"Now, it's time for me to show off my powers!"

Rychev pinched his waist, he was in a good mood. For a long time, the paratrooper brigade was the elite hidden by the army, and before being airdropped into this swamp, the officers and men of the brigade had only endless military exercises.

The drill is not a real battle! When they actually start their first battle in life, they know that actual combat is more dangerous than exercises, however, as long as they use wisdom, such as firing the enemy first, it can easily turn into a one-sided killing.

Now Rychev also knew that because he was running fast enough, the nearly 600 fighters and the attached service troops already had the opportunity to assault the battle.

After a series of operations, the losses of his battalion were not small. The lightly wounded fighters have returned to their units, and the seriously injured and disabled have been sent to train the militia. He permanently lost sixty men, but he also added sixty men from other units.

The newly recruited fighters had never been trained as paratroopers, they were the best of the recruits from the militia units, and some were even quite young.

Nowadays the title of "paratrooper" is more like an honorary title, just like some units received such titles as "Guards", "Red Banner", "Panzergrenadiers".

After receiving Balzen's order, Rychev immediately rushed to one place in the woods where they were resting, and even the carriage galleys and horse breeders.

Standing on top of a wagon full of potatoes, he announced: "Comrades! New orders have been issued from above, and the burden of being the first to arrive in Loyev for ambush and reconnaissance will be on our shoulders. Do you know why? ”

No one knew about the question, and the crowd gradually became noisy.

"Stop thinking nonsense! The reason is very simple, because we are lightning fast! We are paratroopers, and paratroopers should have forest legs in this dense forest. We actually have another 20 kilometers to reach our goal. And the main forces, at least fifteen kilometers more than us!

Besides, I see that you people are all full of energy! If we had marched at night, we would have reached the enemy bridgehead in Loyev by the time the sun rose tomorrow.

But!

But we can't do that! We have to maintain enough physical strength, and we must also ensure that there is no non-combat attrition caused by broken feet and cramps! According to the intelligence of the superiors, there were already more than fifty people in the large army, and they had to withdraw from the battle because of the serious stumbling of their feet! Even including a high-ranking officer!

Therefore we will camp here, and I will allow you to light the bonfire freely, and I will allow you to rest until seven o'clock tomorrow morning.

Now, camp up! Firing! Dine! Go to bed! ”

Aren't the fighters of the paratrooper brigade tired? No! Everyone is human, even if they have been in the army for many years, they have always received rigorous physical training, and the long march with excessive weight still seriously depletes their physical strength.

Knowing that they could rest until 7 a.m. tomorrow, everyone was relieved.

In fact, many people know that their marching speed is not fast, and the reason why they are faster than the main force is because they have been marching at a steady pace and rarely stopping.

In this way, in a wooded area on the left bank of the Dnieper, which is basically no man's land, a sporadic fire was lit. The soldiers greedily ate potatoes to replenish energy and water. Eat some salted dried fish to replenish the salt.

The soldiers have long been accustomed to this kind of poverty, and in the state of being besieged by the Germans, everyone can fill their bellies with potatoes like a ball, is there anything to complain about?

After eating, the paratroopers began to dig their own "accommodation holes". They are different from the training of ordinary infantrymen, they know very well how to survive in an isolated natural environment, and they already have the ability of future generations of special forces. They picked up the sapper shovel and quickly dug a pit for themselves to lie down, wrapped the blankets, and fell asleep.

The officers and men of the battalion quickly fell asleep, and only a small number of sentries took turns on the periphery.

The night was uneventful.

The sun rises early, June 21, and tomorrow is the summer solstice. The paratrooper battalion got up at the appointed time, and under the ashes of the still-scorching campfire, they quickly roasted some potatoes for breakfast.

Rechev also sent a telegram to Balzen at this point in time, and after a short correspondence, the paratrooper battalion took the lead in starting today's and last day's march.

The vast number of warriors packed up their blankets, tied them to their backpacks, and carried them all on their backs. After a night's rest, everyone's physical strength has been restored, and they can move forward steadily.

The whole battalion re-arrived at the dirt road, which was bound to lead to Loyev, and formed two columns, walking on both sides of the road.

"Attention, if we keep going, we are more likely to be in danger! The higher authorities do not forbid us to shoot at the necessary moment, so, from now on, all be ready for battle! ”

Ratchev's order made the fighters in good spirits even more nervous. After all, this road leads directly to the target, and the possibility of encountering a German patrol increases as the troops gradually approach the target.

There was a platoon of fighters who broke away from the large force and advanced a kilometer ahead, and they were scouts. The rest of the fighters followed suit, accompanying their wagons laden with supplies, moving at a speed of five kilometers per hour.

At half-past eleven o'clock in the morning, the spearmen finally crossed the edge of the forest, and through their binoculars, they saw the bridge over the Dnieper, about a kilometer away, and a railway that extended from the bridge to the east.

The spearhead laid an ambush on the spot and sent someone to report to the large force the fact that they had reached their target.

Rychev was overjoyed and immediately gave the order: "The whole battalion is off the road, and all personnel, including the wagons, advance to the forest on the east side, and set up our camp in the forest!" ”

How will this battle against Loyev end? The Soviet army naturally believed that it would achieve victory, but what they did not know was the process of the battle.

Rychev announced that the place where they would camp was actually three kilometers from the eastern exit of the Loyev railway bridge, and they were actually very close to the front line, because of the cover of dense vegetation, the whole battalion believed that the enemy could not find them at all. But the troops had to take into account the possibility of German patrols.

After receiving the order, the soldiers immediately arranged a ring defense system in the forest, and its center was officially the location of the battalion headquarters, and a large amount of supplies were also placed here. But this is not a long-term camp, and tomorrow the troops will inevitably launch the first offensive against Loyev. At that time, the front line will be the edge of the forest a kilometer from the German bridgehead, and the eastern borders of the Soviet encirclement against Loev will also be the responsibility of Rychev's battalion in the first place.

After the departure of the whole battalion, a platoon of soldiers remained, and they had only one job - to clean the ruts of the carriage. This job may not be necessary, because the battle will begin after dawn the next day.