The arrival of this gunboat once gave the German defenders of the Chenobi more confidence. At that time, the Germans were clearly aware of the existence of a powerful partisan force in the swamps to the north, and later it became clear that this guerrilla force was indeed strong, and they even broadcast to all directions day and night, claiming to call themselves the "guerrilla republic".

The high-ranking officers of the occupation forces were dismissive of the so-called guerrilla republics, while the rank-and-file soldiers and non-commissioned officers attached great importance to them.

For no other reason, the guerrillas were swept up by rank-and-file soldiers, who knew that if they had slackened, they might have been killed or captured during a particular patrol. They are also the most aware of the brutal methods of the guerrillas, especially the "madmen" in the swamps, who are even capable of engaging regular infantry divisions, and as a result, they can still win.

I am afraid that only by dispatching several regular divisions and an army of tens of thousands can the swamp be leveled.

But in May, the crusade against the guerrilla republics was definitely a self-defeating affair. Especially for the defenders of Chenoby, not only did they have to face increasing pressure on the city's defenses, but even gunboat patrols became a dangerous gamble.

The two gunboats were permanently faced with a situation in which ships could not move in the Dnieper during the winter and the riverbed upstream was very shallow, with most sections of the river less than two meters deep. And then the captured gunboat, it is very powerful and has a small tonnage, and this typical Russian-style weapon needs a sufficient draft!

For a long time, the German defenders of Chenobi had no intention of driving gunboats upstream to reconnoitre! They were not worried that the gunboat would be sunk, and they were more interested in fighting the Soviets on the riverside. What they were most afraid of was that the gunboat would accidentally enter the shallow water, knowing that this situation was not unlikely, and once it ran aground, it would be difficult to escape!

Fortunately, after the spring flood season came in full swing, especially in May, when it rained for two consecutive days, the river swelled, so that gunboats could patrol.

So, in the midst of everyone's panic, a puff of smoke appeared from the sharp bend of the river, and then the phantom of the gunboat was revealed.

Tepinov was still commanding from the shore at the moment, and the position of their paratroopers was very close to the gunboats.

He roared in surprise, "What's going on! This is our gunboat! ”

"Phew! Now it's German! Commissar Zalasky said regretfully, and then handed the telescope to the brigade commander. Look at the flag flying on this gunboat, it's the German flag! ”

Tepunov took a closer look: "Yes! This is the German flag! And a flag, yellow and blue! This should be the flag of Ukraine! It's the Ukrainian puppet army! ”

"Brigadier Commander! Now give the order! We're afraid we'll have to sink it! ”

Tepunov's expression was solemn: "No! We still have to wait for the commander's order, and unless the enemy takes the initiative to fire at us, we will keep watching! Pass my order, the whole brigade is on alert, order all rafts, cross the river quickly! ”

……

On the other hand, the gunboat had a German squad with only ten men. After the Germans captured the gunboat, they underwent a transformation, and the four water-cooled Maxim M1908s were left intact, and the Germans welded two MG34 firing mounts to the hull. In this way, their general-purpose machine guns can be carried on the go, and they can also be fixed and mounted as heavy firepower. So, the gunboat's firepower increased again.

The gunboat was powered by a 1,800-horsepower petrol engine, which could reach speeds of up to twenty knots, and because the captain was still worried about touching the debris at the bottom of the river, and because they were patrolling, the speed was maintained at six knots. In this squad, Zmailman, the squad leader and captain of the boat, had a very subtle attitude towards this patrol, and he was not worried that he would encounter the enemy, because since he arrived in Ukraine, he had only seen Russian prisoners of war.

This strong self-confidence makes them dare to move forward.

The gunboat was so powerful that the enemy would only watch from afar if they saw it. Therefore, he will need to use a little means to attract potential enemies to the riverbank, and then use the weapons on the boat to kill all sides, and perhaps win himself and his brothers a second-class Iron Cross.

