Novel Full Chapter 95 Misjudgment
At this time, Schultz was waiting for the 14th Armored to retreat.
However, not only were there no tanks in sight, the radio was also in chaos, with only the occasional snippet of conversation without context.
Nevertheless, based on these snippets, it could be surmised that things were mostly bad for the 14th Armored.
Schultz’s expression grew increasingly grave.
The Prussians generally had great confidence in their armored forces, and if the 14th Armored had been defeated, then Rocossov had crushed two Armored Divisions in half a month.
That was terrifying.
However, Schultz had a doubt; he couldn’t discern Rocossov’s strategic intentions.
If Rocossov was launching an offensive to push back the 10th Army Group, then his attacks were too trivial at the moment.
If Rocossov was merely trying to contain the 10th Army Group to cover the Ante heavy forces gathering in Bolsk and the coastal areas, then wasn’t his force a bit too strong?
Schultz couldn’t understand what Rocossov was doing. Although the Ante Army had been victorious these days, continually inflicting casualties on the Prussian Army, beyond that, they hadn’t done much else.
In Schultz’s understanding, Rocossov should be doing something more significant.
As Schultz pondered, he paced back and forth.
At that moment, someone cried out, “General, look quickly!”
Schultz momentarily set aside the tangle of thoughts in his mind and looked up in the direction his subordinate pointed.
There was dust rising, it looked like armored vehicles speeding across the grassland.
Schultz: “Call out to them! Confirm their identity! Prepare the anti-tank guns and armored forces.”
Soon his adjutant reported: “Confirmed, it’s troops from the 14th Armored!”
Schultz: “Ask them what happened to the 14th… No, have their officer come to me! I will ask him myself!”
Shortly after, a supply truck stopped in front of Schultz, and a dust-covered armored troops colonel got out of the vehicle.
The colonel’s uniform bore traces of smoke damage; it was practically certain he had been plucked from a burning tank.
The colonel saluted Schultz: “I am Colonel Vincent, saluting you, General. Without your smoke support, we would have been annihilated.”
Schultz returned the salute: “Salute to you, Colonel Vincent. So, what’s the situation?”
“The enemy committed nearly two hundred T34s in two waves against us. They also used new assault guns for flanking maneuvers. Major General Karl’s command vehicle was directly hit by enemy assault gun fire; the Major General is presumably dead.
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“We didn’t encounter anyone from the division staff, but I think others might gradually make it out,” Vincent replied.
Schultz frowned, “Did you see the red flag? And that ‘blessed by the devil’ Command Vehicle number 422?”
Colonel Vincent shook his head: “No, I am certain of it, there was no red flag, Rocossov did not personally come to the front. I believe this is an ominous sign; it suggests that the Ante lower-level officers are improving.
“I don’t know if this is limited to Rocossov’s units.”
Schultz nodded, then asked, “Is the enemy pursuing?”
Again, Vincent shook his head: “Some of our forces are still resisting; the enemy is surrounding them. At least the units maintaining radio contact with us haven’t seen any pursuing enemy forces.”
Schultz pursed his lips, his eyebrows twisted, “The same thing again—they consume a part of our forces and stop… What is Rocossov doing? Could he be satisfied with just these few units? That doesn’t make sense.”
Colonel Vincent suggested, “Could it be possible that Rocossov is waiting for more forces from the rear to assemble? If these limited offensives are only to disrupt our advance and buy time for subsequent troop assembly, then he has been very successful.”
Schultz did not immediately answer, but after a long period of thought, he once again asked Colonel Vincent to confirm, “Did the enemy really commit nearly two hundred tanks?”
“Yes, nearly two hundred, there might be some margin of error. But I am certain that there were ‘a lot,'” Colonel Vincent responded.
Schultz began to pace in front of Colonel Vincent, muttering as he walked, “Strong forces at hand, yet only limited offensives are launched. This does not fit with the general combat habits of Ante commanders.”
At that point, Schultz’s adjutant spoke up, “Could it be that Rocossov is very aware of the gap between his own forces and our Prussian forces, judging that he still does not have enough troops to defeat us, which is why he concentrates local superiority to launch limited attacks to weaken us, while waiting for more forces to arrive?”
Schultz thought for a few seconds, then nodded, “That’s a possibility.”
