Time passed little by little, and under the attack of German military artillery and air force, the Russian army's defense line suffered heavy losses. The trenches were blown down, the machine gun fire points and Bunker were destroyed, and the cannons on the artillery positions also suffered heavy losses.
Before the German military infantry attack began, the Russian army had already suffered great losses. If this continues, it won't be long before all the Russian artillery is dead.
The generals of the Russian army did not fail to see this. However, they have no choice. If they order the artillery to hide, then German military will gather all the artillery fire to bombard their position. Judging from the current situation, their defensive positions are no different from paper under the fierce bombardment of German military. If the German artillerymen bombardment is allowed to continue, their defensive position will probably be destroyed before long. When the time comes, what will they do to resist German offensive?
Not only the Russian army's Western Front was violently bombarded by German military, but Northwestern Front Army in the north, Southwestern Front in the north of Ukraine, and Southern Front Army that had already invaded Ukraine were all under heavy bombardment by German military at this moment.
German military, which had been silent for twenty years, had just begun this World War, and let the whole world see that their strength had not been weakened by the passage of time, but had become stronger.
"Order all group armies to prepare for the attack! We must work together to tear apart Russians's defense line!" General Guderian ordered.
In this attack plan, German military and Army Group B are undoubtedly powerful. There was not only one armored army, but also four infantry armies. In addition, Kingdom of Poland's one million troops and Kingdom of Belarus's two hundred thousand troops have been mobilized and have marched to the border, ready to join the battle at any time.
Of course, the combat effectiveness of these Protectorate troops may not be comparable to that of the Buru elite army. However, as long as German military can annihilate the Russian elite troops in one fell swoop in this battle, these Protectorate troops will also be of use in the subsequent battles. Equipped with German weapons and trained by German military officers, the combat effectiveness of these Protectorate troops cannot be underestimated.
"Yes, Your Excellency Commander." The adjutant immediately gave General Guderian's order.
In the combat plan drawn up by General Staff Headquarters, there were only two hours for fire preparation this time. If the Russian defensive positions cannot be destroyed, the fire preparation time can be extended a little longer. However, the Russian defense position is obviously a shoddy project, and two hours is completely enough. This makes General Guderian naturally not want to waste time.
At 8 o'clock in the morning, German military's artillery fire began to extend towards the Russian army's deep positions. Those 75mm Field Gun stopped shelling because of the range. Only those heavy artillery with a diameter of over 100 mm can use their range to attack the Russian army's deep positions.
This change of German artillerymen also attracted the attention of the Russian army. They knew that German military's attack was about to begin.
"Quick, get into position quickly. The Germany people are about to attack!"
In the artillery-proof holes that had not been blown down, Russian soldiers filed out and entered the position along the communication trenches, preparing to resist German offensive. But some bomb-proof holes have disappeared. They had been blown up during the previous fierce bombardment by German military. The Russian officers and soldiers inside were also buried alive inside.
"Damn, the shelling by the Germany people was too fierce. Our position has become like this in just two hours. How can we resist the Germany people's attack?" A Russian battalion commander was about to cry without tears. The defensive positions they had painstakingly built before had been almost destroyed by German military's shelling. The trenches were blown down, the machine gun fire points were destroyed, and even the barbed wire fence in front of the position was crumbling.
"Even if there is no defensive position, under the wise leadership of Comrade Joseph, we can still withstand the attack of Germany!" the battalion instructor said with a fanatical look. To these people, it seems that as long as Joseph is around, the powerful German military will be like a paper tiger and easily defeated.
"Attack!"
German Army Group B's attack order has been issued, and five armies launched an attack on a defense line of more than 500 kilometers.
8th Army Corps, as one of the two armored armies of German military, is undoubtedly the main force of this attack. They bear the heavy responsibility of starting from Minsk and continuing to Smolensk. As the western gateway of Moscow, if Smolensk falls, German military can directly threaten Moscow. Therefore, Western Front of the Russian army deployed its headquarters here.
Blocking in front of German 8th Army Corps is one of the Russian army's 3rd Army Corps and 3rd Tank Army Corps.
"Crunch! Crunch!" German military, 'Panther tank' tanks and 'Mighty Tiger' tanks drove out of their positions and rushed towards the Russian army's position. These tanks formed a line of Steel Torrent and swept towards the Russian position.
The two Armored Division, three Mechanized Infantry Division and six motorized Infantry Division subordinate to 8th Army Corps can be said to have gone all out in this attack. Two Armored Division, one on the left and one on the right, formed two fists and attacked the Russian army. Three Mechanized Infantry Division, accompanied by Armored Division, launched the attack. Only soldiers riding on tracked infantry fighting vehicles and infantry transport vehicles can better advance the Armored Forces. As for the motorized Infantry Division, his mission is to take over from Armored Division and Mechanized Infantry Division after they complete the division and encirclement, and destroy the Russian army that was divided and surrounded.
"God! German tanks!"
"Anti-tank Gun Pull up, we need reinforcements!"
"Call our tank unit. The Germany people have dispatched a large number of tanks. We need them to destroy German tanks!"
Russian commanders on the front line responded to their superiors one after another.
Originally, they had already suffered heavy losses under the fierce bombardment of German military. Now, one can easily imagine the consequences of facing German armored forces's attack again. It is almost impossible to resist German offensive without strong reinforcements.
It was the first time for many Russian soldiers on the battlefield to see such a situation. Under the power of German armored forces's charge, some timid people even wet their pants in fear.