Chapter 1403 Street Fighting 2
Chapter 1403 Street Fighting 2
The Bavarian Army came from the northeast and the Prussian Army came from the northwest. The two armies clamped down on the hard nut Riga like a giant pliers. Most of the residents in the city had fled. According to intelligence, the Russian army in the city That's more than 10,000. Lack of heavy equipment. However, food and water reserves are relatively sufficient. If it is a simple siege, it may take a long time, and Mackensen naturally does not want to let such a city delay his pace, so a tough battle is unavoidable.
However, after entering the city, the German army realized for the first time that this was an absolutely unfriendly place for them!
Click, click, click. A series of bullets flew out from a ruin. Three machine guns hidden in the ruins, residential buildings and corners of the road suddenly fired at the German soldiers who were marching on the road. After a few seconds, the machine guns hidden on both sides The Russian soldiers in the building also picked up their rifles and began to hunt down this lonely and in-depth team. Faced with the sudden attack, under the command of company commander Paul, the entire German infantry company quickly found bunkers. Then he set up his own machine gun and fired at him.
When a sound like tearing oilcloth was heard, dense bullets were fired overwhelmingly. The difference in weapon performance made the Russians completely disadvantaged after being exposed, and the addition of two 60MM mortars following the movement of the company doubled the pressure on the Russian army, which lacked direct firepower. They began to retreat, first the machine gun team, and then the infantry, but Paul naturally would not let them go so smoothly. After the engineers directly used explosives to demolish a few walls, they took a shortcut to intercept the Russians who were preparing to evacuate.
When a low wall collapsed, the two parties discovered that they were only a dozen meters away from each other! In shock, both sides picked up their weapons almost at the same time. With the flames jumping from the muzzle of the submachine gun, a series of shell casings flew out from the side ejector. In just a few seconds, the victory or defeat was decided. Three of the fifteen men on the German side fell, while all the more than twenty Russian soldiers on the opposite side were wiped out.
"How is the situation?" Paul and his platoon leaders entered a room. After confirming that everything was safe, the guard took out the map, and the two sides began to study the next direction of attack.
"Five people were killed and 10 were injured just now. Most of them were caused within one minute after the Russians opened fire. They were well hidden. We killed at least 30 Russians this time, but from the exchange ratio Look, we are obviously at a disadvantage," said a second lieutenant.
"Yes, it's a big disadvantage. Some people are newcomers, and their hands that hold guns don't even have calluses. However, as long as there is a suitable position and an opportunity, a veteran can be killed." said an officer next to him.
"This is the fifth time today that we have been sneak attacked. To be honest, my nerves are in a state of tension all the time. Three of them were in areas we have already occupied. These Russians are as cunning as mice, hiding in In the dark, even in the sewers." Paul sighed.
The enemy is not strong, and even in terms of exchange ratio, the German army still has the advantage. However, compared to field battles, the repeated battles in urban warfare made the German army feel very uncomfortable. They found that everything they relied on had been greatly weakened. . The mental pressure caused by ubiquitous ambushes and snipers is more severe than the physical damage.
Compared with the Prussian Army, which encountered this situation for the first time, although the Bavarian Army conducted street fighting in an actual combat environment for the first time, it benefited from the Bavarian Army's "Black Castle" street fighting training ground on the outskirts of Munich. In terms of experience and tactics , the latter performs significantly better.
Using Cricket tanks as cover, the three Bavarian companies advanced almost in tandem along the roads and temporarily blasted alleys toward the Russian deep positions. Different from the simple centripetal assault of the Prussian army, the Bavarian Army paid great attention to the communication between the various units. In cooperation, several troops advanced almost at the same time, and engineers were dispatched to create horizontal communication channels between each other.
The Bavarian Army's tanks are also used differently from the Prussians. The tanks of the former are deployed relatively far back, and the Hoi An exclusion troops and engineers in front are responsible for clearing obstacles and mines. They rely on the tank's armor and firepower to protect themselves, but at the same time, they also eliminate traps that threaten the tank. In this way, the Russians discovered that the opponent's tanks were always outside the range of their own fire threats. Once they choose to fight, the tank in the middle of the queue will naturally make the battlefield situation one-sided.
What makes the Russians even more unexpected is that when the Bavarian Army advances, it will often send some troops to clear out the occupied areas again! There have been more than one Russian sneak attack force that, when entering the German rear through hidden passages, was actually counter-surrounded by a certain German army that appeared from nowhere.
The tactics of the Bavarian Army can be described as step by step. Their street fighting area is divided into safety zone, consolidation zone and combat zone. They may even capture a place during the day and then retreat to a safe area at night. Don't give the Russians the slightest chance.
As a result, this became a process of accumulating small victories into big victories. The extremely high exchange ratio caused the Russians to bleed profusely. The Bavarian Army took turns participating in the exhibition by constantly changing troops, and because it could get better rest at night, The mental pressure will also be relieved a lot, and with this ebb and flow, the Russian Legion, which is already at an absolute disadvantage in terms of strength, will naturally be unable to bear it!
However, in any case, the Battle of Riga is just a small stage for the German troops on the Eastern Front. As more and more German troops advance northward from land and water at the same time, the entire Eastern Front will be divided into two battlefields. Mackensen's ultimate goal remains St. Petersburg. After this battle, the prince's goal became Ukraine and Belarus.
"Does His Highness really not plan to spend this Christmas in the Tsar's Palace in St. Petersburg?" Mackensen said to the prince after another meeting. "St. Petersburg is much better than Kiev."
"If there is no Balkan Theater, then I would like to try it. However, it is a pity that after the defeat of Russian Poland, the Bavarian Army must be used separately. I always have a hunch that this year, the outcome of the war will basically be determined. . And Britain and France will definitely not sit still and wait for death. I am not afraid that they will launch an offensive on the western front. What I am worried about is that Turkey may not be able to withstand it!" the prince said.
Two updates today~~~! Please subscribe and reward~~~!