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Volume 1: On the Songhua River Chapter 1856: The Longest Day (Part 2)

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    General Kulykin lowered his head and mourned for his failure. He was filled with resentment for being unable to seize air supremacy. Many complicated emotions stirred up the burning pain in his heart.

    A soft sound of footsteps woke up General Kulykin from his loss. It was Lieutenant General Zernenko, the Chief of Staff, who had returned. The two looked at each other, and both could see the complicated emotions in each other's hearts.

    Commander Comrade Kulykin feels bitter, while Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Zernenko feels deeply worried.

    General Kulykin said: "Comrade Zernenko, tell me about the situation. I am mentally prepared for this!"

    Lieutenant General Zernenko took out a few pages and said: "The statistics of the losses of each unit are here. The follow-up units of the second attack wave were severely damaged. Three infantry regiments lost more than 90% of their strength.  Two tank brigades, with more than 300 tanks, were blown up by ** division bombers. The battle damage rate exceeded more than half. The third echelon that was being assembled was also bombed. The losses were not significant, but according to the original plan  It may be difficult to launch an attack."

    Looking at the dull face of General Kulykin, Lieutenant General Zernenko continued: "The troops we boarded on the south bank of the Selenge River have a total of fifteen regiments, with a strength of more than 50,000 Zuoyou. The current  The loss was not big. I asked Major General Wadkin who was commanding on the south bank in detail. The formation of each unit was relatively complete. However, Major General Wadkin emphasized that without reinforcements from follow-up troops, it would be difficult to break through the ** Division with the current strength.  position."

    "Moreover, Major General Wadkin also raised a question, if we do not have tank fire to suppress the firepower of the ** division troops, will the Chinese take a large-scale counterattack? If such a thing happens, what will happen to the troops on the south bank?  Said. The situation will be quite bad. After losing the foothold on the beach, the troops will be forced to retreat. It will also be a problem to transport tens of thousands of soldiers across the river. "

    General Kulykin sneered and said: "Retreat? How could Vadkin think of this stupid question? After two consecutive days of fierce fighting, the ** division troops have been greatly exhausted. They are unable to launch a counterattack. What they have already achieved  A foothold. How can we give up so easily? Chief of Staff, order the third echelon to start the cross-river attack immediately. The bombers of the ** Division have returned, and we must seize this opportunity! "

    "It is now 4:25 pm. Tell the troops. In an hour, the attack must be launched. Order the troops on the south bank to provide fire cover. The engineering troops will continue to build bridges and work continuously. Don't stop at night. Tell him to the engineering headquarters  "If I don't see the pontoon bridge for the two tank brigades before six o'clock tomorrow morning, their commanders, including the political commissars, will be executed!"

    Chief of Staff Zilnenko was shocked. He had just returned from the third echelon preparing to assemble. He knew how badly the troops had been bombed by the ** division bombers. Within an hour, it was too late to rescue the wounded and reorganize the troops. Even more  What about attacking across the river?  It is now 4:30 in the afternoon. An hour later, it will be 5:30. It is already the late autumn season. It gets dark early. Doesn't it mean that the troops are still crossing the river and have to fight in the dark?

    Night attacks have never happened before for the troops of the Transcaucasus Military Region. It is not easy to attack during the day, let alone fighting at night, and it is even more impossible for engineers to build bridges overnight.

    The surging river water is very difficult to operate even during the day. At night, I am afraid that the pontoon bridge has not been built, and the equipment will be washed away by the river water. Moreover, without the suppression of tank fire, the ** Division can allow engineers to build the pontoon bridge?  The mortar bombardment in the morning was still vivid in his mind. Has Comrade Commander considered these issues?

    Chief of Staff Zirnenko said hurriedly: "Comrade Commander, I understand your mood, but campaign deployment should also be based on actual conditions. As Chief of Staff, I reserve my personal opinion and do not agree with your decision."

    Then, Lieutenant General Zernenko made a detailed statement of the reasons for his opposition, with a sincere and resolute attitude.

    How could General Kurekin not think of this? However, the attitude of his chief of staff was a bit unexpected, but he knew that these were actual difficulties, but did he have any other choice?

    General Kulykin smiled bitterly and said in a gentle tone: "Comrade Zernenko, I agree with you, but it does not mean that I accept your suggestion. Today's battle would have been fought without the sudden appearance of the ** bomber group."  , We have already set foot on the land on the south bank, so not having air control is our biggest passive force. The troops on the south bank are suppressed by the ** division troops who are firmly entrenched on the river beach, and are extremely passive. "

    ¡°If we don¡¯t take advantage of the situation and launch continuous attacks, what if the ** division¡¯s defenders launch a counterattack that night? After a melee, will the troops on the south bank still be able to shoulder the task of covering the follow-up troops crossing the river? IfIf we still have to wait for tank artillery cover, the ** division's bomber group will still come to bomb. We cannot bear such heavy losses again. Without the armored assault force, it will become very difficult to conquer the Battle of Coulomb.  "

    "Perhaps, before we reach the outskirts of Kulun, the cavalry troops of the Outer Mongolian Border Guards of the ** Division will drag us down. Sergeyev's Third Army is an obvious example. Therefore, we must launch a campaign no matter what.  Continuous attack!"

