Chapter 809: The Bridge in the Distance

“Yes! Times are different!” In the temporary headquarters of Army Group G on the German front line, everyone was exulting over this thoroughly successful harassment operation. At least in the eyes of the high command, everything could now be said to be proceeding very smoothly.

“To achieve this was not easy. If it weren’t to make up for the time we lost by resting and refitting halfway, I wouldn’t have had the nerve to ask the Führer for support,” Guderian said, looking at the map. Only the few people in this office knew the full content of the entire plan. This operation could be considered the first time in the world that special operations had been used on a large scale on the front line, in coordination with frontline units, to carry out a deep-penetration assault.

The German army had used artillery and bombers to cover its true operational objective, which was to use Odin helicopters to transport 400 special forces troops at medium-low altitude into the enemy’s rear to carry out a special assault—this was only the first step in a massive offensive plan.

The three most elite special forces action groups of the German army, including the main force of “Viper,” had all been deployed to cooperate in completing the largest-scale special forces operation in human history in the Caucasus region.

The German special forces unit codenamed “Viper” was responsible for capturing transportation hubs, stopping enemy reinforcements, and cutting off the enemy’s communication links. This unit had now taken control of an important railway bridge and the surrounding anti-aircraft gun positions, completing its mission. They had blown up a Soviet train, blocked the transportation, and had also created a panic, disrupting the Soviet army’s judgment.

Another action detachment codenamed “Night Devil,” led by Skorzeny, was responsible for clearing the paratroopers’ landing zone. In one night, they had cleared most of the anti-aircraft gun positions in the landing zone, had prevented the Soviet army from assembling for a counter-attack, and had covered the paratroopers’ landing. Of course, they had also exceeded their mission objectives, blowing up an important Soviet frontline ammunition depot.

There was another action unit with no name, just a designation, the 3rd Battalion. Under the cover of darkness, it had infiltrated the center of the Soviet positions, had taken out the command post of the 160th Division in one fell swoop, and had created a conflict between the Soviet 166th and 160th Divisions. Of course, because this unit was sandwiched in the middle of the Soviet army, its losses were also the greatest. After losing at least 170 soldiers, they had barely managed to withdraw from the position.

The successful completion of the missions by the three units had allowed the German army to seize the initiative on the battlefield. At least now the Soviet army was in chaos, like a lamb waiting to be slaughtered, laid out before the German armored forces. Of course, Guderian, who had orchestrated all of this, was most pleased to see the current situation, because he knew his own armored forces best—to use the fastest speed and the most ferocious attack to tear open the enemy’s chaotic defense line, to divide and encircle them and cause them to collapse… a completely authentic “German armored forces rhythm.”

“We need the sharpest spear to pierce the enemy’s defense, and then the most powerful hammer to smash everything that stands in our way!” Guderian said, looking at the generals who had been summoned. He finally set his sights on the commander of the 3rd SS Panzer Division, Freericks. “I am giving you the heaviest task. Do you have any requests?”

“Your Excellency, General, as you know, I have never had much of a talent for command. It’s just that I’ve managed to find some good subordinates,” Freericks said shyly. Looking at his expression, you would never associate him with the most elite armored unit in the German army. He scratched his head and said with some embarrassment, “After fighting our way to the railway bridge codenamed ‘Lid,’ my unit will need a three-day leave, and also some food—real food.”

“Hahaha!” Guderian pointed at Freericks and laughed. He knew that this man was the commander in the entire army group who was best at scrounging up benefits for his subordinates. He might not be very good at fighting, but in terms of popularity, he was probably even more popular than those battle-hardened division commanders.

His subordinates could always eat fresh vegetables and slightly better-made bread, and they often had canned food and sausages to improve their lives. Even when it came to replacing tents, their 3rd Panzer Division was always the first to pick… In a place like the front line, where people were dying every minute, these things were what the soldiers dreamed of.

Of course, everyone knew that Freericks had no room for promotion. The highest combat commander in the SS was a division commander, and the Wehrmacht would not allow the SS to organize its own corps-level combat units. And Freericks’ own ability was limited to scrounging up benefits for his men. It was already a great strain for him to lead a division.

But when a person is frustrated in one aspect, they may be successful in another. For example, this General Freericks. Although his path to promotion was full of thorns, he had been compensated in another way. The 3rd SS Panzer Division under his command could be said to be the most powerful unit in the entire German army, so the various medals hanging on this division commander’s chest were almost as numerous as those of his supreme superior, Heinrich.

