Chapter 131 Yelzhovka
Yuri doesn't like any form of "movement". In his opinion, the word "movement" even has a somewhat derogatory meaning. However, he is very supportive of the military "experience summary movement". After all, this is a form of communication and learning.
In Yuri's view, after nearly two years of war, the Soviet Red Army not only broke free from its initial passivity, but also formed its own mainstream combat thinking in some form, especially in the coordinated operations of infantry and artillery. A middle and high-level commander in the Soviet army can already be called a master.
In the first year of the war, there were countless examples of a German armored force attack or counterattack that could cause the Soviet infantry division or even infantry army to collapse. Now, once the Soviet infantry was blocked in the attack or forced to retreat, the artillery units deployed behind the first echelon of infantry could provide timely artillery support for the infantry and bring the advancing German tanks into the artillery range.
To be honest, when the war reached 1943, the blitzkrieg that the German army was best at had difficulty achieving much success against the Soviet Red Army. As the Soviet Red Army soldiers themselves said: "Before 1943, the German armored forces brought us threats, but after 1943, they brought us only trouble."
…
The full moon hangs high in the sky, and the cold moonlight is scattered on the frozen Volga River. With the reflection of the snow, even though it is late at night, the light in the wilderness can still provide sufficient visual protection.
Amid the roar of diesel engines, four BA-20 armored vehicles broke through the night and appeared on the road from Dubovka to Yeldovka.
Due to the bombing by German aircraft, this road along the Volga River has become bumpy and difficult to travel on. Although it is not difficult for wheeled armored vehicles to travel on such a road, it is extremely bumpy.
In the third armored vehicle from the front, Yuri sat on the leather armchair specially placed for him with a frown on his brow. The soft seat did not make him feel much more comfortable. With each bump, he felt his stomach churning, as if he might vomit at any time.
Four hours ago, Yuri left Stalingrad, boarded a military plane at Krasnaya Sloboda on the east bank of the Volga River, flew to Dubovka, and then took an armored vehicle south from Dubovka to Yeldsovka, the temporary headquarters of the Don Front.
Today, the entire Don and Volga River angle area has become a huge military camp. In this area, the three major Soviet fronts, the Don Front, the Southeast Front, and the Stalingrad Front, have assembled a total of 10 combined arms armies, plus a tank army and four air force armies, with a total force of more than 1.1 million. In terms of weapons and equipment, the Soviet army has assembled more than 15,000 artillery pieces, nearly 1,500 tanks, and more than 1,300 aircraft.
A consensus had already been reached within the Supreme Command and the General Staff that the outcome of the Battle of Stalingrad would determine the future direction of the entire war. Therefore, winning the battle at all costs became the key. Moscow sent almost all the troops and weapons and equipment it could currently muster here.
The wall lamp in the armored vehicle was on, and the light was dim, but it was enough to read books and newspapers. After another bumpy ride, Yuri picked up the document on his knees again and read it carefully under the light above his head.
Because he had just withdrawn from the battlefield in Stalingrad, Yuri needed to know a lot of things. What he was reading at this time was the battle situation report on the Stalingrad theater made by the military intelligence department of the Don Front.
According to the description of this intelligence, the current situation of the German army is very bad: since the Battle of Stalingrad, the German army has been advancing at an extremely fierce speed on the entire southern front. Starting from Kursk, through Voronezh to Stalingrad, and then to Mozdok, the front of the German southern combat group is zigzagging across the vast territory of southern Russia, stretching for nearly 2,500 kilometers. On this front, the Soviet Red Army confronting the German army has a super-large military force including the Voronezh Front, the Bryansk Front, the Don Front, the Southwestern Front, the Southeastern Front, and the Stalingrad Front. In addition, there are many guerrillas active behind the German army in this area.
The German army could not defend such a long front line. Their troops were already stretched thin and their defense was full of loopholes. From Stalingrad along the Don River to Voronezh, the German army did not arrange troops to garrison for a long time on this 700-kilometer defense line. It was not until late October, as the Soviet army's heavy troops slowly gathered in this area, that the German army hastily deployed three armies from vassal states on this line of defense. The deployment of their troops was as follows: the Hungarian Second Army and the Italian Ninth Army were stationed in the southern and southeastern regions of Voronezh respectively, and the Romanian Ninth Army was stationed in the west of Stalingrad and on the right wing of the Don River bend.
