On the night of May 5, the tranquility unique to the war appeared on the battlefield in northern Moscow Prefecture.

Of course it is not the kind of tranquility without any sound. The rumbling cannons still ring in many places. This is the Soviet cannons shooting aimlessly. With the cover of the rumbling cannons, steel giants stagger through the darkness.

Because there were German night reconnaissance planes hovering in the sky, the Soviet tanks and other combat vehicles that were driving in did not turn on their headlights. The turret (fighting room) covers and cockpit doors of the chariots such as js-2, t-34/85 and su-57 were all open. The head of the chariot and driver both looked out, and drove the vehicle carefully with the faint moonlight to guide the way, and marched along the more eye-catching white lines (sprayed from white lime) on the ground.

In addition to these tanks and attack artillery taking advantage of the night on May 5, countless Soviet cannons were also quietly shifting their positions. In order to ensure the victory of this major counterattack that concerns the future and destiny of the Soviet Union and the Bolshevik Party, the Soviet Command not only tried its best to mobilize tanks and attack artillery, but also concentrated a large number of artillery. Including the most ordinary 152mm and 122mm howitzers, almost "disposable" zis-3 cannons (76.2mm), A-19 cannons (122mm) that can destroy e-50a tanks, etc., there were still more than 3,000 units!

In addition, the Soviet army also took out millions of shells of various caliber from underground warehouses in Moscow, and trucks and mules and horses are now transporting them to the front of the battlefield.

Nearly 100,000 engineers and strong infantry now carry shovels and other construction tools and move forward in a mighty manner. Their mission is either to dig artillery bunkers for more than 3,000 Soviet artillery bodies and arrange various camouflages.

In addition to these small-mobile artillery artillery, the Soviet army also concentrated a large number of Katyusha rocket launchers, with a total of more than 800. Now these "Katyusha" are also advancing along various roads leading to the front, and will be all deployed tonight.

Tomorrow evening, these more than 800 "Katyusha" will first roar and launch tens of thousands of powerful rockets onto the heads of the German invading army!

On the same night, the German army, who knew that they were about to be attacked by the Soviet army, also stayed up all night and built fortifications all night, preparing for battle!

They received reinforcements during the day on May 5, because the ground had dried up and the traffic capacity of the road was greatly improved. So large trucks of Opel, Steyr, BMW and Mercedes-Benz brought a large number of ammunition and gasoline to General Balk, and brought several artillery regiments equipped with 150mm howitzers, as well as several German vehicle-mounted rocket launchers, each equipped with dozens of rocket launchers called "Hersman's organ" and the same number of Type 41 rocket launchers that can be thrown after being killed.

The Luftwaffe did not take it lazily because the road could pass through trucks. Instead, it increased the intensity of airdrops. Other German troops on the western front of Moscow did not need airdrop supplies, and all the Folk 42s could serve the 48th Armored Army. These aircraft not only dropped ammunition and gasoline, but also had a large number of "tank killers" and "doll" bazooka and ammunition.

The official code names of the two rocket launchers are rpzb54 (tank killer bazooka) and paketenere 88mm rocket launchers (doll). The former is a cylindrical bazooka with an effective range of 180 meters. The latter is an upgraded version of the former, with a small gun mount, which looks like a small cannon with an effective range of up to 300 meters. "Tank Killer", "Doll" is now combined with "Iron Fist", which is the three anti-tank treasures of the German light troops. "Iron Fist" is usually in platoon and company-level units, "Tank Killer" is at battalion level, while "Doll" is equipped with a regiment level and a 75mm anti-tank gun or a 50mm anti-tank gun.

The "tank killers" and "dolls" that are now dropped are used by paratroopers of the 48th Armored Army. Because now German paratroopers have received rigorous training, everyone can skillfully use a variety of weapons, including bazooka.

In addition, the "Doll" rocket launcher was also installed on the "Doll" airdropped "FG-1250 Night Vision Telescope. German paratroopers using this "Night Battle Doll" can ambush the Soviet tank cluster at night with the help of the "Owl" night battle search vehicle.

However, if you want to rely on the "night battle doll" to give the Soviet tank sea, the German paratroopers must first withstand the sea of ​​fire fired by Soviet cannons!

...

On the night of May 5, 1944, the northern battlefield of Moscow.

