Chapter 337: Raid (2600 votes plus updates)

  On the road from Lviv to Cheum, the Russian army in gray uniforms is marching. Although these Russian soldiers were tall, they were sallow and thin, and looked malnourished. Their marching ranks were not neat at all, and looked very messy. However, there is no way to do this. The quality of the Russian army is at the bottom among the great powers.

   This Russian army is the 22nd Infantry Army under the Russian 4th Army, which is almost a pure infantry army. Except for a small number of horses used to drag artillery and transport supplies, the rest of the people marched entirely on their feet. Of course, high-ranking officers and generals are exceptions, and they can ride horses. No matter how difficult the conditions of the Russian army are, the needs of generals and senior officers can still be guaranteed.

"General, we are only ten kilometers away from Chelm. It is estimated that we will arrive this evening. However, the Germans are storming Chelm. Our troops stationed in Chelm suffered losses due to the German attack. It's terrible. I'm afraid it's not a good idea for us to arrive in Chelm at this time." A major general and division commander said to Lieutenant General Boris, commander of the 22nd Army, who was riding on a tall horse.

"Of course I know! The two guys Fyodor and Golovin are almost unable to hold on under the onslaught of the Germans. That's why they asked the general to put pressure on me and asked me to rush to the sea quickly. Umm. I don’t want to go, or I don’t want to go so soon. But what can I do? The general’s attitude is very strict. If we don’t arrive at Chelm before today, the general will not let us go " Lieutenant General Boris said with some helplessness.

   "General, are the Germans really that powerful?" Another major general asked.

  Although, the German army has successively made the Russian army pay a heavy price. But the 22nd Infantry Army of the Russian Army has never fought against the German Army. The strength of the German army is heard from other troops. How powerful the German army is, they don't know.

   "The Germans are indeed very powerful, otherwise, Fyodor and Golovin would not have been forced to such a point." Boris said.

"Order the troops to speed up the march. In any case, since the general's order has been issued, we have no way to disobey it. Hurry to Chelm as soon as possible, strengthen the defense there, and hope to withstand the German attack!" Lieutenant General Boris gave the order.

   Tens of thousands of Russian troops began to speed up and rushed towards Chelm. The marching queue meanders and circles on the plain, like a long gray snake.

   "Whoo! Whoo! Whoo!"

  Suddenly, there was a sharp whistling sound in the sky, and small black spots were approaching at high speed.

  The expressions of the Russian troops on the ground changed drastically after hearing this voice. The war has started for more than two months, and they are all veterans who have experienced the baptism of war, so they naturally know what it means.

   "Bombardment! Take cover!"

  Five kilometers in front of the Russian army, the artillery of the German 51st Infantry Division was firing at the Russian army. 18 150mm heavy howitzers, 36 105mm light howitzers and 50 75mm field guns started shooting frantically. The superior's order was to let them, in the shortest possible time, drop more shells on the heads of the Russians, causing them as many casualties as possible.

   "Boom! Boom! Boom!"

  The shells kept falling to the ground and exploded, and the shock wave engulfed the shrapnel and exploded in all directions. Russian soldiers were constantly being taken away. The originally irregular formation of the Russian army was in a mess at this time.

   "Damn, why did the Germans appear here? They also attacked us? What are those two idiots, Fyodor and Golovin, doing?" Lieutenant General Boris was furious.

  However, complaining at this time has no effect. The German shelling, so violent, is harvesting the lives of these Russian officers and soldiers.

   "Where's our artillery? Immediately deploy and fight back!"

   "General, the Germans don't seem to have many cannons, only a hundred or so, which means that they don't have many troops. If we launch a counterattack, we will definitely be able to defeat them." A Russian major general suggested.

   "Okay, launch an attack and break through the blocking of the Germans!" Lieutenant General Boris ordered. He also thought about it, this is clearly the German army's blocking of them, preventing them from entering Chelm. This also means that the battle of Chelm has probably entered the most critical moment. If they were unable to reach Chelm in time, the fall of Chelm might be a foregone conclusion. At that time, not only the troops of Fyodor and Golovin will be wiped out, but they will also be encircled and suppressed by the superior forces of the German army.

  The general of the Russian army began to organize troops and prepare for a counterattack. However, at this moment, a large number of German aircraft appeared in the sky. In order to cooperate with the 17th Army's attack on the Russian reinforcements, the 8th Air Force specially mobilized fifty bombers and fifty fighter jets for air strikes against the Russian 22nd Army.

   "Find the target, give priority to attacking the artillery positions of the Russian army, and those Russian troops that are gathering!" The commander of the 8th Air Force in charge of this operation issued an order.

  Dozens of bombers and fighter jets immediately began to lower their altitude and discovered the attack.

   "Plane! German plane. Run away!"

  The appearance of German aircraft made the Russian 22nd Army panic again.

   "Boom! Boom! Boom!"

  The artillery of the 22nd Army of the Russian Army has become the key target of the air force. Those artillerymen were originally freeing the cannons from behind the flattery and pushing them to the artillery positions. But the appearance of German planes made them flee in all directions, and no one cared about those cannons at all. The gathered cannons undoubtedly became the best targets for German bombers.

   "Start dropping bombs!"

  The magazine of a fighter jet was opened, and bombs fell from the sky one after another.

   "Boom! Boom! Boom!"

  The artillery shell hit the artillery position of the Russian army, and there were continuous explosions. The Russian army's cannons were destroyed one by one during the explosion.

  And those Russian troops who were lining up to launch a counterattack against the German army became the targets of fighter jets of the German air force.

"Da da da!"

  Fighters flew over the formation of the Russian army, and aviation machine guns fired wildly. The dense machine gun bullets hit the queue of the Russian army, leaving traces of blood and dead bodies. Countless Russian soldiers fell to the ground amidst screams. The remaining Russian soldiers ran around like headless chickens, almost peeing out of fear.