noffsinger Chapter 209: Raid on Schacht
Chapter 209: Raid on Schacht
Huang Wei and Li Pinxian left the 17th Army headquarters and rushed to Huang Wei's front-line headquarters. Lieutenant General Liang and General Gao spoke in low voices.
Liang sighed, "I have to admire Chief of Staff Huang. He truly deserves the title. Old Bai (Bai Chongxi) can't compare to him."
Gao Dao said: "Listening to your words is worth ten years of reading. It is a blessing for the flower farming industry to have a young generation like him!"
The two smiled at each other, and Liang said, "I'm going to the front line. With Chief of Staff Huang's guidance, there is no battle that cannot be won."
Gao Ye said, "I have to go to the 35th and 36th Divisions. I'll take care of organizing the counterattack!"
Huang Wei and Li Pinxian had just arrived at the headquarters when the Chief of Operations hurried over and said, "Chief of Staff, Commander Li, the 200th Army's Deputy Chief of Staff, Wang Congwu, has sent a report. The 598th and 601st Divisions successfully ambushed the German SS 50th Grenadier Division 185 kilometers north of Taganrog, annihilating over 4000 SS troops and destroying nearly a hundred tanks and armored vehicles. This German Grenadier Division is essentially no longer a threat."
Huang Wei didn't have time to sit down before he immediately gave the order: "Have Wang Congwu withdraw immediately, move secretly westward, and contact Lin's 115th Army as soon as possible. At the same time, inform Lin that with their two divisions joining, Lin should have a better chance of victory."
"And what about Taganrog?"
"Inform General Yeremenko to have the 58th Army dispatch a unit to launch a feint attack on Taganrog. The enemy will undoubtedly deploy reinforcements from the 15th Army, which will give the Cavalry Army an opportunity. Inform Liu Molong that if the Germans begin to mobilize, immediately launch a blitz attack on Schacht!"
Lin received Huang's report, glanced at the map, and silently exclaimed, "Great!" Chief of Staff Huang was no exaggeration. This move was a brilliant one, not only increasing the strength of his assault group but also ensuring the safety of his own troops. What else could he say? Now all he had to do was wait for Liu Molong's move.
When Field Marshal Manstein, commander of Army Group B, received a report that the 185th SS Grenadier Division had suffered heavy losses in an ambush, he cursed these good-for-nothings in his heart, saying they had eaten too much Ukrainian bread and cheese.
Chief of Staff Marshal Walter Model glanced at the map, pointed to the Uriupol line, and said, "If the 185th Division abandons Taganrog, we will have to strengthen our defenses in the direction of Novaya Zvezda. The enemy has the entire 115th Army behind Rostov. If we add the armored forces of the Soviet 58th Army, this is a formidable assault force. If they can bypass this line, occupy the Azov coast, and then make a large-scale bypass, followed by a large-scale cavalry group, our rear defense will be in chaos, and the troops in the high-acceleration areas will not receive reinforcements and may collapse."
Marshal Manstein nodded after a careful analysis. Outside Rostov, the 7th Army had failed to break through despite repeated attacks. Intelligence showed that the Chinese 7th Army and the 200th Army should be blocking and defending the 17th Army.
By this time, the Germans had fully grasped the Chinese army's organization. The 200th Army's five divisions possessed approximately 5 tanks and tank destroyers. Together with the 400th Army, this number should have reached no fewer than 17. Even if the 700th Army pressed forward with all its might, it would have only about 7. While this was a significant advantage and capable of defeating the enemy, considering the Soviet 1200th Army in Rostov and the 58th Army to its rear, the 115th Army was at a disadvantage in both manpower and tank numbers. Even with the remnants of the 7th Army, it was still uncertain whether it could crush the enemy in a decisive battle. The 4rd Army must quickly follow up, and the 23th Army must divert some forces to the Uriupol front. The 15rd SS Army, in addition to defending the rear and suppressing enemy cavalry entering southern Ukraine, should also deploy several tank and armored divisions.
曼施坦因元帅果断地下令：“命令格奥尔格·林德曼上将15集团军第 39 摩托化军、第 56 摩托化军，第 71 步兵师、第 340 步兵师快速南下，尽快抵达乌里乌波尔一线，伺机沿亚速海岸向罗斯托夫方向攻击前进！命令雅科夫列维奇·卡恰洛夫上将23集团军第81摩托化军、第89军摩托化军、第245、272掷弹兵师尽快向斯维尔德洛夫斯克方向靠拢，加入对沙赫特以东苏55集团军的进攻。”
Model reminded Field Marshal Manstein, "The 4th Army currently consists of only the 40th Tank Corps and two Grenadier Divisions. These units are not fully developed. According to the headquarters' requirements, they must return to the country for training. Should we withdraw them first?"
Field Marshal Manstein rejected Model's suggestion, believing that the 40th Tank Corps, combined with two grenadier divisions, could easily counter the 23rd Army's two motorized corps, and that now was not the best time to reduce frontline forces. Colonel-General Hans von Salmuth (the new commander of the 4th Army) needed a victory to boost morale and consolidate his position.
The German army's deployment was immediately reported to Lao Peng and Huang Wei. This was exactly the time difference they needed. Although the German 40th Tank Army in Schacht was still strong, Lao Peng and Huang Wei were very confident that the three tank divisions and one armored division under Liu Morong would be able to break through Schacht, defeat the weakened and exhausted German 40th Tank Division, and advance deep into Ukraine!
On the night of April 4, Liu Molong's group quietly advanced to Shakhty. Using the cover of darkness, a motorized regiment of the 17nd Division abandoned its mechanized equipment and quietly appeared outside the Shakhty Railway Station. A commando unit composed of the 302th Army's special forces team infiltrated the station, eliminated the guards, and seized the station's main control room and key strongholds. The train and supplies stored by the Germans for the forward line were immediately under the regiment's control.
Upon receiving news of the successful attack on the train station, Liu Molong immediately ordered the four divisions to concentrate their artillery and open fire. The tank/armored group immediately rushed towards Schacht Train Station. Liu Molong intended to destroy the train station's supplies, sever the German supply lines, and break through from the train station, advancing deeper into the enemy's territory. Liu Molong knew that the German 4th Tank Corps in Schacht would inevitably counterattack in the direction of the train station. This presented him with his best opportunity to ambush the Germans!
"Boom, boom, boom—" Artillery roared from the direction of Schacht Railway Station, and flames shot up into the sky. Upon receiving the report of the attack on the station, General Georg Sturm, commander of the 40th Tank Corps, immediately ordered the 120th and 123rd Tank Divisions, along with the attached 177th Grenadier Division, to prepare and attack the station. He had to recapture the station as quickly as possible and ensure the safety of its supplies. This was the reason he desperately directed the majority of his forces toward the station.