Anti-Japanese War: My equipment is infinitely refreshed

In the early spring of 1944, the situation on the Eastern Front was like a bowstring stretched to the extreme, ready to explode at any moment.

In the Colinch area, a land that has been repeatedly baptized by war, a new round of bloody fighting has begun again.

The Soviet army launched a fierce attack with an overwhelming force, instantly igniting the flames of war on the battlefield.

"Counterattack, counterattack quickly, the Soviet army is attacking again." Major General Berents, commander of the 5th Infantry Division of the rd Armored Group, stood in the command post and gave combat orders into the microphone at the top of his voice.

His face was full of fatigue and anxiety, but his eyes showed determination and resoluteness. He kept thinking about how to hold his position and repel the wave after wave of Soviet troops that were pouring in like a tide.

At this time, on the opposite position, groups of Soviet soldiers shouted slogans and rushed towards the position of the 5th Infantry Division like a surging tide.

Their figures were looming in the thick smoke, their steps were firm and their momentum was overwhelming.

Ivanov, who was rushing in the front, had a burning hatred for the invaders in his heart. He held the rifle tightly in his hand. The tragic scene of his hometown being trampled by the German army and the picture of his family being displaced emerged in his mind. This grief and anger turned into infinite power, driving him to rush towards the German position without fear, even though there was a hail of bullets ahead and it was a desperate situation where death was inevitable.

"Where are the artillery fire? Fight back immediately." Major General Berents was extremely anxious. He knew very well that if the Soviet charge could not be suppressed in time, the position would be in danger.

Deep in his heart, he felt helpless about the cruelty of war, but also had a strong desire to hold his position. He could not let his troops be easily defeated by the Soviet army. That was not only a matter of honor, but also the lives of countless soldiers.

As the order to bombard was given, the deafening sound of bombardment instantly resounded throughout the earth.

Flames shot up from the German artillery positions, and shells whistled through the sky, flying in the direction of the Soviet charge.

At the position of the 42th Infantry Division, the MG general-purpose machine gun also began to roar, and dense bullets swept towards the rushing Soviet soldiers like raindrops.

Soon, a huge firepower network was organized in front of the 5th Infantry Division's position, continuously sweeping the Soviet soldiers who were charging desperately.

However, despite the fierce German firepower, the Soviet offensive showed no signs of stopping.

They remained fearless and unafraid of death. When the front group of soldiers fell, the soldiers behind followed without hesitation, stepping on the bodies of their comrades and continuing to rush towards the positions of the 5th Infantry Division with murderous intent.

"Damn it, why are these Soviet soldiers like crazy?" A German soldier Hans couldn't help but curse.

His face was full of fear and confusion, his body was shaking, and his heart was filled with terror.

As far as he knew, he had never seen such a life-and-death charge, which made him deeply afraid of the Soviet army's madness, and at the same time he was worried about whether he could survive this battle.

"Yeah, what should we do? It feels like there are more troops than yesterday. It seems endless. We have already suffered many casualties. If we continue fighting like this, we will be wiped out." A second lieutenant officer, Carl, frowned and said worriedly.

He tried to remain calm on the surface, but there was a hint of despair in his eyes.

Looking at the incoming Soviet troops, he knew in his heart that the cruelty of this battle was far beyond his imagination. He was wondering how long he and his men could hold out, and whether they would really be wiped out by the Soviet army as he worried.

The machine gunner next to him was firing desperately, with beads of sweat rolling down his forehead.

His eyes were bloodshot and his hands were shaking from shooting for so long.

He tried his best, hoping to kill more enemies, but unfortunately there were too many Soviet troops. The barrel of the MG42 machine gun was shot red, but the enemies still appeared in an endless stream.

"Hurry, change the barrel, there are too many enemies, hurry." The machine gunner shouted at his assistant beside him at the top of his lungs.

His voice became hoarse from yelling and seemed a little weak amid the fierce gunfire.

He knew that if he paused for a moment, the Soviet army might break through his defense line, so he had to race against time, even though his body was exhausted and his mind was so tense that he was close to collapse.

The assistant quickly and skillfully replaced the barrel. Taking advantage of this gap, the machine gunner took a gulp of water to moisten his dry throat, then picked up the machine gun again and continued to pour bullets at the enemy.

In the fierce exchange of fire, the Soviet army's three charges were repelled.

But before the German soldiers had time to catch their breath, they were horrified to find that the Soviet army was reorganizing its forces and preparing to launch a new round of assault.

