The decisive battle against the Third Reich

With a roar of artillery shells and rocket launchers, Zhukov's Kotluban offensive began.

In fact, the Soviet army's Kotluban offensive did not enter the city. The reason is very simple. The Soviet army hoped to break through the German defense line as quickly as possible and cut off the connection between the German army in the east of Kotluban and its main force. Get in touch.

Therefore, this battle is all about speed.

Under such considerations, it is obvious that the city of Kotluban cannot be used as the offensive node. On the one hand, street fighting is more time-consuming, and on the other hand, street fighting is not conducive to tank troops.

The actual breakthrough point determined by Zhukov was the five-kilometer section between the 139.7 heights two miles outside Kotluban and Kuzmich...Occupying the highlands can protect the safety of the Soviet flanks, and at the same time there are still people below the highlands. In the Konnaya Gorge, the Soviet army can use the highlands and canyons to build a line of defense to block the pressure from the main German army. Then the Soviet army can safely cut off and eat the German army east of Kotluban.

The plan was perfect, but the reality was cruel.

The battle went smoothly at the beginning. Moskalenko, commander of the First Guards Army, personally directed the troops on the front line.

The first batch of troops to go into the offensive included the 38th Guards Division, the 39th Guards Division, and the 16th Tank Corps attached to the First Guards Army.

The 38th Guards Division is responsible for attacking the 139.7 Hill and containing the German troops in Kotluban. The 39th Guards Division is responsible for occupying and garrisoning along the Konaya Gorge to prevent all possible German threats from the west.

The 16th Tank Corps was the main force in this battle. It was responsible for running as quickly as possible along the channels opened by the two Guards Infantry Divisions towards Stalingrad, and then launching a surprise attack on the German forces east of Kotluban from the side. .

From this aspect, the Soviet army's tactics have gradually matured, because some shadows of the German "blitzkrieg" can already be seen in these tactics... Although the Soviet army will never admit it, they have actually been studying and Learn German tactics and treat them with their own medicine.

This is normal, and can even be said to be natural. However, because the Soviet army has no air superiority and its communication equipment is relatively backward, it is not very similar to the Soviet Union, and its combat effectiveness is greatly reduced.

Highland 139.7 fell into the hands of the Soviet army half an hour later... There was only one battalion of German troops stationed on this high ground. The Soviet army concentrated artillery fire on it, and then used two regiments to charge it in turns. After paying more than 500 casualties, the 139.7 Highlands were fully occupied.

The occupation of the Konnaya Gorge was also very smooth. This canyon runs north-south, and the defense line the Germans need runs east-west. Therefore, this canyon is basically unmanned. If there are any, it is only set up by the German army on the road. Two checkpoints.

However, these two checkpoints brought unexpected trouble to the Soviet army, because the checkpoints were located in dangerous traffic areas. The German army used machine guns and 50MM mortars to station at the intersection with a canyon on one side and a cliff on the other. The Soviet army several times Even the charge could not break through. It was not until a T34 tank rumbled up that the problem was solved.

Then the 16th Tank Corps stopped for a while to gather its forces and then advanced towards the state farm.

The 16th Soviet Tank Corps consists of a tank brigade, an infantry division and a motorized infantry division, with a total strength of 23,000 troops and 80 tanks.

This force is not large, but Pavelkin, commander of the 16th Army, is not worried at all, because the intelligence he received is that only one enemy infantry regiment is defending the state farm, and the terrain there is open and very suitable for tank troops. Combat. Especially the German defense line is still heading towards Stalingrad.

In other words, the 16th Tank Corps not only had superior strength and equipment, but also attacked the enemy from the back.

In fact, after passing the two levels of 139.7 Highland, the terrain has gradually opened up.

Pavelkin, who was commanding from a T34, thought he should be more cautious, so he took the walkie-talkie and ordered: "Slow down, and the tanks behind will follow and form a battle formation. We must defeat them in one go. Understand?"

"Yes, Comrade Pavelkin!"

The tanks slowed down according to Pavelkin's order, making nervous adjustments as they advanced, gradually forming a wedge-shaped offensive formation headed by 50 tanks and rushing towards the state farm in a mighty manner.

Highland 139.7 is only eight kilometers away from the state farm. The tank army eliminated some German stragglers along the way and arrived in front of the state farm an hour later.

Tanks were parked on the edge of the farm waiting for orders. Pavelkin asked the chief of staff to send a telegram to the headquarters: "The crops are ripe!"

This was the signal for the 16th Tank Corps to arrive and prepare for battle.

A few seconds later, there was a roar of artillery shells and rockets in the air. The artillery shells hit the fields of the state-owned farm in pieces, blowing vegetables and wheat straw into the air in pieces. Many of them were covered by the sun. The sun was golden and the wheat was on fire. When the wind blew, the fire spread like dominoes.

But such a small fire obviously will not affect the offensive of the Soviet tank troops.

Five minutes of artillery preparation... The ammunition that the Soviet army shipped in a hurry was not enough, and the artillery preparation was just to destroy the mines laid by the Germans in the wheat fields.

Then Pavelkin waved his hand and shouted: "Comrades, charge for Stalingrad!"

"Come on!" the Soviet soldiers howled loudly.

As soon as the tank crew stepped on the accelerator, fifty T34 tanks lined up in a row like a shield and led the Soviet army towards the German defense line.

Several artillery shells roared in, which should be German mortars. They exploded feebly near the tank, and all they could do was stir up a piece of soil. More than a dozen aircraft from the Luftwaffe also flew over the state farm to join the battle...

Pavelkin couldn't help but curse. What he was most worried about was the German aircraft. The tanks had no way to deal with them. They could only be blown up one by one under their dive like a target.

But on the other hand, Pavelkin felt more reassured because it proved that the Germans had nothing but aircraft to stop the 16th Tank Army.

Major General Pavelkin seemed to see victory in front of him. He couldn't help but took the walkie-talkie and ordered: "All tanks, advance at full speed!"

It makes sense to let the tank advance at full speed, or it can also be said to be a helpless choice... At this time, the tank is being strafed and bombed by German fighter planes. The faster the tank is, the easier it is to maneuver to avoid being chased by the fighter planes.

On the other hand, by speeding up the tank, it can separate from the infantry, thus minimizing casualties while being pursued by enemy fighters.

But what Pavelkin didn't know was that this was exactly what the Germans wanted.