Chapter 217 Purgatory Pursuit

Watching the colonel, who was born in the staff department and had just flown to the front line from Berlin, the heart of the empire, to lead the front-line troops in combat last month, left in a hurry, the chief of staff, who was doubting whether something was wrong in his heart, immediately stepped forward and said: Major General Fritz, whose face was still as cold as ice, spoke.

"General, this is the first time I have witnessed such a violent shelling in the nearly three months of fighting in the direction of Leningrad. According to common sense, the artillery of the Soviet Leningrad Front surrounded by us has already run out of ammunition and food. , It is impossible to still have such a powerful artillery counterattack force, I am worried."

With the corner of his eye, he squinted at his subordinate partner who was hesitating to speak. He seemed to be ignoring Major General Fritz, who was still roaring with the explosion of artillery shells next to him. He simply said what he was hesitant to say in his partner's mouth. blurted out.

"I know what you are guessing. At this time, the only ones who can launch such a level of bombardment are the Baltic Fleet, which still has the main force in Ivan's hands."

"This damn little city of Leningrad is called the Russian Venice for no reason. With the Neva River, Lake Ladoga, and the Baltic Sea passing through the city, this holy city in the hearts of the Bolsheviks is a city surrounded by the water of life. Blessed city, only by pulling out the sting of the Baltic Fleet can we truly conquer this city, otherwise everything is just a delusion!"

Major General Fritz shook off all the heavy soil on his uniform that had accumulated enough to feel its weight on the brim of his hat and shoulders. His ears, nostrils, and even his mouth were all filled with the earthy smell, and he continued to follow the words.

"The 2nd Ground Attack Air Wing is planning an air strike against the main force of the Baltic Fleet. The primary target is all large Soviet surface ships above destroyers. If everything goes well, it will be deployed within a week. Before that, we There is no other way but to passively deal with the Russian fleet bombardment."

The thunderous bombardment that continued to roar outside the field headquarters has begun to gradually decrease and is likely to stop, although this is undoubtedly good news for the German soldiers struggling in the position shrouded in hellish artillery fire. But this also means that the overall counterattack of the Soviet ground forces after the shelling ceases is imminent.

"General, after the shelling stops, should we order the front-line troops to retreat temporarily to avoid the edge? The troops that have just experienced such a violent shelling will not be able to withstand the charge of those Ivans anyway."

Although it doesn't sound good when it comes out of your mouth, it is still good words that offend the ears, but the words are rough and unreasonable.

Knowing full well how terrifying the opponent's Soviet army would be once it launched an organized group charge, Major General Fritz, who had fully experienced the powerful fighting power of the fighting nation from the Tsarist Russian army as early as World War I, immediately nodded slightly.

"After the bombardment is over, the troops on the first line of defense are allowed to retreat to the second line of defense to regroup and prepare for defense. However, this is limited to this. Any retreat beyond the scope of this order is prohibited from being carried out in any way."

"A limited retreat is just to be able to better win victory. Our ultimate goal in coming to this land that once defeated the French is to be a conqueror rather than to retreat all the way. There is no courage and determination to win. It is impossible to defeat these crazy Russians. This is a valuable experience that has been summed up with the blood and lives of countless people in the last war.”

As predicted by the German Chief of Staff, the bombardment of the Red Navy fleet, which lasted for nearly an hour, finally suspended the thunder after plowing the ground of the entire German position.

Surviving this shelling that was far more violent than the Soviet ground field artillery group, the swaying German soldiers held the weapons in their hands and walked away like drunken street drunks holding on to the earthen wall. They supported each other and struggled to get out of the shell-proof cave.

Even with the name of Germany on its head, it is difficult for an army in such a state of disarray to believe that it can withstand and defeat the Soviet Red Army that is gearing up on the opposite side.

As the violent shelling that shook the earth finally stopped, Malashenko, who was in his commander's position, had been waiting for a long time with the commander's periscope in his hand tightly.

He looked at the young faces around him who were holding their own weapons tightly in their arms, and whose faces were dark and had some fear and timidity depending on the person. Far better than those in later Western black and Soviet films and TV dramas, he knew how to inspire people. The battalion-level political commissar who led the team immediately took the lead and jumped out of the trench with the pistol in his hand raised high.

"Defend the Motherland! Defend the Soviets! Attack for Comrade Stalin's sake!"

Holding the Tokarev pistol tightly, he shouted and shouted like wildfire, which instantly spread throughout the Soviet positions. Comrade political commissars who were much higher than him in terms of status and position were already the first. Jumping out of the trench, this momentary action completely shattered the timidity and fear in the hearts of these young Red Army soldiers in the blink of an eye.

"Ahhhhh!"

"Ula!!!"

Wherever one person's courage leads, thousands of sharp knives will point to him.

The Ula's roar that echoed loudly over the battlefield overshadowed the roar of the diesel engine and the sound of footsteps and echoed into the sky. At the same time, the independent 1st Heavy Tank Battalion, like a beast emerging from a cage, stepped on the accelerator and accompanied the infantry in a full-scale attack. It only took less than half a minute to surpass all the surrounding friendly infantry and rush to the front of the entire group.

The roar of "Ura" mixed with the unique roar of Soviet tanks' diesel engines from behind was shocking. The German troops who had just recovered from the aftermath of the bombardment hurriedly retreated to the second position.

These German soldiers who had just experienced a failed attack and were baptized by a wave of naval guns were now at the last critical point of will collapse. They were completely forcing their last bit of strength to drive their severely overdrawn bodies to move towards the position that symbolized life and hope.

Some German soldiers who were seriously injured and missing limbs but did not have time to undergo battlefield surgery voluntarily stayed to stop the enemy and buy time for their comrades to retreat and reorganize.

However, the only light weapons in the hands of these German wounded soldiers who were lingering on the broken positions could not stop the heavy tanks rushing to the front of the group.

Looking at the German soldier who had his leg broken off in the bombardment and was barely bandaging it with a torn uniform, he was sitting upright on the ground, still gritting his teeth and raising his Mauser 98K rifle, firing at his car in vain.

Malashenko, who inevitably felt a sense of awe and respect, nodded slowly to Iushkin who was looking at him.