The Soviet Army originally had only 5 Guards Airborne Brigades, numbered from 1 to 5.

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These five airborne brigades were expanded into five airborne divisions two months ago. Most of the soldiers in the army have not received sufficient airborne training.

They were previously part of the field force and have rich combat experience.

Two months of training could not completely transform the field troops into airborne troops, but the Supreme Defense Council of the Soviet Union could not wait any longer. They could not wait to launch a battle to forcefully cross the Dnieper River.

In the view of Cifu and others, as long as 70% to 80% of the airborne troops of these five divisions can land safely, it will be enough to maintain a certain combat effectiveness.

They don't have time to train every soldier into a qualified airborne soldier.

Rushing into battle, the five Soviet Guards Airborne Divisions suffered heavy losses in the airborne operations in the early morning of the 24th.

Fortunately, the previous large-scale bombing had weakened the German ground anti-aircraft firepower, and the five Guards Airborne Divisions were not facing the strongest German army.

Two to three thousand soldiers were hit by German anti-aircraft fire while parachuting or died due to various emergencies.

After falling to the ground, many Soviet soldiers did not even have weapons in their hands, and rendezvous with the large army became a major problem for them.

At 6:00 am on the 24th, the five Guards Airborne Divisions basically formed combat effectiveness and began to violently attack the German army.

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In the first two hours, the casualties were the highest and the chaos was the most serious. After the position was stabilized, the veterans' abilities gradually came into play.

The airborne troops do not have heavy weapons, and even light machine guns are rare, but they have high morale and a very firm sense of combat.

Under the command of officers at all levels, they frantically attacked the back of the German troops on the West Bank.

The German Fourth Army and the Ninth Army sent multiple guard divisions to encircle and suppress the Soviet airborne troops.

The airborne troops were surrounded by enemies, but they showed no fear. The attack lasted from 6 a.m. to noon.

After noon, the first wave of vigor of the airborne troops was exhausted, and the offensive began to gradually slow down, fighting together with the surrounding German troops who came to encircle and suppress them.

Since the airborne troops were never able to obtain a stable bridgehead position, the 1st Ukrainian Front Army and the 2nd Ukrainian Front Army always adopted probing attacks, and the main army did not fully press forward.

After a morning of fighting, the ice of the Dnieper River was covered with corpses, and the red flag was undulating in the blood.

“The width of the Dnieper River is nearly 900 meters, and a large number of continuous permanent and semi-permanent fortifications have been built on the west bank. This is a war fortress that combines natural and artificial.

Unless the Dnieper River flows back, the Bolsheviks will never be able to break through this line of defense!"

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Last year Hitler said this while standing on the west bank of the Dnieper River.

Although his statement is a bit exaggerated, it can also be seen from the side that the Dnieper River defense line is strong.

Zhukov, Vatutin and other senior Soviet generals did not expect to rush to the other side in one morning, so there was no disappointment or anxiety on their faces.

The five Guards Airborne Divisions on the other side were still struggling to hold on. Fortunately, with the support of artillery fire from the east coast and the support of fighter jets overhead, their situation did not continue to deteriorate.

General Vatutin and Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Ivanov discussed and decided to continue launching exploratory attacks to find out the intensity of German firepower on the other side.

They waited until the airborne troops made a breakthrough before adjusting their tactics.

The first day of the Dnieper River Strangulation was not particularly fierce. Generally speaking, the German army defended and the Soviet army launched the attack with ease.

The fighting did not stop as night fell, and the sound of gunfire continued.

In the lower reaches of the Dnieper River, the Central Xia Western Expeditionary Army also launched multiple rounds of exploratory attacks on the 24th, mainly artillery strikes and air strikes.

Because the ice layer downstream was not thick enough to withstand the crushing of tanks, the Western Expeditionary Army had to carry out bridge-building operations while attacking.

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Wu Zhan and Li Zhaoying were prepared to wait until the Soviet army upstream achieved a breakthrough before going all out to force the crossing.

Everyone is currently waiting for an opportunity to launch a full-scale attack.

On February 25, Zhukov and Vatujing began to adjust their tactics.

