On August 31, the tank battle on the battlefield near Minsk seemed to have come to an end because of a heavy rain that fell in time.

In the early morning of September 1, on the battlefield where the battle was most intense, there was no roar of tank motors, no shouts of "Ula!Ula!", no dense gunshots, and the sound of bomb explosions, only the sound of Xixisaus, and the muffled sound of occasionally launching flares.

Under the night sky, these flares shine with blazing white light, reflecting the Belarusian land in the rain to be particularly desolate and solemn.

Major Gustav Schwarzenegger was sitting in a half-track armored command vehicle with a raincoat. He didn't sleep, but instead smoked while watching a group of shirtless German Superman digging trenches outside sweating profusely.

Not far behind him, a forest of charred stumps was left behind not far from the ss. Under the cover of darkness, the 34 "Rhino" fight tanks belonging to the 5th SS Destroyer Tank Battalion (one less than in the morning) were lined up, holding their muzzles, looking as if they were ready to fire at any time.

A low motor roar came into Major Schwarzenegger's ears, and he stretched his neck out of the carriage and looked into the rainy night. He saw a flash of lights flashing rhythmically. This was a company of the 5th Armored Reconnaissance Battalion of the SS who came back from the front of the enemy.

Major Schwarzenegger picked up the communicator and said to the commanders of the Rhino tank destroyer who was ready to fire in the dark: "Everything is normal, keep on guard."

A half-track armored vehicle drove past Major Schwarzenegger, and someone called the car with a flashlight and asked the command. Major Schwarzenegger recognized a captain in the car at this time and asked casually: "Hi, Hank, what are the Bolsheviks doing?"

"Like us, we are digging trenches and laying defenses!" the person in the car replied.

"Are also armed?" Major Schwarzenegger muttered, "It seems that it's time for us to attack!"

...

"This is Minsk, the base camp of the Soviet Red Army in Belarus. This is Zaslavskoye Lake, just between Minsk and Zaslavl, and there is Norabok Forest, which is 34 kilometers away from Zaslavl. Now the Red Army's front line extends from Minsk to Norabok Forest, extending more than 60 kilometers, it seems to be a forming line of defense..."

The next morning, in the German Northern Army Group Command in Riga, Tiperskich was reporting the latest situation on the front line to Manstein.

In the past ten hours, the situation on the Minsk front has changed a lot. The Soviet counterattack seemed to have abandoned halfway and turned into defense, and a defense line of more than 60 kilometers was drawn between the forest area west of Minsk and Grodno.

"They are on this line of defense?" asked Manstein.

"It seems like it is," said Tiperskich. "According to aircraft reconnaissance, a large number of mechanized troops are rushing to the Zaslavl-Norabok Forest in the past two days from Derzhinsk, Smilovic and Chervin to the south of Minsk."

“How many are there?”

"There are at least a few tank troops or mechanized troops," Tiperskich said. "There may be a concentration of 2,000-3,000 tanks/self-propelled artillery. If they are all placed between the Zaslavl-Norabok forests, the density of mechanized troops is still very high. Commander, we may be able to detour from their west or east."

"Why do you need to detour?"

"Because we're going to surround them," said Tiperskich, "there are a few mechanized troops!"

"But once we detour, they may run towards Minsk." Manstein smiled. "In fact, they can connect with the Minsk defenders as long as they run to Zaslavl. It will be difficult for us to eat them."

"You can siege and siege Minsk together."

"The encirclement can probably be surrounded," Manstein shook his head, "but it is better to destroy the siege. Now there is a large encirclement in Leningrad, and Warsaw has to rely on siege, and Brest..." He counted with his fingers, "If Minsk encircles again, there will be four large encirclements, each encirclement with 600,000 people, which is 2.4 million! In this way, how many mobile troops do we have on the Eastern Front?"

"No surround...what will we fight?" Tiperskich asked.

Manstein still shook his head, "It's not that he doesn't surround him, but that he can't drive the mechanized Soviet troops into Minsk to surround him, but that he wants to surround them west of Zaslavl!"

As he said that, Manstein waved his hand and made a chopping posture, "cut the Soviet front from the area west of Zaslavl, cut it into two sections, and then eat the western part."

"That is to... a frontal approach to the Soviet mechanized forces launching defense?"

"Yes!" Manstein nodded, "We now have 11 armored divisions and 5 heavy tank battalions, which should be able to complete this task!"

