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Text Chapter 1034 Advancing into the Urals (Part 1)

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    ps: The serial number of the previous chapter is wrong, it should be chapter 1033.

    Due to the importance of the Urals, only half an hour after Stalin made the decision to voluntarily retreat for the first time, this telegram was intercepted by a hunter brigade that went deep into the Urals to perform phone monitoring tasks, and was quickly placed in front of Yang Qiu.

    After more than a month of fighting, Kirponos's Second Ural Front Army still had 300,000 troops, and Lukin's Siberian Front Army had nearly 550,000 troops, plus the main forces of Rokossovsky and Vasilevsky.  , the Soviet army still retains two million troops outside the Urals.  Once they retreat to the Ural Plateau, which is easy to defend and difficult to attack, it will cause great trouble for subsequent operations, so no matter what, Yang Qiu cannot let so many enemies retreat.

    ¡°We must kill Kilponos and Lukin!¡±

    Orders from the General Staff were quickly issued to the front line. In order to annihilate as many effective forces as possible before the Soviet army retreated to the Urals, Long Yun and Mei Sheng devoted almost all their available forces to the counterattack.  On the main Ishim River defense line alone, 1,300 tanks, 1,500 bombers and 55 divisions were invested.

    Knowing that the Ishim River was passive and that Timoshenko was allowed to retreat, he no longer dared to neglect and immediately began to break out of the encirclement.  Although his commanding ability was not as good as that of Lu Jin and others, as a cavalryman, he inherited the tradition of attacking in the east and attacking in the west during the retreat.  Neither Vlasov's plan to move the entire army to the west nor Lukin's plan to move the entire army to the north was adopted, but it was decided to break out from both northwest sides at the same time.  Although Lu Jin strongly opposed this plan, he believed that it would divide the already insufficient assault force.  However, Vlasov, who did not trust him, took the initiative to take on the task in the west and led the 24th Army to break through to Magnitogorsk in the west.

    Timoshenko is really not a good commander.  Completely unable to listen to Lu Jin's objections, he insisted on implementing a two-sided breakout.  Tactically speaking, his plan also made sense, as a dispersed breakout would ensure that at least one unit would leave.  But he ignored a very important issue, which was the mobility of the Siberian Front.  After continuous air strikes and artillery bombardments, the army has lost more than half of its horses and trucks, making its already weak mobility even lower. Moreover, the railway to Chelyabinsk has also been completely destroyed by continuous bombing and small groups of enemy troops.  Impassable.  But Timoshenko would not listen to this.  In the end, seeing that he could not stop it, Lu Jin had no choice but to persuade him to put his main force in the north, and then set the breakout time in the first half of the night.  This allowed him to use the darkness as cover as much as possible, and also persuaded him to order Kilponos and Rokossovsky to retreat at the same time, dividing the enemy's pursuit force.

    On the morning of July 21, Vasilevskiy, who had been entangled in the north, used the virgin forest as cover.  Take the lead in retreating to Tyumen and Khanty-Mansiysk with the main force.  At the same time, Rokossovsky also gave up the entanglement north of Petropavlovsk, retreated the two armies to Kurgan, and also sent the Moscow Central Army to move southwest to support Lukin's retreat.

    Just when the pursuit and counter-pursuit war was launched on the northern front, on the Turan Plain west of Kostanay.  A team has been waiting here for seven days.

    The ancient geological subsidence effect has created the wonders of the Turan Plain, dotted with hundreds of glacial lakes, like a mythical world.  In the woods next to the lake, the 'Civet Cat' light tank numbered 3535 is covered under a camouflage net.  Gunner He Hai sat quietly on the turret, with the 70mm infantry gun and 25mm machine gun juxtaposed under him pointing to the northeast.  He is from Xinyang, Henan.  The day he joined the army happened to be the day when the siege of East Kazakhstan was exposed. The annihilation of 1.17 million people made him extremely excited and full of yearning for Central Asia.  In the end, he graduated from the Mechanical Engineering Department of Xinyang University and became a tank soldier. After 13 months of arduous training, he finally realized his dream.  The snow-covered Tianshan Mountains, fertile prairie and rich resources opened his eyes to him who had never left Henan.  After surviving the first severe Central Asian winter in Kyzylorda, he came here again with his troops.

    "He Hai, what are you looking at?" The loader came out of the turret and pushed He Hai, who was in a daze.

    "There, Ural." He Hai gave up half of his butt and pointed to the mountains to the west: "The dividing line between Europe and Asia. I have already thought about it. When we hit the boundary marker, I have to step on Asia with one foot and another with one foot on Asia."  When you visit Europe, take some photos as a souvenir.¡±

    "Look at you, that's all you have. I don't want to step on the boundary markers. If you want to take pictures, it must be Moscow, Red Square." The loader stuffed a piece of chocolate for him and threw a piece into his own mouth: "By the way  Come back, we have been fighting for five or six days, why are we not allowed to go out? Although I don¡¯t care about the intercontinental boundary monument, I can¡¯t be the last one to go up, right?¡±

    "What's the rush? There are hundreds of thousands of idiots. We have to slowly pull out all their thorns and then give them a hard blow at the end."