The sound of gunfire and light artillery fire started at 8 pm, and it was crackling around the German-controlled Volokoramsk-Rama River-Sornechnogorsk triangle. The sounds of various machine guns, rifles, submachine guns, and automatic carbines (assault rifles) equipped by the Soviet and Germans were fired one after another, and sometimes there were roars of mortars and various flat-fire artillery intersecting. This was the fierce exchange of fire between the reconnaissance patrol troops of the Soviet and German armies!

It turned out that after dark on May 5, the scouts and patrol troops of the Soviet and German sides began their activities with dozens of times more active than during the day. They seemed to want to control the battlefield between the confrontation between the two armies shrouded in darkness, prevent the enemy's reconnaissance team from infiltration, and at the same time, they also tried every means to penetrate the rear of the other side's front line to find out their activities tonight.

So on the eve of the decisive battle, the battle between the small troops of both sides suddenly started on the whole line. Various light armored vehicles rushed to each other, infantry firing fiercely, and infiltration teams wearing the opponent's uniforms showed their magical powers until the frontiers of the two armies were stirred into a pot of congee.

The staff officers at all levels of the German army also reached the forefront under the cover of the troops and began to observe the situation on the spot and determine the intentions of the Soviet army. The situation has become very obvious now. The Soviet army is desperately mobilizing troops and is obviously preparing to launch a large-scale offensive. We will take action tomorrow or the night after tomorrow!

The Imperial Marshal Hessman, who had just sniffed for a long nap, finished his dinner and returned to the First War Room. He almost immediately obtained a large amount of battlefield information transferred from the Central Army Group. The conclusion was obvious that the Soviet army, as expected, was ready to concentrate on attacking the 48th Armored Army! A large number of tanks, artillery and infantry were in place, and each position could be used for the starting position of the tank cluster. The Soviet army invested a large number of troops to compete.

"Tomorrow? or the day after tomorrow?"

Hessman asked Guderian, who was meeting and studying the battle situation by the map platform, Yodel, the second military chief, and Zeitzler, the third military chief. These three military chiefs, plus the three combat officers in the battle situation, were the think tanks that Hessman relied on in the General Staff of the National Defense Forces. They were actually responsible for commanding the operations of the European Union on the Eastern Front.

"The 75% probability is that it will be after tomorrow dark." Guderian of course understood what Hessman's question meant Hessman asked when the Soviet general offensive would be launched?

"That's tomorrow!" Hessman walked to the map stage, looking at the densely packed military numbers and red and blue arrows on the map with his hands behind his back.

"So... can we start first?" Hessman looked for a while and asked suddenly.

"Start first?" Goodrian was a little confused, "You mean to let the 48th Panzer Army launch the attack first?"

"No, of course not." Hessman shook his head, "I mean, can I take the lead in a round of artillery and air strikes on the Soviet army's possible assembly positions and artillery positions 1-2 hours before the Soviet army launched an attack?"

This is a trick that the Soviet army used in Kursk in history, and now Hessman wants to use it.

Both generals Zeitzler and Yodel felt their eyes lit up when they heard Hessman's suggestion.

"I think it's OK," said Zeitzler. "The Soviet army will basically be in place tonight by night. Although it may not necessarily enter the attack launch position, it will not leave too far. Our shelling and air strikes should gain something."

Yodel pondered: "Based on past experience, Soviet long-range artillery will enter the launch position tonight. Other offensive forces will enter the reserve position tonight, and enter the starting position tomorrow evening or after dark. When the offensive forces are in place, the artillery will begin.

If we want to arrange artillery and air strikes in advance, we should do it between 7:00 and 8:00 tomorrow. However... doing so may also expose the target and point out the direction for the Soviet artillery counterattack."

"Just use rocket launchers, hornet self-propelled artillery, rhino tank destroyer and cheetah tank destroyer." Guderian waved his hand indifferently, "You can let the Air Force's do217, ju188 and f189 be launched. As long as the Soviet artillery group fires and counterattacks, do217 can carry out air strikes, and f189 can also guide our towed howitzer to counterattack."

Many Soviet cannons did not have muzzle flame suppressors, so they were easily discovered by German aircraft when fired at night. However, German aircraft had poor attack effects at night. F-190f/g and hs-129 were difficult to deploy (their attack heights are too high, so what is easy to hit at night). They could only use do217 and ju188 to drop bombs horizontally.

In addition, the F189 artillery school firearm can also work at night. The artillery observers riding on it can roughly determine the position of the Soviet artillery group by visually discovering the flames of the Soviet guns and tracer bombs, thereby guiding several German towing artillery regiments to fire.
Chapter completed!