"Ulla! Ulla!"
Countless Russian soldiers were driven by officers into the battlefield, holding rifles, or rushing towards the German positions with bare hands, as if they were driving animals.
What awaited them was the powerful firepower of the German army. The dense firepower formed by countless semi-automatic rifles, light machine guns and general-purpose machine guns, as well as grenades and mortars, is like a steel storm. Once these steel storms enveloped the Russian army, they would bring about brutal massacres, leaving corpses all over the battlefield.
The battle was extremely fierce. However, this tragedy is only for the Russian army. Because the entire battlefield is completely showing a one-sided situation. The attack of the Russian army is no different from suicide. The German army only needs to use powerful firepower to slaughter these Russian soldiers. The battle process has also become very simple, and even the German soldiers have gradually become numb. They only need to pull the trigger towards the dense formation of the Russian army. With so many bullets fired, those Russian soldiers can always be killed.
"Da da da!" A MG09 general-purpose machine gun was firing crazily, and a belt with 250 rounds of bullets was fired within half a minute, which also made the barrel of the gun turn red.
The well-trained deputy shooter, wearing asbestos gloves, immediately replaced the barrel. The whole process was smooth and smooth, and it only took more than ten seconds. Afterwards, the general-purpose machine guns began firing again.
In a place more than 100 meters in front of the fire point of this machine gun, a thick layer of corpses of Russian soldiers has been piled up. These corpses are all masterpieces of this general-purpose machine gun.
Its unique sound like sawing wood has become the sound of death on the battlefield. Many Russian soldiers would pee their pants in fright when they heard this voice.
"God! Aren't those Russians afraid of death? They don't know that their attack is of no use to us. If they continue to fight like this, they will only pay more casualties." A German officer said.
"Why bother? The Russians themselves are going to die, isn't that good? It would be great if all Russians could be like this. We can easily win this war." said another officer.
This is war, and no one will show mercy to the enemy. Because, this is the life and death of you. To show mercy to your enemies is to be cruel to yourself. There are already many such examples.
This battle seemed simple to the German army. However, for the Russian army, it is not so wonderful. The troops of the Russian Second Army continued to launch attacks, but it was impossible for them to even advance to the German defense line, let alone break through the German defense line and cause casualties to the German army.
After a day of fighting, the Russian army will lose 10,000 to 20,000 people. Even if the Russian Second Army has ten infantry divisions and six cavalry divisions, with a total strength of nearly 200,000 troops, it won't last long!
The generals have complained to General Samsonov more than once. If they continue to fight like this, their troops will be wiped out.
However, General Samsonov has nothing to do! Admiral Ivan Jilinsky's orders must be carried out. Otherwise, what awaits him will be strict military law.
"That fellow Leiningkamp, why is he moving so slowly? How long will it take for him to capture Knigsberg? If this continues, all my troops will die." Admiral Samsonov cursed angrily.
It's a pity that no matter how Admiral Samsonov curses, the marching speed of the Russian First Army is still like a snail. It's not that they don't want to speed up, but that they really can't! The 17th Army of the German Army, using the terrain, successfully delayed the actions of the Russian Army. General Leiningkamp even tried, dispatching Cossack cavalry to launch an attack, but was beaten back by the German army with heavy losses. Under such circumstances, Admiral Leiningkamp would not dare to take any more risks. He wanted to get to Knigsberg, but he wanted to preserve his strength even more.
Time passed bit by bit, and the vital force of the Russian Second Army was being consumed continuously. At the same time, the morale of the troops continued to decline.
The counterattack of the main force of the German Eighth Army is also fully prepared.
On the evening of the 20th, the 8th Armored Division's residence not far from Tannenburg was brightly lit. The soldiers are hurrying up to overhaul the tanks to ensure that when the attack is launched tomorrow, every tank can be kept in peak condition.
Colonel Guderian and Lieutenant Colonel Rommel even convened the officers of the 8th Armored Division to study tactics carefully and propose solutions to problems that might arise in battle.
The meeting lasted until late at night. But Colonel Guderian and Lieutenant General Rommel didn't feel tired at all, only excited.
"Rommel, tomorrow is the first battle of our 8th Armored Division, and it is also a battle for us to prove ourselves. I believe that we will be able to succeed." Colonel Guderian sighed.
Rommel nodded. He and Guderian are the youngest division commander and deputy division commander of the 8th Army and even the entire German Imperial Army. Naturally, one can imagine the pressure they are under. Even with Qin Tian's support, many people still envy their status. And the only thing they can do is to use victory to prove themselves, and to prove that Qin Tian's vision is not wrong.
"Since His Royal Highness the Crown Prince trusts us so much, then the only thing we can bring him is victory. Tomorrow, let us prove us with the corpse of the Russian!" Lieutenant Colonel Rommel said.
Early the next morning, the German artillery began to shell heavily on the Russian positions. Unlike usual, their artillery fire began to extend backward after 20 minutes of raging on the Russian army's forward position, which made the Russian army commander feel that something was wrong.
The artillery preparations of the German army, no matter how you look at it, looks like a precursor to a large-scale offensive!
However, before the frontline officers reported the news to General Samsonov, the German counterattack began.
It was the 8th Armored Division of the German Army that took the lead. Both Guderian and Rommel boarded the command vehicle and personally commanded the 8th Armored Division to launch an attack. More than a hundred tanks, driven by the tanks, rushed out of the position, forming a torrent of steel, and rushed towards the Russian position, as if they wanted to destroy everything in front of them.