nycdaug Chapter 223 The Battle of Nayaka Ends
Chapter 223 The Battle of Nayaka Ends
Liu Molong had already reached the occupied German 340th Division position. The 600th Division Chief of Staff (temporarily acting as the Cluster Chief of Staff) was giving orders to the other three divisions, ordering them to withdraw in turns and move closer to the 600th Division. Liu Molong had ordered the 600th Division's light armored forces to open the way towards Rostov.
A combat staff officer came over and signaled that the commander of the 599th Division wanted to speak directly to him. Liu Molong took the walkie-talkie and shouted, "Commander Zhang, what's going on?"
"Commander Liu, the situation is a bit bad. This Lindemann is not going to let us evacuate. He is pressing in from multiple directions, not even keeping a basic distance, and is sticking to us."
"Oh, isn't he afraid that all the tanks of his 56th Army will be lost here? He is so reckless." Liu Molong was also surprised.
"The enemy is very clever. They let their infantry keep us busy, while their tanks and armored vehicles provide fire support from behind and won't fight us."
At this time, the chief of staff also came over and whispered to Liu Molong, "The SS division behind us is also coming. The enemy wants to entangle us and prevent us from escaping."
Liu Molong's brain started working rapidly. It seemed that if he didn't teach Lindemann a lesson, he would not stop. Liu Molong looked at the position of the underground German 340th Division and immediately had an idea.
"Hey, hey, hey, Commander Liu, why aren't you talking?" Division Commander Zhang was still calling out. Liu Molong came to his senses and said quickly, "Brother Zhang, can't you let me think about it?"
"Brother Mo Long, what other good ideas do you have?"
"My dear fellow, since Lindemann won't let us go easily, how about we give him another go?"
"Brother, you are the commander, what do you say?"
"Brother, what's the point of being a commander? I'm just doing odd jobs temporarily. You and I can just discuss and do it."
"Then tell me quickly, brother. I can't wait any longer."
"Brother, how about this? We can use the position of the German 340th Division to take down the enemy once more. This way..."
After discussing with Commander Zhang of the 599th Division, Liu Molong immediately asked the chief of staff to notify the other two divisions, to have the 599th and 301st Divisions retreat slowly at a lag to cover the 302nd Division's quick withdrawal, and then use the German 340th Division's positions to block the attack. The 600th Division's tank cluster was ambushed on one side, with mobile artillery placed at the back. After the 301st and 599th Divisions withdrew, the 302nd Division used the positions to block the attack. The three tank divisions adjusted their formation, surrounded them from both sides, launched a surprise attack, and killed part of the German troops that showed up, preferably the main force of Lindemann's 56th Tank Army.
Liu Molong also ordered the engineering corps to quickly open a channel at the front to facilitate the smooth passage of the 302nd Division's armored forces, and ordered the mobile artillery to quickly establish artillery positions.
The sky was gray and dawned. Liu Molong's preparations were complete. The 301st and 599th Divisions, with their combined infantry and tank units, alternately providing cover, like a cow pulling a cow, drew the main force of the German 56th Tank Corps towards them. The Germans also employed a combined infantry and tank unit, with some infantry units even skirting the flanks of the two divisions, using their limited firepower to slow the Chinese retreat.
By this time, the commander of the German 56th Army had clearly seen that they were indeed targeting two tank divisions. He became more cautious, realizing that the enemy was undoubtedly three or more tank divisions. He was completely at a disadvantage and could only rely on his infantry to stick with the enemy and tie them up as much as possible. At the same time, he urgently called Commander Lindemann, urging the rest of the troops to catch up and for the SS Grenadier Division to launch a flank attack as soon as possible.
The commander of the German 56th Army had a good idea. He planned to keep his infantry at the front and his tanks at a distance, minimizing losses and fulfilling Commander Lindemann's order to delay the enemy's retreat. He placed his hopes on the SS Grenadier Divisions, believing they could easily flank the enemy tank clusters and then fully attack them. He should have no problem crushing them, if not annihilating them completely.
In fact, the German 15th Army plus two SS Grenadier Divisions had a total strength of nearly 15, almost three times the strength of Liu Molung's rapid group. If it weren't for Lindemann's wrong forecast, Liu Molung and his men would probably have been surrounded early in the morning, and there would be no possibility of breaking through the siege and ambush again.
As soon as the German 56th Army reached the new position of the 302nd Division, it was immediately met with fierce resistance. The 599th and 301st Tank Divisions immediately turned around, changing from a retreating formation to an attacking formation, and pressed towards the German tank group. Then, the 600th Division's tank group suddenly rushed over from the side, forming a pincer attack on the German 56th Army. The German 56th Tank Corps also immediately changed to a defensive position to meet the attack, and a fierce battle ensued between the two sides.
Just when the two sides were fighting hard, both sides received battle reports from the decisive battle zone. The German 7th Panzer Army had been defeated. The Chinese 17th Army stubbornly resisted the onslaught of the Dollman tank cluster at a heavy price. The main force led by Lin B pierced through the gap in the northwest direction of the German army from the direction of Schacht, and pierced the defense line of the 7th Army from behind, causing the 7th Army to be attacked from both sides. In addition, the tank force suffered huge losses. Dollman was no longer able to resist the attack of the Chinese and Soviet armies and had to retreat in a panic to the southwest.
Receiving a strict order from Field Marshal Manstein, Lindemann abandoned the battle with Liu Molong and immediately advanced northeastward, attempting to quickly link up with the 7th Panzer Army, which was retreating southwestward. Liu Molong, however, would not let them go easily. He immediately launched a counterattack, intent on pinning down the tank group of Lindemann's 15th Army. The two sides engaged in a back-and-forth battle, alternating between offense and defense, advancing northeastward.
Liu Molong ultimately failed to hold back Lindemann's 15th Army, as two SS Grenadier Divisions once again blocked their path. By noon, both sides knew the outcome of the decisive battle: the German 7th Panzer Army had been defeated, but the Chinese and Soviet forces had also suffered heavy losses. After Lindemann's vanguard met up with the 7th Panzer Army, both sides tacitly agreed to maintain their distance and standoff, avoiding further engagement.
Liu Molong had effectively exposed his own weaknesses, and he had no choice but to quickly break away from the entanglement with the German SS Grenadier Division and hastily evacuate southeastward. After the two German armies reunited, they received an order from Field Marshal Manstein, with General Lindemann taking unified command, and the entire army withdrew to the Amvrosyevka line.
This battle, which took place in an obscure region northwest of Rostov and was ultimately named after a small, unnamed village in the region – Nayaka – saw both sides clashing for nearly a month, suffering heavy losses and failing to achieve their objectives. Ultimately, the battle ended abruptly.