The War of Resistance: My Expedition, My Country

Chapter 214 The situation turns sharply

Dorman woke up from the intense shelling and rushed into the headquarters. At this time, the headquarters was in chaos. The chief of staff told Dorman that the Chinese and Soviet troops had launched a full-scale attack from two directions. Judging from their shelling and offensive momentum, it was by no means a feint, but a real full-scale attack!

"What is the readiness of the tank group?" Dorman asked immediately.

The Chief of Staff replied, "The 7th and 20th Tank Corps have been fully mobilized. However, I believe that the main force should be placed on the southeastern front. This is the main direction of our offensive. The enemy launched a sudden attack. If we are broken through, the impact on us will be fatal. In the northeast, we have already engaged the enemy once, and the firepower of both sides is basically unsuccessful. I think sending one or two tank divisions should be sufficient."

The Chief of Staff continued, "We have another advantage. If the enemy's main force remains in the northeast, we can defend this terrain and the enemy will be unable to break through in a short period of time. Instead, we can concentrate our superior forces to defeat the enemy's attack from the southeast in one fell swoop, and then attack Rostov directly to achieve our predetermined strategic goal. Conversely, we can also break through the northeast and attack the enemy's rear in a roundabout way!"

Dollmann took a quick look at the sand table and immediately instructed his chief of staff: "Have the 29th Army rush over, concentrate the 7th and 20th Tank Armies, and launch an attack from the southeast. Have the 20th Tank Army leave a tank division in the northeast, and have the SS Grenadier Division rush forward. If the enemy really puts the main force in the southeast, immediately order the 29th Army to follow, break through the northeast, and circle around the enemy to launch a counter-encirclement!"

The 17th Army initially advanced with unstoppable force, piercing the already devastated German frontier and advancing over ten kilometers. They at one point captured several German frontier strongholds, supply depots, ammunition depots, and artillery positions. Seeing the enemy so vulnerable, Li Pinxian's troops emboldened themselves. The 34th Tank Division charged the fastest, nearly piercing the entire German defensive position. The soldiers, with high morale, rushed forward, obliterating the entire German defense formation and charging deep into the German line.

Wu Bairen had experienced large-scale offensives against the Germans and was deeply wary of combined infantry and tank operations. Seeing the 17th Army's units attacking blindly, he immediately alerted Commander Li Pinxian. He reminded Li Pinxian that if they advanced deep into German territory, they must be wary of German grenadiers, who were extremely effective against mechanized assault troops. Furthermore, since they were already deep inside German territory, the German tanks would inevitably react. After all, the 17th Army had only one tank division, and the tanks of the other divisions combined only matched the strength of a tank division. If they were held back by the grenadiers, the German tanks would advance, and the 34th Tank Division would likely be surrounded.

Commander Li Pinxian also realized the seriousness of the situation and decisively ordered the 34th Division to slow its advance. He also ordered the remaining divisions to maintain organizational integrity, maintain coordination between mechanized and infantry units, and retreat if faced with strong German resistance. He also ordered his direct units to accelerate their advance, seize key strongholds, and organize defenses to prevent surprise attacks by the Germans.

After receiving a strict order from Commander Li, the 34th Division began to slow down its offensive. The division's infantry, which had been disconnected from the tanks, quickly caught up. Just as the 34th Division was preparing to expand to its flanks, it was suddenly bombarded with unidentified artillery fire. Several tanks and armored vehicles caught fire. Then, a large number of German troops appeared around them. They consisted of motorcycles, half-track convertibles, and armored vehicles, with a small number of tanks. It was determined that they were German grenadiers, and German tank destroyers were hidden nearby.

Although the 34th Division commander had never engaged the German grenadiers directly, he had a good understanding of their deployment and combat characteristics. This grenadier unit was, at best, a battalion. Their audacity to directly attack an entire tank division meant the German tanks were approaching, putting the situation at their disadvantage. He immediately ordered a company of tanks and a mechanized battalion to close in and defeat the enemy, while also ordering the entire division to maintain formation and slowly withdraw.

At this time, several other divisions also encountered counterattacks from unknown enemies. The mechanized forces were forced to halt their offensive and instead engaged in a seesaw battle with the enemy, coordinated with the infantry. After engaging the Germans, Wu Bairen's 602nd Division immediately identified the grenadiers of the German tank division, which was approaching. He immediately ordered his divisions to retreat in shifts, with the anti-tank units immediately occupying advantageous terrain to delay the German tanks.

The atmosphere on the battlefield suddenly became tense, and a fierce exchange of fire broke out. Bullets whizzed through the air, and shells exploded on the ground, kicking up clouds of dust and debris. The soldiers of the 17th Army fought bravely, but the German firepower was so fierce that they were under tremendous pressure.

While Wu Bairen was organizing the 602nd Division to defend the city, he was also recalling the armored mobile forces. He knew very well that the enemy's heavy forces had arrived, and now he had to return to defend as soon as possible to ensure his position.

However, it was too late. A large number of German tanks had arrived. A large number of tanks had deployed in formation and, under the cover of the grenadiers, surrounded them in a fan-shaped crushing manner...

In the darkness, countless ruthless steel behemoths charged forward, their icy muzzles belching scorching flames. Shells, like unbridled dragons, hurtled straight into the ranks of the 17th Group Army. Tanks and armored vehicles burned, countless soldiers howled in the flames. The survivors, in groups of two or three, exploited the intervals between the gunfire and the smoke to organize limited counterattacks.

Lieutenant General Liang was with the 34th Division. They were under attack several times their own strength. In just over ten minutes, the 34th Division had lost nearly one-fifth of its tanks. Fortunately, the limited M6A1s withstood the enemy's artillery fire and maintained their formation, giving other tanks a chance to adjust. They coordinated with the M6B1s, destroying a number of German tanks while also buying time for other units of the 34th Division.

Lieutenant General Liang kept calling out from his command vehicle, ordering the follow-up troops to retreat immediately, retreat immediately! At the same time, Chief of Staff General Gao Gao, skipping over Li Pinxian, ordered all remaining troops to immediately go to the front line and enter the blocking position. Whether they were baggage, logistics, staff, or cooks, they had to pick up their weapons and enter the position as soon as possible. He was very worried that the German army had bypassed them. Once the rear position was occupied, it would be a fatal blow to the 17th Army.