The 65th Army was fortified by the German 9th Army, and after receiving the order to attack from Rokossovsky, Batov and Chief of Staff Glebov carefully studied it, and finally decided that the direction of attack should be chosen in the direction of the 26th Infantry Division of the German 6th Army.

After receiving the battle plan reported by Batov, Rokossovsky only casually asked: "Comrade Batov, I would like to ask you, why did you choose the direction of attack in Barich?" ”

"Comrade commander," Batov answered truthfully after hearing Rokossovsky's question, "we chose this direction because the terrain here is dry, there are no river barriers, which is conducive to the deployment of our troops. ”

"Comrade Batov, the enemy is not a fool." Although Rokossovsky wanted to make Batov and the other army commanders realize that they felt that the best direction of the offensive would not necessarily lead to success, Rokossovsky solemnly reminded Batov: "They will build strong and deep trapezoidal fortifications on the main commanding heights and inflict heavy casualties on our troops with intensive firepower." ”

Batov did not hear Rokossovsky's voice-over, but he still confidently said: "Don't worry, comrade commander, now we have replenished ammunition from our superiors, so that after the battle begins, our artillery will be able to provide the necessary artillery support for the attacking troops." I don't think the enemy can stop us from attacking on this scale. ”

"Well, Comrade Batov." Rokossovsky saw that Batov was a character who did not look back without seeing the southern wall, and did not bother to continue arguing with him, but said casually: "Comrade Marshal and I are here waiting for your good news. ”

The offensive organized by Batov began the next morning. After an hour-long artillery preparation, the Soviet infantry launched a charge on the enemy's defensive positions.

Perhaps the Germans who were holding their positions had not been subjected to Soviet artillery fire for a long time, so there was silence on their positions long after the Soviet shelling stopped.

Seeing that there was no movement on the enemy's position, Batov, who commanded the attack, couldn't help but feel a burst of ecstasy in his heart, and he even thought that maybe the artillery fire just now had wiped out all the enemy in the position. Thinking of this, he hurriedly ordered the signal corps to call the commander of the 40th Infantry Division, who was on the offensive mission, and said to him: "Comrade Colonel, have you seen it? There is no movement at all on the enemy's position, so let your fighters move quickly and try to capture the enemy's position as soon as possible. ”

The division commander hurriedly replied: "Report to Comrade Commander, I saw that there was no movement at all on the enemy's positions, so the regiment that I would be in reserve also threw into battle." ”

"Well done, Comrade Colonel." Hearing that the 40th Infantry Division had thrown all its forces into battle, Batov said with satisfaction: "I wish you great feats in today's battle." ”

The commanders and fighters of the 40th Infantry Division did not wait for the smoke to completely dissipate, and then rushed into the first line of German trenches and engaged in a white-knuckle battle with the surviving German troops inside. After more than ten minutes of fierce fighting, the trench was completely controlled.

After the division commander learned that the troops had occupied the first trench of the German army, he hurriedly ordered the signal corps: "Give me the headquarters, and I will report this good news to the comrade commander." ”

Although Batov saw in the observation post that the commanders and fighters had occupied the enemy's positions, when he heard the report of the division commander, he said happily: "Good job, Comrade Colonel." If this continues, I think you will be able to reach the enemy's division headquarters before dark, and continue to work hard, and I will report your results to the front headquarters immediately. ”

Rokossovsky did not have any joy on his face after receiving Batov's report, and he asked as usual: "Comrade Batov, if I am not mistaken, the first trench occupied by your troops at this moment is located on the plains, and behind it is a commanding height of the German army?" ”

"That's right, comrade commander." Batov hurriedly nodded and replied: "You guessed it right, it is indeed what you said, in front of the first trench we occupied, there was a commanding height of the German fortification. ”

"Comrade Batov," Rokossovsky waited for Batov to finish, and then continued: "If I were you, I would have moved the artillery to the front and used direct fire to bombard the commanding heights of the German army and cover the offensive of the troops." ”

Although Batov verbally promised to transfer the artillery immediately, when he put down the phone, he put the matter behind him, and instead raised his binoculars and continued to look at the troops fighting in the distance.

