USSR 1941

In just five hours, most of the Soviet troops attacking Kozwo Village lost more than half... The 27th Tank Brigade had only 31 tanks left, and the two regiments of the 44th Cavalry Division had nearly 2,000 cavalry soldiers. Several kilometers of open ground later even reached the point where dead horses and wrecked tanks blocked the way, making it impossible for the cavalry to advance and had to stop charging.

The same would have happened to the 4th Tank Brigade in the direction of Skirmanovo village, because they were ordered to let the tanks abandon the infantry and attack with the cavalry like the 27th Tank Brigade.

But Colonel Katukov resisted the pressure and did not agree to do so.

He reported to his superiors: "I promise to capture the village of Skirmanovo within the required time, but please allow me to use my own way!"

Perhaps because of the previous achievements of the Fourth Tank Brigade, the superiors agreed to Katukov's request.

Katukov did not attack from the front, as did the 27th Tank Brigade, nor did it attack along roads and railways.

Because Katukov knew very well that the Germans organized their troops and equipment in this area and planned to break through the Soviet second line of defense to attack Moscow... Volokolamsk, like Klin, has a direct road and railway to Moscow .

In fact, the roads and railways around Moscow are like a spider web. Moscow is in the center, and there are a series of important nodes on the periphery that are stuck on the roads and railways. These nodes cannot be bypassed or are difficult to bypass, because There are muddy places, swamps, rivers, etc. that are difficult to pass.

Klin is one in the north, and Volokolamsk, Mozhaisky, Obninsk, etc. to the south. These nodes are also the pillars of the second line of defense. The Soviet and German armies are mainly at these nodes Fighting on offense and defense, once the German army breaks through and fails to fill the gap in time, the consequences will be disastrous.

Katukov believes that since the enemy plans to attack from here, they must have prepared a large number of artillery fire and tanks here. These artillery fire and tanks can easily block the attack route of the Fourth Tank Brigade, even if they find a place suitable for attack. The same goes for open land.

Facts have proved that Katukov's idea is correct, as evidenced by the failure of the 27th Tank Brigade and the 44th Cavalry Division towards the village of Kozvo.

Even if the Fourth Tank Brigade finally succeeded in capturing the target because of the number of T34s and the ability of tank-tank coordination, the price paid would probably be unacceptable.

So, Katukov's army was divided into two parts... one part was feinting from the front, and the other part was turning around from the side.

"It's almost impossible!" Major Zahakavic, the head of the fourth tank regiment, objected: "Detour from the south,

This means our tank is going to cross a muddy field! "

"The Germans think so too!" said Katukov, "so they wouldn't think of us attacking from this direction!"

"But if our tank gets stuck in the mud..."

"Did you forget that we have a self-rescue log, Comrade Zakhakovich?" Katukov said: "We have received relevant training. As long as a few tanks smoothly rush into the enemy's line of defense, they can provide cover for the infantry. Then... the other tanks will have enough time to follow up!"

Zahakavic could only nod his head in agreement when he heard the words. This seemed to be a feasible plan. As a tank commander, he was just habitually afraid of muddy ground.

Thus, the artillery preparation in the direction of the village of Skirmanovo added smoke bombs to the shells.

The second battalion of tanks launched a feint attack on the front road, railway and an open field in between, while more than forty tanks of the first battalion of tanks led the 333rd infantry regiment to detour.

Shulka was one of them, but his attention was not attracted by the enemy but by the propaganda vehicle following the troops.

"Comrades!" A passionate and majestic voice came from the loudspeaker: "Our country is undergoing the invasion of the enemy, and it is at a critical moment of life and death. But these invaders made a wrong calculation. Our brave soldiers are not afraid of sacrifice, and the great people go forward , our cause is just, we will never take a step back, and all enemies will perish..."

"What's the matter, Comrade Shulka?" asked the instructor.

"We are going around!" Shulka said, "We are going around without the enemy noticing. Is it going to keep shouting like this?"

The instructor suddenly understood something, then turned and walked towards the promotional vehicle.

Later, it was said that the instructor had to spend a lot of effort to persuade the propaganda vehicle to turn off the horn...the reason was that it was an order from the supreme commander, and they did not dare to disobey it easily.

In the end, the instructor had no choice but to shout at them angrily: "Do you know what you are doing? I have reason to believe that you are the enemy's spies. You use this method to expose our attack direction, so that they can do it well in advance." Guard and put the shells on our heads!"

No one dared to easily bear the consequences of espionage, so they gave up.

The attack went smoother than expected.

Originally thought that a small stream in front of the village would be a big obstacle, but the local soldiers who were familiar with the terrain knew which river section tanks could pass through.

"500 meters downstream, there used to be a boulder in that part! It blocked the path of the stream and turned a bend, causing the stream to overflow into the village. Two years ago we used dynamite to flatten the boulder to allow the stream to pass. That is Say, the bottom of the river there is hard rock!"

The fact was as they said, so the T34 crossed the creek very smoothly.

If there is any trouble, it is that the stone has become smooth under the washing of the stream and the green moss has grown on the track, which is easy to slip, but it is not a problem as long as it is passed at a slow speed.

Then there was a muddy field, and it took about two kilometers to reach the village of Skirmanovo.

Just like what Katukov thought, the Germans must think that no tanks can pass through this muddy field, and of course no infantry is willing to attack from here... The reason is that the mud prevents infantry from running and leaping quickly, and at the same time this Except for a few bushes, the area is empty and there is nowhere to hide.

If someone attacks from here, it only takes a few machine guns to stop them.

The problem is that the Soviet army advances with tanks and infantry, and soldiers who are familiar with the terrain know which areas are hard ground and which places are veritable wetlands.

It is easy for people born here to tell the difference. In summer, the hard ground will become a road for people to walk on. They are only covered with mud on the surface when the rainy season comes, while the wetland is soft even at the bottom, even It could also be a big hole.

On the other hand, the tanks carried enough logs, with more than a dozen logs tied to the side and rear of each tank, and even several trucks were transported by car, ready to be replenished at any time.

They will not be recycled if they are filled in the pit, which means that a fast path is actually paved with logs.

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