"They're crazy, they're all crazy. They just repelled the attack of at least one regiment, and now they're organizing another regiment. They're all crazy." Major Fritz, the commander of the second battalion, said in shock.

His face was full of disbelief. As a seasoned officer, he had seen the madness of the Soviet army, but today's scene still shocked him greatly.

The Soviet army was determined to break through their positions at any cost.

Deep in his heart, he admired the Soviet army's almost crazy fighting spirit, but he felt more pressured by the upcoming battle. He was not sure whether his troops could withstand the next round of attack.

"Damn it, another battalion, keep fighting!" Major Fritz looked at the enemy rushing up again and shouted to the soldiers around him.

He raised the pistol in his hand and shot at the rushing Soviet troops, his eyes full of fearlessness and determination.

The fierce battle lasted for more than an hour, the battlefield was filled with smoke and corpses piled up like mountains.

After paying a heavy price of two full regiments, the Soviet army was finally forced to withdraw.

The 2nd Infantry Battalion, to which Major Fritz belonged, had suffered heavy casualties and only had less than two hundred people left.

The soldiers had very few bullets left, less than ten per person.

If the Soviets launched another charge, they would definitely lose their position.

"Damn it, where are the reinforcements?" Major Fritz roared in a bad tone.

His voice was filled with anger and anxiety. At this moment, he was looking forward to the arrival of reinforcements, which was their hope of survival.

In this desperate moment, he began to doubt whether his superiors had given up on them, and this thought filled his heart with anger and resentment.

At the same time, in the headquarters of the 5th Infantry Division, Major General Berents was also extremely anxious.

He asked anxiously: "Have the reinforcements arrived?"

In the counterattack just now, his Fifth Infantry Division lost more than a thousand people.

You know, after this period of hard rest and recuperation, the Fifth Division finally recovered to more than 8,000 people, which is still far from the full strength of 18,000 people.

On the Eastern Front, where supplies were scarce and logistics were lagging behind, it was extremely difficult to replenish personnel to the front line.

The Fifth Division was able to be replenished with 8,000 people because they were an elite force and were given priority for replenishment.

Although some troops are named as division-level units, their actual number of personnel is less than 5,000, which is even less than that of some independent infantry brigades.

"Not yet. I'm sure the entire Third Armored Group was engaged in a fierce battle with the Soviets just now. The situation is definitely very bad. We may have to withdraw from our positions next." The chief of staff said worriedly. His eyes were full of worry. Looking at the flashing war signs on the map, he knew in his heart that the situation had reached an extremely critical moment.

He silently considered various possible response strategies, but each one faced huge risks and uncertainties.

Upon hearing this, Major General Berents's expression turned very ugly.

If they retreat further, they will have to return to their starting point, which would undoubtedly be a great humiliation for an army and a real loss of face.

He was struggling internally. On the one hand, there was the honor of a soldier, and on the other hand, there was the cruel reality. He didn't know how to choose to minimize the losses.

"Where is the ammunition? How long can it last?" Major General Berents asked, suppressing his anger.

"Not much. According to the current scale of the battle, we can only hold out for two days at most. The Soviet attack is fierce and we are consuming our ammunition very quickly." The chief of staff replied with a worried look on his face.

His heart was filled with worries about the future. Without enough ammunition, how could they resist the Soviet attack? Could they really only sit and wait for death?

"The army group has sent an urgent telegram ordering your unit to retreat immediately." At this moment, the combat staff officer walked in quickly with a telegram and said loudly.

"Retreat?" Major General Berents and the Chief of Staff looked at each other, and a hint of worry flashed in their eyes.

This order meant that the situation had really reached the brink of danger, and it could even be said that it had exceeded their imagination.

Major General Berents had mixed feelings. He had to obey the orders from his superiors, but was also worried about the possible consequences of retreat. He was afraid that this retreat would deal a huge blow to morale and that the future battle situation would become even more difficult to reverse.

"Let's retreat. Since you asked us to retreat, there must be a reason." The chief of staff said solemnly. The situation at this time might have reached a point where it could not be reversed.

"Pass the order down, retreat immediately and let the Third Regiment cover the rear." Major General Berents said helplessly.

There was a hint of fatigue and reluctance in his voice, but as a soldier, he knew that obeying orders was his duty.

In his heart, he silently prayed for the third regiment that was guarding the rear, hoping that they could successfully complete the mission and return safely.

