red moscow

Chapter 2969 Cavalry Division Breakthrough

Just hours earlier, Priyev's 50th Cavalry Division had been victorious raiders. Under the cover of the pre-dawn darkness, they had silently crossed the snow-covered forest and stormed into the German lines on the flank of Skirmanovo.

The chashik sabers in the cavalrymen's hands drew deadly arcs in the dim morning light, slicing down running German soldiers one by one. Several German tanks in the defensive line didn't even have time to fire before being destroyed by cluster grenades thrown by the cavalry, becoming burning iron coffins, paralyzed behind the messy trenches, billowing black smoke.

But the Germans were not lambs to the slaughter. They quickly recovered from the chaos and organized an effective counterattack, dividing and encircling the cavalry force that had cost them a considerable price in several different settlements and villages.

The news brought back by the scouts plunged Priev's heart into an abyss: to the north lay menacing armored formations, to the south were newly constructed, fortified anti-tank positions, and to the east, the road they had come by, was blocked by rapidly approaching German troops. They were like a pack of trapped beasts, trapped within the German encirclement.

Seeing that the situation was unfavorable to him, Puliev immediately sent a telegram to the army group headquarters, reporting his predicament to his superiors and hoping to receive support from friendly forces.

After receiving the breakout order from Pliev, the 151st and 152nd Cavalry Regiments had already broken out from the weakest point in the German encirclement. Only Pliev and his 153rd Regiment remained trapped inside the German encirclement.

Having been encircled by German forces several times before, Priyev thought he had little hope of breaking through this time and had even prepared to sacrifice himself. At that moment, he heard a report from his subordinates that a nearby unit was charging towards him, clearly friendly forces coming to his rescue.

After a while, the chief of staff came over and reported to him: "Comrade Division Commander, we have figured it out. The unit that came to our rescue is an infantry force. They are about 500 to 600 meters away from the settlement, but they are blocked by the enemy's temporary defensive line and cannot rush over to join us for the time being."

Upon learning that the reinforcements had been blocked by the German's makeshift defensive line, Priyev stood up and said to his chief of staff, "Let's go up to the roof and take a look at the situation."

Soon, the two arrived at the roof of the building.

Puliev raised his binoculars and looked in the direction from which the gunshots and explosions were coming.

Soon, through his binoculars, he saw the infantry rushing to their aid being suppressed at the edge of the forest by enemy tank and machine gun fire. The enemy commander was clearly an experienced one; he didn't order his soldiers to blindly charge into the dense fire. Doing so would have resulted in heavy casualties for the soldiers rushing out of the forest under the enemy's tank and machine gun fire.

The chief of staff also saw the situation in the distance. He frowned and asked, "Comrade Division Commander, what should we do? If we don't blow up those German tanks and eliminate those damned machine gun positions, the troops that come to our rescue won't be able to get here at all."

Puliev put down his binoculars and turned to the chief of staff, saying, "Comrade Chief of Staff, you're right. If we don't destroy the enemy's tanks and machine gun strongpoints, the troops coming to our rescue simply won't be able to get through. Even if they force an attack, it will only increase their casualties."

"What should we do then?" The chief of staff looked in the direction of the ongoing battle and said worriedly, "If they are repelled by the Germans, it means we will be isolated and helpless, and in the end, we will be in danger of being annihilated by the German army."

“Since they can’t get through, let’s go help them.” Puliev turned and walked downstairs, saying, “Immediately assemble the troops, launch an attack from behind the Germans, break through their hastily constructed defenses, and then join the infantry that are coming to our rescue.”

Although the chief of staff believed that launching an attack on the enemy at this moment would be an unwise move, he had no choice but to carry out the order unconditionally since the division commander had personally given it.

A dozen minutes later, the remaining cavalry in the settlement, except for the soldiers without horses and the wounded who could not move, who stayed behind to block the charging enemy, the remaining seven or eight hundred people gathered in the square in the middle of the settlement.

