Burning Moscow

Chapter 1685 Conquer the fortress (middle)

According to Tkachenko’s report, the explosive barrels made by the engineers weighed 80 kilograms each. Once it explodes, people within a diameter of 50 meters will be blown up to the point that they can’t even find the slag. Even if they hide in a solid fortification, they will be shaken to **** death.

As more than a dozen explosive barrels were thrown into the trenches, many of the German firepower points at the main entrance to the south were dumb. Captain Proskulin led the soldiers of the engineer company and successfully approached the lower end of the entrance. By erecting a wooden ladder by the side of the trench, they successfully sent an explosive barrel up and placed it near the entrance blocked by masonry.

I heard that the engineers were about to explode the main entrance of the fortress. Cui Kefu and I went to the top floor to observe the movement in the direction of the fortress. With a earth-shattering explosion, a huge black mushroom tumbling was formed in the air, and countless rubble was lifted into the air.

Cui Kefu, holding a telescope, said to himself: “I don’t know if an explosion of this magnitude can blast the entrance to the fortress? If it doesn’t work, it may take two more visits.”

And what I consider is that those assault engineers who perform blasting missions do not know whether there will be unnecessary casualties in an explosion of this scale? After all, it was the first time they experienced such violent explosion operations.

When the gunpowder near the bombing point gradually dissipated, I saw that there was only a gap as wide as one person, and I couldn’t help feeling secretly that the walls of the German fortress were too strong.

Seeing the explosion just now, Cui Kefu did not explode the entrance enough for the tank to pass through, and quickly told Tkachenko: “Comrade Chief Engineer, you go and tell the soldiers of the Engineer Brigade that they will find a way to do this twice. To explode, we must explode the entrance channel wider.”

Soon after Tkachenko left, I saw the engineers near the entrance getting busy again. They kept stacking all kinds of bridge materials on the side of the trench against our army. It seemed that they planned to wait for the entrance to be blasted, and then immediately erect a bridge over the trench for tanks to pass.

After half an hour, the engineer stuffed two explosive barrels into the blasted gap, and then carried out a second blast. This explosion made me feel that there was a sudden eruption of a volcano. In a loud noise, the broken bricks and rubble were blown away far away. After the gunpowder dissipated, a large gap appeared in the wall of the original intact fortress.

The engineers and soldiers concealed all around took action one after another. Some used ladders to enter the blasted gap and cleaned up rubble from the rubble that was still braving with plumes of smoke; some began to erect bridges over the trenches for tanks to pass. On both sides of the entrance, after discovering the actions of our army, they immediately started shooting with machine guns in an attempt to block the breach that our army had just opened.

Seeing this, Cuikov immediately picked up the phone and called the Chief of Staff Vladimirov, instructing: “The Chief of Staff, order the artillery to bombard both sides of the fortress entrance, suppress the fire on the top of the fortress, and cover ours. Engineers build bridges.”

The construction of bridges by the engineers in the trenches was quickly discovered by the Germans. They deployed several mortar teams nearby, constantly bombarding the vicinity of the entrance, causing considerable casualties to the engineers we were working on.

Seeing this situation, Cui Kefu stomped his feet in a hurry. If it is the firepower at the top of the fortress, we can also use artillery suppression. We can only stare at the artillery fire from behind the fortress wall.

Tkachenko saw that the engineers fell in batches under the German artillery fire, and even the half of the bridge that had just been erected was blown up by the Germans, and his eyes were red with anxiety. He said to Cui Koff anxiously : “Comrade Commander, we have to do something to support our comrades in engineering and soldiers. We can’t just watch them make sacrifices like this.”

“What can I do.” Cui Kefu’s eyes reddened, he shouted at Tkachenko: “The enemy is hiding behind the walls of the fortress. Our artillery has no way to deal with them.”

“Comrade Deputy Commander,” Seeing that Cui Kefu had nothing to do, Tkachenko, who was in a hurry, approached me again and asked for help: “You are a street fighting expert. There must be a way to solve this problem, right?”

I didn’t speak, I just raised the telescope and looked at the entrance where the black plume of smoke rose from time to time, thinking about how to resolve the current predicament. After a long time, I put down my binoculars and asked Tkachenko: “Comrade General, is it an ordinary engineer or an assault engineer who is currently performing the task of erecting a bridge?”

Hearing my question, Tkachenko was taken aback for a moment, and then replied, “Of course it is an assault engineer. Is there anything wrong?”

