Chapter 265
Zhukov's advance in Czechoslovakia was faster than Yuri had expected. The First Ukrainian Front was unstoppable on the entire front, advancing westward at a speed of thirty to forty kilometers a day.
The Russian Liberation Army had no power to fight back against the First Ukrainian Front. Vlasov didn't even dare to look back and fled to Switzerland in a hurry. Prague fell into the hands of the Soviet Red Army with almost no resistance.
Subsequently, Zhukov's troops quickly advanced into Germany and defeated the German 4th Tank Army again in Breslau. Later, in the Lower Silesia Offensive, they defeated the "Greater German" Tank Army and almost annihilated the German 17th Army on the Siber River line.
At this point, the German Army's Center Army Group on the southern front of Berlin was almost wiped out. On the road to the west, except for the Neisse River, there was no force that could stop Zhukov's troops.
Although the 1st and 2nd Belorussian Fronts had already gained the upper hand in the attack on Berlin, the stubborn Zhukov did not give up, because he knew very well that Yuri would not dare to launch an offensive against Berlin before the attack of the 1st Ukrainian Front was in place, because his troops were insufficient and he could not withdraw troops to resist the German offensive on the southern front while attacking Berlin head-on.
To put it bluntly, Yuri needed someone to cover his left wing, otherwise he would not dare to launch an attack on Berlin.
Zhukov's plan now was very simple. He only needed to command his troops to advance to the Spree River line, and then he could launch an offensive from Bautzen to the north, bypassing Cottbus and launching an attack on the southern area of Berlin.
It can be predicted that as the 1st and 2nd Belorussian Fronts launched an offensive in Berlin, the main German defense forces would certainly be concentrated in that direction, and Yuri would be under tremendous pressure. At the same time, the German defense forces in the south would become weak. Zhukov believed that as long as the timing of the offensive was chosen correctly, it was still unclear who would be the first to enter Berlin.
Just as Zhukov's troops were rapidly advancing towards Berlin, the 2nd Belorussian Front also launched an offensive campaign to cross the Oder River.
…
Stettin is a famous city with a long history and an important seaport on the Baltic Sea coast. Many celebrities were born in this place in history, including the Russian Empress Catherine II.
In the world before Yuri traveled through time, the city of Stettin no longer existed. After World War II, it was allocated to Poland and renamed Szczecin. The local Germans were forced to relocate and driven away.
The 2nd Belorussian Front chose a 270-kilometer front from Stettin to Gartz for its offensive. This was the planned breakthrough point. Once the Soviet army broke through the German Oder River in this section, the front would quickly launch an attack to the west, cutting the German "Vistula" Army Group into two parts and eventually annihilating it.
In fact, the terrain on both sides of the Oder River from Stettin to Garz was not conducive to the Soviet offensive , because the terrain in this area was flat, the view was wide, and there was a lack of cover. In addition, it was located in the lower reaches of the Oder River, with a complex water network, which was not conducive to the deployment of mechanized troops.
However, Yuri still chose this place as the main direction of attack because the German defense on this line was relatively weak.
It was just at dawn, and a hint of paleness had appeared in the eastern sky, but the thin mist on the surface of the Oder River had not yet completely dissipated. Through the trees, one could vaguely see some of the conditions on the other side of the river.
At the headquarters of the 69th Army, Yuri was enjoying a simple breakfast beside a simple table made of logs. Opposite him was the army commander Vladimir Yakovlevich Kolpakchi with a slicked-back hair. This general, who was promoted to general just two months ago, always looked so energetic, with a bright and broad forehead, and it looked like he had not slept all night.
Yuri was halfway through his breakfast when Kolpakitch looked at his watch, stood up and said, "It's time, Comrade Yuri Arispovich."
"Do your thing according to the plan," Yuri looked at him, nodded, and said, "You are the commander comrade, don't worry about my problems."
Kolpakchi nodded, stood up and walked to the side, picked up the telephone receiver on the table, cranked the handle, picked up the receiver, and gave the order to launch the attack.
A few seconds later, with a deafening roar, the entire underground air raid shelter seemed to tremble, and the plate in front of Yuri began to tremble, making a tinkling sound. Dust fell from the top of the shelter and soon formed a layer on the table. A thin layer of dust also covered the Luzon soup that he had not even taken a sip of.
Yuri stuffed the last bite of bread into his mouth, took the borscht, blew away the layer of dust on the surface with his lips, took a sip carefully, and felt that the soup was not very tasty, so he simply put it back on the table.