"Comrades, cavalrymen!" Priev rode his warhorse to the front of the column and shouted, "An infantry unit is coming to our aid from the east, but unfortunately, they have been held back by the enemy's heavy firepower. If they cannot break through the enemy's lines and reach us, they will have to retreat. Once this reinforcement unit retreats, we will be an isolated force, and it will only be a matter of time before we are wiped out by the Germans."

"Commander!" a captain shouted from a short distance away, "Just tell us what to do next."

“Good question, Captain.” Puliev pointed at the captain and continued, “Since the infantry comrades cannot break through the enemy’s fire and reach the settlement to join us, then we will take the initiative, launch an attack from the enemy’s rear, tear through their defenses, and join forces with our arriving allies.”

No sooner had Puliev finished speaking than a soldier in the ranks shouted, "Comrade Division Commander, give the order! We must use our scimitars to cut gap after gap in the German lines so that our allies can come and join us."

Seeing that his commanders and soldiers all agreed to launch the attack, Priev spurred his horse, and his chestnut warhorse reared up, letting out a loud neigh that drowned out the roar of gunfire. He drew his scimitar, raised it high above his head, the blade reflecting the cold light of the snow and illuminating the desperate flames in his eyes: "Comrades, cavalrymen! Brothers! The Tsar's cavalry once used their sabers to cut through Napoleon's artillery barrage! Today, it's our turn! With our hooves, we'll crush the fascist encirclement! With our scimitars, we'll tell these invaders—as long as they don't leave our land, we'll fight them to the death! Hurrah!!!"

"Hurrah—!!!" A deafening roar erupted from seven or eight hundred throats, instantly drowning out the cannon fire. It was a roar mixed with despair, anger, and a death wish, violently reverberating in the cold air.

With the order given, hundreds of cavalrymen charged like arrows from a bow toward the distant German defensive positions. They held their scimitars at an angle, the blades gleaming in the sunlight.

The German soldiers, who were suppressing the Soviet infantry with firepower, did not expect that the cavalry they had trapped in the settlement would launch an attack without warning. After a brief moment of panic, some soldiers turned their guns and opened fire on the charging cavalry.

Under the enemy's intense firepower, cavalrymen were constantly being shot and falling from their horses, or their horses were being hit and thrown to the ground, violently throwing their riders off. Because the cavalry was charging at high speed, many of the fallen cavalrymen did not even have time to stand up before being run over by their horses' hooves.

Priev, charging alongside his comrades, heard the whistling of bullets whizzing past his ears, but he remained fearless, still brandishing his scimitar and shouting at the top of his lungs, "Don't stop! Brothers, don't stop! Charge! Charge! That's the way to survival!"

The distance from the settlement to the enemy's position was only three or four hundred meters, a mere minute or two for the charging cavalry. Soon, after suffering some casualties, the cavalry charged into the German lines.

As the cavalrymen swept past the German soldiers, they slashed down with their scimitars, felling the resisting Germans to the ground. A German soldier fleeing from a trench collided head-on with the charging Pliev. Before he could react, the charging horse slammed into him, the force sending him flying five or six meters backward before crashing heavily onto the snow.

The massive impact slowed Pliev's horse. Just then, another German soldier crawled out of the trench and rushed towards Pliev in a panic. Pliev roared, and with immense force, he swung his scimitar at his opponent. The sharp blade sliced ​​through the thick winter clothing with a teeth-grinding sound. Hot blood splattered onto the snow, instantly rising in a small, blinding red mist.

Only a few cavalrymen witnessed their division commander kill two German soldiers; most soldiers, however, focused their attention on the German soldiers who were fleeing in all directions or putting up a last-ditch resistance. For a time, the sounds of gunfire, explosions, shouts, and screams mingled together on the battlefield.

The infantry, pinned down by enemy fire at the edge of the forest, saw that the enemy's position was in chaos and immediately launched an attack.

In less than half an hour, the fighting outside the settlement was over. The German troops that had been blockading the settlement were wiped out by Pliev's cavalry and the infantry that came to reinforce them.

A biting wind, carrying the smell of gunpowder and blood, swept over him. Puliev silently counted the noticeably sparse ranks around him; many familiar faces were forever etched into this land. His face, stained with blood and slush, remained expressionless as he slowly raised his hand to wipe the blood from the nicked scimitar with a cloth.

