The Battle of Lezhev is mainly about a war between the Soviet Union and Germany during World War II. It recreates how soviet soldiers insisted on continuing to fight under the siege and suppression of several times the strength of the German army under the situation of internal and external troubles, so as to complete their mission. The Battle of Lezhev, from the beginning of 1942 to the early spring of 1943, was a war of about a year, and according to statistics, the final casualties reached 1.8 million. You can imagine how tragic the battle was. It is also called the "Lezhev meat grinder".
Covered in ice and snow, the entire village of Janikowo was covered by thick snow. A Soviet army received orders from its superiors to take the area. The aim was to drive the German army west 250 km away. The task of liberation of the Moscow region and the west was guaranteed. Due to the large number of recruits participating in this battle, before the attack. The captain once again warned the lieutenant that it was best not to speak when everyone attacked, especially not to shout to defend the motherland, Ulla and the like. Ulla has no specific meaning in Russian and is often used as a mood word to express strong emotions. The reason for this was that the later the Germans surrounded them, the more likely they were to run near their bunkers. In this way, the odds of their surprise attack will be greatly improved, and the casualties will be greatly reduced. The recruit, Eliseyev, clutched his rank badge tightly in his hand, as if praying for something.
With a word of rush, the two sides began a fierce gun battle. However, the Soviet recruits completely forgot the lieutenant's warning before the start of the war, and shouted loudly as they charged. Maybe this is the real war, in the face of the horror of either you or me. There is no memory at all. The recruit Eliseyev was directly frightened by the fierce artillery bombardment. Then the mental state collapsed. He suddenly knelt on the battlefield and looked around while laughing. It's like treating the fierce shells of the present as fireworks for the New Year. In the end, he also had only one end. death. There were also some recruit eggs, slumped on the ground, unable to move. The instructor forcibly pulled him up and continued to charge, but at this moment, a bomb exploded near the recruit, and the instructor took the recruit's hand in one hand, and turned back to find that the recruit's egg was already broken in two. Some of the warriors died on top of the barbed wire, and their teammates stepped directly on it and stepped on it.
In fact, this battle is not only a gap in numbers, but even a gap of 18,000 miles in equipment. The Soviets didn't even have heavy weapons. They could only find cover and throw grenades at close range. Charging all the way to kill the enemy without a sense of fear, one comrade fell down and then another on top. Although the Germans had the upper hand on all sides, they were under this deadly charge. The Germans began to feel shocked and frightened, and with this Soviet raid, the Germans had no idea what they were capable of. So most of the Germans began to retreat. Finally they captured the trenches and won this brief victory. It's just that the price they paid was more than half of the casualties of the company, almost all of which were exchanged for their lives with their bodies. Many veterans know that they are blind in taking this village. So he said to the instructor that the morale of the attack had long been gone. If this continues, we don't know how many people will be sacrificed. We can't get to Berlin. The instructor immediately told him to shut up.
In fact, the company commander knew that even if they captured the village, they would not be very happy. Because the villages around them are now all Germans, and they are in the middle of Usovo and Panovo. If you can't capture these two villages in a short period of time, you will be very passive and uncomfortable. After analyzing the current situation of the battle, the company commander immediately arranged for the soldiers to lay out the defense of the entire village. The company commander called Carl to his side and instructed him to take over the position of commander, but Karl said, "I can only run errands and be your correspondent." The commander was spared, not the piece of material. The company commander told Karl to go to the house to see if there was any wine or food. He went inside the house and found some cigars, liquor and a pistol. These can be said to be the gold of war. At this time, the company commander and the instructor were talking in the house, and he regretted that he had not taken the village of Usovo with one fell swoop, so that the third Panovo village could be basically stabilized. It's very passive now. The instructor asked him if he was panicked.
The company commander admitted that he was trying to calm down. At this time, the battalion commander called, and the company commander reported to the battalion commander on the current situation in the village of Jannikov. Although the place was taken, more than half of the casualties were inflicted. He raised the urgent need for a pair of 45 mm anti-tank guns. But the battalion commander said that it can only be equipped with two machine gun sets. And to take the village of Usovo. Such support is undoubtedly a drop in the bucket, and it can be said that it will not play much role in the upcoming war. However, under the strong orders of the battalion commander, the company commander had to accept the order. Karl took out some of the food he had searched for and shared it with the soldiers. About 10 soldiers gathered around 3 cans of cans, eating and chatting. Then the instructor came and asked them how they were feeling. A veteran directly back to the shit, what a bullshit mood. The instructor told them to believe that we could defeat the German devils. Everyone's eyes are on the instructor at the same time. In fact, everyone understands it in their hearts. I haven't eaten even food for days, can I win the battle?
A soldier took a biscuit to the instructor, who sat down happily to eat. The instructor hadn't eaten a bite in days. At this time, several gunshots came from the distance. The crowd came to the trenches to see what was going on. It turned out that the two machine gun groups sent by the battalion commander had come to them in the face of the enemy's gunfire.
