Ruhlei led his troops to walk all night in the forest. It was almost dawn that he ordered the troops to stop and rest in the clearings in the forest.
When the commanders and soldiers began to look for a place to rest, Ruhrei asked the Chief of Staff: "What have you found when the scouts who stayed behind?"
"Comrade Brigade Commander, your judgment is correct." Hearing Ruhlei's question, the Chief of Staff quickly replied: "According to the scouts' report, a German unit on a motorcycle entered the village at three in the morning. If we stayed in the village for the night, we might have already exchanged fire with the German army."
"What size is German?" asked Ruhlei.
"According to the scouts' reports, the number of enemies is not large." The Chief of Staff replied: "There are probably more than twenty people wearing camouflage uniforms, submachine guns, and sitting on tricycles."
After listening to the description of the Chief of Staff, Ruhlei said: "This should be the German reconnaissance squad, and their large troops are still behind. If we are discovered by them, they can hold us up by exchanging fire and buy valuable time for their large troops to arrive."
"Order the scouts to stick to this enemy closely." Ruhlei thought that there was no snow last night and the traces left by his troops on the snow, as long as they were not blind, they would definitely see them. He ordered the Chief of Staff: "If there is any latest situation, we need to report it to me immediately."
The troops were resting on site for two hours. Ruhlei was about to order the troops to set off. Snow suddenly fell in the clear sky. Snowflakes like broken trunks were scattered, falling on the hats and shoulders of the commanders and soldiers, and soon a thick layer of snow fell.
With this sudden appearance of snow, visibility will be reduced, but it is an unexpected surprise for Ruhlei. Therefore, heavy snow can quickly cover up the whereabouts of the troops, making it impossible for the enemies who are following behind to find themselves.
The chief of staff ran to Ruhlei and reported to him: "Comrade Brigade Commander, the scouts sent another telegram saying that there were probably a battalion of German infantry entering the village. Due to heavy snowfall, they were temporarily staying in the village. What should we do next and continue to rush forward?"
"Yes, Comrade Chief of Staff." Luhele was still very nervous when he learned that the German army had new troops to enter the village. After all, the location of his troops was only about twenty kilometers away from the village, and the enemy might catch up at any time. He quickly ordered: "Order the troops to continue to advance north, and be sure to get rid of the pursuers behind them in the shortest time."
Ruhle's order was conveyed truthfully. The commanders and soldiers who had not recovered their strength learned that the enemy's large troops had entered the village last night. While feeling that the brigade commander's judgment was accurate, they also felt the crisis. With the order, they advanced northward along the snow.
The heavy snow stopped until noon, and at this time, the Tank Brigade's troops had already traveled more than ten kilometers northward. Seeing the snow stopped, Ruhlei ordered the troops to rest in the forest again. After the troops were settled, he asked the Chief of Staff: "Is there any news about the Cluster Command?"
"During the march, I received a telegram from the combat cluster." The Chief of Staff reported: "The superior asked us where we were. I remember you said that if you want to jump out of the enemy's encirclement, you must temporarily interrupt the contact with the superior, so you ordered the radio operator not to reply to the superior's inquiry telegram."
"Chief of Staff, you did it right." Ruhlei said approvingly after listening to the Chief of Staff's report: "We are too far from the headquarters and our superiors do not understand our situation at all. If they issue us a wrong order, it may lead to the destruction of our entire brigade. As the brigade commander, I absolutely cannot tolerate this happening. Therefore, there is no need to restore contact with the combat cluster until the troops arrive in Lugansk safely."
The Chief of Staff looked up at the clear sky because the snow had stopped and it was: "Comrade Brigade Commander, when will we set out again?"
"Don't worry." Ruhlie waved his hand and said, "The commanders and fighters have not had a good rest since last night. Let them eat something first, hurry up and doze off, replenish their energy before setting off."
"Comrade Brigade Commander." The Chief of Staff asked in surprise: "Are you still going to let the troops march at night?"
"Yes, that's how I thought about it." Ruhlei replied: "After darkness, the enemy stopped searching. We marched in the darkness, and the chances of being discovered by the enemy will be very small. By the way, what's the situation in the village? Did the enemy move?"
"No." The chief of staff shook his head and said, "According to the scouts' reports, two more troops have entered the village in the past few hours, and more than a dozen tanks have appeared."
"What, even the tanks appeared?" When they learned that the enemy tanks were found near the village, Ruhlei immediately realized the seriousness of the problem: "It seems that the German troops have been transferred from several other directions. What they have to do next is to narrow the encirclement and try every means to annihilate our troops trapped in the encirclement."
"So, the main force of the cluster may be hit hard by the German army." The Chief of Staff asked Ruhle carefully: "Comrade Brigade Commander, do you see if we need to provide assistance to them?"
"There is no need for this." Ruhlei shook his head and said, "We have limited troops and poor equipment. If we go for reinforcements rashly, we might not help, but instead trap ourselves in. As per the original plan, we will go north and quickly move towards Lugansk."
The Chief of Staff knew that Ruhlei was telling the truth, and he did not object. While the troops were resting here, he sent scouts forward to find out whether there were enemy troops stationed on the troops' next march route.
After three o'clock in the afternoon, the scouts sent returned and reported to Ruhlei with a panic look on his face, "Comrade Brigade Commander, there are about a battalion of troops stationed in the forest five kilometers ahead of us."
"The strength of a battalion?" Ruhlei's brows frowned. He didn't expect that he would take his troops to circle north and still encounter a large number of enemies. He asked with a lucky mentality: "What kind of fortifications do the enemy have, and what about weapons and equipment?"
"Only some half-man-deep trenches," replied the scout. "I saw several armored vehicles in the woods, but no enemy tanks were found."
"Comrade Brigade Commander, what should I do?" The Chief of Staff asked in a panic: "The enemy has a battalion of troops. Although they do not have tanks, once the two sides exchange fire, the battle will not be solved without half a day. If the battle lasts too long, I worry that the enemy behind me will pounce. At that time, we will be in a dilemma of being attacked by both sides."
Chapter completed!