Therefore, he gave the order to sound the whistle, hoping to attract the enemy, and to see what kind of rare birds could fly out of the reeds.

It was really this state of mind, and when the gunboat passed a corner, the sight in front of it stunned the whole gunboat.

The leisurely captain Zmeiermann broke out in a cold sweat, and he climbed the small observation tower above the wheelhouse like a wind, holding a telescope to observe the large crowd on the water. He wiped his eyes in panic to make sure he was not mistaken.

Then, he poked his head out and shouted at the people on deck: "It's the Russians!" We have found the partisans of the Russians! They are the idiots of the guerrilla republics! Brethren, get ready to fight! Get ready for battle! Fools, stop smoking, machine gunners get ready to shoot! ”

Zmailmann instinctively realized that he had simply picked up a big bargain! The enemy is clearly crossing the river on a large scale, what do they want to do? Could it be a military assault to cross the river?!

Zmailman gave the order, but his fighters were apprehensive.

The soldier in the bow of the ship with a Makqin nervously asked: "Squad leader! We're really going to shoot at them! There are so many of them! Now that we have discovered the enemy, shouldn't we report it to our superiors? ”

"Phew! Our gunboats don't have a radio at all! Schneider! Do you have a telegraph? Will you send a telegram? ”

"But squad leader! As soon as we open fire, they will fight back, I'm afraid ......"

"Shut up!" Zmailmann yelled, "Are you recruits cowards? The time has come for meritorious service to the Third Reich! Let's shoot and destroy some of the enemies, then turn around and evacuate at full speed! In this way, you young people can get medals! ”

The desire for glory instantly overcame the fears, especially the recruits, who had joined the army on the Eastern Front in order to gain German glory.

The machine gunner stopped talking nonsense.

With Zmailmann's order, the gunboat opened fire!

The 76-mm gun in the bow of the ship and three machine guns opened fire at the same time, and at this moment the gunboat was a kilometer from the Missy Ferry, and the fire from this position was still deadly.

The machine gun threw a large number of bullets into the raft that crossed the river, and the shells exploded directly in the raft, causing a violent splash. It's just that the distance is too far, and the German firepower is fierce, and the results achieved are limited, but it completely disrupts the rhythm of the Soviet army's river crossing!

The sudden attack surprised Yang Mingzhi, who was crossing the river, and from his point of view, the damn gunboat simply opened fire as soon as it appeared!

The enemy's shooting was not accurate, and the person who was shot was really unlucky! The casualties were all from the paratroopers, who, after all, were the closest to the enemy. Some of them were shot and fell into the water, while others were splashed into the river by the shock wave of the shell explosion.

The paratroopers are not supermen, although they have excellent breath-holding ability, they can also swim. They fell into the river, which was just over two meters deep, and the mud became a disaster! They held their breath and drew their knives in an attempt to cut through their loads, but they all sank into the mud. Whoever falls into the river will never show his head again.

The enemy opened fire, and the paratroopers floating on the water immediately unarmed and fired at the gunboat. Those who were waiting to cross the river on the shore were not idle, they immediately began to set up mortars under the command of the brigade commander Tapunov!

This gunboat is really becoming more and more courageous, and the captain Zmailmann is full of meritorious service to kill the enemy, and seeing the casualties of the Russians, he frantically orders the helmsman to speed up the charge to the enemy.

The gunboat began to accelerate, and its thin armor was also immune to most of the bullets of the Russians. Some parts of the gunboat were shot, leaving bullet holes. The Russian counterattack also made the German machine gunners more and more nervous!

Especially the one in the bow, he didn't have a machine gun shield at all, so he could only continue to fire cautiously. It roared with its mouth wide open, after all, the 76mm gun was right behind it, and the rate of fire of this gun was not satisfactory, the damn muzzle storm and the violent sonic shock! The only way for him to keep yelling and keeping the pressure of the seven orifices constant could he avoid being bruised in the head.