The commander of 1st Guards Mechanised intended to keep his unit in the fight for as long as possible, and his orders to hold left no room for personal interpretation.
Now, his 2IC seemed to describe a full frontal assault by Allied forces, aimed directly at Naugard.
Tanks and infantry picked their way steadily forward, angling in towards the town.
Deniken felt confused.
“7th Tanks?”
“Comrade Polkovnik, the enemy attack is angled in as you see, more so than previously for certain. The flank seems a little exposed, an error that I haven’t seen from these English before.”
‘Is it an error… or is it something else…’
Deniken put his thoughts into words and then started to work the problem.
“If it’s a mistake, then 7th can move up to the edge of their woods and take them in the flank.”
Lisov nodded, accepting the unspoken invitation to continue with the hypothesis.
“If it isn’t a mistake, it might be an attempt to get us to push 7th up and expose it to some other sort of attack.”
Deniken nodded.
“Air attack? Heavy artillery? Something else?”
Lisov countered.
“They have no heavy artillery of note, or they would have used it by now. We’re beyond their naval guns so, if it is such a manoeuvre, then it must be aircraft… or it’s a big error… either way, you need to decide, Comrade Polkovnik.”
Time and battles wait for no man…
Deniken spoke quickly to the communications officer.
“Confirm with 7th Tanks that they have no direct threat, only the enemy moving across their front to Naugard.
The steady crack of 122mm guns reached their ears, as the ISUs started to engage.
Impatiently, Deniken waited, passing the time by playing with his lighter, his last cigarette consumed when he rose for breakfast.
Lisov leant forward and whispered in a runner’s ear, sending the man on a mission of mercy.
“Comrade Polkovnik, 7th Guards report nothing directed at them. Only targets are enemy tanks and infantry moving eastwards towards Naugard.”
That was the confirmation Deniken needed, and yet, he still hesitated.
‘Why do I wait? They’re there, ripe for the plucking…’
The runner returned with the opened packet of cigarettes he had found in Lisov’s quarters, as directed.
Deniken smiled and scrabbled for a life-saving cigarette.
“Thank you, Comrade Yefreytor, thank you!”
The man stood back, happy to have been praised by his commander.
Deniken leant into Lisov’s neck and whispered.
“Can I award a medal for providing me with nicotine?”
With a deadpan expression, Lisov delivered his considered opinion.
“If I write it up, you’ll sign anything I put in front of you.”
Deniken slapped his 2IC’s shoulder, resuming the mental tussle with his tactical problem.
The field telephone announced itself, and an incoming message was taken and quickly passed on.
Lisov moved to the map.
“We have a problem here. Apparently, a Germanski paratrooper unit has pushed into our flank… here. A reinforced battalion is the best guess at the moment.”
South-east of Eberstein lay some woods, and the enemy had used them to sneak the Paratroopers in close, a threat that was now moving south to turn the flank.
“They intend to pocket us up.”
Lisov pondered the statement as, somewhere on the battlefield, artillery started to drop in increasing volumes.
“Possibly, Comrade Polkovnik, but where is the power here. None of our units report overwhelming force to their front. No-one is screaming for more men and vehicles. This Germanski unit is easily stopped, by committing our reserve immediately.”
Deniken absorbed the words and processed the map information.
“Get the reserve battalion and the special tank group together and stop that Germanski force from manoeuvring… Tell them not get committed yet, just to stop the green bastards from moving around… keep the enemy north of the river if possible.”
Lisov moved and got the orders passed with professional speed and efficiency.
“Comrade Polkovnik, we are delaying. The 7th’s in an ideal position. If you order them to advance now then we have the British on a plate. Even if they are trying to encircle us, that part will come to nothing… end of problem.”
Although the sound was no different to any other time the field telephone had rung, this time it somehow oozed urgency, and both Colonels instinctively sensed that the game was about to change.
The signaller wrote out the message and passed it to the Communications Officer, who, in turn, passed it to Lisov.
“Govno!”
Deniken knew what it was before Lisov briefed him.
“That artillery? In front of Yarishlov’s positions?”
“Yes, Comrade Polkovnik. Heavy calibre rounds from at least fifty guns firing in salvoes.”
“And?”
“Enemy force of tanks and motorised infantry in sight, running from Kartzig area, straight at his positions. Looks like they intend to go between the lakes, Comrade Polkovnik.”
Deniken remained silent for longer than anyone felt comfortable with, before pouncing on the Communications officer.
“Is the 7th still on the line?”
“Yes, and awaiting orders, Comrade Polkovnik.”
He moved across the intervening space like a sprinter, taking the handset from the signaller.
“Polkovnik Deniken speaking, who is this?”
“Praporschik Kriks, Comrade Polkovnik. Polkovnik Yarishlov is easing his units up to the wood line and has asked me to get your orders.”
“Kriks, tell him that everything else is a feint, a device. Everything rests on his holding. The enemy intend to push us away from the main road. I believe they’ll try and mount a full-scale attack down it once we’ve been pushed aside. We will not be pushed aside. Tell Arkady I’ll send what extra I can find, but he must hold and ensure that nothing pushes him away from Route 28.”
Kriks repeated the order as, across from Deniken, Lisov tried to understand how his commander had arrived at such a conclusion.
Discussion complete, Deniken moved back to the map.
“Right, Comrade. What can we send to prevent this fucking disaster from happening?”
“Are you sure, Comra…”
“Yes, Comrade Lisov, I’m sure. I’m staking my life on it.”
Shells churned up the area where 7th Guards might have been, had they accepted the possibility of making the flank attack.
Six miles to the north, men sweated over the huge 7.2” Mk VI Howitzers, trying to maintain a round every three minutes and, beat it if possible.
Behind the slowly creeping barrage came the spearhead of the Allied attack, the 5th Polish Heavy Tank Regiment [AK] supported by two motorised battalions from the Azul Division’s 11th Assault Infantry Regiment, the new designation of the 263rd Regiment from the German War.
The 8th Assault Infantry Regiment formed the greater part of the forces attacking Naugard direct, with the 11th’s remaining units forming a sizeable reserve force.
By comparison to the defending Soviet forces, 8th and 11th Assault Infantry Regiments were at full strength, bringing nearly three thousand five hundred men to the field, whereas none of the three regiments in the 1st Guards exceeded a thousand and the 167th Regiment only just crossed the seven hundred mark.
Reports flooded into Deniken’s headquarters, detailing the building pressure of the attacks, but still none pleaded to withdraw or sought more men, although resupply of ammunition was a constant theme.