    "That's true." The loading hand stretched out his waist. The majestic Ural Plateau in the distance also filled him with reverie.  "He Hai, is it fun to go to college? Do you think I can go to college if there is no more war?"

     "Of course, everyone should go to college."

    Two young tank soldiers were chewing chocolate and chatting about the war and college. They did not notice that a small group of Kazakh reconnaissance cavalry appeared in the distance, escorting several people dressed as herdsmen through the position and ran towards the 66th Division headquarters behind.  It turned out that these were several Kazakh herdsmen who had escaped from the city. They wanted to take a detour to the east to report the news. Unexpectedly, they were discovered by the Kazakh reconnaissance cavalry after they got into the lowlands.

    "Are you sure you are gathering?"

    "Yes, yes, they are all loading the trucks." Wang Wenshan was sent here by Liu Mingzhao to set up an ambush a week ago. Hearing the rumble of cannons, he was already a little impatient.  So when the herdsmen heard that the Soviet troops were showing signs of escaping, they quickly asked loudly.  The red-faced and thick-necked appearance frightened the herdsmen who kindly reported the news.  Fortunately, the staff officer next to him understood Kazakh and asked the Kazakh cavalry company commander to translate, so he was reassured.  "Okay, great. Hurry! Report to the Chief of Staff. By the way, give them some military coupons and send someone to escort them to a safe place." After entering Kazakhstan to fight, the troops distributed some military coupons.  Because military coupons are allowed to be freely exchanged for yuan, these military coupons are very popular in Central Asia.

    After the herdsmen left with their military tickets and thanked them profusely, Vlasov¡¯s 24th Army had already rushed out of the city of Kostanai.  Because Lu Jin insisted on the main force breaking out in the middle of the night.  So he had to set off early in the evening, forcing the troops to face a one-hour sky blockade.  "This bastard!" Sitting in the bumpy KV100.  Vlasov is still aggrieved.

    Vlasov was worried about the sky, but Wang Wenshan, who has always been fearless, was shocked by the scale!  The 9th Tank Corps alone has more than 300 BA-10 armored vehicles, not to mention 5 infantry divisions behind it!  You know, in addition to his 66th Motorized Infantry Division, he currently only has the 151st Motorized Infantry Division and 2 wheeled armored regiments.  "Attack, attack!" But he did not hesitate, because the task Liu Mingzhao sent him was to ambush the Soviet army that broke through.  Under the command of the division commander.  The 113 Type 36 Siberian Tiger and Type 31 Leopard tanks of the 66th Infantry Division Armored Regiment led the way. The 24 Civet Cats and 78 Hound wheeled armored vehicles of the 535th Wheeled Armor Regiment where He Hai was located were  227 Iron Bull half-track infantry fighting vehicles/trucks and self-propelled howitzers were assigned to protect the 66th Division, while the 536th Wheeled Armor Regiment and 24 Jagdtiger hunter-killer tanks protected the 151st Motorized Rifle Division following behind.

    In order not to alert the enemy, Wang Wenshan¡¯s ambush site was 20 kilometers away from the bombed railway line, so the first wave to arrive and intercept were 24 ¡®ghost car¡¯ dive bombers brought in by reconnaissance aircraft.  "Lie down! Lie down! Anti-aircraft guns, shoot them down." Vlasov had been preventing air strikes for a long time.  So after the plane was discovered, the anti-aircraft guns and heavy machine guns mounted on the trucks opened fire at full speed.  Under intensive firepower, two 'ghost car' dive bombers soon fell down, trailing black smoke.  But the remaining bombers still dropped bombs on the tank clusters one by one.  However, the damage caused by dive bombers to armored forces is limited. After all, not everyone can drop bombs on moving tanks.  But the second wave of 42 H-10s that came immediately afterwards were definitely tank nemesis.  Each aircraft has 8 rockets, 3 100kg anti-armor submunitions, and a 40mm rapid-fire cannon on the nose. Its firepower is almost equivalent to that of an artillery battery.  Intensive rocket launchers and cluster bombs.  More than 70 Soviet tanks/armored vehicles were quickly destroyed.

    The last bombers to arrive also took advantage of the last daylight to carry out carpet bombing on the infantry group, disrupting the entire formation.  After finally sending away three waves of bombers, the staff officer yelled again.  "Comrade Commander, there is an ambush!" The sun set in a roundabout way.  Rolling dust rose from the south.

    "Come in!" After learning from the reconnaissance plane that the Soviet formation had been bombed, Wang Wenshan immediately took off his headphones.  Order to accelerate and sprint, leaving no room for adjustment for the opponent.  After receiving the order, the tank soldiers stepped on the accelerator to the end, and the steel behemoths roared towards the enemy like crazy.

