Chapter 108 Gate of Moscow (Part 1)

When Guderian, who had an inexplicable fondness for classical relics, watched the sexton, he began to command a small group of German soldiers as he wanted, carefully moving these historic Russian classical relics outside the church and preparing them specially. When several Lightning Opel trucks arrived, the adjutant who had just left the church came hurriedly holding a telegraph newspaper that still smelled of ink in his hand.

"Sir, this is the latest battle situation compiled by the divisions on the front line. You must take a look at it immediately."

After hearing this, he immediately took the brand new telegraph newspaper from the hands of his adjutant. Standing under the church without saying a word, Guderian quickly read the full text at a quick glance.

"How is the progress of the siege troops in Smolensk City?"

Hearing Guderian's sudden question, the young adjutant, who had long been accustomed to Guderian's way of asking questions without warning, immediately started to think.

"The siege operations of the 17th and 18th Armored Divisions went smoothly. The Soviet troops that launched counterattacks towards the city of Smolensk have been repelled many times. Except for a small number of Soviet troops in the city who are still resisting, there are strong firepower points in the city. Besides, the entire city of Smolensk has fallen into our hands, sir."

"That means that the 29th Motorized Infantry Division and their reinforced artillery units have completed their scheduled mission of supporting the siege. In this case, it is acceptable for the 29th Motorized Infantry Division to be driven out of position by the Russians. "

After handing the telegraph newspaper in his hand to the correspondent on the side for safekeeping, Guderian thought about it for a moment. After a while, Guderian spoke again, having already made a decision on his next move.

"Order the 10th Armored Division and the Imperial Division to hold on to Yelniya City and its surrounding areas! The war in the direction of Smolensk City has come to an end, which means that our current actual control area has been separated from Yelniya City. The sub-protrusions are connected into one piece.”

"No matter what, the city of Yelnya must not be lost! This is not only the end of the entire Smolensk battle, but also our ticket to Moscow in the future! Tell that guy Hauser that now is the time to show his loyalty to the Führer And the art of personal command! The stage has been provided to him, and I am waiting for his good news!”

Just as Guderian, who was strategizing on the front line, was preparing to use his most elite ace troops to defend Yelnya, a battleground for military strategists, he commanded the 16th Army of the Soviet Western Front in the city of Yartevo to participate. During the Battle of Smolensk, Rokossovsky also received a call from his superior, Marshal Timoshenko, commander of the Western Front.

"Yes, I understand, Comrade Marshal. I repeat, the city of Yelnya must not be lost! The gate to Moscow must be in the hands of our Red Army! The counterattack in the direction of Yelnya will soon begin , the 16th Army will definitely cooperate with friendly forces to capture this key place!”

Just like Guderian's orders to his elite troops, Marshal Timoshenko, commander of the Soviet Western Front, who received Comrade Stalin's violent orders from the rear in Moscow, also began to mobilize troops and generals, including four A huge force including three armies is preparing to launch another counterattack in the direction of Smolensk, and the first strategic location that must bear the brunt is the important protrusion in the direction of the Smolensk theater-Yelniya City.

As the protrusion of the Smolensk theater facing the entire Moscow direction, the strategic value of Yelniya City to the Soviet and German armies on both sides of the offensive and defensive sides is self-evident.

If the German troops that currently occupy this area successfully hold on and successfully withstand the Soviet counterattack, the entire follow-up force of the German Army Group Center can use Yelniya City as a strategic springboard after crossing the Dnieper River, and then move towards Launch the next offensive action in the direction of Moscow.

On the contrary, if the Soviet army that launches a counterattack on the Smolensk front recaptures the city of Yelniya, the subsequent large Soviet troops that are constantly reinforced from the direction of Moscow and the Far East can continue to pour into Smolensk through this protrusion. Lensk theater, and then while stabilizing the front line positions, the city of Yelniya was used as the center to launch subsequent battles around it.

When the gray whirlwind and the crimson iron stream invariably focused their attention on this small city, the Yelnya offensive and defensive battle, the climax of the entire Smolensk battle, began.

After a brutal offensive and defensive battle yesterday, Malashenko, who took a short night's rest, continued to lead his first heavy tank breakthrough battalion, which had just experienced a brutal baptism of fire, into another battle that the Soviet army was about to launch. Go in wave offensive.

After yesterday's battle, the First Heavy Tank Breakthrough Battalion led by Malashenko lost a total of 8 T3476 medium tanks and 9 KV1 heavy tanks.

A total of 17 Soviet tanks that have been included in the loss list are all irreparable and complete losses. The field maintenance company led by Captain Karamov, after some battlefield rescue and confirmation, restored the damaged tanks to varying degrees. Eight KV1 heavy tanks and three T34 medium tanks were towed back to the camp for overnight repairs.

A busy night of hammering, welding, repairs and blood-stained cleaning work brought a total of 11 "zombie" tanks to basically return to usable condition. Some crews cobbled together from various defeated units in the Middle East quickly took over again. With these resurrected tanks, coupled with the deployment of spare tanks from the inventory to fill the shortfall, Malashenko's 1st Heavy Tank Breakthrough Battalion returned to basically full strength after just one night, supported by the Soviet army's powerful military-industrial blood transfusion capabilities.

As the golden sun rose slowly from below the horizon again at dawn on July 23, another batch of Soviet attack echelons, after urgently mobilizing troops overnight, had already advanced to the outskirts of Yelniya City and were ready.

The tug-of-war of offensive and defensive battles surrounding the city of Yelnya for many days has already allowed the German army on the defensive to understand the basic offensive routines of its opponent the Soviet army. The ferocious bombardment accompanying the rising sun was like a rooster crowing every day. Perfectly on time day after day.

Just as the German troops deployed on the defense line on the outskirts of Yelniya City began to wait for opportunities to avoid the Soviet army's "timely artillery bombardment" on a new day, a group of weapons that had just come off the production line from the direction of Moscow in the rear and were delivered to the Rokossovsky Group Army The Soviet army's "secret weapon" was already assembled and ready to go, preparing to give the enemy's defending German army a crazy surprise.