"Damn! The night attack failed. Now we can only attack by force. I hope our troops can successfully break through Poles's defense line!" Lieutenant General Konev couldn't help but curse.
Even if they can sneak in only a few dozen meters away from the defense line of Poland's army, they can easily break through the defense line of Poles! Now, they were discovered a few hundred meters away, which will undoubtedly make them pay a greater price to rush to the Poland army's defense line, which will further increase their losses.
General Zhukov had an expressionless face. He had never expected a night attack to be successful. The enemy will not be unprepared. Therefore, if the formation wants to win, it still has to rely on the troops to do their best in the next battle.
"Order the artillery to fire!" General Zhukov ordered.
Although, many of the Russian artillery were destroyed during the daytime battle. But some remain. Although these cannons are not large in number, their caliber is not large. But if it is used well, it may have unexpected effects.
The Russian artillery began to roar, firing at the defense lines of the Polish Army and Belarusian Army. Some artillery shells fell on the defense lines of the Polish Army and Belarusian Army, causing them certain casualties. However, overall the casualties were not large. After all, unless the shells fell directly into the trenches, it would undoubtedly be very difficult to harm the soldiers hiding in the trenches. Unless it's a large-caliber artillery. But unfortunately, due to the heavy snow, the Russian army's large-caliber artillery could not be sent to the front line at all.
The artillery pieces of the Polish Army and Belarusian Army were also firing fiercely. Although, when firing at night, the accuracy is greatly reduced. However, the Russian army dispatched too many troops. Through the previously calibrated shooting elements, the artillery shells could still easily fall into the Russian army's queue, causing heavy casualties to the attacking Russian army.
Smolensk, German Army Group B Command. Neither Lieutenant General Marshal Guderian nor Karl? Hillpet took a break. It is undoubtedly very common for them, military generals, to stay up late during a war.
When the battle just broke out, Army Group headquarters had already received the news.
"Your Excellency, Russians indeed launched an attack. Moreover, a lot of troops were invested. It can be seen that they are desperate!" Lieutenant General Karl Hillpet said.
Marshal Guderian nodded. "The person commanding this attack is Zhukov. He is a very good general. If the army he commanded were not so bad, he would be a very powerful opponent. I hope Poles and Belarusians can resist the attack of Russians! Otherwise, we may have to give up the front line. Although this will not cause much damage to them, it will be a trouble."
"The combat effectiveness of Poles and Belarus has been greatly improved under our training. Although they are at a disadvantage in terms of military strength, it should not be too difficult to withstand Russians's attack." Lieutenant General Karl Hilpeter said.
"Yes, as long as we survive tonight, the subsequent battle will turn into a war of attrition. By then, the huge losses will definitely make Russians unable to hold on. We will be able to win." General Guderian said.
After all, in the face of the well-prepared German military and its allies, if the Russian army, which lacks winter supplies, launches a large-scale attack, it will only cost them extremely heavy losses. Although the Russian army still has a lot of troops, if such losses continue, sooner or later the Russian army will be injured. As for Germany, I wish Russians would keep doing this. In this case, German military can at least gain a greater advantage in the offense next spring.
Fierce fighting was still breaking out on the front line. The Russian army charged in the ice and snow. Many Russian soldiers fell to the ground under the fierce firepower of German military, or were frozen to death. But they were still not frightened. Instead, they launched attacks one after another, stepping on the corpses of their comrades. This crazy attack shocked the Polish soldiers in the defensive position to some extent.
However, the shooting of these Polish soldiers did not stop. They all know that this is a life-and-death battle. If they are soft-hearted and the defense line is breached, then they will probably be the ones killed next. On the battlefield, if you are not ruthless, you will die. Therefore, those who survive to the end are either lucky or ruthless. Usually, people who meet both conditions can live the best and longest.
"Fire, fire!" a Polish second lieutenant platoon leader shouted.
His luck was rather bad. The position defended by his platoon seemed to have become the focus of Russians's attack. The platoon's mortars continued to fire flares, leaving the Russian troops with nowhere to hide. Heavy Machine Gun and light machine guns were also firing, killing the Russian soldiers. However, it seemed that those Russian troops could not be killed at all. A thick layer of corpses had accumulated in front of their defense line, but the Russian army's attack still did not stop.
"Damn it! Are those Russians really not afraid of death?" the second lieutenant platoon leader cursed after killing two Russian soldiers approaching the defense line with a pistol.
"Boom!"
A 76.2mm field gun shell fell into the trench, killing several Polish soldiers on the spot, leaving a gap in their defense line.
"Asshole, report to Company Headquarters, we need reinforcements. We are at least resisting the attack of a battalion of Russians troops! If there are no reinforcements, our defense line will probably be breached soon!" the second lieutenant platoon leader ordered.
Although, 22nd Infantry Division of the Polish Army and 23rd Infantry Division, relying on their solid positions and powerful firepower, barely resisted the Russian attack. However, the number of attacking Russian troops was so great that their entire defense line was already stretched thin. As the Russian army got closer and closer to their defense lines, and even began to shoot at them, the casualties of the troops also continued to rise.
"Grenade, throw it!"
Under the order of a squad leader, several grenades flew out of the trenches and blew up the Russian soldiers who were trying to cut off the barbed wire fence.
Many Russian soldiers had already rushed to the Poland army's defense line, but they were blocked by the barbed wire fence. The Russian soldiers tried to climb over the barbed wire fence, but Polish Army soldiers took the opportunity to shoot them dead.