    Vlasov did not expect that there was an ambush, and quickly asked the 9th Tank Corps to attack, buying time for the infantry behind.  "Boom, boom, boom" The Soviet artillery responded quickly. The armored regiment was only halfway through when dozens of 122mm howitzers began to pour shells.  However, grenades posed little threat to tanks, and the flat grassland allowed the armored regiment to quickly rush through the artillery fire area.  "Flare bomb!" When the main armored regiment approached the target, He Hai loudly asked the loader to insert a 70mm illumination bomb.  "Bang bang." More than a dozen flares were launched into the air at the same time, guiding the gunner in the direction.  "Boom, boom, boom." Relying on their rough skin and thick flesh, the "Siberian Tiger" main battle tank battalion was approaching 800 meters before the battalion commander gave the order to open fire.  Although they were not able to see through the night like the 'Night Tiger', under the white light of the flares, a dozen T34s rushing in front were still destroyed by them.

    The tank regiment opened the way in front, and He Hai's regiment also protected the "Tianniu" half-track infantry fighting vehicle and rushed into the battle circle.  The 66th Division is a mechanized infantry division, and many people often don¡¯t understand the roles of the armored division, mechanized infantry division and motorized infantry division.  To put it simply, the armored division is the vanguard of the attack, crushing the enemy with its powerful destructive capabilities.Motorized infantry divisions are just motorized infantry. Soldiers need to get off their vehicles outside the battlefield and then enter the battlefield on foot.  The mechanized infantry division is located between the two. It has both attack armored regiments and a large number of infantry fighting vehicles with strong protective capabilities. It can drive directly into the battlefield to release infantry for combat.  For example, the 66th Infantry Division not only has an armored regiment, but also the Iron Bull half-track infantry fighting vehicles, which are all fully enclosed. There is a 12.7 mm heavy machine gun on the roof, and the carriage can also carry 8 infantrymen.

    In view of the heavy reliance on anti-tank guns in the Battle of the Bulge, Liu Mingzhao specifically asked the Air Force to transport a large number of 84mm recoilless rifles this time.  This kind of personal equipment based on Gustav uses a hollow charge warhead, which can ensure the penetration of the front armor of KV100. Even He Hai quietly stuffed one into the car.  "Right!" As soon as a gunner jumped out of the car, he was dragged by the squad leader to climb in front of a T34/57 that had its tracks blown off but was still firing.  "Fire! Boom!" There was a flash of sparks, and the shell blasted a big hole in the side of T34.

    In the dark night, there were flashing firecrackers, continuous rain of machine gun bullets, and flaming meteor-like ballistics everywhere, which dazzled He Hai.  It's a pity that the tank under his feet was the 'Civet Cat' tank. This light tank was improved from the Type 26 tank and weighed only 18 tons. It couldn't stop the T34/76, let alone the T34/57 and KV100, so the regiment leader immediately led the  Everyone penetrated the Soviet infantry behind them.

    The news of Vlasov's westward breakthrough was quickly placed in front of Liu Mingzhao.  But he did not immediately commit the last two armored divisions.  This puzzled Gong Chu and others. According to their thinking, since the enemy has broken through to the west, the strongest 2nd and 101st Armored Divisions should be sent up to carry out rapid annihilation.

    "I know, but who of you can guarantee that this is not a bait?" Looking at the puzzled generals, Liu Mingzhao explained the reason.  Since Timoshenko's telegram only asked whether he could retreat, and there was no text about the direction of retreat, no one knew where the Soviet troops would run.

    "But what if it's true? If we are rushed over, it will be too late to set off!" Yang Yuchun was anxious and worried about Wang Wenshan.

    The air in the headquarters was close to freezing, and Liu Mingzhao was under tremendous pressure at this time.  Since the Air Force cannot transport tanks, it only has two main armored divisions that can carry out mobile operations. If it does not determine the specific direction of the enemy's breakthrough, it will invest in the west. Once it makes a mistake, it will be difficult to make up for it.  So after thinking for a long time, he shook his hand firmly: "No, definitely not! Whether it is Lu Jin or Timoshenko, they all know the principle of surrounding three buildings. What's more, it is already night, and the troops coming out have also been ambushed.  , which will make them unable to judge the quantity and cause suspicion. At this time, neither going south nor east is possible. Their only way is to go north, join the main force on the northern line and then retreat to Chelyabinsk."

    Gong Chu nodded: "That makes sense, what should we do?"

    "Let Sun Liren lead the 2nd Division and the 101st Division to move north in advance, and then let Xu Xiangqian lead his troops to the west, assuming a posture of rushing to the west. Remember, you must also remind him that the enemy will come out from the north at any time, so the movement must be loud.  The speed should be slower. This way, if the west direction is true, his eight divisions can arrive tomorrow morning. If Timoshenko and Lu Jin really come out to the north, they can also cooperate with Sun Liren in a pincer attack!".

    (To be continued)
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