Warlords: Rising from the Northwest Border and Sweeping Across the Powers

Chapter 1220 Total Annihilation

"Report to the division commander, our communication with the command center in Khabarovsk has been completely cut off!" The communications officer's voice was a little panicked.

The commander of the 64th Armored Division stood up suddenly, cold sweat running down his forehead. They had tried all the channels, but there was dead silence in the direction of Khabarovsk, and even the backup communication system had no response.

"Something is wrong, something is so wrong..." The division commander stared at the battlefield situation map and suddenly realized something, "Damn it! This is a trap!"

He finally understood the intention of the Northern Division. The tenacious resistance of the 9th Panzergrenadiers was not because they really wanted to fight a decisive battle here, but to delay their main force.

"Attention, all troops!" The division commander's voice sounded in the communicator, "Stop the attack immediately! All troops, retreat urgently towards Khabarovsk!"

The commanders of the 213th Mechanized Regiment and the 127th Motorized Infantry Brigade were stunned: "Division Commander, but we are..."

"Follow the order!" the division commander interrupted, "We've been fooled! While our main force is entangled here, the enemy must have launched an attack on Khabarovsk!"

The armored units began to turn around, and the tracks left deep marks on the snow. However, this turning process was extremely clumsy on the battlefield, giving the 9th Armored Grenadier Regiment of the Northern Division an excellent opportunity to strike.

"It's too late..." The division commander looked at the black smoke rising in the distance, and a bad feeling welled up in his heart, "General Kulikov, what on earth happened over there?"

At this moment, a staff officer rushed into the command vehicle and said, "Division Commander! The scouts reported that a lot of smoke was found in the direction of Khabarovsk City. It seems that it was heavily bombed!"

The division commander's face turned pale instantly. He finally understood the overall plan of the Northern Division - to lure the tiger away from the mountain, surround the point and attack the reinforcements. And they were exactly what they wanted.

"Full speed ahead!" he almost roared, "We must get back to Khabarovsk before everything is too late!"

But the armored forces' retreat was far less smooth than their attack. The 9th Panzergrenadier Regiment of the Nordland Division suddenly became aggressive, launching fierce flank and rear-end attacks on the retreating forces.

"They planned it all along..." the division commander muttered to himself, watching more and more troops fall into chaos, "It was a trap from the beginning."

In this hasty retreat, the 64th Armored Division paid a heavy price. The armored convoy became scattered, communications were intermittent, and the command system was almost paralyzed.

Behind them, the 9th Armored Grenadiers of the Northern Division were like a pack of bloodthirsty wolves, constantly biting the panicked troops. The division commander knew that by the time they actually arrived at Khabarovsk, it would probably be too late.

At the Northern Division headquarters, Otto's voice was calm but murderous: "The 34th Armored Regiment, cut off the eastern road of Nev Town. The 346th Armored Regiment, occupy Hill 64. Do not leave any retreat routes for the 34th Armored Division."

On the snowy plain, the two main armored regiments of the Northern Division began to strangle the 64th Armored Division like two huge iron pliers. The tanks of the th Armored Regiment spread out in a fan shape, blocking the main road leading to Khabarovsk. The th Armored Regiment occupied the commanding heights, looking down from above, forming a perfect firepower blockade.

"Reporting to the division commander," the commander of the 34th Armored Regiment reported, "We have cut off all possible routes of retreat for the enemy. They are like animals trapped in a cage."

Otto looked at the situation map and sneered: "Very good, let them know what real armored warfare is."

At this time, the troops of the 64th Armored Division were in chaos. Their retreat turned into a nightmare - intercepted by the th Armored Regiment in front, pursued by the th Armored Grenadiers in the back, and the th Armored Regiment's downward fire on the flank.

"Begin to close the net," Otto gave his final order, "Don't give them any chance to breathe."

The three main regiments of the Northland Division began to attack simultaneously. The 9th Panzergrenadiers continued to exert pressure in the rear, forcing the enemy forward. The tanks of the 10th Panzer Regiment suppressed the enemy in the open area with intensive artillery fire. The 11th Panzer Regiment was commanding and attacked any target that tried to break through.

"This is what you get," Otto said as he looked at the changing battlefield situation map. "This is the price you pay for disrespecting the Northern Division."

The armored forces' encirclement and attack was like a perfect symphony. Every shell and every maneuver was under Otto's control. The fangs of the Northern Division were finally fully revealed.

&34;Division Commander,&34;Combat Staff Report,&34;The enemy is beginning to show signs of large-scale defeat.&34;

"Very good," Otto nodded, "Tell the regiments that they can start the final cleanup. But remember to leave enough prisoners. We need them to rebuild this land."

In this carefully planned encirclement and annihilation battle, the Northern Division demonstrated its formidable tactical accomplishment and command art. From luring the enemy out of the city to the final encirclement and annihilation, every step was within Otto's calculations.

This is the true strength of the Northern Division, and this is Otto's art of command. On this snowy plain, a perfect encirclement and annihilation battle is about to come to an end.

After six hours of fierce fighting, the snowfield turned into a steel graveyard.

The 64th Armored Division's last stand ended at dusk. Destroyed tanks and armored vehicles were everywhere, and black smoke rose from the twisted turrets, staining the gray sky. The supporting forces of the 213th Mechanized Regiment and the 127th Motorized Infantry Brigade were almost annihilated, with only sporadic units surrendering.

In a burning command vehicle, the commander of the 64th Armored Division read the final battle report. His unit, the armored division he was proud of, was completely defeated in the encirclement and suppression of the Northern Division.

&34;We...lost so miserably...&34; he muttered to himself.

Communications had been interrupted, the road to retreat was cut off, and a breakout became a luxury. The pride of the armored division was completely destroyed in this battle.

The division commander took out his pistol and put it to his temple. As a professional soldier, he chose the last dignity.

&34;Bang!&34;

The sound of gunfire echoed across the snowy plain.

"Report to the division commander," the combat staff of the Northern Division reported to Otto, "The commander of the 34th Armored Division committed suicide, and the enemy has no organized resistance. According to preliminary statistics, 34 enemy tanks were destroyed, 34 armored vehicles, and more than 64 prisoners were captured."

Otto stood in front of the command vehicle, looking at the battlefield in the distance: "This is war. Inform all troops to start cleaning up the battlefield and properly place the prisoners."

As night fell, the fire in the direction of Khabarovsk was still flickering. The fate of this city was completely changed today. Kningan's 98th Mountain Regiment controlled the city, while the Northern Division annihilated the main force of the enemy in the field battle.

"Reporting to the superiors," Otto said, "the battle of Khabarovsk has ended in victory."

This was a perfect battle. From the strategy of luring the tiger away from the mountain to the final encirclement and annihilation battle, the Beidi Division demonstrated its terrifying combat capability. And the power of the mother of all bombs changed this land forever.

On this cold night, the battle of Khabarovsk came to an end. This was not only a military victory, but also the end of an era. The rule of the Tsarist Russia in the Far East completely collapsed with the destruction of the 64th Armored Division.