Soon, in the village of Usovo, about a kilometer from them, friendly forces attacked there. The company commander ordered the two groups of machine gunners who had just arrived to provide immediate fire support. But the commander of the machine gun group said that it was too far away, and even if it could hit there, it would be difficult to hit the enemy. This would be a waste of energy and bullets, and it would be easy to expose our position. At this time, the instructor shouted loudly, telling you to fight, where is so much nonsense. So the machine gun group fired continuously, and the enemy did not notice the fire on their side at all. At this time, several German anti-tank guns fired a series of guns at the village of Janikovo.
After a round of accurate artillery fire, the Soviets once again suffered heavy losses. The loss of troops is undoubtedly worse. It turned out that the Germans were not only going to attack the village of Usovo, but also obsessed with the lost village of Jannikov. The company's temporary hospital was blown to pieces by a shell. Only one member of the medical team survived. German artillery fire finally stopped. Gave the Soviets a chance to catch their breath. The company commander held a small meeting with the various responsible persons. The village of Janikovo was under artillery fire, and the battalion commander was waiting for the arrival of the main force. Therefore, the company's support requirements are afraid that they cannot be taken care of. The Germans knew all about us, and they must have thought we were going to retreat because of it. Nor should we have much hope for support, we are on our own, the battle will be tough. An enemy plane flew over the village, and everyone fell down to avoid the shells, but what fell was not the shells, but a series of landing leaflets.
The basic meaning of the leaflet is that having this leaflet will keep you safe. The instructor was very worried about the conditions on the leaflets, which would move the hearts of the army. And now we are at the end of the road. It is particularly easy to capture the military hearts of soldiers. So he shouted from afar, saying that the court-martial would not allow the private possession of leaflets. But the reality was not what he had imagined. For a true veteran, it doesn't work at all. The excessive tension of the instructors led to the heart of some fighters, making them feel that they were not trusted by the state. Reinforcements did not arrive, but instead came a lieutenant supervising the company. It was specially designed to supervise the political and life style problems in the company, especially for this time to send down leaflets to see if the soldiers had hidden leaflets. The arrival of a supervising lieutenant made the whole company panic. The company commander and the instructors were very unaccustomed to him. He thought that his actions would only bring greater disaster to the company, without the slightest help.
The lieutenant searched a flyer from a veteran. The veteran said I just took it to light a cigarette, and I don't know exactly what was written in it. Do you believe me when I say this? The lieutenant replied, "I believe you are a ghost, you bad old man, and I insist on taking the veteran to court-martial." At this time, the company commander had no choice but to bear it. Call the battalion commander directly. But the battalion commander's words made him very disappointed and chilled. Before the lieutenant left, the company commander threatened him that I had 80 comrades-in-arms who had just experienced hell and death. I can't guarantee what they'll think and do when they see the back of a comrade who is about to be shot. Yet the lieutenant's answer: I will not spare anyone who is weak and betrays the country. As they returned to camp with the veterans, the lieutenant was shot in the leg by the Germans. The veteran returned one yard to the other, but still saved his life and dragged him into the crater. And help him bandage his wounds. The veteran kept talking, trying to distract him from the pain.
However, the lieutenant took out a pistol and pointed it at the veteran and told him to shut up. At this time, the veteran scolded him, you stupid, do not cherish life. And he was brainwashed by politics, and he couldn't even tell the difference between good and bad. Because of the enemy's fire and the wounds of the lieutenant, they had to wait for the night before leaving. At night, even though the company strengthened its defenses, the company commander and the instructor felt that it was too quiet, was it the calm before the storm? In order to boost the confidence of the soldiers, they lied to them that reinforcements would soon arrive. Let them be sure to hold on. But will reinforcements really arrive? On the other side, the battalion commander told the major that it was dark and that we could send reinforcements and ammunition to support the company on the front line. But the major said that he would wait until the Germans attacked. The battalion commander said helplessly, at that time, I reckon they don't need support, and there is no need for support, because all of them will be destroyed by the regiment. Supervising the lieutenant's side, the veteran felt that it was time to leave, and the lieutenant began to spit bitter water.
He didn't understand why he was always scolded behind my back, it was the state that took me in, taught me books, and gave me a job defending the law. In fact, the current lieutenant has become a solidified mind, completely brainwashed by politics, no different from a robot that only carries out orders. The only thing left in the mind is to uphold the law. The veteran soldier said that the dog with a broken spine holds the power of life and death, and he can kill if he wants, and let go if he wants. But there is a law that stipulates that I must save you. You should use your brain. At this time, the lieutenant was speechless. The company commander and the instructor's sixth sense finally came to light, and the Germans took advantage of the night to begin their actions. But at this moment, the company actually began to have infighting, all kinds of criticism, telling all the bad things before joining the army, the atmosphere was tense, and even pointed guns at each other's teammates. When the company commander saw the situation, he immediately asked everyone to put down their guns and not forget who the enemy was now, and those rotten things were not a thing.
