Chapter 1112: The Battle for the Archangel Michael Cathedral

While Field Marshal Kluge, commander of the German Army Group F, moved his command post 10 kilometers forward, the Soviet Moscow City Defense Command was also relocating. They were not able to move their headquarters forward like their German counterparts; instead, with heavy hearts, they moved back about 3 kilometers.

It was a sad irony. The place originally chosen by the Soviet commander, General Vatutin, to be his headquarters was none other than the Cathedral of the Archangel Michael. Now, at that very location, German infantry were engaged in a frenzied battle with their old adversaries, the Soviets.

Behind a window on the second floor of the cathedral, a Soviet Maxim heavy machine gun was firing desperately. After all, these Soviet soldiers knew clearly in their hearts that if their firing position was exposed to the Germans for too long, it would quickly be suppressed by all sorts of German weapons. All they could do was open fire suddenly, unload as much ammunition as possible in the shortest amount of time, and inflict maximum casualties on the German forces.

This was a lesson learned through blood, as the Germans surpassed them far too much in combat experience and weapon configurations. To deal with such a Soviet machine gun emplacement, German soldiers could use individual anti-tank rocket launchers for suppression, they could use the faster-firing MG42 machine gun, or they could even use snipers to take out the gunner. With so many methods available, the chances of survival for a Soviet machine gun emplacement were truly minuscule.

As expected, several German soldiers attempting to cross the street and get closer to the cathedral entrance were cut down by the sudden burst of Soviet bullets. This surprise attack threw the Germans into chaos for a few seconds. However, this German force was, one might say, the most experienced in the world, so the chaos lasted only a few brief moments. They organized an effective defense and began to arrange a counter-attack targeting the exposed Soviet firing position.

“Anti-tank team! Use the rocket launcher to destroy that enemy fire point!” A German platoon leader, carrying a submachine gun on his back, pointed at the distant Soviet position that was spitting flames and loudly ordered his men to take action.

Due to the German army’s extreme expansion within a single year, the weapon configuration of frontline German units was, in fact, very chaotic. According to the original configuration tables for German mechanized infantry, each infantry squad was supposed to be equipped with 3 MP-44 assault riflemen, 1 sniper with a G43 semi-automatic sniper rifle, 4 support gunners with G43 semi-automatic rifles, 2 main and assistant MG42 machine gunners, and three riflemen equipped with Mauser 98K rifles (including the assistant gunner). The squad leader would be equipped with an MP-44 assault rifle or a submachine gun.

But in reality, no unit could achieve this standard. Most soldiers could only use the slightly outdated Mauser 98K rifle. Within an infantry squad, perhaps only the squad leader and one veteran could be equipped with the precious MP-44 assault rifle. In some units, even this ratio was unattainable, and it was common for a mix of second-line equipment, such as MP-38 submachine guns, to be used.

At the platoon leader’s shout, two German anti-tank soldiers quickly moved up from the attacking group. They had been positioned near the core of the infantry platoon, well-protected by everyone and able to quickly enter an attack state whenever the platoon encountered a situation.

The two ran to the designated position, leaned against the corner of a building, and began to load a rocket into their Panzerfaust (“Iron Fist”) anti-tank rocket launcher. This rocket launcher had already undergone an upgrade, using a longer rocket, which increased its power to a certain extent. However, this improvement was mainly aimed at the rocket’s effectiveness against fixed fortifications and did not improve the Panzerfaust’s anti-armor capability.

This was because the German military found that their infantry rarely encountered situations where they had to face enemy heavy tanks alone. More often, they needed to attack enemy fire points, bunkers, and the occasional light tank. What they needed was no longer an anti-tank rocket launcher, but an excellent multi-purpose rocket launcher.

Thus, the entire subsequent research and development focus was placed on multi-purpose ammunition. Conversely, the original anti-armor function against armored weapons remained at a relatively primitive stage. But given the superiority of German armored forces, the opportunities for German infantry to fight enemy tanks were indeed few and far between.

Of course, the ones who suffered most from this change were the German paratroopers. Among all the branches of the German military, they were likely the only force that would find themselves facing a large number of enemy tanks alone. The fact that the Panzerfaust’s anti-tank capability had not been improved was certainly not very comforting news for them.

