Chapter 343: Unprepared (2700 votes plus updates)

   At six o’clock in the morning on November 11, the German 11th Army and part of the 8th Armored Division led by Colonel Rommel had arrived less than five kilometers away from Lviv.

   Actually, they arrived last night. However, in order to avoid being noticed by the Russian army in Lviv, they have been staying in a small town 20 kilometers away from Lviv to rest. Before 5 o'clock this morning, the whole army set off again.

   "Colonel Rommel, it seems that we have not been noticed by the Russians. The suddenness of our attack can still be guaranteed." Lieutenant General Francois, commander of the German 11th Army, said with a smile. It could be seen that he was in a very good mood.

  Although Rommel is just a colonel, Lieutenant General Francois has many major generals and brigadier generals under his command. However, his attitude towards Rommel is much better than that of those generals. On the one hand, of course it was because Rommel was someone Qin Tian valued. On the other hand, it is also because of Rommel's personal talent that Lieutenant General Francois is very optimistic.

  The performance of the 8th Armored Division in this war is really amazing. So much so that while these generals were stunned, they all hoped that among their troops, they would have an armored force in the future. In other words, it can be assisted by armored forces in this war. In this case, they will be able to win at a smaller cost.

   "Yes, General. The Russians are unprepared, which is undoubtedly very beneficial to us. It can make them unprepared when we attack." Colonel Rommel nodded.

  Although Colonel Rommel's military rank is relatively low, as the deputy commander of the 8th Armored Division, he is aware of many important strategic deployments. The importance of attacking Lviv to the German army in this battle is self-evident. Of course he also hoped that they could take down Lviv in one battle.

"Order the artillery, deploy it within half an hour, and then launch a fire attack. Don't be stingy with the shells. In the shortest possible time, throw as many shells as possible at Lviv and kill all the Russians!" Admiral Rancois ordered.

   "Yes, General." The artillery commander replied.

  The 11th Army has 4 infantry divisions, so they have more artillery. The artillerymen began to get busy, unfolding the cannons one by one, ready for shelling. The vehicles transporting ammunition are also busy, transporting the truckloads of shells to the artillery positions.

  Part of the 8th Armored Division led by Colonel Rommel is also preparing for the attack. Originally, after supplementation, the number of their tanks reached more than one hundred. But driving all the way from Chelm to Lviv, there are only about 80 tanks left that can still be driven. But even so, Colonel Rommel thought it was enough. With these tanks, it was enough to break through the Russian defense line in Lviv and defeat them.

  According to the information received before the war, the Russian defenders in Lviv only had 70,000 to 80,000 troops. With the strength of the German 11th Infantry Army and the cooperation of some armored units, it is enough to crush them.

   "Fire!"

  At 6:30 in the morning, the German artillery commander gave the order to fire. Immediately, 72 150mm heavy howitzers, 144 105mm light howitzers, and 216 75mm field guns all started fierce shelling.

  The artillerymen struggled to stuff the shells into the barrel, and then fired them out, smashing these heavy shells at the Russian army. Because Lieutenant General Francois only gave the artillery half an hour to prepare for fire. Therefore, they need to fire as many shells as possible within half an hour. Only in that way can greater results be achieved.

  When the German attack began, the Russian army in Lviv was still asleep. Although, after the fall of Chelm, the officers and soldiers of the Russian 4th Army knew that Lvov would soon become the target of the German attack. But they all thought that the German army would attack Lviv after capturing Zamosc. But what they never expected was that the German army would directly attack Lviv. In this case, they will undoubtedly be caught off guard. The Russian army in Lviv was not prepared at all.

   "Boom! Boom!"

  When the shells fell from the sky and exploded in the city of Lviv, countless Russian soldiers were awakened from their sleep. There are even some unlucky ones who lost their lives directly in their sleep.

  More Russian soldiers ran out of the barracks without even having time to put on their clothes and weapons, and scattered to avoid them.

   It's just that the German bombardment was so violent that the entire Lviv became the target of the German attack. The shells fell like raindrops, and many Russian soldiers were torn to pieces in panic.

   When the shell exploded, Admiral Dimitriev jumped from the bed.

   "What's going on? Where did the explosion come from? Are the Germans calling?" Admiral Dimitriev asked, perhaps not even aware of it himself, and his words were full of panic.

   "General, shelling! This is shelling from outside the city. It should be the Germans." The adjutant reported in panic.

   "What? How is this possible? How could the Germans have come here so quickly?" Admiral Dimitriev seemed a little unable to accept this reality.

  However, the constant explosions in Lviv made him believe that this was the truth. The Germans are shelling Lviv heavily with artillery. It is foreseeable that the German attack will soon begin. The completely unprepared Russian army will inevitably suffer heavy losses under the fierce German shelling. Whether he can withstand the German attack, General Dimitriev has no confidence at all.

"Order the troops, enter the position immediately, and prepare to resist the German attack. Tell the soldiers, we must resist the German attack, otherwise, everyone will have a dead end!" Admiral Dimitriev ordered viciously road.

   "Yes, General."

   "In addition, immediately send a telegram to the Front Army Command that we were suddenly attacked by the Germans. The German offensive is very fierce, and we need reinforcements." Admiral Dimitriev said.

  Although, the German offensive has not yet begun. But Admiral Dimitriev subconsciously thought that the German attack would be strong, so he impatiently began to request reinforcements. But whether he can get reinforcements, he doesn't know. The only thing he knew was that Admiral Ivanov might not have many troops left.