The retreat was orderly, with the seriously wounded evacuated first, followed by the lightly wounded, and finally those soldiers who could continue to fight.

The German soldiers retreated with difficulty amidst the hail of bullets.

The 5th Infantry Division had just left the position when Major General Berents suddenly heard a rustling sound in the distance.

His expression changed drastically in an instant. With years of combat experience, he immediately realized what the sound was.

"Retreat quickly, retreat quickly, Katyusha rocket launchers, retreat quickly." Major General Berents shouted at the top of his lungs.

His voice echoed across the empty battlefield, filled with fear and despair.

He was well aware of the power of the Katyusha rocket launcher, which would be a devastating blow. At this moment, he had only one thought in his mind, which was to keep as many soldiers alive as possible.

As soon as he finished speaking, a burst of artillery fire that resounded through the sky instantly enveloped the entire Fifth Division's position.

Rockets fell from the sky like raindrops, bringing with them a breath of destruction, completely submerging the Fifth Division's positions.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!" The overwhelming rain of bombs pounded the Fifth Division's positions crazily, with flames shooting up into the sky and thick smoke billowing. Every explosion raised a large amount of dust and sand, as if it was going to turn the land upside down.

The entire battlefield turned into a living hell. It seemed that the Soviet army would not stop until all the officers and soldiers of the Fifth Division were killed.

Such a large-scale artillery attack put the officers and soldiers of the Fifth Division, who had not yet had time to retreat completely, into a desperate situation.

They could only hide in the air-raid shelters, shivering and praying that this nightmarish bombardment would end as soon as possible.

The soldiers were filled with fear. Every explosion made their hearts beat violently. They were afraid that they would be blown to pieces in the next second. In this small air-raid shelter, their spirits were tortured to the extreme.

At this time, the counterattack of the Third Army Group seemed a little slow.

Compared to the Soviet army, which could replenish ammunition and manpower immediately after the battle, it was particularly difficult for the German army to replenish its ammunition and manpower.

Every artillery shell transported from the rear to the front line cost two shells. Such a high cost forced the front-line troops to be extremely cautious when using ammunition.

This also led to the fact that when facing the fierce attacks of the Soviet army, the German counterattacks always seemed powerless.

At the headquarters of Army Group Center, Field Marshal Model received an emergency telegram from the front and his face looked very grim.

He shouted angrily: "Where is the air force? Where is our air force? Why don't they attack immediately?"

His eyes were full of anxiety and anger. In his opinion, the Air Force should play an important role at this time to support the front-line troops.

He was angry about the delay of the Air Force and deeply anxious about the loss of control of the entire war situation. He knew that if the situation could not be reversed in time, the consequences would be disastrous.

"Commander, there are too many areas that need support and the Air Force is overwhelmed." The chief of staff next to him explained helplessly.

The entire defense line of Army Group Center was attacked fiercely by the Soviet army. The Air Force was also busy and confused, with telegrams for help everywhere. They were simply unable to meet the needs of all the troops.

The chief of staff was also filled with helplessness and powerlessness. He tried to explain the current predicament to the marshal, but he knew that this would not change anything and the war situation was still grim.

"Damn it, just give me some more time." Marshal Model sighed, his heart full of helplessness and regret.

Speer had allocated weapons for 200,000 men to Army Group Center, but before these troops had completed their equipment replacement, they encountered a large-scale counterattack by the Soviet army.

He was temporarily unable to withdraw these troops into battle and could only wait until they completed their equipment changes before he could organize an effective counterattack.

He regretted in his heart that if he had more time, he might have been able to give the Soviet army a powerful counterattack, but now everything was full of uncertainty.

"The timing of the surprise attack is really good. Order the front-line troops to retreat and give up the defense line." Marshal Model thought for a while and said slowly. He knew very well that in the current situation, preserving strength was the most important thing.

Only by temporarily giving up the defense line and readjusting the deployment will there be a chance to turn the tide of the battle.

He was very conflicted when making this decision. He knew it meant giving up some positions, but it seemed that he had to do so for the sake of long-term victory.

"Yes!" The chief of staff took the order and quickly conveyed Marshal Model's order to the various front-line troops.

In this way, under the fierce attack of the Soviet army, the German army began its difficult retreat.

Along the way, they were constantly pursued and attacked by Soviet artillery fire, suffering heavy casualties. (End of this chapter)