The two gunners quickly completed their attack preparations. The surrounding German soldiers began to frantically look for opportunities to return fire. Bullets shuttled back and forth between the two sides’ positions. For a moment, the German forces’ advantage—having numerous, dispersed firing points—was brought into play. The high-ground Soviet machine gun nest was suppressed by German fire for a brief instant.

Yes, it was only for a brief instant. But for the German anti-tank team, this was more than enough. They exposed their deadly rocket launchers, aimed, and fired a massive rocket at their target. A plume of white smoke shot rapidly toward the objective, and then the window on the second floor of the Archangel Michael Cathedral was completely destroyed by a huge explosion.

“Attack! Attack!” Following the sound of the explosion, German commanders loudly urged their troops to keep advancing. One after another, German soldiers leaped out of the trenches they were hiding in and charged toward the other side of the wide street. The Soviet soldiers had clearly not recovered from the explosion. Their return fire was sparse and failed to form continuous suppression.

By the time the Soviet defenders finally regained their bearings after the explosion, the Germans had already set up MG42 machine guns in several suitable positions. Dense firepower began to pour onto the Soviet defensive line. Now it was the Germans’ turn to suppress the Soviets with machine guns. After a short period of bullets flying, a hidden Soviet machine gun emplacement opened fire once more, adding a dozen or so more casualties to the German side.

From the very beginning, the battle for the Archangel Michael Cathedral had evolved into a final showdown in the surrounding streets. The Soviets seemed to want to defend this landmark to the death, while the Germans had received a tempting order: after capturing this strongpoint, they could stand by and rest. Both sides seemed to want to complete their mission, so they threw in unprecedentedly strong forces to fight with insane ferocity.

As the battle progressed, several German armored vehicles were slowly approaching along the road, surrounded by a large number of German infantry. Led by a Panther tank, a German quad-barreled self-propelled anti-aircraft gun—hailed as a gem of urban warfare—inched closer to its target. Following the anti-aircraft gun were an assault gun and an armored personnel carrier.

Based on past combat experience, many German armored units fought in these small, mixed formations. This cooperation was more efficient and allowed both armored forces and infantry to handle a wide variety of unexpected events. Now, this formation was being used in urban warfare, further highlighting its characteristic flexibility.

While the frontal assault was locked in a stalemate with the Soviet defenders, this German assault detachment began to deploy into its attack formation from the flank. The most heavily armored Panther tank would take the lead, establishing its defensive line at the intersection. Then, the subsequent armored forces, under the Panther’s cover, would begin to attack the Soviets inside the cathedral. The Germans had used this set of attack tactics countless times and were very adept at it.

After a brief discussion with the commander of a nearby German infantry battalion, these German armored units began to join the battle. The Panther tank charged out arrogantly at the street corner, but the script that followed seemed to become unfamiliar to everyone.

Just as the German tank cleared the corner, it was hit head-on by a shell that left it stunned. The shot was powerful, almost penetrating the reinforced frontal armor of this late-model Panther. The German armored crew, all battle-hardened elites, retreated in embarrassment back to their starting position, dragging shattered fragments of external steel plates.

Because of this powerful shot from the Soviet defenders, the German attack had to return in failure. They discovered a camouflaged Stalin tank at the end of the street, occupying a favorable position that could not be easily destroyed. The Soviet defensive positions in this area were clearly meticulously designed, mutually supporting, and perfectly placed.

“If we continue to attack, our casualties might exceed 200,” the German battalion commander responsible for the nearby attack lowered his binoculars and complained helplessly to the commander of the supporting German armored detachment. “Without your support, a frontal assault would be too reckless.”

“The Panther’s track and transmission were damaged by the vibration. We are waiting for the repair team. Without tank cover, facing an enemy tank of the highest threat level, it’s obviously better to be more cautious,” the armored detachment commander agreed with the infantry battalion commander. “Perhaps it would be safer for us to set up defenses on the spot.”

The battalion commander looked at the spire of the cathedral not far away, sighed, and nodded. “That’s all we can do. I’ll have 1st and 2nd Companies set up defensive systems on your left and right flanks. 3rd Company will be in reserve behind you, to cover you if necessary.”

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