Standing up, straightening the hem of his uniform, taking the military cap from Arseni's hand, Yuri put the cap on his head and turned to walk towards the exit of the bunker.
Going up the stairs, there was an observation post with a protective net above the head. At the lookout, Kolpakchi was whispering something with his staff.
Yuri ignored them and walked straight to the artillery telescope at the lookout. He bent down slightly and looked across the river with the help of the artillery telescope.
The location of this observation post is very good. The obstructions within the artillery's field of view should have been cleared in advance, and the situation on the other side of the river can be clearly seen through the mirror.
The rumbling of artillery resounded on the east bank of the river, while the west bank had turned into a sea of fire. In this river crossing battle , the 2nd Belorussian Front deployed more than 5,000 artillery pieces and mortars along the 270-kilometer-long river bank. The purpose was to destroy the first German line of defense along the river in a half-hour saturation bombardment and clear obstacles for the subsequent Soviet crossing operations.
However, the Germans have learned to be smart now. Unlike in the past, they will take the initiative to retreat to the second line of defense when the Soviet army launches artillery bombardment to reduce their own casualties. But even so, half an hour of artillery preparation is necessary, which can not only destroy the enemy's position, but also boost the morale of our soldiers.
Half an hour of artillery preparation may seem like a long time, but listening to the rumbling of the artillery, it felt like it was over in the blink of an eye.
Just as the bombardment was coming to an end, Kolpakchi contacted the air force in the rear, and the battle entered the second preparation stage.
Almost immediately after the gunfire stopped, a large number of fighter planes appeared over the Oder River amid the roar of engines. Some of these fighter planes flew over the Oder River and entered the airspace of the German positions to bomb the German artillery positions. At the same time, some sporadic fighter planes circled over the Oder River.
Soon, these circling fighters began to dive over the river. When they entered the low altitude of 50 to 60 meters, two thick smoke suddenly spewed out from under the wings of these fighters. At this time, the sun just peeked out from the horizon in the east, and the golden sunlight was projected on the thick smoke, instantly dyeing it silver-gray.
Smoke descended from a height of forty or fifty meters and quickly spread over the river surface. In just a few minutes, it covered the entire channel of the Oder River. Looking through the artillery mirrors, it was like an iron curtain covering the river. Not to mention the opposite side of the river, even the situation on the river surface could not be seen.
The wind was blowing from the east at that time, and the wind speed was very low. This barrier of smoke was moving slowly westwards on the river surface.
The smoke was naturally a tactical arrangement, the purpose of which was to obscure the German army's vision and prevent them from seeing the situation on the river, and thus from determining the main breakthrough area for the Soviet army's river crossing operation.
As the smoke dispersed, countless Soviet soldiers emerged from the jungle on the east bank of the river. Under the waving red flags, countless kayaks and engine boats were carried down the river bank and sent to the trembling river surface. From the gunnery mirror, it can be seen that behind almost every engine boat, there is a rope hanging, and the other end of the rope is dragging a long assault bridge. Needless to say, these engine boats belong to the army group's pontoon bridge troops.
The German counterattack was very weak. During the Soviet army's rush into the river, only sporadic shells fell on the river surface, posing almost no significant threat to the Soviet army.
In less than twenty minutes, the Soviet advance battalion had successfully crossed the river. At this time, the smoke had been carried to the other side of the river by the wind, and the scene on the river became clear again.
On the other side of the river, the soldiers who had crossed the river first had already rushed onto the river bank, and the soldiers of the pontoon bridge unit were driving piles on the river bank. The assault bridges that were towed across the river by motor boats were fixed on these iron piles. In less than half an hour, three assault bridges had been successfully built on a nearby section of the river.
Afterwards, thousands of Soviet soldiers rushed across the river on these three assault bridges. Occasionally, tanks dragging steel ropes rolled over the shaking bridges and slowly drove to the other side of the river.
The field artillery was towed behind the steel wire rope. These artillery pieces were dragged directly into the river, towed by tanks while sneaking through the riverbed, and then towed out of the water on the other side of the river. The artillery only needed a simple cleanup before they could immediately go into battle.
After years of war, the Soviet Red Army was transformed from a mediocre force into a mature million-strong army. To put it bluntly, if the German army had encountered the current Soviet Red Army at the beginning of the war, the war might not have lasted so long.
