In the German winter offensive launched by the Soviet army, Ulm, which was in a tragic battle, was just an ordinary microcosm of the long front. From north to south, in Dortmund, Siegen, Frankfurt, Mannheim, Kempten and other places, the Soviet soldiers fought desperately at the same time. In order to cut off the German army's connection with other regions, the Soviet army invested nearly twenty divisions in the direction of Mannheim Karlsruhr. The front-line offensive was higher than the other round, and it captured the carefully laid positions of the German army like a tsunami, and the troops quickly approached the French-German border.

In this crucial battle, the Soviet and German armies did their best. Western countries that were unwilling to sit idly by and watch the Soviet Union win the victory also repeatedly broke through the "bottom limit". In order to support the German army's operations, the US military almost hollowed out their inventory of materials in France and protected the transportation lines in the border area with air force and ground air defense forces. France not only provided the German army with airport facilities, but also directly sent hundreds of pilots to participate in the war, and even allowed the German army to cross the border at night. Britain sent some Royal Air Force pilots to fly German-painted fighter jets to participate in the battle. The powerful Royal Navy and the US fleet patrolled the waters in northern Germany. The officers and soldiers were on high alert and prepared to interfere in this war that was related to the fate of Europe at any time...

Essen, Germany's "industrial heart" in modern times Germany's power to enrich the country and strengthen the army. Once there were chimneys and workers, various industrial raw materials were transformed into steel and machines. Its rise and fall directly determines the strength of Germany. Since the outbreak of the Second Soviet-German War, the Germans tried every means to protect it, and thousands of people have paid the price of their lives. The wreckage of hundreds of Soviet bombers were also scattered in the fields around the city. With the approaching of the Soviet front, the figures of MiG and Jacques made the air defense operations here lose their suspense, and the Germans had to divert industrial production. To this day, there are only a few ordnance repair shops in the huge Essen. The Soviet army's heavy artillery fire fell from time to time, and the left-behind Germans were not afraid at all. They turned incomplete factory buildings and vast blocks.

It became a line of defense. It was reinforced with residual equipment - constructed simple and effective tank blocking fortifications with discarded steel, turning solid houses into omnidirectional fortresses; welded steel plates on the repaired cannons, turning them into solid turrets, and putting heavy armor on damaged armored vehicles. They became hidden firepower points that were difficult to deal with, and equipped with protective support at the machine gun shooting ports, making it difficult to be destroyed by ordinary firepower. Before the Soviet ground troops broke into the city of Essen, tens of thousands of German residents were still consolidating the defense line. They stored ammunition, food and fresh water, and prepared to fight against powerful enemies with perseverance. What surprised and excited them was that just after the battle began, their heads of state and military commander, the youngest democratic leader in Germany's history, and the national hero, came to the front line to inspect the battle situation.

At this point in Essen, Lynn's main purpose was not to show off. With the support of the entire Western world, the German team reborn in the ashes was fully capable of turning Essen into Leningrad in Germany, but in order to confuse the Soviet army's judgment, the battle started. The German team defending Essen had only two US-armed defense lines, one German-armed infantry division and some auxiliary personnel, and was at a clear disadvantage compared to the 17th Army of the Soviet army opposite. Under the strong cover of the Air Force, the Soviet army broke through the German front-line position on the first day of the battle. Although they lost many armored vehicles, judging from the leaflets and radio, the Soviet commander was very confident in finally taking Essen.

In Essen, Linn witnessed the bravery and tenacity of the defenders and was also satisfied with their strict obedience to combat orders. The Soviet army's fighting style regardless of casualties also strengthened his confidence in sounding the horn of counterattack. Taking advantage of the Soviet army's slowing offensive at night and consolidating the gaps in the position, the German army secretly mobilized hidden and waiting troops into Essen, expanding the strength of the defenders exponentially. After dawn, the Soviet army indeed took the initiative to take Essen, but the German air defense force that had hidden but did not send a message quickly.

The Soviets took advantage of the situation. 12 sets of US-made ground-air guided rockets shot down 31 Soviet bombers in just half an hour, and the self-propelled air defense system that combines radar fire control and near-explosion fuse technology also shot down 9 Il-2 attack aircraft. In the face of such strong air defense firepower, the Soviet aviation troops could not do anything, while the Soviet ground troops still hoped that artillery fire and fierce offensive could defeat the opponent. In the central city of Essen, the Soviet infantry that coordinated the armored troops to attack encountered a nightmare

Strike, the defenders deployed a large number of machine guns and machine guns in the broken but solid building. They weaved a terrible death firepower net on the battlefield of street fighting. Just as British and French infantry attacked the German machine gun positions thirty-six years ago, the Soviet infantry was unable to fight and suffered huge casualties in a short time. The blood of the warriors once again soaked the earth, and the ruins of the city suddenly became a shocking purgatory. As for those unstoppable Soviet tanks in the field, whether they were old.

