allonlinenovel Chapter 191 Kotelnikovo
Chapter 191 Kotelnikovo
"Bang, bang, bang--", the German machine gunner on the Sd.Kfz.251 armored vehicle discovered the Soviet soldier and fired a volley of bullets at him. The Soviet soldier fell to the ground and died.
Another Soviet soldier appeared and threw an RPG-4 anti-tank grenade at the German Type 43 tank. The moment the grenade left his hand, the German infantry who had rushed over shot him dead with a submachine gun.
"Boom!" The grenade exploded two or three meters from the Panzer IV. Its force was like a volcanic eruption, blasting the surrounding debris skyward. Smoke and ash covered everything like a thick curtain. Then, another dull thud, and the Panzer IV erupted in flames from within. The tank crews fled in panic.
The magnetic bomb had exploded. Like a sharp sword, the jet of metal pierced the armor, burning the driver and gunner inside the Panzer IV before igniting the tank's interior. The tank crews in their three-wheeled vehicles fled in panic. The tank crews, now like frightened birds, clutched their pistols, nervously watched their surroundings, shouting for the infantry behind them to catch up.
The modified Leopard tank suddenly found itself fighting alone, and its position was very bad. The burning "three-wheeled motorcycle" happened to block its retreat.
Without hesitation, the Panther increased its power, shoving the burning Panzer IV to the side before rapidly reversing and preparing to retreat. Several German armored personnel carriers who had managed to escape immediately hid behind the Panther, using it as a shield as they cautiously moved closer to the infantry.
At that crucial moment, the Soviet RPG-7 operator suddenly rose from his ambush position, shouldered the launcher, aimed it at the Panther modified, and quickly squeezed the trigger. With a whoosh, the anti-tank rocket, like an arrow from a bowstring, trailed a long trail of flame as it hurtled straight towards the tank.
Less than 40 meters away, so close. The moment the rocket made contact with the tank's armor, it exploded violently. The shockwave, like a torrential downpour, kicked up a blanket of dust and sent a blinding flash of fire erupting from the front of the Panther. Immediately afterwards, a detonation erupted within the tank, flipping the turret over. The surviving German tank crewmen, sheltering behind the Panther, were also caught in the explosion, falling to the ground.
The German soldiers on the Sd.Kfz.251 armored vehicles were stunned. It took them a while to come to their senses and quickly turned around and fled. The German infantry who were rushing over also turned around and fled towards their own positions like dogs that had lost their homes...
Fu was watching all this from a hidden observation post not far away. Beside him were his good brothers and old subordinates of many years, the commanders of the 187th and 188th Divisions, and two officers of the division level and above.
Fu put down his binoculars and said to the officers, "See? We'll do what the Soviets do. I don't believe our 35th Army, known as the strongest defensive force in China, can't even hold a small place like Kotelnikovo!"
The commander of the 187th Division also put down his binoculars and sighed, "After two years of fighting, the Soviets have become very skilled, especially these elite troops. I think if it weren't for the Soviet Army's rigid combat command system and the incompetence of some senior commanders, the outcome of the Soviet-German battlefield battle would be hard to say."
The commander of the 188th Division took over and said, "The Soviets gained this experience at the cost of their blood and lives. We have to admire them. We really need to learn some things from them."
Fu waved his hand to stop the 188th Division Commander and his men from explaining further. He said, "The Soviets have their strengths and weaknesses. At least we don't need to use the blood and lives of our soldiers to summarize these immature experiences. The three-three combat teams guided by Chief of Staff Huang are far more mature than the Soviet model. Everyone has also undergone relevant training and actual combat drills. From today on, we must display the majesty of the 35th Group Army and the courage to plant flowers. Right here, in Kotelnikovo, we will fight a new battle to defend the Great Wall!"
Colonel-General Johannes Friesner received a report that the 8th Army's offensive had been blocked again. He put the report aside and continued to think about how to break the deadlock. Marshal Paulus had called again a few minutes ago to inquire about the 6th Army's combat situation at Kotelnikovo and urged the 6th Army to capture Kotelnikovo as soon as possible and open up the railway line.
In the Volgodonsk direction, the 4th Panzer Corps of the 40th Army still hadn't broken through the layers of resistance held by a Chinese infantry army. Two armored divisions of the Soviet 55th Army severely constrained its flanks, forcing the 40th Panzer Corps to hesitate in committing its entire force to breaking through the enemy's defenses. The 1nd Panzer Corps, another major element of the 22st Tank Army, briefly appeared outside Kotelnikovo before retreating. Friesner knew that Marshal Paulus had no choice but to withdraw it and move westward.
The situation in Rostov was far from reassuring. The 4th Panzer Army, with its four corps, was clearly struggling to defend Rostov and the vast surrounding area. By this time, the enemy's strength and center of gravity were clear, but the Führer was unwilling to acknowledge it. Furthermore, the political significance of Stalingrad made it clear that the Germans would never give up easily.
In reality, the German high command had tacitly agreed to the advice of Field Marshal von Bock and his Army Group South colleagues. The 11th and 17th Armies, surrounding the perimeter of Stalingrad, had already begun withdrawing. If they had time, they would move south along the railway line to join the defenses west and south of Stalingrad. In other words, the Germans had temporarily abandoned their plans to attack eastward and southward from Stalingrad. The Wolf's Lair hoped to ultimately confront the Chinese and Soviet forces along the Stalingrad-Rostov line. Elite German SS troops, reinforced and equipped with protective armor, had secretly moved northward, their goal remaining to capture Moscow as quickly as possible!
Old Peng and Huang Wei were in an unknown village east of Rostov. This was now the headquarters of the Southern Front's Southern Command. Officers from all levels of the Chinese and Soviet Southern Fronts, including the commanders of the Soviet 55th and 58th Armies, had gathered there. They were discussing how to quickly break through the Rostov front.
Huang Wei whispered to Lao Peng, "General Fu's 35th Army fought very hard at Kotelnikovo. With only a semi-mechanized army facing the heavily armed German 6th Army of over 10 men, their strength was truly too thin."