“Of course it won’t work,” I think Tkachenko explained: “Assault engineers are our main offensive force in capturing fortresses. How can we let them be responsible for the work of ordinary engineers? Now you immediately order our engineers to replace the assault engineers. Work and build bridges over the trenches.”

“What should the assault engineer do?” Tkachenko asked curiously.

“Regroup them and continue to develop into the fortress. If possible, destroy the German mortar teams and cover our army’s cleaning and bridge erection work at the entrance.”

“I understand.” Tkachenko replied loudly, then picked up the phone on the side and called the subordinate engineering units, asking them to take over the work of the assault engineers as soon as possible, clean up the gravel at the entrance and erect them as soon as possible. A good bridge so that our army’s tanks can rush into the fortress as soon as possible.

Although the trench is only a dozen meters wide, it is not so easy for engineers to build a bridge for tanks to pass. It took a full two hours before I saw a bridge take shape. The first thing that drove on the bridge was an isu-152 heavy assault gun. When I saw it slowly passing the bridge, my heart touched my throat. I was afraid that this behemoth would accidentally crush the bridge and then pierced it. Into the trench.

Fortunately, the worry did not happen. The assault gun passed the trench smoothly, followed the cleared entrance, and entered the fortress area. The engineers standing on both sides of the trench cheered, and then let the second T-54/55 tank pass the bridge.

After an assault gun and a T-54/55 tank drove through a relatively narrow passage, they entered a relatively open area, and then the two vehicles were paralleled, using alternate cover, and slowly advancing forward. Behind them, more models of tanks or assault guns drove over the bridge over the trench.

Cui Kefu watched with interest for a while at the tank that was firing in front, put down his binoculars and turned his head and said to me: “Lida, I think the person who erected these two vehicles should have listened to your lecture.”

“Listen to my lecture?” Cui Kefu’s words made me stunned. Except at the Frunze Military Academy, I don’t remember where I taught the street fighting theory to anyone.

Cuikov gave the answer in time: “Look at the assault gun driving on the left side of the road, bombarding the target on the right side of the road; the new tank on the right bombarded the building on the left. The car’s cover method can reduce the blind spots of shooting.”

The scene that happened next was an eye-opener for me. As more and more tanks and assault guns entered the fortress area, vehicles driving on both sides of the road formed a corridor, allowing our infantry to move in this corridor, and at the same time they can use their armor and powerful firepower Cover the infantry so that they can pass through the enemy’s firepower net with minimal casualties.

Not only did I feel novel about such a marching formation, but even Cui Kefu was impressed: “Our soldiers are really amazing. They can invent such a combat method. This is the crystallization of the wisdom of our officers and soldiers.”

I nodded in agreement with Cui Koff’s opinion, and then suggested to him: “General Cui Koff, only relying on this entrance, our troops are still too slow to enter the fortress. It is necessary for the engineers to open up new passages in other areas. To speed up our army’s entry into the fortress area.”

“Yes, Comrade Commander.” As soon as I finished speaking, Tkachenko added: “I think we should blast more gaps in the fortress wall, and then use explosives and landmines to blast the trench walls down. , Fill the trenches, so that our tanks and self-propelled artillery can pass through the trenches faster and enter the core area of ​​the German fortress.”

Seeing that I agree with Tkachenko, Cui Kefu nodded and said, “Your thoughts are the same as mine. If you want to speed up our army’s entry into the fortress, it is absolutely necessary to open up more channels.”

Taking advantage of the opportunity of Tkachenko to convey his order, Cui Koff called his chief of staff again, and told the other party about the new tactics he had just seen and finally commanded: ” …Comrade Chief of Staff, such a method of warfare is not in any of the doctrines. It is directly produced by the officers and soldiers of our army in battle relying on their wisdom. You immediately prepare an order for all commanders and political work The personnel and staff members quickly promoted these wisdom achievements of the soldiers, turning new methods of struggle into the common wealth of all troops.”

“Understood, Comrade Commander.” The chief of staff’s loud voice came from the earpiece: “I will immediately convey this order of yours to the subordinate troops to ensure that this new tactic can be used in the whole country as soon as possible. Promotion within the group army.”

After hearing this order from Cui Koff to the Chief of Staff, I felt that it was not enough to promote it within the 8th Guards Army, because the troops who attacked Berlin a few months later were not just theirs. Therefore, it is necessary to report to Zhukov to see if this new tactic can be promoted throughout the army.

Thinking of this, I greeted Cui Kefu and went downstairs to return to the headquarters, ready to call Zhukov to report the matter and see what his opinion is. r

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