Chapter 916 No way out

"The airdropped supplies were thrown onto the Russians' positions, and the support from fighter jets was also based on the situation. Priority was given to preserving strength. Not to mention that this battle has been pushed to the brink of failure. Even if we are fighting against the Russians now, who can How can we ensure that such air-ground coordination can win the battle?"

Colonel Enske, who was only sulking in his heart, pulled out his chair and sat down on the spot. However, even sitting there quietly, he seemed to be restless and restless. After sitting down for less than ten seconds, he grabbed another chair. The telescope on the table once again returned to the observation port to keep attention.

The Chief of Staff behind him looked at Colonel Ensk with an indescribable bitterness on his face. After hesitating for a few times, he looked like he was struggling with something important and necessary to say. After hesitating for a few seconds, the Chief of Staff finally agreed. He walked to Colonel Ensk's side, considered his words for a moment and then spoke quietly.

"Perhaps we should consider the issue of tactical retreat, division commander. The Russian attack is definitely not something we can withstand. The soldiers and officers are all hungry. Our division has reduced its personnel by more than 30% and the ammunition base is only normal. Less than half the amount!”

"Although it sounds like this is shaking the morale of the military, I must fulfill my duty to remind you that we need to prepare a practical tactical retreat plan, which is also one of our responsibilities.

Colonel Enske, whose mouth was filled with an indescribable bitter taste, couldn't help but shudder when he heard "hungry".

In the past week, what he, the division commander, has eaten in his stomach is simply less than the weekly ration of a pet dog. He has been suffering from gastric problems caused by irregular diet during the march. These days, he has entered a state of vicious attack, basically every night He had a stomachache and could only rely on painkillers and sleeping pills to force himself to sleep. Even now, he still felt that his stomach was cramping and painful.

"I admit that you are right, partner."

Colonel Ensk, who put down the telescope in his hand, slowly turned his head, his pair of already dim Germanic sapphire pupils full of helplessness and faint despair.

"But where can we retreat now? To the headquarters of Commander Paulus a few streets away? We have no position to retreat to now, and this is our final destination."

Colonel Ensk's words were very desolate, and the Chief of Staff who was standing aside could not hide the sadness in his heart and could not help but close his eyes and let out a long sigh.

At this point, any discerning person can see that the destruction of our Sixth Army is a certainty. Now is neither the time to hope that the invincible Marshal Manstein can command the army to rush into the city and drive away the Russians, nor is it the time to hope that the stubborn soldiers can firmly hold back the Russians.

Both Colonel Ensk and the Chief of Staff themselves had already written suicide notes, and were only waiting for the last moment when the Russians broke through the defense line to send the suicide notes in the form of telegrams.

After World War I, Colonel Enske was discharged and returned to work as a farmer. He was a veteran who was drafted into the army again during World War II. This stubborn man who was approaching fifty years old was unwilling to suffer the humiliation of surrender again.

In Colonel Ensk's own words, he had already had his dignity ripped off his face and been stepped on by the French once. Now he was asked to take his dignity off his face a second time and throw it into the snow to be stepped on by the Russians. There was nothing he could do with the sole of his foot once, and there was absolutely no way he could accept such humiliation.

Rather than doing this, he would rather end his life and restart his military career in a tragic way.

Colonel Enske's two sons are both married and have families. One is running a farm handed down from his ancestors and the other is running a department store in Berlin. The only daughter also unexpectedly married a poor but loving little girl. He was a teacher in the town, and his wife died of serious illness during the French campaign more than two years ago.

Colonel Ensk, who thought he had nothing to worry about, was mentally prepared. He was filled with resentment towards those airmen who abandoned their comrades, and was ready to fight to the death with the Russians who were about to fight.

The chief of staff, perhaps influenced by Colonel Enske, also made a similar decision.

Since you can't reach the top goal guided by the Sword of the Führer, let your body become a step so that those behind can charge to a higher top.

The chief of staff, who is burning with fanatical beliefs, firmly believes that his decision and everything he is about to do are meaningful, but as to whether the truth is really what he thinks, this is not what he, who has become a dead soul, can witness with his own eyes.

A dissatisfied German soldier under Colonel Enske was ordered to guard a vital street intersection. Although such a defensive force did not sound like much, it was already the limit that their dilapidated infantry division could allocate. .

The 500-kilogram aerial bombs dropped by Russian bombers collapsed two small buildings on the street, and only two floors of a relatively intact six-story masonry building were left. There were about 120 people. German soldiers died in the violent air raid just now.

The remaining German soldiers quickly guarded various firepower points at the intersection and stood ready with various light and heavy weapons in their hands.

These hungry German soldiers can get some better than nothing anti-tank guns and armored support, but this does not give these German soldiers who are so hungry that their legs are weak when walking, even a slight sense of security can be relied on.

The brutal battles over the past few days have taught them personally that the fiercer Russians will become tougher and bloodthirsty the more they encounter stubborn resistance, just like in Greek mythology, the more wounds a body has, the more powerful it is. Like the soaring demigod Hercules, he cannot be killed outright nor can he retreat in defeat.

Only by trampling the corpses of our own German soldiers under their feet can these terrible Russian demons completely stop their killing spree.

"Here it comes! It's a Russian tank, anti-tank guns ready!"

With a roar indicating that the battle was about to begin, the German soldiers, whose whole bodies were trembling with hunger and whose heads were filled with the brutal appearance of the Russians, finally saw it.

A Russian heavy tank whose front is covered with unpenetrated craters and scratches of various calibers, and whose front armor is painted with the eye-catching number 177 in white paint, is leading a large group of infantry and other tanks towards our side. Roaring and rushing.

In the turret, Malashenko, who was holding the commander's periscope, could clearly see the group of German troops entrenched in the street ahead. He raised his hand and patted Iushkin's shoulder in front of him, then firmly spoke and gave an order. .

"Load armor-piercing rounds! Destroy the German tanks first, then fire freely, Iushkin!"