    Having said this, General Kulykin suddenly sighed and continued a little lonely: "Comrade Zernenko, we have no time. The Selenge River has blocked us for more than two days. According to Comrade Stalin's instructions,  , Comrades in Outer Mongolia will stage a riot and demand that our military air force bomb Kulun to create opportunities for them. You also know that the current air force, after two large-scale air battles, has been severely damaged and has combat capabilities.  , is basically exhausted and has no ability to organize a capable night bomber force to bomb Cullen.¡±

    "The prescribed deadline is tomorrow night. Comrade Zernenko, the military air force cannot be counted on. We can only break through the defense line of the ** division troops as quickly as possible. Otherwise, there will be no external support. Comrades in Outer Mongolia,  They will inevitably be massacred by Tang Qiuli's men, leading to the failure of the uprising. This responsibility is more serious than the loss of tens of thousands of troops. It is not something that you and I, or even the entire Transcaucasus Military Region, can bear! "

    "I want to launch an offensive after gaining air supremacy. Will the General Staff agree that we stay on the north bank of the Selenga River for too long? Comrade Stalin can accept that our nearly 30 mechanized troops cannot break through the second-rate division of 50,000 to 60,000 people.  Troops and solid defense lines can't do it. So, Comrade Chief of Staff, I have no choice but to launch a continuous offensive today. Even if the troop losses are heavy, I must do this!  "

    Chief of Staff Zernenko sighed deeply. He saw the helplessness in the eyes of Comrade Commander. He was silent for a moment and said: "Comrade Commander, I understand. I will rush to the offensive troops immediately and personally command the third party."  Echelon and engineering troops, since you have no choice, I can only do my best to do my job as chief of staff! I hope to achieve your wish."

    However, when Chief of Staff Zernenko said the last words, he didn't even know what he was doing. Of course, General Kulykin also heard it. He smiled and shook the Chief of Staff's hand tightly.  Hands, watching him leave in a hurry.

    On the south bank of the Selenge River, at the Battle Command of the Outer Mongolia Border Defense Force, at around five o'clock in the afternoon on September 21, Sun Zhenbang's condition was getting better and his face was less pale. Although he was still very weak, he could think normally.  He closed his eyes slightly and was listening to the report by Meng Chaoxu, the chief of the combat section.

    Meng Zhaoxu finished his concise report. After a long time, Sun Zhenbang opened his eyes and asked: "Chaoxu, according to your judgment, after the bombing by our bomber group, will the Soviet offensive today end here?"

    Meng Zhaoxu replied cautiously: "Commander, according to my judgment, the Soviet army is unable to launch another attack, at least today. The reason is very simple. The Soviet tanks have been severely damaged. The follow-up troops crossing the river have  More than half of the army was almost wiped out. They then gathered their troops and prepared to cross the river to attack. They couldn't do it in less than two or three hours. The sun was about to set. Fighting across the river was extremely detrimental to the attacking side. "

    Sun Zhenbang did not express any opinion. He asked another question, "Chaoxu, what are the casualties of the troops?"

    Meng Zhaoxu replied in a serious tone: "Commander, the troops have suffered heavy casualties, with a reduction of one-third zuoyou, especially the headquarters of Brigadier Wang Qingshan of the 1st Brigade. Because it defends the main assault area of ??the Soviet army, the casualties will exceed  More than one-third, especially the mortar unit, suffered losses of more than half. Our two artillery brigades have less than two regiments of artillery that can continue to be used. Now, the number of combat troops is 34,000.  There were many people, and the two days of fierce fighting resulted in more than 20,000 casualties. Moreover, we had no reserves, so all the troops went into battle. "

    Sun Zhenbang closed his eyes and didn't speak for a long time. Meng Zhaoxu saw that there was a trace of tears in the corners of the commander's eyes, and the muscles in his cheeks were twitching uncontrollably.

    After a long time, Sun Zhenbang said in a weak tone: "Zhaoxu, my judgment is that the Soviet army will never give up. They have already gained a foothold on the beach, which is their biggest support. You inform several brigade commanders that they must be on guard tonight."  , I always have a feeling that the Soviet army will launch an attack again and take out all their possessions. As long as they survive tonight, reinforcements will arrive, as well as artillery. All the artillery shells will be used for the forward positions.  Provide fire support."

    "It's time to fight desperately. Also, report the battle situation to the division commander frequently!" After saying these words?Sun Zhenbang fell asleep from exhaustion.

    Meng Zhaoxu quietly exited Sun Zhenbang's ward and looked at his watch. It had just arrived at 5:20, and the sun was still hanging in the sky. The night was so far away. He had never felt that today was so long, so long.  Crazy.

    (To be continued) (To be continued)
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