In the early morning of January 15, a mountainous area in the Caucasus Mountains.

A German brigade was hovering between the mountains with cannons transported by pack horses.

Although this unit seems to be equipped with simple light infantry, it does not have the majestic lineup of the German front-line armored division.

But every soldier had a steady expression on his face. No soldier had a new soldier's face, probably because of the wind and sand in the highlands.

Each of them looked particularly vicissitudes. This army wandering in the mountains had a crucial task to go deep behind a mountain army in the Soviet Union and take the lead in occupying the Caucasus oil field.

This is the first German mountain division, known as Edelweiss. Its organization is similar to that of the Japanese special brigade. It has only a brigade organization and no regiment-level department. At its peak, it has 8 brigades and 4 independent battalions. It has a total force of nearly 22,000 people.

The Soviet troops had the intelligence of the division, which was the first German mountain division, a special mountain unit, and the rest were similar to the equipment of other divisions.

There were no powerful heavy artillery and armored units, which made the Soviets seriously underestimate the combat effectiveness of the First Mountain Division, so they only sent two divisions to annihilate the German First Mountain Division.

It was precisely because of the underestimation of the Soviets that a series of passive actions led to the 17th Caucasus Army facing the danger of being surrounded.

Fortunately, the Soviet Red Army, guerrillas, and militia were familiar with the terrain and were more adaptable to the environment and climate. After a series of hard and bloody battles, they barely stabilized their positions.

Just as the German mountain division was moving around the back to launch a new raid, near Mount Elbrus dozens of kilometers away, the Allied forces were planning a mountain battle that was related to the overall situation.

Mount Elbrus is an extinct volcano, mainly composed of andesite.

The mountain is in a tall and short state of "two peaks stand side by side", with altitudes of 5,642 meters and 5,621 meters respectively, so it is also known as "double-topped giant".

Among many popular books, Mont Blanc in the Alps is regarded as the highest peak in Europe.

However, in fact, the highest peak in Europe is Mount Elbrus located at the junction of Eurasia, and its strategic position is very important.

In the 19th century, General Emanuyer of Tsarist Russia led his soldiers to climb the main peak to determine the commanding heights of the military, so the "top of Europe" was regarded as an important stronghold to guard the Caucasus Mountains.

During World War II, the Germans also set their sights on this mountain and fought a fierce battle with the Soviet army.

More than three months ago, the German army, which had just experienced the setback of the Leningrad attack, decided to make a comeback.

Their strategic goal this time is to open up the Caucasus Mountains in the southern part of the Soviet Union, so as to enter Baku and other places, and obtain rich oil resources.

Moreover, as long as the German army enters the Caucasus region, they can enter the Middle East, cut off the British and French colonies here, obtain a large amount of resources, and launch a side-to-back attack on the UK to support the North African front.

Because the Supreme Soviet Commander misjudged the German trends and placed his main forces on Moscow and Stalingrad, this allowed the German Southern Army Group to march straight into the country. The Soviet army retreated step by step and suffered a crushing defeat on the Kerch Peninsula and Kharkov.

After the German army captured Rostov, it opened the door to enter the Caucasus region. The Supreme Command of Germany issued Order No. 45, implementing the combat plan code-named "Smoke Grass".

Attempt to encircle and annihilate the Soviet troops deployed south of Rostov and southeast of it, and capture the North Caucasus.

After success, we deviated from the main line of the Caucasus Mountains from the west, captured Novorossisk, and deviated from the east, capturing Groni and Baku, and then occupied Tbilisi, Kutaisi, Sukhumi and other regions, establishing direct contact with 26 Turkish divisions deployed on the Soviet-Turkish border.

The German mountain troops were mainly composed of mountain people from Tyrol, Austria. They were not only well-equipped, but also good at mountain warfare, which meant that the Soviet army would face a group of terrible opponents.

In fact, this is true. From 1942 to 1943, the German First Mountain Division wiped out more than 30,000 Soviet troops in the battles in the Caucasus, and restrained a Soviet mountain army and a cavalry army, with a total of more than 120,000 people.

When the battle ended, the Soviets had to admire this mountain force that came to Western European countries.

You should know that Germany only has one Alps, and the mountain combat talents cultivated can be said to be one of the world-class elites.

This kind of mountain combat was completely ignored by many countries during World War II, and there were no more than three countries that mastered this combat tactical concept during World War II. One was the Tito guerrillas in Yugoslavia, the revolutionary armed forces led by the Communist Party of China, and the other was the German mountain division.

Two months ago in the current time and space, led by two captains, Kuroma and Gemara, the German mountain troops began to attack Mount Elbrus.

The German army passed through the Kruhall Pass in the Caucasus Mountains in one fell swoop, attacked the Soviet troops stationed at the pass from the flank, and quickly gained the initiative on the southern foot of Mount Elbrus.

Then, the German army captured the "No. 11 Recreation Area" mountaineering camp near an altitude of 5,300 meters.

After occupying the mountain camp, the German army raised a high-altitude manned balloon there to observe the movements of the Soviet army.

Then, the German mountain troops reached the top of Europe and raised the military flags of two mountain troops and the 10,000-character flag of Nazi Germany.

This incident was hyped by the German media and regarded as a symbol of victory in the Battle of the Caucasus.

Of course, the flag planting on Mount Elbrus is just an external form, and the cruel battle is far from over. Just like in the Battle of Iwo Jima, six American troops erected star-striped banners on Mount Zhebo on the island, and the photos were widely circulated, but in fact, this terrifying battle has just begun.

Putting down the telescope, Qiu Yongqing smiled at the Soviet Red Army Major Jevich next to him in Russian and said, "Comrade Jevich, we have been preparing for so long, can we start the action?"

At this time, the sky was not completely bright, but the German army observed the balloons in the distance and the Nazi twelve-character flag on the mountaintop further away could appear in the telescope's field of view.

Seeing these Nazi fascist things, Qiu Yongqing couldn't help but feel a surge of fighting and murderous intent in his heart.

Although the temperature was extremely cold, Qiu Yongqing was in a hot heart. He wanted to lead the team to rush forward and kill all the German troops above, and then cut off the 10,000-character flag of Nazi Germany with his own hands.

But Qiu Yongqing knew that this matter was not as simple as it was, because the German mountain troops were extremely elite and brave, and they had an absolute advantage in geographical advantages, which was quite difficult to deal with.
Chapter completed!