Compared with the German army, the armies of the vassal states had very obvious gaps not only in equipment but also in the quality of their troops and combat effectiveness. Therefore, this long line of defense became extremely weak in the eyes of the Soviet army.
To make matters worse, after several months of fierce fighting in Stalingrad, the German air force was greatly weakened. In the entire Stalingrad area, the German Air Force lost its firm grasp on air superiority. German aircraft could no longer conduct detailed reconnaissance and wanton bombing of Soviet-controlled areas.
It was in response to this situation that the Soviet General Staff formulated an operational plan, which was approved by the Supreme Command. The plan was code-named: Uranus, and its purpose was to encircle and annihilate the entire German Ninth Army attacking Stalingrad.
According to the combat plan, the Don Front did not undertake the main offensive mission, but only served as an auxiliary offensive unit, attracting German troops on the flank and creating favorable conditions for the Southeast Front's offensive.
It is undoubtedly a pity for Yuri that he cannot directly participate in this large-scale counterattack. However, it doesn’t matter. After all, he has made an extremely dazzling performance in the Battle of Stalingrad. In less than a month, he has received four commendation telegrams issued by the Supreme Command. At the same time, after this battle, he will also receive the "Medal for the Defense of Stalingrad" which has just been approved by the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet.
The moving armored vehicle began to shake again. Yuri put away the documents spread on his knees and reached into his military uniform pocket with one hand, intending to take out a cigarette.
“Swoosh…”
At this moment, a sharp whistle was heard. The sound was very close, as if it was just outside the armored vehicle. Then, before Yuri could react, another unique roar of a shell explosion was heard.
The body of the armored vehicle shook violently. It was obvious that the bomb exploded very close to the armored vehicle.
Frowning, he held the handle at his side to steady himself, and Yuri continued to fumble around, took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, took out a cigarette, lit it silently, and took a deep breath - his calmness and composure perfectly demonstrated the image of an experienced battlefield commander.
Since the outbreak of the war, Yuri has almost always been commanding battles on the front line. He has rich battlefield experience. From this explosion, he could tell it was a howitzer shell. In other words, the enemy was not nearby at all and there was nothing to panic about.
The armored vehicle convoy did not stop, but continued to drive southwest in the night. It was not until about ten minutes later that the speed of travel gradually slowed down. Yuri opened the side guard of the car and looked out. He was shocked to find shadowy figures swaying on both sides of the road. Estimating the time, it should be Yelzhovka soon. Those swaying figures should be Soviet troops gathering in the area.
Yelzhovka is a strategic location at the bend of the Don River. More than 20 years ago, the Red Army had a fierce battle with the Cossack White Bandit Army commanded by Mamontov here. The Red Army used three armored trains to defeat Mamontov's cavalry group. Since then, the Don Cossack Cavalry has lost its reputation.
Today, war has broken out again in this place. One side is still the Soviet Red Army, and the other side is the more notorious German Army, but the outcome of the war has not changed at all.
As the temporary base of the Don Front Command and the garrison of the 66th Army, as well as a transfer station for the reserve troops, Yelzhovka was very crowded, especially late at night, when the highway leading to the city was severely congested.
This city is only separated from the front line by a river. It is not only a garrison, but also one of the artillery firepower assembly areas of the Don Front. In order to avoid German artillery and air raids, major military operations are generally carried out at night . Therefore, the later it is at night, the more crowded the roads are.
The armored vehicles moved forward for a while with difficulty, and finally had to stop on the side of the road.
Under the escort of two guards, Yuri came out of the armored vehicle. The first thing he saw was a group of soldiers gathered on the road. The line was so long that it seemed as if there was no end in sight under the moonlight.
Since it was crowded, there was bound to be a lot of noise, and with the cover of night, no one noticed Yuri's identity.
Mixed in the crowded flow of people, Yuri and his entourage walked along the road towards the city. After more than ten minutes, they arrived at the ferry on the river bank. Looking across the river through the ferry in the night, the ruins of a city in flames came into view - Yelzhovka, another city on the Volga River that experienced a brutal war during the Battle of Stalingrad. The 66th Army of the Soviet Army also paid a heavy price to prevent the German army from breaking through in this direction, but its reputation is far less loud than that of the Battle of Stalingrad.