Colonel Vincent added, “When he crushed the 190th Division, he committed a large number of tanks. Now again, he has used two hundred more. The Ante Army’s repair units have limited capacity; they cannot fix that many tanks. These must be newly committed tank forces.”
“Last year, I participated in both the summer and winter campaigns and fought throughout the entire duration. I know just how fast the Ante People can mobilize their troops! Last year, our 14th Armored Division crushed one Ante Army Group after another, only for new Army Groups to fill in their ranks! New designations kept appearing, and then they would launch attacks against us!”
“I have a hunch that the Ante People are about to make their move.”
When Schultz recalled last summer and winter, he was somewhat moved. His 16th Armored Grenadiers also fought throughout the entire duration, facing the Ante troops’ attacks that came like a sudden storm.
The Ante People were indeed poor fighters, making a complete mess, but their courage was still shocking.
Major General Schultz took a deep breath and said to his adjutant, “Send a message to Corps Command. The Ante People might be planning a major operation. I suggest we comprehensively strengthen our Army Group’s defenses and be on high alert for a possible pincer movement.”
————-
Meanwhile, Yegorov looked at his watch. “It’s been five minutes since the artillery fire ceased. Has the battle ended?”
Brigadier General Eugene said, “It should have. Shall we go look, or wait until the smoke clears?”
Yegorov replied, “Let’s wait for the smoke to clear. If we move forward rashly, the troops will still need to protect us. Signalman, is the phone line working yet?”
“It’s working, General!”
“Connect me to the division… no, the Army Group!” Yegorov glanced awkwardly at Brigadier General Eugene. “I still tend to think of the general as our division commander.”
Eugene said, “You did come up through the ranks under Peniye after all. He is your old comrade-in-arms.”
The signalman handed the receiver to Yegorov. “You’re through to the Army Group!”
As soon as Yegorov held the receiver to his ear, he heard Pavlov’s voice, “Yegorov? What’s the situation?”
Yegorov replied, “Tell the division commander, we have crushed the enemy’s 14th Armored Division. Quite a few of the enemy have fled, and I did not allow our troops to pursue.”
“You should have pursued them at least until you encounter the enemy’s defensive positions, to at least get a clear idea of where their defense lies,” Pavlov said.
Then, Rocossov’s voice could be faintly heard over the phone, “No need for that. It’s fine this way. Just have the division’s artillery shell the enemy’s retreat path. Pursuing them could reveal the composition of our forces.”
Pavlov said, “The Army Group Commander wants you not to pursue. Forget what I just said.”
“I heard him,” Yegorov replied, “Tell the general, we are tallying our gains and counting our casualties. I think we should be able to achieve the exchange ratio the general wants.”
No sooner had he finished speaking than Rocossov’s voice came through the receiver, “I’ll do the talking.”
The next moment, Rocossov’s voice came through more clearly, “Yegorov, you all did well. Take care of the injured and drag back whatever damaged tanks you can repair. Merge the crews from the depleted vehicles… In any case, there is no need for further pursuit. And remember to commend those who showed bravery in battle… that will be all.”
“Yes!” Yegorov replied, instinctively bringing his feet together.
————-
At the same time, Vasily looked upon his handiwork with satisfaction.
A T34 made of mud!
Beneath the mud was the wreckage of a destroyed Prussian tank. After being coated in mud, it took on this new form.
Of course, there were many flaws up close, but for aerial reconnaissance, these flaws were virtually non-existent.
Around this tank were a great number of wrecks. Due to insufficient manpower, these wrecks couldn’t be covered with a complete mud shell, but had just been disguised slightly.
Even aerial reconnaissance might detect these “fake tanks,” so they were covered with camouflage nets.
This way, one passable mud tank, along with a heap of real wreckage covered in camouflage nets, made up an armored force lying in wait.
The enemy’s aerial reconnaissance, upon capturing images of these, would most likely be alarmed.
Since last night until now, these kinds of decoy tank units had been prepared in abundance by Vasily’s small team.
The only question now was when the enemy’s aerial reconnaissance would arrive.
Vasily looked up at the sky.
The sky was clear for thousands of miles, not a single bird in sight.
The enemy’s reconnaissance planes had not yet arrived.
Vasily took the rag that hung around his neck and wiped off some sweat, then continued “playing with mud.”