The decisive battle against the Third Reich

This incident made Qin Chuan understand that not all soldiers who have experienced hundreds of battles and are well-trained can withstand the test of war.

To be precise, no one can do this. The reason why Qin Chuan and others have not fallen down or collapsed is not because they are strong enough, but because the time has not come yet.

Perhaps because this suggestion was made by Colonel Slaine, he came to the battlefield to inspect the situation soon after.

After seeing the ruins in front of him, he said to Qin Chuan beside him: "You are right, Major. Artillery shells cannot solve the problem. They hinder the tanks' way forward. Now, we have to charge at the Soviets in this ruins without any cover!"

Colonel Slaine was right. Even this tactic could not cause many casualties to the Soviets, because Chuikov gave another order... As soon as the sound of artillery was heard, all the soldiers stationed in the building moved into the basement.

There is usually a thick layer of soil between the basement and the ground building, and they are also located in the strongest part of the foundation, so even if all the ground buildings are blown up, they often cannot pose a threat to the basement.

The Soviets waited there for the bombardment to end, and then they could move to other buildings or the ground through the tunnel.

"But this doesn't change anything, does it?" Qin Chuan asked.

"Yes!" Colonel Slaine replied: "They brought in 'Carl', and 'Dora' is already being assembled. They will think that conventional artillery may not be of much use, but 'Carl' and 'Dora' can!"

This was within Qin Chuan's expectations. The giant cannon should be a product of outdated military theory during World War I. The reason is that these cannons are too large, and the personnel and materials needed to support and use them are not cost-effective. What's worse is... Things like the "Dora" giant cannon must always be on guard against enemy air force sneak attacks, because Soviet Air Force pilots will see a huge target below from a distance.

Therefore, the deployment of the "Dora" giant cannon is not a simple problem of a giant cannon. It must also deploy anti-aircraft firepower around it, and even arrange fighters to protect the surrounding airspace.

And all of this is to enable it to fire three shells per hour, and its barrel life is only 150 rounds.

If it is used against fortress-style artillery like Sevastopol, it makes sense, because each of these fortress-style artillery has considerable value, but in Stalingrad... even if a building or a few tunnels are destroyed, what can it do? There are tens of millions of such buildings in Stalingrad, and the Soviets can dig a few similar tunnels immediately.

But it is obvious that halfway through the plan, Wittsheim and even Paulus will not give up easily, even if Colonel Slaine, who made this suggestion, realizes that he is wrong.

"Sorry, Major!" Colonel Slaine said.

"What?"

"I mean this stupid suggestion I made!"

"Please, Colonel!" Qin Chuan replied: "This has nothing to do with you!"

Colonel Slaine shook his head and left without saying anything.

Qin Chuan could understand Colonel Slaine's thoughts. He was not frustrated because the suggestion was unsuccessful, but because the suggestion he made would kill many of his subordinates and even German soldiers in other units.

This is true, because the situation worsened further.

The German army was the attacking party, and they had to attack no matter if there were ruins or buildings in front of them.

If it was a building, the German soldiers could get close to the building under the cover of tanks, and then clear it one by one.

But if there was a ruin in front of them, the tank would not only not play any role but would become a burden... The German infantry had to occupy these ruins under the enemy's rain of bullets and artillery fire, and clear a passage so that the tanks could continue to advance.

What was even more terrifying was that the Soviets would try to fight the Germans in close combat at any time, that is, close to a distance of about 50 meters, even in ruins.

And this distance was even the distance for throwing grenades, and both the enemy and us could throw grenades at each other while hiding in the trenches.

That is to say, it was not safe at any time. When eating, resting, or even going to the bathroom, a smoking grenade might suddenly be thrown from the opposite side.

So, one bloody fight after another unfolded between the Soviet and German armies.

The two armies were so close that artillery, tanks, and airplanes were all useless... To be precise, artillery was still useful, because the Soviets sometimes fired at the front line without caring that the shells would kill their own people. After all, for them, it was a profit to kill a few Germans.

This made the battle closer to World War I, or more precisely, closer to primitive hand-to-hand combat... After a grenade was thrown over, they shouted and charged at the enemy's position.

A distance of 50 meters, it was almost a blink of an eye to rush over, and then bayonets, stones, teeth, everything that could be used was used.

In this regard, the 1st Infantry Regiment had an obvious advantage, and the reason was still because of the MP43.

Equipped with MP43, even if there was only 50 meters between the enemy and us, the firepower they fired could still suppress the Soviet charge again and again.

Even so, the 1st Infantry Regiment suffered more than 500 casualties... Although this casualty was considered good for the entire unit, because other German troops even had a situation where there were only a few people left in the entire regiment.

But for the 1st Infantry Regiment, such casualties cannot be ignored. In particular, the 1st Infantry Regiment was an elite unit. They could airborne, cooperate with tanks, and even perform amphibious landings. However, they were unable to display all of these skills and could only stay in the ruins and exchange grenades with the Soviets or engage in hand-to-hand combat.

"What can you do?" Colonel Slaine finally couldn't bear the torture. He called Qin Chuan to his headquarters and said distressedly: "Major, we can't let the battle continue like this!"

"I know!" Qin Chuan replied: "But Colonel, you should know that if I had my way, I would not put myself in such danger!"

"But you always have a way, don't you?" Colonel Slain said: "No matter what, put an end to this situation!"

After thinking about it, Qin Chuan said: "If there is any way, I think... we should not be led by the Soviets like this, that is, we must change the method of the game!"

"Yes, of course we have to change!" Colonel Slain said, "The question is how to change!"

"We need to change the direction of our attack!" Qin Chuan looked at the map, then pointed at a point and said: "If you attack them, you will save them and force the Soviets to fight a regular war with us!"