The all-out attack is still going on, but they have chosen a dozen places as their main attack points and deployed their elite troops.

As long as the troops can land on the west bank, they can attack front and back together with the airborne troops to obtain a stable landing site.

On the morning of the 25th, the artillery strikes and aerial bombardments on the West Bank were more intense than the previous day.

The Soviet 60th Army put in its main force and began to force the crossing. A large number of tanks, armored vehicles and running Red Army soldiers with red flags appeared on the Dnieper River outside Kiev.

Responsible for this area is the 43rd Army, which belongs to the Fourth Army, and its commander is General Carl Weissenberger.

In front of the 43rd Army is the main force of the Soviet 1st Ukrainian Front, and in the rear is the 3rd Guards Airborne Division.

When Vatutin took action, General Weissenberger felt tremendous pressure. Red Army soldiers had already set foot on the land on the West Bank. Although the number was small, it indicated that the 43rd Army's defense line was in danger.

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After consulting Marshal Model, the 43rd Army exploded the ice of the Dnieper River at 4 pm on the 25th.

With a loud and earth-shaking explosion, huge cracks began to appear in the ice of the Dnieper River that could withstand the crushing of tanks.

The sound of the ice cracking makes people's scalp numb. It is the release of a force that humans cannot resist.

A large number of Red Army soldiers and equipment were swallowed by the raging and cold river before they could retreat.

Only one or two regiments of soldiers rushed to the west bank.

Zhukov and Vatutin had already expected that the enemy would come up with this move, and neither Zhukov nor Vatutin was surprised.

Once a strong attack begins, there is no reason to stop, and the attack must continue even if the ice cracks.

The assault boats, motorboats and various rafts that were already on standby began to rush onto the river.

The artillery fire became more intense, and fighter planes were dispatched more frequently.

The Red Army soldiers with high morale had no hesitation and no fear, and forced their way through the gaps in the large ice floes.

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The cold water of the Dnieper River did not dampen their courage, and the sacrifices of a large number of comrades made them even more brave and fearless.

The Great Dnieper Strangulation began to enter its first climax.

When the time came to February 26, the German army had basically blasted away the ice outside the defense line.

The weather is no longer as cold as it was in December and January. Even if the river freezes again, the ice will not be thick enough to allow tanks to pass. It cannot even bear the weight of a person. It can only be said to be thin ice.

On the 26th, the Soviet army made great progress in its forced crossing operation.

A division of the 60th Army and the 3rd Guards Airborne Division met on the west bank and secured a landing site.

This is a strategic landing site.

The Soviet troops on the east coast began to approach the landing site in small boats, and various heavy equipment also began to operate.

While erecting bridges, the landing site was expanded.

Marshal Model naturally could not let the Soviet army easily control a strategic landing site and start organizing various units to counterattack.

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The 43rd Army, the 13th Army, the 9th Army and other units successively counterattacked the Soviet army.

The fighting was extremely fierce, with tens of thousands of casualties on both sides every day.

The breakthrough of the 60th Group Army inspired Soviet troops in other directions. The 13th Group Army, 27th Group Army, 40th Group Army, 38th Group Army, and other units also began to spare no effort to attack the West Bank.

The Germans were unable to blast through the ice everywhere because the Dnieper was too wide and long.

With the input of the 3rd Guards Tank Army, the 1st Ukrainian Front gained another landing site.

In many days of fighting, the Soviet casualties had exceeded 100,000, but they became more and more courageous as they fought, which surprised the German Army Group Center.

In the two years before the outbreak of the Soviet-German war, the Soviet army suffered consecutive defeats, lost large tracts of territory, and lost millions of troops.

After the victories in the Battle of Stalingrad and the Battle of Kursk, the Soviet army no longer believed that the German army was invincible.

Under the constant encouragement of political cadres, the morale of the troops basically reached an unprecedented peak.

This is also the main reason why the Soviet army was able to do so without hesitation in forcibly crossing the Dnieper River.

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Charge along the ice, cross on a small raft, and die together with the enemy...

Heroic scenes appeared across the Dnieper River, and where the red flag pointed was where the Red Army's frontline was heading.
Chapter completed!