The company commander led the people to the cellar and showed them how the atrocities of the Germans had maimed their own compatriots. Below the cellar, more than 200 corpses were piled up, all of them from the village before, and the Germans did not even spare children. On the other side, the veterans, 3 of them, unexpectedly found the sneak attack of the Germans, they hid in the crater, did not even dare to breathe loudly. A German soldier with a machine gun in their upper left flank was suppressed in the rear of the German army. Just in time, when their troops were far away, the veteran immediately took the dagger from his foot and went up to kill the machine gunner. And immediately opened fire on the German soldiers already in front. The German army panicked, and the sound of gunfire also woke up the comrades, and immediately opened fire and strafed, forming a two-sided attack on the German army. Support was also initiated on the battalion headquarters. The battle officially began. The lieutenant told the veteran to get out of here, you have already made a meritorious deed. But the veteran did not go by himself, but helped him to walk with him.
On the way, in an ambush by the Germans, the veteran was the first to be shot and fell, while the lieutenant's entourage immediately pulled out a leaflet to indicate surrender. It's ironic. The Germans demanded that their entourage shoot the captain. The captain looked at the veteran lying next to him and smiled at his entourage. And the entourage raised a gun and pointed it at the lieutenant, and while crying and shouting, they asked why they were smiling, why? Then with a bang, I committed suicide. In the end, the lieutenant could not escape the fate of death. Victor, a recruit, informed the company commander that he had just overheard that the German officers were not going to storm the area and were directly using mortars to bombard the village continuously. Using the red flare as a code, the bombing began. In the end, the company commander chose to believe in the recruits, and all but he and Basov and Karl carried out an ambush and evacuated the village. The company commander knew that if the intelligence was true, no matter how hard they tried to hold on, it would be in vain. Only sacrifice in vain. The reinforcements brought by the battalion commander had already reached the woods a kilometer away.
But they thought the battle was long over, and the whole company was killed. The troops had just withdrawn from the village when a red flare pierced the sky, followed by German mortars. The whole village was suddenly in a sea of fire, and the smoke of war was filled. After a round of bombardment, the Germans went straight into the village to search, as if there were no man's land. But they didn't calculate it, and a few people in the company were waiting for them drinking wine and smoking cigars. Several of their frenzied strafing caught the Germans off guard and suffered heavy casualties. After the wounded Carl and the company commander successfully covered the withdrawal of the troops, they also hurried away. The entire company successfully retreated to the camp. But the lieutenant colonel was not happy about this, but asked the company commander why he was disobeying the order. Withdraw from the position without authorization. The company commander said, I did not retreat without a fight, but you have to give me support. Bullets, artillery, food are not given to me, can this be fought? The lieutenant colonel immediately ordered them to return to the village now to continue the defense and atone for their sins.
But the company commander immediately stood up and said that my comrade-in-arms was very tired. I haven't eaten for many days, and now going back is undoubtedly self-seeking short-sightedness and giving people heads. You're sending us to death. The lieutenant colonel looked at the company commander very hard, so he told him to go into the house alone. The lieutenant colonel pointed to the map and told the company commander why they had to hold their positions: 1. The main force of our army was ready to launch an attack in other directions in the next few days. 2) Our task now is to firmly bite the enemy's main force, so that the Germans think that the main force of our army is here, as if we were going to attack from here. 3) Because the whole company is already familiar with the terrain here, and most importantly, now give the Germans a rifle, the enemy is absolutely unexpected. After the company commander listened, he finally understood. The lieutenant colonel promised him that he would do everything he could to get a 45 mm gun and replenish his troops. The company regrouped, replenished its strength, and prepared to return to the village, catching the Germans off guard.
In fact, the soldiers of the whole company know very well that most of them have not returned to the village this time. But they did not hesitate, and they did not turn their heads back in the direction of the village. The film ends here, and it is not clear whether the war will be won or lost after returning to the village. Only a shot of the company commander looking back was left, his face full of exhaustion and determination, and the back of their entire company rushing to the village to kill the enemy. It was as if they were speaking in detail about their firm hearts. Even though there are thousands of troops and horses in front of us, we are all willing to carry the burden forward for the sake of the motherland, and we will not give up until death.
In the whole movie, there are actually many details that are done in place, such as the dialogue between the lieutenant and the veteran, which indirectly shows that the older generation of soldiers and recruits at that time had different understandings of war. How two generations understood the law at the time. There was also a conversation between the company commander and Basov and Karl as they covered the retreat of the entire company. Reflect how heroes are produced in the face of war. There are still many details, interested friends, you can really check out this war film "The Battle of Lezhev".
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