The 63rd Army conducted a large-scale military operation in these three days, and the 17th Guerrilla Brigade has been fighting continuously for two weeks!

These two weeks have been a real military disaster for this partisan brigade and for Miroshniko. The idea of attacking Corodnia and turning it into a stable base ultimately proved to be wishful thinking, and the troops were unable to quickly defeat the German forces in the city, and the battle dragged on for some time and was counter-attacked by enemy reinforcements.

The battle that followed turned into a carnage! The foundation of the guerrilla brigade was too shallow, and in addition, they were strangled by the joint efforts of the German army and the Romanian army, and they were harassed by bad rainstorms. The guerrilla zone they opened up was originally more than 10,000 soldiers and civilians, but in the end less than 3,000 broke through the encirclement.

Miroshniko knew what happened to those who couldn't escape, they all died! Ponomarenko also knew about this situation and personally defined it as the "Latiz Forest Massacre".

After breaking through the defense line of the Romanian army, the guerrilla brigade had no choice but to go straight to the forest on the banks of the Dnieper. To get there, you have to pass through a plain thirty kilometers long. It is said to be a plain, but in fact there are many mud ponds and streams!

This plain was one of the routes through which Gudery's armored troops moved south last year, and the German army passed through it like a storm and clouds, and the already small Ukrainian village chief was burned down along the way. The Germans came and went quickly, and their destruction of the villages in this area also indirectly led to the collapse of the agricultural value in this area.

Most of the villagers were killed and fled alive to the big cities. A large amount of farmland has been abandoned because no one is growing spring wheat on a large scale.

The fields are full of weeds, and the wheat that was not harvested last year has become wild wheat. Especially in the potato fields, some of the tubers have endured the winter, and the weather is warm, and the potatoes are growing well.

So, as the guerrilla brigade passed through the plain, they had to deal with the Romanians who were in pursuit but also grinding behind them. The only thing they can be thankful for is that their food has been found.

The soldiers of the guerrilla brigade found a potato field in the so-called wilderness, and the soldiers dug with their bare hands, and they were shocked to dig up a series of potatoes the size of a ping-pong ball, and the soldiers concluded that this was a potato field.

A lot of potatoes are not ripe yet, and the hungry partisan brigade fighters just want to fill their stomachs quickly, regardless of whether they are ripe or not!

They found a large number of branches and put them together to light a bonfire, and put the potatoes they had just dug up, but after burning them for a while, they couldn't wait to take them down, and devoured them regardless of whether they were cooked or not.

The military rations of the guerrilla brigades were almost all potatoes, and after continuous battles and breakouts, many people almost ran out of food!

Nearly 3,000 people, each of whom ate a lot, and some soldiers even ate potatoes with steel helmets, and their stomachs bulged as if they had buckled an iron pot.

Because the Luo army was chasing closely, they began to continue their journey without the slightest rest.

The efficiency of the Luo army's pursuit was quite poor, especially with their baggage wagons and field artillery, which could not move faster in the rugged wilderness. And the infantry was also frightened by the charge of the guerrilla brigade Ula and did not pursue it with all its might.

The guerrilla brigades retreated during the day and continued to run after nightfall. The Luo army pursued during the day, and camped and slept as soon as the sun set.

In this way, Miroshniko concluded that he had at least ten kilometers to throw away the army of Romania, and that these ten kilometers would be enough to save his life.

On the evening of May 18, they saw the presence of a large number of woods on the western horizon, which eventually joined together. Seeing this, everyone knows that they have almost arrived in the safe zone! Their target was Slavzich in the forest, where there were only a few puppet troops with terrible combat effectiveness, and after taking it, they would be able to join up with their comrades in the swamps.

However, the telegram brought astonishing good news - the partisan republics had liberated Slavzich and were eagerly awaiting the early arrival of the partisan brigades!

Ponomarenko gave a series of new instructions, and Miroshniko immediately announced to his soldiers: "Everyone will not rest anymore, immediately advance to Slavdish, and tonight we will join the friendly army!" ”

What does it mean to arrive in that city? It's food! It's safe!

The exhausted warriors burst out with great energy, and they rushed to the forest with nearly three thousand people, regardless of priority! According to the information of the superiors, there is a narrow plain in the middle of this forest, and one of the relatively hard dirt roads is the access road to the city.

After the last rays of daylight disappeared over the horizon, the guerrilla brigade did not stop. Everyone was so tired that for several days they had a full meal thanks to the potato fields, and the rest of the march depended on perseverance, and this untimely run made many people faint. They fumbled in the forest for several hours before they finally found the dirt road, and Miroshniko immediately ordered the troops to rest for a while.

More than 2,000 people camped around the dirt road, cutting down a large number of branches and taking out the potatoes that were used to save their lives. At this point, there is little point in keeping these potatoes, and if you have something to eat, you can meet up with friendly forces after walking the last few kilometers.

Did that unit really liberate Slavdish? Just one order from a superior? Is the information obtained by the superiors true?

Miroshniko had some doubts, and the warriors under his command were hopeful about the city ahead. Allies must be there! And not only was it there, but a lot of food was prepared!

Miroshniko compromised and sent a company-sized group of fighters to the west along the dirt road.

At the same time, Balzen personally led all the soldiers of the reconnaissance battalion, which had only rested for a while, and advanced along the road to the east.

Neither force was aware that the other's reconnaissance forces were approaching each other, and Balzen knew full well that there was no enemy ahead. But the fighters of the guerrilla brigade had one more mind. This was all thanks to Miroshniko, who ordered his reconnaissance troops: "You must be careful at night, for there are friendly forces in this forest, and there are probably scattered enemies, as well as bears. If you find something abnormal, fire directly and see how the other party reacts! ”

With such an order, the shadow shooting of the guerrilla brigade shaking in front is nothing new.

So in Balzen's opinion, there were suddenly some shadows in front of him, followed by some yellow fires, and he was a little surprised, only to hear the screeching sound of something cutting through the air, and he immediately lay down as soon as he roared the enemy attack.

No one would have thought that there was such a misunderstanding, and Balzen's enemy attack was completely misleading his soldiers. In an instant, a fierce exchange of fire broke out between the two sides, and no one was shot.

The soldiers of the reconnaissance battalion were already tired, and it was even more difficult for them to face each other in the dark, but it was only after Balzen quickly came to his senses that he stopped the indiscriminate shooting.

This indiscriminate shooting is not a bad thing, after all, the reconnaissance battalion is equipped with a large number of Bobosha and Popod submachine guns, and the sound of Soviet Makarov pistol bullets firing is imprinted in the minds of Soviet soldiers. This is like an identity card, so that the once nervous guerrilla brigade scouts have to suspect that they are shooting at friendly forces.

The gunfire finally fell completely silent after five minutes!

Balzen and hundreds of his warriors were lying in the grass when they suddenly heard a Russian call in the distance: "Hey! Are you the Soviet Red Army? ”

Balzen was overjoyed, and he responded with a tuk at the top of his voice: "We are the Soviet Red Army!" We are the Red Army in the swamps! Are you brethren in the guerrilla brigade? ”

"We are a guerrilla brigade! It's unbelievable that we're shooting at friendly forces! ”

"It's okay! We have no casualties, how are you doing? ”

"We don't have any casualties! We were ordered to go to Slavzich City to meet you! Don't go off! We're all on our feet! ”

"Good! Don't go off the rails! After yelling at the last of his voice, Balzen got up excitedly.

In this way, the scouts of the two armies finally joined each other. Balzen immediately led the battalion to the west, and it didn't take long for him to officially enter the temporary camp of the guerrilla brigade, which was already lit by a campfire.