GBP Chapter 188: Battle of Salisk (5)
Chapter 188: Battle of Salisk (5)
The battlefield was thick with smoke and dust. Countless Soviet soldiers emerged like a tide, clad in thick uniforms, helmets on their heads, and armed with a variety of weapons. Their steps were firm and powerful. Their eyes gleamed with determination, like bright stars in the night sky, and their faces were filled with the joy of victory, like flowers blooming in spring.
All over the mountains and plains, there was the sound of the Soviet people shouting "Ura--". This was the roar of nearly 58 soldiers of the 10th Armored Army, which was like thunder and shook the earth. This was also the first time that the Soviet army shouted as a victor. They could no longer suppress the excitement in their hearts. While shouting wildly, they rushed towards the remaining enemies desperately like a tiger descending the mountain!
After a phone conversation, General Eberbach and General Valentin Hube realized the situation was hopeless. Unlike the fanatical Nazis, they were pure soldiers. To avoid pointless resistance and sacrifice, they jointly requested surrender from the Chinese and Soviet forces and simultaneously ordered the 3rd and 14th Armies to lay down their arms. While surrender was humiliating and a loss of military honor and dignity, their decision was truly significant in saving the lives of tens of thousands of soldiers.
Outside Salsk, Lin received a joint report from Peng and Huang, informing him that they had annihilated the main forces of the German 1st Tank Army—the 3rd and 14th Panzer Corps. The Chief of Staff called from the front line, informing him that the German 48th and 52nd Armies were showing signs of fleeing.
Lin laughed inwardly: "Run away? What were you doing earlier? Can you still run away now?"
The 343A Tank Division had already circled behind them, with over 250 tanks launching a devastating attack on the German artillery and logistics. The 343B Tank Division appeared on the Salsk front, and alongside the 344th, 342nd, and 341st Divisions, they crushed the enemy head-on. Meanwhile, the 315th Division had already taken a detour, firmly blocking their escape route to the south. To the north, a tank division from the 200th Army raced in, along with a mechanized division from the Soviet 58th Panzer Corps. The German 48th and parts of the 52nd Armies were now trapped, completely surrounded by our forces.
"Boom boom boom boom--" In Salsk, this time it was no longer the German heavy artillery that roared, but the Chinese and Soviet rocket launchers, Katyushas, etc. They were like angry fire dragons, spewing dense artillery fire, covering all the retreat routes of the German 48th Motorized Army in a sea of fire.
The tanks of the 343A Division charged unscathed into the German artillery positions, instantly igniting German fuel and ammunition depots, engulfing everything in flames. Other units also overran the enemy's defenses. Everywhere lay the scattered, disorganized German soldiers, their backbones broken and unable to mount any effective resistance. Some junior officers, reluctantly, began ordering their men to lay down their weapons and surrender to the Chinese. They knew that surrendering to the Chinese might offer a glimmer of hope; if the Soviets advanced, their survival would be uncertain.
The Battle of Salisk suddenly ignited like a match, the faint flame illuminating the dark night sky. The news of victory was like a heavy bomb, instantly detonating throughout the world.
After receiving the telegram jointly sent by Peng and Yang, Zhukov and Timoshenko immediately reported it to the SDL. According to the instructions of the SDL, they immediately shouted to the world in plain text - In Salsk, we defeated the fascists!
On the unoccupied lands of the Soviet Union, people cheered and ran around to tell each other the news. Tears of joy flowed like a flood, and the fiery red flags fluttered in the wind like blazing flames.
Flower growers, major newspapers, editorials like snowflakes poured in, the streets and alleys, the sound of firecrackers was deafening, the people were overjoyed, together celebrating the great victory of the expeditionary force!
DJ, the Japanese headquarters seemed to be shrouded in a thick haze. From the successive defeats in Burma and the Pacific, the once powerful German ally also suffered a crushing defeat. They seemed to be in endless darkness and could no longer see the dawn of victory.
In the wolf's den, XTL howled like a wounded wolf. A series of punitive orders rained down like a thunderstorm. Friedrich Paulus, recently promoted to Field Marshal, was dismissed as Chief of Staff of the Southern Front and ordered to take command of the 1st Tank Army and assume the role of Commander-in-Chief of the Stalingrad Front. He was ordered to defend Stalingrad with his life and inflict a crushing defeat on the Chinese and Soviets there! Field Marshal Ewald von Kleist was not only dismissed from command of the 1st Tank Army, but he was also forced to return to headquarters in disgrace, along with Field Marshal von Bock, to face a stern interrogation by the Führer. The 4th, 6th, 8th, 11th, and 17th Armies were ordered to attack and annihilate the Chinese and Soviet forces on the Stalingrad front!
The President of the United States, LSF, spoke with the Prime Minister of Britain, QJE, and they had a frank exchange. Aid to the Chinese army was once again increased. Issues concerning post-war Southeast Asia, such as the governance of French Indochina and the autonomy of some Chinese communities in the Dutch East Indies, were also put on the agenda.
SDL also convened a high-level meeting in Moscow to review the course of the battle. The High Command made significant changes to the Soviet Army, particularly the various rigid organizational structures and operational thinking that had emerged since the outbreak of the Great Patriotic War. At the same time, they again demanded that the troops promised in the agreement be dispatched and arrived as soon as possible. Regarding the issue of weapons and equipment, DDL was also aware that the Far East's transportation lines were indeed insufficient. He suggested that, if all else failed, the Chinese army should be sent directly to the Soviet Union for training and be provided with Soviet-made equipment directly by the Soviet Army!
When the news reached North Africa, Kuang Zhengqi and Pu Zhengsong were so excited that they immediately opened a large bottle of iced brandy and drank it without any scruples. They asked their adjutants to lock the headquarters and not allow anyone to disturb them.
In New Guinea in the Pacific, at the Allied Western Pacific Command, Yang Hong sat with MacArthur and other Allied generals. At this moment, the Chinese, American and British-Australian coalition forces had successfully taken over the entire New Guinea. Due to the rainy season and typhoons, they had to stop for the time being and had to suspend the next step.
MacArthur handed Yang Hong the telegram about the Sino-Soviet forces' capture of Salisbury and the heavy losses they inflicted on the Germans. He asked softly, "Yang, I heard Huang is your brother. They fought well in the Soviet Union this time, and the Germans tasted pain for the first time. By the way, who is this Peng who suddenly appeared, and why does Huang have to obey his command?"