“Alright!” After laughing for a couple of moments, Guderian agreed to his request. “Five sausages per crew, from my personal stock! And ten cans of food per crew, plus bread and mashed potatoes. I’ll even throw in an extra truck of vegetables for you… so you won’t be saying I’m stingy behind my back!”

…

At the 502nd Battalion headquarters, the battalion commander walked with his hands behind his back to the side of Rein’s tank No. 13, watching the five men who were eating like pigs, stuffing sausages and vegetables into their mouths. Today’s meal was a rare delicacy, at least by frontline standards. If you didn’t eat your fill at a time like this, you would die with regret.

“Alright! I know you’re not happy to see me. Alice, I know you’ve only just started on that report. You haven’t even written 30 words,” the battalion commander said with a bitter smile, looking at his subordinates who were deliberately not looking at him. “The attack begins in ten minutes. You are to advance 90 kilometers, rout all enemies along the way, and reach the bridge marked as ‘Lid’ on the map.”

As he spoke, he handed a new map to Rein. “There’s a paratrooper unit there that needs your support. You have to get there as fast as you can. Every minute you arrive earlier could mean that many fewer people die.”

“You don’t have to write that report anymore. I’ll pretend nothing happened. Get there, rout the enemy’s armored forces. The mission is simple, right?” Finally, he looked at Rein and the others and said softly, “Come back alive. That’s also part of the mission!”

“Baumann! Start the tank! We’re preparing to move out!” Rein said, taking a look at the map and then waving his hand. “Bruce, pack another portion of all the food. If you’re not full, you can eat on the move! Andre, go and help Bruce check the ammunition. Prioritize armor-piercing. If you don’t have enough, get more as soon as possible.”

“Alice! Go and get all the company’s tank commanders. I have to give them their orders!” Finally, he had Alice run to find Markus and the others, while he himself looked at the battalion commander. “The Soviet positions are in a mess right now. It’s not a difficult thing to break through here. The key is to fight our way to the railway bridge, right?”

“I’m sorry… apart from you, I can’t think of anyone who can lead their unit to fight 90 kilometers in one go,” the battalion commander said with a hint of apology, putting a cigarette in his mouth and looking at Rein, who was studying the map with his eyes. “If I were you, I would take your crew back to Berlin. It’s much safer there than here.”

“The process I went through to learn how to kill is not something anyone would want to learn. In fact, I feel like I exist for this war. It’s a pity, I can only stay here and cause you trouble.”

“I’d be delighted,” the battalion commander said with a smile. He then patted Rein on the shoulder and walked into the distance. “The attack can begin at any time. The shelling just stopped. You still have seven minutes to prepare everything.”

Not long after the battalion commander had left, all nine tank commanders of the 1st Company had arrived. Rein pointed at the map and laid out his plan. “We don’t have to worry about the flanks. This time, our comrades from the 1st Panzer Corps will help us cover them. We just have to attack, attack forward with all our might!”

“Attacking is not a problem. The key is how far we have to attack,” Markus said after glancing at the map. He had discovered a serious problem with their direction of attack. There seemed to be no important military objective that needed to be captured immediately. They were just blindly attacking forward, advancing along an inconspicuous road and railway line.

“30 kilometers? That’s no problem. The Soviet defense line has already loosened up. A 30- or even 40-kilometer breakthrough in one go is no problem at all,” the commander of tank No. 114 analyzed, looking at the map. Having followed Rein for so long, this experienced commander, if placed in another unit, would have been more than capable of leading a platoon on his own.

“My God, you’re not asking us to attack 50 kilometers in one go, are you?” the platoon leader of the 2nd platoon asked, his mouth agape, seeing that Rein was not speaking.

“We must advance at the fastest possible speed, as far as we can go. But… recently, we have to fight our way here!” Rein drew a line on the map with his finger and pressed the tip on a distant place, a railway and road bridge with the German codename “Lid.”

“Rein, you’re not joking, are you? Advancing almost 90 kilometers in one go is not an easy thing,” Markus said, swallowing. He looked at Rein. This was not a simple journey where they just had to maintain their marching formation. They had to fight their way through, break through the enemy’s defense line, and, along a single road, cut through the enemy’s position in one go, without a care for their own lives.

“Of course I’m not joking! We’re moving out immediately! Check the ammunition you’re carrying and the spare fuel. A repair vehicle from the battalion will be following us… We have to be on that bridge by dawn tomorrow!” Rein said, packing up his map and shouting the order to attack. “1st Company, all of you! Let’s go!”

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