On the evening of July 1, 1943, the main force of the Mao Xiong Southwest Front and the Southern Front arrived in Rostov.

Along with the main force arrived a large amount of heavy equipment abandoned on the road by the 17th Army.

When Chuikov defeated the enemy's 1st Mountain Infantry Division, he destroyed some heavy equipment, but the 17th Army lost it along the way, and various Red Army units still picked up a large amount of heavy equipment.

In addition to the original equipment of the Southern Front and Southwest Front, the heavy firepower of the two armies has been greatly improved.

In the evening, the Red Army soldiers who had been pursuing for several days were not in a hurry to rest. Under the command of Malinovsky, General Korzhenevich, General Chuikov and others, the Soviet army aimed all its heavy firepower at Rostov.

, started a very rich and indiscriminate bombing.

"Boom boom boom......"

The roar of the large-caliber artillery lasted for more than an hour, and the whistling sound of the shells hurt people's ears.

During the one-hour preparation for the artillery attack, the main force of the Soviet army began to circle the city, hoping to encircle the entire Rostov and completely cut off the retreat route of the Seventeenth Army and the defenders in Rostov.

Rostov is bounded by the Don River to the east, the Sea of ​​Azov to the west, Kharkiv to the northwest, and the Greater Caucasus Mountains and the Crimean Peninsula to the south.

Although the strategic location is not as important as Stalingrad, it cannot be ignored.

Mustache learned from the experience and lessons of the 6th Army in Stalingrad. When he learned that the main force of the Soviet army had arrived in Rostov, he immediately agreed to the withdrawal request of Marshal Bock, who had just taken over as commander-in-chief of Army Group South.

Stalingrad has been lost, so what does a Rostov mean?

The most important thing at the moment is to preserve your strength and not let your marshals and generals fall into the enemy's hands one after another.

"These bastards are using our own artillery to bombard Rostov!"

The headquarters of Army Group South was under rumbling artillery fire, and the ground was shaking violently. Army Group Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Friedrich said angrily:

"Marshal Bock, the head of state has agreed to our request to retreat. When do you plan to leave?"

Marshal Bock only stayed in Rostov for two days, and he had done almost everything he could do.

At that moment, the German troops and the 17th Army in the city were divided and surrounded by the main force of Mao Xiong.

The northwest is the only way to retreat. If we don't seize the time, this retreat is likely to be blocked by the enemy.

The previous commander-in-chief, Marshal Rundstedt, had already withdrawn to Kiev. Lieutenant General Friedrich believed that Marshal Bock, who had just taken over the position of commander-in-chief, must have prepared an escape route for him.

During the fierce bombing, Marshal Bock was still staring at the battle map with concentration.

However, the map cannot describe how quickly the current battle situation is deteriorating.

After the level of shelling from the outside world decreased, Marshal Bock spoke:

"The enemy's reconnaissance planes have been circling overhead, and the retreat must wait until dark."

Friedrich said thoughtfully:

"Then it will be almost time after this round of bombing."

Marshal Bock nodded slightly:

"Only the six or seven thousand people in the city can retreat, and not all of these six or seven thousand people can successfully retreat to Kharkov."

"We can no longer control General Stipnagel and the main force of the 17th Army."

"The enemy's bombing of Rostov was so fierce. You can imagine the situation of the 17th Army at this moment."

Friedrich had previously worried that Marshal Bock would desperately rescue the 17th Army, and in that case the thousands of people who were finally rescued would also be killed.

Now it seemed that he had thought too much, and he quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

At 6:30 p.m., Marshal Bock had his last conversation with the commander of the 17th Army, Stipnagel, via walkie-talkie.

Marshal Bock made it clear during the call that the 17th Army could not be rescued and that the German troops in the city were about to withdraw.

The exhausted General Stipnagel steeled himself to respond.

He had known it would end like this, everything was destined.

He did not complain about Marshal Bock.

If the other party can take the initiative to talk to me before retreating, it is already the most benevolent thing.

Before this battle officially started, all the generals of the Southern Army Group did not expect that the enemy's offensive would come so quickly.

The only thing to blame is that they underestimated the enemy.

After this battle, those who survived should have realized the terrifying combat effectiveness and terrifying ground and air firepower of the Chinese army.

"well…………"

General Stipnagel got off the phone and sighed deeply.

In the two or three years since they entered the Eastern Front battlefield, General Stipnagel and many ordinary soldiers of the 17th Army had never experienced such strong artillery fire.

In the past battles, Lao Maozi always seemed to be stingy. Except for the occasional overwhelming strikes from Katyusha rocket launchers, it was really rare for hundreds or thousands of howitzers to attack the same area.

It can also be seen from this that the 17th Army is really at the end of its rope.

"I don't know whether Lieutenant General Walter is alive or dead?"

Stipnagel suddenly thought of the commander of the 1st Mountain Division.

If we had known this would be the outcome, it would have been better for everyone to retreat together and the 17th Army to stay neatly together.

With my thoughts racing, the time has come to 7pm.

When the time came, Marshal Bock immediately led six to seven thousand remaining soldiers to retreat towards Kharkov without any hesitation.

When the sky is getting dark, this is the best time to retreat and break out.

The Don River Front quickly discovered the movements of this remnant soldier, but the enemy moved very quickly, as if a gust of wind blew past them.

Some troops rushed to plug the gap, but it was obviously too late.

At the same time, hundreds of thousands of Red Army troops launched an overwhelming attack on the temporary defense line of the 17th Army.

Lao Maozi's offensive was extremely swift and fierce.

Although the 17th Army had been surrounded, Chuikov and other generals like the Bear obviously did not intend to let Stipnagel sleep peacefully.

The matter of the 17th Army was resolved overnight so that the tired Red Army soldiers could have a good night's sleep.

The German soldiers of the 17th Army were also exhausted.

They haven't slept for more than 20 hours.

After running for more than ten hours, I found that the enemy was one step ahead when I arrived at my destination, so I had no choice but to join the battle.

Fatigue makes many people lose fear, anxiety and other emotions, and just want to close their eyes and have a good sleep.

After the battle started, troops continued to surrender.

At 9 o'clock in the evening on July 1, General Stipnagel reluctantly handed over his sidearm to General Chuikov.

This pursuit that lasted for more than 10 days finally came to an end.

Rostov was liberated, and the 17th Army could be said to have been completely wiped out.
Chapter completed!