The more powerful T-34 or the new T-54 are difficult to change this situation with their steel armor and artillery fire. The Soviet self-propelled artillery, which uses 122 or 152 mm heavy artillery, is known as a street fighting weapon, but in Essen, most of them were damaged by German officers and soldiers deliberately hiding around the line of defense before they even played a role. Most German soldiers could not escape the bad luck after using anti-tank bazooka to attack targets. This unswerving feat demonstrates the fearless spirit of defending the country!

With the spirit of waiting for death, the German army successfully resisted the Soviet offensive in Essen. After turning the situation around, the German army used night battles to regain some of the previously lost positions, but did not completely expel the Soviet army from the city, making Essen a piece of thorn in the throat of the Soviets who wanted to swallow and vomit. In the following days, the Soviet army continued to send more troops to Essen, and the battle between the two sides in the city was also in a stalemate. Around Essen, the German army gave up Dortmund after making the opponent pay a heavy price, Wuppertal and other cities east of the Rhine River, and instead rely on the Rhine defense line to block the Soviet army. Essen gradually became a "prominent" on the northern front of both sides.

On January 17, 1951, after more than a week of hard fighting, the Soviet army finally captured Karlsruhr on the western border of Germany, thus dividing the German armed forces in western Germany into two parts, north and south. Compared with the battlefield situation in early January, the area of ​​the German defended area had been reduced by nearly half, and the loss of troops was no less than that of the Soviet army. From the strategic situation, the Soviet army seemed to have only needed to make another effort to extinguish the German and civilian hopes of turning over, but the German team that had contracted defense was as if they were to the end.

Spring. Under the cover of the "peace call", seven German divisions boarded secretly at ports such as Calais and Dunkirk in France, and a huge fleet of transport arrived in the East Flicia Islands with the accompanying US and British fleets. After receiving this news, the Soviet army had to draw reserve troops to add to William Bremen-Hamburg. At the same time, 77 German divisions gathered at the Duisburg-Cologne line, and their vanguards entered Essen under the cover of night, causing the first subversive reversal of the strength comparison between the two sides on the battlefield in Essen.

A counterattack that determines destiny is about to begin. In the German Joint Staff, the military minds and command elites of the German armed forces gathered together. This battle will follow the footsteps of "Adden counterattack" and become a victory to turn the world. Even the most arrogant people do not have 100% confidence. However, judging from the expressions of the head of state, Rommel, Manstein and every senior general present, "super think tank", everyone has no doubt about the necessity of this counterattack, just as the head of state said: "Germany has reached the edge of the cliff, and only by moving forward can we find vitality!"

In the occasion when the head of state did not show up, Lynn was a legitimate head of state and a spiritual leader, and his performance in the war was worthy of this position. Facing the prestigious, talented and charming German generals, he said in a decisive tone: "More than a thousand years ago, we defeated the arrogant Roman legion, and more than a thousand years later, we will once again defeat the enemies that the whole world fears! Sixty million Germans are waiting for the horn of attack. I believe that most of them would rather die with dignity than become slaves of the Slavs!"

As the highest commander of the Imperial Team, the actual leader of the German Joint Staff, Rommel, who is skilled in tactics, has sublimated his comprehensive qualities in a strange and tortuous history. He reminded: "Your wisdom and courage are beyond doubt. Please remember that this battle was a Jedi counterattack initiated by 60 million Germans to fight for survival opportunities. Compared with the final victory or defeat, there is no objection to the honor and disgrace of any unit. No matter what misunderstandings, styles, and characteristics you have had in the past working together, you must cooperate closely for this common goal. Even if you suffer personal losses, the entire Germany will praise your tolerance and justice."

The chief staff officer of the Joint Staff, Marshal Manstein, who is the most comprehensive, stable in performance and convincing in the active German generals, will serve as the commander-in-chief of this counterattack. With the trust and expectations of the soldiers, the Marshal issued a call: "We may not be able to defeat the enemy in one fell swoop, but at least we must let the whole world see that Germany is inconquering. Everyone, the days ahead will be very difficult for us. Every judgment of our judgment is related to the situation of the frontline troops and the success or failure of this war. When the real opportunity is in front of us, we should seize it in time, but if this opportunity is deceptive, we must calmly think about it so as not to leave regrets that will never be compensated in our military career!" (To be continued! ~!

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