Iron Cross Fire

From December 14 to 17, the top commanders of both sides agreed to cease fire without prior agreement.

Kust of Austria-Hungary wanted to digest the occupied area and ensure that no enemy remained, otherwise his combat situation would be one-way transparent to the Russians.

Ivanov of Russia attempted to build a solid defense line on the east bank of the San River to defend against Kust's attack so as to completely capture Przemyśl.

The other senior leaders did not say anything, after all, they were not in direct command.

Instead, Kaiser Wilhelm kept calling Kust, urging him to launch an attack; this annoyed him, so he simply told the operator not to answer any calls from Germany.

Because Ivanov set the defense line on the San River, there was a particularly convenient way to quickly relieve Przemyśl - directly passing through the narrow section on the north bank, which was less than 2 kilometers.

Everyone knew that the Russians would definitely focus on defending these two kilometers. Not to mention that it was as huge and magnificent as the Maginot Line, it had to be at least the most practical and solid of the entire defense line.

So Kuster would hardly launch a main attack in this area. What should he do? The entire river is an impregnable defense line of the Russians, which is indestructible.

Suddenly, he found the Russian Ardennes region on the map - Sanok. This place was once the headquarters of the Third Army, and it was occupied by the Russians in September and has been until now.

Although Sanok is still under the control of the Russians, it is located on the west bank of the San River and is far away from the defense line. Therefore, it has not been reinforced, but the army has been withdrawn a lot.

Kuster found the opportunity, and at this moment he was like Manstein; decisively deployed the only tank battalion there, and then quietly gathered 60,000 superior forces around Sanok.

As mentioned before, the biggest advantage of the attacker is to use the initiative to decide the time and place of the battle; while the defender, although occupying the advantageous terrain, can only be passively beaten.

On the night of December 18, while heavy artillery shells hit the other side of the San River, the raid on Sanok also began.

In just 10 minutes, they completely cleared Sanok, and then used it as a base to prepare for a forced crossing.

In order to boost morale, Kuster personally went to the front line to command the battle.

He stood next to a soldier holding an MG34, brushed his clothes, and asked him:

"How does it taste to taste your first kiss?"

"Great, I should have met you, General, earlier! I really feel the pleasure of defending my country and killing the enemy at this moment!"

The soldier was excited and spoke incoherently.

Kuster nodded with satisfaction, shook off the dust on his body, and then continued to command the soldiers to force the crossing.

In the early morning of the 19th, the general crossing of the river began. Two rocket artillery battalions continuously tilted nearly 1,000 rockets to the opposite bank.

The terrifying whistling sound pierced the eardrums of Russian soldiers, and many people were buried directly in the soil. The fortifications they had deployed before no longer existed under this fierce fire suppression.

And when they reacted, it was too late.

Kuster, who was on the west bank, could not see the fierceness of the battlefield. He could only hear howling, roaring, and explosions... The air on both sides was filled with the smell of gunpowder.

Soon, about 20 minutes later, the Russians on the other side stopped resisting and formally surrendered to Kuster.

The fighter planes had been opened, and they could no longer be restrained. The four tanks went straight to Przemysl, about 45 kilometers away.

Before they set off, Kuster warned the people in the car to be extra careful. The reason was that the commander of the four tanks, Captain Seroven-Kust, was his third son.

Watching them drive away, Kuster also felt like something was missing in his heart, but he had to go back to the headquarters to work.

In order to cover the attack of the tank battalion, Kuster ordered all reserve divisions to be put into the battle without leaving any room.

There would be great risks in such a battle, but he, a small army commander, did not need to worry about it.

Moreover, it is not a bad idea to make this the focus of the battlefield: then the armies of both sides will gather here, and he can hide under the protection of friendly forces and choose any section to break through.

So now, what Kuster wants to do is to make a big noise here, forcing the four surrounding armies to be involved in this battle.

Thinking of this, Kuster talked to the commander-in-chief of the Third Army on the phone; as for what he said, it will be revealed tomorrow.

On December 20, a message that was both beneficial and harmful to Russia reached the Tsar: the Austro-Hungarian Third Army was fully involved in the battlefield of Przemyśl, Borojevich and Kuster commanded the battle together, and Austria-Hungary received a new reinforcement of 230,000 troops.

Doing so would greatly threaten the flank of the Russian Third Army, and thus have a negative impact on the Eighth Army besieging Przemyśl.

But similarly, due to the withdrawal of the Third Army, Austria-Hungary's Eastern Front currently only has 300,000 troops of the Second Army defending against the Russian army. This is also a good opportunity for the Russians to break through, but I don't know if they can grasp it.

By now everyone knows that this local battle will inevitably evolve into a decisive battle.

If Austria-Hungary wins, then under the siege of the two German emperors, the Slavic Tsar will surely retreat, or even abdicate.

If Russia wins, then Austria-Hungary will face a more severe situation since Galicia.

As for those officers, they must also be careful and cautious.

Once they fail, they will not only be dismissed and lose their reputation; what is more terrible is that it concerns the safety of their families and the rise and fall of the country. They can't lose, and they can't afford to lose.

For Russian officers, they must stubbornly resist the offensive of Austria-Hungary, especially General Ivanov. If his army group is surrounded, his fate can only be the same as Samsonov in Tannenberg-committing suicide.

For Austro-Hungarian officers, they will do everything they can to break through the enemy's defense line, especially Kuster who initiated the war and Boroevich who expanded the war. If this march fails, their previous efforts will be invalidated.

It can be said that the officers on both sides have already sacrificed their lives for their own interests, and no one will retreat. The scale and bloodiness of this battle can also be imagined.

On December 21, Germany launched a series of offensives on the Eastern Front, successfully attracting a large number of Russian troops.

The Austro-Hungarian joint offensive was officially launched, and they assembled 300,000 troops to force Przemyśl.

In contrast, the Russians only had 170,000 troops in this area. But they have a great advantage, which is their strong mobilization ability, and they can continuously transport troops here.

So Kuster must be resolved as soon as possible, and long-term fighting will not benefit them.

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