"Comrade Division Commander!" The Chief of Staff, accompanied by a major, approached Puliev. "I've brought the commander of our friendly forces!"

Puliev sheathed his scimitar, which he had wiped clean of blood, dismounted, and approached the major. He extended his hand and smiled, saying, "Comrade Major, I am Major General Puliev, commander of the 5th Cavalry Division. May I ask which unit you belong to?"

The major first raised his hand to salute Pliev, then extended both hands to shake Pliev's hands: "Hello, Comrade General! I am Major Vasya, the battalion commander of the 4th Battalion of the Infantry Brigade. I have come to rescue you on the orders of Lieutenant Colonel Sokov, the brigade commander."

“Lieutenant Colonel Sokov?” Puliev repeated the name Major Vasya had given him, then frowned slightly. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard of that name before.”

Vasya felt a slight dissatisfaction upon seeing that the general he had rescued didn't even know his own brigade commander. However, he always kept his mission firmly in mind: to rescue Priev from the German encirclement at all costs. Now that the mission was accomplished, there was no need for him to stay any longer.

"Comrade General!" Vasya said respectfully, "This place is not safe to stay any longer. Let's move on as soon as possible. Have your troops all come out of the settlement?"

“No, Major,” the chief of staff said from the side. “When we launched our attack on the enemy, the soldiers who lost their horses and some wounded who were unable to move stayed in the settlement to hold off the enemy trying to break into the settlement. Now that the encirclement has been broken, if we are to move, we need to take them with us.”

“Yes, Comrade Major.” After the Chief of Staff finished speaking, Puliev added, “There are still my soldiers and a considerable number of wounded in the settlement. Even if we have to retreat, we cannot abandon them.”

"Comrade General, please arrange for men to evacuate the soldiers and wounded from the settlement as soon as possible." Vasya said to Priyev, "I will arrange for men to build a simple defensive line here to cover your troops' retreat."

"Major, thank you so much!" After saying this, Puliev turned to his chief of staff and said, "Chief of staff, you should immediately take your men back to the settlement and evacuate all the soldiers and wounded who are still inside."

After the cavalry division chief of staff returned to the settlement with a dozen or so cavalrymen, Vasya called over the commander of the 2nd Battalion and said to him, "Captain Alexa, there are still a number of soldiers and wounded in the settlement. It will probably take them quite some time to evacuate. You will lead the 2nd Battalion to build fortifications here to receive the evacuating friendly forces."

"Understood, Major." Although both were battalion commanders, Vasya's rank was higher than his, so Alex did not object to Vasya's orders but carried them out without question. He turned and called over several company commanders, instructing them to build temporary positions on the newly captured German positions to prepare for the evacuation of troops from the settlement.

"Comrade General!" Vasya said to Puliev when he saw that the officers and soldiers of the Second Battalion had begun to move. "It's not safe here. You should come with me to the back first."

But Puliev refused his offer: "Thank you, Comrade Major! But I cannot retreat with you!"

Seeing that Priev was unwilling to retreat with him, Vasya couldn't help but show a puzzled expression.

Seeing Vasya looking at him with surprise, Puliev explained, "Comrade Major, I am the commander of the cavalry division. I will not leave here before all my men have left the settlement. I don't want my men to think I am a coward."

Seeing that Pliev was unwilling to leave first, Vasya did not force him, but instead arranged for people to help the cavalrymen clean up the battlefield and treat the wounded.

An hour later, the soldiers and wounded in the settlement were all evacuated.

With no one left to resist, the German troops attacking from other directions stormed into the settlement and pursued the retreating soldiers in the same direction.

Seeing this, Priev quickly reminded Vasya, "Comrade Major, the Germans are catching up with my men. Get your men ready for battle immediately."

Vasya smiled faintly upon hearing this, and then said, "Don't worry, Comrade General! Positional warfare is what we excel at. As long as one of us is alive, they won't be able to get through our lines. You're too much of a target if you stay here, so you should retreat quickly."

(End of this chapter)