"But the loss will be huge."

There will definitely be losses from the frontal attack, especially the Soviet Union now has many T-34/57 tanks and Zis-2 57mm anti-tank guns.

Manstein shrugged and smiled, "Don't you have to think so much, just let go of your hands and feet! Didn't the Imperial Marshal say that he could produce 1,500-2,000 tanks and assault artillery every month? Isn't it enough to supplement our losses in Belarus?"

He thought for a while and said, "The five heavy armored battalions can be allocated 5 armored divisions to serve as main attacks, and then the 'Rhino' tank destroyer battalions of each armored division are also concentrated and put them in the main attack direction."

...

At the order of Manstein, Major Schwarzenegger from the 5th Tank Destroyer Battalion of the SS was once again placed on the front line.

He received an order to temporarily go to the 1st Armored Division to help on September 2. Then he brought his 37 vehicles (3 more than on September 1 because three vehicles were repaired and repaired) to the 1st Armored Division.

The commander of the 1st Armored Division was Major General Valt Kruger. When Major Schwarzenegger arrived at Major General Kruger's division headquarters, the major general was listening carefully to Major Rudel, the battalion commander of the 501st Heavy Armored Battalion, introduced the situation of the Soviet tank troops. Although Major General Kruger was a division commander who fought all the way from the Battalion Commander of the Armored Battalion, he had never fought head-on with the Soviet tank troops.

Rudel of the 501st Heavy Armored Battalion recognized Major Schwarzenegger and pointed at him to tell Kruger: "Major General, Major Schwarzenegger has more experience in this area than me. His destroyer tank battalion had just fought with Soviet tanks."

"Is that true?" Kruger saw Major Schwarzenegger delivering a German salute to him, and raised his hand to return it. "Major, tell me what you think."

"General, our enemy is getting stronger!" Major Schwarzenegger said, "They are learning and improving. At first, their T-34 tanks and KV-1 tanks could not deal with No. 4, but now there are T-34 equipped with 57mm guns, and there are 57mm anti-tank guns that are anti-tank guns. I'm worried that they will come up with more powerful weapons next time!"

In fact, t-34/85 and kv-1/85 are developing at the fastest speed and will soon appear on the battlefield.

"The Russians are good at learning," Major General Kruger nodded. "They have been learning since Peter the Great. However, in Belarus, they have few opportunities to make progress, because we are about to launch an attack and destroy the Soviet tank cluster!"

"Are you going to attack? Is it the 501st Battalion taking the lead?" Major Rudel asked immediately.

"It is the 1st Armored Division to take the lead," said Major General Kruger, "The division-level assault cluster will be formed! The 501st Heavy Armored Battalion and the 5th SS Tanksblade will form a super assault array with the 1st Armored Division armored vehicles and armored grenades to forcibly break through the 15 kilometers of woodland and plains between Rakov and Zaslavl!"

...

"Comrade Jugashvili, Chief of Staff Major General Liapin, hopes that you can work in his place."

The current commander of the 9th Mechanized Army of the Soviet Red Army was Andre Antonovich Grechko. He was originally a cavalry division commander. He had been fighting with the SS Polish Volunteer Cavalry Division during the Polish Battle and fought well. Therefore, after Rokosovsky was ordered to stay in Warsaw as the general counsel of the Polish People's Army, Gao was promoted to the commander of the 9th Mechanized Army.

However, the new commander who took office seemed to have no authority at all. He was discussing matters with his subordinate, Major Yakov Jugashvili, the director of artillery, with a very respectful attitude.

"I want me to be a staff officer at the Front Army Headquarters?" Yakov was stunned, "But I can't do it."

He really can't behaved. He has only been to military academy for one year and has learned all about artillery and has no knowledge of consulting with the staff.

"Comrade Jugashvili," Grechko smiled and said, "You might as well go to Minsk. The battle will soon be fought here in Rakov, and there will be danger at that time."

"Comrade Commander, what do you mean?" Yakov Jugashvili was unhappy when he heard this. "Do you think I am a coward who is afraid of death? Please tell Comrade Liaping that if I don't go to Minsk, I will be in the 9th Mechanized Army!"

The 9th Mechanized Army commanded by Grechko is now stationed in Rakov and is at the forefront of confrontation with the German army. Yakov Jugashvili is likely to be dangerous to stay here, so the meticulous Major General Liapin planned to transfer him to Minsk.
Chapter completed!