On the night of September 16, the remnants of Russian 9th Army Corps were at Puławy. Not only were they unable to tear apart German defensive line, but they also suffered heavy losses. In the night battle, the Russian army lost at least 50,000 people, including thousands of elite cavalry.
After losing these troops, Russian 9th Army Corps's remaining troops numbered less than 100,000. Moreover, they were all frightened troops who had lost their fighting spirit. In the continuous battles, the power of German military has made these Russian soldiers feel fear.
And this means that Russian 9th Army Corps has no way to retreat south. It can be said that their situation has become very critical now.
Just when the Russian army was in chaos and didn't know what to do, German military had already made a choice for them.
At noon on September 17, the main force of German 8th Army Corps arrived one after another to the north of Puławy. The remnants of Russian 9th Army Corps were surrounded. Although, all the troops of German 8th Army Corps combined are less than twice the remnants of Russian 9th Army Corps. The encirclement formed also appeared to be very weak. However, the Russian army has long seen how powerful German military is, and it cannot be defeated by relying on its numerical and strength advantages. Therefore, even if they were given the courage, they would not dare to break through rashly.
German military did not leave much time for the Russian army. In the afternoon of that day, German 8th Army Corps began to attack the Russian army in the encirclement, hoping to eat this Russian army in the shortest possible time and make their results even more brilliant.
Under the fierce attack of German military, the Russian army had no way to stop it and could only retreat steadily. Their living space has also been continuously compressed. The losses are also increasing.
With great difficulty, I persisted until the evening. The generals of the Russian army did not want to wait to die here anymore. They all suggested General Letsky to break out.
Now, the remnants of Russian 9th Army Corps are surrounded. However, it is mainly surrounded by the East to the south and German military to the north. To the west, it is Vistula River. German military did not deploy troops on the west coast of the Vistula River. And this undoubtedly gave them a chance to escape. Of course, it is almost impossible to escape across the river on a large scale. German military is not a fool and will never allow this to happen.
General Letsky, also knows what the generals mean. They wanted to abandon their troops and escape on their own. Instead of staying with the troops and being wiped out by the Germany people, it is better to leave the troops behind and escape by yourself. What's more, these generals don't care about the lives of ordinary soldiers.
Regarding the general's suggestion, General Letsky thought about it for a moment and accepted it. He was General Russian Army, and he had finally reached this level. It would be a pity if he died in battle like this. It would be best if you could save your own life. Even if you are punished by Tsar Nicholas II for this, it is still acceptable.
That night, a group of Russian generals, together with their confidants, secretly took Vistula River on the collected boats and escaped. A group of soldiers and middle and low-level officers were left in the encirclement.
Early the next morning, the Russian soldiers and middle- and low-level officers immediately discovered this problem. After learning that they had been abandoned by those generals, this was a devastating blow to the morale of the Russian soldiers. The Russian soldiers, who did not have much will to fight in the first place, collapsed immediately.
At this time, German offensive attacked again. Suddenly, the Russian soldiers, who had lost all fighting spirit, surrendered to German military one after another. Even the generals have run away, so naturally they don't want to stay and die.
A large number of Russian soldiers surrendered voluntarily, which also affected others. In the end, except for a very small number of Russian 9th Army Corps's remaining troops who resisted stubbornly, the rest surrendered. This allowed German 8th Army Corps to easily end the battle on September 18th.
This news was immediately reported to the legion headquarters.
"Your Highness, we achieved a great victory in Puławy. The remnants of Russian 9th Army Corps have surrendered to us. We once again successfully defeated an army group of Russians." General Hindenburg and Major General Ludendorff were both elated.
"How could it be so fast?" Oscar was also a little dazed.
"The generals of Your Highness and Russian 9th Army Corps all escaped last night. Therefore, those soldiers and mid-level and low-level officers surrendered after losing their command. This allowed us to win so quickly." Major General Ludendorff explained.
Oscar It suddenly dawned on me that this is probably what the saying goes, "One soldier is a raging enemy, and generals are a raging nest." How could we expect the soldiers to continue fighting desperately when all the officials were gone? That is simply impossible.
"Russians's generals are leading the race well! It's precisely because they ran away that we were able to win so easily." Oscar said with a smile.
"Your Highness, do we need to send someone to pursue them? The Russian generals escaped through the Vistula River. If we send a cavalry to pursue them, we might be able to catch them." General Hindenburg asked.
Oscar shook his head. "There is no need for this. Russian 9th Army Corps has been almost wiped out. Even if the generals escape, it will be of no use. Of course, if they can abandon their troops and escape once, they can escape a second time. If they still have the opportunity to continue to lead troops, they will probably escape the next time they encounter us. This is a good thing for us."
"Hahaha!" General Hindenburg and Major General Ludendorff burst into laughter. Indeed, if this is really the case, then for them, the advantages will undoubtedly outweigh the disadvantages.
"Okay, two. We have eliminated Russian Guard 2nd Army Corps and Russian 9th Army Corps. Then, the Russian army in Kingdom of Poland has been almost eliminated. Let the main force rest immediately and prepare to go to cooperate with the Austro-Hungarian Empire and kill Southwestern Front of Russians. Move 8th Armored Division and an Infantry Division to go to Warsaw. Since the fish has been eaten by us, there is no need to leave the bait anymore." Oscar said.
Now that Russian Guard 2nd Army Corps and Russian 9th Army Corps have been eliminated by them, naturally there will be no Warsaw left.
"Yes, Your Highness." Major General Ludendorff nodded.
German 8th Armored Division and 24th Infantry Division were ordered to attack Warsaw.