's better than losing it in Minsk."

"No, that's not how the accounts are calculated." Vasilevsky said, "If there is no fighting outside Minsk, then the mechanized troops retreating to Smolensk will definitely attack the Leningrad encirclement after the roads freeze in winter... Attack with all your might!

Leningrad is very close to German soil, and the transportation is so convenient. The Germans will easily transport their armored forces there. By then the situation will be even more unfavorable and the losses will be even greater! "

Vasilevsky is worthy of being a famous Soviet military commander in history. After some analysis, Liapin suddenly became enlightened.

Now the Germans are holding the Soviet Union's fate - Leningrad! Therefore, if the armored forces of both sides do not fight to the death in Minsk, in the end they will just change the battlefield and fight in Leningrad.

And the situation will definitely be even more unfavorable when the battle begins in Leningrad!

"Order Comrade Vatutin to immediately stop the attack and switch to defense." Vasilevsky added, "The 52nd Infantry Corps, the 9th Mechanized Corps, the 1st Tank Corps, the 10th Tank Corps, and the 15th Tank Corps After arriving at the Zaslavl battlefield, they will all be placed under the command of the 1st Assault Army. The 1st Assault Army should set up defenses near Zaslavl to prevent the German army from advancing towards Dzerzhinsk and prepare to inflict heavy losses on the German armored forces in defensive operations. !”

There are also three tank corps under the 1st Assault Army, including those mobilized by Vasilevsky. Vatutin has 6 tank corps and 1 mechanized corps in his hands. The number of tank brigades is as high as 19, and the total number of various tanks he owns exceeds 3,000!

Vasilevsky's abacus turned out to be this - put a large number of mechanized troops in front of the German Army Group North, and the Germans would definitely be unable to help but eat them. Therefore, Vatutin no longer needs to attack, just switch to defense and let the Germans with the advantage attack.

Although the Soviet Union's 19 tank brigades are probably not as strong as the attacking German armored clusters, the possibility of failure even in defense is still quite high. But the defeated troops could easily retreat to Minsk for reorganization, they would not be chased all the way by the Germans, and the losses would not be too great. There should be an acceptable exchange ratio, which is at least better than having to attack Leningrad in the winter. If the German armored group can suffer heavy losses, they may not be able to participate in this winter's Leningrad siege relief campaign.