Rokossovsky's fears soon became a reality, and the Germans built a strong defense on a commanding height of five hundred meters behind the first trench. One hundred and fifty meters from the position, there were two barbed wires drawn into an obstacle; After the barbed wire, there is a dense minefield again.

The commanders and fighters of the 1st Battalion of the 25th Regiment of the 40th Infantry Division rushed up the hill before they were blocked by barbed wire. As they tried to clear the barbed wire, a dozen German machine guns opened fire on the high ground, and the dense fire knocked down the commanders and fighters who were blocked in front of the barbed wire.

"Lie down, lie down, lie down!" A captain saw that his soldiers fell to the ground in pieces after being hit by intensive fire, and the veterans, who were experienced in combat, saw the enemy's dense firepower, and hurriedly lay down on the spot; And the recruit panicked, standing in place in a daze, he hurriedly shouted at them: "If you don't want to die, lie down for me!" ”

His shouts saved many soldiers, but he was hit in the head by a vicious bullet, and he fell backwards and fell down the hillside with a thud.

Seeing that the company commander was killed and the enemy's machine guns were still firing condescendingly, the fighters who were lying on the ground did not dare to stay on the hillside any longer, and hurriedly retreated back with a rolling belt.

Seeing the attack of the 1st battalion of the 25th regiment, which was easily repulsed by the Germans, Batov suddenly realized that Rokossovsky's concern was correct, so he picked up the phone on the table, called the commander of the artillery of the army group, and instructed the other party: "Immediately transfer an artillery regiment to the front, we need artillery fire to support the infantry to attack the commanding heights occupied by the enemy." ”

Seeing that the attack of his troops was repulsed, the division commander hurriedly called the battalion commander and asked angrily: "Comrade Captain, what is the matter with you, why did you retreat?" ”

After hearing clearly that it was the voice of the division commander, the battalion commander replied in some panic: "Comrade division commander, our fighters are blocked by barbed wire, and the enemy's fire is too fierce for us to continue advancing. I asked for artillery support from the division. ”

"Artillery support, artillery support!" The division commander said angrily: "Where am I going to find you some artillery support now?" As soon as he finished speaking, the chief of staff of the division next to him called out to him, "Comrade division commander, the phone of the commander of the group army." ”

The division commander hung up the phone of the battalion commander, took the phone from the chief of staff in the past, and said into the microphone: "Comrade commander, I think you may have seen just now that our attack on the commanding heights has failed. ”

"I've seen the offensive process just now." "The enemy is not resigned to their defeat, so they will put up a desperate and stubborn resistance." I have called the artillery commander and ordered him to move an artillery regiment to the front as soon as possible to cover your attack on the commanding heights with artillery fire. ”

When he heard that he could get artillery support during the attack, the division commander was overjoyed, and he said in a loud voice: "Comrade commander, this is really good, with the support of artillery, we will definitely be able to seize this commanding height." ”

The artillery regiment rushed to the front and, having urgently arranged the artillery positions, opened fire on the German positions on the commanding heights. Seeing that the enemy's positions were covered in gunsmoke, Batov immediately called the division commander and ordered him: "Okay, Comrade Colonel, order your troops to attack immediately!" ”

"What, attack now?" Batov's words startled the division commander, and he hurriedly said: "Our artillery is shelling the enemy's positions, and launching an attack at this moment may cause accidental damage!" ”

"Comrade Colonel," said Bartov, seeing that the division commander was a little pushing, "if you wait for the end of the shelling and then launch an attack on the enemy's position, then the enemy will take advantage of the time when you are rushing to their position to make all defensive preparations, which will bring you huge casualties." ”

"I see." Seeing that Batov said so resolutely, the division commander knew that he could not refute even if he wanted to, so he could only bite the bullet and say: "I will order the troops to attack immediately." ”

After receiving the order to attack from the division commander, the commander of the first battalion looked at the German positions in front of him, gathered his two surviving company commanders, and said to them: "Comrade commander, the division commander ordered us to immediately launch an attack on the enemy's position. ”

A company commander turned his head to look at the commanding heights and muttered, "But now our artillery is bombarding the enemy's positions with artillery fire." If we attack at such a time, isn't it possible that we will be accidentally injured by artillery fire? ”

"Comrade Company Commander," the battalion commander stared at his subordinates and said with a serious expression, "This is an order from the superiors, and we must carry it out unconditionally." I now order that all commanders, party members, and league members must rush to the front of the entire ranks. Alright, let's do it! ”

When the commanders and fighters who were staying in the trenches saw the new round of attack, it was actually the commanders at all levels and party members who rushed to the front, and they immediately became enthusiastic, and rushed forward with their weapons and shouts loudly, regardless of the fact that the high ground in front of them was still being bombarded by artillery fire.

Due to the support of artillery, the barbed wire and minefields laid out by the Germans in front of the positions were seriously damaged, so the commanders and fighters successfully rushed through the sections that had just been blocked. The artillerymen, who provided cover for artillery fire on the infantry, decisively stopped firing when they saw that the infantry was only a little more than a hundred meters from the position at the top of the hillside.

The German officers and soldiers hiding in the concealment department heard that the Soviet artillery bombardment had stopped, and hurriedly drilled out and prepared to enter the position to block the attack launched by the Soviet army. But as soon as they entered the trench, they were knocked down by the oncoming bullets, and the rest of the men hurriedly retreated to their shelter.

The Soviet commanders and fighters who rushed up fought fiercely with the Germans in the trenches. They tried to seize the enemy's hiding place, but were blocked by bullets fired from inside. A clever commander and fighter walked around to the side of the shelter from the other end, threw a grenade emitting green smoke into it, and after a loud bang, the shelter was quiet.

After the 1st battalion occupied the position at the top of the hillside, the battalion commander reported to the division commander in the rear through the telephone line that had just been erected: "Comrade division commander, our battalion has successfully occupied the commanding heights of the German army. ”

"Well done, Comrade Captain." After complimenting a battalion commander, the division commander continued to ask: "How many people are left in your battalion now?" ”

"Report to Comrade Division Commander," the commander of the first battalion, after the battle, had counted the number of people, so he replied without hesitation: "There are still one hundred and forty men in the whole battalion." ”

"One hundred and forty," the division commander said with some regret after repeating the number, "the number is a bit small." Can you keep going forward? ”

The battalion commander looked at the German positions on the other side of the hill and replied decisively: "Don't worry, comrade division commander, our battalion can continue to take up the main attack mission." ”

"Well done, you guys are really good." After hearing this, the division commander decisively ordered: "Comrade Captain, then continue the attack, I will ask your regimental commander to send the other two battalions to support you." ”

Unbeknownst to him, when the 1st Battalion had just left its position at the top of the hillside and launched an attack on the German position at the foot of the hillside, it was suddenly hit by sudden artillery fire, and the commanders and fighters who were shouting "Ula" and rushing forward fell in the artillery fire. Seeing that the situation was not good, the commander of the first battalion hurriedly blew a whistle and informed the troops to withdraw to their positions.

The division commander saw the smoke rising from the other side of the hill and heard the rumbling of artillery, but he didn't know what was going on, so he hurriedly asked the battalion commander: "Comrade Captain, what's going on there?" ”

"Report to the division commander," replied the commander of the 1st battalion with a colored arm, while asking the hygienist to bandage his wounds, "we had just left our positions and rushed down the hill when we were hit by intensive German artillery fire, and our troops suffered heavy casualties. ”

"How many of you are left?"

Hearing the division commander's question, the first battalion commander looked at the deputy battalion commander who was standing not far away, and after seeing the number he was comparing clearly, he said into the microphone: "There are still thirty-eight people left in the battalion. ”

"What, you've got thirty-eight left." The division commander was taken aback by this figure, that is, he had reimbursed one of his own companies for the round of artillery shelling just now, and after thinking about it, he said to the commander of the first battalion: "You stay in the position for the first time, and I will ask the commander for instructions to see if you can be withdrawn to rest and recuperate." ”